Vote Vick

As someone who has never thought fondly of Ronald Reagan, it’s still wild to me how much worse the GOP has gotten even as compared with how bad *he* was. Reagan cemented the fusion of libertarianism and social conservatism, which do not properly fit together. We need the common good conservatism of Pope John Paul II.

February 6 marks the birth of Ronald Reagan.

Reagan is remembered by many for giving voice to a renewed pro-life conviction in American public life. His insistence that a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable helped reintroduce moral language about human dignity into national debate. For that, his legacy deserves recognition.

Reagan also developed a cordial and historically significant relationship with Pope John Paul II. Both men stood firmly against the evils of communism, especially its denial of religious freedom, its subordination of the human person to the state, and its suppression of civil society. On that moral judgment, they were aligned.

But shared opposition to communism did not mean full agreement about the role of government.

Reagan famously argued that government itself was often the problem, and his economic vision emphasized trickle-down economics and market freedom as the primary engines of prosperity. In practice, this approach has failed to deliver for working families and the poor, even as it contributed to a growing wealth gap that continues to weaken social cohesion.

Pope John Paul II, by contrast, consistently taught that while the state must respect subsidiarity and avoid overreach, it nevertheless has a positive moral duty to protect workers, support families, and safeguard common goods that markets alone cannot secure. He rejected both collectivist socialism and laissez-faire capitalism, insisting instead that economic life be ordered toward the common good and the dignity of the human person.

From an American Solidarity Party perspective, this distinction matters. A consistent life ethic cannot end at birth, nor can it ignore the social and economic conditions that allow families to flourish. Government is neither a savior nor an enemy by nature. It is a moral instrument, judged by whether it serves justice, protects the vulnerable, and promotes solidarity.

Remembering Reagan well means holding his legacy honestly. Moral clarity about life must be matched with economic and political structures that make life livable for all.

That task remains before us.