Dear President Reagan,

Thank you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the decades of selfless service - first to the people of California, and later to all of “my fellow Americans”.

Thank you for delivering our country - and our collective psyche - from the emotional doldrums that afflicted us before your inauguration in 1980. Your undying belief in the greatness of America, and in the greatness of all Americans, liberated us from the morass that was sweeping across America like a great plague.

By putting us first and reminding us of our individual and collective greatness, we were able to move past the crippling effects of the Vietnam War, double digit inflation, a national oil crisis, a stagnated economy, and the taking of American hostages in Iran.

By restoring dignity to--and our faith in--the institution of the presidency, we were able to trust you to lead us to a greater tomorrow – a day which we are reveling in now. As you said in your last letter to the American people: “I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.” Mr. President, you could not have been more correct.

Thank you for your unending fight to rid the world of its greatest danger. You sir, more than any other, are directly responsible for defeating the greatest enemy this country has ever faced. As you once said: “Communism… is a temporary aberration which will one day disappear from the Earth because it is contrary to human nature.” I have seen with my own eyes the bread lines of the Eastern Bloc countries, families separated by a giant wall and thus unable to gather together as a single group and little children unable to afford shoes to wear or attend schools since there were none nearby.

More recently, I have seen with my own eyes a united Germany and a Checkpoint named Charlie that is now just a museum – a footnote on the history of a place that was once divided by that giant wall. I have a piece of that wall on my desk to insure I never forget what was once a way of life for so many millions of people. And so that I never take for granted the incredible richness and opportunity of what is available to us every single day in this great country of ours – I frequently find myself looking at and touching the stone that looks like any other stone and saying to myself “Open this gate, Mr. Gorbachev. Tear down this wall… This wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith. It cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.” Of course, you were right. You will be happy to know that the energy consulting company where I work has opened an office in Moscow – with full time employees working to improve the energy situation in Russia. Freedom won. As you know, freedom will always win.

Thank you for believing in the principles that seem so obvious, but are foreign to so many. You proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a system based on personal responsibility, smaller government, lower taxes and a strong military can flourish. You presided over the longest economic expansion in history. You created 16 million jobs. Inflation fell off a cliff, with interest rates and the number of welfare recipients following like a pack of lemmings. Most importantly, you slashed taxes knowing that it would stir the economy and believing that each of us knows what to do with our money better than the government ever will. You fought for a balanced budget amendment. You fought for and privatized so many government institutions – slashing the size of the government in the process. You deregulated so many industries – my job is possible today primarily because of your deregulation of the energy industry. You did the same for the banking and broadcasting industries. Your leadership in free trade has had lasting positive effects on the economies of so many countries around the world.

Mr. President, we have come a long way since you left office. But the fight is not over. We are now facing as big a challenge as the one you faced. And the actions we take today will change the face of the world – just as your actions did 25 years ago. But don’t worry, we won’t give up. We won’t stop fighting for what we believe in and what is right. And we will never give in to the voice of tyranny, cruelty and repression anywhere in the world. We know we would be letting you down if were we to act any other way.

Mr. President, I am a better man for having known you. We are a better country for your service as our 40th leader. May history see you as I do – the most important public figure of the 20th century.

Thank you President Reagan.

Sincerely,

E. J. Feulner, III
A grateful American