Reagan once said: "I was born in an apartment above the bank in Tampico, Illinois. That's the only contact we had with the bank."
Reagan was a decent man during a time when decency actually meant something.
All his life he was a man without guile. He was a humble man who lived by the motto that "There is no limit to what a man can accomplish if he doesn't care who gets the credit."
Millions of us can honestly say that Ronald Reagan was the greatest president in our lifetime. Here's why:
1) Leadership. Reagan was a fearless leader who acted boldly and decisively. He did not complain. He did not blame. He willingly accepted responsibility and led.
2) Conviction. Reagan relied on a bedrock, core set of deeply-held beliefs that guided him all his life. He actually stood for something -- something that everybody could understand and believe in.
3) Teamwork. President Reagan was no micromanager. He wasn't afraid to delegate. He brought in the best people and relied on them to do the job. And they did.
4) Confidence. Reagan trusted the American people. He believed that ordinary Americans were what he called "everyday heroes." He knew them. He understood them. He listened to them. He empowered them.
5) Strength. Ronald Reagan believed in peace through strength. He beefed up our military and made both enemies and would-be enemies understood that America's words really meant something.
6) Faith. President Reagan was both unabashedly patriotic and openly devoted to our Judeo-Christian heritage. He did not hesitate to call for prayer, to pray himself or to invoke the name of God. He fought for the return of prayer to the public square and public life.
7) Graciousness. Reagan remembered that manners, deferential behavior and consideration of others counted for something. He brought genuine grace to the office of the presidency and all of his other dealings in every aspect of his life.
8) Friendship Reagan remembered both his friends and allies at home and those around the world as well. He built strong and trusted alliances and always stood by those who stood for and with America.
9) Prosperity. To Ronald Reagan capitalism was not a dirty word. He knew that the free enterprise system was the greatest job-creator in the world and that an unfettered, de-regulated economy can and would unleash unprecedented property.
10) Honor. President Ronald Reagan always regarded his office as the highest honor he could ever imagine -- an honor on loan from the American people. His words and actions reflected that sense of honor and dignity. And we were honored to have him as our leader.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President!
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