The first great president of my lifetime dies...

Being only 26 there are only 3 Presidents who have died during my lifetime. It was sad when Gerald Ford died but he was a one term caretaker president who was mocked in life far more then he was praised in death. Richard Nixon's passing was similarly marred by his time in office and scandal. Ronald Reagan on the other hand was largely viewed as a great man. Most Republicans think he was the greatest President of this century. His death will probably revitalize the push to have him immortalized on some object of currency.

It's amazing to me how these once great men can once again affect us so profoundly in death. Ronald Reagan spent the last 10 years of his life in deep alzheimers but his death will touch all of us in some way or another. For my part I felt myself revisiting his successes and his failures.

The Iran Contra Scandal, The Laffer Curve, The Deficit, Star Wars. These failures are things that many of us equate with Ronald Reagan's Presidency. But there's also the good that was accomplished. Reagan largely laid the groundwork for the collapse of the Soviet Union. His targeted tax cuts for Research and Development would create the foundation for the largest increase in worker productivity and consequently longest peacetime recovery in America's history.

On NPR this morning I heard a quote from Ronald Reagan during his election campaign, "This man [Walter Mondale, his opponent] claims that he is the next Thomas Jefferson. Well, I knew Thomas Jefferson... " that was the kind of singularly disarming humour that would separate him from all of his competitors. Thank you for the memories Mr. President.