Today is Ronnie’s 100^th birthday.  We feel we can call him Ronnie because President Ronald Reagan was one of us.  He knew us.  He thought like us.  He experienced what we did.  He lived within our culture and he was proud of our principles.  He was an American, he loved America and he boasted of its goodness.  He made us all proud to be an American.

When Ronnie became our President, he was facing huge problems.  The economy was in the tank, people were out of work, the cost of living was out of sight and Americans were in a state of depression.  He had a tough job to fulfill and he did it.  In his farewell speech, he said: 

“The way I see it, there were two great triumphs, two things that I'm proudest of.  One is the economic recovery, in which the people of America created and filled 19 million new jobs. The other is the recovery of our morale. America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership.”

During his tenure as our President, those who helped change America back to the shining city on a hill were called Reagan Revolutionaries.  Today we are Tea Party Members.  Our mission is the same – Save the Republic.

Ronnie believed the Reagan Revolution was really just a return to our founding principles and a renewal of common sense.  The liberal left had taken over our thoughts and beliefs and Reagan returned us to our common-sense compass.  The Tea Party Movement of today also wants a return to our founding principles and a leadership team in Washington with common sense thinking and a removal of the leftist agenda from our lives. 

Common sense is a funny thing and is sometimes laughed at by our leaders.  Their elitist attitude and Alinsky methods of shutting down the dialogue, is a real danger to our way of life.  Ronnie loved common sense and he said:

 “Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before. The economy bloomed like a plant that had been cut back and could now grow quicker and stronger. Our economic program brought about the longest peacetime expansion in our history: real family income up, the poverty rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an explosion in research and new technology. We're exporting more than ever because American industry became more competitive. And at the same time, we summoned the national will to knock down protectionist walls abroad instead of erecting them at home.

Common sense also told us that to preserve the peace; we'd have to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenses, and this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe. Not only have the superpowers actually begun to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons and hope for even more progress is bright but the regional conflicts that rack the globe are also beginning to cease. The Persian Gulf is no longer a war zone. The Soviets are leaving Afghanistan. The Vietnamese are preparing to pull out of Cambodia, and an American mediated accord will soon send 50,000 Cuban troops home from Angola.

The lesson of all this was, of course, that because we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours.”

Ronnie also spoke about the great movement of his time and said, “Once you

begin a great movement, there's no telling where it'll end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world.” 

The Tea Party Movement of America has now been ignited across the world and tea parties are springing up in other lands.  The people are demanding that their government get out of their way and off their backs so they can be free and produce a good life within their communities.

Why is it that Americans are called to re-right our country time and again?   Is it because we get lazy or too busy to focus on our civic duty?  Or we don’t realize it is our duty and we leave it up to those we put into power?”

Ronnie tells his story about waking up and realizing his beloved country was in trouble:

“I never meant to go into politics.  It wasn't my intention when I was young. But I was raised to believe you had to pay your way for the blessings bestowed on you. I was happy with my career in the entertainment world, but I ultimately went into politics because I wanted to protect something precious.

Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of

government, and with three little words: "We the People." "We the People" tell the

government what to do; it doesn't tell us. "We the People" are the driver; the government is the car, and we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which "We the People" tell the government what it is allowed to do. "We the People" are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past 8 years.

But back in the 1960's, when I began, it seemed to me that we'd begun reversing the order of things that through more and more rules and regulations and confiscatory taxes, the government was taking more of our money, more of our options, and more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say, "Stop." I was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do.”

Members of the Tea Party can relate to Ronnie’s “Stop.”  We have become citizen politicians ourselves.  We stood up and said “Enough” and let our government know they had crossed the line of our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.   The Obama Administration and the 111^th Congress will go down in American history as one of the best examples of a government expanding and taking away the liberties of its people.    Ronnie said “And I hope we have once again 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."

Ronnie had regrets too and he called on the Reagan Revolutionaries to continue their work.  He said:

“I've been asked if I have any regrets. Well, I do. The deficit is one. I've been talking a great deal about that lately, but tonight isn't for arguments, and I'm going to hold my tongue. But an observation: I've had my share of victories in the Congress, but what few people noticed is that I never won anything you didn't win for me. They never saw my troops; they never saw Reagan's regiments, the American people. You won every battle with every call you made and letter you wrote demanding action. Well, action is still needed.”

As a Tea Party Member, you understand what Reagan meant.  In the past two years you have written, called, faxed, emailed and yes, even visited Washington with millions of other Americans.  You questioned your President, Representatives and Senators about their out of control spending and intrusive bills.  The bills they passed were some of the largest clamp-downs on our liberties and we will continue to fight until they are repealed and our liberties are reclaimed once again.  Americans are free people and we will not go down as a Republic without standing up for it and fighting for it – until the end of time.

Ronnie warned us of a peril that could eventually take us down.  He was very pleased with the new American patriotism that he and his Reagan Revolutionaries helped create.  What he was most concerned about as he left office was the institutionalizing of it in our schools, our neighborhoods and our culture.  He said:

“Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well grounded patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven't reinstitutionalized it. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom:   freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection.

So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important.  Why

the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant.  You know, 4 years ago on the 40th anniversary of D-day, I read a letter from a young woman writing to her late father, who had fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she said, "we will always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy did."

Well, let's help her keep her word. If we forget what we did, we won't know who we are. I'm warning of an eradication of that of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit. Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual.”

If Ronald Reagan were alive today, he would be deeply concerned that his warning was not heeded.  Today it is politically incorrect to talk about American patriotism.  We are told to take down our flags, remove any indication of God in our country and our history books have been re-written to take out the goodness of America.  It’s out there and you see it and you don’t know what to do about it.

I’ll give you a hint, do a “Ronnie” and call it out.  Stand up and be a citizen politician.  Go to the school board and demand that the textbooks they are using be removed until history is written in accordance with facts and not ideology.  Tell people you will not be politically correct anymore – it is not vogue and they are living in the past.  What is vogue is Renewal of the Republic and the new vogue is being a member of the Tea Party Movement.   Teach your children and grandchildren about America and the goodness of it.   Invest in organizations who are fighting on behalf of liberty and petitioning our government against these crazy and “lack of common sense” laws.

Fight every chance you get against new laws that hinder your ability to live free.

Insist the media tell the truth.  When they don’t report the stories, call them on it.  Refuse to subscribe to newspapers or online publications that do not agree with freedom and liberty.

If a retail company supports liberal ideology, don’t spend your money there.  Tell them you will not spend money with them and you are encouraging your friends and neighbors not to do so as well.  Hurt them where it hurts – in their bottom line.

Write your Congressman in DC and your representatives in your state houses.  Make them earn their keep as your leader.   If they don’t listen to you, invest in their opponent in the next race and make sure they lose their right to represent you.

If you are a part of a family unit, do what Ronnie suggested towards the end of his farewell address:  Have dinner with your family and talk about America.  He suggested:

“And let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.”

The Tea Party Movement has no leader.  There is no organization in DC who is in charge of our events, our writings, our thoughts and our beliefs.  The Tea Party Movement is the Movement of the People of this generation.  We will do all we can to continue to fight for the right to be a free people and we will not let Ronnie down.

In his last few words of his speech, Ronnie said:

“We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and

women of the Reagan Revolution, the men and women across America who for 8 years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger; we made the city freer; and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad not bad at all.”

Tea Party Members:  Will we be able to say that 8 years from now?  Will we be able to hand off our Tea Party Movement to the next generation for their safekeeping?   Will we find a leader in 2012 who will lead with the same vision that we have, the same value system and with the same courage that each of us had when we stood up together in this movement? 

I personally hope so and as hard as it is to continue to get up every day and work on behalf of liberty, this is our time to do so.  Each generation has their responsibility and ours knocked at the door in 2008.  The bailouts woke us up and the issues we have uncovered since then are bigger than that.  What could be bigger than our debt or bigger than out of control spending or bailing out those who did not deserve it?  Answer:  Loss of our liberties and freedom.  That is the real issue in America today and if we fix that, everything else will fix itself.

Ronnie and his team bailed us out in the 80’s and the Tea Party Movement has taken the reigns to do it now. 

If you are not a member of the Tea Party, join your local Tea Party today in honor of Ronnie’s 100^th birthday.  What better gift could you give to Ronnie than Liberty for all?

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.  We miss you and we appreciate the life you helped us lead during your time as our leader.  Rest in peace and keep an eye on us from heaven.  A little whisper to God about saving the Republic would be nice too!  We’re sure you have his ear!

Take a listen to Ronnie here.  Can it get any better than this?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX8X_FsBCDk