Sunday, June 06, 2004 - Page updated at 7:23 p.m.
 

Readers share thoughts about Reagan

I was onboard USS Constellation (CV-64) when President Reagan flew out to the ship and gave his speech about "America's Flagship." This moment made a great impact on me, to the point that I went on and finished a career in the U.S. Navy. My prayers are with his family. My heart is grateful for his service and his leadership. The first thing I did when getting home after hearing the news was to lower my flag to half-staff as a sign of honor and respect.
— Gary Thomas, Yelm

Reagan did more to destroy the middle class than any previous president. Reaganomics did not help our country. He broke the unions, won tax cuts for the wealthy and would have sold off the national forests if he hadn't been stopped. Ansel Adams spoke to Reagan about conservation and could find no sign of intelligence behind those doll-like eyes.
— Dwight Gaut, Seattle

I am 36 and Ronald Reagan was very influential in my life. He shaped the way I think today about politics and our country. It truly feels like a relative died today. It is very sad, and the end of an era.
— Nick Tanner, Camano Island

A staunch Democrat from my youth, I refused to vote for the actor/politician when he won his first presidency. I didn't know much about him, but I knew that others held him in contempt and that was good enough for me. Over the four years of that first term, his conviction, steadfastness and commitment to the country he loved won me over. I was proud to vote for him the second time round and I'm proud to call him one of the greatest presidents in American history. Godspeed, President Reagan. Sunset here is a long sunrise on the other side.
— Diane Webster, Shoreline

Ronald Reagan's gift was his tremendous sense of optimism, one born early in his life out of the necessity of overcoming a hardscrabble childhood with an alcoholic father. Mr. Reagan did not let his father's premature death hold him back, rather he rose to the challenge and did well as an entertainer. Then, when he had to reinvent himself midlife, he took public speaking and turned it into a life of public service. Whether or not one agreed with how he did it, or one believed that it was simply a question of timing and the right partner — Mr. Gorbachev — Ronald Reagan as president helped end the Cold War. Was he a great president? Let the historians decide. Was he a great man? I think many of us would say, "Yes, he was."
— Terry Parkhurst, Seattle