Publisher: Free Press
Pages: 576
Binding: Paperback
Ronald Reagan was a more decent person than I realized. He understood, to a greater extent than the media at that time would allow us to know, the absolute necessity of liberty and freedom to the survival of man. He wasn't moralistic or "extreme," but rather simply loved America and what it stood for. Reagan hated Communism because he loved man, and he loved freedom. I now see how he could defeat Communism when nobody before him in office could: Because he understood--and loved--its alternative.  At times he came across as shallow, sentimental and unintellectual, but there was a deeper side there. He had much more of an eye for detail and concrete specifics, to back up his arguments, than I ever knew until I read this collection of his self-written radio broadcasts from the 1970s (as well as other writings, mainly prior to his presidency). I'm happy when I think that we had someone much closer to Thomas Jefferson than the statists of JFK, LBJ, FDR and now, of course, Obama, in charge of the American system. It makes me think that freedom can and will rise again. I'm sad and troubled when I think that Reagan could do so little of lasting impact, despite his sincere desire to do so, because the entrenchment of our statist bureaucracy makes it impossible. Reagan understood the power of ideas, and his ideas were largely good ones, well-intentioned and on the right track. But we're going to need much more than a Reagan "revolution" to save America and freedom. Still, it was really nice to read the thoughts of someone who wanted the same things I want today, and whose comments and specifics (Cold War, Ford-Carter inflationary policies) have remarkable relevance to today. These are a few things I got from reading this book. You'll probably find a few yourself.