Nick Smith, June 13, 2004

A truly great athlete is not only gifted himself, but he also makes those who play with him better. Lifting other people up was also President Ronald Reagan’s greatest quality. He renewed our sense of America's goodness and America's greatness. With that assurance, the American people achieved great things.

I had the opportunity to meet with Ronald Reagan several times when I was President Pro Tem of the Michigan Senate. I was invited to the White House four times as part of President Reagan’s efforts to bring back America economically and spiritually. His example and leadership made lasting impressions.

When Reagan came into office, America was demoralized. President Carter spoke of our "malaise." Watergate and our defeat in Vietnam shook our self-confidence. We gave up the Panama Canal. The Shah fell in Iran, and supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini held 52 Americans hostage for more than a year at our embassy in Tehran. The military rescue mission failed in the desert, with the death of eight servicemen. Communism was on the march. After South Vietnam fell, Cambodia followed. The Sandinistas took control in Nicaragua and communist insurgencies were under way in Ethiopia, Angola, and Mozambique. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and were suppressing the Solidarity movement in Poland.

The economic situation was dire. In 1980, inflation stood at 13.5 percent, and interest rates reached 21 percent. Millions were out of work. The turmoil in the Middle East sparked gasoline shortages. People had to wait hours just to fill up their cars.

America no longer seemed to be special, or a world leader. It felt like the divine spark at the center of the American experiment had gone out. But Ronald Reagan never lost faith in the American people. And he had enough optimism for us all.

He believed we could restore our economy--and we did. By 1990 the U.S. economy had grown by a third, or roughly the size of the entire German economy. And 35 million jobs were created.

He believed we could stand up to the Soviet Union--and we did. It was President Reagan’s resolve that repulsed communism in the Carribean, Central America, and Afghanistan. It was Reagan’s resolve that nurtured Solidarity in Poland, and gave heart to the dissidents of the Soviet bloc. It was Reagan’s faith in American ideals that toppled the Berlin wall and liberated Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union from communist tyranny.

That leadership and vision made Ronald Reagan special. Like FDR, he taught us that there was nothing to fear but fear itself. Like Winston Churchill, he spoke for an entire nation at a time of stress. He restored America’s confidence, and that made all the difference.

Let us remember Ronald Reagan and what he wanted for America. He wanted us always to have faith in our ability as free people to meet the challenges of our times. He wanted us to be that shining city on a hill. And he wanted us to know that America's best days always lie ahead. May God bless Ronald Reagan and Mrs. Reagan, and may God bless America.

Congressman Nick Smith, a Republican, represents Michigan's 7th Congressional District, which includes Battle Creek and the counties of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Calhoun, and Washtenaw in south-central Michigan.