Ronald Reagan

They tell us we must learn to live with less, and teach our children that their lives will be less full and prosperous than ours have been; that the America of the coming years will be a place where — because of our past excesses — it will be impossible to dream and make those dreams come true.  I don't believe that.

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I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited.  There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts.

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In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president.  When the Lord calls me home, whenever that day may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future.  I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life.  I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.

(The late Ronald Reagan was born 100 years ago today in Tampico, Illinois.  The first quote above is from his announcement on November 11, 1979, that he was running for president.  The second quote is from his farewell speech to the nation on January 11, 1989 -- just before he left the White House.  The final quote is from a November 5, 1994, letter in which he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.)