Gary Palmer: Reagan was the right man at the right time

  February 6th, 2011 will mark the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan, the man who restored our faith in America and in ourselves. Reagan had great confidence in the American people - our common sense, our common decency, our resiliency and our ability to always rise above difficult circumstances.

  In his acceptance speech at the 1980 Republican National Convention, Reagan called on the people of America to help him renew the American compact and return to the core values so important to the founding of this nation. Reagan said, "I ask you not simply to "trust me," but to trust your values - our values - and to hold me responsible for living up to them." He called for a renewal of the American spirit that he said knew no bounds, the spirit that he had seen all over America that was "... ready to blaze into life if you and I are willing to do what has to be done."