Ronald Reagan Quotes

"Socialism only works in two places:  Heaven where they don't need it and hell where they already have it."

"Here's my strategy on the Cold War:  We win, they lose."

"The most terrifying words in the English language are:  I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."

"Government's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases.  If it moves, tax it.  If it keeps moving, regulate it.  And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenal in the world is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession.  I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."

"Politics is not a bad profession.  If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book."

-President Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States of America.

President Kennedy's Inaugural Address - A wonderful read

Jan. 20, 1961

Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens, we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning—signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.	1
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.	2
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.	3
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge—and more. Please follow the link to read or listen to the entire speech:   http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural2.htm

Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas, specifically the Bahamas, occured on October 12, 1492.  Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906, and became a federal holiday in 1934.  However, people have celebrated Columbus' voyage since the colonial period.  In 1792, New York City and other U.S. cities celebrated the 300th anniversary of his landing in the New World.  In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus Day on the 400 anniversary of the event.  During the four hundredth anniversary, in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used Columbus Day rituals to teach ideals of patriotism.  These patriotic rituals were framed around themes such as support for war, citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and celebrating social progress.

Columbus Day is celebrated nationally the second Monday in October.