Feb. 6 might not be a holiday on the calendar, but it's still a day of celebration. Most of you probably don't know of anything to honor on this day, but it is now worth mentioning more than ever. In a month where presidents are honored, this man deserves to be talked about along side them as well. Both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln accomplished great things for a better well-being for our nation. Washington helped in the founding of the country while Lincoln kept us together through a near-impossible time. This man did a little of both: helping to reunite our morale while improving our country overall.
Ronald Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911. His term as president was one of the most productive and beneficial in the history of the country. Within an hour of being inaugurated, the Iran hostage crisis ended, due in part to his forceful authority over the situation. Before being elected he promised to take any action necessary, including using force, to get the hostages out. The Iranian government caved in to American demands only after embarassed President Jimmy Carter left office. The reason for this was because there was validity to Reagan's promises. Right from the beginning, he showed his ability to take charge of a difficult predicament while still remaining true to himself.
In the early 1980s, our nation's economy was in the dumps. Inflation was high, unemployment was growing by the day and the stock market was going nowhere. Reagan looked at this problem and knew he had to solve it immediately. His economic recovery plan, commonly referred to as Reaganomics, took this problem head on. His tax-cut plan gave everyone in the country some of their money back which increased government revenue. His plan had its origins to the John F. Kennedy tax cuts of the early 1960s and was used as a model for the Bush cuts of 2001. While criticized at the time, his plan not only got our economy going ago, but continued to have affects well on into the 1990s.
Throughout his presidency, Reagan faced some hard times. Within three months of taking office, an assassination attempt was made. The shot by John Hinckley was a lucky one to begin with. Entering in his armpit, it was undetected until he arrived at the hospital. After twelve days, he returned to the White House and continued to serve his country.
A situation that nearly brought down his presidency was the Iran-Contra scandal. It revolved around selling military arms to Iran in the hopes of releasing hostages, while using the money to help fund the Nicaraguan Contras in their bid for independence.
While Reagan was out of the loop on the operation, National Security Council head John Poindexter and staff member Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North both helped in the execution of the act. Both men lost their jobs over this. Reagan was never found to have knowledge of it, but impeachment was brought up as a possibility. He was ultimately not blamed at all for this.
Probably Reagan's greatest accomplishment as president was setting in motion the fall of the Soviet Union. Since he was an impeccable public speaker, the title of The Great Communicator was bestowed upon him. This became his biggest asset when dealing with the U.S.S.R. His most important speech on the topic took place in 1983 in West Berlin. By uttering the famous phrase, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," he took a huge and almost unprecedented stance on the issue. Talks with Gorbachev in the mid 1980s helped to pave the way for change to take place. In addition to powerful speeches, he flexed his muscle when it came to military strength. He built up our country's military strength in every sector, from intelligence to weaponry. By the end, the Soviets couldn't keep up with the amount we were producing. Both his words and actions led to the bloodless defeat and collapse of the Soviet Union without firing a single shot.
It's a sad but true fact: Ronald Reagan probably didn't know it was his 93rd birthday on Feb. 6. His Alzheimer's disease has made his mind unable to remember anything. For a man who did so much for this country and gave everything he had for the betterment of us, it is tragic to see him in his present state. This was someone did what he thought was right and stuck by it till the end; whether it was making lives easier for us to live or defeating a mortal enemy of ours. It wouldn't surprise me to look on a calendar in 10 years and see his birthday recognized on it. We as Americans should reflect upon his accomplishments just as we do upon Washington's and Lincoln's with amazement and joy. This hero of our nation certainly deserves no less.
