One of the great political transformations in American history is seldom mentioned, its importance barely analyzed in popular culture some reading this may not even be aware of it. In less than a twenty-year span Ronald Reagan went from being a staunch Franklin Roosevelt Democrat to a Barry Goldwater Republican. Reagan went from a supporter of the icon of modern liberalism to the keynote speaker at the convention for the political father of modern conservatism.
It is not my intention to explain what caused this transformation only to point out that it happens and really is not all that rare. I would guess that many of my generation, who in their youth, were vehement anti war, stick it to the man liberals are now staunch conservatives. People change as they grow older more informed and forgive me for saying it- wiser. Only closed-minded ideologues hold onto ideas that have been proven by practical observation to have failed. Much of what FDR instituted into American society along with his ideological offspring has been shown to be utter folly.
Even popular programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are dragging our once prosperous country to financial Armageddon. Just because something is popular does not mean that it is the right thing to do less alone sustainable. If you want to be popular parent buy your child every toy, every gadget your child desires, you will be popular, you will also be the broke parent of a spoiled child who does not know how to take care of himself.
Ronald Reagan came onto the American scene not with new ideas, FDR had new ideas, LBJ had new ideas, but with old ideas. The problem is that when you say that the old ideas are the ones that work ideologues immediately try to tie old ideas with historical injustices to discredit them. If you say that the founding fathers really did create a system of government that was not only the best, it was the fairest for all people, ideologues will try to discredit it by pointing to the fact that many of the founding fathers were slave holders so they are hypocritical. Besides separating the founders from historical context dragging them into twentieth century norms when they lived in the eighteenth century, it does not really address the magnificence of their accomplishment. It is like saying that a mother cannot be a great mother because she is not beautiful. Ronald Reagan reminded us that we are the offspring of a great mother-Liberty.
When Reagan made his famous quote “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." He was not speaking from an ideological standpoint, but as one who had watched the failure of the application of an ideology he had once embraced. His convictions were based not upon theory but rather upon the only true test there is, observed practical application. As I said and firmly believe the difference between ideologues and wisdom is no more than an open minded view and acceptance of reality as opposed to a closed minded belief in a theory.
In a nutshell what Reagan taught a generation of Americans was that individual liberty works, government-controlled societies don’t. It is not like this has not been proven over and over again throughout history especially in the twentieth century. It is not like we have not observed that government is like the camel’s nose let into the tent, once in you will soon find yourself sleeping in the cold.
Despite all the leftist propaganda to the contrary, Ronald Reagan was the champion of the people and the people who lived through it with an open mind, knew it. Only the ideologues missed the reality as they always do being so wrapped up in their theories of the way they think it should be rather than the way it really is.
So who is the next Reagan? We are, those of us who were blessed to have our eyes opened by the greatest president of the twentieth century. A man so wise that he could see that he was going down the wrong path and instead of arrogantly following that path to destruction, he found the old path and led millions towards freedom.
Happy Birthday Ronald Reagan we are you.
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