Gov. Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement in recognition of President Ronald Reagan’s birthday:
PROCLAMATION
Ronald Reagan was a man who kept his word. Whether the promise was to protect swimmers as a young lifeguard or defend the Constitution of the United States as President, he always delivered.
In 1966, Californians gave him a chance to govern a state facing challenges in education and infrastructure, skyrocketing taxes and deep social unrest. It was Reagan’s characteristic optimism and can-do attitude that helped meet those challenges, and eight years later, he left office as one of California’s greatest governors.
As the 1970’s came to a close, our nation was mired in economic stagnation and lived under the shadow of the Cold War’s constant threats. America was losing jobs, losing direction and losing hope. Again, people turned to Reagan for answers, and again, he delivered. With great courage and strong character, he reawakened our nation’s economic power, helped end the Cold War and restored American pride and patriotism.
With all the commitments he made in life, perhaps nowhere was his devotion more evident than in his unending love for his wife, Nancy. While California and America revere her as our First Lady, he cherished her for the irreplaceable strength and companion she was to him. And when he shared the news of his Alzheimer’s disease, Ronald Reagan’s sorrow was not for himself, but for his beloved wife who would be there to see him slip into the sunset of his life.
In the last days of his presidency, President Reagan spoke to the American people and said that “because we’re a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours.” As we commemorate the ninety-seventh anniversary of his birth, I hope we will not only remember Ronald Reagan’s accomplishments, but also this unwavering optimism, his wit, his smile and his love for America.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim February 6, 2008, as “Ronald Reagan Day.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 22nd day of January 2008.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California
