"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?" --Ronald Reagan, Jan. 20, 1981
The Wall Street Journal on the legacy of Reaganomics:
All the more so because over this 25-year period prosperity has been the rule, not the exception, for America--in stark contrast to the stagflationary 1970s. Perhaps the greatest tribute to the success of Reaganomics is that, over the course of the past 276 months, the U.S. economy has been in recession for only 15. That is to say, 94% of the time the U.S. economy has been creating jobs (43 million in all) and wealth ($30 trillion). More wealth has been created in the U.S. in the last quarter-century than in the previous 200 years. The policy lessons of this supply-side prosperity need to be constantly relearned, lest we return to the errors that produced the 1970s.
Bulldog Pundit remembers the 70s that Reagan brought us out of.
Too Conservative reminisces:
It was quite an amazing sight to view live. If you weren't alive yet or old enough to remember it, there is no way to really understand the magnitude of what the viewers were seeing. To you, this is merely history. To us, it was breaking news, a nationally unifying POSITIVE event to see these two things juxtaposed.
Mark Tapscott has President Reagan's First Inaugural Address.
Karol posts the picture of Mr. President.
The Union-Leader thinks the GOP could use a pep-talk from the Gipper.
Peggy Noonan reflects on the decline of the MSM and the direction of the Republican Party 25 years after conservatism came to D.C.:
That its representatives admit that lunching with lobbyists is not the problem; failing to oppose the growth of government--so huge that no one, really no one, knows what is in its budget--is. That they reduce the size and power of government. That they help our country.Is that a sissy thing to say? Sorry. But today is the 25th anniversary of the coming to Washington of modern conservatism, and the rise to power of a Main Street romantic who was also a skeptic and an appreciator of human nature. Not a bad time to take stock.
Republicans in Washington struggle with scandal and speak of reform, and reformation. They would better think of words like regain, refresh, rebuild. If they don't, if Republicans don't choose to lead well, and seriously, and with principle, they should ask themselves: Who will? Seriously: Who will?
Red State remembers the end of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, which came just 80 minutes after Reagan was sworn in.
The Washington Post reports on a reunion of the former hostages this week in Washington.
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