"God Bless the Gipper"
by Dr. Robert W. Malone
"Reagan on Volunteerism: One of Reagan’s superpowers was his fundamental belief that Americans would step up to help other Americans if the government would just get out of the way. Ronald Reagan’s view of volunteerism was that a strong society is primarily built from the bottom up, through personal responsibility and voluntary effort, rather than through top-down government control. He held that Americans are inherently generous and that true compassion arises most effectively when it originates spontaneously in individuals, families, churches, and local communities rather than through bureaucratic directives.
Reagan argued that volunteerism preserves human dignity. When people help one another by choice, both the giver and the recipient remain active participants in community life. By contrast, he feared that expansive government welfare programs would unintentionally foster dependency, reduce personal initiative, and transform citizens into passive clients of the State. In his view, charity administered close to home was more responsive, humane, and effective than distant federal programs and systems.
Importantly, Reagan did not claim that the government had no role at all. Instead, he believed its main responsibility was to create the conditions for prosperity and freedom. That economic growth, employment opportunities, and social stability are paramount. Therefore, citizens would be empowered to care for one another voluntarily. In his framework, the government should support civil society, not replace it.
At its core, Reagan’s view of volunteerism reflected an optimistic faith in the American people that seems lost in today’s high-tech, digital world. He trusted that when individuals are free, prosperous, and responsible, they will step forward to meet social needs. For Reagan, volunteerism was not a secondary supplement to government action; it was the moral engine of a free society and a defining feature of American civic life.
This country is now in a crucible, being subjected to intense heat stoked by partisan divisions grounded in major philosophical differences. Shall we continue to rely on the federal government to “solve” all our problems, or do we, as a nation and as individuals, step up and take responsibility?
Do we support our families and even our neighbors when they need a helping hand, or do we turn away? Do we help out in our churches, soup kitchens, and hospitals? Do we tutor, mentor, and babysit the children in our lives? Do we find ways to enrich our communities, or do we expect the government to step in and fulfill these needs?
I believe, like President Reagan did and JD Vance does, that we should revisit the concept of limited government, and each do our part to stay engaged in community activities. A productive life is one that is actively lived. A return to Judeo-Christian values is essential for preserving and strengthening American exceptionalism. Though it may seem naive, I believe that by staying united and resilient, we will all thrive and remain free.
Ronald Reagan on Liberalism (1975): "I think that the heart of my philosophy is much more libertarian. A conservative is a libertarian. He always has been. Because what do we call a liberal? Someone very profoundly once said many years ago that if fascism ever comes to America, it’ll come in the name of liberalism. And what is fascism? Fascism is private ownership, private enterprise, but total government control and regulation. Well, isn’t this the liberal philosophy? The conservative so- called is the one that says, “less government. Get off my back, get out of my pocket, and let me have more control of my own destiny.”
President Reagan’s most famous quotes still reverberate today, and to quote him is to honor him. So, take these and use them - with credit where it’s due!
• “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” First Inaugural Address, 1981.
• “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” 1986 press conference.
• “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” 1964 speech, later frequently quoted as president.
• “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.” 1964
• “We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.”
• “The best social program is a job.”
• “America is too great for small dreams.”
• “We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around.”
• “There is no such thing as left or right. There is only up or down. Up to man’s age-old dream, down to the ant heap of totalitarianism.”
• “We’re the beacon on the hill.” (From his frequent use of John Winthrop’s ‘city upon a hill’ imagery.)
• “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Berlin Wall speech, 1987
• “Trust, but verify.” (A Russian proverb Reagan popularized in arms-control diplomacy.)
• “Freedom and democracy will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history.” 1982 speech to the British Parliament.
• “We win, they lose.” (Informal but influential framing of Cold War strategy.)
• “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size.”
• “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
• “Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in.’”
• “I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency - even if I’m in a Cabinet meeting.”
• “Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.”
Reagan noted that you can’t force a horse, you have to guide it, earn its trust, and stay balanced. He liked to use this concept when talking about leadership and the need for restraint. I maintain that horsemanship has been so prized in past generations for precisely this reason. That leaders of yore, recognized that by learning how to train a horse, one learns how to manage people. And by all accounts, Reagan was a most excellent horseman.."
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