The Gipper

"...there is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."
Ronald Reagan 01/21/81

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the greatest president of the 20th Century. Why? He completed the downfall of the Soviet Union (which was on its way to demise on its own accord), he brought pride back to the country and respect to the office.

What about FDR you say? He is a definitely an American hero and brought us victoriously through WWII! Yes, that is incredible. 250,000 Americans died along the way. Reagan's policies brought down the USSR without a shot. In doing so, 100's of millions of people are now free.

In three years, Reagan and Paul Volker had the economy thriving after taking over after President Carter's economic mishap. FDR worsened the financial problems that the country faced from Hoover's reign by raising taxes and not ridding the country of the Smoot-Hawley trade tariffs. The WPA was simply government hand-outs.

(Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, all rights reserved.)

President Reagan led the country to an increase in family income of 12% and a decline of inflation of 4%. Gross Domestic Product increased over 28% while military spending as a portion of GDP increased only .6%.

"Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!"
Ronald Reagan 06/12/87

President Reagan was a man of principle and he held the office, the country and the American people to higher standards. As Santa Barbara News writer Andrew Coffin said, "Reagan was our country's anchor." I agree completely. He was who we needed at that time and place in our history.

Much has been said about his inactivity towards HIV/AIDS. If we look at some numbers AIDS was identified in 1981. Reagan's administration spent almost $6 Billion starting in 1983. In 1988, there were just over 32,000 diagnosed cases of the disease.

(photo by Max Agustus)

In 1988, according to the CDC the top causes of death were:
1. Heart Disease
2. Cancer
3. Stroke
4. Accidents
5. COPD
6. Pneumonia
7. Diabetes...
...15. HIV/AIDS

In 2000, the numbers were:
1. Heart Disease
2. Cancer
3. Stroke
4. Lower Respiratory Infection
5. Accident
6. Diabetes
7. Flu/Pneumonia
8. Alzheimer's
9. Kidney Disease
10. Septicemia
11. Suicide
12. Liver Disease
13. Homicide
14. Hypertensive leading to Renal Failure
(all others listed as residual)

Because of the activist agenda and media's coverage of them, the American public often believes that nothing is being done. Now granted, I understand that many of the diseases listed can be because of HIV's attack on the immune system. Also, it was listed that Washington D.C. listed the #3 cause of death as HIV. The problem is right in the face of all the politicians in Washington. The point here is that Reagan did not ignore the problem. His administration was the first to be confronted by it, and they acted. The activists are not pleased with the level of attention or monies diverted towards them. Looking at these lists I am more concerned about the disease that inevitably was the cause of President's Reagan's death: Alzheimer's. It was not listed in 1988 and is now #8.

"The character that takes command in moments of crucial choices has already been determined by a thousand other choices made earlier in the seemingly unimportant moments ... It has been determined by all the day-to-day decisions made when life seemed easy and crises seemed far away -- the decisions that, piece by piece, bit by bit, developed habits of discipline or of laziness; habits of self-sacrifice or self-indulgence; habits of duty and honor and integrity -- or dishonor and shame." 1993
Ronald Reagan at The Citadel

So, in my opinion--and that's all it is--I believe that the Greatest President of the 20th Century was Ronald Reagan. His beliefs about government and America can be summarized in his first inaugural speech.

"...government is not the solution to the problem. Government is the problem." 01/20/1981
Ronald Reagan's Inaugural Speech

(photo by Max Agustus)

My list of the Top President's in the 20th Century:
(March 8, 2006: A professional liberal, comic writer and creative genius pointed out a few items that I was unaware of, hence my change of ranking...thanks Joe)

1. Ronald Reagan
2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
3. Theodore Roosevelt
4. Harry Truman
5. Dwight David Eisenhower (father figure and WWII hero-recognized USSR's evil)
6. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (for his brief yet impactful time in office)
7. Lyndon Johnson (Civil Rights Bill vs escalating Vietnam)
8. Gerald Ford (brought the country back on track after Nixon)
9. Woodrow Wilson
10.William McKinley
11.Bill Clinton
12.G.H.W. Bush
13.Calvin Coolidge
14.Warren Harding (He brought the country back to normalcy;his cabinet was corrupt)
15.Richard Nixon
16.Jimmy Carter
17.George W. Bush (I am now not sure of this... 12/29/06)
18.William Taft
19.Herbert Hoover

The greatest president of all time? George Washington... he DEFINED the presidency along with defeating the greatest nation in the world at the time, Great Britain.

The Top Ten Presidents of All Time
1. George Washington
2. Abraham Lincoln
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. Ronald Reagan
5. Franklin Roosevelt
6. Teddy Roosevelt
7. Harry Truman
8. James Monroe
9. Andrew Jackson
10.Dwight Eisenhower

The point is this: The office demands a person larger than life and soulfully bound to what is right. WE NEED HEROES.