Scott Garrett: “I rise today as we pay our respects to one of the greatest leaders that this Nation has ever known, a man who will…”

“I rise today as we pay our respects to one of the greatest leaders that this Nation has ever known, a man who will forever be held as a model for what is great about America. As we take this time to mourn the loss of one of our Nation's greatest leaders, we should also celebrate his heroic and historic life that he lived. Ronald Reagan exemplified the best qualities that you would ever want in a leader. He was compassionate, he was caring, he was visionary, and he was strong. He took our Nation from a crisis in confidence to a country the entire world would view as a standard bearer of justice and liberty. Americans, they put their trust in Ronald Reagan and, in turn, Ronald Reagan put his trust in each one of us. He had faith in the American individual, in one's ability to care for one's self. Ronald Reagan knew that we could do more for ourselves than any oversized bureaucratic burdensome Federal Government could ever do. Ronald Reagan believed that doing more for ourselves was really the best way that we could regain that long missing self-confidence in our American pride again. So today, in the wake of the President's death, we must continue to learn from his teachings. And we must long remember after today the contributions that Ronald Reagan made to this Nation both for this Nation, and his actions, and their meanings.”