Reagan is remembered, however, not for any detailed description of how to actually build that city, but for his anti-government rhetoric. He spoke eloquently about America as a "shining city on a hill." He was a six-term president of the Screen Actors guild, calling union membership a "fundamental human right." He was governor of California and president of the United States. Of course, he believed in public engagement. What Ronald Reagan is remembered for does not reflect what he actually did. But it was not just about their property. They could have enjoyed contented private lives. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had nice houses. Here was a man truly doing his own thing, alone. Later, when he was asked what he meant by freedom, he described driving up the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible with the wind blowing through his hair.
Ronald Reagan's views came to dominate the political landscape. If you've made some contribution to someone else, to improve their life, and make their life a bit more livable, a little bit more happy, I think that's what you should be doing. 'I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.' You can always find someone that has a more difficult time than you do, has suffered more, and has faced some more difficult time one way or the other. If you have enough to eat, for instance, I think basically it's to make a contribution to those who are less well off. I think you have to break it down to people who have some advantages, and those who are just trying to survive and have their family survive.