Political Quotes

“6 years ago today, President Ronald Reagan lay in State in the Capitol Rotunda, a high and fitting honor for this consequential President and native son of my congressional district. Today, I bring to the floor a far more modest tribute, a bill that would designate the post office in his boyhood hometown of Dixon, Illinois, the President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office Building. Born in Tampico, Illinois, in 1911 and raised in Dixon, President Reagan spent his life upholding the strong values of small-town America, but it is easy to overlook the humble Midwestern origins of a man whose career took him from Hollywood to the White House. In his autobiography, President Reagan said of Dixon, ``It was a small universe where I learned the standards and values that would guide me the rest of my life.'' While living in Dixon, President Reagan attended grade school and high school. Decades before standing at the Brandenburg Gate, he stood guard at the beach in Lowell Park where, according to local lore, he saved the lives of 77 swimmers on the Rock River. For the centennial of President Reagan's birth next year, the communities of Tampico and Dixon are planning numerous commemorative activities to honor this local hero and American icon. There will be a gala event in Tampico in February, followed later that month by the premiere of the ``Reagan Suite,'' an arrangement commissioned by the Dixon Municipal Band and Reagan Centennial Commission.…”