It was about 1984 when I first heard about what Margaret Thatcher was doing in Great Britain.  Ronald Reagan was president of the United States.  The economy in America was beginning to recover and in England the Prime Minister was invigorating the Tory/Conservative Party after years of malaise and challenging the central planning ideology of pretty much everyone.  From then on I admired “Maggie,” as she was affectionately called, though many did not.  As I could see it, she gave England dignity again, but with prosperity.  I watched sessions of Parliament during the question period and could clearly see that Ms. Thatcher could hold her own and better with anyone there, and on pretty much any issue.  It was pure delight when I could see her in action.  She wasn’t jaded or insincere.  She actually believed what she said, and expressed her beliefs with clarity and passion.  Under her leadership, Great Britain actually accomplished something for the betterment of all.  And she did it with such grace and wit and humor.  It was not without its failures.  But when all was said and done, I always wished Maggie had been eligible to run for president in the United States.  I agree with Mark Smith that we have lost the last of a great and dying generation.  My hope is that like many other individuals from the past, she will not be forgotten and that what she so eloquently represented will someday–soon–be seen again.