Lessons from Ronald Reagan

I fell in love with Ronald Reagan in 1976 as a sixth-grader when my social studies teacher had each of his students write an essay on who we wanted to be the next president. I chose Reagan, and though he didn’t win the nomination in ’76, he found his way into the hearts of many Americans when he ran again and won in 1980. He did so by uniting us around the things we have in common.

In his first inaugural address he told us: “We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter, and they're on both sides of that counter.”

President Reagan understood that the greatness of our country is not found in the political class, but rather in the everyday Americans who put in an honest day’s work, raise their families, and dare to dream that their lives and the lives of their children can be better than the previous generation.

Ronald Reagan also understood and modeled the value of unity. His common sense policies resonated with the people. Reagan’s 80/20 rule, “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and ally, not a 20% traitor," enabled him to bring our country together. He knew that rallying around what we have in common created the best environment for positive change.

Unfortunately, we are living in a day where the polarizing voices on both sides are the ones being heard. Rudeness and disrespect for anyone who doesn’t toe the line 100% has replaced common decency and civility. Questioning the methods and motives of those currently in control will often result in being labeled and ridiculed by members within our own party. This causes not only division, but often disengagement of many who have been made to feel like outcasts for not blindly following the apparent status quo.

I’m not giving up, and I hope you won’t either. We have the ability to join together and bring back meaningful discussion of ideas and solutions. Reagan believed the Republican Party should be a big tent. Our party must be one whose positive message of opportunity is grounded in timeless conservative principles. We should welcome those with the same basic philosophy and agree on the important issues such as limited government and personal freedom. We can accomplish great things when we embrace those who agree with us on the 80% that really matters.

As we just celebrated our great nation on Independence Day, all of us, no matter our political affiliation should remember and practice this sage advice from Ronald Reagan, “If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.”

Becky Funk is a Coeur d'Alene resident.