Gilbert Gutknecht: “tonight we celebrate the 90th birthday of President Ronald Reagan, and I would like to read some lines from a column…”

“tonight we celebrate the 90th birthday of President Ronald Reagan, and I would like to read some lines from a column that appeared on Sunday in the London Times in London, England. It was written by Andrew Sullivan, and frankly I cannot say this better than he did about a President that I have admired literally for many, many years. Let me read and I quote: ``He will turn 90 on Tuesday, but in all likelihood he will barely be aware of it. The cruelty of Alzheimer's has robbed Ronald Reagan of the capacity for clear memory. But that doesn't apply to the rest of us. ``He seems, in some respects, a historical oddity now, his political and cultural presence obscured by the Clinton psychodrama and the Bush dynasty. But his successors do not begin to compare--either in achievement or legacy.'' Madam Speaker, Reagan stood for two simple but indisputably big things: the expansion of freedom at home and the extinction of tyranny abroad. He achieved both. When he came into office, the top tax rates in the United States were 70 percent. Against all odds, Reagan slashed the top rate to 28 percent and ignited the economic boom that is still with us. He was right about taxation and the role of government. He was also right about the other great question of his day, the Soviet Union. I will never forget the moment I heard his ``evil empire'' speech.”