Renaldo Maximus

He’s still well thought-of around here, right?

Gather around, children, and we’ll tell you the story of when modern conservatism was renewed in America. And no, it wasn’t with one of the Bushes or the populist Donald Trump. Bill Buckley did a lot of good in the media, but he was never elected to high office.

The winning, stylish, affable, optimistic, hard-on-the-Soviets, principled-but-willing-to-give-bipartisanshipRonald Reagan gave conservatism its good name back in the 1980s. Once it was thought that Old Man Goldwater had left it for dead.

President Ronald Reagan is considered one of the best modern presidents because he had principles, and won with them. He explained why big government wasn’t the answer, and freedom always is. Not all Americans bought what he was selling, but that’s because not all Americans believe in limited government.

We are reminded today of March 1986, and of Ronald Reagan. This next week marks the anniversary of President Reagan and his Freedom of Information Day. Part of the proclamation that day read thus:

“A fundamental principle of our government is that a well-informed citizenry can take part in the important decisions that set the present and future course of the nation. Our Founding Fathers provided in the Constitution and in the Bill of Rights freedoms for all Americans, many of which are promoted by open access to information.

“Numerous acts of Congress, including the Freedom of Information Act, are intended to further this principle. Most Americans, having never known any other way of life, take for granted open access to information about their Federal, State, and local governments. They also understand that some secrecy is necessary to protect both national security and the right to privacy.

“March 16 is the anniversary of the birth of James Madison, our fourth president and one of the principal figures in the Constitutional Convention. Madison eloquently expressed the guarantees in the Bill of Rights, in particular in the freedoms of religion, speech, and of the press protected by the First Amendment.

“He understood the value of information in a democratic society, as well as the importance of its free and open dissemination. He believed that through the interaction of the government and its citizens, facilitated by a free press and open access to information, the government could be most responsive to the people it serves. Surely the American experience has proved him right.”

Those are the first paragraphs of Mr. Reagan’s proclamation that day. He designated March 16, 1986, as “Freedom of Information Day,” because apparently he realized the importance of that political theory.

Contrast that with what a few members (hopefully only a few) of the Arkansas Legislature are trying to slide into the law: They want to take legal ads out of newspapers — as now required by law — and trust those announcements to the tender mercies of government bureaucrats. And allow local government types to decide when to publish them on websites. And you’ll just have to trust them. Or better yet, don’t worry your pretty little head about that kinda stuff.

Let’s hope more conservative lawmakers are heard from. And kill this thing in the crib.

This reminds us of something else Renaldo Maximus once said:

“I think you all know that I’ve always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”