Gosh I miss this guy.

I had the rare priviledge in 1985 of meeting President Ronald Reagan face to face and having a portrait photographed with him. He stood like a giant in front of me when I approached him. And I will always remember stepping up to the platform where he was giving each of us Congressional candidates a short "photo op". When I stepped up he leaned over to me and took my hand in his as a handshake and to help me up on the platform with him. I looked up at him and said "hello Mr. President. I'm Bud McElhaney." And he smiled so big at me and said back "well of course you are Bud, and I'm Ronald Reagan". He made me feel just like I was an old friend that he hadn't seen for years. And then he pulled me over close to him and put his arm around me and smiled again and said "now let's give them something to talk about!". Wow! I'll never forget him. And I'll never forget the pride he gave me for being an American. And the inspiration he gave me for trying to make a difference. I miss him. And America misses him. We were better with him as a leader. And we have become worse for having lost him.

For those who don't remember him so well, his quotes will give a good insight into his personna and his belief that the best government is the government that governs least.

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

"There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect." - Ronald Reagan

"Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem." - Ronald Reagan

"There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder." - Ronald Reagan

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

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan

"Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong." - Ronald Reagan

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

"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination." - Ronald Reagan

"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." - Ronald Reagan

"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."
- Ronald Reagan

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

"Government's view of the economy could 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." - Ronald Reagan

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

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

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan