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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Americans across the country are welcoming the |
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opportunity to pay tribute to the life and presidency of Ronald |
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Reagan on the 96th anniversary of his birth, February 6, 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in 1911, Ronald Reagan was a successful film |
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actor and a popular California governor before his bid for the |
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presidency in 1980; he pledged in that campaign to restore "the |
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great, confident roar of American progress and growth and |
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optimism"; he took office as the 40th U.S. president on January 20, |
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1981, and in 1984 won a landslide reelection, garnering nearly 60 |
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percent of the popular vote and winning 49 states; and |
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WHEREAS, At the end of his two terms in office, President |
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Reagan surely viewed with satisfaction the achievements of his |
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innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to |
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reinvigorate the American people and reduce their reliance on |
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government; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition to a focus on shrinking the federal |
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government, President Reagan supported an anti-Communist policy |
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that became known as the Reagan Doctrine, and his tenure in office |
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helped to usher in the end of the Cold War, later symbolized by the |
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tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989; and |
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WHEREAS, Working effectively with Congress, President Reagan |
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obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, |
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increase employment, overhaul the tax code, and strengthen national |
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defense, and at the end of his administration the nation was |
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enjoying one of its longest recorded periods of peacetime |
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prosperity; and |
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WHEREAS, In later years, President Reagan and First Lady |
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Nancy Reagan promoted greater public awareness about Alzheimer's |
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disease through their openness in dealing with the former |
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president's condition; in 2002, the couple received the |
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Congressional Gold Medal, the country's highest and most |
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distinguished civilian award in recognition of their service to the |
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nation and to the world; friends and admirers across the globe |
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mourned when President Reagan died on June 5, 2004; and |
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WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan's tenure in office brought with it a |
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renewal of national pride and self-confidence, and his policy of |
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peace through strength remains a powerful and inspiring legacy for |
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our nation; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 96th anniversary of the birth of |
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Ronald Reagan on February 6, 2007, and encourage all Texans to |
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reflect on the life and presidency of this great national leader. |