Recently, our nation mourned the passing of our 40th president,
Ronald Wilson Reagan. Affectionately known as the Great
Communicator, President Reagan's legacy is of ushering in the
demise of the Soviet Union and rescuing the American economy from
the economic malaise of the 1970s.
Reagan's optimism and love of America has been noted by both
ardent supporters and by detractors. Ronald Reagan has been the
inspiration for many to enter into public service. Congressman
Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-San Diego, has cited Reagan as the
motivating factor for the former Navy ace pilot to run for his San
Diego congressional seat.
Ronald Reagan melded his conservative philosophy with a
sprinkling of humor and showmanship. Reagan once remarked,
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the
Democrats believe every day is April 15." Such remarks drove his
detractors crazy, but won the hearts of the American public.
Since President Reagan's passing, there have been a variety of
proposals to honor his memory. One of the more far-fetched ideas is
to place Ronald Reagan on Mt. Rushmore. Yet another proposal
gaining momentum in Congress would replace founding father
Alexander Hamilton with Ronald Reagan on the $10 bill.
Our 40th president would likely object to booting Alexander
Hamilton from the $10 greenback. Ronald Reagan was a humble man who
was guided by the principles of our founding fathers.
Although Hamilton was never elected president, he is considered
a key architect of our Constitution and authored 52 of the
Federalist Papers. Hamilton served as the first Treasury secretary
and his role in our republic and support for capitalism is too
important to ignore.
While many ideas will be bandied about to recognize Ronald
Reagan, there is one idea here in Temecula that is very promising.
Recently the Temecula City Council proposed renaming the Rancho
California Sports Park after our 40th president. This idea is the
brainchild of Mayor Mike Naggar. Naggar too has credited the Great
Communicator as a source of inspiration for public service.
In 1983, President Reagan mentioned the people of Temecula and
their newly built sports-park in a speech before the U.S. Olympic
Committee. The can-do attitude of Temecula Valley residents some 21
years ago exemplified Reagan's vision of America as that "shining
city upon a hill."
Temecula still exemplifies Reagan's vision of America. Temecula
stands out as a bright example to the nation with its newly formed
Temecula Citizen Corps. The Citizen Corps is trained to respond to
wide-scale emergencies, natural disasters and terrorist
Upon leaving office, President Reagan spoke the following words
to the nation:
"Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it
will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst
fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that
you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your
steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way."
Reagan's hopes align perfectly with Temecula's character. Let's
name this one for the Gipper.
Rick Reiss is a regular columnist for The Californian; e-mail: