If someone would have told me it would happen, I never would have believed it. I have never been a fan of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, but now I feel I must defend him.

Granted, it doesn’t take much research to learn that, for instance, his economic policies were the root of all of the recession challenges we now face or that his dismantling of the country’s mental health system sent uncountable numbers of disturbed people into homelessness and despair.

But, for all his faults, Reagan was engaged as a president—he certainly didn’t quit before the end of his two terms—and lived a wide ranging and storied life.

I have told no shortage of my liberal friends that they should cast their justifiable political beefs aside and come to Simi to visit the splendid Reagan Library and see the wonderfully rendered exhibits that tell his remarkable personal story.

However, for all of my criticisms of the man, Pat Saraceno comparing him to Sarah Palin in last week’s Acorn is just unacceptable.

Of course there are only a million or so reasons why anyone who respects Reagan should be up in arms about the statement, but I’ll go straight to one readers on both sides of the aisle can agree on.

Ronald Reagan’s most noted foreign policy statement regarded Russia, which he saw for all its weaknesses and eloquently seized its inevitable collapse in the single sentence, “Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall.” Palin’s most noted foreign policy statement was the laughably obtuse, “You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.”

Surely, Ms. Saraceno, you can find a way to flatter Ms. Palin without insulting an American legend. Try, “Nice glasses!” Steve Ochs Simi Valley