Words To Live By Podcast

So early this spring – you probably heard – that both OPEC and Russia announced a massive oil supply cut, totaling 1.6 million barrels per day. This, of course, raises fears of a resurgence of inflation—and to no one’s surprise, oil prices jumped $7 a barrel on the news—as well as continued deterioration of the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. If you’ve filled your car with gasoline lately, you’re still feeling the pain from these inflated gas prices and our government’s bad policies. So for today’s podcast, I found some radio addresses delivered in 1977 and 1979 – yes, by then Governor Reagan – with a perspective I think you’ll appreciate. If we are really serious about “words to live by,” it’s sad no one has paid enough attention to these commentaries. But, today we shall!

In light of the heated Republican presidential race, we’ll focus today on events taking place after Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for President of the United States on November 13, 1979, in the ballroom of the New York Hilton. That was just the beginning. The path to the White House was not an easy one and well, shall we start in Iowa?

While the 2024 election is still 15 months away, Republican candidates are entering the fray faster than Clayton Kershaw can throw strikes. Which begs the question: how did Reagan do it? What was his strategy? What was on his mind? In this podcast, we’ll listen to some of his strategic speeches related to his 1980 campaign. As you know, he was also a candidate in 1976 and marginally in 1968. But today, we’re going to focus on 1980 and well…do you remember why he ran?

Well it’s baseball season, and as you know, our national pastime was a favorite of our 40th President’s, though he never really played the game. Why you ask? Because of his eyesight. He always said the ball wasn’t big enough. So, Ronald Reagan spent more time on the track, in the pool, and on the gridiron, but baseball was still a great love of his and an important part of his life.

Ronald Reagan always said his favorite holiday was the 4th of July….oh and that the Democrats’ favorite was April 15. We know what a dedicated patriot he was, and he used his bully pulpit to celebrate everything wonderful about America. And of course, the 4th of July provided the perfect opportunity to do so. Over the years, his messages were pretty consistently patriotic but depending upon the current climate in Washington, he would choose to insert a little personal color.

In March this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Parents’ Bill of Rights intended to reform American public schools. Perhaps you’ve heard about it. Essentially, this bill follows states like Florida that have also sought to give parents more control. The bill has headed to the Senate for consideration. But it’s highly unlikely, that the Democratic-controlled chamber will take up the measure, with House Democrats dubbing the bill the “Politics over Parents Act.” In this podcast, we’ll hear how our 40th president felt about education. First, let’s listen to a radio address that Ronald Reagan delivered in 1976 – almost 50 years ago. And in the second half, we’ll get his presidential views on the subject, particularly as it pertains to a national report on education along with federal spending.

In today’s podcast, we’ll focus on Ronald Reagan the environmentalist. So let's start by going back to California from 1967-1975 when he was Governor. Actually, he had an admirable record of safeguarding the environment, to the surprise of some of his critics. You see, Governor Reagan’s administration added 145,000 acres of park land, more than any other modern California governor. He enforced new, tougher measures on air and water quality. He stopped plans for dams on two rivers, the Feather and the Eel, despite intense pressure from commercial interests and signed into law a bill to protect California’s wild and scenic rivers. So let’s first listen to Governor Reagan – and in the second half we’ll catch his thoughts as President.

Today, despite our belief in religious freedom, people of various religions feel bias and persecution. In particular, a wave of antisemitism has arisen. So in this podcast, we’ll look back at President Reagan’s support of religious freedom. In particular, we’ll listen to a speech he delivered 40 years ago at the National Convention of the Anti-Defamation League of B’Nai B’rith. But first, let’s hear what he said to Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev as he explained in his autobiography when the issue of human rights was discussed. You’ll hear the President’s particular focus on the Jewish refuseniks who were not given permission to leave the Soviet Union.

Like you, we’ve been watching news coverage of the crisis at our borders. Some outlets report record numbers crossing, others report diminished numbers, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that our system is broken. Democrats, Republicans, Independents – for once they agree that our current immigration policy is a mess. Do you realize that Reagan’s 1986 Immigration Reform Act, 37 years ago, was the last time our legislators finalized a policy? Pretty disturbing isn’t it? So today, let’s try to cut through all the mixed messages and look at what Reagan tried to do and how it might apply to today.

The subject today? We’re going to delve into a little economics – you can call it Reaganomics if you’d like. Ronald Reagan called it common sense. Everyday, we hear economists debate a multitude of economic theories which are as diverse as apple varieties in the produce department. Whether you’re a fuji, or granny smith or Winesap lover, economic theories are usually not as sweet. Even Harry Truman got so frustrated he asked if he could have a one-handed economist. Because economists always say, "on the other hand…"

‘Tis the season of the commencement address, that glowing tradition in which American presidents participate enthusiastically. Starting with Eisenhower, every president has made at least one commencement address in the first year of their presidency. Most gave only one or two addresses, but George H.W. Bush set the record by making six addresses in 1989. LBJ was runner-up with 5 in 1965. The earliest instance of a commencement address is Theodore Roosevelt in his 1902 address at the Naval Academy—the most frequent commencement destination. Turns out, the military academies account for 30% of presidential commencement addresses. Occasionally, commencement addresses have involved an extended articulation of an important new policy position but that is relatively rare. Commonly, presidents state their position on prominent contemporary issues. Almost always, they provide an opportunity for presidents to extol shared American values and international commitments. President Reagan was no exception.

Join us this week on the "Words To Live By" podcast as we explore the timeless perspectives of former President Ronald Reagan on small businesses in America. During his time in office, President Reagan emphasized the crucial role played by small businesses in America's economy, famously stating, "Small business is the heart of America." We'll look at some of his key quotes and speeches that highlight the contributions of small businesses to our nation's prosperity. We'll also explore the socio-economic variables of the time period which shaped Reagan's views on small businesses in the 1980s, and discuss how his message remains relevant even today, particularly in our current economy. Get ready for this exciting episode of "Words To Live By"!

It’s the month for celebrating our Moms. As we get older and become parents and grandparents, we realize the great gifts we received from our mothers and President Reagan was no exception. So today’s podcast will focus on the President’s respectful communication on that most wonderful subject: motherhood.

Did you know that Pele visited the White House? Yes, the soccer star Pele was invited to the White House in 1982. Then a year later, President Reagan invited all of the all-star soccer players of Team America in order to promote America’s participation in the World Cup. The US tried to host soccer’s World Cup several times but did not succeed until 1994 when, you might recall, the final was played at the Rose Bowl. Anyway, turns out the White House was a busy place for sporting events in May. So in this podcast, we’ll listen to a few different sets of the President’s remarks while greeting the soccer playing members of Team America, then we’ll catch his remarks observing National Amateur Baseball Month, and finally, at the end of the podcast, we’ll hear when he hosted hockey’s New York Islanders, champs of the National Hockey League.

Today, the subject is the Middle East. And after years of struggling to find peace and end terrorism in that region, Ronald Reagan characterized the challenges by saying, “it was like walking on a tightrope.” From 1982 to 1991, over thirty U.S. and other Western hostages were kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Specifically, the year 1983 brought new and complex challenges to President Reagan’s doorstep. In Beirut, Lebanon, our U.S. embassy was destroyed in a suicide car-bomb attack on April 18th when a one-half ton pickup truck laden detonated its load of 2000 pounds of TNT. 63 died, including 17 Americans. Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. It was the deadliest attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission to date, and changed the way the U.S. Department of State secured its resources and executed its missions overseas. Six months later, on October 23rd in Beirut, Shiite suicide bombers exploded a truck near U.S. military

So, what do you know about Social Security? USA Today reported that President Joe Biden should learn a lesson in leadership from Emmanuel Macron, his counterpart across the pond. The French president has followed through on campaign promises to address pension shortfalls by raising the retirement age to 64 from 62. Guess what? A lot of people don’t like it, and the French have taken to the streets. Yet, Macron isn't deterred by the potential political fallout. He knows it must be done. “One cannot play with the future of the country,” Macron said recently to government ministers. Rather than talk straight with Americans about what must be done to ensure that U.S. entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare remain solvent, Biden prefers to play politics. So calling upon Ronald Reagan for wisdom, we’ll listen to two addresses in this podcast on the subject – the first from November 1977 which goes into the history and purpose of Social Security…and in the second half of the podcast, we’ll listen t

In today’s podcast, we’re inspired to look back at a speech Reagan delivered in 1987 at the Annual Meeting of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group. "Why," you ask? Well due to the recent bank failures of Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank , we thought our listeners would like a closer look. Everyone wants to blame Reagan. Economist Paul Krugman in 2009 claimed that “Reagan Did It.” Yes, he wrote that “the prime villains behind the mess we're in were Reagan and his circle of advisers.” This is perverse thinking by shifting blame from the obvious villains closer at hand. It is disingenuous to ignore the fact that the derivatives scams at the heart of the economic meltdown didn't exist in President Reagan's time. The huge expansion in collateralized mortgage and other debt, the bubble that burst, was the direct result of enabling deregulatory legislation pushed through during the Clinton years. Back in the 1982, 41 years ago, Ronald Reagan's signing

As you know, President Reagan was a man of deep faith, and because attending church created a massive security problem for the parishioners and clergy, he chose to stay home. Sometimes he was visited by a local clergyman and occasionally was able to take communion. So at this time of the year when both Easter and Passover are celebrated, we’ll listen to some of the President’s wise words from 1983, 40 years ago. He delivered a radio address on the subject of both Easter and Passover, reflecting on those seeking freedom from oppression across the globe – in East Germany, in Central America…which to our minds, reminds us quite a bit of the current struggle in Ukraine. We think you’ll find this interesting.

A groundbreaking exhibit opened at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Museum on March 24 entitled Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away. No book, or podcast, or history lesson can prepare you for the impact and power this extraordinary collection of artifacts holds. The exhibition brings together more than 700 original objects of great historic and human value; objects which were direct witnesses to the horrors of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. These objects serve as the guiding thread of a rigorous and moving account on the history of the German Nazi camp Auschwitz and its dwellers, both victims and perpetrators. Why such an exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum you ask? In Ronald Reagan’s personal journey, he discovered that life does not proceed by leaps and bounds; rather it unfolds often in the most unlikely ways. His unexpected, eye-opening exposure to top-secret footage during World War II fueled his hatred of oppressive government, antisemitism, and his resolve to protect human freedom.

Let’s look back some 40 years ago when President Reagan spoke to a convention of the National Association of Evangelicals in Florida on March 8, 1983. In that historic speech, he publicly referred to the Soviet Union as an evil empire…actually, for the second time in his career. Do you recall the first time he used the phrase? Answer: the word “evil” in relation to the Soviet Union was first used in a 1982 speech at the British House of Commons.