Jeb Hensarling: “It is almost impossible to imagine what the world would be like today if Ronald Reagan had never come along. That is…”

“It is almost impossible to imagine what the world would be like today if Ronald Reagan had never come along. That is because so much of the past 100 years of American and world history was directly impacted by the courage and convictions of our 40th President. As we all know, the course of the 20th century was not always a smooth ride for the United States or for freedom. At a time when we needed a hero, we got one in the Gipper. When Ronald Reagan saw the country he loved succumb to the hubris of the welfare state, high taxation, rampant spending and crippling regulation, he set his sights on Washington to turn things around. He believed that government was not the solution but the problem. The status quo of the time begged to differ and he saw no choice but to challenge it. Against all odds, he succeeded. That same misguided consensus also told us that Soviet communism would forever co-habit the globe with Western democracy. Again, President Reagan disagreed. To him, communism wasn't just flawed--it was evil. That conviction shaped his entire worldview. His forecast for the Cold War was simple: "We win, they lose." His optimism led him to predict a decade before the Cold War ended that "the West won't contain communism, it will transcend communism." Again, President Reagan was right. All Americans live in a freer and more prosperous world because of Ronald Reagan.”