Reagan of course concluded that one with the equally famous, “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny.”Thursday, Feb. 6, marks the 109th anniversary of President Ronald Wilson Reagan’s birthday, or, as he would have phrased it, the 70th anniversary of his 39th birthday.
Either way, we’re grateful beyond measure for his service to our country, the shining City on a Hill, and his steadfast devotion to American Liberty.
In honor of his birthday, we remember “The Speech” — his 1964 address that vaulted him to national prominence:
"...This idea — that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power, except the sovereign people — is still the newest, most unique idea in all the long history of man’s relation to man. This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.
You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well, I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right, there's only an up or down: Man's own old-aged dream — the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order — or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.""The full power of centralized government — this was the very thing the Founding Fathers sought to minimize. They knew that governments don't control things. A government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. They also knew, those Founding Fathers, that outside of its legitimate functions, government does nothing as well or economically as the private sector of the economy."
Among Reagan's most famous and influential speeches during his presidency were his '86 Challenger Disaster address, '87 "Tear Down This Wall" speech, and '89 Farewell Address to the Nation.
But perhaps more than any other US president, as AEI recalls, "Ronald Reagan had a wonderful sense of humor and he demonstrated his keen wit in many of his public speeches. You can see many great examples of Reagan’s humor in the video below titled “The Best of Reagan.”"
A truly classic American President in both gracefulness and patriotism. THE 20th century President! Happy Heavenly Birthday, President Reagan! Our nation salutes you on this day and misses you immensely.
Related links: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & InstituteTo honor President Ronald Reagan on the anniversary of his birthday, the President of the United States has designated that a program be held at President Reagan’s Memorial Site at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library each year.
'61 Socialized Medicine speech
'84 40th Anniversary of D-Day speech
Reagan's Prophetic Warning against Liberal Ideology
