Blog #9- The Presidency

President Reagan 1981 Inaugural Address

“We are a nation that has a government -- not the other way around...Our government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government, which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed...it's not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work -- work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back.”

Ronald  Reagan wrote his inaugural address which touched upon his vision of America in the future and establish goals for the nation. He advocated for the re-establishment of self-government by limiting the power of the state which encourages self-reliance, a limited government, and individual liberty. In the quote above, Reagan is reminding his audience that the United States is not run by the government but by the people. The government does not own the nation, rather, it is a body of representatives mostly chosen by the people. Without the people, the government is powerless because it has no one to govern. Ronald Reagan declares that it is time to reassess the government and go back to the constitution because it has gone beyond the people's approval. The government is the problem as he says; unemployment rates are increasing, so is inflation and the Iran hostage crisis had not been resolved. The government’s decision seems to be at variance with the people's desires and necessities. However, Reagan is not saying that the nation does not need a government but one that works with the people in providing employment opportunities, better healthcare and proper living conditions for the governed. A true government that is for the people is ran by the people, rather than the government running over them; a nation decisions are consented by everyone and power is not abused.

Although Ronald Reagan made very interesting points in his address, I chose this quote because he was able to explicitly say that the government is the problem. At this time the citizens were in distress because they were at a loss with rising inflations, unemployment and diplomacy issues. A government should be a haven for the people and work together with them to ensure the prosperity of the nation and improve the citizens well being.