Mourning The Passing of President Ronald Reagan

Mourning The Passing of President Ronald Reagan -- (House of Representatives - June 09, 2004)

Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the previous order of the House, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 664) mourning the passing of President Ronald Reagan and celebrating his service to the people of the United States and his leadership in promoting the cause of freedom for all the people of the world, and ask for its immediate further consideration.

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Mr. BOEHNER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from California for yielding me this time, and I rise today in tribute to a great American, Ronald Reagan.

We have heard extensive remarks this morning about his two major accomplishments, I believe: the end of the Soviet Union as we know it, and setting in place employer tax rates leading to an economic recovery. If we think about what happened, he was the first to call for the end of the Soviet Union and, frankly, the first to predict the end of the Soviet Union as we knew it. No one in my lifetime has done more to spread freedom around the world than Ronald Reagan, and we all owe him a great debt not only here in our country, but around the world.

His tax policies of the early 1980s led to an economic recovery in the 1980s, and I believe the entire expansion of the 1990s can be traced back to the lower tax rates set in the early 1980s, giving investors a reason to invest in our economy.

But I think Ronald Reagan's greatest contribution to our country was his optimism, his hope, and his belief in the strength of the American people. One only has to look at what we went through in the 1960s and the 1970s and what Ronald Reagan inherited when he took office. America, to say the least, was on its heels. We had gone through the problems of the Vietnam era; we had gone through problems with the Presidency; we had gone through the problems of the energy crisis; and this new animal that came upon our economy called inflation.

America was beginning to wonder about itself, and it was Ronald Reagan who talked about the shining city on the hill and all that America could be. It was Ronald Reagan that knew and said that our best days lie ahead, not in the past, and he was right. The hope that he brought, the enthusiasm he brought, and the belief in the American people was something that did, in fact, renew the American spirit.

His patriotism and the patriotism he brought to our country was something that we have not seen for some time. I know in my case, I and my entire family grew up in the Democrat Party, and it was Ronald Reagan, it was Ronald Reagan, who showed me that I was a Republican. It was Ronald Reagan who encouraged me to take a more active role in my community. I was proud to be a volunteer on his campaign in 1980. And, Mr. President, let me say this: You were my hero then; you continue to be my hero.

It was Ronald Reagan who inspired me to make a commitment to public service and to do my share on behalf of the American people, and forever I will be grateful.

Mr. President, we still love you.

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