America and the world have just paid their last respects to one of the
greatest Presidents this country has ever had, and one of the most able
leaders of the 20th century, Ronald Wilson Reagan. As we transition from a
period of national mourning, we should look to keeping the memory of this
giant of our times alive for future generations.

Not until the passing of a great personage, do we necessarily think of what
it takes to celebrate the individual and his deeds, it just appears
unseemly to do so too soon. Nonetheless, Reagan has already been recognized
in over 60 monuments, buildings and other landmarks, but perhaps because he
just passed away, he has not been recognized in a way commensurate with
other notable public figures of recent fame. For the sake of comparison,
John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. are remembered on over 1,000
places, streets, buildings and other monuments, while JFK is honored on
U.S. and foreign numismatic and philatelic venues. As we look back upon the
accomplishments of President Reagan, his stature merits remembrance no less
visible than that accorded to these other gentlemen who left their
indelible mark on our times.

Already there is media buzz, speculation and organized efforts to ensure
that the nation both honors the man and preserves his memory. The Ronald
Reagan Legacy Project, headed by Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax
Reform, appropriately enough, together with a significant group of national
leaders, purports to do just that.

Of the many possible suggestions for memorials, the most intriguing and
most impactful is the placement of Ronald Reagan's likeness on the U.S.
currency. Though seemingly an easy task, there is a purposeful and
deliberate process by which such decisions are made. One such consideration
involves determining what coin and/or bill Reagan would be presented on,
which in turn would require a decision as to what past notable national
hero to remove from mass circulation. Alternatively, a decision can be made
to introduce a new coin or bill, but such actions are even more difficult,
and surely Reagan himself would not approve of the public expense required
to accommodate the introduction of new currency denominations affecting
commercial vending and automated payment systems.

Of all the possibilities, the most intriguing and historically ironic would
be the replacement of Franklin Roosevelt's likeness on the dime, with that
of Ronald Reagan. On two major matters, Reagan stood up to the daunting
task of changing history's course, while taking a path quite different from
FDR's.

Domestically, Reagan had to deal with the "New Deal" legacy, a bloated
welfare state and government bureaucracy. Like FDR, he assumed the
Presidency with a country in moral and fiscal crisis, with unacceptable
unemployment and double digit inflation. When Regan left Washington, both
the economy and tenor of the country where out from under the cloud of
malaise, actions he accomplished without burdening the nation with a slew
of huge new federal programs. The "Great Communicator's" economic policy
and optimistic spirit worked.

Reagan's greatest contribution to our times was his steadfast refusal to
"accommodate" to the status quo of the Cold War, while taking actions that
precipitated the collapse of the "Evil Empire." While Roosevelt was at the
helm during the embryonic events leading to the Cold War, and in some
respects considered Stalin a friend, Reagan ended a half century of global
terror at the hands of "Uncle Joe" (Stalin) and his successors. Reagan used
his confidence in the American people and this country's economic might, to
create intolerable pressure on the Soviet system, hasten its fall, and
liberate countless millions of people around the world from fear and
oppression, let alone those held hostage in the grip of "mutually assured
destruction."

Another option for Reagan's likeness on our currency is on a new $20 bill.
Andrew Jackson has had a good run, but in retrospect, he probably should
step down a rung on the ladder of the nation's great men. Jackson today, is
best remembered as a notable military leader, particularly for his defeat
of the British in 1814 at New Orleans, which saved the United States from
being conquered months after the signing of the peace treaty ending the War
of 1812.

On the other hand, Jackson's expeditions against the Indian tribes, both
personally and by his administration, are controversial. Particularly
noteworthy, in an unsavory way, was his institution of the political
patronage system, whereby his friends and supporters in the Democratic
Party were rewarded with government jobs and contracts. Jackson also
instituted the "Pet Bank" system where he directed the deposit of federal
funds into the banks owned by Democrats, rather than the Bank of the United
States.

From a humanitarian, cultural and ethical perspective, Jackson is probably
most famous (not counting the Battle of New Orleans and Johnny Horton's
ballad) for the "ethnic cleansing" of the South and the forcible removal at
great human cost in lives, suffering and misery, of the Indian tribes to
"Indian country" in the Oklahoma territory.

In balance, Ronal Reagan's accomplishments tower over Andrew Jackson's, and
are clearly superior to FDR's: The turnaround of the national morale, the
re-invigoration of the national economy, and the defeat of the Soviet
Union; which put an end to a 50 year global death struggle and relegated
communism to the "ash heap of history" as a political, economic and moral
philosophy. In the context of 19th century America, Jackson was a man of
his epoch, and for the early 20th, FDR led the country through the crisis
of his times, but in the perspective of American history, Reagan is the
superior.

John Guevremont is a Mashantucket Pequot member and the tribe's Chief
Operating Officer. A lifelong Republican, he has been active in Connecticut
and national politics and was a delegate to the 2000 Republican National
Convention. The contents of this article are his personal opinion and do
not necessarily reflect the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation's official
position.