{"year":"1946","paragraph":1,"text":"To the Congress of the United States:  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":2,"text":"A quarter century ago the Congress decided that it could no longer consider  the financial programs of the various departments on a piecemeal basis.  Instead it has called on the President to present a comprehensive Executive  Budget. The Congress has shown its satisfaction with that method by  extending the budget system and tightening its controls. The bigger and  more complex the Federal Program, the more necessary it is for the Chief  Executive to submit a single budget for action by the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":3,"text":"At the same time, it is clear that the budgetary program and the general  program of the Government are actually inseparable. The president bears the  responsibility for recommending to the Congress a comprehensive set of  proposals on all Government activities and their financing. In formulating  policies, as in preparing budgetary estimates, the Nation and the Congress  have the right to expect the President to adjust and coordinate the views  of the various departments and agencies to form a unified program. And that  program requires consideration in connection with the Budget, which is the  annual work program of the Government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":4,"text":"Since our programs for this period which combines war liquidation with  reconversion to a peacetime economy are inevitably large and numerous it is  imperative that they be planned and executed with the utmost efficiency and  the utmost economy. We have cut the war program to the maximum extent  consistent with national security. We have held our peacetime programs to  the level necessary to our national well-being and the attainment of our  postwar objectives. Where increased programs have been recommended, the  increases have been held as low as is consistent with these goals. I can  assure the Congress of the necessity of these programs. I can further  assure the Congress that the program as a whole is well within our capacity  to finance it. All the programs I have recommended for action are included  in the Budget figures.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":5,"text":"For these reasons I have chosen to combine the customary Message on the  State of the Union with the annual Budget Message, and to include in the  Budget not only estimates for functions authorized by the Congress, but  also for those which I recommend for its action.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":6,"text":"I am also transmitting herewith the Fifth Quarterly Report of the Director  of War Mobilization and Reconversion.[1] It is a comprehensive discussion of  the present state of the reconversion program and of the immediate and  long-range needs and recommendations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":7,"text":"[Footnote 1: The report dated January 1, 1946, and entitled \"Battle for  Production\" is printed in House Document 398 (79th Cong., 2d sess.).]  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":8,"text":"This constitutes, then, as complete a report as I find it possible to  prepare now. It constitutes a program of government in relation to the  Nation's needs.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":9,"text":"With the growing responsibility of modern government to foster economic  expansion and to promote conditions that assure full and steady employment  opportunities, it has become necessary to formulate and determine the  Government program in the light of national economic conditions as a whole.  In both the executive and the legislative branches we must make  arrangements which will permit us to formulate the Government program in  that light. Such an approach has become imperative if the American  political and economic system is to succeed under the conditions of  economic instability and uncertainty which we have to face. The Government  needs to assure business, labor, and agriculture that Government policies  will take due account of the requirements of a full employment economy. The  lack of that assurance would, I believe, aggravate the economic  instability.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":10,"text":"With the passage of a full employment bill which I confidently anticipate  for the very near future, the executive and legislative branches of  government will be empowered to devote their best talents and resources in  subsequent years to preparing and acting on such a program.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":11,"text":"I. FROM WAR TO PEACE--THE YEAR  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":12,"text":"OF DECISION  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":13,"text":"In his last Message on the State of the Union, delivered one year ago,  President Roosevelt said:  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":14,"text":"\"This new year of 1945 can be the greatest year of achievement in human  history.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":15,"text":"\"1945 can see the final ending of the Nazi-Fascist reign of terror in  Europe.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":16,"text":"\"1945 can see the closing in of the forces of retribution about the center  of the malignant power of imperialistic Japan.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":17,"text":"\"Most important of all--1945 can and must see the substantial beginning of  the organization of world peace.\"  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":18,"text":"All those hopes, and more, were fulfilled in the year 1945. It was the  greatest year of achievement in human history. It saw the end of the  Nazi-Fascist terror in Europe, and also the end of the malignant power of  Japan. And it saw the substantial beginning of world organization for  peace. These momentous events became realities because of the steadfast  purpose of the United Nations and of the forces that fought for freedom  under their flags. The plain fact is that civilization was saved in 1945 by  the United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":19,"text":"Our own part in this accomplishment was not the product of any single  service. Those who fought on land, those who fought on the sea, and those  who fought in the air deserve equal credit. They were supported by other  millions in the armed forces who through no fault of their own could not go  overseas and who rendered indispensable service in this country. They were  supported by millions in all levels of government, including many  volunteers, whose devoted public service furnished basic organization and  leadership. They were also supported by the millions of Americans in  private life--men and women in industry, in commerce, on the farms, and in  all manner of activity on the home front--who contributed their brains and  their brawn in arming, equipping, and feeding them. The country was brought  through four years of peril by an effort that was truly national in  character.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":20,"text":"Everlasting tribute and gratitude will be paid by all Americans to those  brave men who did not come back, who will never come back--the 330,000 who  died that the Nation might live and progress. All Americans will also  remain deeply conscious of the obligation owed to that larger number of  soldiers, sailors, and marines who suffered wounds and sickness in their  service. They may be certain that their sacrifice will never be forgotten  or their needs neglected.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":21,"text":"The beginning of the year 1946 finds the United States strong and  deservedly confident. We have a record of enormous achievements as a  democratic society in solving problems and meeting opportunities as they  developed. We find ourselves possessed of immeasurable advantages--vast and  varied natural resources; great plants, institutions, and other facilities;  unsurpassed technological and managerial skills; an alert, resourceful, and  able citizenry. We have in the United States Government rich resources in  information, perspective, and facilities for doing whatever may be found  necessary to do in giving support and form to the widespread and  diversified efforts of all our people.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":22,"text":"And for the immediate future the business prospects are generally so  favorable that there is danger of such feverish and opportunistic activity  that our grave postwar problems may be neglected. We need to act now with  full regard for pitfalls; we need to act with foresight and balance. We  should not be lulled by the immediate alluring prospects into forgetting  the fundamental complexity of modern affairs, the catastrophe that can come  in this complexity, or the values that can be wrested from it.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":23,"text":"But the long-range difficulties we face should no more lead to despair than  our immediate business prospects should lead to the optimism which comes  from the present short-range prospect. On the foundation of our victory we  can build a lasting peace, with greater freedom and security for mankind in  our country and throughout the world. We will more certainly do this if we  are constantly aware of the fact that we face crucial issues and prepare  now to meet them.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":24,"text":"To achieve success will require both boldness in setting our sights and  caution in steering our way on an uncharted course. But we have no luxury  of choice. We must move ahead. No return to the past is possible.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":25,"text":"Our Nation has always been a land of great opportunities for those people  of the world who sought to become part of us. Now we have become a land of  great responsibilities to all the people of all the world. We must squarely  recognize and face the fact of those responsibilities. Advances in science,  in communication, in transportation, have compressed the world into a  community. The economic and political health of each member of the world  community bears directly on the economic and political health of each other  member.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":26,"text":"The evolution of centuries has brought us to a new era in world history in  which manifold relationships between nations must be formalized and  developed in new and intricate ways.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":27,"text":"The United Nations Organization now being established represents a minimum  essential beginning. It must be developed rapidly and steadily. Its work  must be amplified to fill in the whole pattern that has been outlined.  Economic collaboration, for example, already charted, now must be carried  on as carefully and as comprehensively as the political and security  measures.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":28,"text":"It is important that the nations come together as States in the Assembly  and in the Security Council and in the other specialized assemblies and  councils that have been and will be arranged. But this is not enough. Our  ultimate security requires more than a process of consultation and  compromise.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":29,"text":"It requires that we begin now to develop the United Nations Organization as  the representative of the world as one society. The United Nations  Organization, if we have the will adequately to staff it and to make it  work as it should, will provide a great voice to speak constantly and  responsibly in terms of world collaboration and world well-being.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":30,"text":"There are many new responsibilities for us as we enter into this new  international era. The whole power and will and wisdom of our Government  and of our people should be focused to contribute to and to influence  international action. It is intricate, continuing business. Many  concessions and adjustments will be required.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":31,"text":"The spectacular progress of science in recent years makes these necessities  more vivid and urgent. That progress has speeded internal development and  has changed world relationships so fast that we must realize the fact of a  new era. It is an era in which affairs have become complex and rich in  promise. Delicate and intricate relationships, involving us all in  countless ways, must be carefully considered.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":32,"text":"On the domestic scene, as well as on the international scene, we must lay a  new and better foundation for cooperation. We face a great peacetime  venture; the challenging venture of a free enterprise economy making full  and effective use of its rich resources and technical advances. This is a  venture in which business, agriculture, and labor have vastly greater  opportunities than heretofore. But they all also have vastly greater  responsibilities. We will not measure up to those responsibilities by the  simple return to \"normalcy\" that was tried after the last war.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":33,"text":"The general objective, on the contrary, is to move forward to find the way  in time of peace to the full utilization and development of our physical  and human resources that were demonstrated so effectively in the war.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":34,"text":"To accomplish this, it is not intended that the Federal Government should  do things that can be done as well for the Nation by private enterprise, or  by State and local governments. On the contrary, the war has demonstrated  how effectively we can organize our productive system and develop the  potential abilities of our people by aiding the efforts of private  enterprise.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":35,"text":"As we move toward one common objective there will be many and urgent  problems to meet.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":36,"text":"Industrial peace between management and labor will have to be  achieved--through the process of collective bargaining--with Government  assistance but not Government compulsion. This is a problem which is the  concern not only of management, labor, and the Government, but also the  concern of every one of us.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":37,"text":"Private capital and private management are entitled to adequate reward for  efficiency, but business must recognize that its reward results from the  employment of the resources of the Nation. Business is a public trust and  must adhere to national standards in the conduct of its affairs. These  standards include as a minimum the establishment of fair wages and fair  employment practices.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":38,"text":"Labor also has its own new peacetime responsibilities. Under our collective  bargaining system, which must become progressively more secure, labor  attains increasing political as well as economic power, and this, as with  all power, means increased responsibility.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":39,"text":"The lives of millions of veterans and war workers will be greatly affected  by the success or failure of our program of war liquidation and  reconversion. Their transition to peacetime pursuits will be determined by  our efforts to break the bottlenecks in key items of production, to make  surplus property immediately available where it is needed, to maintain an  effective national employment service, and many other reconversion  policies. Our obligations to the people who won the war will not be paid if  we fail to prevent inflation and to maintain employment opportunities.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":40,"text":"While our peacetime prosperity will be based on the private enterprise the  government can and must assist in many ways. It is the Government's  responsibility to see that our economic system remains competitive, that  new businesses have adequate opportunities, and that our national resources  are restored and improved. Government must realize the effect of its  operations on the whole economy. It is the responsibility of Government to  gear its total program to the achievement of full production and full  employment.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":41,"text":"Our basic objective--toward which all others lead--is to improve the  welfare of the American people. In addition to economic prosperity, this  means that we use social security in the fullest sense of the word. And  people must be protected from excessive want during old age, sickness, and  unemployment. Opportunities for a good economy and adequate medical care  must be readily available. Every family should build a decent home. The new  economic rights to which I have referred on previous occasions is a charter  of economic freedom which seeks to assure that all who will may work toward  their own security and the general advancement; that we become a  well-housed people, a well-nourished people, an educated people, a people  socially and economically secure, an alert and responsible people.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":42,"text":"These and other problems which may face us can be met by the cooperation of  all of us in furthering a positive and well-balanced Government program--a  program which will further national and international well-being.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":43,"text":"II. THE FEDERAL PROGRAM  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":44,"text":"INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":45,"text":"I. FOREIGN POLICY  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":46,"text":"The year 1945 brought with it the final defeat of our enemies. There lies  before us now the work of building a just and enduring peace.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":47,"text":"Our most immediate task toward that end is to deprive our enemies  completely and forever of their power to start another war. Of even greater  importance to the preservation of international peace is the need to  preserve the wartime agreement of the United Nations and to direct it into  the ways of peace.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":48,"text":"Long before our enemies surrendered, the foundations had been laid on which  to continue this unity in the peace to come. The Atlantic meeting in 1941  and the conferences at Casablanca, Quebec, Moscow, Cairo, Tehran, and  Dumbarton Oaks each added a stone to the structure.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":49,"text":"Early in 1945, at Yalta, the three major powers broadened and solidified  this base of understanding. There fundamental decisions were reached  concerning the occupation and control of Germany. There also a formula was  arrived at for the interim government of the areas in Europe which were  rapidly being wrested from Nazi control. This formula was based on the  policy of the United States that people be permitted to choose their own  form of government by their own freely expressed choice without  interference from any foreign source.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":50,"text":"At Potsdam, in July 1945, Marshal Stalin, Prime Ministers Churchill and  Attlee, and I met to exchange views primarily with respect to Germany. As a  result, agreements were reached which outlined broadly the policy to be  executed by the Allied Control Council. At Potsdam there was also  established a Council of Foreign Ministers which convened for the first  time in London in September. The Council is about to resume its primary  assignment of drawing up treaties of peace with Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria,  Hungary, and Finland.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":51,"text":"In addition to these meetings, and, in accordance with the agreement at  Yalta, the Foreign Ministers of Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the  United States conferred together in San Francisco last spring, in Potsdam  in July, in London in September, and in Moscow in December. These meetings  have been useful in promoting understanding and agreement among the three  governments.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":52,"text":"Simply to name all the international meetings and conferences is to suggest  the size and complexity of the undertaking to prevent international war in  which the United States has now enlisted for the duration of history.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":53,"text":"It is encouraging to know that the common effort of the United Nations to  learn to live together did not cease with the surrender of our enemies.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":54,"text":"When difficulties arise among us, the United States does not propose to  remove them by sacrificing its ideals or its vital interests. Neither do we  propose, however, to ignore the ideals and vital interests of our friends.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":55,"text":"Last February and March an Inter-American Conference on Problems of War and  Peace was held in Mexico City. Among the many significant accomplishments  of that Conference was an understanding that an attack by any country  against any one of the sovereign American republics would be considered an  act of aggression against all of them; and that if such an attack were made  or threatened, the American republics would decide jointly, through  consultations in which each republic has equal representation, what  measures they would take for their mutual protection. This agreement  stipulates that its execution shall be in full accord with the Charter of  the United Nations Organization.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":56,"text":"The first meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations now in  progress in London marks the real beginning of our bold adventure toward  the preservation of world peace, to which is bound the dearest hope of  men.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":57,"text":"We have solemnly dedicated ourselves and all our will to the success of the  United Nations Organization. For this reason we have sought to insure that  in the peacemaking the smaller nations shall have a voice as well as the  larger states. The agreement reached at Moscow last month preserves this  opportunity in the making of peace with Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary,  and Finland. The United States intends to preserve it when the treaties  with Germany and Japan are drawn.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":58,"text":"It will be the continuing policy of the United States to use all its  influence to foster, support, and develop the United Nations Organization  in its purpose of preventing international war. If peace is to endure it  must rest upon justice no less than upon power. The question is how justice  among nations is best achieved. We know from day-to-day experience that the  chance for a just solution is immeasurably increased when everyone directly  interested is given a voice. That does not mean that each must enjoy an  equal voice, but it does mean that each must be heard.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":59,"text":"Last November, Prime Minister Attlee, Prime Minister MacKenzie King, and I  announced our proposal that a commission be established within the  framework of the United Nations to explore the problems of effective  international control of atomic energy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":60,"text":"The Soviet Union, France, and China have joined us in the purpose of  introducing in the General Assembly a resolution for the establishment of  such a commission. Our earnest wish is that the work of this commission go  forward carefully and thoroughly, but with the greatest dispatch. I have  great hope for the development of mutually effective safeguards which will  permit the fullest international control of this new atomic force.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":61,"text":"I believe it possible that effective means can be developed through the  United Nations Organization to prohibit, outlaw, and prevent the use of  atomic energy for destructive purposes.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":62,"text":"The power which the United States demonstrated during the war is the fact  that underlies every phase of our relations with other countries. We cannot  escape the responsibility which it thrusts upon us. What we think, plan,  say, and do is of profound significance to the future of every corner of  the world.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":63,"text":"The great and dominant objective of United States foreign policy is to  build and preserve a just peace. The peace we seek is not peace for twenty  years. It is permanent peace. At a time when massive changes are occurring  with lightning speed throughout the world, it is often difficult to  perceive how this central objective is best served in one isolated complex  situation or another. Despite this very real difficulty, there are certain  basic propositions to which the United States adheres and to which we shall  continue to adhere.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":64,"text":"One proposition is that lasting peace requires genuine understanding and  active cooperation among the most powerful nations. Another is that even  the support of the strongest nations cannot guarantee a peace unless it is  infused with the quality of justice for all nations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":65,"text":"On October 27, 1945, I made, in New York City, the following public  statement of my understanding of the fundamental foreign policy of the  United States. I believe that policy to be in accord with the opinion of  the Congress and of the people of the United States. I believe that that  policy carries out our fundamental objectives.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":66,"text":"1. We seek no territorial expansion or selfish advantage. We have no plans  for aggression against any other state, large or small. We have no  objective which need clash with the peaceful aims of any other nation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":67,"text":"2. We believe in the eventual return of sovereign rights and  self-government to all peoples who have been deprived of them by force.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":68,"text":"3. We shall approve no territorial changes in any friendly part of the  world unless they accord with the freely expressed wishes of the people  concerned.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":69,"text":"4. We believe that all peoples who are prepared for self-government should  be permitted to choose their own form of government by their own freely  expressed choice, without interference from any foreign source. That is  true in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, as well as in the Western Hemisphere.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":70,"text":"5. By the combined and cooperative action of our war allies, we shall help  the defeated enemy states establish peaceful democratic governments of  their own free choice. And we shall try to attain a world in which nazism,  fascism, and military aggression cannot exist.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":71,"text":"6. We shall refuse to recognize any government imposed upon any nation by  the force of any foreign power. In some cases it may be impossible to  prevent forceful imposition of such a government. But the United States  will not recognize any such government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":72,"text":"7. We believe that all nations should have the freedom of the seas and  equal rights to the navigation of boundary rivers and waterways and of  rivers and waterways which pass through more than one country.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":73,"text":"8. We believe that all states which are accepted in the society of nations  should have access on equal terms to the trade and the raw materials of the  world.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":74,"text":"9. We believe that the sovereign states of the Western Hemisphere, without  interference from outside the Western Hemisphere, must work together as  good neighbors in the solution of their common problems.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":75,"text":"10. We believe that full economic collaboration between all nations, great  and small, is essential to the improvement of living conditions all over  the world, and to the establishment of freedom from fear and freedom from  want.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":76,"text":"11. We shall continue to strive to promote freedom of expression and  freedom of religion throughout the peace-loving areas of the world.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":77,"text":"12. We are convinced that the preservation of peace between nations  requires a United Nations Organization composed of all the peace-loving  nations of the world who are willing jointly to use force, if necessary, to  insure peace.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":78,"text":"That is our foreign policy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":79,"text":"We may not always fully succeed in our objectives. There may be instances  where the attainment of those objectives is delayed. But we will not give  our full sanction and approval to actions which fly in the face of these  ideals.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":80,"text":"The world has a great stake in the political and economic future of  Germany. The Allied Control Council has now been in operation there for a  substantial period of time. It has not met with unqualified success. The  accommodation of varying views of four governments in the day-to-day civil  administration of occupied territory is a challenging task. In my judgment,  however, the Council has made encouraging progress in the face of most  serious difficulties. It is my purpose at the earliest practicable date to  transfer from military to civilian personnel the execution of United States  participation in the government of occupied territory in Europe. We are  determined that effective control shall be maintained in Germany until we  are satisfied that the German people have regained the right to a place of  honor and respect.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":81,"text":"On the other side of the world, a method of international cooperation has  recently been agreed upon for the treatment of Japan. In this pattern of  control, the United States, with the full approval of its partners, has  retained primary authority and primary responsibility. It will continue to  do so until the Japanese people, by their own freely expressed choice,  choose their own form of government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":82,"text":"Our basic policy in the Far East is to encourage the development of a  strong, independent, united, and democratic China. That has been the  traditional policy of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":83,"text":"At Moscow the United States, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and  Great Britain agreed to further this development by supporting the efforts  of the national government and nongovernmental Chinese political elements  in bringing about cessation of civil strife and in broadening the basis of  representation in the Government. That is the policy which General Marshall  is so ably executing today.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":84,"text":"It is the purpose of the Government of the United States to proceed as  rapidly as is practicable toward the restoration of the sovereignty of  Korea and the establishment of a democratic government by the free choice  of the people of Korea.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":85,"text":"At the threshold of every problem which confronts us today in international  affairs is the appalling devastation, hunger, sickness, and pervasive human  misery that mark so many areas of the world.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":86,"text":"By joining and participating in the work of the United Nations Relief and  Rehabilitation Administration the United States has directly recognized and  assumed an obligation to give such relief assistance as is practicable to  millions of innocent and helpless victims of the war. The Congress has  earned the gratitude of the world by generous financial contributions to  the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":87,"text":"We have taken the lead, modest though it is, in facilitating under our  existing immigration quotas the admission to the United States of refugees  and displaced persons from Europe.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":88,"text":"We have joined with Great Britain in the organization of a commission to  study the problem of Palestine. The Commission is already at work and its  recommendations will be made at an early date.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":89,"text":"The members of the United Nations have paid us the high compliment of  choosing the United States as the site of the United Nations headquarters.  We shall be host in spirit as well as in fact, for nowhere does there abide  a fiercer determination that this peace shall live than in the hearts of  the American people.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":90,"text":"It is the hope of all Americans that in time future historians will speak  not of World War I and World War II, but of the first and last world wars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":91,"text":"2. FOREIGN ECONOMIC POLICY  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":92,"text":"The foreign economic policy of the United States is designed to promote our  own prosperity, and at the same time to aid in the restoration and  expansion of world markets and to contribute thereby to world peace and  world security. We shall continue our efforts to provide relief from the  devastation of war, to alleviate the sufferings of displaced persons, to  assist in reconstruction and development, and to promote the expansion of  world trade.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":93,"text":"We have already joined the International Monetary Fund and the  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. We have expanded the  Export-Import Bank and provided it with additional capital. The Congress  has renewed the Trade Agreements Act which provides the necessary framework  within which to negotiate a reduction of trade barriers on a reciprocal  basis. It has given our support to the United Nations Relief and  Rehabilitation Administration.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":94,"text":"In accordance with the intentions of the Congress, lend-lease, except as to  continuing military lend-lease in China, was terminated upon the surrender  of Japan. The first of the lend-lease settlement agreements has been  completed with the United Kingdom. Negotiations with other lend-lease  countries are in progress. In negotiating these agreements, we intend to  seek settlements which will not encumber world trade through war debts of a  character that proved to be so detrimental to the stability of the world  economy after the last war.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":95,"text":"We have taken steps to dispose of the goods which on VJ-day were in the  lend-lease pipe line to the various lend-lease countries and to allow them  long-term credit for the purpose where necessary. We are also making  arrangements under which those countries may use the lend-lease inventories  in their possession and acquire surplus property abroad to assist in their  economic rehabilitation and reconstruction. These goods will be accounted  for at fair values.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":96,"text":"The proposed loan to the United Kingdom, which I shall recommend to the  Congress in a separate message, will contribute to easing the transition  problem of one of our major partners in the war. It will enable the whole  sterling area and other countries affiliated with it to resume trade on a  multilateral basis. Extension of this credit will enable the United Kingdom  to avoid discriminatory trade arrangements of the type which destroyed  freedom of trade during the 1930's. I consider the progress toward  multilateral trade which will be achieved by this agreement to be in itself  sufficient warrant for the credit.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":97,"text":"The view of this Government is that, in the longer run, our economic  prosperity and the prosperity of the whole world are best served by the  elimination of artificial barriers to international trade, whether in the  form of unreasonable tariffs or tariff preferences or commercial quotas or  embargoes or the restrictive practices of cartels.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":98,"text":"The United States Government has issued proposals for the expansion of  world trade and employment to which the Government of the United Kingdom  has given its support on every important issue. These proposals are  intended to form the basis for a trade and employment conference to be held  in the middle of this year. If that conference is a success, I feel  confident that the way will have been adequately prepared for an expanded  and prosperous world trade.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":99,"text":"We shall also continue negotiations looking to the full and equitable  development of facilities for transportation and communications among  nations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":100,"text":"The vast majority of the nations of the world have chosen to work together  to achieve, on a cooperative basis, world security and world prosperity.  The effort cannot succeed without full cooperation of the United States. To  play our part, we must not only resolutely carry out the foreign policies  we have adopted but also follow a domestic policy which will maintain full  production and employment in the United States. A serious depression here  can disrupt the whole fabric of the world economy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":101,"text":"3. OCCUPIED COUNTRIES  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":102,"text":"The major tasks of our Military Establishment in Europe following VE-day,  and in the Pacific since the surrender of Japan, have been those of  occupation and military government. In addition we have given much needed  aid to the peoples of the liberated countries.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":103,"text":"The end of the war in Europe found Germany in a chaotic condition.  Organized government had ceased to exist, transportation systems had been  wrecked, cities and industrial facilities had been bombed into ruins. In  addition to the tasks of occupation we had to assume all of the functions  of government. Great progress has been made in the repatriation of  displaced persons and of prisoners of war. Of the total of 3,500,000  displaced persons found in the United States zone only 460,000 now remain.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":104,"text":"The extensive complications involved by the requirement of dealing with  three other governments engaged in occupation and with the governments of  liberated countries require intensive work and energetic cooperation. The  influx of some 2 million German refugees into our zone of occupation is a  pressing problem, making exacting demands upon an already overstrained  internal economy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":105,"text":"Improvements in the European economy during 1945 have made it possible for  our military authorities to relinquish to the governments of all liberated  areas, or to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration,  the responsibility for the provision of food and other civilian relief  supplies. The Army's responsibilities in Europe extend now only to our  zones of occupation in Germany and Austria and to two small areas in  northern Italy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":106,"text":"By contrast with Germany, in Japan we have occupied a country still  possessing an organized and operating governmental system. Although  severely damaged, the Japanese industrial and transportation systems have  been able to insure at least a survival existence for the population. The  repatriation of Japanese military and civilian personnel from overseas is  proceeding as rapidly as shipping and other means permit.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":107,"text":"In order to insure that neither Germany nor Japan will again be in a  position to wage aggressive warfare, the armament making potential of these  countries is being dismantled and fundamental changes in their social and  political structures are being effected. Democratic systems are being  fostered to the end that the voice of the common man may be heard in the  councils of his government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":108,"text":"For the first time in history the legal culpability of war makers is being  determined. The trials now in progress in Nurnberg-and those soon to begin  in Tokyo--bring before the bar of international justice those individuals  who are charged with the responsibility for the sufferings of the past six  years. We have high hope that this public portrayal of the guilt of these  evildoers will bring wholesale and permanent revulsion on the part of the  masses of our former enemies against war, militarism, aggression, and  notions of race superiority.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":109,"text":"4. DEMOBILIZATION OF OUR ARMED FORCES  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":110,"text":"The cessation of active campaigning does not mean that we can completely  disband our fighting forces. For their sake and for the sake of their loved  ones at home, I wish that we could. But we still have the task of clinching  the victories we have won--of making certain that Germany and Japan can  never again wage aggressive warfare, that they will not again have the  means to bring on another world war. The performance of that task requires  that, together with our allies, we occupy the hostile areas, complete the  disarmament of our enemies, and take the necessary measures to see to it  that they do not rearm.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":111,"text":"As quickly as possible, we are bringing about the reduction of our armed  services to the size required for these tasks of occupation and  disarmament. The Army and the Navy are following both length-of-service and  point systems as far as possible in releasing men and women from the  service. The points are based chiefly on length and character of service,  and on the existence of dependents.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":112,"text":"Over 5 million from the Army have already passed through the separation  centers.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":113,"text":"The Navy, including the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard, has discharged  over one and a half million.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":114,"text":"Of the 12 million men and women serving in the Army and Navy at the time of  the surrender of Germany, one-half have already been released. The greater  part of these had to be brought back to this country from distant parts of  the world.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":115,"text":"Of course there are cases of individual hardship in retention of personnel  in the service. There will be in the future. No system of such size can  operate to perfection. But the systems are rounded on fairness and justice,  and they are working at full speed. We shall try to avoid mistakes,  injustices, and hardship--as far as humanly possible.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":116,"text":"We have already reached the point where shipping is no longer the  bottleneck in the return of troops from the European theater. The governing  factor now has become the requirement for troops in sufficient strength to  carry out their missions.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":117,"text":"In a few months the same situation will exist in the Pacific. By the end of  June, 9 out of 10 who were serving in the armed forces on VE-day will have  been released. Demobilization will continue thereafter, but at a slower  rate, determined by our military responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":118,"text":"Our national safety and the security of the world will require substantial  armed forces, particularly in overseas service. At the same time it is  imperative that we relieve those who have already done their duty, and that  we relieve them as fast as we can. To do that, the Army and the Navy are  conducting recruiting drives with considerable success.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":119,"text":"The Army has obtained nearly 400,000 volunteers in the past four months,  and the Navy has obtained 80,000. Eighty percent of these volunteers for  the regular service have come from those already with the colors. The  Congress has made it possible to offer valuable inducements to those who  are eligible for enlistment. Every effort will be made to enlist the  required number of young men.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":120,"text":"The War and Navy Departments now estimate that by a year from now we still  will need a strength of about 2 million including officers, for the armed  forces--Army, Navy, and Air. I have reviewed their estimates and believe  that the safety of the Nation will require the maintenance of an armed  strength of this size for the calendar year that is before us.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":121,"text":"In case the campaign for volunteers does not produce that number, it will  be necessary by additional legislation to extend the Selective Service Act  beyond May 16, the date of expiration under existing law. That is the only  way we can get the men and bring back our veterans. There is no other way.  Action along this line should not be postponed beyond March, in order to  avoid uncertainty and disruption.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":122,"text":"DOMESTIC AFFAIRS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":123,"text":"I. THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":124,"text":"Prophets of doom predicted that the United States could not escape a  runaway inflation during the war and an economic collapse after the war.  These predictions have not been borne out. On the contrary, the record of  economic stabilization during the war and during the period of reconversion  has been an outstanding accomplishment.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":125,"text":"We know, however, that nothing is as dangerous as overconfidence, in war or  in peace. We have had to fight hard to hold the line. We have made  strenuous efforts to speed reconversion. But neither the danger of a  postwar inflation nor of a subsequent collapse in production and employment  is yet overcome. We must base our policies not on unreasoning optimism or  pessimism but upon a candid recognition of our objectives and upon a  careful analysis of foreseeable trends.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":126,"text":"Any precise appraisal of the economic outlook at this time is particularly  difficult. The period of demobilization and reconversion is fraught with  uncertainties. There are also serious gaps in our statistical information.  Certain tendencies are, however, fairly clear and recognition of them  should serve as background for the consideration of next year's Federal  Program. In general, the outlook for business is good, and it is likely to  continue to be good--provided we control inflation and achieve peace in  management labor relations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":127,"text":"Civilian production and employment can be expected to increase throughout  the next year. This does not mean, however, that continuing full employment  is assured. It is probable that demobilization of the armed forces will  proceed faster than the increase in civilian employment opportunities. Even  if substantial further withdrawals from the labor market occur,  unemployment will increase temporarily. The extent to which this  unemployment will persist depends largely on the speed of industrial  expansion and the effectiveness of the policies of the Federal Government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":128,"text":"Along with extraordinary demand there are still at this time many critical  shortages resulting from the war. These extraordinary demands and shortages  may lead to a speculative boom, especially in the price of securities, real  estate, and inventories.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":129,"text":"Therefore, our chief worry still is inflation. While we control this  inflationary pressure we must look forward to the time when this  extraordinary demand will subside. It will be years before we catch up with  the demand for housing. The extraordinary demand for other durable goods,  for the replenishment of inventories, and for exports may be satisfied  earlier. No backlog of demand can exist very long in the face of our  tremendous productive capacity. We must expect again to face the problem of  shrinking demand and consequent slackening in sales, production, and  employment. This possibility of a deflationary spiral in the future will  exist unless we now plan and adopt an effective full employment program.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":130,"text":"2. GENERAL POLICIES--IMMEDIATE AND LONG-RANGE  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":131,"text":"During the war, production for civilian use was limited by war needs and  available manpower. Economic stabilization required measures, to spread  limited supplies equitably by rationing, price controls, increased taxes,  savings bond campaigns, and credit controls. Now, with the surrender of our  enemies, economic stabilization requires that policies be directed toward  promoting an increase in supplies at low unit prices.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":132,"text":"We must encourage the development of resources and enterprises in all parts  of the country, particularly in underdeveloped areas. For example, the  establishment of new peacetime industries in the Western States and in the  South would, in my judgment, add to existing production and markets rather  than merely bring about a shifting of production. I am asking the  Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and Labor to explore jointly methods  for stimulating new industries, particularly in areas with surplus  agricultural labor.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":133,"text":"We must also aid small businessmen and particularly veterans who are  competent to start their own businesses. The establishment and development  of efficient small business ventures, I believe, will not take away from,  but rather will add to, the total business of all enterprises.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":134,"text":"Even with maximum encouragement of Production, we cannot hope to remove  scarcities within a short time. The most serious deficiencies will persist  in the fields of residential housing, building materials, and consumers'  durable goods. The critical situation makes continued rent control, price  control, and priorities, allocations, and inventory controls absolutely  essential. Continued control of consumer credit will help to reduce the  pressure on prices of durable goods and will also prolong the period during  which the backlog demand will be effective.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":135,"text":"While we are meeting these immediate needs we must look forward to a  long-range program of security and increased standard of living.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":136,"text":"The best protection of purchasing power is a policy of full production and  full employment opportunities. Obviously, an employed worker is a better  customer than an unemployed worker. There always will be, however, some  frictional unemployment. In the present period of transition we must deal  with such temporary unemployment as results from the fact that  demobilization will proceed faster than reconversion or industrial  expansion. Such temporary unemployment is probably unavoidable in a period  of rapid change. The unemployed worker is a victim of conditions beyond his  control. He should be enabled to maintain a reasonable standard of living  for himself and his family.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":137,"text":"The most serious difficulty in the path of reconversion and expansion is  the establishment of a fair wage structure.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":138,"text":"The ability of labor and management to work together, and the wage and  price policies which they develop, are social and economic issues of first  importance.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":139,"text":"Both labor and management have a special interest. Labor's interest is very  direct and personal because working conditions, wages, and prices affect  the very life and happiness of the worker and his family.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":140,"text":"Management has a no less direct interest because on management rests the  responsibility for conducting a growing and prosperous business.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":141,"text":"But management and labor have identical interests in the long run. Good  wages mean good markets. Good business means more jobs and better wages. In  this age of cooperation and in our highly organized economy the problems of  one very soon become the problems of all.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":142,"text":"Better human relationships are an urgent need to which organized labor and  management should address themselves. No government policy can make men  understand each other, agree, and get along unless they conduct themselves  in a way to foster mutual respect and good will.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":143,"text":"The Government can, however, help to develop machinery which, with the  backing of public opinion, will assist labor and management to resolve  their disagreements in a peaceful manner and reduce the number and duration  of strikes.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":144,"text":"All of us realize that productivity--increased output per man--is in the  long run the basis of our standard of living. Management especially must  realize that if labor is to work wholeheartedly for an increase in  production, workers must be given a just share of increased output in  higher wages.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":145,"text":"Most industries and most companies have adequate leeway within which to  grant substantial wage increases. These increases will have a direct effect  in increasing consumer demand to the high levels needed. Substantial wage  increases are good business for business because they assure a large market  for their products; substantial wage increases are good business for labor  because they increase labor's standard of living; substantial wage  increases are good business for the country as a whole because capacity  production means an active, healthy, friendly citizenry enjoying the  benefits of democracy under our free enterprise system.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":146,"text":"Labor and management in many industries have been operating successfully  under the Government's wage-price policy. Upward revisions of wage scales  have been made in thousands of establishments throughout the Nation since  VJ-day. It is estimated that about 6 million workers, or more than 20  percent of all employees in nonagricultural and nongovernmental  establishments, have received wage increases since August 18, 1945. The  amounts of increases given by individual employers concentrate between 10  and 15 percent, but range from less than 5 percent to over 30 percent.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":147,"text":"The United States Conciliation Service since VJ-day has settled over 3,000  disputes affecting over 1,300,000 workers without a strike threat and has  assisted in settling about 1,300 disputes where strikes were threatened  which involved about 500,000 workers. Only workers directly involved, and  not those in related industries who might have been indirectly affected,  are included in these estimates.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":148,"text":"Many of these adjustments have occurred in key industries and would have  seemed to us major crises if they had not been settled peaceably.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":149,"text":"Within the framework of the wage-price policy there has been definite  success, and it is to be expected that this success will continue in a vast  majority of the cases arising in the months ahead.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":150,"text":"However, everyone who realizes the extreme need for a swift and orderly  reconversion must feel a deep concern about the number of major strikes now  in progress. If long continued, these strikes could put a heavy brake on  our program.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":151,"text":"I have already made recommendations to the Congress as to the procedure  best adapted to meeting the threat of work stoppages in Nation-wide  industries without sacrificing the fundamental rights of labor to bargain  collectively and ultimately to strike in support of their position.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":152,"text":"If we manage our economy properly, the future will see us on a level of  production half again as high as anything we have ever accomplished in  peacetime. Business can in the future pay higher wages and sell for lower  prices than ever before. This is not true now for all companies, nor will  it ever be true for all, but for business generally it is true.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":153,"text":"We are relying on all concerned to develop, through collective bargaining,  wage structures that are fair to labor, allow for necessary business  incentives, and conform with a policy designed to \"hold the line\" on  prices.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":154,"text":"Production and more production was the byword during the war and still is  during the transition from war to peace. However, when deferred demand  slackens, we shall once again face the deflationary dangers which beset  this and other countries during the 1930's. Prosperity can be assured only  by a high level of demand supported by high current income; it cannot be  sustained by deferred needs and use of accumulated savings.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":155,"text":"If we take the right steps in time we can certainly avoid the disastrous  excesses of runaway booms and headlong depressions. We must not let a year  or two of prosperity lull us into a false feeling of security and a  repetition of the mistakes of the 1920's that culminated in the crash of  1929.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":156,"text":"During the year ahead the Government will be called upon to act in many  important fields of economic policy from taxation and foreign trade to  social security and housing. In every case there will be alternatives. We  must choose the alternatives which will best measure up to our need for  maintaining production and employment in the future. We must never lose  sight of our long-term objectives: the broadening of markets--the  maintenance of steadily rising demand. This demand can come from only three  sources: consumers, businesses, or government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":157,"text":"In this country the job of production and distribution is in the hands of  businessmen, farmers, workers, and professional people-in the hands of our  citizens. We want to keep it that way. However, it is the Government's  responsibility to help business, labor, and farmers do their jobs.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":158,"text":"There is no question in my mind that the Government, acting on behalf of  all the people, must assume the ultimate responsibility for the economic  health of the Nation. There is no other agency that can. No other  organization has the scope or the authority, nor is any other agency  accountable, to all the people. This does not mean that the Government has  the sole responsibility, nor that it can do the job alone, nor that it can  do the job directly.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":159,"text":"All of the policies of the Federal Government must be geared to the  objective of sustained full production and full employment-to raise  consumer purchasing power and to encourage business investment. The  programs we adopt this year and from now on will determine our ability to  achieve our objectives. We must continue to pay particular attention to our  fiscal, monetary, and tax policy, programs to aid business--especially  small business--and transportation, labor-management relations and  wage-price policy, social security and health, education, the farm program,  public works, housing and resource development, and economic foreign  policy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":160,"text":"For example, the kinds of tax measures we have at different times--whether  we raise our revenue in a way to encourage consumer spending and business  investment or to discourage it--have a vital bearing on this question. It  is affected also by regulations on consumer credit and by the money market,  which is strongly influenced by the rate of interest on Government  securities. It is affected by almost every step we take.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":161,"text":"In short, the way we handle the proper functions of government, the way we  time the exercise of our traditional and legitimate governmental functions,  has a vital bearing on the economic health of the Nation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":162,"text":"These policies are discussed in greater detail in the accompanying Fifth  Quarterly Report of the Director of War Mobilization and Reconversion.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":163,"text":"3. LEGISLATION HERETOFORE RECOMMENDED  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":164,"text":"AND STILL PENDING  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":165,"text":"To attain some of these objectives and to meet the other needs of the  United States in the reconversion and postwar period, I have from time to  time made various recommendations to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":166,"text":"In making these recommendations I have indicated the reasons why I deemed  them essential for progress at home and abroad. A few--a very few--of these  recommendations have been enacted into law by the Congress. Most of them  have not. I here reiterate some of them, and discuss others later in this  Message. I urge upon the Congress early consideration of them. Some are  more urgent than others, but all are necessary.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":167,"text":"(1) Legislation to authorize the President to create fact-finding boards  for the prevention of stoppages of work in Nationwide industries after  collective bargaining and conciliation and voluntary arbitration have  failed--as recommended by me on December 3, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":168,"text":"(2) Enactment of a satisfactory full employment bill such as the Senate  bill now in conference between the Senate and the House--as recommended by  me on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":169,"text":"(3) Legislation to supplement the unemployment insurance benefits for  unemployed workers now provided by the different States--as recommended by  me on May 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":170,"text":"(4) Adoption of a permanent Fair Employment Practice Act--as recommended by  me on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":171,"text":"(5) Legislation substantially raising the amount of minimum wages now  provided by law--as recommended by me on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":172,"text":"(6) Legislation providing for a comprehensive program for scientific  research--as recommended by me on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":173,"text":"(7) Legislation enacting a health and medical care program--as recommended  by me on November 19, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":174,"text":"(8) Legislation adopting the program of universal training--as recommended  by me on October 23, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":175,"text":"(9) Legislation providing an adequate salary scale for all Government  employees in all branches of the Government--as recommended by me on  September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":176,"text":"(10) Legislation making provision for succession to the Presidency in the  event of the death or incapacity or disqualification of the President and  Vice President--as recommended by me on June 19, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":177,"text":"(11) Legislation for the unification of the armed services--as recommended  by me on December 19, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":178,"text":"(12) Legislation for the domestic use and control of atomic energy--as  recommended by me on October 3, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":179,"text":"(13) Retention of the United States Employment Service in the Federal  Government for a period at least up to June 30, 1947--as recommended by me  on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":180,"text":"(14) Legislation to increase unemployment allowances for veterans in line  with increases for civilians--as recommended by me on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":181,"text":"(15) Social security coverage for veterans for their period of military  service--as recommended by me on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":182,"text":"(16) Extension of crop insurance--as recommended by me on September 6,  1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":183,"text":"(17) Legislation permitting the sale of ships by the Maritime Commission at  home and abroad--as recommended by me on September 6, 1945. I further  recommend that this legislation include adequate authority for chartering  vessels both here and abroad.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":184,"text":"(18) Legislation to take care of the stock piling of materials in which the  United States is naturally deficient--as recommended by me on September 6,  1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":185,"text":"(19) Enactment of Federal airport legislation-as recommended by me on  September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":186,"text":"(20) Legislation repealing the Johnson Act on foreign loans--as recommended  by me on September 6, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":187,"text":"(21) Legislation for the development of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River  Basin-as recommended by me on October 3, 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":188,"text":"4. POLICIES IN SPECIFIC FIELDS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":189,"text":"(a) Extension of Price Control Act.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":190,"text":"Today inflation is our greatest immediate domestic problem. So far the  fight against inflation has been waged successfully. Since May 1943,  following President Roosevelt's \"hold the line\" order and in the face of  the greatest pressures which this country has ever seen, the cost of living  index has risen only three percent. Wholesale prices in this same period  have been held to an increase of two and one-half percent.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":191,"text":"This record has been made possible by the vigorous efforts of the agencies  responsible for this program. But their efforts would have been fruitless  if they had not had the solid support of the great masses of our people.  The Congress is to be congratulated for its role in providing the  legislation under which this work has been carried out.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":192,"text":"On VJ-day it was clear to all thinking people that the danger of inflation  was by no means over. Many of us can remember vividly our disastrous  experience following World War I. Then the very restricted wartime controls  were lifted too quickly, and as a result prices and rents moved more  rapidly upward. In the year and a half following the armistice, rents,  food, and clothing shot to higher and still higher levels.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":193,"text":"When the inevitable crash occurred less than two years after the end of the  war, business bankruptcies were widespread. Profits were wiped out.  Inventory losses amounted to billions of dollars. Farm income dropped by  one-half. Factory pay rolls dropped 40 percent, and nearly one-fifth of all  our industrial workers were walking the streets in search of jobs. This was  a grim greeting, indeed, to offer our veterans who had just returned from  overseas.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":194,"text":"When I addressed the Congress in September, I emphasized that we must  continue to hold the price line until the production of goods caught up  with the tremendous demands. Since then we have seen demonstrated the  strength of the inflationary pressures which we have to face.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":195,"text":"Retail sales in the closing months of 1945 ran 12 percent above the  previous peak for that season, which came in 1944. Prices throughout the  entire economy have been pressing hard against the price ceilings. The  prices of real estate, which cannot now be controlled under the law, are  rising rapidly. Commercial rents are not included in the present price  control law and, where they are not controlled by State law, have been  increasing, causing difficulties to many businessmen.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":196,"text":"It will be impossible to maintain a high purchasing power or an expanding  production unless we can keep prices at levels which can be met by the vast  majority of our people. Full production is the greatest weapon against  inflation, but until we can produce enough goods to meet the threat of  inflation the Government will have to exercise its wartime control over  prices.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":197,"text":"I am sure that the people of the United States are disturbed by the demands  made by several business groups with regard to price and rent control.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":198,"text":"I am particularly disturbed at the effect such thinking may have on  production and employment. If manufacturers continue to hold back goods and  decline to submit bids when invited--as I am informed some are doing--in  anticipation of higher prices which would follow the end of price controls,  we shall inevitably slow down production and create needless unemployment.  On the other hand, there are the vast majority of American businessmen who  are not holding back goods, but who need certainty about the Government  pricing policy in order to fix their own long-range pricing policies.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":199,"text":"Businessmen are entitled therefore to a dear statement of the policy of the  Government on the subject. Tenants and housewives, farmers and  workers--consumers in general--have an equal right.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":200,"text":"We are all anxious to eliminate unnecessary controls just as rapidly as we  can do so. The steps that we have already taken in many directions toward  that end are a clear indication of our policy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":201,"text":"The present Price Control Act expires on June 30, 1946. If we expect to  maintain a steady economy we shall have to maintain price and rent control  for many months to come. The inflationary pressures on prices and rents,  with relatively few exceptions, are now at an all-time peak. Unless the  Price Control Act is renewed there will be no limit to which our price  levels would soar. Our country would face a national disaster.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":202,"text":"We cannot wait to renew the act until immediately before it expires.  Inflation results from psychological as well as economic conditions. The  country has a clear right to know where the Congress stands on this  all-important problem. Any uncertainty now as to whether the act will be  extended gives rise to price speculation, to withholding of goods from the  market in anticipation of rising prices, and to delays in achieving maximum  production.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":203,"text":"I do not doubt that the Congress will be beset by many groups who will urge  that the legislation that I have proposed should either be eliminated or  modified to the point where it is nearly useless. The Congress has a clear  responsibility to meet this challenge with courage and determination. I  have every confidence that it will do so.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":204,"text":"I strongly urge that the Congress now resolve all doubts and as soon as  possible adopt legislation continuing rent and price control in effect for  a full year from June 30, 1946.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":205,"text":"(b) Food subsidies.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":206,"text":"If the price line is to be held, if our people are to be protected against  the inflationary dangers which confront us, we must do more than extend the  Price Control Act. In September we were hopeful that the inflationary  pressures would by this time have begun to diminish. We were particularly  hopeful on food. Indeed, it was estimated that food prices at retail would  drop from 3 to 5 percent in the first six months following the end of the  war.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":207,"text":"In anticipation of this decline in food prices, it was our belief that food  subsidies could be removed gradually during the winter and spring months,  and eliminated almost completely by June 30 of this year. It was our  feeling that the food subsidies could be dropped without an increase to the  consumer in the present level of food prices or in the over-all cost of  living.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":208,"text":"As matters stand today, however, food prices are pressing hard against the  ceilings. The expected decline in food prices has not occurred, nor is it  likely to occur for many months to come. This brings me to the reluctant  conclusion that food subsidies must be continued beyond June 30, 1946.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":209,"text":"If we fail to take this necessary step, meat prices on July 1 will be from  3 to 5 cents higher than their average present levels; butter will be at  least 12 cents a pound higher, in addition to the 5 cents a pound increase  of last fall; milk will increase from 1 to 2 cents a quart; bread will  increase about 1 cent a loaf; sugar will increase over 1 cent a pound;  cheese, in addition to the increase of 4 cents now planned for the latter  part of this month, will go up an additional 8 cents. In terms of  percentages we may find the cost-of-living index for food increased by more  than 8 percent, which in turn would result in more than a 3-percent  increase in the cost of living.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":210,"text":"If prices of food were allowed to increase by these amounts, I must make it  clear to the Congress that, in my opinion, it would become extremely  difficult for us to control the forces of inflation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":211,"text":"None of us likes subsidies. Our farmers, in particular, have always been  opposed to them.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":212,"text":"But I believe our farmers are as deeply conscious as any group in the land  of the havoc which inflation can create. Certainly in the past eighteen  months there has been no group which has fought any harder in support of  the Government's price control program. I am confident that, if the facts  are placed before them and if they see clearly the evils between which we  are forced to choose, they will understand the reasons why subsidies must  be continued.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":213,"text":"The legislation continuing the use of food subsidies into the new fiscal  year should be tied down specifically to certain standards. A very proper  requirement, in my opinion, would be that subsidies be removed as soon as  it is indicated that the cost of living will decline below the present  levels.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":214,"text":"(c) Extension of War Powers Act.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":215,"text":"The Second War Powers Act has recently been extended by the Congress for  six months instead of for a year. It will now expire, unless further  extended, on June 30, 1946. This act is the basis for priority and  inventory controls governing the use of scarce materials, as well as for  other powers essential to orderly reconversion.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":216,"text":"I think that this Administration has given adequate proof of the fact that  it desires to eliminate wartime controls as quickly and as expeditiously as  possible. However, we know that there will continue to be shortages of  certain materials caused by the war even after June 30, 1946. It is  important that businessmen know now that materials in short supply are  going to be controlled and distributed fairly as long as these war-born  shortages continue.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":217,"text":"I, therefore, urge the Congress soon to extend the Second War Powers Act.  We cannot afford to wait until just before the act expires next June. To  wait would cause the controls to break down in a short time, and would  hamper our production and employment program.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":218,"text":"(d) Small business and competition.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":219,"text":"A rising birth rate for small business, and a favorable environment for its  growth, are not only economic necessities but also important practical  demonstrations of opportunity in a democratic free society. A great many  veterans and workers with new skills and experience will want to start in  for themselves. The opportunity must be afforded them to do so. They are  the small businessmen of the future.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":220,"text":"Actually when we talk about small business we are talking about almost all  of the Nation's individual businesses. Nine out of every ten concerns fall  into this category, and 45 percent of all workers are employed by them.  Between 30 and 40 percent of the total value of all business transactions  are handled by small business.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":221,"text":"It is obvious national policy to foster the sound development of small  business. It helps to maintain high levels of employment and national  income and consumption of the goods and services that the Nation can  produce. It encourages the competition that keeps our free enterprise  economy vigorous and expanding. Small business, because of its flexibility,  assists in the rapid exploitation of scientific and technological  discoveries. Investment in small business can absorb a large volume of  savings that might otherwise not be tapped.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":222,"text":"The Government should encourage and is encouraging small-business  initiative and originality to stimulate progress through competition.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":223,"text":"During the war, the Smaller War Plants Corporation assisted small concerns  to make a maximum contribution to victory. The work of the Smaller War  Plants Corporation is being carried on in peacetime by the Federal Loan  Agency and the Department of Commerce. The fundamental approach to the job  of encouraging small concerns must be based on:  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":224,"text":"1. Arrangements for making private and public financial resources available  on reasonable terms.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":225,"text":"2. Provision of technical advice and assistance to business as a whole on  production, research, and management problems. This will help equalize  competitive relationships between large and small companies, for many of  the small companies cannot afford expensive technical research, accounting,  and tax advice.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":226,"text":"3. Elimination of trade practices and agreements which reduce competition  and discriminate against new or small enterprises.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":227,"text":"We speak a great deal about the free enterprise economy of our country. It  is competition that keeps it free. It is competition that keeps it growing  and developing. The truth is that we need far more competition in the  future than we have had in the immediate past.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":228,"text":"By strangling competition, monopolistic activity prevents or deters  investment in new or expanded production facilities. This lessens the  opportunity for employment and chokes off new outlets for idle savings.  Monopoly maintains prices at artificially high levels and reduces  consumption which, with lower prices, would rise and support larger  production and higher employment. Monopoly, not being subject to  competitive pressure, is slow to take advantage of technical advances which  would lower prices or improve quality. All three of these monopolistic  activities very directly lower the standard of living--through higher  prices and lower quality of product--which free competition would improve.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":229,"text":"The Federal Government must protect legitimate business and consumers from  predatory and monopolistic practices by the vigilant enforcement of  regulatory legislation. The program will be designed to have a maximum  impact upon monopolistic bottlenecks and unfair competitive practices  hindering expansion in employment.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":230,"text":"During the war, enforcement of antimonopoly laws was suspended in a number  of fields. The Government must now take major steps not only to maintain  enforcement of antitrust laws but to encourage new and competing  enterprises in every way. The deferred demand of the war years and the  large accumulations of liquid assets provide ample incentive for expansion.  Equalizing of business opportunity, under full and free competition, must  be a prime responsibility in the reconversion period and in the years that  follow. Many leading businessmen have recognized the importance of such  action both to themselves and to the economy as a whole.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":231,"text":"But we must do more than break up trusts and monopolies after they have  begun to strangle competition. We must take positive action to foster new,  expanding enterprises. By legislation and by administration we must take  specific steps to discourage the formation or the strengthening of  competition-restricting business. We must have an over-all antimonopoly  policy which can be applied by all agencies of the Government in exercising  the functions assigned to them--a policy designed to encourage the  formation and growth of new and freely competitive enterprises.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":232,"text":"Among the many departments and agencies which have parts in the program  affecting business and competition, the Department of Commerce has a  particularly important role. That is why I have recommended a substantial  increase in appropriations for the next fiscal year for this Department.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":233,"text":"In its assistance to industry, the Department of Commerce will concentrate  its efforts on these primary objectives: Promotion of a large and  well-balanced foreign trade; provision of improved technical assistance and  management aids, especially for small enterprises; and strengthening of  basic statistics on business operations, both by industries and by regions.  To make new inventions and discoveries available more promptly to all  businesses, small and large, the Department proposes to expand its own  research activities, promote research by universities, improve Patent  Office procedures, and develop a greatly expanded system of field offices  readily accessible to the businesses they serve.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":234,"text":"Many gaps exist in the private financial mechanism, especially in the  provision of long-term funds for small- and medium sized enterprises. In  the peacetime economy the Reconstruction Finance Corporation will take the  leadership in assuring adequate financing for small enterprises which  cannot secure funds from other sources. Most of the funds should and will  be provided by private lenders; but the Reconstruction Finance Corporation  will share any unusual risks through guarantees of private loans, with  direct loans only when private capital is unwilling to participate on a  reasonable basis.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":235,"text":"(e) Minimum wage.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":236,"text":"Full employment and full production may be achieved only by maintaining a  level of consumer income far higher than that of the prewar period. A high  level of consumer income will maintain the market for the output of our  mills, farms, and factories, which we have demonstrated during the war  years that we can produce. One of the basic steps which the Congress can  take to establish a high level of consumer income is to amend the Fair  Labor Standards Act to raise substandard wages to a decent minimum and to  extend similar protection to additional workers who are not covered by the  present act.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":237,"text":"Substandard wages are bad for business and for the farmer. Substandard  wages provide only a substandard market for the goods and services produced  by American industry and agriculture.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":238,"text":"At the present time the Fair Labor Standards Act prescribes a minimum wage  of 40 cents an hour for those workers who are covered by the act. The  present minimum wage represents an annual income of about $800 to those  continuously employed for 50 weeks--clearly a wholly inadequate budget for  an American family. I am in full accord with the proposal now pending in  the Congress that the statutory minimum be raised immediately to 65 cents  an hour, with further increases to 70 cents after one year and to 75 cents  after two years. I also favor the proposal that the industry committee  procedure be used to set rates higher than 65 cents per hour during the  two-year interval before the 75-cent basic wage would otherwise become  applicable.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":239,"text":"The proposed minimum wage of 65 cents an hour would assure the worker an  annual income of about $1,300 a year in steady employment. This amount is  clearly a modest goal. After considering cost-of-living increases in recent  years, it is little more than a 10-cent increase over the present legal  minimum. In fact, if any large number of workers earn less than this  amount, we will find it impossible to maintain the levels of purchasing  power needed to sustain the stable prosperity which we desire. Raising the  minimum to 75 cents an hour will provide the wage earner with an annual  income of $1,500 if he is fully employed.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":240,"text":"The proposed higher minimum wage levels are feasible without involving  serious price adjustments or serious geographic dislocations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":241,"text":"Today about 20 percent of our manufacturing wage earners--or about 2  million-earn less than 65 cents an hour. Because wages in most industries  have risen during the war, this is about the same as the proportion-17  percent--who were earning less than 40 cents an hour in 1941.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":242,"text":"I also recommend that minimum wage protection be extended to several groups  of workers not now covered. The need for a decent standard of living is by  no means limited to those workers who happen to be covered by the act as it  now stands. It is particularly vital at this period of readjustment in the  national economy and readjustment in employment of labor to extend minimum  wage protection as far as possible.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":243,"text":"Lifting the basic minimum wage is necessary, it is justified as a matter of  simple equity to workers, and it will prove not only feasible but also  directly beneficial to the Nation's employers.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":244,"text":"(f) Agricultural programs.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":245,"text":"The farmers of America generally are entering the crop year of 1946 in  better financial condition than ever before. Farm mortgage debt is the  lowest in 30 years. Farmers' savings are the largest in history. Our  agricultural plant is in much better condition than after World War I. Farm  machinery and supplies are expected to be available in larger volume, and  farm labor problems will be less acute.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":246,"text":"The demand for farm products will continue strong during the next year or  two because domestic purchases will be supplemented by a high level of  exports and foreign relief shipments. It is currently estimated that from 7  to 10 percent of the total United States food supply may be exported in the  calendar year 1946.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":247,"text":"Farm prices are expected to remain at least at their present levels in the  immediate future, and for at least the next 12 months they are expected to  yield a net farm income double the 1935-39 average and higher than in any  year prior to 1943.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":248,"text":"We can look to the future of agriculture with greater confidence than in  many a year in the past. Agriculture itself is moving confidently ahead,  planning for another year of big production, taking definite and positive  steps to lead the way toward an economy of abundance.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":249,"text":"Agricultural production goals for 1946 call for somewhat greater acreage  than actually was planted in 1945. Agriculture is prepared to demonstrate  that it can make a peacetime contribution as great as its contribution  toward the winning of the war.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":250,"text":"In spite of supplying our armed forces and our allies during the war with a  fifth to a fourth of our total food output, farmers were still able to  provide our civilians with 8 percent more food per capita than the average  for the five years preceding the war. Since the surrender of Japan,  civilian food consumption has risen still further. By the end of 1945 the  amount of the increase in food consumption was estimated to be as high as  15 percent over the prewar average. The record shows that the people of  this country want and need more food and that they will buy more food if  only they have the jobs and the purchasing power. The first essential  therefore in providing fully for the welfare of agriculture is to maintain  full employment and a high level of purchasing power throughout the  Nation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":251,"text":"For the period immediately ahead we shall still have the problem of  supplying enough food. If we are to do our part in aiding the war-stricken  and starving countries some of the food desires of our own people will not  be completely satisfied, at least until these nations have had an  opportunity to harvest another crop. During the next few months the need  for food in the world will be more serious than at any time during the war.  And, despite the large shipments we have already made, and despite what we  shall send, there remain great needs abroad.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":252,"text":"Beyond the relief feeding period, there will still be substantial foreign  outlets for our farm commodities. The chief dependence of the farmer,  however, as always, must be upon the buying power of our own people.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":253,"text":"The first obligation of the Government to agriculture for the reconversion  period is to make good on its price-support commitments. This we intend to  do, with realistic consideration for the sound patterns of production that  will contribute most to the long-time welfare of agriculture and the whole  Nation. The period during which prices are supported will provide an  opportunity for farmers individually to strengthen their position in  changing over from a wartime to a peacetime basis of production. It will  provide an opportunity for the Congress to review the needs of agriculture  and make changes in national legislation where experience has shown changes  to be needed. In this connection, the Congress will wish to consider  legislation to take the place of the 1937 Sugar Act which expires at the  end of this year. During this period we must do a thorough job of basic  planning to the end that agriculture shall be able to contribute its full  share toward a healthy national economy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":254,"text":"Our long-range agricultural policies should have two main objectives:  First, to assure the people on the farms a fair share of the national  income; and, second, to encourage an agricultural production pattern that  is best fitted to the Nation's needs. To accomplish this second objective  we shall have to take into consideration changes that have taken place and  will continue to take place in the production of farm commodities--changes  that affect costs and efficiency and volume.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":255,"text":"What we seek ultimately is a high level of food production and consumption  that will provide good nutrition for everyone. This cannot be accomplished  by agriculture alone. We can be certain of our capacity to produce food,  but we have often failed to distribute it as well as we should and to see  that our people can afford to buy it. The way to get good nutrition for the  whole Nation is to provide employment opportunities and purchasing power  for all groups that will enable them to buy full diets at market prices.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":256,"text":"Wherever purchasing power fails to reach this level we should see that they  have some means of getting adequate food at prices in line with their  ability to buy. Therefore, we should have available supplementary programs  that will enable all our people to have enough of the right kind of food.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":257,"text":"For example, one of the best possible contributions toward building a  stronger, healthier Nation would be a permanent school-lunch program on a  scale adequate to assure every school child a good lunch at noon. The  Congress, of course, has recognized this need for a continuing school-lunch  program and legislation to that effect has been introduced and hearings  held. The plan contemplates the attainment of this objective with a minimum  of Federal expenditures. I hope that the legislation will be enacted in  time for a permanent program to start with the beginning of the school year  next fall.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":258,"text":"We have the technical knowledge and the productive capacity to provide  plenty of good food for every man, woman, and child in the United States.  It is time we made that possibility a reality.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":259,"text":"(g) Resource development.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":260,"text":"The strength of our Nation and the welfare of the people rest upon the  natural resources of the country. We have learned that proper conservation  of our lands, including our forests and minerals, and wise management of  our waters will add immensely to our national wealth.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":261,"text":"The first step in the Government's conservation program must be to find out  just what are our basic resources, and how they should be used. We need to  take, as soon as possible, an inventory of the lands, the minerals, and the  forests of the Nation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":262,"text":"During the war it was necessary to curtail some of our long-range plans for  development of our natural resources, and to emphasize programs vital to  the prosecution of the war. Work was suspended on a number of flood control  and reclamation projects and on the development of our national forests and  parks. This work must now be resumed, and new projects must be undertaken  to provide essential services and to assist in the process of economic  development.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":263,"text":"The rivers of America offer a great opportunity to our generation in the  management of the national wealth. By a wise use of Federal funds, most of  which will be repaid into the Treasury, the scourge of floods and drought  can be curbed, water can be brought to arid lands, navigation can be  extended, and cheap power can be brought alike to the farms and to the  industries of our land.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":264,"text":"Through the use of the waters of the Columbia River, for example, we are  creating a rich agricultural area as large as the State of Delaware. At the  same time, we are producing power at Grand Coulee and at Bonneville which  played a mighty part in winning the war and which will found a great  peacetime industry in the Northwest. The Tennessee Valley Authority will  resume its peacetime program of promoting full use of the resources of the  Valley. We shall continue our plans for the development of the Missouri  Valley, the Arkansas Valley, and the Central Valley of California.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":265,"text":"The Congress has shown itself alive to the practical requirements for a  beneficial use of our water resources by providing that preference in the  sale of power be given to farmers' cooperatives and public agencies. The  public power program thus authorized must continue to be made effective by  building the necessary generating and transmission facilities to furnish  the maximum of firm power needed at the wholesale markets, which are often  distant from the dam sites.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":266,"text":"These great developmental projects will open the frontiers of agriculture,  industry, and commerce. The employment opportunities thus offered will also  go far to ease the transition from war to peace.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":267,"text":"(h) Public works.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":268,"text":"During the war even urgently needed Federal, State, and local construction  projects were deferred in order to release sources for war production. In  resuming public works construction, it is desirable to proceed only at a  moderate rate, since demand for private construction will be abnormally  high for some time. Our public works program should be timed to reach its  peak after demand for private construction has begun to taper off.  Meanwhile, however, plans should be prepared if we are to act promptly when  the present extraordinary private demand begins to run out.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":269,"text":"The Congress made money available to Federal agencies for their public  works planning in the fiscal year 1946. I strongly recommend that this  policy be continued and extended in the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":270,"text":"State and local governments also have an essential role to play in a  national public works program. In my message of September 6, 1945, I  recommended that the Congress vote such grants to State and local  governments as will insure that each level of government makes its proper  contribution to a balanced public construction program. Specifically, the  Federal Government should aid State and local governments in planning their  own public works programs, in undertaking projects related to Federal  programs of regional development, and in constructing such public works as  are necessary to carry out the various policies of the Federal Government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":271,"text":"Early in 1945 the Congress made available advances to State and local  governments for planning public works projects, and recently made  additional provision to continue these advances through the fiscal year  1946. I believe that further appropriations will be needed for the same  purpose for the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":272,"text":"The Congress has already made provision for highway programs. It is now  considering legislation which would expand Federal grants and loans in  several other fields, including construction of airports, hospital and  health centers, housing, water pollution control facilities, and  educational plant facilities. I hope that early action will be taken to  authorize these Federal programs.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":273,"text":"With respect to public works of strictly local importance, State and local  governments should proceed without Federal assistance except in planning.  This rule should be subject to review when and if the prospect of highly  adverse general economic developments warrants it.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":274,"text":"All loans and grants for public works should be planned and administered in  such a way that they are brought into accord with the other elements of the  Federal Program.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":275,"text":"Our long-run objective is to achieve a program of direct Federal and  Federally assisted public works which is planned in advance and  synchronized with business conditions. In this way it can make its greatest  contribution to general economic stability.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":276,"text":"(1) National housing program.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":277,"text":"Last September I stated in my message to the Congress that housing was high  on the list of matters calling for decisive action.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":278,"text":"Since then the housing shortage in countless communities, affecting  millions of families, has magnified this call to action.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":279,"text":"Today we face both an immediate emergency and a major postwar problem.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":280,"text":"Since VJ-day the wartime housing shortage has been growing steadily worse  and pressure on real estate values has increased. Returning veterans often  cannot find a satisfactory place for their families to live, and many who  buy have to pay exorbitant prices. Rapid demobilization inevitably means  further overcrowding.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":281,"text":"A realistic and practical attack on the emergency will require aggressive  action by local governments, with Federal aid, to exploit all opportunities  and to give the veterans as far as possible first chance at vacancies. It  will require continuation of rent control in shortage areas as well as  legislation to permit control of sales prices. It will require maximum  conversion of temporary war units for veterans' housing and their  transportation to communities with the most pressing needs; the Congress  has already appropriated funds for this purpose.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":282,"text":"The inflation in the price of housing is growing daily.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":283,"text":"As a result of the housing shortage, it is inevitable that the present  dangers of inflation in home values will continue unless the Congress takes  action in the immediate future.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":284,"text":"Legislation is now pending in the Congress which would provide for ceiling  prices for old and new houses. The authority to fix such ceilings is  essential. With such authority, our veterans and other prospective home  owners would be protected against a skyrocketing of home prices. The  country would be protected from the extension of the present inflation in  home values which, if allowed to continue, will threaten not only the  stabilization program but our opportunities for attaining a sustained high  level of home construction.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":285,"text":"Such measures are necessary stopgaps-but only stopgaps. This emergency  action, taken alone, is good--but not enough. The housing shortage did not  start with the war or with demobilization; it began years before that and  has steadily accumulated. The speed with which the Congress establishes the  foundation for a permanent, long-range housing program will determine how  effectively we grasp the immense opportunity to achieve our goal of decent  housing and to make housing a major instrument of continuing prosperity and  full employment in the years ahead. It will determine whether we move  forward to a stable and healthy housing enterprise and toward providing a  decent home for every American family.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":286,"text":"Production is the only fully effective answer. To get the wheels turning, I  have appointed an emergency housing expediter. I have approved  establishment of priorities designed to assure an ample share of scarce  materials to builders of houses for which veterans will have preference.  Additional price and wage adjustments will be made where necessary, and  other steps will be taken to stimulate greater production of bottleneck  items. I recommend consideration of every sound method for expansion in  facilities for insurance of privately financed housing by the Federal  Housing Administration and resumption of previously authorized low-rent  public housing projects suspended during the war.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":287,"text":"In order to meet as many demands of the emergency situation as possible, a  program of emergency measures is now being formulated for action. These  will include steps in addition to those already taken. As quickly as this  program can be formulated, announcement will be made.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":288,"text":"Last September I also outlined to the Congress the basic principles for the  kind of decisive, permanent legislation necessary for a long-range housing  program.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":289,"text":"These principles place paramount the fact that housing construction and  financing for the overwhelming majority of our citizens should be done by  private enterprise. They contemplate also that we afford governmental  encouragement to privately financed house construction for families of  moderate income, through extension of the successful system of insurance of  housing investment; that research be undertaken to develop better and  cheaper methods of building homes; that communities be assisted in  appraising their housing needs; that we commence a program of Federal aid,  with fair local participation, to stimulate and promote the rebuilding and  redevelopment of slums and blighted areas--with maximum use of private  capital. It is equally essential that we use public funds to assist  families of low income who could not otherwise enjoy adequate housing, and  that we quicken our rate of progress in rural housing.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":290,"text":"Legislation now under consideration by the Congress provides for a  comprehensive attack jointly by private enterprise, State and local  authorities, and the Federal Government. This legislation would make  permanent the National Housing Agency and give it authority and funds for  much needed technical and economic research. It would provide additional  stimulus for privately financed housing construction. This stimulus  consists of establishing a new system of yield insurance to encourage  large-scale investment in rental housing and broadening the insuring powers  of the Federal Housing Administration and the lending powers of the Federal  savings and loan associations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":291,"text":"Where private industry cannot build, the Government must step in to do the  job. The bill would encourage expansion in housing available for the lowest  income groups by continuing to provide direct subsidies for low-rent  housing and rural housing. It would facilitate land assembly for urban  redevelopment by loans and contributions to local public agencies where the  localities do their share.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":292,"text":"Prompt enactment of permanent housing legislation along these lines will  not interfere with the emergency action already under way. On the contrary,  it would lift us out of a potentially perpetual state of housing emergency.  It would offer the best hope and prospect to millions of veterans and other  American families that the American system can offer more to them than  temporary makeshifts.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":293,"text":"I have said before that the people of the United States can be the best  housed people in the world. I repeat that assertion, and I welcome the  cooperation of the Congress in achieving that goal.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":294,"text":"(j) Social security and health.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":295,"text":"Our Social Security System has just celebrated its tenth anniversary.  During the past decade this program has supported the welfare and morale of  a large part of our people by removing some of the hazards and hardships of  the aged, the unemployed, and widows and dependent children.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":296,"text":"But, looking back over 10 years' experience and ahead to the future, we  cannot fail to see defects and serious inadequacies in our system as it now  exists. Benefits are in many cases inadequate; a great many persons are  excluded from coverage; and provision has not been made for social  insurance to cover the cost of medical care and the earnings lost by the  sick and the disabled.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":297,"text":"In the field of old-age security, there seems to be no adequate reason for  excluding such groups as the self-employed, agricultural and domestic  workers, and employees of nonprofit organizations. Since many of these  groups earn wages too low to permit significant savings for old age, they  are in special need of the assured income that can be provided by old-age  insurance.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":298,"text":"We must take urgent measures for the readjustment period ahead. The  Congress for some time has been considering legislation designed to  supplement at Federal expense, during the immediate reconversion period,  compensation payments to the unemployed. Again I urge the Congress to enact  legislation liberalizing unemployment compensation benefits and extending  the coverage. Providing for the sustained consumption by the unemployed  persons and their families is more than a welfare policy; it is sound  economic policy. A sustained high level of consumer purchases is a basic  ingredient of a prosperous economy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":299,"text":"During the war, nearly 5 million men were rejected for military service  because of physical or mental defects which in many cases might have been  prevented or corrected. This is shocking evidence that large sections of  the population are at substandard levels of health. The need for a program  that will give everyone opportunity for medical care is obvious. Nor can  there be any serious doubt of the Government's responsibility for helping  in this human and social problem.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":300,"text":"The comprehensive health program which I recommended on November 19, 1945,  will require substantial additions to the Social Security System and, in  conjunction with other changes that need to be made, will require further  consideration of the financial basis for social security. The system of  prepaid medical care which I have recommended is expected eventually to  require amounts equivalent to 4 percent of earnings up to $3,600 a year,  which is about the average of present expenditures by individuals for  medical care. The pooling of medical costs, under a plan which permits each  individual to make a free choice of doctor and hospital, would assure that  individuals receive adequate treatment and hospitalization when they are  faced with emergencies for which they cannot budget individually. In  addition, I recommended insurance benefits to replace part of the earnings  lost through temporary sickness and permanent disability.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":301,"text":"Even without these proposed major additions, it would now be time to  undertake a thorough reconsideration of our social security laws. The  structure should be expanded and liberalized. Provision should be made for  extending coverage credit to veterans for the period of their service in  the armed forces. In the financial provisions we must reconcile the  actuarial needs of social security, including health insurance, with the  requirements of a revenue system that is designed to promote a high level  of consumption and full employment.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":302,"text":"(k) Education.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":303,"text":"Although the major responsibility for financing education rests with the  States, some assistance has long been given by the Federal Government.  Further assistance is desirable and essential. There are many areas and  some whole States where good schools cannot be provided without imposing an  undue local tax burden on the citizens. It is essential to provide adequate  elementary and secondary schools everywhere, and additional educational  opportunities for large numbers of people beyond the secondary level.  Accordingly, I repeat the proposal of last year's Budget Message that the  Federal Government provide financial aid to assist the States in assuring  more nearly equal opportunities for a good education. The proposed Federal  grants for current educational expenditures should be made for the purpose  of improving the educational system where improvement is most needed. They  should not be used to replace existing non-Federal expenditures, or even to  restore merely the situation which existed before the war.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":304,"text":"In the future we expect incomes considerably higher than before the war.  Higher incomes should make it possible for State and local governments and  for individuals to support higher and more nearly adequate expenditures for  education. But inequality among the States will still remain, and Federal  help will still be needed.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":305,"text":"As a part of our total public works program, consideration should be given  to the need for providing adequate buildings for schools and other  educational institutions. In view of current arrears in the construction of  educational facilities, I believe that legislation to authorize grants for  educational facilities, to be matched by similar expenditures by State and  local authorities, should receive the favorable consideration of the  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":306,"text":"The Federal Government has not sought, and will not seek, to dominate  education in the States. It should continue its historic role of leadership  and advice and, for the purpose of equalizing educational opportunity, it  should extend further financial support to the cause of education in areas  where this is desirable.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":307,"text":"(l) Federal Government personnel.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":308,"text":"The rapid reconversion of the Federal Government from war to peace is  reflected in the demobilization of its civilian personnel. The number of  these employees in continental United States has been reduced by more than  500,000 from the total of approximately 2,900,000 employed in the final  months of the war. I expect that by next June we shall have made a further  reduction of equal magnitude and that there will be continuing reductions  during the next fiscal year. Of the special wartime agencies now remaining,  only a few are expected to continue actively into the next fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":309,"text":"At the same time that we have curtailed the number of employees, we have  shortened the workweek by one-sixth or more throughout the Government and  have restored holidays. The process of readjustment has been complicated  and costs have been increased by a heavy turn-over in the remaining  personnel--particularly by the loss of some of our best administrators.  Thousands of war veterans have been reinstated or newly employed in the  civil service. Many civilians have been transferred from war agencies to  their former peacetime agencies. Recruitment standards, which had to be  relaxed during the war, are now being tightened.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":310,"text":"The elimination last autumn of overtime work for nearly all Federal  employees meant a sharp cut in their incomes. For salaried workers, the  blow was softened but by no means offset by the increased rates of pay  which had become effective July 1. Further adjustments to compensate for  increased living costs are required. Moreover, we have long needed a  general upward revision of Federal Government salary scales at all levels  in all branches--legislative, judicial, and executive. Too many in  Government have had to sacrifice too much in economic advantage to serve  the Nation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":311,"text":"Adequate salaries will result in economies and improved efficiency in the  conduct of Government business--gains that will far outweigh the immediate  costs. I hope the Congress will expedite action on salary legislation for  all Federal employees in all branches of the Government. The only exception  I would make is in the case of workers whose pay rates are established by  wage boards; a blanket adjustment would destroy the system by which their  wages are kept aligned with prevailing rates in particular localities. The  wage boards should be sensitive now, as they were during the war, to  changes in local prevailing wage rates and should make adjustments  accordingly.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":312,"text":"I hope also that the Congress may see fit to enact legislation for the  adequate protection of the health and safety of Federal employees, for  their coverage under a system of unemployment compensation, and for their  return at Government expense to their homes after separation from wartime  service.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":313,"text":"(m) Territories, insular possessions, and the District of Columbia.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":314,"text":"The major governments of the world face few problems as important and as  perplexing as those relating to dependent peoples. This Government is  committed to the democratic principle that it is for the dependent peoples  themselves to decide what their status shall be. To this end I asked the  Congress last October to provide a means by which the people of Puerto Rico  might choose their form of government and ultimate status with respect to  the United States. I urge, too, that the Congress promptly accede to the  wishes of the people of Hawaii that the Territory be admitted to statehood  in our Union, and that similar action be taken with respect to Alaska as  soon as it is certain that this is the desire of the people of that great  Territory. The people of the Virgin Islands should be given an increasing  measure of self-government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":315,"text":"We have already determined that the Philippine Islands are to be  independent on July 4, 1946. The ravages of war and enemy occupation,  however, have placed a heavy responsibility upon the United States. I urge  that the Congress complete, as promptly and as generously as may be  possible, legislation which will aid economic rehabilitation for the  Philippines. This will be not only a just acknowledgment of the loyalty of  the people of the Philippines, but it will help to avoid the economic chaos  which otherwise will be their heritage from our common war. Perhaps no  event in the long centuries of colonialism gives more hope for the pattern  of the future than the independence of the Philippines.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":316,"text":"The District of Columbia, because of its special relation to the Federal  Government, has been treated since 1800 as a dependent area. We should move  toward a greater measure of local self-government consistent with the  constitutional status of the District. We should take adequate steps to  assure that citizens of the United States are not denied their franchise  merely because they reside at the Nation's Capital.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":317,"text":"III. THE BUDGET FOR THE FEDERAL PROGRAM  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":318,"text":"FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1947  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":319,"text":"SUMMARY OF THE BUDGET  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":320,"text":"For the first time since the fiscal year 1930 the Budget for the next  fiscal year will require no increase in the national debt.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":321,"text":"Expenditures of all kinds, authorized and recommended, in the next year are  estimated at just above 35.8 billion dollars. Net receipts are estimated at  31.5 billion dollars. The estimated difference of 4.3 billion dollars will  be met by a reduction in the very substantial balance which will be in the  Treasury during the next fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":322,"text":"A large part of the activities outside defense and war liquidation,  aftermath of war, and international finance, classified as \"other  activities\" in a following table, is still due to repercussions of the war.  These \"other activities\" include more than 2 billion dollars for aids to  agriculture and net outlays for the Commodity Credit Corporation-almost  double the expenditures for the same purposes in prewar years. This  increase is due mainly to expenditures for purposes of price stabilization  and price support resulting from the war food production program. Other  increases in this category are due to the fact that certain wartime  agencies now in the process of liquidation are included in this group of  activities. If all expenditures for those activities which are directly or  indirectly related to the war are excluded, the residual expenditures are  below those for corresponding activities in prewar years. In making this  comparison account should be taken of the fact that, while prewar  expenditures were affected by direct relief and work relief for the  unemployed, the postwar budgets are affected by the considerable increase  in pay rates and other increases in costs and prices.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":323,"text":"To elaborate, the Budget, as I have remarked above, reflects on both sides  of the ledger the Government's program as recommended by the Executive. It  includes estimates not only of expenditures and receipts for which  legislative authority already exists, but also of expenditures and receipts  for which authorization is recommended.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":324,"text":"The Budget total for the next fiscal year, the year that ends on June 30,  1947, is estimated at just above 35.8 billion dollars-about a third of the  budgets for global war, although nearly four times the prewar budgets. This  estimate is based on the assumption that a rapid liquidation of the war  program will be associated with rapid reconversion and expansion of  peacetime production. The total includes net outlays of Government  corporations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":325,"text":"The estimated expenditures in the next and current fiscal year compare as  follows with those of a year of global war and a prewar year:  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":326,"text":"Total Budget expenditures  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":327,"text":"Fiscal year: (in millions)  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":328,"text":"1947 $35, 860  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":329,"text":"1946 67,229  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":330,"text":"1945 100, 031  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":331,"text":"1940 9,252  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":332,"text":"Although allowances for occupation, demobilization, and defense are  drastically reduced in the fiscal year 1947, they will still amount to 42  percent of the total Budget. The so-called \"aftermath of war\" expenditures  account for a further 30 percent of the total. The total of all other  programs, which was drastically cut during the war, is increasing again as  liquidation of the war program proceeds and renewed emphasis is placed on  the peacetime objectives of the Government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":333,"text":"On the other side of the ledger, net receipts are estimated at 31.5 billion  dollars. This estimate assumes that all existing taxes will continue all  through the fiscal year 1947. Included are the extraordinary receipts from  the disposal of surplus property.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":334,"text":"As a result, estimated expenditures will exceed estimated receipts by 4.3  billion dollars. This amount can be provided by a reduction in the cash  balance in the Treasury. Thus, after a long period of increasing public  debt resulting from depression budgets and war budgets, it is anticipated  that no increase in the Federal debt will be required next year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":335,"text":"FEDERAL BUDGET EXPENDITURES AND BUDGET RECEIPTS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":336,"text":"Including net outlays of Government corporations and credit agencies (based  on existing and proposed legislation)  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":337,"text":"Fiscal year  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":338,"text":"Expenditures: 1946 1947  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":339,"text":"Defense, war, and war liquidation $49,000 $15,000  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":340,"text":"Aftermath of war: Veterans, interest, refunds 10,813 10,793  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":341,"text":"International finance (including proposed legislation) 2,614 2,754  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":342,"text":"Other activities 4,552 5,813  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":343,"text":"Activities based on proposed legislation  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":344,"text":"(excluding international finance) 2501,500  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":345,"text":"Total expenditures 67, 229 35, 860  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":346,"text":"Receipts (net) 38, 60931,513  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":347,"text":"Excess of expenditures 28,620 4,347  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":348,"text":"The current fiscal year, 1946, is a year of transition. When the year  opened, in July 1945, we were still fighting a major war, and Federal  expenditures were running at an annual rate of about 100 billion dollars.  By June 1946 that rate will be more than cut in half. The Budget total for  the current fiscal year is now estimated at 67.2 billion dollars, of which  more than two-thirds provides for war and war liquidation. Since net  receipts are estimated at 38.6 billion dollars, there will be an excess of  expenditures of 28.6 billion dollars for the current fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":349,"text":"For all programs discussed in this Message I estimate the total of Budget  appropriations and authorizations (including reappropriations and permanent  appropriations) at 30,982 million dollars for the fiscal year 1947. Of this  amount, present permanent appropriations are expected to provide 5,755  million dollars, principally for interest. This leaves 24,224 million  dollars to be made available through new appropriations, exclusive of  appropriations to liquidate contract authorizations; 900 million dollars in  new contract authorizations; and 103 million dollars through the  reappropriation of unliquidated balances of previous appropriations. The  appropriations needed to liquidate contract authorizations are estimated at  1,113 million dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":350,"text":"In the Budget for the year ahead only over-all estimates are included at  this time for the major war agencies and for net outlays of Government  corporations. Detailed recommendations will be transmitted in the spring  for the war agencies; and the business-type budgets of Government  corporations will likewise be transmitted in accordance with the recently  adopted Government Corporation Control Act.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":351,"text":"Similarly, only over-all estimates are provided for new programs  recommended in this Message; detailed recommendations will be transmitted  after authorizing legislation has been enacted. It should be recognized  that many of the estimates for new programs recommended in this Message are  initial year figures. These figures will be affected by the date the  legislation is enacted and by the time needed for getting a program under  way. New programs, such as that for a national research agency, will  require larger amounts in later years. The estimates exclude major elements  of the proposed national health program since the greater part of these  will be covered by expenditures from trust funds.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":352,"text":"The Budget total includes expenditures for capital outlay as well as for  current operations. An estimated 1,740 million dollars will be expended in  the fiscal year 1947 for direct Federal public works and for loans and  grants for public works.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":353,"text":"THE ECONOMIC IMPACT Of THE LIQUIDATION  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":354,"text":"OF THE WAR PROGRAM  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":355,"text":"Government programs are of such importance in the development of production  and employment opportunities--domestic and international--that it has  become essential to formulate and consider the Federal Budget in the light  of the Nation's budget as a whole. The relationship between the receipts,  expenditures, and savings of consumers, business, and government is shown  in the accompanying table.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":356,"text":"Considering the whole Nation, total expenditures must equal the total  receipts, because what any individual or group spends becomes receipts of  other individuals or groups. Such equality can be achieved on either a high  level of incomes or on a low or depression level of incomes.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":357,"text":"Tremendous orders for munitions during the war shifted production and  employment into high gear. Total goods produced and services rendered for  private as well as for Government purposes--the Nation's budget-reached  about 200 billion dollars in the calendar year 1944. Federal, State, and  local government expenditures represented half of this total.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":358,"text":"Corresponding estimates for the past 3 months depict the national economy  in the process of demobilization and reconversion.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":359,"text":"The wartime annual rate of Federal expenditures has been reduced by 32  billion dollars, while the Nation's budget total has dropped only half as  much. The drop in total value of production and services has been less  drastic because increasing private activities have absorbed in large  measure the manpower and materials released from war production and war  services.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":360,"text":"The largest increase in private activities has occurred in business  investments, which include residential and other construction, producers'  durable equipment, accumulation of inventories, and net exports. Under  conditions of global war, expenditures for private construction and  equipment were held to a minimum and inventories were depleted. With the  beginning of reconversion these developments have been reversed.  Residential construction and outlays for plant and equipment are on the  increase; inventories, too, are being replenished. International  transactions (excluding lend-lease and international relief which are  included under war expenditures) showed an import surplus under conditions  of global war. In the past 3 months private exports have been slightly in  excess of imports, for the first time since 1941.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":361,"text":"Consumers' budgets show a significant change. On the income side, their  total has declined but little because the reduction in \"take-home\" pay of  war workers is, to a large extent, offset for the time being by the  mustering-out payments received by war veterans and by unemployment  compensation received by the unemployed. On the expenditure side, however,  consumers' budgets, restricted during the war, have in creased  substantially as a result of the fact that scarce goods are beginning to  appear on the market and wartime restraints are disappearing. Thus,  consumers' current savings are declining substantially from the  extraordinarily high wartime rate and some wartime savings are beginning to  be used for long-delayed purchases.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":362,"text":"THE GOVERNMENT'S BUDGET AND THE NATION'S BUDGET  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":363,"text":"Calendar year 1944 and October-December 1945  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":364,"text":"Oct.-Dec. 1945 (start of  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":365,"text":"reconversion) (in seasonally  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":366,"text":"Calendar Year 1944 (global war) adjusted annual rates)  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":367,"text":"______________________ ____________________  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":368,"text":"Excess Excess  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":369,"text":"Expendi- (+), def- Expendi- (+),def-  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":370,"text":"Economic Group Receipts tures icit(-) Receipts tures icit(-) CONSUMERS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":371,"text":"Income after taxes $134 ....... ...... $132 ...... .......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":372,"text":"Expenditures ......$98............$107 .......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":373,"text":"Excess of receipts, savings (+) ...... ...... +$35 ...... ...... +$25  BUSINESS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":374,"text":"Undistributed profits and reserves $13 ...... ...... $9 ...... ......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":375,"text":"Gross capital formation:  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":376,"text":"Domestic ...... $4 ...... ...... $15 ......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":377,"text":"Net exports1 ......--2............1......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":378,"text":"Total, gross capital formation ......2............16......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":379,"text":"Excess of receipts (+) or capital  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":380,"text":"formation (--) ...... ...... +$11 ...... ...... --$7  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":381,"text":"STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":382,"text":"Receipts from the public, other  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":383,"text":"than borrowing $10 ...... ...... $11 ...... ......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":384,"text":"Payments to the public ...... $8............$9......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":385,"text":"Excess of receipts (+) ............+$2............+$2  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":386,"text":"FEDERAL GOVERNMENT  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":387,"text":"Receipts from the public, other  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":388,"text":"than borrowing $48 ...... ....... $44 ...... ......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":389,"text":"Payments to the public ......$96 .............$64......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":390,"text":"Excess of payments (--) ............--$48............. --$20  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":391,"text":"Less: Adjustments2 $7 $7 ....... $14 $14 .......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":392,"text":"TOTAL: GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":393,"text":"Receipts $198 ....... ...... $182 ...... ......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":394,"text":"Expenditures ......$198............ $182......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":395,"text":"Balance ...... ...... 0 ...... ...... ......  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":396,"text":"1 Excludes exports for lend-lease and relief which are included in Federal  Government expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":397,"text":"2 Mainly government expenditures for other than goods and services, such as  mustering-out pay and unemployment compensation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":398,"text":"Unemployment has increased less than was expected during this first period  of demobilization and reconversion. It is true that 6 million men and women  have been discharged from the armed forces since May 1945 and more than 5  million have been laid off from war work. On the other hand, more than a  million civilians have been enlisted in the armed forces, a considerable  number of war veterans have not immediately sought jobs, and many war  workers, especially women, have withdrawn from the labor force. In  addition, many industries, and especially service trades which were  undermanned during the war, are beginning now, for the first time in years,  to recruit an adequate labor force. The reduced workweek has also  contributed to the absorption of those released from war service and war  work.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":399,"text":"In general, the drastic cut in war programs has thrown the economy into  lower gear; it has not thrown it out of gear. Our economic machine  demonstrates remarkable resiliency, although there are many difficulties  that must still be overcome. The rapid termination of war contracts, prompt  clearance of unneeded Government-owned equipment from private plants, and  other reconversion policies have greatly speeded up the beginning of  peacetime work in reconverted plants.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":400,"text":"Although the first great shock of demobilization and war-work termination  has thus been met better than many observers expected, specific industries  and specific regions show much unevenness in the progress of reconversion.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":401,"text":"The Quarterly Report of the Director of War Mobilization and Reconversion  analyzes the difficulties in recruiting personnel and obtaining materials  that hamper reconversion in certain industries and proposes policies to  deal with these situations. The lack of adequate housing is one of the main  factors checking the flow of workers into areas where job opportunities  exist.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":402,"text":"FEDERAL REVENUE, BORROWING, AND THE  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":403,"text":"PUBLIC DEBT  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":404,"text":"I. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS AND TAX POLICY  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":405,"text":"Recommendations for tax legislation should be considered not only in the  light of the financial requirements of the ensuing year, but also in the  light of future years' financial requirements and a full consideration of  economic conditions.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":406,"text":"Expenditures are estimated at nearly 36 billion dollars in the fiscal year  1947; they can hardly be expected to be reduced to less than 25 billion  dollars in subsequent years. Net receipts in the fiscal year 1947 are  estimated at 31.5 billion dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":407,"text":"Included in this estimate are 2 billion dollars of receipts from disposal  and rental of surplus property and 190 million dollars of receipts from  renegotiation of wartime contracts. These sources of receipts will  disappear in future years. Tax collections for the fiscal year 1947 also  will not yet fully reflect the reduction in corporate tax liabilities  provided in the Revenue Act of 1945. If the extraordinary receipts from the  disposal of surplus property and renegotiation of contracts be disregarded,  and if the tax reductions adopted in the Revenue Act of 1945 were fully  effective, present tax rates would yield about 27 billion dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":408,"text":"These estimates for the fiscal year 1947 are based on the assumption of  generally favorable business conditions but not on an income reflecting  full employment and the high productivity that we hope to achieve. In  future years the present tax system, in conjunction with a full employment  level of national income, could be expected to yield more than 30 billion  dollars, which is substantially above the anticipated peacetime level of  expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":409,"text":"In view of the still extraordinarily large expenditures in the coming year  and continuing inflationary pressures, I am making no recommendation for  tax reduction at this time.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":410,"text":"We have already had a substantial reduction in taxes from wartime peaks.  The Revenue Act of 1945 was a major tax-reduction measure. It decreased the  total tax load by more than one-sixth, an amount substantially in excess of  the reductions proposed by the Secretary of the Treasury to congressional  tax committees in October 1945. These proposed reductions were designed to  encourage reconversion and peacetime business expansion.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":411,"text":"The possibility of further tax reductions must depend on the budgetary  situation and the economic situation. The level of anticipated expenditures  for the fiscal year 1947 and the volume of outstanding public debt require  the maintenance of large revenues.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":412,"text":"Moreover, inflationary pressures still appear dangerously powerful, and  ill-advised tax reduction would operate to strengthen them still further.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":413,"text":"My decision not to recommend additional tax reductions at this time is made  in the light of existing economic conditions and prospects.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":414,"text":"2. BORROWING AND THE PUBLIC DEBT  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":415,"text":"The successful conclusion of the Victory loan marked the end of war  borrowing and the beginning of the transition to postwar debt management.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":416,"text":"Because of the success of the Victory loan, I am happy to report that the  Treasury will not need to borrow any new money from the public during the  remainder of the present fiscal year except through regular sales of  savings bonds and savings notes. Furthermore, a part of the large cash  balance now in the Treasury will be used for debt redemption so that the  public debt which now amounts to about 278 billion dollars will decrease by  several billion dollars during the next 18 months. The present statutory  debt limit of 300 billion dollars will provide an ample margin for all of  the public-debt transactions through the fiscal year 1947. The net effect  of the excess of expenditures and debt redemption on the Treasury cash  balance, as compared with selected previous years, is shown in the  following table:  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":417,"text":"EXCESS Of BUDGET EXPENDITURES, THE PUBLIC DEBT, AND THE TREASURY CASH  BALANCE IN SELECTED YEARS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":418,"text":"Excess of At end of period  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":419,"text":"Budget ex- _____________________  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":420,"text":"penditures Public Cash bal-  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":421,"text":"Fiscal Year over receipts debt ance  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":422,"text":"1940 $3. 9 $43. 0 $1. 9  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":423,"text":"1945 53. 6 258. 7 24. 7 1946:  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":424,"text":"July-Dec. 1945 18. 1 278. 1 26. 0  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":425,"text":"Jan.-June 1946 10. 5 275. 0 11. 9  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":426,"text":"1947 4. 3 271. 0 3. 2  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":427,"text":"Although the public debt is expected to decline, a substantial volume of  refinancing will be required, because of the large volume of maturing  obligations. Redemptions of savings bonds also have been running high in  recent months and are expected to remain large for some time. The issuance  of savings bonds will be continued. These bonds represent a convenient  method of investment for small savers, and also an anti-inflationary method  of refinancing. Government agencies and trust funds are expected to buy  about 2.5 billion dollars of Government securities during the next 6  months, and 2.8 billion dollars more during the fiscal year 1947. Through  these and other debt operations, the distribution of the Federal debt among  the various types of public and private owners will change, even though the  total is expected to decline.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":428,"text":"The interest policies followed in the refinancing operations will have a  major impact not only on the provision for interest payments in future  budgets, but also on the level of interest rates prevailing in private  financing. The average rate of interest on the debt is now a little under 2  percent. Low interest rates will be an important force in promoting the  full production and full employment in the postwar period for which we are  all striving. Close wartime cooperation between the Treasury Department and  the Federal Reserve System has made it possible to finance the most  expensive war in history at low and stable rates of interest. This  cooperation will continue.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":429,"text":"No less important than the level of interest rates paid on the debt is the  distribution of its ownership. Of the total debt, more than half represents  direct savings of individuals or investments of funds received from  individual savings by life insurance companies, mutual savings banks,  savings and loan associations, private or Government trust funds, and other  agencies.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":430,"text":"Most of the remaining debt--more than 100 billion dollars--is held by the  commercial banks and the Federal Reserve banks. Heavy purchases by the  banks were necessary to provide adequate funds to finance war expenditures.  A considerable portion of these obligations are short-term in character and  hence will require refinancing in the coming months and years. Since they  have been purchased out of newly created bank funds, continuance of the  present low rates of interest is entirely appropriate. To do otherwise  would merely increase bank profits at the expense of the taxpayer.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":431,"text":"The 275-billion dollar debt poses a problem that requires careful  consideration in the determination of financial and economic policies. We  have learned that the problem, serious as it is, can be managed. Its  management will require determined action to keep our Federal Budget in  order and to relate our fiscal policies to the requirements of an expanding  economy. The more successful we are in achieving full production and full  employment the easier it will be to manage the debt and pay for the debt  service. Large though the debt is, it is within our economic capacity. The  interest charges on it amount to but a small proportion of our national  income. The Government is determined, by a resolute policy of economic  stabilization, to protect the interests of the millions of American  citizens who have invested in its securities.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":432,"text":"During the past 6 months the net revenue receipts of the Federal Government  have been about 20 billion dollars, almost as much as during the closing 6  months of 1944 when the country was still engaged in all-out warfare. The  high level of these receipts reflects the smoothness of the reconversion  and particularly the strength of consumer demand. But the receipts so far  collected, it must be remembered, do not reflect any of the tax reductions  made by the Revenue Act of 1945. These reductions will not have their full  effect on the revenue collected until the fiscal year 1948.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":433,"text":"It is good to move toward a balanced budget and a start on the retirement  of the debt at a time when demand for goods is strong and the business  outlook is good. These conditions prevail today. Business is good and there  are still powerful forces working in the direction of inflation. This is  not the time for tax reduction.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":434,"text":"RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SPECIFIC FEDERAL ACTIVITIES  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":435,"text":"1. WAR LIQUIDATION AND NATIONAL DEFENSE  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":436,"text":"(a) War expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":437,"text":"The fiscal year 1947 will see a continuance of war liquidation and  occupation. During this period we shall also lay the foundation for our  peacetime system of national defense.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":438,"text":"In the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 1945, almost wholly a period of  global warfare, war expenditures amounted to 90.5 billion dollars. For the  fiscal year 1946 war expenditures were originally estimated at 70 billion  dollars. That estimate was made a year ago while we were still engaged in  global warfare. After victory over Japan this estimate was revised to 50.5  billion dollars. Further cut-backs and accelerated demobilization have made  possible an additional reduction in the rate of war spending. During the  first 6 months 32.9 billion dollars were spent. It is now estimated that  16.1 billion dollars will be spent during the second 6 months, or a total  of 49 billion dollars during the whole fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":439,"text":"For the fiscal year 1947 it is estimated, tentatively, that expenditures  for war liquidation, for occupation, and for national defense will be  reduced to 15 billion dollars. The War and Navy Departments are expected to  spend 13 billion dollars; expenditures of other agencies, such as the  United States Maritime Commission, the War Shipping Administration, and the  Office of Price Administration, and payments to the United Nations Relief  and Rehabilitation Administration are estimated at 3 billion dollars.  Allowing for estimated net receipts of 1 billion dollars arising from war  activities of the Reconstruction finance Corporation, the estimated total  of war expenditures is 15 billion dollars. At this time only a tentative  break-down of the total estimate for war and defense activities can be  indicated.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":440,"text":"An expenditure of 15 billion dollars for war liquidation, occupation, and  national defense is a large sum for a year which begins 10 months after  fighting has ended. It is 10 times our expenditures for defense before the  war; it amounts to about 10 percent of our expected national income. This  estimate reflects the immense job that is involved in winding up a global  war effort and stresses the great responsibility that victory has placed  upon this country. The large expenditures needed for our national defense  emphasize the great scope for effective organization in furthering economy  and efficiency. To this end I have recently recommended to the Congress  adoption of legislation combining the War and Navy Departments into a  single Department of National Defense.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":441,"text":"A large part of these expenditures is still to be attributed to the costs  of the war. Assuming, somewhat arbitrarily, that about one-half of the  15-billion-dollar outlay for the fiscal year 1947 is for war liquidation,  aggregate expenditures by this Government for the second World War are now  estimated at 347 billion dollars through June 30, 1947. Of this, about 9  billion dollars will have been recovered through renegotiation and sale of  surplus property by June 30, 1947; this has been reflected in the estimates  of receipts.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":442,"text":"Demobilization and strength of armed forces.--Demobilization of our armed  forces is proceeding rapidly. At the time of victory in Europe, about 12.3  million men and women were in the armed forces; 7.6 million were overseas.  By the end of December 1945 our armed forces had been reduced to below 7  million. By June 30, 1946, they will number about 2.9 million, of whom 1.8  million will be individuals enlisted and inducted after VE-day.  Mustering-out pay is a large item of our war liquidation expense; it will  total 2.5 billion dollars in the fiscal year 1946, and about 500 million  dollars in the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":443,"text":"In the fiscal year 1947 the strength of our armed forces will still be  above the ultimate peacetime level. As I have said, War and Navy Department  requirements indicate a strength of about 2 million in the armed forces a  year from now. This is necessary to enable us to do our share in the  occupation of enemy territories and in the preservation of peace in a  troubled world. Expenditures for pay, subsistence, travel, and  miscellaneous expenses of the armed forces, excluding mustering-out pay,  are estimated at 5 billion dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":444,"text":"Contract settlement and surplus property disposal.--The winding up of war  procurement is the second most important liquidation job. By the end of  November a total of 301,000 prime contracts involving commitments of 64  billion dollars had been terminated. Of this total, 67,000 contracts with  commitments of 35 billion dollars remained to be settled. Termination  payments on these contracts are estimated at about 3.5 billion dollars. It  is expected that more than half of these terminated contracts will be  settled during the current fiscal year, leaving payments of about 1.5  billion dollars for the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":445,"text":"Another important aspect of war supply liquidation is the disposal of  surplus property. Munitions, ships, plants, installations, and supplies,  originally costing 50 billion dollars or more, will ultimately be declared  surplus. The sale value of this property will be far less than original  cost and disposal expenses are estimated at 10 to 15 cents on each dollar  realized. Disposal units within existing agencies have been organized to  liquidate surplus property under the direction of the Surplus Property  Administration. Overseas disposal activities have been centralized in the  State Department to permit this program to be carried on in line with  over-all foreign policy. Thus far only about 13 billion dollars of the  ultimate surplus, including 5 billion dollars of unsalable aircraft, has  been declared. Of this amount, 2.3 billion dollars have been disposed of,  in sales yielding 600 million dollars. The tremendous job of handling  surplus stocks will continue to affect Federal expenditures and receipts  for several years. The speed and effectiveness of surplus disposal  operations will be of great importance for the domestic economy as well as  for foreign economic policies.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":446,"text":"War supplies, maintenance, and relief.-Adequate provision for the national  defense requires that we keep abreast of scientific and technical advances.  The tentative estimates for the fiscal year 1947 make allowance for  military research, limited procurement of weapons in the developmental  state, and some regular procurement of munitions which were developed but  not mass-produced when the war ended. Expenditures for procurement and  construction will constitute one-third or less of total defense outlays,  compared to a ratio of two-thirds during the war years.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":447,"text":"The estimates also provide for the maintenance of our war-expanded naval  and merchant fleets, military installations, and stocks of military  equipment and supplies. Our naval combatant fleet is three times its  pre-Pearl Harbor tonnage. Our Merchant Marine is five times its prewar  size. The War Department has billions of dollars worth of equipment and  supplies. Considerable maintenance and repair expense is necessary for the  equipment which we desire to retain in active status or in war reserve.  Expenses will be incurred for winnowing the stocks of surpluses, for  preparing lay-up facilities for the reserve fleets, and for storage of  reserve equipment and supplies.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":448,"text":"Military expenditures .in the current fiscal year include 650 million  dollars for civilian supplies for the prevention of starvation and disease  in occupied areas. Expenditures on this account will continue in the fiscal  year 1947. The war expenditures also cover the expenses of civilian  administration in occupied areas.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":449,"text":"During the war, 15 cents of each dollar of our war expenditures was for  lend-lease aid. With lend-lease terminated, I expect the direct operations  under this program to be substantially completed in the current fiscal  year. The expenditures estimated for the fiscal year 1947 under this  program are mainly interagency reimbursements for past transactions.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":450,"text":"Relief and rehabilitation expenditures are increasing. It is imperative  that we give all necessary aid within our means to the people who have  borne the ravages of war. I estimate that in the fiscal year 1946  expenditures for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation  Administration will total 1.3 billion dollars and in the following year 1.2  billion dollars. Insofar as possible, procurement for this purpose will be  from war surpluses.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":451,"text":"(b) Authorizations for war and national defense.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":452,"text":"During the war, authorizations and appropriations had to be enacted well in  advance of obligation and spending to afford ample time for planning of  production by the procurement services and by industry. Thus our cumulative  war program authorized in the period between July 1, 1940, and July 1,  1945, was 431 billion dollars, including net war commitments of Government  corporations. Expenditures against those authorizations totaled 290 billion  dollars. This left 141 billion dollars in unobligated authorizations and  unliquidated obligations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":453,"text":"With the end of fighting, it became necessary to adjust war authorizations  to the requirements of war liquidation and continuing national defense.  Intensive review of the war authorizations by both the executive and the  legislative branches has been continued since VJ-day. As a result, the  authorized war program is being brought more nearly into line with  expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":454,"text":"Recisions and authorizations through the fiscal year 1946.--Readjusting the  war program, as the Congress well knows, is not an easy task.  Authorizations must not be too tight, lest we hamper necessary operations;  they must not be too ample, lest we lose control of spending. Last  September, I transmitted to the Congress recommendations on the basis of  which the Congress voted H.R. 4407 to repeal 50.3 billion dollars of  appropriations and authorizations. I found it necessary to veto this bill  because it was used as a vehicle for legislation that would impair the  reemployment program. However, in order to preserve the fine work of the  Congress on the recisions, I asked the Director of the Bureau of the Budget  to place the exact amounts indicated for repeal in a nonexpendable reserve,  and to advise the departments and agencies accordingly. This has been  done.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":455,"text":"In accord with Public Law 132 of the Seventy-ninth Congress, I have  transmitted recommendations for additional rescissions for the current  fiscal year of appropriations amounting to 5.8 billion dollars and of  contract authorizations totaling 420 million dollars. The net reduction in  authority to obligate will be 5.0 billion dollars, because, of the  appropriations, 1.2 billion dollars will have to be restored in subsequent  years to liquidate contract authorizations still on the books.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":456,"text":"The appropriations recommended for repeal include 2,827 million dollars for  the Navy Department, 1,421 million dollars for the War Department, 850  million dollars for lend-lease, 384 million dollars for the War Shipping  Administration, and 260 million dollars for the United States Maritime  Commission. The contract authorizations proposed for repeal are for the  Maritime Commission.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":457,"text":"In addition, there are unused tonnage authorizations for construction of  naval vessels now valued at 5.4 billion dollars. In September 1945, I  suggested that this authority be reviewed by the appropriate committees of  the Congress, and the Congress has moved to bar construction under these  authorizations during the remainder of the fiscal year 1946. I propose to  continue this prohibition in the Navy budget estimates for the fiscal year  1947 and now renew my recommendation that legislation be enacted at the  earliest time to dear the statute books of these authorizations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":458,"text":"The amounts indicated for repeal in H.R. 4407 and the further rescissions  which I have recommended, excluding duplications and deferred cash payments  on existing authorizations, represent a cut in the authorized war program  of 60.8 billion dollars. The war authorizations will also be reduced 3'7  billion dollars by carrying receipts of revolving accounts to surplus, by  lapses, and by cancellation and repayment of commitments of the Government  war corporations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":459,"text":"On the other hand, supplemental appropriations of 600 million dollars will  be required for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation  Administration.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":460,"text":"In the net, it is estimated that the cumulative authorized war and national  defense program will amount to 368 billion dollars on June 30, 1946.  Expenditures of 49 billion dollars during the fiscal year 1946 will have  pushed cumulative expenditures to 339 billion dollars. The unexpended  balances will be down to 28 billion dollars on June 30, 1946.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":461,"text":"New authorizations for national defense and war liquidation in the fiscal  year 1947.-The expenditures of 15 billion dollars for national defense and  war liquidation in the fiscal year 1947 will be partly for payment of  contractual obligations incurred in the past, and partly for the payment of  new obligations. The unexpended balances on June 30, 1946, will be  scattered among hundreds of separate appropriations. Thus, while some  appropriation accounts will have unused balances, others will require  additional appropriations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":462,"text":"It is estimated that authorizations to incur new obligations of 11,772  million dollars will be needed during the fiscal year 1947, mainly for the  War and Navy Departments. Of the required authorizations, 11,365 million  dollars will be in new appropriations, 400 million dollars in new contract  authority, and 7 million dollars in reappropriations of unobligated  balances. In addition, appropriations of 825 million dollars will be needed  to liquidate obligations under existing contract authorizations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":463,"text":"Taking into account the tentative authorizations and expenditures estimated  for the fiscal year 1947, and offsets of 3 billion dollars in war  commitments of Government corporations, the cumulative authorized war and  national defense program on June 30, 1947, will be 376 billion dollars;  total expenditures, 354 billion dollars; and unexpended balances, 22  billion dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":464,"text":"The 22 billion dollars of unexpended balances tentatively indicated as of  June 30, 1947, comprise both unobligated authorizations and unliquidated  obligations. Most of the unliquidated obligations result from transactions  booked during the war years. A large part of the 22 billion dollars would  never be spent even if not repealed, for the appropriations will lapse in  due course. For example, several billion dollars of these unliquidated  obligations represent unsettled inter- and intra-departmental agency  accounts for war procurement. Legislation is being requested to facilitate  the adjustment of some of these inter-agency accounts. Another 6 billion  dollars is set aside for contract termination payments. If contract  settlement costs continue in line with recent experience, it is likely that  part of the 6 billion dollars will remain unspent.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":465,"text":"On the other hand, some of the 22 billion dollars would be available for  obligation and expenditure unless impounded. In certain appropriations,  such as those for long-cycle procurement, considerable carry-over of  unliquidated obligations into future years is to be expected and is  necessary. However, substantial further rescissions can and should be made  when the war liquidation program tapers off and budgetary requirements for  national defense are clarified. As I have said, I shall continue to review  the war authorizations and from time to time recommend excess balances for  repeal.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":466,"text":"As in recent years, detailed recommendations concerning most appropriations  for the national defense program are postponed until the spring. In  connection with the war activities of the United States Maritime Commission  and certain other agencies, however, I now make specific recommendations  for the fiscal year 1947. No additional authorizations or appropriations  will be necessary for the Maritime Commission since sufficient balances  will be left after the above-mentioned rescissions to carry out the program  now contemplated for the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":467,"text":"2. AFTERMATH OF WAR  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":468,"text":"Nearly one-third--11 billion dollars--of estimated Federal expenditures in  the fiscal year 1947 will be for purposes that are largely inherited from  the war--payments to veterans, interest on the Federal debt, and refunds of  taxes.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":469,"text":"(a) For veterans.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":470,"text":"\"Veterans' pensions and benefits\" has become one of the largest single  categories in the Federal Budget. I am recommending for this purpose total  appropriations of 4,787 million dollars for the fiscal year 1947.  Expenditures in the fiscal year are estimated, under present legislation,  at 4,208 million dollars. These expenditures will help our veterans through  their readjustment period and provide lasting care for those who were  disabled.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":471,"text":"The Congress has provided unemployment allowances for veterans during their  readjustment period. Expenditure of 850 million dollars for this purpose is  anticipated for the fiscal year 1947. In addition, readjustment allowances  for self-employed veterans are expected to cost 340 million dollars in the  fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":472,"text":"On May 28, 1945, in asking the Congress to raise the ceiling on benefits  for civilian unemployed to not less than 25 dollars a week during the  immediate reconversion period, I suggested that the Congress also consider  liberalizing veterans' allowances. Elsewhere in this Message I reiterate my  recommendation with respect to emergency unemployment compensation. I also  recommend increasing veterans' unemployment allowances from 20 dollars to  25 dollars a week. This would involve additional expenditures estimated at  approximately 220 million dollars for the fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":473,"text":"Included in the 1947 Budget is an expenditure of 535 million dollars for  veterans' education under provisions of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act.  This amount includes both tuition expenses and maintenance allowances. It  is expected that half a million veterans will be enrolled in our schools  and colleges during the year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":474,"text":"The ultimate benefit which veterans receive from the loan guarantee  provisions of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act depends largely on the  success of our stabilization program in restraining building costs and real  estate values. Under the revised procedure contained in recent amendments,  the administrative workload will be minimized by the almost complete  transfer of authority for approving the guarantees to private lending  agencies and private appraisers designated by the Veterans Administration.  This authority carries with it the responsibility for restricting the  guarantees to loans on reasonably valued properties. Costs of the program,  other than for administration, are estimated at 21 million dollars in the  fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":475,"text":"Pensions for veterans will require expenditures estimated at 1,748 million  dollars for the fiscal year 1947. Two-thirds of this amount will be  received by veterans of the war which we have just won. This figure  includes 55 million dollars of increased pensions for student-veterans in  our vocational rehabilitation program. In addition, 170 million dollars  will be expended in transfers to the National Service Life Insurance fund  from general and special accounts.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":476,"text":"Expenditures under the appropriation for salaries and expenses of the  Veterans Administration are estimated at 528 million dollars in the fiscal  year 1947. This includes 260 million dollars for medical care and the  operation of some 103,000 hospital and domiciliary beds.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":477,"text":"A separate appropriation for hospital and domiciliary facilities,  additional to the total for veterans' pensions and benefits, covers  construction that will provide some 13,000 hospital beds as part of the  500-million dollar hospital construction program already authorized by the  Congress. The estimated expenditures of 130 million dollars for this  purpose are classified in the Budget as part of the general public works  program for the next fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":478,"text":"(b) For interest.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":479,"text":"Interest payments on the public debt are estimated at 5 billion dollars in  the fiscal year 1947, an increase of 250 million dollars from the revised  estimate for the current fiscal year. This increase reflects chiefly  payment of interest on additions to the debt this year. Assuming  continuance of present interest rates, the Government's interest bill is  now reaching the probable postwar level.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":480,"text":"(c) For refunds.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":481,"text":"An estimated total of 1,585 million dollars of refunds will be paid to  individuals and corporations during the fiscal year 1947. Slightly over  half of this amount, or 800 million dollars, will be accessory to the  simplified pay-as-you-go method of tax collection, and will be the result  of overwithholding and over declaration of expected income. Most of the  remainder will arise from loss and excess-profits credit carrybacks,  recomputed amortization on war plants, and special relief from the excess  profits tax.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":482,"text":"This category of expenditures is thus losing gradually its  \"aftermath-of-war\" character, and by the succeeding year will reflect  almost entirely the normal operation of loss carry-backs and current tax  collection.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":483,"text":"3. AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":484,"text":"The agricultural programs contemplated for the fiscal year 1947 are those  which are essential for the provision of an adequate supply of food and  other agricultural commodities with a fair return to American farmers. To  support these objectives, expenditures by the Department of Agriculture  estimated at 784 million dollars from general and special accounts will be  required in the fiscal year 1947. This compares with estimated expenditures  of 676 million dollars in 1946. These figures exclude expenditures by the  Department of Agriculture on account of lend-lease, the United Nations  Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, and other war expenditures. The  expenditure for the fiscal year 1947 is composed of 553 million dollars for  \"aids to agriculture,\" 35 million dollars for general public works, and 196  million dollars for other services of the Department.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":485,"text":"Net outlays for the price stabilization, price support, and other programs  of the Commodity Credit Corporation are expected to increase from about 750  million dollars in the fiscal year 1946 to about 1,500 million dollars in  1947. Cash advances made on loans by the farm Security Administration and  the Rural Electrification Administration are expected to amount to 266  million dollars in the fiscal year 1946 and 351 million dollars in 1947;  and after receipts from principal and interest are taken into account, net  loan expenditures of these two agencies will amount to 120 and 209 million  dollars in the two fiscal years.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":486,"text":"To provide for the expenditures from general and special accounts, I  recommend for the fiscal year 1947 appropriations of million dollars  (including the existing permanent appropriation of an amount equal to 30  percent of estimated annual customs receipts) and a reappropriation of 88  million dollars of prior-year balances from customs receipts. In addition  there is a recommended authorization of 367.5 million dollars for borrowing  from the Reconstruction finance Corporation for the loan programs of the  farm Security Administration and the Rural Electrification Administration.  It is expected that the operations of the Commodity Credit Corporation will  be financed during the coming year through the 500 million dollars of  lend-lease funds which the Congress has earmarked for price support  purposes, a supplemental appropriation to restore impaired capital of the  Corporation, and the borrowing authority of the Corporation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":487,"text":"Some detailed recommendations follow for major agricultural programs.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":488,"text":"Conservation and use of land.--I am recommending that 270 million dollars  be appropriated for \"conservation and use of agricultural land  resources\"--the so-called AAA program--for the fiscal year 1947, compared  with 356 million dollars in the current year. This reduction of 86 million  dollars is in large part accounted for by elimination of the wartime flax  production incentive project and other nonrecurring items; the proposed  reduction in normal activities is less than 33 million dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":489,"text":"For the past several years, this program has consisted largely of payments  to farmers for application of fertilizer and other approved soil management  practices. I am convinced that farmers generally are now fully alert to the  benefits, both immediate and long-term, which they derive from the  practices encouraged by this program. I believe, therefore, that this  subsidization should continue to be reduced.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":490,"text":"Rural electrification.--It is proposed that the loan authorization for the  Rural Electrification Administration for the fiscal year 1947 be increased  from 200 million dollars to 250 million dollars. During the war period, REA  was limited by the scarcity of materials and manpower. But that situation  is rapidly changing, and the REA program, which was materially stepped up  for the fiscal year 1946, can be increased still more. It is my belief that  a feasible and practical rural electrification program should be carried  forward as rapidly as possible. This will involve total loans of  approximately 1,800 million dollars over the next 10 years, much of which  will be repaid during that period.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":491,"text":"Other programs.--It is recommended that the continuing forest  land-acquisition program be resumed at the rate of 3 million dollars  annually, which is about the minimum rate at which this program can be  economically carried on. The lands involved in this program can contribute  fully to the national welfare only when brought into the national forest  system for protection and development.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":492,"text":"Such programs as those of the farm Security Administration and the farm  Credit Administration are estimated to be continued during the fiscal year  1947 at about the same level as in the fiscal year 1946. Recent action by  the Congress has Permitted some expansion of the school lunch program. I  hope it will be continued and expanded. The budgets of the Federal Crop  Insurance Corporation and the federal farm Mortgage Corporation will be  transmitted in the spring under the terms of the Government Corporation  Control Act.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":493,"text":"4. TRANSPORTATION  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":494,"text":"Transportation is one of the major fields for both public and private  investment. Our facilities for transportation and communication must be  constantly improved to serve better the convenience of the public and to  facilitate the sound growth and development of the whole economy.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":495,"text":"Federal capital outlays for transportation facilities are expected to  approximate 519 million dollars in the fiscal year 1947. State and local  governments may spend 400 million dollars. Private investment, over half of  it by railways, may approach 1,150 million dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":496,"text":"The Congress has already taken steps for the resumption of work on  improvement of rivers and harbors and on the construction of new  Federal-aid highways. Much needed work on airports can begin when the  Congress enacts legislation now in conference between the two Houses.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":497,"text":"The Federal expenditure estimates for the fiscal year 1947 include 53  million dollars for new construction in rivers, harbors, and the Panama  Canal and 291 million dollars for highways and grade-crossing elimination,  assuming that the States expend some 275 million dollars on the Federal-aid  system. Additional expenditures for highways totaling 36 million dollars  are anticipated by the forest Service, National Park Service, and the  Territory of Alaska. Civil airways and airports will involve expenditures  of 35 million dollars under existing authority. Additional Federal  expenditures exceeding 20 million dollars (to be matched by States and  municipalities) may be made during the fiscal year 1947 under the airport  legislation now in conference between the two Houses of the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":498,"text":"The United States now controls almost two-thirds of the world's merchant  shipping, most of it Government-owned, compared with little more than  one-seventh of the world's tonnage in 1939. This places a heavy  responsibility upon the Nation to provide for speedy and efficient world  commerce as a contribution to general economic recovery.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":499,"text":"The estimates for the United States Maritime Commission and War Shipping  Administration provide for the transition of shipping operation from a war  to a peace basis; the sale, chartering, or lay-up of much of the war-built  fleet; and for a program of ship construction of some 84 million dollars in  the fiscal year 1947 to round out the merchant fleet for peacetime use.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":500,"text":"Federal aids, subsidies, and regulatory controls for transportation should  follow the general principle of benefiting the national economy as a whole.  They should seek to improve the transportation system and increase its  efficiency with resulting lower rates and superior service. Differential  treatment which benefits one type of transportation to the detriment of  another should be avoided save when it is demonstrated clearly to be in the  public interest.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":501,"text":"5. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":502,"text":"Total capital outlays for resource development are estimated at 653 million  dollars in the fiscal year 1947 as compared with 452 million dollars in  1946. These include capital expenditures by the Rural Electrification  Administration and expenditures for resource development by other  organizational units in the Department of Agriculture which are also  mentioned above under \"agricultural programs.\"  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":503,"text":"The reclamation and flood control projects which I am recommending for the  fiscal year 1947 will involve capital outlays of approximately 319 million  dollars as compared with 245 million dollars in the fiscal year 1946. These  expenditures cover programs of the Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of  Reclamation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Department of Agriculture,  and the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and  Mexico. A number of these projects are multiple-purpose projects, providing  not only for reclamation and irrigation of barren land and flood control,  but also for the production of power needed for industrial development of  the areas.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":504,"text":"Expenditures for power transmission and distribution facilities by the  Bonneville Power Administration are expected to increase from 12 million  dollars in the fiscal year 1946 to 15 million dollars in the next fiscal  year. In addition, the Southwestern Power Administration will undertake a  new program involving expenditures of about 16 million dollars in the  fiscal year 1947. The Rural Electrification Administration will require  expenditures during the current fiscal year estimated at 156 million  dollars; in the fiscal year 1947, at 241 million dollars.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":505,"text":"The TVA program includes completion of major multiple-purpose  projects--navigation, flood control, and power facilities--and additions to  chemical plants and related facilities. Expenditures for these capital  improvement programs are estimated at 30 million dollars in the fiscal year  1946 and 39 million dollars in the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":506,"text":"Expenditures for construction of roads and other developmental works in the  national forests, parks, and other public lands, and for capital outlays  for fish and wildlife development will increase from below 9 million  dollars in the fiscal year 1946 to 24 million dollars in the fiscal year  1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":507,"text":"6. SOCIAL SECURITY AND HEALTH  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":508,"text":"Benefit payments out of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust fund  during 1947 are estimated at 407 million dollars, while withdrawals by the  States from the Unemployment Trust fund for compensation payments are  expected to total 1 billion dollars. These disbursements are financed out  of social security contributions.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":509,"text":"The appropriations from general and special accounts for the social  security program, which cover Federal administrative expenses and grants to  States for assistance programs, are estimated at 593 million dollars for  the fiscal year 1947, an increase of 57 million dollars over the current  year. The increase anticipates greater administrative workload and higher  grants to match increasing State payments. The social security program does  not include all the Federal health services under existing legislation. For  the other health services classified under general government and national  defense, appropriations are estimated at 102 million dollars for the fiscal  year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":510,"text":"Some expansion in peacetime medical research and other programs of the  Public Health Service is provided for in the appropriation estimates for  these purposes totaling approximately 87 million dollars for the fiscal  year 1947 which are submitted under provisions of existing law. Part of  this will be provided through the social security appropriations, the  remainder through other appropriations. About 28 million dollars is  recommended for maternity care and health services for children under  existing law, mainly under the emergency provision for the wives and  infants of servicemen. While we should avoid duplication of maternity and  child health services which will be provided through the proposed general  system of prepaid medical care, legislation is needed to supplement such  services. For medical education, I have recommended legislation authorizing  grants-in-aid to public and nonprofit institutions. The existing sources of  support for medical schools require supplementation to sustain the  expansion that is needed.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":511,"text":"Hospitals, sanitation works, and additional facilities at medical schools  will be required for an adequate national health program. Legislation is  now pending in the Congress to authorize grants for the construction of  hospitals and health centers and grants and loans for water-pollution  control. I hope the Congress will act favorably on generous authorizing  legislation.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":512,"text":"7. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":513,"text":"The Budget provides for continuation and desirable expansion of the  research activities that are carried on throughout the Federal  establishment and through previously authorized grants to the States.  Additional appropriations will be required for the proposed central Federal  research agency which I recommended last September 6. That agency will  coordinate existing research activities and administer funds for new  research activities wherever they are needed; it will not itself conduct  research. The plan contemplates expenditures through the new research  agency of approximately 40 million dollars for the first year.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":514,"text":"These amounts are small in relation to the important contribution they can  make to the national income, the welfare of our people, and the common  defense. Expenditures must be limited for the time being by the capacity of  research agencies to make wise use of funds. The maintenance of our  position as a nation, however, will require more emphasis on research  expenditures in the future than in the past.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":515,"text":"Educational expenditures will require a significant share of the national  income in the fiscal year 1947. State, local, and private expenditures for  the current support of elementary, secondary, and higher education are  expected to be substantially above 3 billion dollars in that year. These  nonfederal expenditures will be supplemented by Federal expenditures  estimated at 625 million dollars in the present Budget. Of this amount, the  estimate for veterans' education, as previously mentioned, is 535 million  dollars. Other amounts include 21 million dollars for the support of  vocational education in public schools, 5 million dollars for the  land-grant colleges, 50 million dollars for the present school-lunch and  milk program, 1 million dollars for the Office of Education, and  approximately 13 million dollars for various other items. In view of the  major policy issues which are still under study by the Congress and the  Administration, no specific amount has been determined for the Federal  grants, previously recommended in this Message, which would assist the  States generally in assuring more nearly equal opportunities for a good  education.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":516,"text":"Notwithstanding the urgent need for additional school and college  buildings, careful planning will be required for the expenditures to be  made under the proposed legislation to aid the States in providing  educational facilities. A major share of the grants for the first year  would be for surveys and plans.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":517,"text":"I have already outlined the broad objectives of our foreign economic  policy. In the present section I shall indicate the Federal outlays which  the execution of these programs may require in the fiscal years 1946 and  1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":518,"text":"(a) On the termination of lend-lease, the lend-lease countries were  required to pay for goods in the lend-lease pipe line either in cash or by  borrowing from the United States or by supplying goods and services to the  United States. Credits for this purpose have already been extended to  Soviet Union, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium amounting to 675 million  dollars. The settlement credit of 650 million dollars to the United Kingdom  includes an amount preliminarily fixed at 118 million dollars which  represents the excess of purchases by the United Kingdom from the pipe line  over goods and services supplied by the United Kingdom to the United States  since VJ-day and the balance of various claims by one government against  the other.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":519,"text":"Credits are also being negotiated with lend-lease countries to finance the  disposition of lend-lease inventories and installations and property  declared to be surplus. For instance, 532 million dollars of the settlement  credit to the United Kingdom is for this purpose. These credits will  involve no new expenditures by this Government, since they merely provide  for deferred repayment by other governments for good: services which have  been financed from war appropriations.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":520,"text":"(b) Expenditures from the appropriations to United Nations Relief and  Rehabilitation Administration, which were discarded under war expenditures  above, are estimated to be 1.3 billion dollars in the fiscal year 1946 and  1.2 billion dollars in the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":521,"text":"(c) To assist other countries in the restoration of their economies the  Export-Import Bank has already negotiated loans in the fiscal year 1946  amounting in total to about 1,010 million dollars and an additional 195  million dollars will probably be committed shortly. The Bank is also  granting loans to carry out its original purpose of directly expanding the  foreign trade of the United States. In this connection the Bank has  established a fund of 100 million dollars to finance the export of cotton  from the United States. The Export-Import Bank has thus loaned or committed  approximately 1,300 million dollars during the current fiscal year and it  is expected that demands on its resources will increase in the last 6  months of the fiscal year 1946. Requests for loans are constantly being  received by the Bank from countries desiring to secure goods and services  in this country for the reconstruction or development of their economies.  On July 31, 1945, the lending authority of the Expert-Import Bank was  increased to a total of 3,500 million dollars. I anticipate that during the  period covered by this Budget the Bank will reach this limit. The bulk of  the expenditures from the loans already granted will fall in the fiscal  year 1946 while the bulk of the expenditures from loans yet to be  negotiated will fall in the fiscal year 1947. In view of the urgent need  for the Bank's credit, I may find it necessary to request a further  increase in its lending authority at a later date.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":522,"text":"(d) The proposed line of credit of 3,750 million dollars to the United  Kingdom will be available up to the end of 1951 and will be used to assist  the United Kingdom in financing the deficit in its balance of payments  during the transition period. The rate at which the United Kingdom will  draw on the credit will depend on the rapidity with which it can reconvert  its economy and adapt its trade to the postwar world. The anticipated rate  of expenditure is likely to be heaviest during the next 2 years.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":523,"text":"(e) Since the Bretton Woods Agreements have now been approved by the  required number of countries, both the International Monetary fund and the  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development will commence  operations during 1946. The organization of these institutions will  undoubtedly take some time, and it is unlikely that their operations will  reach any appreciable scale before the beginning of the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":524,"text":"Of the 2,750 million dollars required for the fund, 1,800 million dollars  will be provided in cash or notes from the exchange stabilization fund  established under the Gold Reserve Act of 1934. The remaining 950 million  dollars will be paid initially in the form of non-interest-bearing notes  issued by the Secretary of the Treasury. It is not anticipated that the  fund will require in cash any of the 950 million dollars during the fiscal  years 1946 and 1947. Consequently, no cash withdrawals from the Treasury  will be required in connection with the fund in these years.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":525,"text":"The subscription to the Bank amounts to 3,175 million dollars. Of this  total, 2 percent must be paid immediately and the Bank is required to call  a further 8 percent of the subscription during its first year of  operations. The balance of the subscription is payable when required by the  Bank either for direct lending or to make good its guarantees. It is likely  that the United States will be required to pay little if any more than the  initial 10 percent before the end of the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":526,"text":"I anticipate that net expenditures of the Export-Import Bank and  expenditures arising from the British credit and the Bretton Woods  Agreements will amount to 2,614 million dollars, including the noncash item  of 950 million dollars for the fund, in the fiscal year 1946, and 2,754  million dollars in the fiscal year 1947.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":527,"text":"GENERAL GOVERNMENT  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":528,"text":"The responsibilities of the Government, in both domestic and international  affairs, have increased greatly in the past decade. Consequently, the  Government is larger than it was before the war, and its general operating  costs are higher. We cannot shrink the Government to prewar dimensions  unless we slough off these new responsibilities--and we cannot do that  without paying an excessive price in terms of our national welfare. We can,  however, enhance its operating efficiency through improved organization. I  expect to make such improvements under the authority of the Reorganization  Act of 1945.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":529,"text":"The appropriations which I am recommending for general government for the  fiscal year 1947 are 1,604 million dollars under existing legislation. This  is an increase of 458 million dollars over the total of enacted  appropriations for the current fiscal year, but a substantial part of this  increase is due to the fact that the appropriations for the fiscal year  1946 were made prior to the general increase of employees' salaries last  July 1, for which allowance is made in the anticipated supplemental  appropriations for 1946. The recommended total for 1947 for general  government, like the estimates for national defense and other specific  programs, does not allow for the further salary increases for Government  employees which, I hope, will be authorized by pending legislation, but-the  tentative lump-sum estimates under proposed legislation contemplate that  such salary increases will be effective almost at once.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":530,"text":"Expenditures for general government in the fiscal year 1947 are expected to  continue the slowly rising trend which began in 1943. This category  includes a great variety of items--not merely the overhead costs of the  Government. It includes all the expenditures of the Cabinet departments,  other than for national defense, aids to agriculture, general public works,  and the social security program. It includes also expenditures of the  legislative branch, the Judiciary, and many of the independent agencies of  the executive branch. Consequently, the estimated increase in 1947 in the  total of general government expenditures reflects a variety of influences.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":531,"text":"Now included in general government are certain activities formerly  classified under national defense. Some of these, such as certain functions  of the former foreign Economic Administration and the War Manpower  Commission, are still needed during the period of reconversion; others are  in the process of liquidation. A few wartime activities, for example, the  international information and foreign intelligence services and some of the  wartime programs for controlling disease and crime, have become part of our  regular government establishment. Expenditures for these former wartime  functions explain about 40 percent of the increase in expenditures for  general government.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":532,"text":"Other increases are for civil aeronautics promotion, the business and  manufacturing censuses, and other expanded business services of the  Department of Commerce which have been referred to above; the forest and  Soil Conservation Services and other committees of the Department of  certain conservation activities of the Department of the Interior; and the  collection of internal revenue in the Treasury Department.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":533,"text":"The necessity for reestablishing postal services curtailed during the war  and advances in the rates of pay for postal employees have increased  substantially the estimated expenditures for postal service for both the  current and the next fiscal year. It is not expected that this increase  will cause expenditures to exceed postal revenues in either year, although  an excess of expenditures may occur in the fiscal year 1947 if salaries are  increased further.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":534,"text":"Expenditures for our share of the administrative budgets of the United  Nations and other permanent international bodies will increase sharply in  the fiscal year 1947, yet will remain a small part of our total Budget. The  budget for the United Nations has not yet been determined; an estimate for  our contribution will be submitted later. Our contributions to the food and  Agriculture Organization, the International Labor Office, the Pan American  Union, and other similar international agencies will aggregate about 3  million dollars for the fiscal year 1947. The administrative expenses of  the International Monetary fund and the International Bank will be met from  their general funds.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":535,"text":"We have won a great war--we, the nations of plain people who hate war. In  the test of that war we found a strength of unity that brought us  through--a strength that crushed the power of those who sought by force to  deny our faith in the dignity of man.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":536,"text":"During this trial the voices of disunity among us were silent or were  subdued to an occasional whine that warned us that they were still among  us. Those voices are beginning to cry aloud again. We must learn constantly  to turn deaf ears to them. They are voices which foster fear and suspicion  and intolerance and hate. They seek to destroy our harmony, our  understanding of each other, our American tradition of \"live and let live.\"  They have become busy again, trying to set race against race, creed against  creed, farmer against city dweller, worker against employer, people against  their own governments. They seek only to do us mischief. They must not  prevail.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":537,"text":"It should be impossible for any man to contemplate without a sense of  personal humility the tremendous events of the 12 months since the last  annual Message, the great tasks that confront us, the new and huge problems  of the coming months and years. Yet these very things justify the deepest  confidence in the future of this Nation of free men and women.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":538,"text":"The plain people of this country found the courage and the strength, the  self-discipline, and the mutual respect to fight and to win, with the help  of our allies, under God. I doubt if the tasks of the future are more  difficult. But if they are, then I say that our strength and our knowledge  and our understanding will be equal to those tasks.  "}
{"year":"1946","paragraph":539,"text":"As printed above, references to tables appearing in the budget document  have been omitted.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Congress of the United States:  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":2,"text":"It looks like a good many of you have moved over to the left since I was  here last!  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":3,"text":"I come before you today to report on the State of the Union and, in the  words of the Constitution, to recommend such measures as I judge necessary  and expedient.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":4,"text":"I come also to welcome you as you take up your duties and to discuss with  you the manner in which you and I should fulfill our obligations to the  American people during the next 2 years.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":5,"text":"The power to mold the future of this Nation lies in our hands--yours and  mine, and they are joined together by the Constitution.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":6,"text":"If in this year, and in the next, we can find the right course to take as  each issue arises, and if, in spite of all difficulties, we have the  courage and the resolution to take that course, then we shall achieve a  state of well-being for our people without precedent in history. And if we  continue to work with the other nations of the world earnestly, patiently,  and wisely, we can--granting a will for peace on the part of our  neighbors-make a lasting peace for the world.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":7,"text":"But, if we are to realize these ends, the Congress and the President,  during the next 2 years, must work together. It is not unusual in our  history that the majority of the Congress represents a party in opposition  to the President's party. I am the twentieth President of the United States  who, at some time during his term of office, has found his own party to be  in the minority in one or both Houses of Congress. The first one was George  Washington. Wilson was number eighteen, and Hoover was number nineteen.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":8,"text":"I realize that on some matters the Congress and the President may have  honest differences of opinion. Partisan differences, however, did not cause  material disagreements as to the conduct of the war. Nor, in the conduct of  our international relations, during and since the war, have such partisan  differences been material.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":9,"text":"On some domestic issues we may, and probably shall, disagree. That in  itself is not to be feared. It is inherent in our form of Government. But  there are ways of disagreeing; men who differ can still work together  sincerely for the common good. We shall be risking the Nation's safety and  destroying our opportunities for progress if we do not settle any  disagreements in this spirit, without thought of partisan advantage.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":10,"text":"THE GENERAL DOMESTIC ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":11,"text":"As the year 1947 begins, the state of our national economy presents great  opportunities for all. We have virtually full employment. Our national  production of goods and services is 50 percent higher than in any year  prior to the war emergency. The national income in 1946 was higher than in  any peacetime year. Our food production is greater than it has ever been.  During the last 5 years our productive facilities have been expanded in  almost every field. The American standard of living is higher now than ever  before, and when the housing shortage can be overcome it will be even  higher.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":12,"text":"During the past few months we have removed at a rapid rate the emergency  controls that the Federal Government had to exercise during the war. The  remaining controls will be retained only as long as they are needed to  protect the public. Private enterprise must be given the greatest possible  freedom to continue the expansion of economy.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":13,"text":"In my proclamation of December 31, 1946 I announced the termination of  hostilities. This automatically ended certain temporary legislation and  certain executive powers.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":14,"text":"Two groups of temporary laws still remain: the first are those which by  Congressional mandate are to last during the \"emergency\"; the second are  those which are to continue until the \"termination of the war,\"  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":15,"text":"I shall submit to the Congress recommendations for the repeal of certain of  the statutes which by their terms continue for the duration of the  \"emergency.\" I shall at the same time recommend that others within this  classification be extended until the state of war has been ended by treaty  or by legislative action. As to those statutes which continue until the  state of war has been terminated, I urge that the Congress promptly  consider each statute individually, and repeal such emergency legislation  where it is advisable.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":16,"text":"Now that nearly all wartime controls have been removed, the operation of  our industrial system depends to a greater extent on the decisions of  businessmen, farmers, and workers. These decisions must be wisely made with  genuine concern for public welfare. The welfare of businessmen, farmers,  and workers depends upon the economic well-being of those who buy their  products.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":17,"text":"An important present source of danger to our economy is the possibility  that prices might be raised to such an extent that the consuming public  could not purchase the tremendous volume of goods and services which will  be produced during 1947.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":18,"text":"We all know that recent price increases have denied to many of our workers  much of the value of recent wage increases. Farmers have found that a large  part of their increased income has been absorbed by increased prices. While  some of our people have received raises in income which exceed price  increases, the great majority have not. Those persons who live on modest  fixed incomes--retired persons living on pensions, for example--and workers  whose incomes are relatively inflexible, such as teachers and other civil  servants--have suffered hardship.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":19,"text":"In the effort to bring about a sound and equitable price structure, each  group of our population has its own responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":20,"text":"It is up to industry not only to hold the line on existing prices, but to  make reductions whenever profits justify such action.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":21,"text":"It is up to labor to refrain from pressing for unjustified wage increases  that will force increases in the price level.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":22,"text":"And it is up to Government to do everything in its power to encourage  high-volume Production, for that is what makes possible good wages, low  prices, and reasonable profits.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":23,"text":"In a few days there will be submitted to the Congress the Economic Report  of the President, and also the Budget Message. Those messages will contain  many recommendations. Today I shall outline five major economic policies  which I believe the Government should pursue during 1947. These policies  are designed to meet our immediate needs and, at the same time, to provide  for the long-range welfare of our free enterprise system:  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":24,"text":"First, the promotion of greater harmony between labor and management.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":25,"text":"Second, restriction of monopoly and unfair business practices; assistance  to small business; and the promotion of the free competitive system of  private enterprise.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":26,"text":"Third, continuation of an aggressive program of home construction.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":27,"text":"Fourth, the balancing of the budget in the next fiscal year and the  achieving of a substantial surplus to be applied to the reduction of the  public debt.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":28,"text":"Fifth, protection of a fair level of return to farmers in post-war  agriculture.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":29,"text":"LABOR AND MANAGEMENT  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":30,"text":"The year just past--like the year after the first World War--was marred by  labor management strife.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":31,"text":"Despite this outbreak of economic warfare in 1946, we are today producing  goods and services in record volume. Nevertheless, it is essential to  improve the methods for reaching agreement between labor and management and  to reduce the number of strikes and lockouts.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":32,"text":"We must not, however, adopt punitive legislation. We must not in order to  punish a few labor leaders, pass vindictive laws which will restrict the  proper rights of the rank and file of labor. We must not, under the stress  of emotion, endanger our American freedoms by taking ill-considered action  which will lead to results not anticipated or desired.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":33,"text":"We must remember, in reviewing the record of disputes in 1946, that  management shares with labor the responsibility for failure to reach  agreements which would have averted strikes. For that reason, we must  realize that industrial peace cannot be achieved merely by laws directed  against labor unions.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":34,"text":"During the last decade and a half, we have established a national labor  policy in this country based upon free collective bargaining as the process  for determining wages and working conditions.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":35,"text":"That is still the national policy.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":36,"text":"And it should continue to be the national policy!  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":37,"text":"But as yet, not all of us have learned what it means to bargain freely and  fairly. Nor have all of us learned to carry the mutual responsibilities  that accompany the right to bargain. There have been abuses and harmful  practices which limit the effectiveness of our system of collective  bargaining. Furthermore, we have lacked sufficient governmental machinery  to aid labor and management in resolving their differences.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":38,"text":"Certain labor-management problems need attention at once and certain  others, by reason of their complexity, need exhaustive investigation and  study.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":39,"text":"We should enact legislation to correct certain abuses and to provide  additional governmental assistance in bargaining. But we should also  concern ourselves with the basic causes of labor-management difficulties.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":40,"text":"In the light of these considerations, I propose to you and urge your  cooperation in effecting the following four-point program to reduce  industrial strife:  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":41,"text":"Point number one is the early enactment of legislation to prevent certain  unjustifiable practices.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":42,"text":"First, under this point, are jurisdictional strikes. In such strikes the  public and the employer are innocent bystanders who are injured by a  collision between rival unions. This type of dispute hurts production,  industry, and the public--and labor itself. I consider jurisdictional  strikes indefensible.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":43,"text":"The National Labor Relations Act provides procedures for determining which  union represents employees of a particular employer. In some jurisdictional  disputes, however, minority unions strike to compel employers to deal with  them despite a legal duty to bargain with the majority union. Strikes to  compel an employer to violate the law are inexcusable. Legislation to  prevent such strikes is clearly desirable.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":44,"text":"Another form of inter-union disagreement is the jurisdictional strike  involving the question of which labor union is entitled to perform a  particular task. When rival unions are unable to settle such disputes  themselves, provision must be made for peaceful and binding determination  of the issues.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":45,"text":"A second unjustifiable practice is the secondary boycott, when used to  further jurisdictional disputes or to compel employers to violate the  National Labor Relations Act.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":46,"text":"Not all secondary boycotts are unjustified. We must judge them on the basis  of their objectives. For example, boycotts intended to protect wage rates  and working conditions should be distinguished from those in furtherance of  jurisdictional disputes. The structure of industry sometimes requires  unions, as a matter of self-preservation, to extend the conflict beyond a  particular employer. There should be no blanket prohibition against  boycotts. The appropriate goal is legislation which prohibits secondary  boycotts in pursuance of unjustifiable objectives, but does not impair the  union's right to preserve its own existence and the gains made in genuine  collective bargaining.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":47,"text":"A third practice that should be corrected is the use of economic force, by  either labor or management, to decide issues arising out of the  interpretation of existing contracts.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":48,"text":"Collective bargaining agreements, like other contracts, should be  faithfully adhered to by both parties. In the most enlightened  union-management relationships, disputes over the interpretation of  contract terms are settled peaceably by negotiation or arbitration.  Legislation should be enacted to provide machinery whereby unsettled  disputes concerning the interpretation of an existing agreement may be  referred by either party to final and binding arbitration.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":49,"text":"Point number two is the extension of facilities within the Department of  Labor for assisting collective bargaining.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":50,"text":"One of our difficulties in avoiding labor strife arises from a lack of  order in the collective bargaining process. The parties often do not have a  dear understanding of their responsibility for settling disputes through  their own negotiations. We constantly see instances where labor or  management resorts to economic force without exhausting the possibilities  for agreement through the bargaining process. Neither the parties nor the  Government have a definite yardstick for determining when and how  Government assistance should be invoked. There is need for integrated  governmental machinery to provide the successive steps of mediation,  voluntary arbitration, and--ultimately in appropriate cases--ascertainment  of the facts of the dispute and the reporting of the facts to the public.  Such machinery would facilitate and expedite the settlement of disputes.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":51,"text":"Point number three is the broadening of our program of social legislation  to alleviate the causes of workers' insecurity.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":52,"text":"On June 11, 1946, in my message vetoing the Case Bill, I made a  comprehensive statement of my views concerning labor-management relations.  I said then, and I repeat now, that the solution of labor-management  difficulties is to be found not only in legislation dealing directly with  labor relations, but also in a program designed to remove the causes of  insecurity felt by many workers in our industrial society. In this  connection, for example, the Congress should consider the extension and  broadening of our social security system, better housing, a comprehensive  national health program, and provision for a fair minimum wage.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":53,"text":"Point number four is the appointment of a Temporary Joint Commission to  inquire into the entire field of labor-management relations.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":54,"text":"I recommend that the Congress provide for the appointment of a Temporary  Joint Commission to undertake this broad study.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":55,"text":"The President, the Congress, and management and labor have a continuing  responsibility to cooperate in seeking and finding the solution of these  problems. I therefore recommend that the Commission be composed as follows:  twelve to be chosen by the Congress from members of both parties in the  House and the Senate, and eight representing the public, management and  labor, to be appointed by the President.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":56,"text":"The Commission should be charged with investigating and making  recommendations upon certain major subjects, among others:  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":57,"text":"First, the special and unique problem of nationwide strikes in vital  industries affecting the public interest. In particular, the Commission  should examine into the question of how to settle or prevent such strikes  without endangering our general democratic freedoms.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":58,"text":"Upon a proper solution of this problem may depend the whole industrial  future of the United States. The paralyzing effects of a nationwide strike  in such industries as transportation, coal, oil, steel, or communications  can result in national disaster. We have been able to avoid such disaster,  in recent years, only by the use of extraordinary war powers. All those  powers will soon be gone. In their place there must be created an adequate  system and effective machinery in these vital fields. This problem will  require careful study and a bold approach, but an approach consistent with  the preservation of the rights of our people. The need is pressing. The  Commission should give this its earliest attention.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":59,"text":"Second, the best methods and procedures for carrying out the collective  bargaining process. This should include the responsibilities of labor and  management to negotiate freely and fairly with each other, and to refrain  from strikes or lockouts until all possibilities of negotiation have been  exhausted.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":60,"text":"Third, the underlying causes of labor management disputes.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":61,"text":"Some of the subjects presented here for investigation involve long-range  study. Others can be considered immediately by the Commission and its  recommendations can be submitted to the Congress in the near future.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":62,"text":"I recommend that this Commission make its first report, including specific  legislative recommendations, not later than March 15, 1947.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":63,"text":"RESTRICTION Of MONOPOLY AND PROMOTION OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":64,"text":"The second major policy I desire to lay before you has to do with the  growing concentration of economic power and the threat to free competitive  private enterprise. In 1941 the Temporary National Economic Committee  completed a comprehensive investigation into the workings of the national  economy. The Committee's study showed that, despite a half century of  anti-trust law enforcement, one of the gravest threats to our welfare lay  in the increasing concentration of power in the hands of a small number of  giant organizations.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":65,"text":"During the war, this long-standing tendency toward economic concentration  was accelerated. As a consequence, we now find that to a greater extent  than ever before, whole industries are dominated by one or a few large  organizations which can restrict production in the interest of higher  profits and thus reduce employment and purchasing power.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":66,"text":"In an effort to assure full opportunity and free competition to business we  will vigorously enforce the anti-trust laws. There is much the Congress can  do to cooperate and assist in this program.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":67,"text":"To strengthen and enforce the laws that regulate business practices is not  enough. Enforcement must be supplemented by positive measures of aid to new  enterprises. Government assistance, research programs, and credit powers  should be designed and used to promote the growth of new firms and new  industries. Assistance to small business is particularly important at this  time when thousands of veterans who are potential business and industrial  leaders are beginning their careers.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":68,"text":"We should also give special attention to the decentralization of industry  and the development of areas that are now under-industrialized.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":69,"text":"HOUSING  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":70,"text":"The third major policy is also of great importance to the national economy:  an aggressive program to encourage housing construction. The first federal  program to relieve the veterans' housing shortage was announced in February  1946. In 1946 one million family housing units have been put under  construction and more than 665,000 units have already been completed. The  rate of expansion in construction has broken all records.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":71,"text":"In the coming year the number of dwelling units built will approach, if not  surpass, the top construction year of 1926. The primary responsibility to  deliver housing at reasonable prices that veterans can afford rests with  private industry and with labor. The Government will continue to expedite  the flow of key building materials, to limit nonresidential construction,  and to give financial support where it will do the most good. Measures to  stimulate rental housing and new types of housing construction will receive  special emphasis.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":72,"text":"To reach our long-range goal of adequate housing for all our people,  comprehensive housing legislation is urgently required, similar to the  non-partisan bill passed by the Senate last year. At a minimum, such  legislation should open the way for rebuilding the blighted areas of our  cities and should establish positive incentives for the investment of  billions of dollars of private capital in large-scale rental housing  projects. It should provide for improvement of housing in rural areas and  for the construction, over a 4-year period, of half a million units of  public low-rental housing. It should authorize a single peacetime federal  housing agency to assure efficient use of our resources on the vast housing  front.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":73,"text":"FISCAL AFFAIRS  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":74,"text":"The fourth major policy has to do with the balancing of the budget. In a  prosperous period such as the present one, the budget of the Federal  Government should be balanced. Prudent management of public finance  requires that we begin the process of reducing the public debt. The budget  which I shall submit to you this week has a small margin of surplus. In the  Budget Message I am making recommendations which, if accepted, will result  in a substantially larger surplus which should be applied to debt  retirement. One of these recommendations is that the Congress take early  action to continue throughout the next fiscal year the war excise tax rates  which, under the present law, will expire on June 30, 1947.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":75,"text":"Expenditures relating to the war are still high. Considerable sums are  required to alleviate world famine and suffering. Aid to veterans will  continue at peak level. The world situation is such that large military  expenditures are required. Interest on the public debt and certain other  costs are irreducible. For these reasons I have had to practice stringent  economy in preparing the budget; and I hope that the Congress will  cooperate in this program of economy.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":76,"text":"AGRICULTURE  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":77,"text":"The fifth major policy has to do with the welfare of our farm population.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":78,"text":"Production of food reached record heights in 1946. Much of our tremendous  grain crop can readily be sold abroad and thus will become no threat to our  domestic markets. But in the next few years American agriculture can face  the same dangers it did after World War I. In the early twenties the Nation  failed to maintain outlets for the new productive capacity of our  agricultural plant. It failed to provide means to protect the farmer while  he adjusted his acreage to peacetime demands.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":79,"text":"The result we all remember too well. Farm production stayed up while demand  and prices fell, in contrast with industry where prices stayed up and  output declined, farm surpluses piled up, and disaster followed.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":80,"text":"We must make sure of meeting the problems which we failed to meet after the  first World War. Present laws give considerable stability to farm prices  for 1947 and 1948, and these 2 years must be utilized to maintain and  develop markets for our great productive power.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":81,"text":"The purpose of these laws was to permit an orderly transition from war to  peace. The Government plan of support prices was not designed to absorb, at  great cost, the unlimited surpluses of a highly productive agriculture.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":82,"text":"We must not wait until the guarantees expire to set the stage for permanent  farm welfare.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":83,"text":"The farmer is entitled to a fair income.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":84,"text":"Ways can be found to utilize his new skills and better practices, to expand  his markets at home and abroad, and to carry out the objectives of a  balanced pattern of peacetime production without either undue sacrifice by  farm people or undue expense to the Government.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":85,"text":"HEALTH AND GENERAL WELFARE  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":86,"text":"Of all our national resources, none is of more basic value than the health  of our people. Over a year ago I presented to the Congress my views on a  national health program. The Congress acted on several of the  recommendations in this program-mental health, the health of mothers and  children, and hospital construction. I urge this Congress to complete the  work begun last year and to enact the most important recommendation of the  program--to provide adequate medical care to all who need it, not as  charity but on the basis of payments made by the beneficiaries of the  program.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":87,"text":"One administrative change would help greatly to further our national  program in the fields of health, education, and welfare. I again recommend  the establishment of a well-integrated Department of Welfare.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":88,"text":"VETERANS  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":89,"text":"Fourteen million World War II servicemen have returned to civil life. The  great majority have found their places as citizens of their communities and  their Nation. It is a tribute to the fiber of our servicemen and to the  flexibility of our economy that these adjustments have been made so rapidly  and so successfully.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":90,"text":"More than two million of these veterans are attending schools or acquiring  job skills through the financial assistance of the Federal Government.  Thousands of sick and wounded veterans are daily receiving the best of  medical and hospital care. Half a million have obtained loans, with  Government guarantees, to purchase homes or farms or to embark upon new  businesses. Compensation is being paid in almost two million cases for  disabilities or death. More than three million are continuing to maintain  their low-cost National Service Life Insurance policies. Almost seven  million veterans have been aided by unemployment and self-employment  allowances.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":91,"text":"Exclusive of mustering-out payments and terminal leave pay, the program for  veterans of all wars is costing over seven billion dollars a  year--one-fifth of our total federal budget. This is the most far-reaching  and complete veterans program ever conceived by any nation.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":92,"text":"Except for minor adjustments, I believe that our program of benefits for  veterans is now complete. In the long run, the success of the program will  not be measured by the number of veterans receiving financial aid or by the  number of dollars we spend. History will judge us not by the money we  spend, but by the further contribution we enable our veterans to make to  their country. In considering any additional legislation, that must be our  criterion.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":93,"text":"CIVIL RIGHTS  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":94,"text":"We have recently witnessed in this country numerous attacks upon the  constitutional rights of individual citizens as a result of racial and  religious bigotry. Substantial segments of our people have been prevented  from exercising fully their right to participate in the election of public  officials, both locally and nationally. Freedom to engage in lawful  callings has been denied.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":95,"text":"The will to fight these crimes should be in the hearts of every one of us.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":96,"text":"For the Federal Government that fight is now being carried on by the  Department of Justice to the full extent of the powers that have been  conferred upon it. While the Constitution withholds from the Federal  Government the major task of preserving peace in the several States, I am  not convinced that the present legislation reached the limit of federal  power to protect the civil rights of its citizens.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":97,"text":"I have, therefore, by Executive Order,[1] established the President's  Committee on Civil Rights to study and report on the whole problem of  federally-secured civil rights, with a view to making recommendations to  the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":98,"text":"[Footnote 1: Executive Order 9808 (3 CFR, 1943-1948 Comp., p. 590.)]  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":99,"text":"NATURAL RESOURCES  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":100,"text":"In our responsibility to promote the general welfare of the people, we have  always to consider the natural resources of our country. They are the  foundation of our life. In the development of the great river systems of  America there is the major opportunity of our generation to contribute to  the increase of the national wealth. This program is already well along; it  should be pushed with full vigor.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":101,"text":"I must advise the Congress that we are rapidly becoming a \"have not\" Nation  as to many of our minerals. The economic progress and the security of our  country depend upon an expanding return of mineral discovery and upon  improved methods of recovery. The Federal Government must do its part to  meet this need.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":102,"text":"FOREIGN AFFAIRS  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":103,"text":"Progress in reaching our domestic goals is closely related to our conduct  of foreign affairs. All that I have said about maintaining a sound and  prosperous economy and improving the welfare of our people has greater  meaning because of the world leadership of the United States. What we do,  or fail to do, at home affects not only ourselves but millions throughout  the world. If we are to fulfill our responsibilities to ourselves and to  other peoples, we must make sure that the United States is sound  economically, socially, and politically. Only then will we be able to help  bring about the elements of peace in other countries--political stability,  economic advancement, and social progress.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":104,"text":"Peace treaties for Italy, Bulgaria, Rumania, and Hungary have finally been  prepared. Following the signing of these treaties next month in Paris, they  will be submitted to the Senate for ratification. This Government does not  regard the treaties as completely satisfactory. Whatever their defects,  however, I am convinced that they are as good as we can hope to obtain by  agreement among the principal wartime Allies. Further dispute and delay  would gravely jeopardize political stability in the countries concerned for  many years.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":105,"text":"During the long months of debate on these treaties, we have made it clear  to all nations that the United States will not consent to settlements at  the expense of principles we regard as vital to a just and enduring peace.  We have made it equally dear that we will not retreat to isolationism. Our  policies will be the same during the forthcoming negotiations in Moscow on  the German and Austrian treaties, and during the future conferences on the  Japanese treaty.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":106,"text":"The delay in arriving at the first peace settlements is due partly to the  difficulty of reaching agreement with the Soviet Union on the terms of  settlement. Whatever differences there may have been between us and the  Soviet Union, however, should not be allowed to obscure the fact that the  basic interests of both nations lie in the early making of a peace under  which the peoples of all countries may return, as free men and women, to  the essential tasks of production and reconstruction. The major concern of  each of us should be the promotion of collective security, not the  advancement of individual security.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":107,"text":"Our policy toward the Soviet Union is guided by the same principles which  determine our policies toward all nations. We seek only to uphold the  principles of international justice which have been embodied in the Charter  of the United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":108,"text":"We must now get on with the peace settlements. The occupying powers should  recognize the independence of Austria and withdraw their troops. The  Germans and the Japanese cannot be left in doubt and fear as to their  future; they must know their national boundaries, their resources, and what  reparations they must pay. Without trying to manage their internal affairs,  we can insure that these countries do not re-arm.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":109,"text":"INTERNATIONAL RELIEF AND DISPLACED PERSONS  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":110,"text":"The United States can be proud of its part in caring for the peoples  reduced to want by the ravages of war, and in aiding nations to restore  their national economies. We have shipped more supplies to the hungry  peoples of the world since the end of the war than all other countries  combined!  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":111,"text":"However, insofar as admitting displaced persons is concerned, I do not feel  that the United States has done its part. Only about 5,000 of them have  entered this country since May, 1946. The fact is that the executive  agencies are now doing all that is reasonably possible under the limitation  of the existing law and established quotas. Congressional assistance in the  form of new legislation is needed. I urge the Congress to turn its  attention to this world problem, in an effort to find ways whereby we can  fulfill our responsibilities to these thousands of homeless and suffering  refugees of all faiths.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":112,"text":"INTERNATIONAL TRADE  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":113,"text":"World economic cooperation is essential to world political cooperation. We  have made a good start on economic cooperation through the International  Bank, the International Monetary fund, and the Export-Import Bank. We must  now take other steps for the reconstruction of world trade and we should  continue to strive for an international trade system as free from  obstructions as possible.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":114,"text":"ATOMIC ENERGY  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":115,"text":"The United States has taken the lead in the endeavor to put atomic energy  under effective international control. We seek no monopoly for ourselves or  for any group of nations. We ask only that there be safeguards sufficient  to insure that no nation will be able to use this power for military  purposes. So long as all governments are not agreed on means of  international control of atomic energy, the shadow of fear will obscure the  bright prospects for the peaceful use of this enormous power.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":116,"text":"In accordance with the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, the Commission  established under that law is assuming full jurisdiction over domestic  atomic energy enterprise. The program of the Commission will, of course, be  worked out in close collaboration with the military services in conformity  with the wish of the Congress, but it is my fervent hope that the military  significance of atomic energy will steadily decline. We look to the  Commission to foster the development of atomic energy for industrial use  and scientific and medical research. In the vigorous and effective  development of peaceful uses of atomic energy rests our hope that this new  force may ultimately be turned into a blessing for all nations.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":117,"text":"MILITARY POLICY  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":118,"text":"In 1946 the Army and Navy completed the demobilization of their wartime  forces. They are now maintaining the forces which we need for national  defense and to fulfill our international obligations.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":119,"text":"We live in a world in which strength on the part of peace-loving nations is  still the greatest deterrent to aggression. World stability can be  destroyed when nations with great responsibilities neglect to maintain the  means of discharging those responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":120,"text":"This is an age when unforeseen attack could come with unprecedented speed.  We must be strong enough to defeat, and thus forestall, any such attack. In  our steady Progress toward a more rational world order, the need for large  armed forces is progressively declining; but the stabilizing force of  American military strength must not be weakened until our hopes are fully  realized. When a system of collective security under the United Nations has  been established, we shall be willing to lead in collective disarmament,  but, until such a system becomes a reality, we must not again allow  ourselves to become weak and invite attack.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":121,"text":"For those reasons, we need well-equipped, well-trained armed forces and we  must be able to mobilize rapidly our resources in men and material for our  own defense, should the need arise.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":122,"text":"The Army will be reduced to 1,070,000 officers and men by July 1, 1947.  Half of the Army will be used for occupation duties abroad and most of the  remainder will be employed at home in the support of these overseas  forces.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":123,"text":"The Navy is supporting the occupation troops in Europe and in the Far East.  Its fundamental mission--to support our national interests wherever  required--is unchanged. The Navy, including the Marine Corps, will average  571,000 officers and men during the fiscal year 1948.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":124,"text":"We are encountering serious difficulties in maintaining our forces at even  these reduced levels. Occupation troops are barely sufficient to carry out  the duties which our foreign policy requires. Our forces at home are at a  point where further reduction is impracticable. We should like an Army and  a Navy composed entirely of long-term volunteers, but in spite of liberal  inducements the basic needs of the Army are not now being met by voluntary  enlistments.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":125,"text":"The War Department has advised me that it is unable to make an accurate  forecast at the present time as to whether it will be possible to maintain  the strength of the Army by relying exclusively on volunteers. The  situation will be much clearer in a few weeks, when the results of the  campaign for volunteers are known. The War Department will make its  recommendations as to the need for the extension of Selective Service in  sufficient time to enable the Congress to take action prior to the  expiration of the present law on March 31st. The responsibility for  maintaining our armed forces at the strength necessary for our national  safety rests with the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":126,"text":"The development of a trained citizen reserve is also vital to our national  security. This can best be accomplished through universal training. I have  appointed an Advisory Commission on Universal Training to study the various  plans for a training program, and I expect that the recommendations of the  Commission will be of benefit to the Congress and to me in reaching  decisions on this problem.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":127,"text":"The cost of the military establishment is substantial. There is one certain  way by which we can cut costs and at the same time enhance our national  security. That is by the establishment of a single Department of National  Defense. I shall communicate with the Congress in the near future with  reference to the establishment of a single Department of National Defense.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":128,"text":"National security does not consist only of an army, a navy, and an air  force. It rests on a much broader basis. It depends on a sound economy of  prices and wages, on prosperous agriculture, on satisfied and productive  workers, on a competitive private enterprise free from monopolistic  repression, on continued industrial harmony and production, on civil  liberties and human freedoms-on all the forces which create in our men and  women a strong moral fiber and spiritual stamina.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":129,"text":"But we have a higher duty and a greater responsibility than the attainment  of our own national security. Our goal is collective security for all  mankind.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":130,"text":"If we can work in a spirit of understanding and mutual respect, we can  fulfill this solemn obligation which rests upon us.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":131,"text":"The spirit of the American people can set the course of world history. If  we maintain and strengthen our cherished ideals, and if we share our great  bounty with war-stricken people over the world, then the faith of our  citizens in freedom and democracy will be spread over the whole earth and  free men everywhere will share our devotion to those ideals.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":132,"text":"Let us have the will and the patience to this job together.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":133,"text":"May the Lord strengthen us in our faith.  "}
{"year":"1947","paragraph":134,"text":"May He give us wisdom to lead the peoples of the world in His ways of  peace.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, and Members of the 80th Congress:  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":2,"text":"We are here today to consider the state of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":3,"text":"On this occasion, above all others, the Congress and the President should  concentrate their attention, not upon party but upon the country; not upon  things which divide us but upon those which bind us together--the enduring  principles of our American system, and our common aspirations for the  future welfare and security of the people of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":4,"text":"The United States has become great because [p.2] we, as a people, have been  able to work together for great objectives even while differing about  details.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":5,"text":"The elements of our strength are many. They include our democratic  government, our economic system, our great natural resources. But these are  only partial explanations.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":6,"text":"The basic source of our strength is spiritual. For we are a people with a  faith. We believe in the dignity of man. We believe that he was created in  the image of the Father of us all.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":7,"text":"We do not believe that men exist merely to strengthen the state or to be  cogs in the economic machine. We do believe that governments are created to  serve the people and that economic systems exist to minister to their  wants. We have a profound devotion to the welfare and rights of the  individual as a human being.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":8,"text":"The faith of our people has particular meaning at this time in history  because of the unsettled and changing state of the world.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":9,"text":"The victims of war in many lands are striving to rebuild their lives, and  are seeking assurance that the tragedy of war will not occur again.  Throughout the world new ideas are challenging the old. Men of all nations  are reexamining the beliefs by which they live. Great scientific and  industrial changes have released new forces which will affect the future  course of civilization.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":10,"text":"The state of our Union reflects the changing nature of the modern world. On  all sides there is heartening evidence of great energy--of capacity for  economic development-and even more important, capacity for spiritual  growth. But accompanying this great activity there are equally great  questions, great anxieties, and great aspirations. They represent the  concern of an enlightened people that conditions should be so arranged as  to make life more worthwhile.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":11,"text":"We must devote ourselves to finding answers to these anxieties and  aspirations. We seek answers which will embody the moral and spiritual  elements of tolerance, unselfishness, and brotherhood upon which true  freedom and opportunity must rest.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":12,"text":"As we examine the state of our Union today, we can benefit from viewing it  on a basis of the accomplishments of the last decade and of our goals for  the next. How far have we come during the last 10 years and how far can we  go in the next 10?  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":13,"text":"It was 10 years ago that the determination of dictators to wage war upon  mankind became apparent. The years that followed brought untold death and  destruction.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":14,"text":"We shared in the human suffering of the war, but we were fortunate enough  to escape most of war's destruction. We were able through these 10 years to  expand the productive strength of our farms and factories.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":15,"text":"More important, however, is the fact that these years brought us new  courage, new confidence in the ideals of our free democracy. Our deep  belief in freedom and justice was reinforced in the crucible of war.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":16,"text":"On the foundations of our greatly strengthened economy and our renewed  confidence in democratic values, we can continue to move forward.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":17,"text":"There are some who look with fear and distrust upon planning for the  future. Yet our great national achievements have been attained by those  with vision. Our Union was formed, our frontiers were pushed back, and our  great industries were built by men who looked ahead.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":18,"text":"I propose that we look ahead today toward those goals for the future which  have the greatest bearing upon the foundations of our democracy and the  happiness of our people.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":19,"text":"I do so, confident in the thought that with clear objectives and with firm  determination, we can, in the next 10 years, build upon the [p.3]  accomplishments of the past decade to achieve a glorious future. Year by  year, beginning now, we must make a substantial part of this progress.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":20,"text":"Our first goal is to secure fully the essential human rights of our  citizens.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":21,"text":"The United States has always had a deep concern for human rights. Religious  freedom, free speech, and freedom of thought are cherished realities in our  land. Any denial of human rights is a denial of the basic beliefs of  democracy and of our regard for the worth of each individual.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":22,"text":"Today, however, some of our citizens are still denied equal opportunity for  education, for jobs and economic advancement, and for the expression of  their views at the polls. Most serious of all, some are denied equal  protection under laws. Whether discrimination is based on race, or creed,  or color, or land of origin, it is utterly contrary to American ideals of  democracy.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":23,"text":"The recent report of the President's Committee on Civil Rights points the  way to corrective action by the Federal Government and by State and local  governments. Because of the need for effective Federal action, I shall send  a special message to the Congress on this important subject.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":24,"text":"We should also consider our obligation to assure the fullest possible  measure of civil rights to the people of our territories and possessions. I  believe that the time has come for Alaska and Hawaii to be admitted to the  Union as States.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":25,"text":"Our second goal is to protect and develop our human resources.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":26,"text":"The safeguarding of the rights of our citizens must be accompanied by an  equal regard for their opportunities for development and their protection  from economic insecurity. In this Nation the ideals of freedom and equality  can be given specific meaning in terms of health, education, social  security, and housing.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":27,"text":"Over the past 12 years we have erected a sound framework of social security  legislation. Many millions of our citizens are now protected against the  loss of income which can come with unemployment, old age, or the death of  wage earners. Yet our system has gaps and inconsistencies; it is only half  finished.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":28,"text":"We should now extend unemployment compensation, old age benefits, and  survivors' benefits to millions who are not now protected. We should also  raise the level of benefits.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":29,"text":"The greatest gap in our social security structure is the lack of adequate  provision for the Nation's health. We are rightly proud of the high  standards of medical care we know how to provide in the United States. The  fact is, however, that most of our people cannot afford to pay for the care  they need.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":30,"text":"I have often and strongly urged that this condition demands a national  health program. The heart of the program must be a national system of  payment for medical care based on well-tried insurance principles. This  great Nation cannot afford to allow its citizens to suffer needlessly from  the lack of proper medical care.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":31,"text":"Our ultimate aim must be a comprehensive insurance system to protect all  our people equally against insecurity and ill health.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":32,"text":"Another fundamental aim of our democracy is to provide an adequate  education for every person.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":33,"text":"Our educational systems face a financial crisis. It is deplorable that in a  Nation as rich as ours there are millions of children who do not have  adequate schoolhouses or enough teachers for a good elementary or secondary  education. If there are educational inadequacies in any State, the whole  Nation suffers. The Federal Government has a responsibility for providing  financial aid to meet this crisis.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":34,"text":"In addition, we must make possible greater equality of opportunity to all  our citizens for education. Only by so doing can we insure that our  citizens will be capable of understanding and sharing the responsibilities  of democracy.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":35,"text":"The Government's programs for health, education, and security are of such  great importance to our democracy that we should now establish an executive  department for their administration.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":36,"text":"Health and education have their beginning in the home. No matter what our  hospitals or schools are like, the youth of our Nation are handicapped when  millions of them live in city slums and country shacks. Within the next  decade, we must see that every American family has a decent home. As an  immediate step we need the long-range housing program which I have  recommended on many occasions to this Congress. This should include  financial aids designed to yield more housing at lower prices. It should  provide public housing for low-income families, and vigorous development of  new techniques to lower the cost of building.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":37,"text":"Until we can overcome the present drastic housing shortage, we must extend  and strengthen rent control.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":38,"text":"We have had, and shall continue to have, a special interest in the welfare  of our veterans. Over 14 million men and women who served in the armed  forces in World War II have now returned to civilian life. Over 2 million  veterans are being helped through school. Millions have been aided while  finding jobs, and have been helped in buying homes, in obtaining medical  care, and in adjusting themselves to physical handicaps.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":39,"text":"All but a very few veterans have successfully made the transition from  military life to their home communities. The success of our veterans'  program is proved by this fact. This Nation is proud of the eagerness shown  by our veterans to become self-reliant and self-supporting citizens.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":40,"text":"Our third goal is to conserve and use our natural resources so that they  can contribute most effectively to the welfare of our people.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":41,"text":"The resources given by nature to this country are rich and extensive. The  material foundations of our growth and economic development are the bounty  of our fields, the wealth of our mines and forests, and the energy of our  waters. As a Nation, we are coming to appreciate more each day the dose  relationship between the conservation of these resources and the  preservation of our national strength.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":42,"text":"We are doing far less than we know how to do to make use of our resources  without destroying them. Both the public and private use of these resources  must have the primary objective of maintaining and increasing these basic  supports for an expanding future.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":43,"text":"We must continue to take specific steps toward this goal. We must  vigorously defend our natural wealth against those who would misuse it for  selfish gain.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":44,"text":"We need accurate and comprehensive knowledge of our mineral resources and  must intensify our efforts to develop new supplies and to acquire  stockpiles of scarce materials.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":45,"text":"We need to protect and restore our land-public and private--through  combating erosion and rebuilding the fertility of the soil.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":46,"text":"We must expand our reclamation program to bring millions of acres of arid  land into production, and to improve water supplies for additional millions  of acres. This will provide new opportunities for veterans and others,  particularly in the West, and aid in providing a rising living standard for  a growing population.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":47,"text":"We must protect and restore our forests by sustained-yield forestry and by  planting [p.5] new trees in areas now slashed and barren.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":48,"text":"We must continue to erect multiple-purpose dams on our great rivers--not  only to reclaim land, but also to prevent floods, to extend our inland  waterways and to provide hydroelectric power. This public power must not be  monopolized for private gain. Only through well-established policies of  transmitting power directly to its market and thus encouraging widespread  use at low rates can the Federal Government assure the people of their full  share of its benefits. Additional power--public and private--is needed to  raise the ceilings now imposed by power shortages on industrial and  agricultural development.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":49,"text":"We should achieve the wise use of resources through the integrated  development of our great river basins. We can learn much from our Tennessee  Valley experience. We should no longer delay in applying the lessons of  that vast undertaking to our other great river basins.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":50,"text":"Our fourth goal is to lift the standard of living for all our people by  strengthening our economic system and sharing more broadly among our people  the goods we produce.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":51,"text":"The amazing economic progress of the past 10 years points the way for the  next 10.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":52,"text":"Today 14 million more people have jobs than in 1938.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":53,"text":"Our yearly output of goods and services has increased by two-thirds.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":54,"text":"The average income of our people, measured in dollars of equal purchasing  power, has increased--after taxes--by more than 50 percent.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":55,"text":"In no other 10 years have farmers, businessmen, and wage earners made such  great gains.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":56,"text":"We may not be able to expand as rapidly in the next decade as in the last,  because we are now starting from full employment and very high production.  But we can increase our annual output by at least one-third above the  present level. We can lift our standard of living to nearly double what it  was 10 years ago.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":57,"text":"If we distribute these gains properly, we can go far toward stamping out  poverty in our generation.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":58,"text":"To do this, agriculture, business, and labor must move forward together.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":59,"text":"Permanent farm prosperity and agricultural abundance will be achieved only  as our whole economy grows and prospers. The farmer can sell more food at  good prices when the incomes of wage earners are high and when there is  full employment. Adequate diets for every American family, and the needs of  our industries at full production, will absorb a farm output well above our  present levels.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":60,"text":"Although the average farmer is now better off than ever before, farm  families as a whole have only begun to catch up with the standards of  living enjoyed in the cities. In 1946, the average income of farm people  was $779, contrasted with an average income of $1,288 for nonfarm people.  Within the next decade, we should eliminate elements of inequality in these  living standards.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":61,"text":"To this end our farm program should enable the farmer to market his varied  crops at fair price levels and to improve his standard of living.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":62,"text":"We need to continue price supports for major farm commodities on a basis  which will afford reasonable protection against fluctuations in the levels  of production and demand. The present price support program must be  reexamined and modernized.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":63,"text":"Crop insurance should be strengthened and its benefits extended in order to  protect the farmer against the special hazards to which he is subject.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":64,"text":"We also need to improve the means for getting farm products into markets  and into the hands of consumers. Cooperatives which [p.6] directly or  indirectly serve this purpose must be encouraged--not discouraged. The  school lunch program should be continued and adequately financed.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":65,"text":"We need to go forward with the rural electrification program to bring the  benefits of electricity to all our farm population.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":66,"text":"We can, and must, aid and encourage farmers to conserve their soil  resources and restore the fertility of the land that has suffered from  neglect or unwise use.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":67,"text":"All these are practical measures upon which we should act immediately to  enable agriculture to make its full contribution to our prosperity.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":68,"text":"We must also strengthen our economic system within the next decade by  enlarging our industrial capacity within the framework of our free  enterprise system.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":69,"text":"We are today far short of the industrial capacity we need for a growing  future. At least $50 billion should be invested by industry to improve and  expand our productive facilities over the next few years. But this is only  the beginning. The industrial application of atomic energy and other  scientific advances will constantly open up further opportunities for  expansion. Farm prosperity and high employment will call for an immensely  increased output of goods and services.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":70,"text":"Growth and vitality in our economy depend on vigorous private enterprise.  Free competition is the key to industrial development, full production and  employment, fair prices, and an ever improving standard of living.  Competition is seriously limited today in many industries by the  concentration of economic power and other elements of monopoly. The  appropriation of sufficient funds to permit proper enforcement of the  present antitrust laws is essential. Beyond that we should go on to  strengthen our legislation to protect competition.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":71,"text":"Another basic element of a strong economic system is the well-being of the  wage earners.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":72,"text":"We have learned that the well-being of workers depends on high production  and consequent high employment. We have learned equally well that the  welfare of industry and agriculture depends on high incomes for our  workers.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":73,"text":"The Government has wisely chosen to set a floor under wages. But our  40-cent minimum wage is inadequate and obsolete. I recommend the lifting of  the minimum wage to 75 cents an hour.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":74,"text":"In general, however, we must continue to rely on our sound system of  collective bargaining to set wage scales. Workers' incomes should increase  at a rate consistent with the maintenance of sound price, profit, and wage  relationships and with increase of productivity.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":75,"text":"The Government's part in labor-management relations is now largely  controlled by the terms of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947. I  made my attitude clear on this act in my veto message to the Congress last  June. Nothing has occurred since to change my opinion of this law. As long  as it remains the law of the land, however, I shall carry out my  constitutional duty and administer it.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":76,"text":"As we look ahead we can understand the crucial importance of restraint and  wisdom in arriving at new labor-management contracts. Work stoppages would  result in a loss of production--a loss which could bring higher prices for  our citizens and could also deny the necessities of life to the  hard-pressed peoples of other lands. It is my sincere hope that the  representatives of labor and of industry will bear in mind that the Nation  as a whole has a vital stake in the success of their bargaining efforts.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":77,"text":"If we surmount our current economic difficulties, we can move ahead to a  great increase [p.7] in our national income which will enable all our  people to enjoy richer and fuller lives.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":78,"text":"All of us must advance together. One-fifth of our families now have average  annual incomes of less than $850. We must see that our gains in national  income are made more largely available to those with low incomes, whose  need is greatest. This will benefit us all through providing a stable  foundation of buying power to maintain prosperity.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":79,"text":"Business, labor, agriculture, and Government, working together, must  develop the policies which will make possible the realization of the full  benefits of our economic system.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":80,"text":"Our fifth goal is to achieve world peace based on principles of freedom and  justice and the equality of all nations.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":81,"text":"Twice within our generation, world wars have taught us that we cannot  isolate ourselves from the rest of the world.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":82,"text":"We have learned that the loss of freedom in any area of the world means a  loss of freedom to ourselves--that the loss of independence by any nation  adds directly to the insecurity of the United States and all free nations.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":83,"text":"We have learned that a healthy world economy is essential to world  peace--that economic distress is a disease whose evil effects spread far  beyond the boundaries of the afflicted nation.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":84,"text":"For these reasons the United States is vigorously following policies  designed to achieve a peaceful and prosperous world.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":85,"text":"We are giving, and will continue to give, our full support to the United  Nations. While that organization has encountered unforeseen and unwelcome  difficulties, I am confident of its ultimate success. We are also devoting  our efforts toward world economic recovery and the revival of world trade.  These actions are closely related and mutually supporting.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":86,"text":"We believe that the United States can be an effective force for world peace  only if it is strong. We look forward to the day when nations will decrease  their armaments. Yet so long as there remains serious opposition to the  ideals of a peaceful world, we must maintain strong armed forces.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":87,"text":"The passage of the National Security Act by the Congress at its last  session was a notable step in providing for the security of this country. A  further step which I consider of even greater importance is the early  provision for universal training. There are many elements in a balanced  national security program, all interrelated and necessary, but universal  training should be the foundation for them all. A favorable decision by the  Congress at an early date is of world importance. I am convinced that such  action is vital to the security of this Nation and to the maintenance of  its leadership.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":88,"text":"The United States is engaged today in many international activities  directed toward the creation of lasting peaceful relationships among  nations.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":89,"text":"We have been giving substantial aid to Greece and Turkey to assist those  nations in preserving their integrity against foreign pressures. Had it not  been for our aid, their situation today might well be radically different.  The continued integrity of those countries will have a powerful effect upon  other nations in the Middle East and in Europe struggling to maintain their  independence while they repair the damages of war.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":90,"text":"The United States has special responsibilities with respect to the  countries in which we have occupation forces: Germany, Austria, Japan, and  Korea. Our efforts to reach agreements on peace settlements for these  countries have so far been blocked. But we [p.8] shall continue to exert  our utmost efforts to obtain satisfactory settlements for each of these  nations.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":91,"text":"Many thousands of displaced persons, still living in camps overseas, should  be allowed entry into the United States. I again urge the Congress to pass  suitable legislation at once so that this Nation may do its share in caring  for the homeless and suffering refugees of all faiths. I believe that the  admission of these persons will add to the strength and energy of this  Nation.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":92,"text":"We are moving toward our goal of world peace in many ways. But the most  important efforts which we are now making are those which support world  economic reconstruction. We are seeking to restore the world trading system  which was shattered by the war and to remedy the economic paralysis which  grips many countries.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":93,"text":"To restore world trade we have recently taken the lead in bringing about  the greatest reduction of world tariffs that the world has ever seen. The  extension of the provisions of the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act, which  made this achievement possible, is of extreme importance. We must also go  on to support the International Trade Organization, through which we hope  to obtain worldwide agreement on a code of fair conduct in international  trade.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":94,"text":"Our present major effort toward economic reconstruction is to support the  program for recovery developed by the countries of Europe. In my recent  message to the Congress, I outlined the reasons why it is wise and  necessary for the United States to extend this support.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":95,"text":"I want to reaffirm my belief in the soundness and the promise of this  proposal. When the European economy is strengthened, the product of its  industry will be of benefit to many other areas of economic distress. The  ability of free men to overcome hunger and despair will be a moral stimulus  to the entire world.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":96,"text":"We intend to work also with other nations in achieving world economic  recovery. We shall continue our cooperation with the nations of the Western  Hemisphere. A special program of assistance to China, to provide urgent  relief needs and to speed reconstruction, will be submitted to the  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":97,"text":"Unfortunately, not all governments share the hope of the people of the  United States that economic reconstruction in many areas of the world can  be achieved through cooperative effort among nations. In spite of these  differences we will go forward with our efforts to overcome economic  paralysis.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":98,"text":"No nation by itself can carry these programs to success; they depend upon  the cooperative and honest efforts of all participating countries. Yet the  leadership is inevitably ours.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":99,"text":"I consider it of the highest importance that the Congress should authorize  support for the European recovery program for the period from April 1,  1948, to June 30, 1952, with an initial amount for the first 15 months of  $6.8 billion. I urge the Congress to act promptly on this vital measure of  our foreign policy--on this decisive contribution to world peace.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":100,"text":"We are following a sound, constructive, and practical course in carrying  out our determination to achieve peace.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":101,"text":"We are fighting poverty, hunger, and suffering.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":102,"text":"This leads to peace--not war.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":103,"text":"We are building toward a world where all nations, large and small alike,  may live free from the fear of aggression. This leads to peace--not war.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":104,"text":"Above all else, we are striving to achieve a concord among the peoples of  the world based upon the dignity of the individual and the brotherhood of  man.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":105,"text":"This leads to peace--not war.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":106,"text":"We can go forward with confidence that we are following sound policies,  both at home and with other nations, which will lead us toward our great  goals for economic, social and moral achievement.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":107,"text":"As we enter the new year, we must surmount one major problem which affects  all our goals. That is the problem of inflation.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":108,"text":"Already inflation in this country is undermining the living standards of  millions of families. Food costs too much. Housing has reached fantastic  price levels. Schools and hospitals are in financial distress. Inflation  threatens to bring on disagreement and strife between labor and  management.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":109,"text":"Worst of all, inflation holds the threat of another depression, just as we  had a depression after the unstable boom following the First World War.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":110,"text":"When I announced last October that the Congress was being called into  session, I described the price increases which had taken place since June  1946. Wholesale prices had increased 40 percent; retail prices had  increased 23 percent.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":111,"text":"Since October prices have continued to rise. Wholesale prices have gone up  at an annual rate of 18 percent. Retail prices have gone up at an annual  rate of 10 percent.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":112,"text":"The events which have occurred since I presented my 10-point anti-inflation  program to the Congress in November have made it even clearer that all 10  points are essential.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":113,"text":"High prices must not be our means of rationing.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":114,"text":"We must deal effectively and at once with the high cost of living.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":115,"text":"We must stop the spiral of inflation.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":116,"text":"I trust that within the shortest possible time the Congress will make  available to the Government the weapons that are so desperately needed in  the fight against inflation.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":117,"text":"One of the most powerful anti-inflationary factors in our economy today is  the excess of Government revenues over expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":118,"text":"Government expenditures have been and must continue to be held at the  lowest safe levels. Since V-J day Federal expenditures have been sharply  reduced. They have been cut from more than $63 billion in the fiscal year  1946 to less than $38 billion in the present fiscal year. The number of  civilian employees has been cut nearly in half--from 3 3/4 million down to  2 million.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":119,"text":"On the other hand, Government revenues must not be reduced. Until inflation  has been stopped there should be no cut in taxes that is not offset by  additions at another point in our tax structure.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":120,"text":"Certain adjustments should be made within our existing tax structure that  will not affect total receipts, yet will adjust the tax burden so that  those least able to pay will have their burden lessened by the transfer of  a portion of it to those best able to pay.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":121,"text":"Many of our families today are suffering hardship because of the high cost  of living. At the same time profits of corporations have reached an  all-time record in 1947. Corporate profits total $17 billion after taxes.  This compared with $12.5 billion in 1946, the previous high year.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":122,"text":"Because of this extraordinarily high level of profits, corporations can  well afford to carry a larger share of the taxload at this time.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":123,"text":"During this period in which the high cost of living is bearing down on so  many of our families, tax adjustments should be made to ease their burden.  The low-income group particularly is being pressed very hard. To this group  a tax adjustment would result in a saving that could be used to buy the  necessities of life.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":124,"text":"I recommend therefore that, effective January 1, 1948, a cost of living tax  credit be extended to our people consisting of a credit of $40 to each  individual taxpayer and an additional credit of $40 for each dependent.  [p.10] Thus the income tax of a man with a wife and two children would be  reduced $160. The credit would be extended to all taxpayers, but it would  be particularly helpful to those in the low-income group.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":125,"text":"It is estimated that such a tax credit would reduce Federal revenue by $3.2  billion. This reduction should be made up by increasing the tax on  corporate profits in an amount that will produce this sum--with appropriate  adjustments for small corporations.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":126,"text":"This is the proper method of tax relief at this time. It gives relief to  those who need it most without cutting the total tax revenue of the  Government.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":127,"text":"When the present danger of inflation has passed we should consider tax  reduction based upon a revision of our entire tax structure.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":128,"text":"When we have conquered inflation, we shall be in a position to move forward  toward our chosen goals.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":129,"text":"As we do so, let us keep ever before us our high purposes. We are  determined that every citizen of this Nation shall have an equal right and  an equal opportunity to grow in wisdom and in stature and to take his place  in the control of his Nation's destiny.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":130,"text":"We are determined that the productive resources of this Nation shall be  used wisely and fully for the benefit of all.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":131,"text":"We are determined that the democratic faith of our people and the strength  of our resources shall contribute their full share to the attainment of  enduring peace in the world.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":132,"text":"It is our faith in human dignity that underlies these purposes. It is this  faith that keeps us a strong and vital people.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":133,"text":"This is a time to remind ourselves of these fundamentals. For today the  whole world looks to us for leadership.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":134,"text":"This is the hour to rededicate ourselves to the faith in mankind that makes  us strong.  "}
{"year":"1948","paragraph":135,"text":"This is the hour to rededicate ourselves to the faith in God that gives us  confidence as we face the challenge of the years ahead.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Congress:  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":2,"text":"I am happy to report to this 81st Congress that the state of the Union is  good. Our Nation is better able than ever before to meet the needs of the  American people, and to give them their fair chance in the pursuit of  happiness. This great Republic is foremost among the nations of the world  in the search for peace.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":3,"text":"During the last 16 years, our people have been creating a society which  offers new opportunities for every man to enjoy his share of the good  things of life.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":4,"text":"In this society, we are conservative about the values and principles which  we cherish; but we are forward-looking in protecting those values and  principles and in extending their benefits. We have rejected the  discredited theory that the fortunes of the Nation should be in the hands  of a privileged few. We have abandoned the \"trickledown\" concept of  national prosperity. Instead, we believe that our economic system should  rest on a democratic foundation and that wealth should be created for the  benefit of all.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":5,"text":"The recent election shows that the people of the United States are in favor  of this kind of society and want to go on improving it.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":6,"text":"The American people have decided that poverty is just as wasteful and just  as unnecessary as preventable disease. We have pledged our common resources  to help one another in the hazards and struggles of individual life. We  believe that no unfair prejudice or artificial distinction should bar any  citizen of the United States of America from an education, or from good  health, or from a job that he is capable of performing.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":7,"text":"The attainment of this kind of society demands the best efforts of every  citizen in every walk of life, and it imposes increasing responsibilities  on the Government.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":8,"text":"The Government must work with industry, labor, and the farmers in keeping  our economy running at full speed. The Government must see that every  American has a chance to obtain his fair share of our increasing abundance.  These responsibilities go hand in hand.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":9,"text":"We cannot maintain prosperity unless we have a fair distribution of  opportunity and a widespread consumption of the products of our factories  and farms.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":10,"text":"Our Government has undertaken to meet these responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":11,"text":"We have made tremendous public investments in highways, hydroelectric  power projects, soil conservation, and reclamation. We have established a  system of social security. We have enacted laws protecting the rights and  the welfare of our working people and the income of our farmers. These  Federal policies have paid for themselves many times over. They have  strengthened the material foundations of our democratic ideals. Without  them, our present prosperity would be impossible.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":12,"text":"Reinforced by these policies, our private enterprise system has reached new  heights of production. Since the boom year of 1929, while our population  has increased by only 20 percent, our agricultural production has increased  by 45 percent, and our industrial production has increased by 75 percent.  We are turning out far more goods and more wealth per worker than we have  ever done before.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":13,"text":"This progress has confounded the gloomy prophets--at home and abroad who  predicted the downfall of American capitalism. The people of the United  States, going their own way, confident in their own powers, have achieved  the greatest prosperity the world has even seen.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":14,"text":"But, great as our progress has been, we still have a long way to go.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":15,"text":"As we look around the country, many of our shortcomings stand out in bold  relief.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":16,"text":"We are suffering from excessively high prices.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":17,"text":"Our production is still not large enough to satisfy our demands.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":18,"text":"Our minimum wages are far too low.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":19,"text":"Small business is losing ground to growing monopoly.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":20,"text":"Our farmers still face an uncertain future. And too many of them lack the  benefits of our modern civilization.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":21,"text":"Some of our natural resources are still being wasted.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":22,"text":"We are acutely short of electric power, although the means for developing  such power are abundant.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":23,"text":"Five million families are still living in slums and firetraps. Three  million families share their homes with others.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":24,"text":"Our health is far behind the progress of medical science. Proper medical  care is so expensive that it is out of the reach of the great majority of  our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":25,"text":"Our schools, in many localities, are utterly inadequate.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":26,"text":"Our democratic ideals are often thwarted by prejudice and intolerance.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":27,"text":"Each of these shortcomings is also an opportunity-an opportunity for the  Congress and the President to work for the good of the people.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":28,"text":"Our first great opportunity is to protect our economy against the evils of  \"boom and bust.\"  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":29,"text":"This objective cannot be attained by government alone. Indeed, the greater  part of the task must be performed by individual efforts under our system  of free enterprise. We can keep our present prosperity, and increase it,  only if free enterprise and free government work together to that end.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":30,"text":"We cannot afford to float along ceaselessly on a postwar boom until it  collapses. It is not enough merely to prepare to weather a recession if it  comes. Instead, government and business must work together constantly to  achieve more and more jobs and more and more production--which mean more  and more prosperity for all the people.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":31,"text":"The business cycle is man-made; and men of good will, working together, can  smooth it out.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":32,"text":"So far as business is concerned, it should plan for steady, vigorous  expansion--seeking always to increase its output, lower its prices, and  avoid the vices of monopoly and restriction. So long as business does this,  it will be contributing to continued prosperity, and it will have the help  and encouragement of the Government.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":33,"text":"The Employment Act of 1946 pledges the Government to use all its resources  to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power. This means  that the Government is firmly committed to protect business and the people  against the dangers of recession and against the evils of inflation. This  means that the Government must adapt its plans and policies to meet  changing circumstances.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":34,"text":"At the present time, our prosperity is threatened by inflationary pressures  at a number of critical points in our economy. And the Government must be  in a position to take effective action at these danger spots. To that end,  I recommend that the Congress enact legislation for the following  purposes:  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":35,"text":"First, to continue the power to control consumer credit and enlarge the  power to control bank credit.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":36,"text":"Second, to grant authority to regulate speculation on the commodity  exchanges.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":37,"text":"Third, to continue export control authority and to provide adequate  machinery for its enforcement.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":38,"text":"Fourth, to continue the priorities and allocation authority in the field of  transportation.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":39,"text":"Fifth, to authorize priorities and allocations for key materials in short  supply.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":40,"text":"Sixth, to extend and strengthen rent control.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":41,"text":"Seventh, to provide standby authority to impose price ceilings for scarce  commodities which basically affect essential industrial production or the  cost of living, and to limit unjustified wage adjustments which would force  a break in an established price ceiling.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":42,"text":"Eighth, to authorize an immediate study of the adequacy of production  facilities for materials in critically short supply, such as steel; and, if  found necessary, to authorize Government loans for the expansion of  production facilities to relieve such shortages, and to authorize the  construction of such facilities directly, if action by private industry  fails to meet our needs.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":43,"text":"The Economic Report, which I shall submit to the Congress shortly, will  discuss in detail the economic background for these recommendations.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":44,"text":"One of the most important factors in maintaining prosperity is the  Government's fiscal policy. At this time, it is essential not only that the  Federal budget be balanced, but also that there be a substantial surplus to  reduce inflationary pressures, and to permit a sizable reduction in the  national debt, which now stands at $252 billion. I recommend, therefore,  that the Congress enact new tax legislation to bring in an additional $4  billion of Government revenue. This should come principally from additional  corporate taxes. A portion should come from revised estate and gift taxes.  Consideration should be given to raising personal income rates in the  middle and upper brackets.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":45,"text":"If we want to keep our economy running in high gear, we must be sure that  every group has the incentive to make its full contribution to the national  welfare. At present, the working men and women of the Nation are unfairly  discriminated against by a statute that abridges their rights, curtails  their constructive efforts, and hampers our system of free collective  bargaining. That statute is the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947,  sometimes called the Taft-Hartley Act.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":46,"text":"That act should be repealed!  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":47,"text":"The Wagner Act should be reenacted. However, certain improvements, which I  recommended to the Congress 2 years ago, are needed. Jurisdictional strikes  and unjustified secondary boycotts should be prohibited. The use of  economic force to decide issues arising out of the interpretation of  existing contracts should be prevented. Without endangering our democratic  freedoms, means should be provided for setting up machinery for preventing  strikes in vital industries which affect the public interest.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":48,"text":"The Department of Labor should be rebuilt and strengthened and those units  properly belonging within that department should be placed in it.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":49,"text":"The health of our economy and its maintenance at high levels further  require that the minimum wage fixed by law should be raised to at least 75  cents an hour.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":50,"text":"If our free enterprise economy is to be strong and healthy, we must  reinvigorate the forces of competition. We must assure small business the  freedom and opportunity to grow and prosper. To this purpose, we should  strengthen our antitrust laws by closing those loopholes that permit  monopolistic mergers and consolidations.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":51,"text":"Our national farm program should be improved-not only in the interest of  the farmers, but for the lasting prosperity of the whole Nation. Our goals  should be abundant farm production and parity income for agriculture.  Standards of living on the farm should be just as good as anywhere else in  the country.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":52,"text":"Farm price supports are an essential part of our program to achieve these  ends. Price supports should be used to prevent farm price declines which  are out of line with general price levels, to facilitate adjustments in  production to consumer demands, and to promote good land use. Our price  support legislation must be adapted to these objectives. The authority of  the Commodity Credit Corporation to provide adequate storage space for  crops should be restored.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":53,"text":"Our program for farm prosperity should also seek to expand the domestic  market for agricultural products, particularly among low-income groups, and  to increase and stabilize foreign markets.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":54,"text":"We should give special attention to extending modern conveniences and  services to our farms. Rural electrification should be pushed forward. And  in considering legislation relating to housing, education, health, and  social security, special attention should be given to rural problems.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":55,"text":"Our growing population and the expansion of our economy depend upon the  wise management of our land, water, forest, and mineral wealth. In our  present dynamic economy, the task of conservation is not to lockup our  resources but to develop and improve them. Failure, today, to make the  investments which are necessary to support our progress in the future would  be false economy.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":56,"text":"We must push forward the development of our rivers for power, irrigation,  navigation, and flood control. We should apply the lessons of our Tennessee  Valley experience to our other great river basins.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":57,"text":"I again recommend action be taken by the Congress to approve the St.  Lawrence Seaway and Power project. This is about the fifth time I have  recommended it.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":58,"text":"We must adopt a program for the planned use of the petroleum reserves under  the sea, which are--and must remain--vested in the Federal Government. We  must extend our programs of soil conservation. We must place our forests on  a sustained yield basis, and encourage the development of new sources of  vital minerals.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":59,"text":"In all this we must make sure that the benefits of these public  undertakings are directly available to the people. Public power should be  carried to consuming areas by public transmission lines where necessary to  provide electricity at the lowest possible rates. Irrigation waters should  serve family farms and not land speculators.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":60,"text":"The Government has still other opportunities--to help raise the standard of  living of our citizens. These opportunities lie in the fields of social  security, health, education, housing, and civil rights.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":61,"text":"The present coverage of the social security laws is altogether inadequate;  the benefit payments are too low. One-third of our workers are not covered.  Those who receive old-age and survivors insurance benefits receive an  average payment of only $25 a month. Many others who cannot work because  they are physically disabled are left to the mercy of charity. We should  expand our social security program, both as to the size of the benefits and  the extent of coverage, against the economic hazards due to unemployment,  old age, sickness, and disability.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":62,"text":"We must spare no effort to raise the general level of health in this  country. In a nation as rich as ours, it is a shocking fact that tens of  millions lack adequate medical care. We are short of doctors, hospitals,  nurses. We must remedy these shortages. Moreover, we need--and we must have  without further delay--a system of prepaid medical insurance which will  enable every American to afford good medical care.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":63,"text":"It is equally shocking that millions of our children are not receiving a  good education. Millions of them are in overcrowded, obsolete buildings. We  are short of teachers, because teachers' salaries are too low to attract  new teachers, or to hold the ones we have. All these school problems will  become much more acute as a result of the tremendous increase in the  enrollment in our elementary schools in the next few years. I cannot repeat  too strongly my desire for prompt Federal financial aid to the States to  help them operate and maintain their school systems.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":64,"text":"The governmental agency which now administers the programs of health,  education, and social security should be given full departmental status.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":65,"text":"The housing shortage continues to be acute. As an immediate step, the  Congress should enact the provisions for low-rent public housing, slum  clearance, farm housing, and housing research which I have repeatedly  recommended. The number of low-rent public housing units provided for in the  legislation should be increased to 1 million units in the next 7 years.  Even this number of units will not begin to meet our need for new housing.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":66,"text":"Most of the houses we need will have to be built by private enterprise,  without public subsidy. By producing too few rental units and too large a  proportion of high-priced houses, the building industry is rapidly pricing  itself out of the market. Building costs must be lowered.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":67,"text":"The Government is now engaged in a campaign to induce all segments of the  building industry to concentrate on the production of lower priced housing.  Additional legislation to encourage such housing will be submitted.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":68,"text":"The authority which I have requested, to allocate materials in short supply  and to impose price ceilings on such materials, could be used, if found  necessary, to channel more materials into homes large enough for family  life at prices which wage earners can afford.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":69,"text":"The driving force behind our progress is our faith in our democratic  institutions. That faith is embodied in the promise of equal rights and  equal opportunities which the founders of our Republic proclaimed to their  countrymen and to the whole world.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":70,"text":"The fulfillment of this promise is among the highest purposes of  government. The civil rights proposals I made to the 80th Congress, I now  repeat to the 81st Congress. They should be enacted in order that the  Federal Government may assume the leadership and discharge the obligations  dearly placed upon it by the Constitution.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":71,"text":"I stand squarely behind those proposals.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":72,"text":"Our domestic programs are the foundation of our foreign policy. The world  today looks to us for leadership because we have so largely realized,  within our borders, those benefits of democratic government for which most  of the peoples of the world are yearning.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":73,"text":"We are following a foreign policy which is the outward expression of the  democratic faith we profess. We are doing what we can to encourage free  states and free peoples throughout the world, to aid the suffering and  afflicted in foreign lands, and to strengthen democratic nations against  aggression.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":74,"text":"The heart of our foreign policy is peace. We are supporting a world  organization to keep peace and a world economic policy to create prosperity  for mankind. Our guiding star is the principle of international  cooperation. To this concept we have made a national commitment as profound  as anything in history.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":75,"text":"To it we have pledged our resources and our honor.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":76,"text":"Until a system of world security is established upon which we can safely  rely, we cannot escape the burden of creating and maintaining armed forces  sufficient to deter aggression. We have made great progress in the last  year in the effective organization of our Armed Forces, but further  improvements in our national security legislation are necessary. Universal  training is essential to the security of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":77,"text":"During the course of this session I shall have occasion to ask the Congress  to consider several measures in the field of foreign policy. At this time,  I recommend that we restore the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act to full  effectiveness, and extend it for 3 years. We should also open our doors to  displaced persons without unfair discrimination.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":78,"text":"It should be clear by now to all citizens that we are not seeking to freeze  the status quo. We have no intention of preserving the injustices of the  past. We welcome the constructive efforts being made by many nations to  achieve a better life for their citizens. In the European recovery program,  in our good-neighbor policy and in the United Nations, we have begun to  batter down those national walls which block the economic growth and the  social advancement of the peoples of the world.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":79,"text":"We believe that if we hold resolutely to this course, the principle of  international cooperation will eventually command the approval even of  those nations which are now seeking to weaken or subvert it.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":80,"text":"We stand at the opening of an era which can mean either great achievement  or terrible catastrophe for ourselves and for all mankind.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":81,"text":"The strength of our Nation must continue to be used in the interest of all  our people rather than a privileged few. It must continue to be used  unselfishly in the struggle for world peace and the betterment of mankind  the world over.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":82,"text":"This is the task before us.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":83,"text":"It is not an easy one. It has many complications, and there will be strong  opposition from selfish interests.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":84,"text":"I hope for cooperation from farmers, from labor, and from business. Every  segment of our population and every individual has a right to expect from  our Government a fair deal.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":85,"text":"In 1945, when I came down before the Congress for the first time on April  16, I quoted to you King Solomon's prayer that he wanted wisdom and the  ability to govern his people as they should be governed. I explained to you  at that time that the task before me was one of the greatest in the history  of the world, and that it was necessary to have the complete cooperation of  the Congress and the people of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":86,"text":"Well now, we are taking a new start with the same situation. It is  absolutely essential that your President have the complete cooperation of  the Congress to carry out the great work that must be done to keep the  peace in this world, and to keep this country prosperous.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":87,"text":"The people of this great country have a right to expect that the Congress  and the President will work in closest cooperation with one objective--the  welfare of the people of this Nation as a whole.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":88,"text":"In the months ahead I know that I shall be able to cooperate with this  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":89,"text":"Now, I am confident that the Divine Power which has guided us to this time  of fateful responsibility and glorious opportunity will not desert us now.  "}
{"year":"1949","paragraph":90,"text":"With that help from Almighty God which we have humbly acknowledged at every  turning point in our national life, we shall be able to perform the great  tasks which He now sets before us.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Congress:  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":2,"text":"A year ago I reported to this Congress that the state of the Union was  good. I am happy to be able to report to you today that the state of the  Union continues to be good. Our Republic continues to increase in the  enjoyment of freedom within its borders, and to offer strength and  encouragement to all those who love freedom throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":3,"text":"During the past year we have made notable progress in strengthening the  foundations of peace and freedom, abroad and at home.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":4,"text":"We have taken important steps in securing the North Atlantic community  against aggression. We have continued our successful support of European  recovery. We have returned to our established policy of expanding  international trade through reciprocal agreement. We have strengthened our  support of the United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":5,"text":"While great problems still confront us, the greatest danger has  receded--the possibility which faced us 3 years ago that most of Europe and  the Mediterranean area might collapse under totalitarian pressure. Today,  the free peoples of the world have new vigor and new hope for the cause of  peace.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":6,"text":"In our domestic affairs, we have made notable advances toward broader  opportunity and a better life for all our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":7,"text":"We have met and reversed the first significant downturn in economic  activity since the war. In accomplishing this, Government programs for  maintaining employment and purchasing power have been of tremendous  benefit. As the result of these programs, and the wisdom and good judgment  of our businessmen and workers, major readjustments have been made without  widespread suffering.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":8,"text":"During the past year, we have also made a good start in providing housing  for low-income groups; we have raised minimum wages; we have gone forward  with the development of our natural resources; we have given a greater  assurance of stability to the farmer; and we have improved the organization  and efficiency of our Government.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":9,"text":"Today, by the grace of God, we stand a free and prosperous nation with  greater possibilities for the future than any people ever had before in the  history of the world.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":10,"text":"We are now, in this year of 1950, nearing the midpoint of the 20th  century.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":11,"text":"The first half of this century will be known as the most turbulent and  eventful period in recorded history. The swift pace of events promises to  make the next 50 years decisive in the history of man on this planet.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":12,"text":"The scientific and industrial revolution which began two centuries ago has,  in the last 50 years, caught up the peoples of the globe in a common  destiny. Two world-shattering wars have proved that no corner of the earth  can be isolated from the affairs of mankind.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":13,"text":"The human race has reached a turning point. Man has opened the secrets of  nature and mastered new powers. If he uses them wisely, he can reach new  heights of civilization. If he uses them foolishly, they may destroy him.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":14,"text":"Man must create the moral and legal framework for the world which will  insure that his new powers are used for good and not for evil. In shaping  the outcome, the people of the United States will play a leading role.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":15,"text":"Among all the great changes that have occurred in the last 50 years, none  is more important than the change in the position of the United States in  world affairs. Fifty years ago we were a country devoted largely to our own  internal affairs. Our industry was growing, and we had new interests in the  Far East and in the Caribbean, but we were primarily concerned with the  development of vast areas of our own continental territory.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":16,"text":"Today, our population has doubled. Our national production has risen from  about $50 billion, in terms of today's prices, to the staggering figure of  $255 billion a year. We have a more productive economic system and a  greater industrial potential than any other nation on the globe. Our  standard of living is an inspiration for all other peoples. Even the  slightest changes in our economic and social life have their effect on  other countries all around the world.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":17,"text":"Our tremendous strength has brought with it tremendous responsibilities. We  have moved from the outer edge to the center of world affairs. Other  nations look to us for a wise exercise of our economic and military  strength, and for vigorous support of the ideals of representative  government and a free society. We will not fail them.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":18,"text":"Our objective in the world is peace. Our country has joined with others in  the task of achieving peace. We know now that this is not an easy task, or  a short one. But we are determined to see it through. Both of our great  political parties are committed to working together--and I am sure they  will continue to work together--to achieve this end. We are prepared to  devote our energy and our resources to this task, because we know that our  own security and the future of mankind are at stake.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":19,"text":"Right here, I want to say that no one appreciates more than I the  bipartisan cooperation in foreign affairs which has been enjoyed by this  administration.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":20,"text":"Our success in working with other nations to achieve peace depends largely  on what we do at home. We must preserve our national strength. Strength is  not simply a matter of arms and force. It is a matter of economic growth,  and social health, and vigorous institutions, public and private. We can  achieve peace only if we maintain our productive energy, our democratic  institutions, and our firm belief in individual freedom.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":21,"text":"Our surest guide in the days that lie ahead will be the spirit in which  this great Republic was rounded. We must make our decisions in the  conviction that all men are created equal, that they are equally entitled  to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that the duty of  government is to serve these ends.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":22,"text":"This country of ours has experienced many blessings, but none greater than  its dedication to these principles. At every point in our history, these  ideals have served to correct our failures and shortcomings, to spur us on  to greater efforts, and to keep clearly before us the primary purpose of  our existence as a nation. They have enshrined for us, a principle of  government, the moral imperative to do justice, and the divine command to  men to love one another.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":23,"text":"These principles give meaning to all that we do.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":24,"text":"In foreign policy, they mean that we can never be tolerant of oppression or  tyranny. They mean that we must throw our weight on the side of greater  freedom and a better life for all peoples. These principles confirm us in  carrying out the specific programs for peace which we have already begun.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":25,"text":"We shall continue to give our wholehearted support to the United Nations.  We believe that this organization can ultimately provide the framework of  international law and morality without which mankind cannot survive. It has  already set up new standards for the conduct of nations in the Declaration  of Human Rights and the Convention on Genocide. It is moving ahead to give  meaning to the concept of world brotherhood through a wide variety of  cultural, economic, and technical activities.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":26,"text":"The events of the past year again showed the value of the United Nations in  bringing about the peaceful adjustment of tense international  controversies. In Indonesia and in Palestine the efforts of the United  Nations have put a stop to bloodshed and paved the way to peaceful  settlements.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":27,"text":"We are working toward the time when the United Nations will control weapons  of mass destruction and will have the forces to preserve international law  and order. While the world remains unsettled, however, and as long as our  own security and the security of the free world require, we will maintain a  strong and well-balanced defense organization. The Selective Service System  is an essential part of our defense plans, and it must be continued.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":28,"text":"Under the principles of the United Nations Charter we must continue to  share in the common defense of free nations against aggression. At the last  session this Congress laid the basis for this joint effort. We now must put  into effect the common defense plans that are being worked out.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":29,"text":"We shall continue our efforts for world economic recovery, because world  prosperity is the only sure foundation of a permanent peace.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":30,"text":"As an immediate means to this end we must continue our support of the  European recovery program. This program has achieved great success in the  first 2 years of its operation, but it has not yet been completed. If we  were to stop this program now, or cripple it, just because it is  succeeding, we should be doing exactly what the enemies of democracy want  us to do. We should be just as foolish as a man who, for reasons of false  economy, failed to put a roof on his house after building the foundation  and the walls.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":31,"text":"World prosperity also requires that we do all we can to expand world trade.  As a major step in this direction we should promptly join the International  Trade Organization. The purpose of this organization, which the United  States has been foremost in creating, is to establish a code of fair  practice, and an international authority for adjusting differences in  international commercial relations. It is an effort to prevent the kind of  anarchy and irresponsibility in world trade which did so much to bring  about the world depression of the 1930's. An expanding world economy  requires the improvement of living standards and the development of  resources in areas where human poverty and misery now prevail. Without such  improvement the recovery of Europe and the future of our own economy will  not be secure. I urge that the Congress adopt the legislation now before it  to provide for increasing the flow of technical assistance and capital  investment in underdeveloped regions.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":32,"text":"It is more essential now than ever, if the ideals of freedom and  representative government are to prevail in these areas, and particularly  in the Far East, that their peoples experience, in their own lives, the  benefits of scientific and economic advances. This program will require the  movement of large amounts of capital from the industrial nations, and  particularly from the United States, to productive uses in the  underdeveloped areas of the world. Recent world events make prompt action  imperative.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":33,"text":"This program is in the interest of all peoples-and has nothing in common  with either the old imperialism of the last century or the new imperialism  of the Communists.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":34,"text":"Our aim for a peaceful, democratic world of free peoples will be achieved  in the long run, not by force of arms, but by an appeal to the minds and  hearts of men. If the peace policy of the democratic nations is to be  successful, they must demonstrate that the benefits of their way of life  can be increased and extended to all nations and all races.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":35,"text":"In the world today we are confronted with the danger that the rising demand  of people everywhere for freedom and a better life may be corrupted and  betrayed by the false promises of communism. In its ruthless struggle for  power, communism seizes upon our imperfections, and takes advantage of the  delays and setbacks which the democratic nations experience in their effort  to secure a better life for their citizens. This challenge to us is more  than a military challenge. It is a challenge to the honesty of our  profession of the democratic faith; it is a challenge to the efficiency and  stability of our economic system; it is a challenge to the willingness to  work with other peoples for world peace and for world prosperity.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":36,"text":"For my part I welcome that challenge. I believe that our country, at this  crucial point in world history, will meet that challenge successfully. I  believe that, in cooperation with the other free nations of the world, we  shall extend the full benefits of the democratic way of life to millions  who do not now enjoy them, and preserve mankind from dictatorship and  tyranny.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":37,"text":"I believe that we shall succeed in our struggle for this peace, because I  have seen the success we have had in our own country in following the  principles of freedom. Over the last 50 years, the ideals of liberty and  equal opportunity to which this Nation is dedicated have been increasingly  realized in the lives of our people.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":38,"text":"The ideal of equal opportunity no longer means simply the opportunity which  a man has to advance beyond his fellows. Some of our citizens do achieve  greater success than others as a reward for individual merit and effort,  and this is as it should be. At the same time our country must be more than  a land of opportunity for a select few. It must be a land of opportunity  for all of us. In such a land we can grow and prosper together.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":39,"text":"The simple truth that we can all go forward together is often questioned by  selfish or shortsighted persons. It is strange that this is so, for this  proposition is so clearly demonstrated by our national history. During the  last 50 years, for example, our Nation has grown enormously in material  well-being. This growth has come about, not by concentrating the benefits  of our progress in the hands of a few, but by increasing the wealth of the  great body of our Nation and our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":40,"text":"In the last 50 years the income of the average family has increased so  greatly that its buying power has doubled. The average hours of work have  declined from 60 to 40 a week, the whole hourly production of the average  worker has tripled. Average wages, allowing for price changes, have  increased from about 45 cents an hour to $1.40 an hour.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":41,"text":"We have accomplished what to earlier ages of mankind would have been a  miracle--we work shorter hours, we produce more, and we live better.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":42,"text":"Increasing freedom from poverty and drudgery has given a fuller meaning to  American life. Our people are better educated; we have more opportunities  for travel and recreation and enjoyment of the arts. We enjoy more personal  liberty in the United States today than ever before.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":43,"text":"If we can continue in the spirit of cooperative adventure which has marked  the recent years of our progress, we can expect further scientific  advances, further increases in our standard of living, and a still wider  enjoyment of democratic freedom.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":44,"text":"No one, of course, can foretell the future exactly. However, if we assume  that we shall grow as fast in the future as we have grown in the past, we  can get a good idea of how much our country should grow in the next 50  years.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":45,"text":"At present our total national production is $255 billion a year. Our  working population and our output per worker are increasing. If our  productive power continues to increase at the same rate as it has increased  over the past 50 years, our total national production 50 years from now  will be nearly four times as much as it is today. Allowing for the expected  growth in population, this would mean that the real income of the average  family in the year 2000 A.D. would be about three times what it is today.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":46,"text":"These are estimates of what we can do in the future, but we can reach these  heights only if we follow the right policies. We have learned by bitter  experience that progress is not automatic--that wrong policies lead to  depression and disaster. We cannot achieve these gains unless we have a  stable economy and avoid the catastrophes of boom and bust that have set us  back in the past.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":47,"text":"These gains cannot be achieved unless our businessmen maintain their spirit  of initiative and enterprise and operate in a competitive economy. They  cannot be achieved unless our workingmen and women and their unions help to  increase productivity and obtain for labor a fair share of the benefits of  our economic system. They cannot be achieved unless we have a stable and  prosperous agriculture. They cannot be achieved unless we conserve and  develop our natural resources in the public interest. Our system will not  work unless our people are healthy, well-educated, and confident of the  future. It will not work unless all citizens can participate fully in our  national life.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":48,"text":"In achieving these gains the Government has a special responsibility to  help create and maintain the conditions which will permit the growth we  know is possible. Foremost among these conditions is the need for a fair  distribution of our increasing prosperity among all the great groups of our  population who help to bring it about-labor, business, agriculture.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":49,"text":"Businessmen must continue to have the incentives necessary for investment  and for the development of new lines of enterprise. In the future growth of  this country, lie possibilities for hundreds of thousands of new and  independent businesses. As our national production increases, as it doubles  and redoubles in the next 50 years, the number of independent and competing  enterprises should also increase. If the number does not increase, our  constantly growing economy will fall under the control of a few dominant  economic groups whose powers will be so great that they will be a challenge  to democratic institutions.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":50,"text":"To avoid this danger, we must curb monopoly and provide aids to independent  business so that it may have the credit and capital to compete in a system  of free enterprise. I recommend that the Congress complete action at this  session on the pending bill to close the loopholes in the Clayton Act which  now permit monopolistic mergers. I also hope before this session is over to  transmit to the Congress a series of proposals to strengthen the  antimonopoly laws, to assist small business, and to encourage the growth of  new enterprises.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":51,"text":"In the case of labor, free collective bargaining must be protected and  encouraged. Collective bargaining is not only a fundamental economic  freedom for labor. It is also a strengthening and stabilizing influence for  our whole economy.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":52,"text":"The Federal statute now governing labor relations is punitive in purpose  and one-sided in operation. This statute is, and always has been,  inconsistent with the practice of true and effective collective bargaining.  It should be repealed and replaced by a law that is fair to all and in  harmony with our democratic ideals.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":53,"text":"A full understanding of the problems of modern labor relations is of such  importance that I recommend the establishment of a labor extension service  to encourage educational activities in this field.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":54,"text":"Another essential for our continued growth is a stable and prosperous  agriculture. For many years we have been building a program to give the  farmer a reasonable measure of protection against the special hazards to  which he is exposed. That program was improved at the last session of the  Congress. However, our farm legislation is still not adequate.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":55,"text":"Although the Congress has properly declared as a matter of national policy  that safeguards must be maintained against slumps in farm prices, there are  serious shortcomings in the methods now available for carrying out this  policy. Mandatory price supports should be provided for the commodities not  now covered which are major sources of farm income.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":56,"text":"Moreover, we should provide a method of supporting farm income at fair  levels which will, at the same time, avoid piling up unmanageable surpluses  and allow consumers to obtain the full benefit of our abundant agricultural  production. A system of production payments gives the greatest promise of  accomplishing this purpose. I recommend that the use of such a system be  authorized.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":57,"text":"One of the most important factors in our continued growth is the  construction of more good, up-to-date housing. In a country such as ours  there is no reason why decent homes should not be within the reach of all.  With the help of various Government programs we have made great progress in  the last few years in increasing the number of homes.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":58,"text":"Despite this increase, there is still an acute shortage of housing for the  lower and middle-income groups, especially in large metropolitan areas. We  have laid the groundwork for relieving the plight of lower-income families  in the Housing Act of 1949. To aid the middle-income families, I recommend  that the Congress enact new legislation authorizing a vigorous program to  help cooperatives and other nonprofit groups build housing which these  families can afford.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":59,"text":"Rent control has done a great deal to prevent the housing shortage from  having had worse effects during this postwar period of adjustment. Rent  control is still necessary to prevent widespread hardship and sharp  curtailment of the buying power of millions of consumers in metropolitan  areas. I recommend, therefore, that rent control be continued for another  year.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":60,"text":"If we are to achieve a better life for all, the natural resources of the  country must be regarded as a public trust. We must use our precious assets  of soil, water, and forest, and grassland in such a way that they become  constantly more productive and more valuable. Government investment in the  conservation and development of our resources is necessary to the future  economic expansion of the country.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":61,"text":"We need to enlarge the production and transmission of public power. That is  true not only in those regions which have already received great benefits  from Federal power projects, but also in regions such as New England where  the benefits of large-scale public power development have not yet been  experienced.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":62,"text":"In our hydroelectric and irrigation undertakings, as well as in our other  resource programs, we must continue policies to assure that their benefits  will be spread among the many and not restricted to the favored few.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":63,"text":"Important resource legislation which should be passed at this session  includes the authorization of the St. Lawrence seaway and power project and  the establishment of the Columbia Valley Administration--the establishment  of the Columbia Valley Administration, I don't want you to miss that.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":64,"text":"Through wise Government policies and Government expenditures for the  conservation and development of our natural resources, we can be sure of  transmitting to our children and our children's children a country far  richer and more productive than the one we know today.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":65,"text":"The value of our natural resources is constantly being increased by the  progress of science. Research is finding new ways of using such natural  assets as minerals, sea water, and plant life. In the peaceful development  of atomic energy, particularly, we stand on the threshold of new wonders.  The first experimental machines for producing useful power from atomic  energy are now under construction. We have made only the first beginnings  in this field, but in the perspective of history they may loom larger than  the first airplane, or even the first tools that started man on the road to  civilization.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":66,"text":"To take full advantage of the increasing possibilities of nature we must  equip ourselves with increasing knowledge. Government has a responsibility  to see that our country maintains its position in the advance of science.  As a step toward this end, the Congress should complete action on the  measure to create a National Science Foundation.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":67,"text":"Another duty of the Government is to promote the economic security, the  health, and the education of its citizens. By so doing, we strengthen both  our economy and the structure of our society. In a nation as rich as ours,  all citizens should be able to live in decency and health.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":68,"text":"Our Social Security System should be developed into the main reliance of  our people for basic protection against the economic hazards of old-age,  unemployment, and illness. I earnestly hope that the Congress will complete  action at this session on legislation to increase the benefits and extend  the coverage of old-age and survivors' insurance. The widespread movement  to provide pensions in private industry dramatizes the need for  improvements in the public insurance system.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":69,"text":"I also urge that the Congress strengthen our unemployment compensation law  to meet present-day needs more adequately. The economic downturn of the  past year was the first real test that our system of unemployment insurance  has had to meet. That test has proved the wisdom of the system, but it has  also made strikingly apparent the need for improving its operation and  increasing its coverage and its benefits.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":70,"text":"In the field of health there are immense opportunities to extend to more of  our people the benefits of the amazing advances in medical science. We have  made a good beginning in expanding our hospitals, but we must also go on to  remedy the shortages of doctors, nurses, and public health services, and to  establish a system of medical insurance which will enable all Americans to  afford good medical care.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":71,"text":"We must take immediate steps to strengthen our educational system. In many  parts of our country, young people are being handicapped for life because  of a poor education. The rapidly increasing number of children of school  age, coupled with the shortage of qualified teachers, makes this problem  more critical each year. I believe that the Congress should no longer delay  in providing Federal assistance to the States so that they can maintain  adequate schools.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":72,"text":"As we go forward in achieving greater economic security and greater  opportunity for all our people, we should make every effort to extend the  benefits of our democratic institutions to every citizen. The religious  ideals which we profess, and the heritage of freedom which we have received  from the past, clearly place that duty upon us. I again urge the Congress  to enact the civil rights proposals I made in February 1948. These  proposals are for the enactment of Federal statutes which will protect all  our people in the exercise of their democratic rights and their search for  economic opportunity, grant statehood to Alaska and Hawaii, provide a  greater measure of self-government for our island possessions, and accord  home rule to the District of Columbia. Some of those proposals have been  before the Congress for a long time. Those who oppose them, as well as  those who favor them, should recognize that it is the duty of the elected  representatives of the people to let these proposals come to a vote.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":73,"text":"Our democratic ideals, as well as our best interests, require that we do  our fair share in providing homes for the unfortunate victims of war and  tyranny. In so doing, we shall add strength to our democracy through the  abilities and skills which these men and women will bring here. I urge the  prompt enactment by the Congress of the legislation now before it to extend  and broaden the existing displaced persons law and remove its  discriminatory features.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":74,"text":"The measures I am recommending to the Congress concerning both our foreign  and our domestic policies represent a carefully considered program to meet  our national needs. It is a program which necessarily requires large  expenditures of funds. More than 70 percent of the Government's  expenditures are required to meet the costs of past wars and to work for  world peace. This is the dominant factor in our fiscal policy. At the same  time, the Government must make substantial expenditures which are necessary  to the growth and expansion of the domestic economy.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":75,"text":"At present, largely because of the ill-considered tax reduction of the Both  Congress, the Government is not receiving enough revenue to meet its  necessary expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":76,"text":"To meet this situation, I am proposing that Federal expenditures be held to  the lowest levels consistent with our international requirements and the  essential needs of economic growth, and the well-being of our people. I  think I had better read that over; you interrupted me in the middle.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":77,"text":"To meet this situation, I am proposing that Federal expenditures be held to  the lowest levels consistent with our international requirements and the  essential needs of economic growth, and the well-being of our people. Don't  forget that last phrase. At the same time, we must guard against the folly  of attempting budget slashes which would impair our prospects for peace or  cripple the programs essential to our national strength.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":78,"text":"The budget recommendations I shall shortly transmit to the Congress show  that we can expect a substantial improvement in our fiscal position over  the next few years, as the cost of some of our extraordinary postwar  programs declines, and as the Government revenue rises as a result of  growth in employment and national income. To further improve our fiscal  outlook, we should make some changes in our tax system which will reduce  present inequities, stimulate business activity, and yield a moderate  amount of additional revenue. I expect to transmit specific recommendations  to the Congress on this subject at a very early date.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":79,"text":"The fiscal policy I am recommending is the quickest and safest way of  achieving a balanced budget.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":80,"text":"As we move forward into the second half of the 20th century, we must always  bear in mind the central purpose of our national life. We do not seek  material prosperity for ourselves because we love luxury; we do not aid  other nations because we wish to increase our power. We have not devised  programs for the security and well-being of our people because we are  afraid or unwilling to take risks. This is not the meaning of our past  history or our present course.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":81,"text":"We work for a better life for all, so that all men may put to good use the  great gifts with which they have been endowed by their Creator. We seek to  establish those material conditions of life in which, without exception,  men may live in dignity, perform useful work, serve their communities, and  worship God as they see fit.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":82,"text":"These may seem simple goals, but they are not little ones. They are worth a  great deal more than all the empires and conquests of history. They are not  to be achieved by military aggression or political fanaticism. They are to  be achieved by humbler means-by hard work, by a spirit of self-restraint in  our dealings with one another, and by a deep devotion to the principles of  justice and equality.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":83,"text":"It should make us truly thankful, as we look back to the beginnings of this  country, that we have come so far along the road to a better life for all.  It should make us humble to think, as we look ahead, how much farther we  have to go to accomplish, at home and abroad, the objectives that were set  out for us at the founding of this great Nation.  "}
{"year":"1950","paragraph":84,"text":"As we approach the halfway mark of the 20th century, we should ask for  continued strength and guidance from that Almighty Power who has placed  before us such great opportunities for the good of mankind in the years to  come.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Congress:  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":2,"text":"This 82d Congress faces as grave a task as any Congress in the history of  our Republic. The actions you take will be watched by the whole world.  These actions will measure the ability of a free people, acting through  their chosen representatives and their free institutions, to meet a deadly  challenge to their way of life.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":3,"text":"We can meet this challenge foolishly or wisely. We can meet it timidly or  bravely, shamefully or honorably.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":4,"text":"I know that the 82d Congress will meet this challenge in a way worthy of  our great heritage. I know that your debates will be earnest, responsible,  constructive, and to the point. I know that from these debates there will  come the great decisions needed to carry us forward.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":5,"text":"At this critical time, I am glad to say that our country is in a healthy  condition. Our democratic institutions are sound and strong. We have more  men and women at work than ever before. We are able to produce more than  ever before--in fact, far more than any country ever produced in the  history of the world.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":6,"text":"I am confident that we can succeed in the great task that lies before us.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":7,"text":"We will succeed, but we must all do our part. We must all act together as  citizens of this great Republic.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":8,"text":"As we meet here today, American soldiers are fighting a bitter campaign in  Korea. We pay tribute to their courage, devotion, and gallantry.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":9,"text":"Our men are fighting, alongside their United Nations allies, because they  know, as we do, that the aggression in Korea is part of the attempt of the  Russian Communist dictatorship to take over the world, step by step.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":10,"text":"Our men are fighting a long way from home, but they are fighting for our  lives and our liberties. They are fighting to protect our right to meet  here today--our right to govern ourselves as a free nation.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":11,"text":"The threat of world conquest by Soviet Russia endangers our liberty and  endangers the kind of world in which the free spirit of man can survive.  This threat is aimed at all peoples who strive to win or defend their own  freedom and national independence.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":12,"text":"Indeed, the state of our Nation is in great part the state of our friends  and allies throughout the world. The gun that points at them points at us,  also. The threat is a total threat and the danger is a common danger.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":13,"text":"All free nations are exposed and all are in peril. Their only security lies  in banding together. No one nation can find protection in a selfish search  for a safe haven from the storm.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":14,"text":"The free nations do not have any aggressive purpose. We want only peace in  the world--peace for all countries. No threat to the security of any nation  is concealed in our plans and programs.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":15,"text":"We had hoped that the Soviet Union, with its security assured by the  Charter of the United Nations, would be willing to live and let live. But I  am sorry to say that has not been the case.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":16,"text":"The imperialism of the czars has been replaced by the even more ambitious,  more crafty, and more menacing imperialism of the rulers of the Soviet  Union.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":17,"text":"This new imperialism has powerful military forces. It is keeping millions  of men under arms. It has a large air force and a strong submarine force.  It has complete control of the men and equipment of its satellites. It has  kept its subject peoples and its economy in a state of perpetual  mobilization.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":18,"text":"The present rulers of the Soviet Union have shown that they are willing to  use this power to destroy the free nations and win domination over the  whole world.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":19,"text":"The Soviet imperialists have two ways of going about their destructive  work. They use the method of subversion and internal revolution, and they  use the method of external aggression. In preparation for either of these  methods of attack, they stir up class strife and disorder. They encourage  sabotage. They put out poisonous propaganda. They deliberately try to  prevent economic improvement.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":20,"text":"If their efforts are successful, they foment a revolution, as they did in  Czechoslovakia and China, and as they tried, unsuccessfully, to do in  Greece. If their methods of subversion are blocked, and if they think they  can get away with outright warfare, they resort to external aggression.  This is what they did when they loosed the armies of their puppet states  against the Republic of Korea, in an evil war by proxy.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":21,"text":"We of the free world must be ready to meet both of these methods of Soviet  action. We must not neglect one or the other.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":22,"text":"The free world has power and resources to meet these two forms of  aggression--resources that are far greater than those of the Soviet  dictatorship. We have skilled and vigorous peoples, great industrial  strength, and abundant sources of raw materials. And above all, we cherish  liberty. Our common ideals are a great part of our strength. These ideals  are the driving force of human progress.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":23,"text":"The free nations believe in the dignity and the worth of man.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":24,"text":"We believe in independence for all nations.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":25,"text":"We believe that free and independent nations can band together into a world  order based on law. We have laid the cornerstone of such a peaceful world  in the United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":26,"text":"We believe that such a world order can and should spread the benefits of  modern science and industry, better health and education, more food and  rising standards of living--throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":27,"text":"These ideals give our cause a power and vitality that Russian communism can  never command.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":28,"text":"The free nations, however, are bound together by more than ideals. They are  a real community bound together also by the ties of self-interest and  self-preservation. If they should fall apart, the results would be fatal to  human freedom.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":29,"text":"Our own national security is deeply involved with that of the other free  nations. While they need our support, we equally need theirs. Our national  safety would be gravely prejudiced if the Soviet Union were to succeed in  harnessing to its war machine the resources and the manpower of the free  nations on the borders of its empire.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":30,"text":"If Western Europe were to fall to Soviet Russia, it would double the Soviet  supply of coal and triple the Soviet supply of steel. If the free countries  of Asia and Africa should fall to Soviet Russia, we would lose the sources  of many of our most vital raw materials, including uranium, which is the  basis of our atomic power. And Soviet command of the manpower of the free  nations of Europe and Asia would confront us with military forces which we  could never hope to equal.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":31,"text":"In such a situation, the Soviet Union could impose its demands on the  world, without resort to conflict, simply through the preponderance of its  economic and military power. The Soviet Union does not have to attack the  United States to secure domination of the world. It can achieve its ends by  isolating us and swallowing up all our allies. Therefore, even if we were  craven enough I do not believe we could be--but, I say, even if we were  craven enough to abandon our ideals, it would be disastrous for us to  withdraw from the community of free nations.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":32,"text":"We are the most powerful single member of this community, and we have a  special responsibility. We must take the leadership in meeting the  challenge to freedom and in helping to protect the rights of independent  nations.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":33,"text":"This country has a practical, realistic program of action for meeting this  challenge.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":34,"text":"First, we shall have to extend economic assistance, where it can be  effective. The best way to stop subversion by the Kremlin is to strike at  the roots of social injustice and economic disorder. People who have jobs,  homes, and hopes for the future will defend themselves against the  underground agents of the Kremlin. Our programs of economic aid have done  much to turn back Communism,  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":35,"text":"In Europe the Marshall plan has had an electrifying result. As European  recovery progressed, the strikes led by the Kremlin's agents in Italy and  France failed. All over Western Europe the Communist Party took worse and  worse beatings at the polls.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":36,"text":"The countries which have received Marshall plan aid have been able, through  hard work, to expand their productive strength-in many cases, to levels  higher than ever before in their history. Without this strength they would  be completely incapable of defending themselves today. They are now ready  to use this strength in helping to build a strong combined defense against  aggression.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":37,"text":"We shall need to continue some economic aid to European countries. This aid  should now be specifically related to the building of their defenses.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":38,"text":"In other parts of the world our economic assistance will need to be more  broadly directed toward economic development. In the Near East, in Africa,  in Asia, we must do what we can to help people who are striving to advance  from misery, poverty, and hunger. We must also continue to help the  economic growth of our good neighbors in this hemisphere. These actions  will bring greater strength for the free world. They will give many people  a real stake in the future and reason to defend their freedom. They will  mean increased production of goods they need and materials we need.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":39,"text":"Second, we shall need to continue our military assistance to countries  which want to defend themselves.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":40,"text":"The heart of our common defense effort is the North Atlantic community. The  defense of Europe is the basis for the defense of the whole free  world--ourselves included. Next to the United States, Europe is the largest  workshop in the world. It is also a homeland of the great religious beliefs  shared by many of our citizens beliefs which are now threatened by the tide  of atheistic communism.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":41,"text":"Strategically, economically, and morally, the defense of Europe is a part  of our own defense. That is why we have joined with the countries of Europe  in the North Atlantic Treaty, pledging ourselves to work with them.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":42,"text":"There has been much discussion recently over whether the European countries  are willing to defend themselves. Their actions are answering this  question.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":43,"text":"Our North Atlantic Treaty partners have strict systems of universal  military training. Several have recently increased the term of service. All  have taken measures to improve the quality of training. Forces are being  trained and expanded as rapidly as the necessary arms and equipment can be  supplied from their factories and ours. Our North Atlantic Treaty partners,  together, are building armies bigger than our own.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":44,"text":"None of the North Atlantic Treaty countries, including our own country, has  done enough yet. But real progress is being made. Together, we have worked  out defense plans. The military leaders of our own country took part in  working out these plans, and are agreed that they are sound and within our  capabilities.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":45,"text":"To put these plans into action, we sent to Europe last week one of our  greatest military commanders, General Dwight D. Eisenhower.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":46,"text":"General Eisenhower went to Europe to assume command of the united forces of  the North Atlantic Treaty countries, including our own forces in Germany.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":47,"text":"The people of Europe have confidence in General Eisenhower. They know his  ability to put together a fighting force of allies. His mission is vital to  our security. We should all stand behind him, and give him every bit of  help we can.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":48,"text":"Part of our job will be to reinforce the military strength of our European  partners by sending them weapons and equipment as our military production  expands.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":49,"text":"Our program of military assistance extends to the nations in the Near East  and the Far East which are trying to defend their freedom. Soviet communism  is trying to make these nations into colonies, and to use their people as  cannon fodder in new wars of conquest. We want their people to be free men  and to enjoy peace.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":50,"text":"Our country has always stood for freedom for the peoples of Asia. Long,  long ago it stood for the freedom of the peoples of Asia. Our history shows  this. We have demonstrated it in the Philippines. We have demonstrated it  in our relations with Indonesia, India, and with China. We hope to join in  restoring the people of Japan to membership in the community of free  nations.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":51,"text":"It is in the Far East that we have taken up arms, under the United Nations,  to preserve the principle of independence for free nations. We are fighting  to keep the forces of Communist aggression from making a slave state out of  Korea.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":52,"text":"Korea has tremendous significance for the world. It means that free  nations, acting through the United Nations, are fighting together against  aggression.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":53,"text":"We will understand the importance of this best if we look back into  history. If the democracies had stood up against the invasion of Manchuria  in 1931, or the attack on Ethiopia in 1935, or the seizure of Austria in  1938, if they had stood together against aggression on those occasions as  the United Nations has done in Korea, the whole history of our time would  have been different.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":54,"text":"The principles for which we are fighting in Korea are right and just. They  are the foundations of collective security and of the future of free  nations. Korea is not only a country undergoing the torment of aggression;  it is also a symbol. It stands for right and justice in the world against  oppression and slavery. The free world must always stand for these  principles--and we will stand with the free world.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":55,"text":"As the third part of our program, we will continue to work for peaceful  settlements in international disputes. We will support the United Nations  and remain loyal to the great principles of international cooperation laid  down in its charter.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":56,"text":"We are willing, as we have always been, to negotiate honorable settlements  with the Soviet Union. But we will not engage in appeasement.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":57,"text":"The Soviet rulers have made it clear that we must have strength as well as  right on our side. If we build our strength--and we are building it--the  Soviet rulers may face the facts and lay aside their plans to take over the  world.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":58,"text":"That is what we hope will happen, and that is what we are trying to bring  about. That is the only realistic road to peace.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":59,"text":"These are the main elements of the course our Nation must follow as a  member of the community of free nations. These are the things we must do to  preserve our security and help create a peaceful world. But they will be  successful only if we increase the strength of our own country.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":60,"text":"Here at home we have some very big jobs to do. We are building much  stronger military forces--and we are building them fast. We are preparing  for full wartime mobilization, if that should be necessary. And we are  continuing to build a strong and growing economy, able to maintain whatever  effort may be required for as long as necessary.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":61,"text":"We are building our own Army, Navy, and Air Force to an active strength of  nearly 3 1/2 million men and women. We are stepping up the training of the  reserve forces, and establishing more training facilities, so that we can  rapidly increase our active forces far more on short notice.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":62,"text":"We are going to produce all the weapons and equipment that such an armed  force will need. Furthermore, we will make weapons for our allies, and  weapons for our own reserve supplies. On top of this, we will build the  capacity to turn out on short notice arms and supplies that may be needed  for a full-scale war.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":63,"text":"Fortunately, we have a good start on this because of our enormous plant  capacity and because of the equipment on hand from the last war. For  example, many combat ships are being returned to active duty from the  \"mothball fleet\" and many others can be put into service on very short  notice. We have large reserves of arms and ammunition and thousands of  workers skilled in arms production.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":64,"text":"In many cases, however, our stocks of weapons are low. In other cases,  those on hand are not the most modern. We have made remarkable technical  advances. We have developed new types of jet planes and powerful new tanks.  We are concentrating on producing the newest types of weapons and producing  them as fast as we can.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":65,"text":"This production drive is more selective than the one we had during World  War II, but it is just as urgent and intense. It is a big program and it is  a costly one.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":66,"text":"Let me give you two concrete examples. Our present program calls for  expanding the aircraft industry so that it will have the capacity to  produce 50,000 modern military planes a year. We are preparing the capacity  to produce 35,000 tanks a year. We are not now ordering that many planes or  that many tanks, and we hope that we never have to, but we mean to be able  to turn them out if we need them.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":67,"text":"The planes we are producing now are much bigger, much better, and much more  expensive than the planes we had during the last war.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":68,"text":"We used to think that the B-17 was a huge plane, and the blockbuster it  carried a huge load. But the B-36 can carry five of these blockbusters in  its belly, and it can carry them five times as far. Of course, the B-36 is  much more complicated to build than the B-17, and far more expensive. One  B-17 costs $275,000, while now one B-36 costs $3 1/2 million.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":69,"text":"I ask you to remember that what we are doing is to provide the best and  most modern military equipment in the world for our fighting forces.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":70,"text":"This kind of defense production program has two parts.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":71,"text":"The first part is to get our defense production going as fast as possible.  We have to convert plants and channel materials to defense production. This  means heavy cuts in civilian uses of copper, aluminum, rubber, and other  essential materials. It means shortages in various consumer goods.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":72,"text":"The second part is to increase our capacity to produce and to keep our  economy strong for the long pull. We do not know how long Communist  aggression will threaten the world.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":73,"text":"Only by increasing our output can we carry the burden of preparedness for  an indefinite period in the future. This means that we will have to build  more power plants and more steel mills, grow more cotton, mine more copper,  and expand our capacity in many other ways.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":74,"text":"The Congress will need to consider legislation, at this session, affecting  all the aspects of our mobilization job. The main subjects on which  legislation will be needed are:  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":75,"text":"First, appropriations for our military buildup.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":76,"text":"Second, extension and revision of the Selective Service Act.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":77,"text":"Third, military and economic aid to help build up the strength of the free  world.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":78,"text":"Fourth, revision and extension of the authority to expand production and to  stabilize prices, wages, and rents.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":79,"text":"Fifth, improvement of our agricultural laws to help obtain the kinds of  farm products we need for the defense effort.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":80,"text":"Sixth, improvement of our labor laws to help provide stable  labor-management relations and to make sure that we have steady production  in this emergency.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":81,"text":"Seventh, housing and training of defense workers and the full use of all  our manpower resources.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":82,"text":"Eighth, means for increasing the supply of doctors, nurses, and other  trained medical personnel critically needed for the defense effort.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":83,"text":"Ninth, aid to the States to meet the most urgent needs of our elementary  and secondary schools. Some of our plans will have to be deferred for the  time being. But we should do all we can to make sure our children are being  trained as good and useful citizens in the critical times ahead.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":84,"text":"Tenth, a major increase in taxes to meet the cost of the defense effort.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":85,"text":"The Economic Report and the Budget Message will discuss these subjects  further. In addition, I shall send to the Congress special messages  containing detailed recommendations on legislation needed at this Session.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":86,"text":"In the months ahead the Government must give priority to activities that  are urgent--like military procurement and atomic energy and power  development. It must practice rigid economy in its nondefense activities.  Many of the things we would normally do must be curtailed or postponed.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":87,"text":"But in a long-term defense effort like this one, we cannot neglect the  measures needed to maintain a strong economy and a healthy democratic  society.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":88,"text":"The Congress, therefore, should give continued attention to the measures  which our country will need for the long pull. And it should act upon such  legislation as promptly as circumstances permit.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":89,"text":"To take just one example--we need to continue and complete the work of  rounding out our system of social insurance. We still need to improve our  protection against unemployment and old age. We still need to provide  insurance against the loss of earnings through sickness, and against the  high costs of modern medical care.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":90,"text":"And above all, we must remember that the fundamentals of our strength rest  upon the freedoms of our people. We must continue our efforts to achieve  the full realization of our democratic ideals. We must uphold the freedom  of speech and the freedom of conscience in our land. We must assure equal  rights and equal opportunities to all our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":91,"text":"As we go forward this year in the defense of freedom, let us keep dearly  before us the nature of our present effort.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":92,"text":"We are building up our strength, in concert with other free nations, to  meet the danger of aggression that has been turned loose on the world. The  strength of the free nations is the world's best hope of peace.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":93,"text":"I ask the Congress for unity in these crucial days.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":94,"text":"Make no mistake about my meaning. I do not ask, or expect, unanimity. I do  not ask for an end to debate. Only by debate can we arrive at decisions  which are wise, and which reflect the desires of the American people. We do  not have a dictatorship in this country, and we never will have one in this  country.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":95,"text":"When I request unity, what I am really asking for is a sense of  responsibility on the part of every Member of this Congress. Let us debate  the issues, but let every man among us weigh his words and his deeds. There  is a sharp difference between harmful criticism and constructive criticism.  If we are truly responsible as individuals, I am sure that we will be  unified as a government.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":96,"text":"Let us keep our eyes on the issues and work for the things we all believe  in.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":97,"text":"Let each of us put our country ahead of our party, and ahead of our own  personal interests.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":98,"text":"I had the honor to be a Member of the Senate during World War II, and I  know from experience that unity of purpose and of effort is possible in the  Congress without any lessening of the vitality of our two-party system.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":99,"text":"Let us all stand together as Americans. Let us stand together with all men  everywhere who believe in human liberty.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":100,"text":"Peace is precious to us. It is the way of life we strive for with all the  strength and wisdom we possess. But more precious than peace are freedom  and justice. We will fight, if fight we must, to keep our freedom and to  prevent justice from being destroyed.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":101,"text":"These are the things that give meaning to our lives, and which we  acknowledge to be greater than ourselves.  "}
{"year":"1951","paragraph":102,"text":"This is our cause--peace, freedom, justice. We will pursue this cause with  determination and humility, asking divine guidance that in all we do we may  follow the will of God.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Congress:  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":2,"text":"I have the honor to report to the Congress on the state of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":3,"text":"At the outset, I should like to speak of the necessity for putting first  things first as we work together this year for the good of our country.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":4,"text":"The United States and the whole free world are passing through a period of  grave danger. Every action you take here in Congress, and every action that  I take as President, must be measured against the test of whether it helps  to meet that danger.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":5,"text":"This will be a presidential election year-the year in which politics plays  a large part in our lives--a larger part than usual. That is perfectly  proper. But we have a greater responsibility to conduct our political  fights in a manner that does not harm the national interest.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":6,"text":"We can find plenty of things to differ about without destroying our free  institutions and without abandoning our bipartisan foreign policy for  peace.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":7,"text":"When everything is said and done, all of us--Republicans and Democrats  alike--all of us are Americans; and we are all going to sink or swim  together.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":8,"text":"We are moving through a perilous time. Faced with a terrible threat of  aggression, our Nation has embarked upon a great effort to help establish  the kind of world in which peace shall be secure. Peace is our goal-not  peace at any price, but a peace based on freedom and justice. We are now in  the midst of our effort to reach that goal. On the whole, we have been  doing very well.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":9,"text":"Last year, 1951, was a year in which we threw back aggression, added  greatly to our military strength, and improved the chances for peace and  freedom in many parts of the world.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":10,"text":"This year, 1952, is a critical year in the defense effort of the whole free  world. If we falter we can lose all the gains we have made. If we drive  ahead, with courage and vigor and determination, we can by the end of 1952  be in a position of much greater security. The way will be dangerous for  the years ahead, but if we put forth our best efforts this year--and next  year--we can be \"over the hump\" in our effort to build strong defenses.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":11,"text":"When we look at the record of the past year, 1951, we find important things  on both the credit and the debit side of the ledger. We have made great  advances. At the same time we have run into new problems which must be  overcome.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":12,"text":"Now let us look at the credit side first.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":13,"text":"Peace depends upon the free nations sticking together, and making a  combined effort to check aggression and prevent war. In this respect, 1951  was a year of great achievement.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":14,"text":"In Korea the forces of the United Nations turned hack the Chinese Communist  invasion-and did it without widening the area of conflict. The action of  the United Nations in Korea has been a powerful deterrent to a third world  war. However, the situation in Korea remains very hazardous. The outcome of  the armistice negotiation still remains uncertain.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":15,"text":"In Indochina and Malaya, our aid has helped our allies to hold back the  Communist advance, although there are signs of further trouble in that  area.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":16,"text":"In 1951 we strengthened the chances of peace in the Pacific region by the  treaties with Japan and the defense arrangements with Australia, New  Zealand, and the Philippines.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":17,"text":"In Europe combined defense has become a reality. The free nations have  created a real fighting force. This force is not yet as strong as it needs  to be; but it is already a real obstacle to any attempt by hostile forces  to sweep across Europe to the Atlantic.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":18,"text":"In 1951 we also moved to strengthen the security of Europe by the agreement  to bring Greece and Turkey into the North Atlantic Treaty.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":19,"text":"The United Nations, the world's greatest hope for peace, has come through a  year of trial stronger and more useful than ever. The free nations have  stood together in blocking Communist attempts to tear up the charter.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":20,"text":"At the present session of the United Nations in Paris, we, together with  the British and the French, offered a plan to reduce and control all  armaments under a foolproof inspection system. This is a concrete,  practical proposal for disarmament.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":21,"text":"But what happened? Vishinsky laughed at it. Listen to what he said: \"I  could hardly sleep at all last night .... I could not sleep because I kept  laughing.\" The world will be a long time forgetting the spectacle of that  fellow laughing at disarmament.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":22,"text":"Disarmament is not a joke. Vishinsky's laughter met with shock and anger  from the people all over the world. And, as a result, Mr. Stalin's  representative received orders to stop laughing and start talking.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":23,"text":"If the Soviet leaders were to accept this proposal, it would lighten the  burden of armaments, and permit the resources of the earth to be devoted to  the good of mankind. But until the Soviet Union accepts a sound disarmament  proposal, and joins in peaceful settlements, we have no choice except to  build up our defenses.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":24,"text":"During this past year we added more than a million men and women to our  Armed Forces. The total is now nearly 3 1/2 million. We have made rapid  progress in the field of atomic weapons. We have turned out billion worth  of military supplies and equipment, three times as much as the year  before.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":25,"text":"Economic conditions in the country are good. There are 61 million people on  the job; wages, farm incomes, and business profits are at high levels.  Total production of goods and services in our country has increased 8  percent over last year--about twice the normal rate of growth.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":26,"text":"Perhaps the most amazing thing about our economic progress is the way we  are increasing our basic capacity to produce. For example, we are now in  the second year of a 3-year program which will double our output of  aluminum, increase our electric power supply by 40 percent, and increase  our steelmaking capacity by 15 percent. We can then produce 120 million  tons of steel a year, as much as all the rest of the world put together.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":27,"text":"This expansion will mean more jobs and higher standards of living for all  of us in the years ahead. At the present time it means greater strength for  us and for the rest of the free world in the fight for peace.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":28,"text":"Now, I must turn to the debit side of the ledger for the past year.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":29,"text":"The outstanding fact to note on the debit side of the ledger is that the  Soviet Union, in 1951, continued to expand its military production and  increase its already excessive military power.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":30,"text":"It is true that the Soviets have run into increasing difficulties. Their  hostile policies have awakened stern resistance among free men throughout  the world. And behind the Iron Curtain the Soviet rule of force has created  growing political and economic stresses in the satellite nations.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":31,"text":"Nevertheless, the grim fact remains that the Soviet Union is increasing its  armed might. It is still producing more war planes than the free nations.  It has set off two more atomic explosions. The world still walks in the  shadow of another world war.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":32,"text":"And here at home, our defense preparations are far from complete.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":33,"text":"During 1951 we did not make adequate progress in building up civil defense  against atomic attack. This is a major weakness in our plans for peace,  since inadequate civilian defense is an open invitation to a surprise  attack. Failure to provide adequate civilian defense has the same effect as  adding to the enemy's supply of atomic bombs.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":34,"text":"In the field of defense production we have run into difficulties and delays  in designing and producing the latest types of airplanes and tanks. Some  machine tools and metals are still in extremely short supply.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":35,"text":"In other free countries the defense buildup has created severe economic  problems. It has increased inflation in Europe and has endangered the  continued recovery of our allies.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":36,"text":"In the Middle East political tensions and the oil controversy in Iran are  keeping the region in a turmoil. In the Far East the dark threat of  Communist imperialism still hangs over many nations.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":37,"text":"This, very briefly, is the good side and the bad side of the picture.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":38,"text":"Taking the good and bad together, we have made real progress this last year  along the road to peace. We have increased the power and unity of the free  world. And while we were doing this, we have avoided world war on the one  hand, and appeasement on the other. This is a hard road to follow, but the  events of the last year show that it is the right road to peace.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":39,"text":"We cannot expect to complete the job overnight. The free nations may have  to maintain for years the larger military forces needed to deter  aggression. We must build steadily, over a period of years, toward  political solidarity and economic progress among the free nations in all  parts of the world.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":40,"text":"Our task will not be easy; but if we go at it with a will, we can look  forward to steady progress. On our side are all the great resources of  freedom--the ideals of religion and democracy, the aspiration of people for  a better life, and the industrial and technical power of a free  civilization.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":41,"text":"These advantages outweigh anything the slave world can produce. The only  thing that can defeat us is our own state of mind. We can lose if we  falter.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":42,"text":"The middle period of a great national effort like this is a very difficult  time. The way seems long and hard. The goal seems far distant. Some people  get discouraged. That is only natural.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":43,"text":"But if there are any among us who think we ought to ease up in the fight  for peace, I want to remind them of three things--just three things.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":44,"text":"First: The threat of world war is still very real. We had one Pearl  Harbor--let's not get caught off guard again. If you don't think the threat  of Communist armies is real, talk to some of our men back from Korea.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":45,"text":"Second: If the United States had to try to stand alone against a  Soviet-dominated world, it would destroy the life we know and the ideals we  hold dear. Our allies are essential to us, just as we are essential to  them. The more shoulders there are to bear the burden the lighter that  burden will be.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":46,"text":"Third: The things we believe in most deeply are under relentless attack. We  have the great responsibility of saving the basic moral and spiritual  values of our civilization. We have started out well--with a program for  peace that is unparalleled in history. If we believe in ourselves and the  faith we profess, we will stick to that job until it is victoriously  finished.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":47,"text":"This is a time for courage, not for grumbling and mumbling.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":48,"text":"Now, let us take a look at the things we have to do.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":49,"text":"The thing that is uppermost in the minds of all of us is the situation in  Korea. We must, and we will, keep up the fight there until we get the kind  of armistice that will put an end to the aggression and protect the safety  of our forces and the security of the Republic of Korea. Beyond that we  shall continue to work for a settlement in Korea that upholds the  principles of the United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":50,"text":"We went into Korea because we knew that Communist aggression had to be met  firmly if freedom was to be preserved in the world. We went into the fight  to save the Republic of Korea, a free country, established under the United  Nations. These are our aims. We will not give up until we attain them.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":51,"text":"Meanwhile, we must continue to strengthen the forces of freedom throughout  the world.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":52,"text":"I hope the Senate will take early and favorable action on the Japanese  peace treaty, on our security pacts with the Pacific countries, and on the  agreement to bring Greece and Turkey into the North Atlantic Treaty.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":53,"text":"We are also negotiating an agreement with the German Federal Republic under  which it can play an honorable and equal part among nations and take its  place in the defense of Western Europe.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":54,"text":"But treaties and plans are only the skeleton of our defense structure. The  sinew and muscle of defense are the forces and equipment which must be  provided.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":55,"text":"In Europe we must go on helping our friends and allies to build up their  military forces. This means we must send weapons in large volume to our  European allies. I have directed that weapons for Europe be given a very  high priority. Economic aid is necessary, too, to supply the margin of  difference between success and failure in making Europe a strong partner in  our joint defense.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":56,"text":"In the long run we want to see Europe freed from any dependence on our aid.  Our European allies want that just as bad as we do. The steps that are now  being taken to build European unity should help bring that about. Six  European countries are pooling their coal and steel production under the  Schuman plan. Work is going forward on the merger of European national  forces on the Continent into a single army. These great projects should  become realities in 1952.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":57,"text":"We should do all we can to help and encourage the move toward a strong and  united Europe.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":58,"text":"In Asia the new Communist empire is a daily threat to millions of people.  The peoples of Asia want to be free to follow their own way of life. They  want to preserve their culture and their traditions against communism, just  as much as we want to preserve ours. They are laboring under terrific  handicaps--poverty, ill health, feudal systems of land ownership, and the  threat of internal subversion or external attack. We can and we must  increase our help to them.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":59,"text":"This means military aid, especially to those places like Indochina which  might be hardest hit by some new Communist attack.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":60,"text":"It also means economic aid, both technical know-how and capital  investment.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":61,"text":"This last year we made available millions of bushels of wheat to relieve  famine in India. But far more important, in the long run, is the work  Americans are doing in India to help the Indian farmers themselves raise  more grain. With the help of our technicians, Indian farmers, using simple,  inexpensive means, have been able since 1948 to double the crops in one  area in India. One farmer there raised 63 bushels of wheat to the acre,  where 13 bushels had been the average before.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":62,"text":"This is point 4--our point 4 program at work. It is working--not only in  India but in Iran, Paraguay, Liberia--in 33 countries around the globe. Our  technical missionaries are out there. We need more of them. We need more  funds to speed their efforts, because there is nothing of greater  importance in all our foreign policy. There is nothing that shows more  clearly what we stand for, and what we want to achieve.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":63,"text":"My friends of the Congress, less than one-third of the expenditure for the  cost of World War II would have created the developments necessary to feed  the whole world so we wouldn't have to stomach communism. That is what we  have got to fight, and unless we fight that battle and win it, we can't win  the cold war or a hot one either.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":64,"text":"We have recently lost a great public servant who was leading this effort to  bring opportunity and hope to the people of half the world. Dr. Henry  Bennett and his associates died in line of duty on a point 4 mission. It is  up to us to carry on the great work for which they gave their lives.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":65,"text":"During the coming year we must not forget the suffering of the people who  live behind the Iron Curtain. In those areas minorities are being  oppressed, human rights violated, religions persecuted. We should continue  to expose those wrongs. We should continue and expand the activities of the  Voice of America, which brings our message of hope and truth to those  peoples and other peoples throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":66,"text":"I have just had an opportunity to discuss many of these world problems with  Prime Minister Churchill. We have had a most satisfactory series of  meetings. We thoroughly reviewed the situation in Europe, the Middle East,  and the Far East. We both look forward to steady progress toward peace  through the cooperative action and teamwork of the free nations.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":67,"text":"Turning from our foreign policies, let us consider the jobs we have here at  home as a part of our program for peace.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":68,"text":"The first of these jobs is to move ahead full steam on the defense  program.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":69,"text":"Our objective is to have a well-equipped active defense force large  enough--in concert with the forces of our allies--to deter aggression and  to inflict punishing losses on the enemy immediately if we should be  attacked. This active force must be backed by adequate reserves, and by the  plants and tools to turn out the tremendous quantities of new weapons that  would be needed if war came. We are not building an active force adequate  to carry on full scale war, but we are putting ourselves in a position to  mobilize very rapidly if we have to.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":70,"text":"This year I shall recommend some increases in the size of the active force  we are building, with particular emphasis on air power. This means we shall  have to continue large-scale production of planes and other equipment for a  longer period of time than we had originally planned.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":71,"text":"Planes and tanks and other weapons-what the military call \"hard goods\"--are  now beginning to come off the production lines in volume. Deliveries of  hard goods now amount to about a billion and a half dollars worth a month.  A year from now, we expect that rate to be doubled.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":72,"text":"We shall have to hold to a high rate of military output for about a year  after that. In 1954 we hope to have enough equipment so that we can reduce  the production of most military items substantially. The next 2 years  should therefore be the peak period of defense production.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":73,"text":"Defense needs will take a lot of steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, and other  scarce materials. This means smaller production of some civilian goods. The  cutbacks will be nothing like those during World War II, when most civilian  production was completely stopped. But there will be considerably less of  some goods than we have been used to these past 2 or 3 years.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":74,"text":"The very critical part of our defense job this year is to keep down  inflation.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":75,"text":"We can control inflation if we make up our minds to do it.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":76,"text":"On the executive side of the Government, we intend to hold the line on  prices just as tightly as the law allows. We will permit only those wage  increases which are clearly justified under sound stabilization policies;  and we will see to it that industries absorb cost increases out of earnings  wherever feasible, before they are authorized to raise prices. We will do  that, at any rate, except where the recent amendments to the law  specifically require us to give further price increases.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":77,"text":"Congress has a tremendous responsibility in this matter. Our stabilization  law was shot full of holes at the last session. This year, it will be one  of the main tasks before the Congress to repair the damage and enact a  strong anti-inflation law.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":78,"text":"As a part of our program to keep our country strong, we are determined to  preserve the financial strength of the Government. This means high taxes  over the next few years. We must see to it that these taxes are shared  among the people as fairly as possible. I expect to discuss these matters  in the Economic Report and the Budget Message which will soon be presented  to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":79,"text":"Our tax laws must be fair. And we must make absolutely certain they are  administered fairly, without fear or favor of any kind for anybody. To this  end, steps have already been taken to remedy weaknesses which have been  disclosed in the administration of the tax laws. In addition, I hope the  Congress will approve my reorganization plan for the Bureau of Internal  Revenue. We must do everything necessary in order to make just as certain  as is humanly possible that every taxpayer receives equal treatment under  the law.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":80,"text":"To carry the burden of defense we must have a strong, productive, and  expanding economy here at home. We cannot neglect those things that have  made us the great and powerful nation we are today.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":81,"text":"Our strength depends upon the health, the morale, the freedom of our  people. We can take on the burden of leadership in the fight for world  peace because, for nearly 20 years, the Government and the people have been  working together for the general welfare. We have given more and more of  out citizens a fair chance at decent, useful, productive lives. That is the  reason we are as strong as we are today.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":82,"text":"This Government of ours--the Congress and the executive both--must keep on  working to bring about a fair deal for all the American people. Some people  will say that we haven't the time or the money this year for measures for  the welfare of the people. But if we want to win the fight for peace, this  is a part of the job we cannot ignore.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":83,"text":"We will have to give up some things, we will have to go forward on others  at a slower pace. But, so far as I am concerned, I do not think we can give  up the things that are vital to our national strength.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":84,"text":"I believe most people in this country will agree with me on that.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":85,"text":"I think most farmers understand that soil conservation and rural  electrification and agricultural research are not frills or luxuries, but  real necessities in order to boost our farm production.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":86,"text":"I think most workers understand that decent housing and good working  conditions are not luxuries, but necessities if the working men and women  of this country are to continue to out-produce the rest of the world.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":87,"text":"I think our businessmen know that scientific research and transportation  services and more steel mills and power projects are not luxuries, but  necessities to keep our business and our industry in the forefront of  industrial progress.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":88,"text":"I think everybody knows that social insurance and better schools and health  services are not frills, but necessities in helping all Americans to be  useful and productive citizens, who can contribute their full share in the  national effort to protect and advance our way of life.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":89,"text":"We cannot do all we want to in times like these--we have to choose the  things that will contribute most to defense--but we must continue to make  progress if we are to be a strong nation in the years ahead.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":90,"text":"Let me give you some examples.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":91,"text":"We are going right ahead with the urgently needed work to develop our  natural resources, to conserve our soil, and to prevent floods. We are  going to produce essential power and build the lines that are necessary and  that we have to have to transmit it to our farms and factories. We are  going to encourage exploration for new mineral deposits.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":92,"text":"We are going to keep on building essential highways and taking any other  steps that will assure the Nation an adequate transportation system--on  land, on the sea, and in the air.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":93,"text":"We must move right ahead this year to see that defense workers and  soldiers' families get decent housing at rents they can afford to pay.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":94,"text":"We must begin our long deferred program of Federal aid to education--to  help the States meet the present crisis in the operation of our schools.  And we must help with the construction of schools in areas where they are  critically needed because of the defense effort.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":95,"text":"We urgently need to train more doctors and other health personnel, through  aid to medical education. We also urgently need to expand the basic public  health services in our home communities--especially in defense areas. The  Congress should go ahead with these two measures immediately.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":96,"text":"I have set up an impartial commission to make a thorough study of the  Nation's health needs. One of the things this commission is looking into is  how to bring the cost of modern medical care within the reach of all the  people. I have repeatedly recommended national health insurance as the best  way to do this. So far as I know, it is still the best way. If there are  any better answers, I hope this commission will find them. But of one thing  I am sure: something must be done, and done soon.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":97,"text":"This year we ought to make a number of urgently needed improvements in our  social security law. For one thing, benefits under old-age and survivors  insurance should be raised $5 a month above the present average of $42. For  another thing, the States should be given special aid to help them increase  public assistance payments. By doing these things now, we can ease the  pressure of living costs for people who depend on those fixed payments.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":98,"text":"We should also make some cost-of-living adjustments for those receiving  veterans' compensation for death or disability incurred in the service of  our country. In addition, now is the time to start a sensible program of  readjustment benefits for our veterans who have seen service since the  fighting broke out in Korea.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":99,"text":"Another thing the Congress should do at this session is to strengthen our  system of farm price supports to meet the defense emergency. The \"sliding  scale\" in the price support law should not be allowed to penalize farmers  for increasing production to meet defense needs. We should also find a new  and less costly method for supporting perishable commodities than the law  now provides.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":100,"text":"We need to act promptly to improve our labor law. The Taft-Hartley Act has  many serious and far-reaching defects. Experience has demonstrated this so  clearly that even the sponsors of the act now admit that it needs to be  changed. A fair law, fair to both management and labor, is indispensable to  sound labor relations and to full, uninterrupted production. I intend to  keep on working for a fair law until we get one.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":101,"text":"As we build our strength to defend the freedom in the world, we ourselves  must extend the benefits of freedom more widely among all our own people.  We need to take action toward the wider enjoyment of civil rights. Freedom  is the birthright of every American.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":102,"text":"The executive branch has been making real progress toward full equality of  treatment and opportunity--in the Armed Forces, in the civil service, and  in private firms working for the Government. Further advances require  action by Congress, and I hope that means will be provided to give the  Members of the Senate and the House a chance to vote on them.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":103,"text":"I am glad to hear that home rule for the District of Columbia will be the  first item of business before the Senate. I hope that it, as well as  statehood for Hawaii and Alaska, will be adopted promptly.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":104,"text":"All these measures I have been talking about--measures to advance the  well-being of our people--demonstrate to the world the forward movement of  our free society.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":105,"text":"This demonstration of the way free men govern themselves has a more  powerful influence on the people of the world--on both sides of the Iron  Curtain--than all the trick slogans and pie-in-the-sky promises of the  Communists.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":106,"text":"But our shortcomings, as well as our progress, are watched from abroad. And  there is one shortcoming I want to speak about plainly.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":107,"text":"Our kind of government above all others cannot tolerate dishonesty among  public servants.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":108,"text":"Some dishonest people worm themselves into almost every human organization.  It is all the more shocking, however, when they make their way into a  Government such as ours, which is based on the principle of justice for  all. Such unworthy public servants must be weeded out. I intend to see to  it that Federal employees who have been guilty of misconduct are punished  for it. I also intend to see to it that the honest and hard-working great  majority of our Federal employees are protected against partisan slander  and malicious attack.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":109,"text":"I have already made some recommendations to the Congress to help accomplish  these purposes. I intend to submit further recommendations to this end. I  will welcome the wholehearted cooperation of the Congress in this effort.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":110,"text":"I also think that the Congress can do a great deal to strengthen confidence  in our institutions by applying rigorous standards of moral integrity to  its own operations, and by finding an effective way to control campaign  expenditures, and by protecting the rights of individuals in congressional  investigations.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":111,"text":"To meet the crisis which now hangs over the world, we need many different  kinds of strength--military, economic, political, and moral. And of all  these, I am convinced that moral strength is the most vital.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":112,"text":"When you come right down to it, it is the courage and the character of our  Nation--and of each one of us as individuals-that will really decide how  well we meet this challenge.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":113,"text":"We are engaged in a great undertaking at home and abroad--the greatest, in  fact, that any nation has ever been privileged to embark upon. We are  working night and day to bring peace to the world and to spread the  democratic ideals of justice and self-government to all people. Our  accomplishments are already remarkable. We ought to be full of pride in  what we are doing, and full of confidence and hope in the outcome. No  nation ever had greater resources, or greater energy, or nobler traditions  to inspire it.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":114,"text":"And yet, day in and day out, we see a long procession of timid and fearful  men who wring their hands and cry out that we have lost the way, that we  don't know what we are doing, that we are bound to fail. Some say we should  give up the struggle for peace, and others say we should have a war and get  it over with. That's a terrible statement. I had heard it made, but they  want us to forget the great objective of preventing another world war--the  objective for which our soldiers have been fighting in the hills of Korea.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":115,"text":"If we are to be worthy of all that has been done for us by our soldiers in  the field, we must be true to the ideals for which they are fighting. We  must reject the counsels of defeat and despair. We must have the  determination to complete the great work for which our men have laid down  their lives.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":116,"text":"In all we do, we should remember who we are and what we stand for. We are  Americans. Our forefathers had far greater obstacles than we have, and much  poorer chances of success. They did not lose heart, or turn aside from  their goals. In the darkest of all winters in American history, at Valley  Forge, George Washington said: \"We must not, in so great a contest, expect  to meet with nothing but sunshine.\" With that spirit they won their fight  for freedom.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":117,"text":"We must have that same faith and vision. In the great contest in which we  are engaged today, we cannot expect to have fair weather all the way. But  it is a contest just as important for this country and for all men, as the  desperate struggle that George Washington fought through to victory.  "}
{"year":"1952","paragraph":118,"text":"Let us prove, again, that we are not merely sunshine patriots and summer  soldiers. Let us go forward, trusting in the God of Peace, to win the goals  we seek.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Eighty-third Congress:  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":2,"text":"I welcome the honor of appearing before you to deliver my first message to  the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":3,"text":"It is manifestly the joint purpose of the congressional leadership and of  this administration to justify the summons to governmental responsibility  issued last November by the American people. The grand labors of this  leadership will involve:  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":4,"text":"Application of America's influence in world affairs with such fortitude and  such foresight that it will deter aggression and eventually secure peace;  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":5,"text":"Establishment of a national administration of such integrity and such  efficiency that its honor at home will ensure respect abroad;  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":6,"text":"Encouragement of those incentives that inspire creative initiative in our  economy, so that its productivity may fortify freedom everywhere; and  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":7,"text":"Dedication to the well-being of all our citizens and to the attainment of  equality of opportunity for all, so that our Nation will ever act with the  strength of unity in every task to which it is called.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":8,"text":"The purpose of this message is to suggest certain lines along which our  joint efforts may immediately be directed toward realization of these four  ruling purposes.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":9,"text":"The time that this administration has been in office has been too brief to  permit preparation of a detailed and comprehensive program of recommended  action to cover all phases of the responsibilities that devolve upon our  country's new leaders. Such a program will be filled out in the weeks ahead  as, after appropriate study, I shall submit additional recommendations for  your consideration. Today can provide only a sure and substantial  beginning.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":10,"text":"II.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":11,"text":"Our country has come through a painful period of trial and disillusionment  since the victory of 1945. We anticipated a world of peace and cooperation.  The calculated pressures of aggressive communism have forced us, instead,  to live in a world of turmoil.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":12,"text":"From this costly experience we have learned one clear lesson. We have  learned that the free world cannot indefinitely remain in a posture of  paralyzed tension, leaving forever to the aggressor the choice of time and  place and means to cause greatest hurt to us at least cost to himself.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":13,"text":"This administration has, therefore, begun the definition of a new, positive  foreign policy. This policy will be governed by certain fixed ideas. They  are these:  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":14,"text":"(1) Our foreign policy must be clear, consistent, and confident. This means  that it must be the product of genuine, continuous cooperation between the  executive and the legislative branches of this Government. It must be  developed and directed in the spirit of true bipartisanship.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":15,"text":"(2) The policy we embrace must be a coherent global policy. The freedom we  cherish and defend in Europe and in the Americas is no different from the  freedom that is imperiled in Asia.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":16,"text":"(3) Our policy, dedicated to making the free world secure, will envision  all peaceful methods and devices--except breaking faith with our friends.  We shall never acquiesce in the enslavement of any people in order to  purchase fancied gain for ourselves. I shall ask the Congress at a later  date to join in an appropriate resolution making clear that this Government  recognizes no kind of commitment contained in secret understandings of the  past with foreign governments which permit this kind of enslavement.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":17,"text":"(4) The policy we pursue will recognize the truth that no single country,  even one so powerful as ours, can alone defend the liberty of all nations  threatened by Communist aggression from without or subversion within.  Mutual security means effective mutual cooperation. For the United States,  this means that, as a matter of common sense and national interest, we  shall give help to other nations in the measure that they strive earnestly  to do their full share of the common task. No wealth of aid could  compensate for poverty of spirit. The heart of every free nation must be  honestly dedicated to the preserving of its own independence and security.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":18,"text":"(5) Our policy will be designed to foster the advent of practical unity in  Western Europe. The nations of that region have contributed notably to the  effort of sustaining the security of the free world. From the jungles of  Indochina and Malaya to the northern shores of Europe, they have vastly  improved their defensive strength. Where called upon to do so, they have  made costly and bitter sacrifices to hold the line of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":19,"text":"But the problem of security demands closer cooperation among the nations of  Europe than has been known to date. Only a more closely integrated economic  and political system can provide the greatly increased economic strength  needed to maintain both necessary military readiness and respectable living  standards.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":20,"text":"Europe's enlightened leaders have long been aware of these facts. All the  devoted work that has gone into the Schuman plan, the European Army, and  the Strasbourg Conference has testified to their vision and determination.  These achievements are the more remarkable when we realize that each of  them has marked a victory--for France and for Germany alike over the  divisions that in the past have brought such tragedy to these two great  nations and to the world.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":21,"text":"The needed unity of Western Europe manifestly cannot be manufactured from  without; it can only be created from within. But it is right and necessary  that we encourage Europe's leaders by informing them of the high value we  place upon the earnestness of their efforts toward this goal. Real progress  will be conclusive evidence to the American people that our material  sacrifices in the cause of collective security are matched by essential  political, economic, and military accomplishments in Western Europe.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":22,"text":"(6) Our foreign policy will recognize the importance of profitable and  equitable world trade.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":23,"text":"A substantial beginning can and should be made by our friends themselves.  Europe, for example, is now marked by checkered areas of labor surplus and  labor shortage, of agricultural areas needing machines and industrial areas  needing food. Here and elsewhere we can hope that our friends will take the  initiative in creating broader markets and more dependable currencies, to  allow greater exchange of goods and services among themselves.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":24,"text":"Action along these lines can create an economic environment that will  invite vital help from us.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":25,"text":"This help includes:  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":26,"text":"First: Revising our customs regulations to remove procedural obstacles to  profitable trade. I further recommend that the Congress take the Reciprocal  Trade Agreements Act under immediate study and extend it by appropriate  legislation. This objective must not ignore legitimate safeguarding of  domestic industries, agriculture, and labor standards. In all executive  study and recommendations on this problem labor and management and farmers  alike will be earnestly consulted.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":27,"text":"Second: Doing whatever Government properly can to encourage the flow of  private American investment abroad. This involves, as a serious and  explicit purpose of our foreign policy, the encouragement of a hospitable  climate for such investment in foreign nations.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":28,"text":"Third: Availing ourselves of facilities overseas for the economical  production of manufactured articles which are needed for mutual defense and  which are not seriously competitive with our own normal peacetime  production.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":29,"text":"Fourth: Receiving from the rest of the world, in equitable exchange for  what we supply, greater amounts of important raw materials which we do not  ourselves possess in adequate quantities.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":30,"text":"III.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":31,"text":"In this general discussion of our foreign policy, I must make special  mention of the war in Korea.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":32,"text":"This war is, for Americans, the most painful phase of Communist aggression  throughout the world. It is clearly a part of the same calculated assault  that the aggressor is simultaneously pressing in Indochina and in Malaya,  and of the strategic situation that manifestly embraces the island of  Formosa and the Chinese Nationalist forces there. The working out of any  military solution to the Korean war will inevitably affect all these  areas.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":33,"text":"The administration is giving immediate increased attention to the  development of additional Republic of Korea forces. The citizens of that  country have proved their capacity as fighting men and their eagerness to  take a greater share in the defense of their homeland. Organization,  equipment, and training will allow them to do so. Increased assistance to  Korea for this purpose conforms fully to our global policies.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":34,"text":"In June 1950, following the aggressive attack on the Republic of Korea, the  United States Seventh Fleet was instructed both to prevent attack upon  Formosa and also to insure that Formosa should not be used as a base of  operations against the Chinese Communist mainland.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":35,"text":"This has meant, in effect, that the United States Navy was required to  serve as a defensive arm of Communist China. Regardless of the situation in  1950, since the date of that order the Chinese Communists have invaded  Korea to attack the United Nations forces there. They have consistently  rejected the proposals of the United Nations Command for an armistice. They  recently joined with Soviet Russia in rejecting the armistice proposal  sponsored in the United Nations by the Government of India. This proposal  had been accepted by the United States and 53 other nations.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":36,"text":"Consequently there is no longer any logic or sense in a condition that  required the United States Navy to assume defensive responsibilities on  behalf of the Chinese Communists, thus permitting those Communists, with  greater impunity, to kill our soldiers and those of our United Nations  allies in Korea.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":37,"text":"I am, therefore, issuing instructions that the Seventh Fleet no longer be  employed to shield Communist China. This order implies no aggressive intent  on our part. But we certainly have no obligation to protect a nation  fighting us in Korea.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":38,"text":"IV.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":39,"text":"Our labor for peace in Korea and in the world imperatively demands the  maintenance by the United States of a strong fighting service ready for any  contingency.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":40,"text":"Our problem is to achieve adequate military strength within the limits of  endurable strain upon our economy. To amass military power without regard  to our economic capacity would be to defend ourselves against one kind of  disaster by inviting another.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":41,"text":"Both military and economic objectives demand a single national military  policy, proper coordination of our armed services, and effective  consolidation of certain logistics activities.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":42,"text":"We must eliminate waste and duplication of effort in the armed services.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":43,"text":"We must realize clearly that size alone is not sufficient. The biggest  force is not necessarily the best--and we want the best.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":44,"text":"We must not let traditions or habits of the past stand in the way of  developing an efficient military force. All members of our forces must be  ever mindful that they serve under a single flag and for a single cause.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":45,"text":"We must effectively integrate our armament programs and plan them in such  careful relation to our industrial facilities that we assure the best use  of our manpower and our materials.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":46,"text":"Because of the complex technical nature of our military organization and  because of the security reasons involved, the Secretary of Defense must  take the initiative and assume the responsibility for developing plans to  give our Nation maximum safety at minimum cost. Accordingly, the new  Secretary of Defense and his civilian and military associates will, in the  future, recommend such changes in present laws affecting our defense  activities as may be necessary to clarify responsibilities and improve the  total effectiveness of our defense effort.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":47,"text":"This effort must always conform to policies laid down in the National  Security Council.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":48,"text":"The statutory function of the National Security Council is to assist the  President in the formulation and coordination of significant domestic,  foreign, and military policies required for the security of the Nation. In  these days of tension it is essential that this central body have the  vitality to perform effectively its statutory role. I propose to see that  it does so.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":49,"text":"Careful formulation of policies must be followed by clear understanding of  them by all peoples. A related need, therefore, is to make more effective  all activities of the Government related to international information.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":50,"text":"I have recently appointed a committee of representative and informed  citizens to survey this subject and to make recommendations in the near  future for legislative, administrative, or other action.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":51,"text":"A unified and dynamic effort in this whole field is essential to the  security of the United States and of the other peoples in the community of  free nations. There is but one sure way to avoid total war--and that is to  win the cold war.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":52,"text":"While retaliatory power is one strong deterrent to a would-be aggressor,  another powerful deterrent is defensive power. No enemy is likely to  attempt an attack foredoomed to failure.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":53,"text":"Because the building of a completely impenetrable defense against attack is  still not possible, total defensive strength must include civil defense  preparedness. Because we have incontrovertible evidence that Soviet Russia  possesses atomic weapons, this kind of protection becomes sheer necessity.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":54,"text":"Civil defense responsibilities primarily belong to the State and local  governments--recruiting, training, and organizing volunteers to meet any  emergency. The immediate job of the Federal Government is to provide  leadership, to supply technical guidance, and to continue to strengthen its  civil defense stockpile of medical, engineering, and related supplies and  equipment. This work must go forward without lag.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":55,"text":"V.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":56,"text":"I have referred to the inescapable need for economic health and strength if  we are to maintain adequate military power and exert influential leadership  for peace in the world.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":57,"text":"Our immediate task is to chart a fiscal and economic policy that can:  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":58,"text":"(1) Reduce the planned deficits and then balance the budget, which means,  among other things, reducing Federal expenditures to the safe minimum;  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":59,"text":"(2) Meet the huge costs of our defense;  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":60,"text":"(3) Properly handle the burden of our inheritance of debt and obligations;  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":61,"text":"(4) Check the menace of inflation;  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":62,"text":"(5) Work toward the earliest possible reduction of the tax burden;  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":63,"text":"(6) Make constructive plans to encourage the initiative of our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":64,"text":"It is important that all of us understand that this administration does not  and cannot begin its task with a clean slate. Much already has been written  on the record, beyond our power quickly to erase or to amend. This record  includes our inherited burden of indebtedness and obligations and  deficits.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":65,"text":"The current year's budget, as you know, carries a 5.9 billion dollar  deficit; and the budget, which was presented to you before this  administration took office, indicates a budgetary deficit of 9.9 billion  for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1954. The national debt is now more  than 265 billion dollars. In addition, the accumulated obligational  authority of the Federal Government for future payment totals over 80  billion dollars. Even this amount is exclusive of large contingent  liabilities, so numerous and extensive as to be almost beyond description.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":66,"text":"The bills for the payment of nearly all of the 80 billion dollars of  obligations will be presented during the next 4 years. These bills, added  to the current costs of government we must meet, make a formidable burden.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":67,"text":"The present authorized Government-debt limit is 275 billion dollars. The  forecast presented by the outgoing administration with the fiscal year 1954  budget indicates that--before the end of the fiscal year and at the peak of  demand for payments during the year--the total Government debt may approach  and even exceed that limit. Unless budgeted deficits are checked, the  momentum of past programs will force an increase of the statutory debt  limit.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":68,"text":"Permit me this one understatement: to meet and to correct this situation  will not be easy.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":69,"text":"Permit me this one assurance: every department head and I are determined to  do everything we can to resolve it.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":70,"text":"The first order of business is the elimination of the annual deficit. This  cannot be achieved merely by exhortation. It demands the concerted action  of all those in responsible positions in the Government and the earnest  cooperation of the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":71,"text":"Already, we have begun an examination of the appropriations and  expenditures of all departments in an effort to find significant items that  may be decreased or canceled without damage to our essential requirements.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":72,"text":"Getting control of the budget requires also that State and local  governments and interested groups of citizens restrain themselves in their  demands upon the Congress that the Federal Treasury spend more and more  money for all types of projects.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":73,"text":"A balanced budget is an essential first measure in checking further  depreciation in the buying power of the dollar. This is one of the critical  steps to be taken to bring an end to planned inflation. Our purpose is to  manage the Government's finances so as to help and not hinder each family  in balancing its own budget.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":74,"text":"Reduction of taxes will be justified only as we show we can succeed in  bringing the budget under control. As the budget is balanced and inflation  checked, the tax burden that today stifles initiative can and must be  eased.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":75,"text":"Until we can determine the extent to which expenditures can be reduced, it  would not be wise to reduce our revenues.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":76,"text":"Meanwhile, the tax structure as a whole demands review. The Secretary of  the Treasury is undertaking this study immediately. We must develop a  system of taxation which will impose the least possible obstacle to the  dynamic growth of the country. This includes particularly real opportunity  for the growth of small businesses. Many readjustments in existing taxes  will be necessary to serve these objectives and also to remove existing  inequities. Clarification and simplification in the tax laws as well as the  regulations will be undertaken.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":77,"text":"In the entire area of fiscal policy--which must, in its various aspects, be  treated in recommendations to the Congress in coming weeks--there can now  be stated certain basic facts and principles.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":78,"text":"First. It is axiomatic that our economy is a highly complex and sensitive  mechanism. Hasty and ill-considered action of any kind could seriously  upset the subtle equation that encompasses debts, obligations,  expenditures, defense demands, deficits, taxes, and the general economic  health of the Nation. Our goals can be clear, our start toward them can be  immediate--but action must be gradual.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":79,"text":"Second. It is clear that too great a part of the national debt comes due in  too short a time. The Department of the Treasury will undertake at suitable  times a program of extending part of the debt over longer periods and  gradually placing greater amounts in the hands of longer-term investors.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":80,"text":"Third. Past differences in policy between the Treasury and the Federal  Reserve Board have helped to encourage inflation. Henceforth, I expect that  their single purpose shall be to serve the whole Nation by policies  designed to stabilize the economy and encourage the free play of our  people's genius for individual initiative.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":81,"text":"In encouraging this initiative, no single item in our current problems has  received more thoughtful consideration by my associates, and by the many  individuals called into our counsels, than the matter of price and wage  control by law.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":82,"text":"The great economic strength of our democracy has developed in an atmosphere  of freedom. The character of our people resists artificial and arbitrary  controls of any kind. Direct controls, except those on credit, deal not  with the real causes of inflation but only with its symptoms. In times of  national emergency, this kind of control has a role to play. Our whole  system, however, is based upon the assumption that, normally, we should  combat wide fluctuations in our price structure by relying largely on the  effective use of sound fiscal and monetary policy, and upon the natural  workings of economic law.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":83,"text":"Moreover, American labor and American business can best resolve their wage  problems across the bargaining table. Government should refrain from  sitting in with them unless, in extreme cases, the public welfare requires  protection.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":84,"text":"We are, of course, living in an international situation that is neither an  emergency demanding full mobilization, nor is it peace. No one can know how  long this condition will persist. Consequently, we are forced to learn many  new things as we go along-clinging to what works, discarding what does  not.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":85,"text":"In all our current discussions on these and related facts, the weight of  evidence is clearly against the use of controls in their present forms.  They have proved largely unsatisfactory or unworkable. They have not  prevented inflation; they have not kept down the cost of living.  Dissatisfaction with them is wholly justified. I am convinced that now--as  well as in the long run--free and competitive prices will best serve the  interests of all the people, and best meet the changing, growing needs of  our economy.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":86,"text":"Accordingly, I do not intend to ask for a renewal of the present wage and  price controls on April 30, 1953, when present legislation expires. In the  meantime, steps will be taken to eliminate controls in an orderly manner,  and to terminate special agencies no longer needed for this purpose. It is  obviously to be expected that the removal of these controls will result in  individual price changes--some up, some down. But a maximum of freedom in  market prices as well as in collective bargaining is characteristic of a  truly free people.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":87,"text":"I believe also that material and product controls should be ended, except  with respect to defense priorities and scarce and critical items essential  for our defense. I shall recommend to the Congress that legislation be  enacted to continue authority for such remaining controls of this type as  will be necessary after the expiration of the existing statute on June 30,  1953.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":88,"text":"I recommend the continuance of the authority for Federal control over rents  in those communities in which serious housing shortages exist. These are  chiefly the so-called defense areas. In these and all areas the Federal  Government should withdraw from the control of rents as soon as  practicable. But before they are removed entirely, each legislature should  have full opportunity to take over, within its own State, responsibility  for this function.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":89,"text":"It would be idle to pretend that all our problems in this whole field of  prices will solve themselves by mere Federal withdrawal from direct  controls.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":90,"text":"We shall have to watch trends closely. If the freer functioning of our  economic system, as well as the indirect controls which can be  appropriately employed, prove insufficient during this period of strain and  tension, I shall promptly ask the Congress to enact such legislation as may  be required.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":91,"text":"In facing all these problems--wages, prices, production, tax rates, fiscal  policy, deficits--everywhere we remain constantly mindful that the time for  sacrifice has not ended. But we are concerned with the encouragement of  competitive enterprise and individual initiative precisely because we know  them to be our Nation's abiding sources of strength.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":92,"text":"VI.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":93,"text":"Our vast world responsibility accents with urgency our people's elemental  right to a government whose clear qualities are loyalty, security,  efficiency, economy, and integrity.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":94,"text":"The safety of America and the trust of the people alike demand that the  personnel of the Federal Government be loyal in their motives and reliable  in the discharge of their duties. Only a combination of both loyalty and  reliability promises genuine security.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":95,"text":"To state this principle is easy; to apply it can be difficult. But this  security we must and shall have. By way of example, all principal new  appointees to departments and agencies have been investigated at their own  request by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":96,"text":"Confident of your understanding and cooperation, I know that the primary  responsibility for keeping out the disloyal and the dangerous rests  squarely upon the executive branch. When this branch so conducts itself as  to require policing by another branch of the Government, it invites its own  disorder and confusion.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":97,"text":"I am determined to meet this responsibility of the Executive. The heads of  all executive departments and agencies have been instructed to initiate at  once effective programs of security with respect to their personnel. The  Attorney General will advise and guide the departments and agencies in the  shaping of these programs, designed at once to govern the employment of new  personnel and to review speedily any derogatory information concerning  incumbent personnel.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":98,"text":"To carry out these programs, I believe that the powers of the executive  branch under existing law are sufficient. If they should prove inadequate,  the necessary legislation will be requested.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":99,"text":"These programs will be both fair to the rights of the individual and  effective for the safety of the Nation. They will, with care and justice,  apply the basic principle that public employment is not a right but a  privilege.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":100,"text":"All these measures have two clear purposes: Their first purpose is to make  certain that this Nation's security is not jeopardized by false servants.  Their second purpose is to clear the atmosphere of that unreasoned  suspicion that accepts rumor and gossip as substitutes for evidence.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":101,"text":"Our people, of course, deserve and demand of their Federal Government more  than security of personnel. They demand, also, efficient and logical  organization, true to constitutional principles.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":102,"text":"I have already established a Committee on Government Organization. The  Committee is using as its point of departure the reports of the Hoover  Commission and subsequent studies by several independent agencies. To  achieve the greater efficiency and economy which the Committee analyses  show to be possible, I ask the Congress to extend the present Government  Reorganization Act for a period of 18 months or 2 years beyond its  expiration date of April 1, 1953.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":103,"text":"There is more involved here than realigning the wheels and smoothing the  gears of administrative machinery. The Congress rightfully-expects the  Executive to take the initiative in discovering and removing outmoded  functions and eliminating duplication.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":104,"text":"One agency, for example, whose head has promised early and vigorous action  to provide greater efficiency is the Post Office. One of the oldest  institutions of our Federal Government, its service should be of the best.  Its employees should merit and receive the high regard and esteem of the  citizens of the Nation. There are today in some areas of the postal  service, both waste and incompetence to be corrected. With the cooperation  of the Congress, and taking advantage of its accumulated experience in  postal affairs, the Postmaster General will institute a program directed at  improving service while at the same time reducing costs and decreasing  deficits.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":105,"text":"In all departments, dedication to these basic precepts of security and  efficiency, integrity, and economy can and will produce an administration  deserving of the trust the people have placed in it.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":106,"text":"Our people have demanded nothing less than good, efficient government. They  shall get nothing less.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":107,"text":"VII.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":108,"text":"Vitally important are the water and minerals, public lands and standing  timber, forage and wild-life of this country. A fast-growing population will  have vast future needs in these resources. We must more than match the  substantial achievements in the half-century since President Theodore  Roosevelt awakened the Nation to the problem of conservation.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":109,"text":"This calls for a strong Federal program in the field of resource  development. Its major projects should be timed, where possible to assist  in leveling off peaks and valleys in our economic life. Soundly planned  projects already initiated should be carried out. New ones will be planned  for the future.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":110,"text":"The best natural resources program for America will not result from  exclusive dependence on Federal bureaucracy. It will involve a partnership  of the States and local communities, private citizens, and the Federal  Government, all working together. This combined effort will advance the  development of the great river valleys of our Nation and the power that  they can generate. Likewise, such a partnership can be effective in the  expansion throughout the Nation of upstream storage; the sound use of  public lands; the wise conservation of minerals; and the sustained yield of  our forests.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":111,"text":"There has been much criticism, some of it apparently justified, of the  confusion resulting from overlapping Federal activities in the entire field  of resource-conservation. This matter is being exhaustively studied and  appropriate reorganization plans will be developed.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":112,"text":"Most of these particular resource problems pertain to the Department of the  Interior. Another of its major concerns is our country's island  possessions. Here, one matter deserves attention. The platforms of both  political parties promised immediate statehood to Hawaii. The people of  that Territory have earned that status. Statehood should be granted  promptly with the first election scheduled for 1954.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":113,"text":"VIII.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":114,"text":"One of the difficult problems which face the new administration is that of  the slow, irregular decline of farm prices. This decline, which has been  going on for almost 2 years, has occurred at a time when most nonfarm  prices and farm costs of production are extraordinarily high.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":115,"text":"Present agricultural legislation provides for the mandatory support of the  prices of basic farm commodities at 90 percent of parity. The Secretary of  Agriculture and his associates will, of course, execute the present act  faithfully and thereby seek to mitigate the consequences of the downturn in  farm income.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":116,"text":"This price-support legislation will expire at the end of 1954.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":117,"text":"So we should begin now to consider what farm legislation we should develop  for 1955 and beyond. Our aim should be economic stability and full parity  of income for American farmers. But we must seek this goal in ways that  minimize governmental interference in the farmers' affairs, that permit  desirable shifts in production, and that encourage farmers themselves to  use initiative in meeting changing economic conditions.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":118,"text":"A continuing study reveals nothing more emphatically than the complicated  nature of this subject. Among other things, it shows that the prosperity of  our agriculture depends directly upon the prosperity of the whole  country--upon the purchasing power of American consumers. It depends also  upon the opportunity to ship abroad large surpluses of particular  commodities, and therefore upon sound economic relationships between the  United States and many foreign countries. It involves research and  scientific investigation, conducted on an extensive scale. It involves  special credit mechanisms and marketing, rural electrification, soil  conservation, and other programs.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":119,"text":"The whole complex of agricultural programs and policies will be studied by  a Special Agricultural Advisory Commission, as I know it will by  appropriate committees of the Congress. A nonpartisan group of respected  authorities in the field of agriculture has already been appointed as an  interim advisory group.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":120,"text":"The immediate changes needed in agricultural programs are largely budgetary  and administrative in nature. New policies and new programs must await the  completion of the far-reaching studies which have already been launched.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":121,"text":"IX.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":122,"text":"The determination of labor policy must be governed not by the vagaries of  political expediency but by the firmest principles and convictions. Slanted  partisan appeals to American workers, spoken as if they were a group apart,  necessitating a special language and treatment, are an affront to the  fullness of their dignity as American citizens.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":123,"text":"The truth in matters of labor policy has become obscured in controversy.  The very meaning of economic freedom as it affects labor has become  confused. This misunderstanding has provided a climate of opinion favoring  the growth of governmental paternalism in labor relations. This tendency,  if left uncorrected, could end only by producing a bureaucratic despotism.  Economic freedom is, in fact, the requisite of greater prosperity for every  American who earns his own living.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":124,"text":"In the field of labor legislation, only a law that merits the respect and  support of both labor and management can help reduce the loss of wages and  of production through strikes and stoppages, and thus add to the total  economic strength of our Nation.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":125,"text":"We have now had 5 years' experience with the Labor Management Act of 1947,  commonly known as the Taft-Hartley Act. That experience has shown the need  for some corrective action, and we should promptly proceed to amend that  act.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":126,"text":"I know that the Congress is already proceeding with renewed studies of this  subject. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor is at once beginning work to  devise further specific recommendations for your consideration.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":127,"text":"In the careful working out of legislation, I know you will give thoughtful  consideration--as will we in the executive branch--to the views of labor,  and of management, and of the general public. In this process, it is only  human that each of us should bring forward the arguments of self-interest.  But if all conduct their arguments in the overpowering light of national  interest--which is enlightened self-interest--we shall get the right  answers. I profoundly hope that every citizen of our country will follow  with understanding your progress in this work. The welfare of all of us is  involved.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":128,"text":"Especially must we remember that the institutions of trade unionism and  collective bargaining are monuments to the freedom that must prevail in our  industrial life. They have a century of honorable achievement behind them.  Our faith in them is proven, firm, and final.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":129,"text":"Government can do a great deal to aid the settlement of labor disputes  without allowing itself to be employed as an ally of either side. Its  proper role in industrial strife is to encourage the processes of mediation  and conciliation. These processes can successfully be directed only by a  government free from the taint of any suspicion that it is partial or  punitive.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":130,"text":"The administration intends to strengthen and to improve the services which  the Department of Labor can render to the worker and to the whole national  community. This Department was created--just 40 years ago--to serve the  entire Nation. It must aid, for example, employers and employees alike in  improving training programs that will develop skilled and competent  workers. It must enjoy the confidence and respect of labor and industry in  order to play a significant role in the planning of America's economic  future. To that end, I am authorizing the Department of Labor to establish  promptly a tripartite advisory committee consisting of representatives of  employers, labor, and the public.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":131,"text":"X.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":132,"text":"Our civil and social rights form a central part of the heritage we are  striving to defend on all fronts and with all our strength. I believe with  all my heart that our vigilant guarding of these rights is a sacred  obligation binding upon every citizen. To be true to one's own freedom is,  in essence, to honor and respect the freedom of all others.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":133,"text":"A cardinal ideal in this heritage we cherish is the equality of rights of  all citizens of every race and color and creed.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":134,"text":"We know that discrimination against minorities persists despite our  allegiance to this ideal. Such discrimination--confined to no one section  of the Nation--is but the outward testimony to the persistence of distrust  and of fear in the hearts of men.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":135,"text":"This fact makes all the more vital the fighting of these wrongs by each  individual, in every station of life, in his every deed.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":136,"text":"Much of the answer lies in the power of fact, fully publicized; of  persuasion, honestly pressed; and of conscience, justly aroused. These are  methods familiar to our way of life, tested and proven wise.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":137,"text":"I propose to use whatever authority exists in the office of the President  to end segregation in the District of Columbia, including the Federal  Government, and any segregation in the Armed Forces.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":138,"text":"Here in the District of Columbia, serious attention should be given to the  proposal to develop and authorize, through legislation, a system to provide  an effective voice in local self-government. While consideration of this  proceeds, I recommend an immediate increase of two in the number of  District Commissioners to broaden representation of all elements of our  local population. This will be a first step toward insuring that this  Capital provide an honored example to all communities of our Nation.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":139,"text":"In this manner, and by the leadership of the office of the President  exercised through friendly conferences with those in authority in our  States and cities, we expect to make true and rapid progress in civil  rights and equality of employment opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":140,"text":"There is one sphere in which civil rights are inevitably involved in  Federal legislation. This is the sphere of immigration.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":141,"text":"It is a manifest right of our Government to limit the number of immigrants  our Nation can absorb. It is also a manifest right of our Government to set  reasonable requirements on the character and the numbers of the people who  come to share our land and our freedom.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":142,"text":"It is well for us, however, to remind ourselves occasionally of an equally  manifest fact: we are--one and all--immigrants or sons and daughters of  immigrants.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":143,"text":"Existing legislation contains injustices. It does, in fact, discriminate. I  am informed by Members of the Congress that it was realized, at the time of  its enactment, that future study of the basis of determining quotas would  be necessary.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":144,"text":"I am therefore requesting the Congress to review this legislation and to  enact a statute that will at one and the same time guard our legitimate  national interests and be faithful to our basic ideas of freedom and  fairness to all.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":145,"text":"In another but related area--that of social rights--we see most clearly the  new application of old ideas of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":146,"text":"This administration is profoundly aware of two great needs born of our  living in a complex industrial economy. First, the individual citizen must  have safeguards against personal disaster inflicted by forces beyond his  control; second, the welfare of the people demands effective and economical  performance by the Government of certain indispensable social services.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":147,"text":"In the light of this responsibility, certain general purposes and certain  concrete measures are plainly indicated now.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":148,"text":"There is urgent need for greater effectiveness in our programs, both public  and private, offering safeguards against the privations that too often come  with unemployment, old age, illness, and accident. The provisions of the  old-age and survivors insurance law should promptly be extended to cover  millions of citizens who have been left out of the social-security system.  No less important is the encouragement of privately sponsored pension  plans. Most important of all, of course, is renewed effort to check the  inflation which destroys so much of the value of all social-security  payments.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":149,"text":"Our school system demands some prompt, effective help. During each of the  last 9 years, more than 1 1/2 million children have swelled the elementary  and secondary school population of the country. Generally, the school  population is proportionately higher in States with low per capita income.  This whole situation calls for careful congressional study and action. I am  sure that you share my conviction that the firm conditions of Federal aid  must be proved need and proved lack of local income.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":150,"text":"One phase of the school problem demands special action. The school  population of many districts has been greatly increased by the swift  growth of defense activities. These activities have added little or nothing  to the tax resources of the communities affected. Legislation aiding  construction of schools in the districts expires on June 30. This law  should be renewed; and likewise, the partial payments for current operating  expenses for these particular school districts should be made, including  the deficiency requirement of the current fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":151,"text":"Public interest similarly demands one prompt specific action in protection  of the general consumer. The Food and Drug Administration should be  authorized to continue its established and necessary program of factory  inspections. The invalidation of these inspections by the Supreme Court of  December 8, 1952, was based solely on the fact that the present law  contained inconsistent and unclear provisions. These must be promptly  corrected.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":152,"text":"I am well aware that beyond these few immediate measures there remains much  to be done. The health and housing needs of our people call for  intelligently planned programs. Involved are the solvency of the whole  security system; and its guarding against exploitation by the  irresponsible.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":153,"text":"To bring clear purpose and orderly procedure into this field, I anticipate  a thorough study of the proper relationship among Federal, State, and local  programs. I shall shortly send you specific recommendations for  establishing such an appropriate commission, together with a reorganization  plan defining new administrative status for all Federal activities in  health, education, and social security.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":154,"text":"I repeat that there are many important subjects of which I make no mention  today. Among these is our great and growing body of veterans. America has  traditionally been generous in caring for the disabled--and the widow and  the orphan of the fallen. These millions remain close to all our hearts.  Proper care of our uniformed citizens and appreciation of the past service  of our veterans are part of our accepted governmental responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":155,"text":"XI  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":156,"text":"We have surveyed briefly some problems of our people and a portion of the  tasks before us.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":157,"text":"The hope of freedom itself depends, in real measure, upon our strength, our  heart, and our wisdom.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":158,"text":"We must be strong in arms. We must be strong in the source of all our  armament, our productivity. We all--workers and farmers, foremen and  financiers, technicians and builders--all must produce, produce more, and  produce yet more.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":159,"text":"We must be strong, above all, in the spiritual resources upon which all  else depends. We must be devoted with all our heart to the values we  defend. We must know that each of these values and virtues applies with  equal force at the ends of the earth and in our relations with our neighbor  next door. We must know that freedom expresses itself with equal eloquence  in the right of workers to strike in the nearby factory, and in the  yearnings and sufferings of the peoples of Eastern Europe.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":160,"text":"As our heart summons our strength, our wisdom must direct it.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":161,"text":"There is, in world affairs, a steady course to be followed between an  assertion of strength that is truculent and a confession of helplessness  that is cowardly.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":162,"text":"There is, in our affairs at home, a middle way between untrammeled freedom  of the individual and the demands for the welfare of the whole Nation. This  way must avoid government by bureaucracy as carefully as it avoids neglect  of the helpless.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":163,"text":"In every area of political action, free men must think before they can  expect to win.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":164,"text":"In this spirit must we live and labor: confident of our strength,  compassionate in our heart, clear in our mind.  "}
{"year":"1953","paragraph":165,"text":"In this spirit, let us together turn to the great tasks before us.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Eighty-third Congress:  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":2,"text":"It is a high honor again to present to the Congress my views on the state  of the Union and to recommend measures to advance the security, prosperity,  and well-being of the American people.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":3,"text":"All branches of this Government--and I venture to say both of our great  parties--can support the general objective of the recommendations I make  today, for that objective is the building of a stronger America. A nation  whose every citizen has good reason for bold hope; where effort is rewarded  and prosperity is shared; where freedom expands and peace is secure--that  is what I mean by a stronger America.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":4,"text":"Toward this objective a real momentum has been developed during this  Administration's first year in office. We mean to continue that momentum  and to increase it. We mean to build a better future for this nation.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":5,"text":"Much for which we may be thankful has happened during the past year.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":6,"text":"First of all we are deeply grateful that our sons no longer die on the  distant mountains of Korea. Although they are still called from our homes  to military service, they are no longer called to the field of battle.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":7,"text":"The nation has just completed the most prosperous year in its history. The  damaging effect of inflation on the wages, pensions, salaries and savings  of us all has been brought under control. Taxes have begun to go down. The  cost of our government has been reduced and its work proceeds with some  183,000 fewer employees; thus the discouraging trend of modern governments  toward their own limitless expansion has in our case been reversed. The  cost of armaments becomes less oppressive as we near our defense goals; yet  we are militarily stronger every day. During the year, creation of the new  Cabinet Department of Health, Education, and Welfare symbolized the  government's permanent concern with the human problems of our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":8,"text":"Segregation in the armed forces and other Federal activities is on the way  out. We have also made progress toward its elimination in the District of  Columbia. These are steps in the continuing effort to eliminate  inter-racial difficulty.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":9,"text":"Some developments beyond our shores have been equally encouraging.  Communist aggression, halted in Korea, continues to meet in Indo-china the  vigorous resistance of France and the Associated States, assisted by timely  aid from our country. In West Germany, in Iran, and in other areas of the  world, heartening political victories have been won by the forces of  stability and freedom. Slowly but surely, the free world gathers strength.  Meanwhile, from behind the iron curtain, there are signs that tyranny is in  trouble and reminders that its structure is as brittle as its surface is  hard.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":10,"text":"There has been in fact a great strategic change in the world during the  past year. That precious intangible, the initiative, is becoming ours. Our  policy, not limited to mere reaction against crises provoked by others, is  free to develop along lines of our choice not only abroad, but also at  home. As a major theme for American policy during the coming year, let our  joint determination be to hold this new initiative and to use it.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":11,"text":"We shall use this initiative to promote three broad purposes: First, to  protect the freedom of our people; second, to maintain a strong, growing  economy; third, to concern ourselves with the human problems of the  individual citizen.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":12,"text":"Only by active concern for each of these purposes can we be sure that we  are on the forward road to a better and a stronger America. All my  recommendations today are in furtherance of these three purposes.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":13,"text":"I. FOREIGN AFFAIRS  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":14,"text":"American freedom is threatened so long as the world Communist conspiracy  exists in its present scope, power and hostility. More closely than ever  before, American freedom is interlocked with the freedom of other people.  In the unity of the free world lies our best chance to reduce the Communist  threat without war. In the task of maintaining this unity and strengthening  all its parts, the greatest responsibility falls naturally on those who,  like ourselves, retain the most freedom and strength.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":15,"text":"We shall, therefore, continue to advance the cause of freedom on foreign  fronts.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":16,"text":"In the Far East, we retain our vital interest in Korea. We have negotiated  with the Republic of Korea a mutual security pact, which develops our  security system for the Pacific and which I shall promptly submit to the  Senate for its consent to ratification. We are prepared to meet any renewal  of armed aggression in Korea. We shall maintain indefinitely our bases in  Okinawa. I shall ask the Congress to authorize continued material  assistance to hasten the successful conclusion of the struggle in  Indo-china. This assistance will also bring closer the day when the  Associated States may enjoy the independence already assured by France. We  shall also continue military and economic aid to the Nationalist Government  of China.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":17,"text":"In South Asia, profound changes are taking place in free nations which are  demonstrating their ability to progress through democratic methods. They  provide an inspiring contrast to the dictatorial methods and backward  course of events in Communist China. In these continuing efforts, the free  peoples of South Asia can be assured of the support of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":18,"text":"In the Middle East, where tensions and serious problems exist, we will show  sympathetic and impartial friendship.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":19,"text":"In Western Europe our policy rests firmly on the North Atlantic Treaty. It  will remain so based as far ahead as we can see. Within its organization,  the building of a united European community, including France and Germany,  is vital to a free and self-reliant Europe. This will be promoted by the  European Defense Community which offers assurance of European security.  With the coming of unity to Western Europe, the assistance this Nation can  render for the security of Europe and the free world will be multiplied in  effectiveness.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":20,"text":"In the Western Hemisphere we shall continue to develop harmonious and  mutually beneficial cooperation with our neighbors. Indeed, solid  friendship with all our American neighbors is a cornerstone of our entire  policy.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":21,"text":"In the world as a whole, the United Nations, admittedly still in a state of  evolution, means much to the United States. It has given uniquely valuable  services in many places where violence threatened. It is the only real  world forum where we have the opportunity for international presentation  and rebuttal. It is a place where the nations of the world can, if they  have the will, take collective action for peace and justice. It is a place  where the guilt can be squarely assigned to those who fail to take all  necessary steps to keep the peace. The United Nations deserves our  continued firm support.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":22,"text":"FOREIGN ASSISTANCE AND TRADE  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":23,"text":"In the practical application of our foreign policy, we enter the field of  foreign assistance and trade.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":24,"text":"Military assistance must be continued. Technical assistance must be  maintained. Economic assistance can be reduced. However, our economic  programs in Korea and in a few other critical places of the world are  especially important, and I shall ask Congress to continue them in the next  fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":25,"text":"The forthcoming Budget Message will propose maintenance of the Presidential  power of transferability of all assistance funds and will ask authority to  merge these funds with the regular defense funds. It will also propose that  the Secretary of Defense have primary responsibility for the administration  of foreign military assistance in accordance with the policy guidance of  the Secretary of State.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":26,"text":"The fact that we can now reduce our foreign economic assistance in many  areas is gratifying evidence that its objectives are being achieved. By  continuing to surpass her prewar levels of economic activity, Western  Europe gains self-reliance. Thus our relationship enters a new phase which  can bring results beneficial to our taxpayers and our allies alike, if  still another step is taken.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":27,"text":"This step is the creation of a healthier and freer system of trade and  payments within the free world--a system in which our allies can earn their  own way and our own economy can continue to flourish. The free world can no  longer afford the kinds of arbitrary restraints on trade that have  continued ever since the war. On this problem I shall submit to the  Congress detailed recommendations, after our Joint Commission on Foreign  Economic Policy has made its report.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":28,"text":"ATOMIC ENERGY PROPOSAL  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":29,"text":"As we maintain our military strength during the coming year and draw closer  the bonds with our allies, we shall be in an improved position to discuss  outstanding issues with the Soviet Union. Indeed we shall be glad to do so  whenever there is a reasonable prospect of constructive results. In this  spirit the atomic energy proposals of the United States were recently  presented to the United Nations General Assembly. A truly constructive  Soviet reaction will make possible a new start toward an era of peace, and  away from the fatal road toward atomic war.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":30,"text":"DEFENSE  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":31,"text":"Since our hope is peace, we owe ourselves and the world a candid  explanation of the military measures we are taking to make that peace  secure.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":32,"text":"As we enter this new year, our military power continues to grow. This power  is for our own defense and to deter aggression. We shall not be aggressors,  but we and our allies have and will maintain a massive capability to strike  back.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":33,"text":"Here are some of the considerations in our defense planning:  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":34,"text":"First, while determined to use atomic power to serve the usages of peace,  we take into full account our great and growing number of nuclear weapons  and the most effective means of using them against an aggressor if they are  needed to preserve our freedom. Our defense will be stronger if, under  appropriate security safeguards, we share with our allies certain knowledge  of the tactical use of our nuclear weapons. I urge the Congress to provide  the needed authority.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":35,"text":"Second, the usefulness of these new weapons creates new relationships  between men and materials. These new relationships permit economies in the  use of men as we build forces suited to our situation in the world today.  As will be seen from the Budget Message on January 21, the airpower of our  Navy and Air Force is receiving heavy emphasis.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":36,"text":"Third, our armed forces must regain maximum mobility of action. Our  strategic reserves must be centrally placed and readily deployable to meet  sudden aggression against ourselves and our allies.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":37,"text":"Fourth, our defense must rest on trained manpower and its most economical  and mobile use. A professional corps is the heart of any security  organization. It is necessarily the teacher and leader of those who serve  temporarily in the discharge of the obligation to help defend the Republic.  Pay alone will not retain in the career service of our armed forces the  necessary numbers of long-term personnel. I strongly urge, therefore, a  more generous use of other benefits important to service morale. Among  these are more adequate living quarters and family housing units and  medical care for dependents.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":38,"text":"Studies of military manpower have just been completed by the National  Security Training Commission and a Committee appointed by the Director of  the Office of Defense Mobilization. Evident weaknesses exist in the state  of readiness and organization of our reserve forces. Measures to correct  these weaknesses will be later submitted to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":39,"text":"Fifth, the ability to convert swiftly from partial to all-out mobilization  is imperative to our security. For the first time, mobilization officials  know what the requirements are for 1,000 major items needed for military  uses. These data, now being related to civilian requirements and our supply  potential, will show us the gaps in our mobilization base. Thus we shall  have more realistic plant-expansion and stockpiling goals. We shall speed  their attainment. This Nation is at last to have an up-to-date mobilization  base--the foundation of a sound defense program.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":40,"text":"Another part of this foundation is, of course, our continental transport  system. Some of our vital heavy materials come increasingly from Canada.  Indeed our relations with Canada, happily always close, involve more and  more the unbreakable ties of strategic interdependence. Both nations now  need the St. Lawrence Seaway for security as well as for economic reasons.  I urge the Congress promptly to approve our participation in its  construction.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":41,"text":"Sixth, military and non-military measures for continental defense must be  and are being strengthened. In the current fiscal year we are allocating to  these purposes an increasing portion of our effort, and in the next fiscal  year we shall spend nearly a billion dollars more for them than in 1953.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":42,"text":"An indispensable part of our continental security is our civil defense  effort. This will succeed only as we have the complete cooperation of State  Governors, Mayors, and voluntary citizen groups. With their help we can  advance a cooperative program which, if an attack should come, would save  many lives and lessen destruction.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":43,"text":"The defense program recommended in the 1955 Budget is consistent with all  of the considerations which I have just discussed. It is based on a new  military program unanimously recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and  approved by me following consideration by the National Security Council.  This new program will make and keep America strong in an age of peril.  Nothing should bar its attainment.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":44,"text":"The international and defense policies which I have outlined will enable us  to negotiate from a position of strength as we hold our resolute course  toward a peaceful world. We now turn to matters which are normally  characterized as domestic, well realizing that what we do abroad affects  every problem at home--from the amount of taxes to our very state of mind.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":45,"text":"INTERNAL SECURITY  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":46,"text":"Under the standards established for the new employee security program, more  than 2,200 employees have been separated from the Federal government. Our  national security demands that the investigation of new employees and the  evaluation of derogatory information respecting present employees be  expedited and concluded at the earliest possible date. I shall recommend  that the Congress provide additional funds where necessary to speed these  important procedures.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":47,"text":"From the special employment standards of the Federal government I turn now  to a matter relating to American citizenship. The subversive character of  the Communist Party in the United States has been clearly demonstrated in  many ways, including court proceedings. We should recognize by law a fact  that is plain to all thoughtful citizens-that we are dealing here with  actions akin to treason--that when a citizen knowingly participates in the  Communist conspiracy he no longer holds allegiance to the United States.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":48,"text":"I recommend that Congress enact legislation to provide that a citizen of  the United States who is convicted in the courts of hereafter conspiring to  advocate the overthrow of this government by force or violence be treated  as having, by such act, renounced his allegiance to the United States and  forfeited his United States citizenship.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":49,"text":"In addition, the Attorney General will soon appear before your Committees  to present his recommendations for needed additional legal weapons with  which to combat subversion in our country and to deal with the question of  claimed immunity.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":50,"text":"II. STRONG ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":51,"text":"I turn now to the second great purpose of our government: Along with the  protection of freedom, the maintenance of a strong and growing economy.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":52,"text":"The American economy is one of the wonders of the world. It undergirds our  international position, our military security, and the standard of living  of every citizen. This Administration is determined to keep our economy  strong and to keep it growing.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":53,"text":"At this moment we are in transition from a wartime to a peacetime economy.  I am confident that we can complete this transition without serious  interruption in our economic growth. But we shall not leave this vital  matter to chance. Economic preparedness is fully as important to the nation  as military preparedness.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":54,"text":"Subsequent special messages and the economic report on January 28 will set  forth plans of the Administration and its recommendations for Congressional  action. These will include flexible credit and debt management policies;  tax measures to stimulate consumer and business spending; suitable lending,  guaranteeing, insuring, and grant-in-aid activities; strengthened old-age  and unemployment insurance measures; improved agricultural programs;  public-works plans laid well in advance; enlarged opportunities for  international trade and investment. This mere enumeration of these subjects  implies the vast amount of study, coordination, and planning, to say  nothing of authorizing legislation, that altogether make our economic  preparedness complete.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":55,"text":"If new conditions arise that require additional administrative or  legislative action, the Administration will still be ready. A government  always ready, as this is, to take well-timed and vigorous action, and a  business community willing, as ours is, to plan boldly and with  confidence, can between them develop a climate assuring steady economic  growth.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":56,"text":"THE BUDGET  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":57,"text":"I shall submit to the Congress on January 21 the first budget prepared by  this Administration, for the period July 1, 1954, through June 1955. This  budget is adequate to the current needs of the government. It recognizes  that a Federal budget should be a stabilizing factor in the economy. Its  tax and expenditure programs will foster individual initiative and economic  growth.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":58,"text":"Pending the transmittal of my Budget Message, I shall mention here only a  few points about our budgetary situation.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":59,"text":"First, one of our initial acts was to revise, with the cooperation of the  Congress, the Budget prepared before this Administration took office.  Requests for new appropriations were greatly reduced. In addition, the  spending level provided in that Budget for the current fiscal year has been  reduced by about $7,000,000,000. In the next fiscal year we estimate a  further reduction in expenditures of more than $5,000,000,000. This will  reduce the spending level over the two fiscal years by more than  $12,000,000,000. We are also reducing further our requests for new  appropriations.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":60,"text":"Second, despite the substantial loss of revenue in the coming fiscal year,  resulting from tax reductions now in effect and tax adjustments which I  shall propose, our reduced spending will move the new budget closer to a  balance.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":61,"text":"Third, by keeping new appropriation requests below estimated revenues, we  continue to reduce the tremendous accumulation of unfinanced obligations  incurred by the Government under past appropriations.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":62,"text":"Fourth, until those claims on our Government's revenues are further  reduced, the growth in the public debt cannot be entirely stopped. Because  of this--because the government's bills have to be paid every month, while  the tax money to pay them comes in with great unevenness within the fiscal  year--and because of the need for flexibility to manage this enormous debt,  I find it necessary to renew my request for an increase in the statutory  debt limit.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":63,"text":"TAXES  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":64,"text":"The new budget provides for a lower level of taxation than has prevailed in  preceding years. Six days ago individual income taxes were reduced and the  excess profits tax expired. These tax reductions are justified only because  of the substantial reductions we already have made and are making in  governmental expenditures. As additional reductions in expenditures are  brought gradually but surely into sight, further reductions in taxes can  and will be made. When budget savings and sound governmental financing are  assured, tax burdens should be reduced so that taxpayers may spend their  own money in their own way.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":65,"text":"While we are moving toward lower levels of taxation we must thoroughly  revise our whole tax system. The groundwork for this revision has already  been laid by the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of  Representatives, in close consultation with the Department of the Treasury.  We should now remove the more glaring tax inequities, particularly on small  taxpayers; reduce restraints on the growth of small business; and make  other changes that will encourage initiative, enterprise and production.  Twenty-five recommendations toward these ends will be contained in my  budget message.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":66,"text":"Without attempting to summarize these manifold reforms, I can here  illustrate their tendency. For example, we propose more liberal tax  treatment for dependent children who work, for widows or widowers with  dependent children, and for medical expenses. For the business that wants  to expand or modernize its plant, we propose liberalized tax treatment of  depreciation, research and development expenses, and retained earnings.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":67,"text":"Because of the present need for revenue the corporation income tax should  be kept at the current rate of 52% for another year, and the excise taxes  scheduled to be reduced on April first, including those on liquor, tobacco,  gasoline and automobiles, should be continued at present rates.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":68,"text":"Immediate extension of the Renegotiation Act of 1951 is also needed to  eliminate excessive profits and to prevent waste of public funds in the  purchase of defense materials.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":69,"text":"AGRICULTURE  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":70,"text":"The well being of our 160 million people demands a stable and prosperous  agriculture. Conversely, every farmer knows he cannot prosper unless all  America prospers. As we seek to promote increases in our standard of  living, we must be sure that the farmer fairly shares in that increase.  Therefore, a farm program promoting stability and prosperity in all  elements of our agriculture is urgently needed.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":71,"text":"Agricultural laws now in effect successfully accomplished their wartime  purpose of encouraging maximum production of many crops. Today, production  of these crops at such levels far exceeds present demand. Yet the laws  encouraging such production are still in effect. The storage facilities of  the Commodity Credit Corporation bulge with surplus stocks of dairy  products, wheat, cotton, corn, and certain vegetable oils; and the  Corporation's presently authorized borrowing authority--$6,750,000,000--is  nearly exhausted. Some products, priced out of domestic markets, and  others, priced out of world markets, have piled up in government hands. In  a world in which millions of people are hungry, destruction of food would,  of course, be unconscionable. Yet surplus stocks continue to threaten the  market and in spite of the acreage controls authorized by present law,  surpluses will continue to accumulate.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":72,"text":"We confront two alternatives. The first is to impose still greater acreage  reductions for some crops and apply rigid Federal controls over the use of  the diverted acres. This will regiment the production of every basic  agricultural crop. It will place every producer of those crops under the  domination and control of the Federal government in Washington. This  alternative is contrary to the fundamental interests, not only of the  farmer, but of the Nation as a whole. Nor is it a real solution to the  problem facing us.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":73,"text":"The second alternative is to permit the market price for these agricultural  products gradually to have a greater influence on the planning of  production by farmers, while continuing the assistance of the government.  This is the sound approach. To make it effective, surpluses existing when  the new program begins must be insulated from the normal channels of trade  for special uses. These uses would include school lunch programs, disaster  relief, emergency assistance to foreign friends, and of particular  importance the stockpiling of reserves for a national emergency.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":74,"text":"Building on the agricultural laws of 1948 and 1949, we should establish a  price support program with enough flexibility to attract the production of  needed supplies of essential commodities and to stimulate the consumption  of those commodities that are flooding American markets. Transition to  modernized parity must be accomplished gradually. In no case should there  be an abrupt downward change in the dollar level or in the percentage level  of price supports.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":75,"text":"Next Monday I shall transmit to the Congress my detailed recommendations  embodying this approach. They have been developed through the cooperation  of innumerable individuals vitally interested in agriculture. My special  message on Monday will briefly describe the consultative and advisory  processes to which this whole program has been subjected during the past  ten months.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":76,"text":"I have chosen this farm program because it will build markets, protect the  consumers' food supply, and move food into consumption instead of into  storage. It is a program that will remove the threat to the farmer of these  overhanging surpluses, a program, also, that will stimulate production when  a commodity is scarce and encourage consumption when nature is bountiful.  Moreover, it will promote the individual freedom, responsibility, and  initiative which distinguish American agriculture. And, by helping our  agriculture achieve full parity in the market, it promises our farmers a  higher and steadier financial return over the years than any alternative  plan.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":77,"text":"CONSERVATION  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":78,"text":"Part of our Nation's precious heritage is its natural resources. It is the  common responsibility of Federal, state, and local governments to improve  and develop them, always working in the closest harmony and partnership.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":79,"text":"All Federal conservation and resource development projects are being  reappraised. Sound projects now under way will be continued. New projects  in which the Federal Government has a part must be economically sound, with  local sharing of cost wherever appropriate and feasible. In the next fiscal  year work will be started on twenty-three projects that meet these  standards. The Federal Government will continue to construct and operate  economically sound flood control, power, irrigation and water supply  projects wherever these projects are beyond the capacity of local  initiative, public or private, and consistent with the needs of the whole  Nation.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":80,"text":"Our conservation program will also take into account the important role  played by farmers in protecting our soil resources. I recommend enactment  of legislation to strengthen agricultural conservation and upstream flood  prevention work, and to achieve a better balance with major flood control  structures in the down-stream areas.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":81,"text":"Recommendations will be made from time to time for the adoption of:  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":82,"text":"A uniform and consistent water resources policy;  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":83,"text":"A revised public lands policy; and  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":84,"text":"A sound program for safeguarding the domestic production of critical and  strategic metals and minerals.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":85,"text":"In addition we shall continue to protect and improve our national forests,  parks, monuments and other natural and historic sites, as well as our  fishery and wildlife resources. I hope that pending legislation to improve  the conservation and management of publicly-owned grazing lands in national  forests will soon be approved by the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":86,"text":"NATIONAL HIGHWAYS  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":87,"text":"To protect the vital interest of every citizen in a safe and adequate  highway system, the Federal Government is continuing its central role in  the Federal Aid Highway Program. So that maximum progress can be made to  overcome present inadequacies in the Interstate Highway System, we must  continue the Federal gasoline tax at two cents per gallon. This will  require cancellation of the 1/2 cent decrease which otherwise will become  effective April 1st, and will maintain revenues so that an expanded highway  program can be undertaken.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":88,"text":"When the Commission on Intergovernmental Relations completes its study of  the present system of financing highway construction, I shall promptly  submit it for consideration by the Congress and the governors of the  states.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":89,"text":"POST OFFICE  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":90,"text":"It is apparent that the substantial savings already made, and to be made,  by the Post Office Department cannot eliminate the postal deficit. I  recommend, therefore, that the Congress approve the bill now pending in the  House of Representatives providing for the adjustment of certain postal  rates. To handle the long term aspects of this, I also recommend that the  Congress create a permanent commission to establish fair and reasonable  postal rates from time to time in the future.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":91,"text":"III. HUMAN PROBLEMS  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":92,"text":"Along with the protection of freedom and maintenance of a strong and  growing economy, this Administration recognizes a third great purpose of  government: concern for the human problems of our citizens. In a modern  industrial society, banishment of destitution and cushioning the shock of  personal disaster on the individual are proper concerns of all levels of  government, including the federal government. This is especially true where  remedy and prevention alike are beyond the individual's capacity.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":93,"text":"LABOR AND WELFARE  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":94,"text":"Of the many problems in this area, those I shall first discuss are of  particular concern to the members of our great labor force, who with their  heads, hearts and hands produce so much of the wealth of our country.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":95,"text":"Protection against the hazards of temporary unemployment should be extended  to some 6 1/2 millions of workers, including civilian Federal workers, who  now lack this safeguard. Moreover, the Secretary of Labor is making  available to the states studies and recommendations in the fields of weekly  benefits, periods of protection and extension of coverage. The Economic  Report will consider the related matter of minimum wages and their coverage.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":96,"text":"The Labor Management Relations Act of 3947 is basically a sound law.  However, six years of experience have revealed that in some respects it can  be improved. On January 11, I shall forward to the Congress suggestions for  changes designed to reinforce the basic objectives of the Act.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":97,"text":"Our basic social security program, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance  system, to which individuals contribute during their productive years and  receive benefits based on previous earnings, is designed to shield them  from destitution. Last year I recommended extension of the social insurance  system to include more than 10,000,000 additional persons. I ask that this  extension soon be accomplished. This and other major improvements in the  insurance system will bring substantial benefit increases and broaden the  membership of the insurance system, thus diminishing the need for Federal  grants-in-aid for such purposes. A new formula will therefore be proposed,  permitting progressive reduction in such grants as the need for them  declines.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":98,"text":"Federal grant-in-aid welfare programs, now based on widely varying  formulas, should be simplified. Concrete proposals on fourteen of them will  be suggested to the appropriate Committees.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":99,"text":"The program for rehabilitation of the disabled especially needs  strengthening. Through special vocational training, this program presently  returns each year some 60,000 handicapped individuals to productive work.  Far more disabled people can be saved each year from idleness and  dependence if this program is gradually increased. My more detailed  recommendations on this and the other social insurance problems I have  mentioned will be sent to the Congress on January 14th.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":100,"text":"HEALTH  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":101,"text":"I am flatly opposed to the socialization of medicine. The great need for  hospital and medical services can best be met by the initiative of private  plans. But it is unfortunately a fact that medical costs are rising and  already impose severe hardships on many families. The Federal Government  can do many helpful things and still carefully avoid the socialization of  medicine.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":102,"text":"The Federal Government should encourage medical research in its battle with  such mortal diseases as cancer and heart ailments, and should continue to  help the states in their health and rehabilitation programs. The present  Hospital Survey and Construction Act should be broadened in order to assist  in the development of adequate facilities for the chronically ill, and to  encourage the construction of diagnostic centers, rehabilitation  facilities, and nursing homes. The war on disease also needs a better  working relationship between Government and private initiative. Private and  non-profit hospital and medical insurance plans are already in the field,  soundly based on the experience and initiative of the people in their  various communities.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":103,"text":"A limited Government reinsurance service would permit the private and  non-profit insurance companies to offer broader protection to more of the  many families which want and should have it. On January 18 I shall forward  to the Congress a special message presenting this Administration's health  program in its detail.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":104,"text":"EDUCATION  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":105,"text":"Youth--our greatest resource--is being seriously neglected in a vital  respect. The nation as a whole is not preparing teachers or building  schools fast enough to keep up with the increase in our population.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":106,"text":"The preparation of teachers as, indeed, the control and direction of public  education policy, is a state and local responsibility. However, the Federal  Government should stand ready to assist states which demonstrably cannot  provide sufficient school buildings. In order to appraise the needs, I hope  that this year a conference on education will be held in each state,  culminating in a national conference. From these conferences on education,  every level of government--from the Federal Government to each local school  board--should gain the information with which to attack this serious  problem.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":107,"text":"HOUSING  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":108,"text":"The details of a program to enlarge and improve the opportunities for our  people to acquire good homes will be presented to the Congress by special  message on January 25.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":109,"text":"This program will include:  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":110,"text":"Modernization of the home mortgage insurance program of the Federal  Government;  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":111,"text":"Redirection of the present system of loans and grants-in-aid to cities for  slum clearance and redevelopment;  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":112,"text":"Extension of the advantages of insured lending to private credit engaged in  this task of rehabilitating obsolete neighborhoods;  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":113,"text":"Insurance of long-term, mortgage loans, with small down payment for  low-income families; and, until alternative programs prove more effective,  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":114,"text":"Continuation of the public housing program adopted in the Housing Act of  1949.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":115,"text":"If the individual, the community, the State and federal governments will  alike apply themselves, every American family can have a decent home.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":116,"text":"VETERANS ADMINISTRATION  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":117,"text":"The internal reorganization of the Veterans Administration is proceeding  with my full approval. When completed, it will afford a single agency whose  services, including medical facilities, will be better adapted to the needs  of those 20,000,000 veterans to whom this Nation owes so much.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":118,"text":"SUFFRAGE  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":119,"text":"My few remaining recommendations all relate to a basic right of our  citizens--that of being represented in the decisions of the government.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":120,"text":"I hope that the States will cooperate with the Congress in adopting uniform  standards in their voting laws that will make it possible for our citizens  in the armed forces overseas to vote.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":121,"text":"In the District of Columbia the time is long overdue for granting national  suffrage to its citizens and also applying the principle of local  self-government to the Nation's Capital. I urge the Congress to move  promptly in this direction and also to revise District revenue measures to  provide needed public works improvements.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":122,"text":"The people of Hawaii are ready for statehood. I renew my request for this  legislation in order that Hawaii may elect its State officials and its  representatives in Washington along with the rest of the country this  fall.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":123,"text":"For years our citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 have, in time of  peril, been summoned to fight for America. They should participate in the  political process that produces this fateful summons. I urge Congress to  propose to the States a constitutional amendment permitting citizens to  vote when they reach the age of 18.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":124,"text":"CONCLUSION  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":125,"text":"I want to add one final word about the general purport of these many  recommendations.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":126,"text":"Our government's powers are wisely limited by the Constitution; but quite  apart from those limitations, there are things which no government can do  or should try to do.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":127,"text":"A government can strive, as ours is striving, to maintain an economic  system whose doors are open to enterprise and ambition--those personal  qualities on which economic growth largely depends. But enterprise and  ambition are qualities which no government can supply. Fortunately no  American government need concern itself on this score; our people have  these qualities in good measure.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":128,"text":"A government can sincerely strive for peace, as ours is striving, and ask  its people to make sacrifices for the sake of peace. But no government can  place peace in the hearts of foreign rulers. It is our duty then to  ourselves and to freedom itself to remain strong in all those  ways--spiritual, economic, military--that will give us maximum safety  against the possibility of aggressive action by others.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":129,"text":"No government can inoculate its people against the fatal materialism that  plagues our age. Happily, our people, though blessed with more material  goods than any people in history, have always reserved their first  allegiance to the kingdom of the spirit, which is the true source of that  freedom we value above all material things.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":130,"text":"But a government can try, as ours tries, to sense the deepest aspirations  of the people, and to express them in political action at home and abroad.  So long as action and aspiration humbly and earnestly seek favor in the  sight of the Almighty, there is no end to America's forward road; there is  no obstacle on it she will not surmount in her march toward a lasting peace  in a free and prosperous world.  "}
{"year":"1954","paragraph":131,"text":"The Address as reported from the floor appears in the Congressional Record  (vol. 100, p. 62).  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Congress:  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":2,"text":"First, I extend cordial greetings to the 84th Congress. We shall have much  to do together; I am sure that we shall get it done--and, that we shall do  it in harmony and good will.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":3,"text":"At the outset, I believe it would be well to remind ourselves of this great  fundamental in our national life: our common belief that every human being  is divinely endowed with dignity and worth and inalienable rights. This  faith, with its corollary--that to grow and flourish people must be  free--shapes the interests and aspirations of every American.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":4,"text":"From this deep faith have evolved three main purposes of our Federal  Government:  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":5,"text":"First, to maintain justice and freedom among ourselves and to champion them  for others so that we may work effectively for enduring peace;  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":6,"text":"Second, to help keep our economy vigorous and expanding, thus sustaining  our international strength and assuring better jobs, better living, better  opportunities for every citizen;  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":7,"text":"And third, to concern ourselves with the human problems of our people so  that every American may have the opportunity to lead a healthy, productive  and rewarding life.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":8,"text":"Foremost among these broad purposes of government is our support of  freedom, justice and peace.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":9,"text":"It is of the utmost importance, that each of us understand the true nature  of the struggle now taking place in the world.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":10,"text":"It is not a struggle merely of economic theories, or of forms of  government, or of military power. At issue is the true nature of man.  Either man is the creature whom the Psalmist described as \"a little lower  than the angels,\" crowned with glory and honor, holding \"dominion over the  works\" of his Creator; or man is a soulless, animated machine to be  enslaved, used and consumed by the state for its own glorification.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":11,"text":"It is, therefore, a struggle which goes to the roots of the human spirit,  and its shadow falls across the long sweep of man's destiny. This prize, so  precious, so fraught with ultimate meaning, is the true object of the  contending forces in the world.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":12,"text":"In the past year, there has been progress justifying hope, both for  continuing peace and for the ultimate rule of freedom and justice in the  world. Free nations are collectively stronger than at any time in recent  years.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":13,"text":"Just as nations of this Hemisphere, in the historic Caracas and Rio  conferences, have closed ranks against imperialistic Communism and  strengthened their economic ties, so free nations elsewhere have forged new  bonds of unity.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":14,"text":"Recent agreements between Turkey and Pakistan have laid a foundation for  increased strength in the Middle East. With our understanding support,  Egypt and Britain, Yugoslavia and Italy, Britain and Iran have resolved  dangerous differences. The security of the Mediterranean has been enhanced  by an alliance among Greece, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Agreements in Western  Europe have paved the way for unity to replace past divisions which have  undermined Europe's economic and military vitality. The defense of the West  appears likely at last to include a free, democratic Germany participating  as an equal in the councils of NATO.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":15,"text":"In Asia and the Pacific, the pending Manila Pact supplements our treaties  with Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Korea and Japan and our  prospective treaty with the Republic of China. These pacts stand as solemn  warning that future military aggression and subversion against the free  nations of Asia will meet united response. The Pacific Charter, also  adopted at Manila, is a milestone in the development of human freedom and  self-government in the Pacific area.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":16,"text":"Under the auspices of the United Nations, there is promise of progress in  our country's plan for the peaceful use of atomic energy.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":17,"text":"Finally, today the world is at peace. It is, to be sure, an secure peace.  Yet all humanity finds hope in the simple fact that for an appreciable time  there has been no active major battlefield on earth. This same fact  inspires us to work all the more effectively with other nations for the  well-being, the freedom, the dignity, of every human on earth.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":18,"text":"These developments are heartening indeed, and we are hopeful of continuing  progress. But sobering problems remain.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":19,"text":"The massive military machines and ambitions of the Soviet-Communist bloc  still create uneasiness in the world. All of us are aware of the continuing  reliance of the Soviet Communists on military force, of the power of their  weapons, of their present resistance to realistic armament limitation, and  of their continuing effort to dominate or intimidate free nations on their  periphery. Their steadily growing power includes an increasing strength in  nuclear weapons. This power, combined with the proclaimed intentions of the  Communist leaders to communize the world, is the threat confronting us  today.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":20,"text":"To protect our nations and our peoples from the catastrophe of a nuclear  holocaust, free nations must maintain countervailing military power to  persuade the Communists of the futility of seeking their ends through  aggression. If Communist rulers understand that America's response to  aggression will be swift and decisive--that never shall we buy peace at the  expense of honor or faith--they will be powerfully deterred from launching  a military venture engulfing their own peoples and many others in disaster.  This, of course, is merely world stalemate. But in this stalemate each of  us may and must exercise his high duty to strive in every honorable way for  enduring peace.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":21,"text":"The military threat is but one menace to our freedom and security. We must  not only deter aggression; we must also frustrate the effort of Communists  to gain their goals by subversion. To this end, free nations must maintain  and reinforce their cohesion, their internal security, their political and  economic vitality, and their faith in freedom.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":22,"text":"In such a world, America's course is dear:  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":23,"text":"We must tirelessly labor to make the peace more just and durable.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":24,"text":"We must strengthen the collective defense under the United Nations Charter  and gird ourselves with sufficient military strength and productive  capacity to discourage resort to war and protect our nation's vital  interests.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":25,"text":"We must continue to support and strengthen the United Nations. At this very  moment, by vote of the United Nations General Assembly, its  Secretary-General is in Communist China on a mission of deepest concern to  all Americans: seeking the release of our never-to-be-forgotten American  aviators and all other United Nations prisoners wrongfully detained by the  Communist regime.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":26,"text":"We must also encourage the efforts being made in the United Nations to  limit armaments and to harness the atom to peaceful rise.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":27,"text":"We must expand international trade and investment and assist friendly  nations whose own best efforts are still insufficient to provide the  strength essential to the security of the free world.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":28,"text":"We must be willing to use the processes of negotiation whenever they will  advance the cause of just and secure peace to which the United States and  other free nations are dedicated.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":29,"text":"In respect to all these matters, we must, through a vigorous information  program, keep the peoples of the world truthfully advised of our actions  and purposes. This problem has been attacked with new vigor during the past  months. I urge that the Congress give its earnest consideration to the  great advantages that can accrue to our country through the successful  operations of this program.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":30,"text":"We must also carry forward our educational exchange program. This sharing  of knowledge and experience between our citizens and those of free  countries is a powerful factor in the development and maintenance of true  partnership among free peoples.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":31,"text":"To advance these many efforts, the Congress must act in this session on  appropriations, legislation, and treaties. Today I shall mention especially  our foreign economic and military programs.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":32,"text":"The recent economic progress in many free nations has been most heartening.  The productivity of labor and the production of goods and services are  increasing in ever-widening areas. There is a growing will to improve the  living standards of all men. This progress is important to all our people.  It promises us allies who are strong and self-reliant; it promises a  growing world market for the products of our mines, our factories, and our  farms.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":33,"text":"But only through steady effort can we hope to continue this progress.  Barriers still impede trade and the flow of capital needed to develop each  nation's human and material resources. Wise reduction of these barriers is  a long-term objective of our foreign economic policy--a policy of an  evolutionary and selective nature, assuring broad benefits to our own and  other peoples.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":34,"text":"We must gradually reduce certain tariff obstacles to trade. These actions  should, of course, be accompanied by a similar lowering of trade barriers  by other nations, so that we may move steadily toward greater economic  advantage for all. We must further simplify customs administration and  procedures. We must facilitate the flow of capital and continue technical  assistance, both directly and through the United Nations, to less developed  countries to strengthen their independence and raise their living  standards. Many another step must be taken in and among the nations of the  free world to release forces of private initiative. In our own nation,  these forces have brought strength and prosperity; once released, they will  generate rising incomes in these other countries with which to buy the  products of American industry, labor and agriculture.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":35,"text":"On January 10, by special message, I shall submit specific recommendations  for carrying forward the legislative phases of our foreign economic  policy.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":36,"text":"Our many efforts to build a better world include the maintenance of our  military strength. This is a vast undertaking. Major national security  programs consume two-thirds of the entire Federal budget. Over four million  Americans--servicemen and civilians--are on the rolls of the defense  establishment. During the past two years, by eliminating duplication and  overstaffing, by improved procurement and inventory controls, and by  concentrating on the essentials, many billions of dollars have been saved  in our defense activities. I should like to mention certain fundamentals  underlying this vast program.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":37,"text":"First, a realistic limitation of armaments and an enduring, just peace  remain our national goals; we maintain powerful military forces because  there is no present alternative--forces designed for deterrent and  defensive purposes alone but able instantly to strike back with destructive  power in response to an attack.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":38,"text":"Second, we must stay alert to the fact that undue reliance on one weapon or  preparation for only one kind of warfare simply invites an enemy to resort  to another. We must, therefore, keep in our armed forces balance and  flexibility adequate for our purposes and objectives.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":39,"text":"Third, to keep our armed forces abreast of the advances of science, our  military planning must be flexible enough to utilize the new weapons and  techniques which flow ever more speedily from our research and development  programs. The forthcoming military budget therefore emphasizes modern  airpower in the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and increases the emphasis  on new weapons, especially those of rapid and destructive striking power.  It assures the maintenance of effective, retaliatory force as the principal  deterrent to overt aggression. It accelerates the continental defense  program and the build-up of ready military reserve forces. It continues a  vigorous program of stockpiling strategic and critical materials and  strengthening our mobilization base. The budget also contemplates the  strategic concentration of our strength through redeployment of certain  forces. It provides for reduction of forces in certain categories and their  expansion in others, to fit them to the military realities of our time.  These emphases in our defense planning have been made at my personal  direction after long and thoughtful study. In my judgment, they will give  our nation a defense accurately adjusted to the national need.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":40,"text":"Fourth, pending a world agreement on armament limitation, we must continue  to improve and expand our supplies of nuclear weapons for our land, naval  and air forces, while, at the same time, continuing our encouraging  progress in the peaceful use of atomic power.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":41,"text":"And fifth, in the administration of these costly programs, we must demand  the utmost in efficiency and ingenuity. We must assure our people not only  of adequate protection but also of a defense that can be carried forward  from year to year until the threat of aggression has disappeared.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":42,"text":"To help maintain this kind of armed strength and improve its efficiency, I  must urge the enactment of several important measures in this session.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":43,"text":"The first concerns the selective service act which expires next June 30th.  For the foreseeable future, our standing forces must remain much larger  than voluntary methods can sustain. We must, therefore, extend the  statutory authority to induct men for two years of military service.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":44,"text":"The second kind of measure concerns the rapid turnover of our most  experienced servicemen. This process seriously weakens the combat readiness  of our armed forces and is exorbitantly expensive. To encourage more  trained servicemen to remain in uniform, I shall, on the thirteenth of this  month, propose a number of measures to increase the attractions of a  military career. These measures will include more adequate medical care for  dependents, survivors' benefits, more and better housing, and selective  adjustments in military pay and other allowances.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":45,"text":"And third--also on January 13--I shall present a program to rebuild and  strengthen the civilian components of our armed forces. This is a  comprehensive program, designed to make better use of our manpower of  military age. Because it will go far in assuring fair and equitable  participation in military training and service, it is of particular  importance to our combat veterans. In keeping with the historic military  policy of our Republic, this program is designed to build and maintain  powerful civilian reserves immediately capable of effective military  service in an emergency in lieu of maintaining active duty forces in excess  of the nation's immediate need.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":46,"text":"Maintenance of an effective defense requires continuance of our aggressive  attack on subversion at home. In this effort we have, in the past two  years, made excellent progress. FBI investigations have been powerfully  reinforced by a new Internal Security Division in the Department of  Justice; the security activities of the Immigration and Naturalization  Service have been revitalized; an improved and strengthened security system  is in effect throughout the government; the Department of Justice and the  FBI have been armed with effective new legal weapons forged by the 83rd  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":47,"text":"We shall continue to ferret out and to destroy Communist subversion.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":48,"text":"We shall, in the process, carefully preserve our traditions and the basic  rights of our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":49,"text":"Our civil defense program is also a key element in the protection of our  country. We are developing cooperative methods with State Governors,  Mayors, and voluntary citizen groups, as well as among Federal agencies, in  building the civil defense organization. Its significance in time of war is  obvious; its swift assistance in disaster areas last year proved its  importance in time of peace.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":50,"text":"An industry capable of rapid expansion and essential materials and  facilities swiftly available in time of emergency are indispensable to our  defense. I urge, therefore, a two-year extension of the Defense Production  Act and Title II of the First War Powers Act of 1941. These are  cornerstones of our program for the development and maintenance of an  adequate mobilization base. At this point, I should like to make this  additional observation. Our quest for peace and freedom necessarily  presumes that we who hold positions of public trust must rise above self  and section--that we must subordinate to the general good our partisan, our  personal pride and prejudice. Tirelessly, with united purpose, we must  fortify the material and spiritual foundations of this land of freedom and  of free nations throughout the world. As never before, there is need for  unhesitating cooperation among the branches of our government.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":51,"text":"At this time the executive and legislative branches are under the  management of different political parties. This fact places both parties on  trial before the American people.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":52,"text":"In less perilous days of the past, division of governmental responsibility  among our great parties has produced a paralyzing indecision. We must not  let this happen in our time. We must avoid a paralysis of the will for  peace and international security.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":53,"text":"In the traditionally bipartisan areas--military security and foreign  relations--I can report to you that I have already, with the leaders of  this Congress, expressed assurances of unreserved cooperation. Yet, the  strength of our country requires more than mere maintenance of military  strength and success in foreign affairs; these vital matters are in turn  dependent upon concerted and vigorous action in a number of supporting  programs. I say, therefore, to the 84th Congress:  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":54,"text":"In all areas basic to the strength of America, there will be--to the extent  I can insure them--cooperative, constructive relations between the  Executive and Legislative Branches of this government. Let the general good  be our yardstick on every great issue of our time.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":55,"text":"Our efforts to defend our freedom and to secure a just peace are, of  course, inseparable from the second great purpose of our government: to  help maintain a strong, growing economy--an economy vigorous and free, in  which there are ever-increasing opportunities, just rewards for effort, and  a stable prosperity that is widely shared.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":56,"text":"In the past two years, many important governmental Actions helped our  economy adjust to conditions of peace; these and other actions created a  climate for renewed economic growth. Controls were removed from wages,  prices and materials. Tax revisions encouraged increased private spending  and employment. Federal expenditures were sharply reduced, making possible  a record tax cut. These actions, together with flexible monetary and debt  management policies, helped to halt inflation and stabilize the value of  the dollar. A program of cooperation and partnership in resource  development was begun. Social security and unemployment insurance laws were  broadened and strengthened. New laws started the long process of balancing  farm production with farm markets. Expanded shipbuilding and stockpiling  programs strengthened key sectors of the economy, while improving our  mobilization base. A comprehensive new housing law brought impressive  progress in an area fundamental to our economic strength and closed  loopholes in the old laws permitting dishonest manipulation. Many of these  programs are just beginning to exert their main stimulating effect upon the  economy generally and upon specific communities and industries throughout  the country.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":57,"text":"The past year--1954--was one of the most prosperous years in our history.  Business activity now surges with new strength. Production is rising.  Employment is high. Toward the end of last year average weekly wages in  manufacturing were higher than ever before. Personal income after taxes is  at a record level. So is consumer spending. Construction activity is  reaching new peaks. Export demand for our goods is strong. State and local  government expenditures on public works are rising. Savings are high, and  credit is readily available.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":58,"text":"So, today, the transition to a peacetime economy is largely behind us.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":59,"text":"The economic outlook is good.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":60,"text":"The many promising factors I have mentioned do not guarantee sustained  economic expansion; however, they do give us a strong position from which  to carry forward our economic growth. If we as a people act wisely, within  ten years our annual national output can rise from its present level of  about $360 billion to $500 billion, measured in dollars of stable buying  power.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":61,"text":"My Budget Message on January 17, the Economic Report on the 20th of this  month, and several special messages will set forth in detail major programs  to foster the growth of our economy and to protect the integrity of the  people's money. Today I shall discuss these programs only in general  terms.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":62,"text":"Government efficiency and economy remain essential to steady progress  toward a balanced budget. More than ten billion dollars were cut from the  spending program proposed in the budget of January 9, 1953. Expenditures of  that year were six and a half billion below those of the previous year. In  the current fiscal year, government spending will be nearly four and a half  billion dollars less than in the fiscal year which ended last June 30. New  spending authority has been held below expenditures, reducing government  obligations accumulated over the years.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":63,"text":"Last year we had a large tax cut and, for the first time in seventy-five  years a basic revision of Federal tax laws. It is now clear that defense  and other essential government costs must remain at a level precluding  further tax reductions this year. Although excise and corporation income  taxes must, therefore, be continued at their present rates, further tax  cuts will be possible when justified by lower expenditures and by revenue  increases arising from the nation's economic growth. I am hopeful that such  reductions can be made next year.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":64,"text":"At the foundation of our economic growth are the raw materials and energy  produced from our minerals and fuels, lands and forests, and water  resources. With respect to them, I believe that the nation must adhere to  three fundamental policies: first, to develop, wisely use and conserve  basic resources from generation to generation; second, to follow the  historic pattern of developing these resources primarily by private  citizens under fair provisions of law, including restraints for proper  conservation; and third, to treat resource development as a partnership  undertaking--a partnership in which the participation of private citizens  and State and local governments is as necessary as Federal participation.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":65,"text":"This policy of partnership and cooperation is producing good results, most  immediately noticeable in respect to water resources. First, it has  encouraged local public bodies and private citizens to plan their own power  sources. Increasing numbers of applications to the Federal Power Commission  to conduct surveys and prepare plans for power development, notably in the  Columbia River Basin, are evidence of local response.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":66,"text":"Second, the Federal Government and local and private organizations have  been encouraged to coordinate their developments. This is important because  Federal hydroelectric developments supply but a small fraction of the  nation's power needs. Such partnership projects as Priest Rapids in  Washington, the Coosa River development in Alabama, and Markham Ferry in  Oklahoma already have the approval of the Congress. This year justifiable  projects of a similar nature will again have Administration support.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":67,"text":"Third, the Federal Government must shoulder its own partnership obligations  by undertaking projects of such complexity and size that their success  requires Federal development. In keeping with this principle, I again urge  the Congress to approve the development of the Upper Colorado River Basin  to conserve and assure better use of precious water essential to the future  of the West.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":68,"text":"In addition, the 1956 budget will recommend appropriations to start six new  reclamation and more than thirty new Corps of Engineers projects of varying  size. Going projects and investigations of potential new resource  developments will be continued.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":69,"text":"Although this partnership approach is producing encouraging results, its  full success requires a nation-wide comprehensive water resources policy  firmly based in law. Such a policy is under preparation and when completed  will be submitted to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":70,"text":"In the interest of their proper conservation, development and use,  continued vigilance will be maintained over our fisheries, wildlife  resources, the national parks and forests, and the public lands; and we  shall continue to encourage an orderly development of the nation's mineral  resources.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":71,"text":"A modern, efficient highway system is essential to meet the needs of our  growing population, our expanding economy, and our national security. We  are accelerating our highway improvement program as rapidly as possible  under existing State and Federal laws and authorizations. However, this  effort will not in itself assure our people of an adequate highway system.  On my recommendation, this problem has been carefully considered by the  Conference of State Governors and by a special Advisory Committee on a  National Highway Program, composed of leading private citizens. I have  received the recommendations of the Governors' Conference and will shortly  receive the views of the special Advisory Committee. Aided by their  findings, I shall submit on January 27th detailed recommendations which  will meet our most pressing national highway needs.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":72,"text":"In further recognition of the importance of transportation to our economic  strength and security, the Administration, through a Cabinet committee, is  thoroughly examining existing Federal transportation policies to determine  their effect on the adequacy of transportation services. This is the first  such comprehensive review directly undertaken by the Executive Branch of  the government in modern times. We are not only examining major problems  facing the various modes of transport; we are also studying closely the  inter-relationships of civilian and government requirements for  transportation. Legislation will be recommended to correct policy  deficiencies which we may find.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":73,"text":"The nation's public works activities are tremendous in scope. It is  expected that more than $ 12 billion will be expended in 1955 for the  development of land, water and other resources; control of floods, and  navigation and harbor improvements; construction of roads, schools, and  municipal water supplies, and disposal of domestic and industrial wastes.  Many of the Federal, State and local agencies responsible for this work  are, in their separate capacities, highly efficient. But public works  activities are closely inter-related and have a substantial influence on  the growth of the country. Moreover, in times of threatening economic  contraction, they may become a valuable sustaining force. To these ends,  efficient planning and execution of the nation's public works require both  the coordination of Federal activities and effective cooperation with State  and local governments.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":74,"text":"The Council of Economic Advisers, through its public works planning  section, has made important advances during the past year in effecting this  coordination and cooperation. In view of the success of these initial  efforts, and to give more emphasis and continuity to this essential  coordination, I shall request the Congress to appropriate funds for the  support of an Office of Coordinator of Public Works in the Executive Office  of the President.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":75,"text":"A most significant element in our growing economy is an agriculture that is  stable, prosperous and free. The problems of our agriculture have evolved  over many years and cannot be solved overnight; nevertheless, governmental  actions last year hold great promise of fostering a better balance between  production and markets and, consequently, a better and more stable income  for our farmers.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":76,"text":"Through vigorous administration and through new authority provided by the  83rd Congress, surplus farm products are now moving into consumption. From  February 1953 through November 1954, the rate of increase of  government-held surpluses has been reduced by our moving into use more than  2.3 billion dollars' worth of government-owned farm commodities; this  amount is equal to more than seven percent of a year's production of all  our farms and ranches. Domestic consumption remains high, and farm exports  will be higher than last year. As a result of the flexibility provided by  the Agricultural Act of 1954, we can move toward less restrictive acreage  controls.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":77,"text":"Thus, farm production is gradually adjusting to markets, markets are being  expanded, and stocks are moving into use. We can now look forward to an  easing of the influences depressing farm prices, to reduced government  expenditures for purchase of surplus products, and to less Federal  intrusion into the lives and plans of our farm people. Agricultural  programs have been redirected toward better balance, greater stability and  sustained prosperity. We are headed in the right direction. I urgently  recommend to the Congress that we continue resolutely on this road.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":78,"text":"Greater attention must be directed to the needs of low-income farm  families. Twenty-eight per cent of our farm-operator families have net cash  incomes of less than $1,000 per year. Last year, at my request, careful  studies were made of the problems of these farm people. I shall later  submit recommendations designed to assure the steady alleviation of their  most pressing concerns.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":79,"text":"Because drought also remains a serious agricultural problem, I shall  recommend legislation to strengthen Federal disaster assistance programs.  This legislation will prescribe an improved appraisal of need, better  adjustment of the various programs to local conditions, and a more  equitable sharing of costs between the States and the Federal Government.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":80,"text":"The prosperity of our small business enterprises is an indispensable  element in the maintenance of our economic strength. Creation of the Small  Business Administration and recently enacted tax laws facilitating small  business expansion are but two of many important steps we have taken to  encourage our smaller enterprises. I recommend that the Congress extend the  Small Business Act of 1953 which is due to expire next June.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":81,"text":"We come now to the third great purpose of our government-its concern for  the health, productivity and well-being of all our people.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":82,"text":"Every citizen wants to give full expression to his God-given talents and  abilities and to have the recognition and respect accorded under our  religious and political traditions. Americans also want a good material  standard of living--not simply to accumulate possessions, but to fulfill a  legitimate aspiration for an environment in which their families may live  meaningful and happy lives. Our people are committed, therefore, to the  creation and preservation of opportunity for every citizen to lead a more  rewarding life. They are equally committed to the alleviation of misfortune  and distress among their fellow citizens.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":83,"text":"The aspirations of most of our people can best be fulfilled through their  own enterprise and initiative, without government interference. This  Administration, therefore, follows two simple rules: first, the Federal  Government should perform an essential task only when it cannot otherwise  be adequately performed; and second, in performing that task, our  government must not impair the self-respect, freedom and incentive of the  individual. So long as these two rules are observed, the government can  fully meet its obligation without creating a dependent population or a  domineering bureaucracy.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":84,"text":"During the past two years, notable advances were made in these functions of  government. Protection of old-age and survivors' insurance was extended to  an additional ten million of our people, and the benefits were  substantially increased. Legislation was enacted to provide unemployment  insurance protection to some four million additional Americans.  Stabilization of living costs and the halting of inflation protected the  value of pensions and savings. A broad program now helps to bring good  homes within the reach of the great majority of our people. With the  States, we are providing rehabilitation facilities and more clinics,  hospitals, and nursing homes for patients with chronic illnesses. Also with  the States, we have begun a great and fruitful expansion in the restoration  of disabled persons to employment and useful lives. In the areas of Federal  responsibility, we have made historic progress in eliminating from among  our people demeaning practices based on race or color.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":85,"text":"All of us may be proud of these achievements during the past two years. Yet  essential Federal tasks remain to be done.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":86,"text":"As part of our efforts to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing for  low-income families, we must carry forward the housing program authorized  during the 83rd Congress. We must also authorize contracts for a firm  program of 35,000 additional public housing units in each of the next two  fiscal years. This program will meet the most pressing obligations of the  Federal Government into the 1958 fiscal year for planning and building  public housing. By that time the private building industry, aided by the  Housing Act of 1954, will have had the opportunity to assume its full role  in providing adequate housing for our low income families.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":87,"text":"The health of our people is one of our most precious assets. Preventable  sickness should be prevented; knowledge available to combat disease and  disability should be fully used. Otherwise, we as a people are guilty not  only of neglect of human suffering but also of wasting our national  strength.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":88,"text":"Constant advances in medical care are not available to enough of our  citizens. Clearly our nation must do more to reduce the impact of accident  and disease. Two fundamental problems confront us: first, high and  ever-rising costs of health services; second, serious gaps and shortages in  these services.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":89,"text":"By special message on January 24, I shall propose a coordinated program to  strengthen and improve existing health services. This program will continue  to reject socialized medicine. It will emphasize individual and local  responsibility. Under it the Federal Government will neither dominate nor  direct, but serve as a helpful partner. Within this framework, the program  can be broad in scope.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":90,"text":"My recommendations will include a Federal health reinsurance service to  encourage the development of more and better voluntary health insurance  coverage by private organizations. I shall also recommend measures to  improve the medical care of that group of our citizens who, because of  need, receive Federal-State public assistance. These two proposals will  help more of our people to meet the costs of health services.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":91,"text":"To reduce the gaps in these services, I shall propose:  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":92,"text":"New measures to facilitate construction of needed health facilities and  help reduce shortages of trained health personnel;  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":93,"text":"Vigorous steps to combat the misery and national loss involved in mental  illness;  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":94,"text":"Improved services for crippled children and for maternal and child health;  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":95,"text":"Better consumer protection under our existing pure food and drug laws; and,  finally,  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":96,"text":"Strengthened programs to combat the increasingly serious pollution of our  rivers and streams and the growing problem of air pollution.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":97,"text":"These measures together constitute a comprehensive program holding rich  promise for better health for all of our people.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":98,"text":"Last year's expansion of social security coverage and our new program of  improved medical care for public assistance recipients together suggest  modification of the formula for Federal sharing in old age assistance  payments. I recommend modification of the formula where such payments will,  in the future, supplement benefits received under the old age and survivors  insurance system.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":99,"text":"It is the inalienable right of every person, from childhood on, to have  access to knowledge. In our form of society, this right of the individual  takes on a special meaning, for the education of all our citizens is  imperative to the maintenance and invigoration of America's free  institutions.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":100,"text":"Today, we face grave educational problems. Effective and up-to-date  analyses of these problems and their solutions are being carried forward  through the individual State conferences and the White House Conference to  be completed this year.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":101,"text":"However, such factors as population growth, additional responsibilities of  schools, and increased and longer school attendance have produced an  unprecedented classroom shortage. This shortage is of immediate concern to  all of our people. Positive, affirmative action must be taken now.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":102,"text":"Without impairing in any way the responsibilities of our States,  localities, communities, or families, the Federal government can and should  serve as an effective-catalyst in dealing with this problem. I shall  forward a special message to the Congress on February 15, presenting an  affirmative program dealing with this shortage.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":103,"text":"To help the States do a better and more timely job, we must strengthen  their resources for preventing and dealing with juvenile delinquency. I  shall propose Federal legislation to assist the States to promote concerted  action in dealing with this nationwide problem. I shall carry forward the  vigorous efforts of the Administration to improve the international control  of the traffic in narcotics and, in cooperation with State and local  agencies, to combat narcotic addiction in our country.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":104,"text":"I should like to speak now of additional matters of importance to all our  people and especially to our wage earners.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":105,"text":"During the past year certain industrial changes and the readjustment of the  economy to conditions of peace brought unemployment and other difficulties  to various localities and industries. These problems are engaging our most  earnest attention. But for the overwhelming majority of our working people,  the past year has meant good jobs. Moreover, the earnings and savings of  our wage earners are no longer depreciating in value. Because of  cooperative relations between labor and management, fewer working days were  lost through strikes in 1954 than in any year in the past decade.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":106,"text":"The outlook for our wage earners can be made still more promising by  several legislative actions.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":107,"text":"First, in the past five years we have had economic growth which will  support an increase in the Federal minimum wage. In the light of present  economic conditions, I recommend its increase to ninety cents an hour. I  also recommend that many others, at present excluded, be given the  protection of a minimum wage.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":108,"text":"Second, I renew my recommendation of last year for amendment of the Labor  Management Relations Act of 1947 to further the basic objectives of this  statute. I especially call to the attention of the Congress amendments  dealing with the right of economic strikers to vote in representation  elections and the need for equalizing the obligation under the Act to file  disclaimers of Communist affiliation.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":109,"text":"Third, the Administration will propose other important measures including  occupational safety, workmen's compensation for longshoremen and harbor  workers, and the \"Eight Hour Laws\" applicable to Federal contractors.  Legislation will also be proposed respecting nonoccupational disability  insurance and unemployment compensation in the District of Columbia.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":110,"text":"In considering human needs, the Federal Government must take special  responsibility for citizens in its direct employ. On January 11 I shall  propose a pay adjustment plan for civilian employees outside the Postal  Field Service to correct inequities and increase individual pay rates. I  shall also recommend voluntary health insurance on a contributory basis for  Federal employees and their dependents. In keeping with the Group Life  Insurance Act passed in the 83rd Congress, this protection should be  provided on the group insurance principle and purchased from private  facilities. Also on January 11 I shall recommend a modern pay plan,  including pay increases, for postal field employees. As part of this  program, and to carry forward our progress toward elimination of the large  annual postal deficit. I shall renew my request for an increase in postal  rates. Again I urge that in the future the fixing of rates be delegated to  an impartial, independent body.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":111,"text":"More adequate training programs to equip career employees of the government  to render improved public service will be recommended, as will improvements  in the laws affecting employees serving on foreign assignments.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":112,"text":"Needed improvements in survivor, disability, and retirement benefits for  Federal civilian and military personnel have been extensively considered by  the Committee on Retirement Policy for Federal personnel. The Committee's  proposals would strengthen and improve benefits for our career people in  government, and I endorse their broad objectives. Full contributory  coverage under old-age and survivors' insurance should be made available to  all Federal personnel, just as in private industry. For career military  personnel, the protection of the old-age and survivors' insurance system  would be an important and long-needed addition, especially to their present  unequal and inadequate survivorship protection. The military retirement pay  system should remain separate and unchanged. Certain adjustments in the  present civilian personnel retirement systems will be needed to reflect the  additional protection of old-age and survivors' insurance. However, these  systems also are a basic part of a total compensation and should be  separately and independently retained.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":113,"text":"I also urge the Congress to approve a long overdue increase in the salaries  of Members of the Congress and of the Federal judiciary to a level  commensurate with their heavy responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":114,"text":"Our concern for the individual in our country requires that we consider  several additional problems.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":115,"text":"We must continue our program to help our Indian citizens improve their lot  and make their full contribution to national life. Two years ago I advised  the Congress of injustices under existing immigration laws. Through humane  administration, the Department of Justice is doing what it legally can to  alleviate hardships. Clearance of aliens before arrival has been initiated,  and except for criminal offenders, the imprisonment of aliens awaiting  admission or deportation has been stopped. Certain provisions of law,  however, have the effect of compelling action in respect to aliens which  are inequitable in some instances and discriminatory in others. These  provisions should be corrected in this session of the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":116,"text":"As the complex problems of Alaska are resolved, that Territory should  expect to achieve statehood. In the meantime, there is no justification for  deferring the admission to statehood of Hawaii. I again urge approval of  this measure.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":117,"text":"We have three splendid opportunities to demonstrate the strength of our  belief in the right of suffrage. First, I again urge that a Constitutional  amendment be submitted to the States to reduce the voting age for Federal  elections. Second, I renew my request that the principle of self-government  be extended and the right of suffrage granted to the citizens of the  District of Columbia. Third, I again recommend that we work with the States  to preserve the voting fights of citizens in the nation's service  overseas.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":118,"text":"In our determination to keep faith with those who in the past have met the  highest call of citizenship, we now have under study the system of benefits  for veterans and for surviving dependents of deceased veterans and  servicemen. Studies will be undertaken to determine the need for measures  to ease the readjustment to civilian life of men required to enter the  armed forces for two years of service.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":119,"text":"In the advancement of the various activities which will make our  civilization endure and flourish, the Federal Government should do more to  give official recognition to the importance of the arts and other cultural  activities. I shall recommend the establishment of a Federal Advisory  Commission on the Arts within the Department of Health, Education and  Welfare, to advise the Federal Government on ways to encourage artistic  endeavor and appreciation. I shall also propose that awards of merit be  established whereby we can honor our fellow citizens who make great  contribution to the advancement of our civilization.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":120,"text":"Every citizen rightly expects efficient and economical administration of  these many government programs I have outlined today. I strongly recommend  extension of the Reorganization Act and the law establishing the Commission  on Intergovernmental Relations, both of which expire this spring. Thus the  Congress will assure continuation of the excellent progress recently made  in improving government organization and administration. In this connection  we are looking forward with great interest to the reports which will soon  be going to the Congress from the Commission on Organization of the  Executive Branch of the Government. I am sure that these studies, made  under the chairmanship of former President Herbert Hoover with the  assistance of more than two hundred distinguished citizens, will be of  great value in paving the way toward more efficiency and economy in the  government.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":121,"text":"And now, I return to the point at which I began--the faith of our people.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":122,"text":"The many programs here summarized are, I believe, in full keeping with  their needs, interests and aspirations. The obligations upon us are clear:  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":123,"text":"To labor earnestly, patiently, prayerfully, for peace, for freedom, for  justice, throughout the world;  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":124,"text":"To keep our economy vigorous and free, that our people may lead fuller,  happier lives;  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":125,"text":"To advance, not merely by our words but by our acts, the determination of  our government that every citizen shall have opportunity to develop to his  fullest capacity.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":126,"text":"As we do these things, before us is a future filled with opportunity and  hope. That future will be ours if in our time we keep alive the patience,  the courage, the confidence in tomorrow, the deep faith, of the millions  who, in years past, made and preserved us this nation.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":127,"text":"A decade ago, in the death and desolation of European battlefields, I saw  the courage and resolution, I felt the inspiration, of American youth. In  these young men I felt America's buoyant confidence and irresistible  will-to-do. In them I saw, too, a devout America, humble before God.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":128,"text":"And so, I know with all my heart--and I deeply believe that all Americans  know--that, despite the anxieties of this divided world, our faith, and the  cause in which we all believe, will surely prevail.  "}
{"year":"1955","paragraph":129,"text":"The address as reported from the floor appears in the Congressional Record  (vol. 101, p. 94).  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":1,"text":"To the Congress of the United States:  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":2,"text":"The opening of this new year must arouse in us all grateful thanks to a  kind Providence whose protection has been ever present and whose bounty has  been manifold and abundant. The State of the Union today demonstrates what  can be accomplished under God by a free people; by their vision, their  understanding of national problems, their initiative, their self-reliance,  their capacity for work--and by their willingness to sacrifice whenever  sacrifice is needed.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":3,"text":"In the past three years, responding to what our people want their  Government to do, the Congress and the Executive have done much in building  a stronger, better America. There has been broad progress in fostering the  energies of our people, in providing greater opportunity for the  satisfaction of their needs, and in fulfilling their demands for the  strength and security of the Republic.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":4,"text":"Our country is at peace. Our security posture commands respect. A spiritual  vigor marks our national life. Our economy, approaching the 400 billion  dollar mark, is at an unparalleled level of prosperity. The national income  is more widely and fairly distributed than ever before. The number of  Americans at work has reached an all-time high. As a people, we are  achieving ever higher standards of living--earning more, producing more,  consuming more, building more and investing more than ever before.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":5,"text":"Virtually all sectors of our society are sharing in these good times. Our  farm families, if we act wisely, imaginatively and promptly to strengthen  our present farm programs, can also look forward to sharing equitably in  the prosperity they have helped to create.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":6,"text":"War in Korea ended two and a half years ago. The collective security system  has been powerfully strengthened. Our defenses have been reinforced at  sharply reduced costs. Programs to expand world trade and to harness the  atom for the betterment of mankind have been carried forward. Our economy  has been freed from governmental wage and price controls. Inflation has  been halted; the cost of living stabilized.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":7,"text":"Government spending has been cut by more than ten billion dollars. Nearly  three hundred thousand positions have been eliminated from the Federal  payroll. Taxes have been substantially reduced. A balanced budget is in  prospect. Social security has been extended to ten million more Americans  and unemployment insurance to four million more. Unprecedented advances in  civil rights have been made. The long-standing and deep-seated problems of  agriculture have been forthrightly attacked.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":8,"text":"This record of progress has been accomplished with a self imposed caution  against unnecessary and unwise interference in the private affairs of our  people, of their communities and of the several States.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":9,"text":"If we of the Executive and Legislative Branches, keeping this caution ever  in mind, address ourselves to the business of the year before us--and to  the unfinished business of last year--with resolution, the outlook is  bright with promise.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":10,"text":"Many measures of great national importance recommended last year to the  Congress still demand immediate attention legislation for school and  highway construction; health and immigration legislation; water resources  legislation; legislation to complete the implementation of our foreign  economic policy; such labor legislation as amendments of the  Labor-Management Relations Act, extension of the Fair Labor Standards Act  to additional groups not now covered, and occupational safety legislation;  and legislation for construction of an atomic-powered exhibit vessel.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":11,"text":"Many new items of business likewise require our attention-measures that  will further promote the release of the energies of our people; that will  broaden opportunity for all of them; that will advance the Republic in its  leadership toward a just peace; measures, in short, that are essential to  the building of an everstronger, ever-better America.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":12,"text":"Every political and economic guide supports a valid confidence that wise  effort will be rewarded by an even more plentiful harvest of human benefit  than we now enjoy. Our resources are too many, our principles too dynamic,  our purposes too worthy and the issues at stake too immense for us to  entertain doubt or fear. But our responsibilities require that we approach  this year's business with a sober humility.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":13,"text":"A heedless pride in our present strength and position would blind us to the  facts of the past, to the pitfalls of the future. We must walk ever in the  knowledge that we are enriched by a heritage earned in the labor and  sacrifice of our forebears; that, for our children's children, we are  trustees of a great Republic and a time-tested political system; that we  prosper as a cooperating member of the family of nations.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":14,"text":"In this light the Administration has continued work on its program for the  Republic, begun three years ago. Because the vast spread of national and  human interests is involved within it, I shall not in this Message attempt  its detailed delineation. Instead, from time to time during this Session,  there will be submitted to the Congress specific recommendations within  specific fields. In the comprehensive survey required for their  preparation, the Administration is guided by enduring objectives. The first  is:  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":15,"text":"THE DISCHARGE OF OUR WORLD RESPONSIBILITY  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":16,"text":"Our world policy and our actions are dedicated to the achievement of peace  with justice for all nations.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":17,"text":"With this purpose, we move in a wide variety of ways and through many  agencies to remove the pall of fear; to strengthen the ties with our  partners and to improve the cooperative cohesion of the free world; to  reduce the burden of armaments, and to stimulate and inspire action among  all nations for a world of justice and prosperity and peace. These national  objectives are fully supported by both our political parties.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":18,"text":"In the past year, our search for a more stable and just peace has taken  varied forms. Among the most important were the two Conferences at Geneva,  in July and in the fall of last year. We explored the possibilities of  agreement on critical issues that jeopardize the peace.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":19,"text":"The July meeting of Heads of Government held out promise to the world of  moderation in the bitterness, of word and action, which tends to generate  conflict and war. All were in agreement that a nuclear war would be an  intolerable disaster which must not be permitted to occur. But in October,  when the Foreign Ministers met again, the results demonstrated conclusively  that the Soviet leaders are not yet willing to create the indispensable  conditions for a secure and lasting peace.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":20,"text":"Nevertheless, it is clear that the conflict between international communism  and freedom has taken on a new complexion.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":21,"text":"We know the Communist leaders have often practiced the tactics of retreat  and zigzag. We know that Soviet and Chinese communism still poses a serious  threat to the free world. And in the Middle East recent Soviet moves are  hardly compatible with the reduction of international tension.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":22,"text":"Yet Communist tactics against the free nations have shifted in emphasis  from reliance on violence and the threat of violence to reliance on  division, enticement and duplicity. We must be well prepared to meet the  current tactics which pose a dangerous though less obvious threat. At the  same time, our policy must be dynamic as well as flexible, designed  primarily to forward the achievement of our own objectives rather than to  meet each shift and change on the Communist front. We must act in the firm  assurance that the fruits of freedom are more attractive and desirable to  mankind in the pursuit of happiness than the record of Communism.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":23,"text":"In the face of Communist military power, we must, of course, continue to  maintain an effective system of collective security. This involves two  things--a system which gives clear warning that armed aggression will be  met by joint action of the free nations, and deterrent military power to  make that warning effective. Moreover, the awesome power of the atom must  be made to serve as a guardian of the free community and of the peace.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":24,"text":"In the last year, the free world has seen major gains for the system of  collective security: the accession to the North Atlantic Treaty  Organization and Western European Union of the sovereign Federal German  Republic; the developing cooperation under the Southeast Asia Collective  Defense Treaty; and the formation in the Middle East of the Baghdad Pact  among Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. In our own  hemisphere, the inter-American system has continued to show its vitality in  maintaining peace and a common approach to world problems. We now have  security pacts with more than 40 other nations.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":25,"text":"In the pursuit of our national purposes, we have been steadfast in our  support of the United Nations, now entering its second decade with a wider  membership and ever-increasing influence and usefulness. In the release of  our fifteen fliers from Communist China, an essential prelude was the world  opinion mobilized by the General Assembly, which condemned their  imprisonment and demanded their liberation. The successful Atomic Energy  Conference held in Geneva under United Nations auspices and our Atoms for  Peace program have been practical steps toward the world-wide use of this  new energy source. Our sponsorship of such use has benefited our relations  with other countries. Active negotiations are now in progress to create an  International Agency to foster peaceful uses of atomic energy.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":26,"text":"During the past year the crucial problem of disarmament has moved to the  forefront of practical political endeavor. At Geneva, I declared the  readiness of the United States to exchange blueprints of the military  establishments of our nation and the USSR, to be confirmed by reciprocal  aerial reconnaissance. By this means, I felt mutual suspicions could be  allayed and an atmosphere developed in which negotiations looking toward  limitation of arms would have improved chances of success.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":27,"text":"In the United Nations Subcommittee on Disarmament last fall, this proposal  was explored and the United States also declared itself willing to include  reciprocal ground inspection of key points. By the overwhelming vote of 56  to 7, the United Nations on December 16 endorsed these proposals and gave  them a top priority. Thereby, the issue is placed squarely before the bar  of world opinion. We shall persevere in seeking a general reduction of  armaments under effective inspection and control which are essential  safeguards to ensure reciprocity and protect the security of all.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":28,"text":"In the coming year much remains to be done.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":29,"text":"While maintaining our military deterrent, we must intensify our efforts to  achieve a just peace. In Asia we shall continue to give help to nations  struggling to maintain their freedom against the threat of Communist  coercion or subversion. In Europe we shall endeavor to increase not only  the military strength of the North Atlantic Alliance but also its political  cohesion and unity of purpose. We shall give such assistance as is feasible  to the recently renewed effort of Western European nations to achieve a  greater measure of integration, such as in the field of peaceful uses of  atomic energy.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":30,"text":"In the Near East we shall spare no effort in seeking to promote a fair  solution of the tragic dispute between the Arab States and Israel, all of  whom we want as our friends. The United States is ready to do its part to  assure enduring peace in that area. We hope that both sides will make the  contributions necessary to achieve that purpose. In Latin America, we shall  continue to cooperate vigorously in trade and other measures designed to  assist economic progress in the area.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":31,"text":"Strong economic ties are an essential element in our free world  partnership. Increasing trade and investment help all of us prosper  together. Gratifying progress has been made in this direction, most  recently by the three-year extension of our trade agreements legislation.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":32,"text":"I most earnestly request that the Congress approve our membership in the  Organization for Trade Cooperation, which would assist the carrying out of  the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to which we have been a party  since 1948. Our membership in the OTC will provide the most effective and  expeditious means for removing discriminations and restrictions against  American exports and in making our trade agreements truly reciprocal.  United States membership in the Organization will evidence our continuing  desire to cooperate in promoting an expanded trade among the free nations.  Thus the Organization, as proposed, is admirably suited to our own  interests and to those of like-minded nations in working for steady  expansion of trade and closer economic cooperation. Being strictly an  administrative entity, the Organization for Trade Cooperation cannot, of  course, alter the control by Congress of the tariff, import, and customs  policies of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":33,"text":"We need to encourage investment overseas by avoiding unfair tax  duplications, and to foster foreign trade by further simplification and  improvement of our customs legislation.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":34,"text":"We must sustain and fortify our Mutual Security Program. Because the  conditions of poverty and unrest in less developed areas make their people  a special target of international communism, there is a need to help them  achieve the economic growth and stability necessary to preserve their  independence against communist threats and enticements.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":35,"text":"In order that our friends may better achieve the greater strength that is  our common goal, they need assurance of continuity in economic assistance  for development projects and programs which we approve and which require a  period of years for planning and completion. Accordingly, I ask Congress to  grant limited authority to make longer-term commitments for assistance to  such projects, to be fulfilled from appropriations to be made in future  fiscal years.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":36,"text":"These various steps will powerfully strengthen the economic foundation of  our foreign policy. Together with constructive action abroad, they will  maintain the present momentum toward general economic progress and vitality  of the free world.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":37,"text":"In all things, change is the inexorable law of life. In much of the world  the ferment of change is working strongly; but grave injustices are still  uncorrected. We must not, by any sanction of ours, help to perpetuate these  wrongs. I have particularly in mind the oppressive division of the German  people, the bondage of millions elsewhere, and the exclusion of Japan from  United Nations membership.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":38,"text":"We shall keep these injustices in the forefront of human consciousness and  seek to maintain the pressure of world opinion to fight these vast wrongs  in the interest both of justice and secure peace.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":39,"text":"Injustice thrives on ignorance. Because an understanding of the truth about  America is one of our most powerful forces, I am recommending a substantial  increase in budgetary support of the United States Information Agency.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":40,"text":"The sum of our international effort should be this: the waging of peace,  with as much resourcefulness, with as great a sense of dedication and  urgency, as we have ever mustered in defense of our country in time of war.  In this effort, our weapon is not force. Our weapons are the principles and  ideas embodied in our historic traditions, applied with the same vigor that  in the past made America a living promise of freedom for all mankind.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":41,"text":"To accomplish these vital tasks, all of us should be concerned with the  strength, effectiveness and morale .of our State Department and our Foreign  Service.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":42,"text":"Another guide in the preparation of the Administration's program is:  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":43,"text":"THE CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":44,"text":"Because peace is the keystone of our national policy, our defense program  emphasizes an effective flexible type of power calculated to deter or  repulse any aggression and to preserve the peace. Short of war, we have  never had military strength better adapted to our needs with improved  readiness for emergency use. The maintenance of this strong military  capability for the indefinite future will continue to call for a large  share of our national budget. Our military programs must meet the needs of  today. To build less would expose the nation to aggression. To build  excessively, under the influence of fear, could defeat our purposes and  impair or destroy the very freedom and economic system our military  defenses are designed to protect.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":45,"text":"We have improved the effectiveness and combat readiness of our forces by  developing and making operational new weapons and by integrating the latest  scientific developments, including new atomic weapons, into our military  plans. We continue to push the production of the most modern military  aircraft. The development of long-range missiles has been on an accelerated  basis for some time. We are moving as rapidly as practicable toward  nuclear-powered aircraft and ships. Combat capability, especially in terms  of firepower, has been substantially increased. We have made the  adjustments in personnel permitted by the cessation of the Korean War, the  buildup of our allies and the introduction of new weapons. The services are  all planning realistically on a long-term basis.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":46,"text":"To strengthen our continental defenses the United States and Canada, in the  closest cooperation, have substantially augmented early warning networks.  Great progress is being made in extending surveillance of the Arctic, the  Atlantic and the Pacific approaches to North America.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":47,"text":"In the last analysis our real strength lies in the caliber of the men and  women in our Armed Forces, active and Reserve. Much has been done to  attract and hold capable military personnel, but more needs to be done.  This year, I renew my request of last year for legislation to provide  proper medical care for military dependents and a more equitable survivors'  benefit program. The Administration will prepare additional recommendations  designed to achieve the same objectives, including career incentives for  medical and dental officers and nurses, and increases in the proportion of  regular officers.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":48,"text":"Closely related to the mission of the Defense Department is the task of the  Federal Civil Defense Administration. A particular point of relationship  arises from the fact that the key to civil defense is the expanded  continental defense program, including the distant early warning system.  Our Federal civil defense authorities have made progress in their program,  and now comprehensive studies are being conducted jointly by the Federal  Civil Defense Administration, the States, and critical target cities to  determine the best procedures that can be adopted in case of an atomic  attack. We must strengthen Federal assistance to the States and cities in  devising the most effective common defense.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":49,"text":"We have a broad and diversified mobilization base. We have the facilities,  materials, skills and knowledge rapidly to expand the production of things  we need for our defense whenever they are required. But mobilization base  requirements change with changing technology and strategy. We must maintain  flexibility to meet new requirements. I am requesting, therefore, that the  Congress once again extend the Defense Production Act.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":50,"text":"Of great importance to our nation's security is a continuing alertness to  internal subversive activity within or without our government. This  Administration will not relax its efforts to deal forthrightly and  vigorously in protection of this government and its citizens against  subversion, at the same time fully protecting the constitutional rights of  all citizens.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":51,"text":"A third objective of the Administration is:  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":52,"text":"FISCAL INTEGRITY  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":53,"text":"A public office is, indeed, a public trust. None of its aspects is more  demanding than the proper management of the public finances. I refer now  not only to the indispensable virtues of plain honesty and trustworthiness  but also to the prudent, effective and conscientious use of tax money. I  refer also to the attitude of mind that makes efficient and economical  service to the people a watchword in our government.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":54,"text":"Over the long term, a balanced budget is a sure index to thrifty  management--in a home, in a business or in the Federal Government. When  achievement of a balanced budget is for long put off in a business or home,  bankruptcy is the result. But in similar circumstances a government resorts  to inflation of the money supply. This inevitably results in depreciation  of the value of the money, and an increase in the cost of living. Every  investment in personal security is threatened by this process of inflation,  and the real values of the people's savings, whether in the form of  insurance, bonds, pension and retirement funds or savings accounts are  thereby shriveled.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":55,"text":"We have made long strides these past three years in bringing our Federal  finances under control. The deficit for fiscal year 1953 was almost 9-1/2  billion dollars. Larger deficits seemed certain--deficits which would have  depreciated the value of the dollar and pushed the cost of living still  higher. But government waste and extravagance were searched out.  Nonessential activities were dropped. Government expenses were carefully  scrutinized. Total spending was cut by 14 billion dollars below the amount  planned by the previous Administration for the fiscal year 1954.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":56,"text":"This made possible--and it was appropriate in the existing circumstances of  transition to a peacetime economy--the largest tax cut in any year in our  history. Almost 7-1/2 billion dollars were released and every taxpayer in  the country benefited. Almost two-thirds of the savings went directly to  individuals. This tax cut also helped to build up the economy, to make jobs  in industry and to increase the production .of the many things desired to  improve the scale of living for the great majority of Americans.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":57,"text":"The strong expansion of the economy, coupled with a constant care for  efficiency in government operations and an alert guard against waste and  duplication, has brought us to a prospective balance between income and  expenditure. This is being done while we continue to strengthen our  military security.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":58,"text":"I expect the budget to be in balance during the fiscal year ending June 30,  1956.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":59,"text":"I shall propose a balanced budget for the next fiscal year ending June 30,  1957.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":60,"text":"But the balance we are seeking cannot be accomplished without the  continuing every-day effort of the Executive and Legislative Branches to  keep expenditures under control. It will also be necessary to continue all  of the present excise taxes without any reduction and the corporation  income taxes at their present rates for another year beyond next April  1st.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":61,"text":"It is unquestionably true that our present tax level is very burdensome  and, in the interest of long term and continuous economic growth, should be  reduced when we prudently can. It is essential, in the sound management of  the Government's finances, that we be mindful of our enormous national debt  and of the obligation we have toward future Americans to reduce that debt  whenever we can appropriately do so. Under conditions of high peacetime  prosperity, such as now exist, we can never justify going further into debt  to give ourselves a tax cut at the expense of our children. So, in the  present state of our financial affairs, I earnestly believe that a tax cut  can be deemed justifiable only when it will not unbalance the budget, a  budget which makes provision for some reduction, even though modest, in our  national debt. In this way we can best maintain fiscal integrity.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":62,"text":"A fourth aim of our program is:  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":63,"text":"TO FOSTER A STRONG ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":64,"text":"Our competitive enterprise system depends on the energy of free human  beings, limited by prudent restraints in law, using free markets to plan,  organize and distribute production, and spurred by the prospect of reward  for successful effort. This system has developed our resources. It has  marvelously expanded our productive capacity. Against the record of all  other economic systems devised through the ages, this competitive system  has proved the most creative user of human skills in the development of  physical resources, and the richest rewarder of human effort.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":65,"text":"This is still true in this era when improved living standards and rising  national requirements are accompanied by swift advances in technology and  rapid obsolescence in machines and methods. Typical of these are the  strides made in construction of plants to produce electrical energy from  atomic power and of laboratories and installations for the application of  this new force in industry, agriculture and the healing arts. These  developments make it imperative--to assure effective functioning of our  enterprise system--that the Federal Government concern itself with certain  broad areas of our economic life. Most important of these is:  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":66,"text":"Agriculture  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":67,"text":"Our farm people are not sharing as they should in the general prosperity.  They alone of all major groups have seen their incomes decline rather than  rise. They are caught between two millstones--rising production costs and  declining prices. Such harm to a part of the national economy so vitally  important to everyone is of great concern to us all. No other resource is  so indispensable as the land that feeds and clothes us. No group is more  fundamental to our national life than our farmers.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":68,"text":"In successful prosecution of the war, the nation called for the utmost  effort of its farmers. Their response was superb, their contribution  unsurpassed. Farmers are not now to be blamed for the mountainous,  price-depressing surpluses produced in response to wartime policies and  laws that were too long continued. War markets are not the markets of  peacetime. Failure to recognize that basic fact by a timely adjustment of  wartime legislation brought its inevitable result in peacetime--surpluses,  lower prices and lower incomes for our farmers.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":69,"text":"The dimensions of government responsibility are as broad and complex as the  farm problem itself. We are here concerned not only with our essential  continuing supplies of food and fiber, but also with a way of life. Both  are indispensable to the well-being and strength of the nation.  Consideration of these matters must be above and beyond politics. Our  national farm policy, so vital to the welfare of farm people and all of us,  must not become a field for political warfare. Too much is at stake.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":70,"text":"Our farm people expect of us, who have responsibility for their government,  understanding of their problems and the will to help solve them. Our  objective must be to help bring production into balance with existing and  new markets, at prices that yield farmers a return for their work in line  with what other Americans get.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":71,"text":"To reach this goal, deep-seated problems must be subjected to a stepped-up  attack. There is no single easy solution. Rather, there must be a  many-sided assault on the stubborn problems of surpluses, prices, costs,  and markets; and a steady, persistent, imaginative advance in the  relationship between farmers and their government.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":72,"text":"In a few days, by special message, I shall lay before the Congress my  detailed recommendations for new steps that should be taken promptly to  speed the transition in agriculture and thus assist our farmers to achieve  their fair share of the national income.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":73,"text":"Basic to this program will be a new attack on the surplus problem-for even  the best-conceived farm program cannot work under a multi-billion dollar  weight of accumulated stocks.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":74,"text":"I shall urge authorization of a soil bank program to alleviate the problem  of diverted acres and an overexpanded agricultural plant. This will include  an acreage reserve to reduce current and accumulated surpluses of crops in  most serious difficulty, and a conservation reserve to achieve other needed  adjustments in the use of agricultural resources. I shall urge measures to  strengthen our surplus disposal activities.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":75,"text":"I shall propose measures to strengthen individual commodity programs, to  remove controls where possible, to reduce carryovers, and to stop further  accumulations of surpluses. I shall ask the Congress to provide substantial  new funds for an expanded drive on the research front, to develop new  markets, new crops, and new uses. The Rural Development Program to better  the lot of low-income farm families deserves full Congressional support.  The Great Plains Program must go forward vigorously. Advances on these and  other fronts will pull down the pricedepressing surpluses and raise farm  income.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":76,"text":"In this time of testing in agriculture, we should all together, regardless  of party, carry forward resolutely with a sound and forward looking program  on which farm people may confidently depend, now and for years to come.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":77,"text":"I shall briefly mention four other subjects directly related to the  well-being of the economy, preliminary to their fuller discussion in the  Economic Report and later communications.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":78,"text":"Resources Conservation  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":79,"text":"I wish to re-emphasize the critical importance of the wise use and  conservation of our great natural resources of land, forests, minerals and  water and their long-range development consistent with our agricultural  policy. Water in particular now plays an increasing role in industrial  processes, in the irrigation of land, in electric power, as well as in  domestic uses. At the same time, it has the potential of damage and  disaster.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":80,"text":"A comprehensive legislative program for water conservation will be  submitted to the Congress during the Session. The development of our water  resources cannot be accomplished overnight. The need is such that we must  make faster progress and without delay. Therefore, I strongly recommend  that action be taken at this Session on such wholly Federal projects as the  Colorado River Storage Project and the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project; on the  John Day partnership project, and other projects which provide for  cooperative action between the Federal Government and non-Federal  interests; and on legislation, which makes provision for Federal  participation in small projects under the primary sponsorship of agencies  of State and local government.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":81,"text":"During the past year the areas of our National Parks have been expanded,  and new wildlife refuges have been created. The visits of our people to the  Parks have increased much more rapidly than have the facilities to care for  them. The Administration will submit recommendations to provide more  adequate facilities to keep abreast of the increasing interest of our  people in the great outdoors.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":82,"text":"Disaster Assistance  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":83,"text":"A modern community is a complex combination of skills, specialized  buildings, machines, communications and homes. Most importantly, it  involves human lives. Disaster in many forms--by flood, frost, high winds,  for instance--can destroy on a massive scale in a few hours the labor of  many years.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":84,"text":"Through the past three years the Administration has repeatedly moved into  action wherever disaster struck. The extent of State participation in  relief activities, however, has been far from uniform and, in many cases,  has been either inadequate or nonexistent. Disaster assistance legislation  requires overhauling and an experimental program of flood-damage  indemnities should be undertaken. The Administration will make detailed  recommendations on these subjects.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":85,"text":"Area Redevelopment  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":86,"text":"We must help deal with the pockets of chronic unemployment that here and  there mar the nation's general industrial prosperity. Economic changes in  recent years have been often so rapid and far-reaching that areas committed  to a single local resource or industrial activity have found themselves  temporarily deprived of their markets and their livelihood.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":87,"text":"Such conditions mean severe hardship for thousands of people as the slow  process of adaptation to new circumstances goes on. This process can be  speeded up. Last year I authorized a major study of the problem to find  additional steps to supplement existing programs for the redevelopment of  areas of chronic unemployment. Recommendations will be submitted, designed  to supplement, with Federal technical and loan assistance local efforts to  get on with this vital job. Improving such communities must, of course,  remain the primary responsibility of the people living there and of their  States. But a soundly conceived Federal partnership program can be of real  assistance to them in their efforts.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":88,"text":"Highway Legislation.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":89,"text":"Legislation to provide a modern, interstate highway system is even more  urgent this year than last, for 12 months have now passed in which we have  fallen further behind in road construction needed for the personal safety,  the general prosperity, the national security of the American people.  During the year, the number of motor vehicles has increased from 58 to 61  million. During the past year over 38,000 persons lost their lives in  highway accidents, while the fearful toll of injuries and property damage  has gone on unabated.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":90,"text":"In my message of February 22, 1955, I urged that measures be taken to  complete the vital 40,000 mile interstate system over a period of 10 years  at an estimated Federal cost of approximately 25 billion dollars. No  program was adopted.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":91,"text":"If we are ever to solve our mounting traffic problem, the whole interstate  system must be authorized as one project, to be completed approximately  within the specified time. Only in this way can industry efficiently gear  itself to the job ahead. Only in this way can the required planning and  engineering be accomplished without the confusion and waste unavoidable a  piecemeal approach. Furthermore, as I pointed out last year, the pressing  nature of this problem must not lead us to solutions outside the bounds of  sound fiscal management. As in the case of other pressing problems, there  must be an adequate plan of financing. To continue the drastically needed  improvement in other national highway systems, I recommend the continuation  of the Federal Aid Highway Program.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":92,"text":"Aside from agriculture and the four subjects specifically mentioned, an  integral part of our efforts to foster a strong and expanding free economy  is keeping open the door of opportunity to new and small enterprises,  checking monopoly, and preserving a competitive environment. In this past  year the steady improvement in the economic health of small business has  reinforced the vitality of our competitive economy. We shall continue to  help small business concerns to obtain access to adequate financing and to  competent counsel on management, production, and marketing problems.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":93,"text":"Through measures already taken, opportunities for smallbusiness  participation in government procurement programs, including military  procurement, are greatly improved. The effectiveness of these measures will  become increasingly apparent. We shall continue to make certain that small  business has a fair opportunity to compete and has an economic environment  in which it may prosper.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":94,"text":"In my message last year I referred to the appointment of an advisory  committee to appraise and report to me on the deficiencies as well as the  effectiveness of existing Federal transportation policies. I have commended  the fundamental purposes and objectives of the committee's report. I  earnestly recommend that the Congress give prompt attention to the  committee's proposals.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":95,"text":"Essential to a prosperous economic environment for all business, small and  large--for agriculture and industry and commerce-is efficiency in  Government. To that end, exhaustive studies of the entire governmental  structure were made by the Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and  the Commission on the Organization of the Executive Branch of the  Government--the reports of these Commissions are now under intensive review  and already in the process of implementation in important areas.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":96,"text":"One specific and most vital governmental function merits study and action  by the Congress. As part of our program of promoting efficiency in  Government and getting the fiscal situation in hand, the Post Office  Department in the past three years has been overhauled. Nearly one thousand  new post offices have been provided. Financial practices have been  modernized, and transportation and operating methods are being constantly  improved. A new wage and incentive plan for the half million postal  employees has been established. Never before has the postal system handled  so much mail so quickly and so economically.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":97,"text":"The Post Office Department faces two serious problems. First, much of its  physical plant--post offices and other buildings-is obsolete and  inadequate. Many new buildings and the modernization of present ones are  essential if we are to have improved mail service. The second problem is  the Department's fiscal plight. It now faces an annual deficit of one-half  billion dollars.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":98,"text":"Recommendations on postal facilities and on additional postal revenues will  be submitted to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":99,"text":"A final consideration in our program planning is:  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":100,"text":"THE RESPONSE TO HUMAN CONCERNS  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":101,"text":"A fundamental belief shines forth in this Republic. We believe in the worth  and dignity of the individual. We know that if we are to govern ourselves  wisely--in the tradition of America--we must have the opportunity to  develop our individual capacities to the utmost.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":102,"text":"To fulfill the individual's aspirations in the American way of life, good  education is fundamental. Good education is the outgrowth of good homes,  good communities, good churches, and good schools. Today our schools face  pressing problems--problems which will not yield to swift and easy  solutions, or to any single action. They will yield only to a continuing,  active, formed effort by the people toward achieving better schools.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":103,"text":"This kind of effort has been spurred by the thousands of conferences held  in recent months by half a million citizens and educators in all parts of  the country, culminating in the White House Conference on Education. In  that Conference, some two thousand delegates, broadly representative of the  nation, studied together the problems of the nation's schools.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":104,"text":"They concluded that the people of the United States must make a greater  effort through their local, State, and Federal Governments to improve the  education of our youth. This expression from the people must now be  translated into action at all levels of government.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":105,"text":"So far as the Federal share of responsibility is concerned, I urge that the  Congress move promptly to enact an effective program of Federal assistance  to help erase the existing deficit of school classrooms. Such a program,  which should be limited to a five-year period, must operate to increase  rather than decrease local and State support of schools and to give the  greatest help to the States and localities with the least financial  resources. Federal aid should in no way jeopardize the freedom of local  school systems. There will be presented to the Congress a recommended  program of Federal assistance for school construction.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":106,"text":"Such a program should be accompanied by action to increase services to the  nation's schools by the Office of Education and by legislation to provide  continuation of payments to school districts where Federal activities have  impaired the ability of those districts to provide adequate schools.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":107,"text":"Under the 1954 Amendments to the old-age and survivors' insurance program,  protection was extended to some 10 million additional workers and benefits  were increased. The system now helps protect 9 out of 10 American workers  and their families against loss of income in old age or on the death of the  breadwinner. The system is sound. It must be kept so. In developing  improvements in the system, we must give the most careful consideration to  population and social trends, and to fiscal requirements. With these  considerations in mind, the Administration will present its recommendations  for further expansion of coverage and other steps which can be taken wisely  at this time.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":108,"text":"Other needs in the area of social welfare include increased child welfare  services, extension of the program of aid to dependent children,  intensified attack on juvenile delinquency, and special attention to the  problems of mentally retarded children. The training of more skilled  workers for these fields and the quest for new knowledge through research  in social welfare are essential. Similarly the problems of our aged people  need our attention.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":109,"text":"The nation has made dramatic progress in conquering disease--progress of  profound human significance which can be greatly accelerated by an  intensified effort in medical research. A well-supported, well-balanced  program of research, including basic research, can open new frontiers of  knowledge, prevent and relieve suffering, and prolong life. Accordingly I  shall recommend a substantial increase in Federal funds for the support of  such a program. As an integral part of this effort, I shall recommend a new  plan to aid construction of non-Federal medical research and teaching  facilities and to help provide more adequate support for the training of  medical research manpower.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":110,"text":"Finally, we must aid in cushioning the heavy and rising costs of illness  and hospitalization to individuals and families. Provision should be made,  by Federal reinsurance or otherwise, to foster extension of voluntary  health insurance coverage to many more persons, especially older persons  and those in rural areas. Plans should be evolved to improve protection  against the costs of prolonged or severe illness. These measures will help  reduce the dollar barrier between many Americans and the benefits of modern  medical care.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":111,"text":"The Administration health program will be submitted to the Congress in  detail.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":112,"text":"The response of government to human concerns embraces, of course, other  measures of broad public interest, and of special interest to our working  men and women. The need still exists for improvement of the Labor  Management Relations Act. The recommendations I submitted to the Congress  last year take into account not only the interests of labor and management  but also the public welfare. The needed amendments should be enacted  without further delay.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":113,"text":"We must also carry forward the job of improving the wagehour law. Last year  I requested the Congress to broaden the coverage of the minimum wage. I  repeat that recommendation, and I pledge the full resources of the  Executive Branch to assist the Congress in finding ways to attain this  goal. Moreover, as requested last year, legislation should be passed to  clarify and strengthen the eight-hour laws for the benefit of workers who  are subject to Federal wage standards on Federal and Federally assisted  construction and other public works.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":114,"text":"The Administration will shortly propose legislation to assure adequate  disclosure of the financial affairs of each employee pension and welfare  plan and to afford substantial protection to their beneficiaries in  accordance with the objectives outlined in my message of January 11, 1954.  Occupational safety still demands attention, as I pointed out last year,  and legislation to improve the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers'  Compensation Act is still needed. The improvement of the District of  Columbia Unemployment Insurance Law and legislation to provide employees in  the District with non-occupational disability insurance are no less  necessary now than 12 months ago. Legislation to apply the principle of  equal pay for equal work without discrimination because of sex is a matter  of simple justice. I earnestly urge the Congress to move swiftly to  implement these needed labor measures.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":115,"text":"In the field of human needs, we must carry forward the housing program,  which is contributing so greatly to the well-being of our people and the  prosperity of our economy. Home ownership is now advanced to the point  where almost three of every five families in our cities, towns, and suburbs  own the houses they live in.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":116,"text":"For the housing program, most of the legislative authority already exists.  However, a firm program of public housing is essential until the private  building industry has found ways to provide more adequate housing for  low-income families. The Administration will propose authority to contract  for 35 thousand additional public housing units in each of the next 2  fiscal years for communities which will participate in an integrated attack  on slums and blight.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":117,"text":"To meet the needs of the growing number of older people, several amendments  to the National Housing Act will be proposed to assist the private  homebuilding industry as well as charitable and non-profit organizations.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":118,"text":"With so large a number of the American people desiring to modernize and  improve existing dwellings, I recommend that the Title 1 program for  permanent improvements in the home be liberalized.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":119,"text":"I recommend increases in the general FHA mortgage insurance authority; the  extension of the FHA military housing program; an increase in the  authorization for Urban Planning grants; in the special assistance  authority of the Federal National Mortgage Association; and continued  support of the college housing program in a way that will not discourage  private capital from helping to meet the needs of our colleges.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":120,"text":"The legislation I have recommended for workers in private industry should  be accompanied by a parallel effort for the welfare of Government  employees. We have accomplished much in this field, including a  contributory life insurance program; equitable pay increases and a fringe  benefits program, covering many needed personnel policy changes, from  improved premium pay to a meaningful incentive award program.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":121,"text":"Additional personnel management legislation is needed in this Session. As I  stated last year, an executive pay increase is essential to efficient  governmental management. Such an increase, together with needed adjustments  in the pay for the top career positions, is also necessary to the equitable  completion of the Federal pay program initiated last year. Other  legislation will be proposed, including legislation for prepaid group  health insurance for employees and their dependents and to effect major  improvements in the Civil Service retirement system.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":122,"text":"All of us share a continuing concern for those who have served this nation  in the Armed Forces. The Commission on Veterans Pensions is at this time  conducting a study of the entire field of veterans' benefits and will soon  submit proposed improvements.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":123,"text":"We are proud of the progress our people have made in the field of civil  rights. In Executive Branch operations throughout the nation, elimination  of discrimination and segregation is all but completed. Progress is also  being made among contractors engaged in furnishing Government services and  requirements. Every citizen now has the opportunity to fit himself for and  to hold a position of responsibility in the service of his country. In the  District of Columbia, through the voluntary cooperation of the people,  discrimination and segregation are disappearing from hotels, theaters,  restaurants and other facilities.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":124,"text":"It is disturbing that in some localities allegations persist that Negro  citizens are being deprived of their right to vote and are likewise being  subjected to unwarranted economic pressures. I recommend that the substance  of these charges be thoroughly examined by a Bipartisan Commission created  by the Congress. It is hoped that such a commission will be established  promptly so that it may arrive at findings which can receive early  consideration.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":125,"text":"The stature of our leadership in the free world has increased through the  past three years because we have made more progress than ever before in a  similar period to assure our citizens equality in justice, in opportunity  and in civil rights. We must expand this effort on every front. We must  strive to have every person judged and measured by what he is, rather than  by his color, race or religion. There will soon be recommended to the  Congress a program further to advance the efforts of the Government, within  the area of Federal responsibility, to accomplish these objectives.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":126,"text":"One particular challenge confronts us. In the Hawaiian Islands, East meets  West. To the Islands, Asia and Europe and the Western Hemisphere, all the  continents, have contributed their peoples and their cultures to display a  unique example of a community that is a successful laboratory in human  brotherhood.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":127,"text":"Statehood, supported by the repeatedly expressed desire of the Islands'  people and by our traditions, would be a shining example of the American  way to the entire earth. Consequently, I urgently request this Congress to  grant statehood for Hawaii. Also, in harmony with the provisions I last  year communicated to the Senate and House Committees on Interior and  Insular Affairs, I trust that progress toward statehood for Alaska can be  made in this Session.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":128,"text":"Progress is constant toward full integration of our Indian citizens into  normal community life. During the past two years the Administration has  provided school facilities for thousands of Indian children previously  denied this opportunity. We must continue to meet the needs of increased  numbers of Indian children. Provision should also be made for the education  of adult Indians whose schooling in earlier years was neglected.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":129,"text":"In keeping with our responsibility of world leadership and in our own self  interest, I again point out to the Congress the urgent need for revision of  the immigration and nationality laws. Our nation has always welcomed  immigrants to our shores. The wisdom of such a policy is clearly shown by  the fact that America has been built by immigrants and the descendants of  immigrants. That policy must be continued realistically with present day  conditions in mind.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":130,"text":"I recommend that the number of persons admitted to this country annually be  based not on the 1920 census but on the latest, the 1950 census. Provision  should be made to allow for greater flexibility in the use of quotas so if  one country does not use its share, the vacancies may be made available for  the use of qualified individuals from other countries.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":131,"text":"The law should be amended to permit the Secretary of State and the Attorney  General to waive the requirements of fingerprinting on a reciprocal basis  for persons coming to this country for temporary visits. This and other  changes in the law are long overdue and should be taken care of promptly.  Detailed recommendations for revision of the immigration laws will be  submitted to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":132,"text":"I am happy to report substantial progress in the flow of immigrants under  the Refugee Relief Act of 1953; however, I again request this Congress to  approve without further delay the urgently needed amendments to that act  which I submitted in the last Session. Because of the high prosperity in  Germany and Austria, the number of immigrants from those countries will be  reduced. This will make available thousands of unfilled openings which I  recommend be distributed to Greece and Italy and to escapees from behind  the Iron Curtain.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":133,"text":"Once again I ask the Congress to join with me in demonstrating our belief  in the right of suffrage. I renew my request that the principle of  self-government be extended and the right of suffrage granted to the  citizens of the District of Columbia.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":134,"text":"To conclude: the vista before us is bright. The march of science, the  expanding economy, the advance in collective security toward a just  peace--in this threefold movement our people are creating new standards by  which the future of the Republic may be judged.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":135,"text":"Progress, however, will be realized only as it is more than matched by a  continuing growth in the spiritual strength of the nation. Our dedication  to moral values must be complete in our dealings abroad and in our  relationships among ourselves. We have single-minded devotion to the common  good of America. Never must we forget that this means the well-being, the  prosperity, the security of all Americans in every walk of life.  "}
{"year":"1956","paragraph":136,"text":"To the attainment of these objectives, I pledge full energies of the  Administration, as in the Session ahead, it works on a program for  submission to you, the Congress of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":1,"text":"To the Congress of the United States:  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":2,"text":"I appear before the Congress today to report on the State of the Union and  the relationships of the Union to the other nations of the world. I come  here, firmly convinced that at no time in the history of the Republic have  circumstances more emphatically underscored the need, in all echelons of  government, for vision and wisdom and resolution.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":3,"text":"You meet in a season of stress that is testing the fitness of political  systems and the validity of political philosophies. Each stress stems in  part from causes peculiar to itself. But every stress is a reflection of a  universal phenomenon.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":4,"text":"In the world today, the surging and understandable tide of nationalism is  marked by widespread revulsion and revolt against tyranny, injustice,  inequality and poverty. As individuals, joined in a common hunger for  freedom, men and women and even children pit their spirit against guns and  tanks. On a larger scale, in an ever more persistent search for the  self-respect of authentic sovereignty and the economic base on which  national independence must rest, peoples sever old ties; seek new  alliances; experiment--sometimes dangerously--in their struggle to satisfy  these human aspirations.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":5,"text":"Particularly, in the past year, this tide has changed the pattern of  attitudes and thinking among millions. The changes already accomplished  foreshadow a world transformed by the spirit of freedom. This is no faint  and pious hope. The forces now at work in the minds and hearts of men will  not be spent through many years. In the main, today's expressions of  nationalism are, in spirit, echoes of our forefathers' struggle for  independence.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":6,"text":"This Republic cannot be aloof to these events heralding a new epoch in the  affairs of mankind.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":7,"text":"Our pledged word, our enlightened self-interest, our character as a Nation  commit us to a high role in world affairs: a role of vigorous leadership,  ready strength, sympathetic understanding.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":8,"text":"The State of the Union, at the opening of the 85th Congress continues to  vindicate the wisdom of the principles on which this Republic is rounded.  Proclaimed in the Constitution of the Nation and in many of our historic  documents, and rounded in devout religious convictions, these principles  enunciate:  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":9,"text":"A vigilant regard for human liberty.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":10,"text":"A wise concern for human welfare.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":11,"text":"A ceaseless effort for human progress.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":12,"text":"Fidelity to these principles, in our relations with other peoples, has won  us new friendships and has increased our opportunity for service within the  family of nations. The appeal of these principles is universal, lighting  fires in the souls of men everywhere. We shall continue to uphold them,  against those who deny them and in counselling with our friends.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":13,"text":"At home, the application of these principles to the complex problems of our  national life has brought us to an unprecedented peak in our economic  prosperity and has exemplified in our way of life the enduring human values  of mind and spirit.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":14,"text":"Through the past four years these principles have guided the legislative  programs submitted by the Administration to the Congress. As we attempt to  apply them to current events, domestic and foreign, we must take into  account the complex entity that is the United States of America; what  endangers it; what can improve it.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":15,"text":"The visible structure is our American economy itself. After more than a  century and a half of constant expansion, it is still rich in a wide  variety of natural resources. It is first among nations in its people's  mastery of industrial skills. It is productive beyond our own needs of many  foodstuffs and industrial products. It is rewarding to all our citizens in  opportunity to earn and to advance in self-realization and in  self-expression. It is fortunate in its wealth of educational and cultural  and religious centers. It is vigorously dynamic in the limitless initiative  and willingness to venture that characterize free enterprise. It is  productive of a widely shared prosperity.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":16,"text":"Our economy is strong, expanding, and fundamentally sound. But in any  realistic appraisal, even the optimistic analyst will realize that in a  prosperous period the principal threat to efficient functioning of a free  enterprise system is inflation. We look back on four years of prosperous  activities during which prices, the cost of living, have been relatively  stable--that is, inflation has been held in check. But it is clear that the  danger is always present, particularly if the government might become  profligate in its expenditures or private groups might ignore all the  possible results on our economy of unwise struggles for immediate gain.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":17,"text":"This danger requires a firm resolution that the Federal Government shall  utilize only a prudent share of the Nation's resources, that it shall live  within its means, carefully measuring against need alternative proposals  for expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":18,"text":"Through the next four years, I shall continue to insist that the executive  departments and agencies of Government search out additional ways to save  money and manpower. I urge that the Congress be equally watchful in this  matter.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":19,"text":"We pledge the Government's share in guarding the integrity of the dollar.  But the Government's efforts cannot be the entire campaign against  inflation, the thief that can rob the individual of the value of the  pension and social security he has earned during his productive life. For  success, Government's efforts must be paralleled by the attitudes and  actions of individual citizens.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":20,"text":"I have often spoken of the purpose of this Administration to serve the  national interest of 170 million people. The national interest must take  precedence over temporary advantages which may be secured by particular  groups at the expense of all the people.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":21,"text":"In this regard I call on leaders in business and in labor to think well on  their responsibility to the American people. With all elements of our  society, they owe the Nation a vigilant guard against the inflationary  tendencies that are always at work in a dynamic economy operating at  today's high levels. They can powerfully help counteract or accentuate such  tendencies by their wage and price policies.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":22,"text":"Business in its pricing policies should avoid unnecessary price increases  especially at a time like the present when demand in so many areas presses  hard on short supplies. A reasonable profit is essential to the new  investments that provide more jobs in an expanding economy. But business  leaders must, in the national interest, studiously avoid those price rises  that are possible only because of vital or unusual needs of the whole  nation.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":23,"text":"If our economy is to remain healthy, increases in wages and other labor  benefits, negotiated by labor and management, must be reasonably related to  improvements in productivity. Such increases are beneficial, for they  provide wage earners with greater purchasing power. Except where necessary  to correct obvious injustices, wage increases that outrun productivity,  however, are an inflationary factor. They make for higher prices for the  public generally and impose a particular hardship on those whose welfare  depends on the purchasing power of retirement income and savings. Wage  negotiations should also take cognizance of the right of the public  generally to share in the benefits of improvements in technology.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":24,"text":"Freedom has been defined as the opportunity for self-discipline. This  definition has a special application to the areas of wage and price policy  in a free economy. Should we persistently fail to discipline ourselves,  eventually there will be increasing pressure on government to redress the  failure. By that process freedom will step by step disappear. No subject on  the domestic scene should more attract the concern of the friends of  American working men and women and of free business enterprise than the  forces that threaten a steady depreciation of the value of our money.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":25,"text":"Concerning developments in another vital sector of our  economy--agriculture--I am gratified that the long slide in farm income has  been halted and that further improvement is in prospect. This is heartening  progress. Three tools that we have developed--improved surplus disposal,  improved price support laws, and the soil bank--are working to reduce  price-depressing government stocks of farm products. Our concern for the  well-being of farm families demands that we constantly search for new ways  by which they can share more fully in our unprecedented prosperity.  Legislative recommendations in the field of agriculture are contained in  the Budget Message.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":26,"text":"Our soil, water, mineral, forest, fish, and wildlife resources are being  conserved and improved more effectively. Their conservation and development  are vital to the present and future strength of the Nation. But they must  not be the concern of the Federal Government alone. State and local  entities, and private enterprise should be encouraged to participate in  such projects.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":27,"text":"I would like to make special mention of programs for making the best uses  of water, rapidly becoming our most precious natural resource, just as it  can be, when neglected, a destroyer of both life and wealth. There has been  prepared and published a comprehensive water report developed by a Cabinet  Committee and relating to all phases of this particular problem.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":28,"text":"In the light of this report, there are two things I believe we should keep  constantly in mind. The first is that each of our great river valleys  should be considered as a whole. Piecemeal operations within each lesser  drainage area can be self-defeating or, at the very least, needlessly  expensive. The second is that the domestic and industrial demands for water  grow far more rapidly than does our population.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":29,"text":"The whole matter of making the best use of each drop of water from the  moment it touches our soil until it reaches the oceans, for such purposes  as irrigation, flood control, power production, and domestic and industrial  uses clearly demands the closest kind of cooperation and partnership  between municipalities, States and the Federal Government. Through  partnership of Federal, state and local authorities in these vast projects  we can obtain the economy and efficiency of development and operation that  springs from a lively sense of local responsibility.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":30,"text":"Until such partnership is established on a proper and logical basis of  sharing authority, responsibility and costs, our country will never have  both the fully productive use of water that it so obviously needs and  protection against disastrous flood.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":31,"text":"If we fail in this, all the many tasks that need to be done in America  could be accomplished only at an excessive cost, by the growth of a  stifling bureaucracy, and eventually with a dangerous degree of centralized  control over our national life.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":32,"text":"In all domestic matters, I believe that the people of the United States  will expect of us effective action to remedy past failure in meeting  critical needs.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":33,"text":"High priority should be given the school construction bill. This will  benefit children of all races throughout the country-and children of all  races need schools now. A program designed to meet emergency needs for more  classrooms should be enacted without delay. I am hopeful that this program  can be enacted on its own merits, uncomplicated by provisions dealing with  the complex problems of integration. I urge the people in all sections of  the country to approach these problems with calm and reason, with mutual  understanding and good will, and in the American tradition of deep respect  for the orderly processes of law and justice.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":34,"text":"I should say here that we have much reason to be proud of the progress our  people are making in mutual understanding--the chief buttress of human and  civil rights. Steadily we are moving closer to the goal of fair and equal  treatment of citizens without regard to race or color. But unhappily much  remains to be done.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":35,"text":"Last year the Administration recommended to the Congress a four-point  program to reinforce civil rights. That program included:  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":36,"text":"(1) creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate asserted violations  of civil rights and to make recommendations;  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":37,"text":"(2) creation of a civil rights division in the Department of Justice in  charge of an Assistant Attorney General;  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":38,"text":"(3) enactment by the Congress of new laws to aid in the enforcement of  voting rights; and  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":39,"text":"(4) amendment of the laws so as to permit the Federal Government to seek  from the civil courts preventive relief in civil rights cases.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":40,"text":"I urge that the Congress enact this legislation.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":41,"text":"Essential to the stable economic growth we seek is a system of well-adapted  and efficient financial institutions. I believe the time has come to  conduct a broad national inquiry into the nature, performance and adequacy  of our financial system, both in terms of its direct service to the whole  economy and in terms of its function as the mechanism through which  monetary and credit policy takes effect. I believe the Congress should  authorize the creation of a commission of able and qualified citizens to  undertake this vital inquiry. Out of their findings and recommendations the  Administration would develop and present to the Congress any legislative  proposals that might be indicated for the purpose of improving our  financial machinery.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":42,"text":"In this message it seems unnecessary that I should repeat recommendations  involving our domestic affairs that have been urged upon the Congress  during the past four years, but which, in some instances, did not reach the  stage of completely satisfactory legislation.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":43,"text":"The Administration will, through future messages either directly from me or  from heads of the departments and agencies, transmit to the Congress  specific recommendations. These will involve our financial and fiscal  affairs, our military and civil defenses; the administration of justice;  our agricultural economy; our domestic and foreign commerce; the urgently  needed increase in our postal rates; the development of our natural  resources; our labor laws, including our labor-management relations  legislation, and vital aspects of the health, education and welfare of our  people. There will be special recommendations dealing with such subjects as  atomic energy, the furthering of public works, the continued efforts to  eliminate government competition with the businesses of tax-paying  citizens.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":44,"text":"A number of legislative recommendations will be mentioned specifically in  my forthcoming Budget Message, which will reach you within the week. That  message will also recommend such sums as are needed to implement the  proposed action.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":45,"text":"Turning to the international scene:  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":46,"text":"The existence of a strongly armed imperialistic dictatorship poses a  continuing threat to the free world's and thus to our own Nation's security  and peace. There are certain truths to be remembered here.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":47,"text":"First, America alone and isolated cannot assure even its own security. We  must be joined by the capability and resolution of nations that have proved  themselves dependable defenders of freedom. Isolation from them invites  war. Our security is also enhanced by the immeasurable interest that joins  us with all peoples who believe that peace with justice must be preserved,  that wars of aggression are crimes against humanity.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":48,"text":"Another truth is that our survival in today's world requires modern,  adequate, dependable military strength. Our Nation has made great strides  in assuring a modern defense, so armed in new weapons, so deployed, so  equipped, that today our security force is the most powerful in our  peacetime history. It can punish heavily any enemy who undertakes to attack  us. It is a major deterrent to war.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":49,"text":"By our research and development more efficient weapons-some of amazing  capabilities--are being constantly created. These vital efforts we shall  continue. Yet we must not delude ourselves that safety necessarily  increases as expenditures for military research or forces in being go up.  Indeed, beyond a wise and reasonable level, which is always changing and is  under constant study, money spent on arms may be money wasted on sterile  metal or inflated costs, thereby weakening the very security and strength  we seek.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":50,"text":"National security requires far more than military power. Economic and moral  factors play indispensable roles. Any program that endangers our economy  could defeat us. Any weakening of our national will and resolution, any  diminution of the vigor and initiative of our individual citizens, would  strike a blow at the heart of our defenses.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":51,"text":"The finest military establishment we can produce must work closely in  cooperation with the forces of our friends. Our system of regional pacts,  developed within the Charter of the United Nations, serves to increase both  our own security and the security of other nations.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":52,"text":"This system is still a recent introduction on the world scene. Its problems  are many and difficult, because it insists on equality among its members  and brings into association some nations traditionally divided. Repeatedly  in recent months, the collapse of these regional alliances has been  predicted. The strains upon them have been at times indeed severe. Despite  these strains our regional alliances have proved durable and strong, and  dire predictions of their disintegration have proved completely false.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":53,"text":"With other free nations, we should vigorously prosecute measures that will  promote mutual strength, prosperity and welfare within the free world.  Strength is essentially a product of economic health and social well-being.  Consequently, even as we continue our programs of military assistance, we  must emphasize aid to our friends in building more productive economies and  in better satisfying the natural demands of their people for progress.  Thereby we shall move a long way toward a peaceful world.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":54,"text":"A sound and safeguarded agreement for open skies, unarmed aerial sentinels,  and reduced armament would provide a valuable contribution toward a durable  peace in the years ahead. And we have been persistent in our effort to  reach such an agreement. We are willing to enter any reliable agreement  which would reverse the trend toward ever more devastating nuclear weapons;  reciprocally provide against the possibility of surprise attack; mutually  control the outer space missile and satellite development; and make  feasible a lower level of armaments and armed forces and an easier burden  of military expenditures. Our continuing negotiations in this field are a  major part of our quest for a confident peace in this atomic age.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":55,"text":"This quest requires as well a constructive attitude among all the nations  of the free world toward expansion of trade and investment, that can give  all of us opportunity to work out economic betterment.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":56,"text":"An essential step in this field is the provision of an administrative  agency to insure the orderly and proper operation of existing arrangements  trader which multilateral trade is now carried on. To that end I urge  Congressional authorization for United States membership in the proposed  Organization for Trade Cooperation, an action which will speed removal of  discrimination against our export trade.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":57,"text":"We welcome the efforts of a number of our European friends to achieve an  integrated community to develop a common market. We likewise welcome their  cooperative effort in the field of atomic energy.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":58,"text":"To demonstrate once again our unalterable purpose to make of the atom a  peaceful servant of humanity, I shortly shall ask the Congress to authorize  full United States participation in the International Atomic Energy  Agency.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":59,"text":"World events have magnified both the responsibilities and the opportunities  of the United States Information Agency. Just as, in recent months, the  voice of communism has become more shaken and confused, the voice of truth  must be more clearly heard. To enable our Information Agency to cope with  these new responsibilities and opportunities, I am asking the Congress to  increase appreciably the appropriations for this program and for  legislation establishing a career service for the Agency's overseas foreign  service officers.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":60,"text":"The recent historic events in Hungary demand that all free nations share to  the extent of their capabilities in the responsibility of granting asylum  to victims of Communist persecution. I request the Congress promptly to  enact legislation to regularize the status in the United States of  Hungarian refugees brought here as parolees. I shall shortly recommend to  the Congress by special message the changes in our immigration laws that I  deem necessary in the light of our world responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":61,"text":"The cost of peace is something we must face boldly, fearlessly. Beyond  money, it involves changes in attitudes, the renunciation of old  prejudices, even the sacrifice of some seeming self-interest.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":62,"text":"Only five days ago I expressed to you the grave concern of your Government  over the threat of Soviet aggression in the Middle East. I asked for  Congressional authorization to help counter this threat. I say again that  this matter is of vital and immediate importance to the Nation's and the  free world's security and peace. By our proposed programs in the Middle  East, we hope to assist in establishing a climate in which constructive and  long-term solutions to basic problems of the area may be sought.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":63,"text":"From time to time, there will be presented to the Congress requests for  other legislation in the broad field of international affairs. All requests  will reflect the steadfast purpose of this Administration to pursue peace,  based on justice. Although in some cases details will be new, the  underlying purpose and objectives will remain the same.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":64,"text":"All proposals made by the Administration in this field are based on the  free world's unity. This unity may not be immediately obvious unless we  examine link by link the chain of relationships that binds us to every area  and to every nation. In spirit the free world is one because its people  uphold the right of independent existence for all nations. I have already  alluded to their economic interdependence. But their interdependence  extends also into the field of security.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":65,"text":"First of all, no reasonable man will question the absolute need for our  American neighbors to be prosperous and secure. Their security and  prosperity are inextricably bound to our own. And we are, of course,  already joined with these neighbors by historic pledges.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":66,"text":"Again, no reasonable man will deny that the freedom and prosperity and  security of Western Europe are vital to our own prosperity and security. If  the institutions, the skills, the manpower of its peoples were to fall  under the domination of an aggressive imperialism, the violent change in  the balance of world power and in the pattern of world commerce could not  be fully compensated for by any American measures, military or economic.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":67,"text":"But these people, whose economic strength is largely dependent on free and  uninterrupted movement of oil from the Middle East, cannot prosper--indeed,  their economies would be severely impaired--should that area be controlled  by an enemy and the movement of oil be subject to its decisions.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":68,"text":"Next, to the Eastward, are Asiatic and Far Eastern peoples, recently  returned to independent control of their own affairs or now emerging into  sovereign statehood. Their potential strength constitutes new assurance for  stability and peace in the world--if they can retain their independence.  Should they lose freedom and be dominated by an aggressor, the world-wide  effects would imperil the security of the free world.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":69,"text":"In short, the world has so shrunk that all free nations are our neighbors.  Without cooperative neighbors, the United States cannot maintain its own  security and welfare, because:  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":70,"text":"First, America's vital interests are world-wide, embracing both hemispheres  and every continent.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":71,"text":"Second, we have community of interest with every nation in the free world.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":72,"text":"Third, interdependence of interests requires a decent respect for the  rights and the peace of all peoples.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":73,"text":"These principles motivate our actions within the United Nations. There,  before all the world, by our loyalty to them, by our practice of them, let  us strive to set a standard to which all who seek justice and who hunger  for peace can rally.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":74,"text":"May we at home, here at the Seat of Government, in all the cities and towns  and farmlands of America, support these principles in a personal effort of  dedication. Thereby each of us can help establish a secure world order in  which opportunity for freedom and justice will be more widespread, and in  which the resources now dissipated on the armaments of war can be released  for the life and growth of all humanity.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":75,"text":"When our forefathers prepared the immortal document that proclaimed our  independence, they asserted that every individual is endowed by his Creator  with certain inalienable rights. As we gaze back through history to that  date, it is clear that our nation has striven to live up to this  declaration, applying it to nations as well as to individuals.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":76,"text":"Today we proudly assert that the government of the United States is still  committed to this concept, both in its activities at home and abroad.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":77,"text":"The purpose is Divine; the implementation is human.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":78,"text":"Our country and its government have made mistakes--human mistakes. They  have been of the head--not of the heart. And it is still true that the  great concept of the dignity of all men, alike created in the image of the  Almighty, has been the compass by which we have tried and are trying to  steer our course.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":79,"text":"So long as we continue by its guidance, there will be true progress in  human affairs, both among ourselves and among those with whom we deal.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":80,"text":"To achieve a more perfect fidelity to it, I submit, is a worthy ambition as  we meet together in these first days of this, the first session of the 85th  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1957","paragraph":81,"text":"The Address as reported from the floor appears in the Congressional Record  (vol. 103, p. 387).  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the 85th Congress:  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":2,"text":"It is again my high privilege to extend personal greetings to the members  of the 85th Congress.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":3,"text":"All of us realize that, as this new session begins, many Americans are  troubled about recent world developments which they believe may threaten  our nation's safety. Honest men differ in their appraisal of America's  material and intellectual strength, and the dangers that confront us. But  all know these dangers are real.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":4,"text":"The purpose of this message is to outline the measures that can give the  American people a confidence--just as real--in their own security.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":5,"text":"I am not here to justify the past, gloss over the problems of the present,  or propose easy solutions for the future.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":6,"text":"I am here to state what I believe to be right and what I believe to be  wrong; and to propose action for correcting what I think wrong! I.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":7,"text":"There are two tasks confronting us that so far outweigh all other that I  shall devote this year's message entirely to them. The first is to ensure  our safety through strength.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":8,"text":"As to our strength, I have repeatedly voiced this conviction: We now have a  broadly based and efficient defensive strength, including a great deterrent  power, which is, for the present, our main guarantee against war; but,  unless we act wisely and promptly, we could lose that capacity to deter  attack or defend ourselves.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":9,"text":"My profoundest conviction is that the American people will say, as one man:  No matter what the exertions or sacrifices, we shall maintain that  necessary strength!  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":10,"text":"But we could make no more tragic mistake than merely to concentrate on  military strength.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":11,"text":"For if we did only this, the future would hold nothing for the world but an  Age of Terror.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":12,"text":"And so our second task is to do the constructive work of building a genuine  peace. We must never become so preoccupied with our desire for military  strength that we neglect those areas of economic development, trade,  diplomacy, education, ideas and principles where the foundations of real  peace must be laid. II.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":13,"text":"The threat to our safety, and to the hope of a peaceful world, can be  simply stated. It is communist imperialism.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":14,"text":"This threat is not something imagined by critics of the Soviets. Soviet  spokesmen, from the beginning, have publicly and frequently declared their  aim to expand their power, one way or another, throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":15,"text":"The threat has become increasingly serious as this expansionist aim has  been reinforced by an advancing industrial, military and scientific  establishment.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":16,"text":"But what makes the Soviet threat unique in history is its  all--inclusiveness. Every human activity is pressed into service as a  weapon of expansion. Trade, economic development, military power, arts,  science, education, the whole world of ideas--all are harnessed to this  same chariot of expansion.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":17,"text":"The Soviets are, in short, waging total cold war.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":18,"text":"The only answer to a regime that wages total cold war is to wage total  peace.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":19,"text":"This means bringing to bear every asset of our personal and national lives  upon the task of building the conditions in which security and peace can  grow. III.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":20,"text":"Among our assets, let us first briefly glance at our military power.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":21,"text":"Military power serves the cause of security by making prohibitive the cost  of any aggressive attack.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":22,"text":"It serves the cause of peace by holding up a shield behind which the  patient constructive work of peace can go on.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":23,"text":"But it can serve neither cause if we make either of two mistakes. The one  would be to overestimate our strength, and thus neglect crucially important  actions in the period just ahead. The other would be to underestimate our  strength. Thereby we might be tempted to become irresolute in our foreign  relations, to dishearten our friends, and to lose our national poise and  perspective in approaching the complex problems ahead.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":24,"text":"Any orderly balance-sheet of military strength must be in two parts. The  first is the position as of today. The second is the position in the period  ahead.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":25,"text":"As of today: our defensive shield comprehends a vast complex of ground,  sea, and air units, superbly equipped and strategically deployed around the  world. The most powerful deterrent to war in the world today lies in the  retaliatory power of our Strategic Air Command and the aircraft of our  Navy. They present to any potential attacker who would unleash war upon the  world the prospect of virtual annihilation of his own country.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":26,"text":"Even if we assume a surprise attack on our bases, with a marked reduction  in our striking power, our bombers would immediately be on their way in  sufficient strength to accomplish this mission of retaliation. Every  informed government knows this. It is no secret.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":27,"text":"Since the Korean Armistice, the American people have spent $225 billion in  maintaining and strengthening this overall defensive shield. This is the  position as of today.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":28,"text":"Now as to the period ahead: Every part of our military establishment must  and will be equipped to do its defensive job with the most modern weapons  and methods. But it is particularly important to our planning that we make  a candid estimate of the effect of long-range ballistic missiles on the  present deterrent power I have described.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":29,"text":"At this moment, the consensus of opinion is that we are probably somewhat  behind the Soviets in some areas of long-range ballistic missile  development. But it is my conviction, based on close study of all relevant  intelligence, that if we make the necessary effort, we will have the  missiles, in the needed quantity and in time, to sustain and strengthen the  deterrent power of our increasingly efficient bombers. One encouraging fact  evidencing this ability is the rate of progress we have achieved since we  began to concentrate on these missiles.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":30,"text":"The intermediate ballistic missiles, Thor and Jupiter, have already been  ordered into production. The parallel progress in the intercontinental  ballistic missile effort will be advanced by our plans for acceleration.  The development of the submarine-based Polaris missile system has  progressed so well that its future procurement schedules are being moved  forward markedly.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":31,"text":"When it is remembered that our country has concentrated on the development  of ballistic missiles for only about a third as long as the Soviets, these  achievements show a rate of progress that speaks for itself. Only a brief  time back, we were spending at the rate of only about one million dollars a  year on long range ballistic missiles. In 1957 we spent more than one  billion dollars on the Arias, Titan, Thor, Jupiter, and Polaris programs  alone.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":32,"text":"But I repeat, gratifying though this rate of progress is, we must still do  more!  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":33,"text":"Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital  necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":34,"text":"What I have just said applies to our strength as a single country. But we  are not alone. I have returned from the recent NATO meeting with renewed  conviction that, because we are a part of a world-wide community of free  and peaceful nations, our own security is immeasurably increased.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":35,"text":"By contrast, the Soviet Union has surrounded itself with captive and sullen  nations. Like a crack in the crust of an uneasily sleeping volcano, the  Hungarian uprising revealed the depth and intensity of the patriotic  longing for liberty that still burns within these countries.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":36,"text":"The world thinks of us as a country which is strong, but which will never  start a war. The world also thinks of us as a land which has never enslaved  anyone and which is animated by humane ideals. This friendship, based on  common ideals, is one of our greatest sources of strength.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":37,"text":"It cements into a cohesive security arrangement the aggregate of the  spiritual, military and economic strength of all those nations which, with  us, are allied by treaties and agreements.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":38,"text":"Up to this point, I have talked solely about our military strength to deter  a possible future war.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":39,"text":"I now want to talk about the strength we need to win a different kind of  war--one that has already been launched against us.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":40,"text":"It is the massive economic offensive that has been mounted by the communist  imperialists against free nations.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":41,"text":"The communist imperialist regimes have for some time been largely  frustrated in their attempts at expansion based directly on force. As a  result, they have begun to concentrate heavily on economic penetration,  particularly of newly-developing countries, as a preliminary to political  domination.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":42,"text":"This non-military drive, if underestimated, could defeat the free world  regardless of our military strength. This danger is all the greater  precisely because many of us fail or refuse to recognize it. Thus, some  people may be tempted to finance our extra military effort by cutting  economic assistance. But at the very time when the economic threat is  assuming menacing proportions, to fail to strengthen our own effort would  be nothing less than reckless folly!  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":43,"text":"Admittedly, most of us did not anticipate the psychological impact upon the  world of the launching of the first earth satellite. Let us not make the  same kind of mistake in another field, by failing to anticipate the much  more serious impact of the Soviet economic offensive.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":44,"text":"As with our military potential, our economic assets are more than equal to  the task. Our independent farmers produce an abundance of food and fibre.  Our free workers are versatile, intelligent, and hardworking. Our  businessmen are imaginative and resourceful. The productivity, the  adaptability of the American economy is the solid foundation-stone of our  security structure.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":45,"text":"We have just concluded another prosperous year. Our output was once more  the greatest in the nation's history. In the latter part of the year, some  decline in employment and output occurred, following the exceptionally  rapid expansion of recent years. In a free economy, reflecting as it does  the independent judgments of millions of people, growth typically moves  forward unevenly. But the basic forces of growth remain unimpaired. There  are solid grounds for confidence that economic growth will be resumed  without an extended interruption. Moreover, the Federal government,  constantly alert to signs of weakening in any part of our economy, always  stands ready, with its full power, to take any appropriate further action  to promote renewed business expansion.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":46,"text":"If our history teaches us anything, it is this lesson: so far as the  economic potential of our nation is concerned, the believers in the future  of America have always been the realists. I count myself as one of this  company.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":47,"text":"Our long-range problem, then, is not the stamina of our enormous engine of  production. Our problem is to make sure that we use these vast economic  forces confidently and creatively, not only in direct military defense  efforts, but likewise in our foreign policy, through such activities as  mutual economic aid and foreign trade.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":48,"text":"In much the same way, we have tremendous potential resources on other  non-military fronts to help in countering the Soviet threat: education,  science, research, and, not least, the ideas and principles by which we  live. And in all these cases the task ahead is to bring these resources  more sharply to bear upon the new tasks of security and peace in a  swiftly-changing world. IV.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":49,"text":"There are many items in the Administration's program, of a kind frequently  included in a State of the Union Message, with which I am not dealing  today. They are important to us and to our prosperity. But I am reserving  them for treatment in separate communications because of my purpose today  of speaking only about matters bearing directly upon our security and  peace.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":50,"text":"I now place before you an outline of action designed to focus our resources  upon the two tasks of security and peace.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":51,"text":"In this special category I list eight items requiring action. They are not  merely desirable. They are imperative.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":52,"text":"1. DEFENSE REORGANIZATION  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":53,"text":"The first need is to assure ourselves that military organization  facilitates rather than hinders the functioning of the military  establishment in maintaining the security of the nation.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":54,"text":"Since World War II, the purpose of achieving maximum organizational  efficiency in a modern defense establishment has several times occasioned  action by the Congress and by the Executive.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":55,"text":"The advent of revolutionary new devices, bringing with them the problem of  overall continental defense, creates new difficulties, reminiscent of those  attending the advent of the airplane half a century ago.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":56,"text":"Some of the important new weapons which technology has produced do not fit  into any existing service pattern. They cut across all services, involve  all services, and transcend all services, at every stage from development  to operation. In some instances they defy classification according to  branch of service.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":57,"text":"Unfortunately, the uncertainties resulting from such a situation, and the  jurisdictional disputes attending upon it, tend to bewilder and confuse the  public and create the impression that service differences are damaging the  national interest.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":58,"text":"Let us proudly remember that the members of the Armed Forces give their  basic allegiance solely to the United States. Of that fact all of us are  certain. But pride of service and mistaken zeal in promoting particular  doctrine has more than once occasioned the kind of difficulty of which I  have just spoken.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":59,"text":"I am not attempting today to pass judgment on the charge of harmful service  rivalries. But one thing is sure. Whatever they are, America wants them  stopped.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":60,"text":"Recently I have had under special study the never-ending problem of  efficient organization, complicated as it is by new weapons. Soon my  conclusions will be finalized. I shall promptly take such Executive action  as is necessary and, in a separate message, I shall present appropriate  recommendations to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":61,"text":"Meanwhile, without anticipating the detailed form that a reorganization  should take, I can state its main lines in terms of objectives:  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":62,"text":"A major purpose of military organization is to achieve real unity in the  Defense establishment in all the principal features of military activities.  Of all these, one of the most important to our nation's security is  strategic planning and control. This work must be done under unified  direction.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":63,"text":"The defense structure must be one which, as a whole, can assume, with top  efficiency and without friction, the defense of America. The Defense  establishment must therefore plan for a better integration of its defensive  resources, particularly with respect to the newer weapons now building and  under development. These obviously require full coordination in their  development, production and use. Good organization can help assure this  coordination.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":64,"text":"In recognition of the need for single control in some of our most advanced  development projects, the Secretary of Defense has already decided to  concentrate into one organization all the anti-missile and satellite  technology undertaken within the Department of Defense.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":65,"text":"Another requirement of military organization is a clear subordination of  the military services to duly constituted civilian authority. This control  must be real; not merely on the surface.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":66,"text":"Next there must be assurance that an excessive number of compartments in  organization will not create costly and confusing compartments in our  scientific and industrial effort.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":67,"text":"Finally, to end inter-service disputes requires clear organization and  decisive central direction, supported by the unstinted cooperation of every  individual in the defense establishment, civilian and military.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":68,"text":"2. ACCELERATED DEFENSE EFFORT  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":69,"text":"The second major action item is the acceleration of the defense effort in  particular areas affected by the fast pace of scientific and technological  advance.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":70,"text":"Some of the points at which improved and increased effort are most  essential are these:  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":71,"text":"We must have sure warning in case of attack. The improvement of warning  equipment is becoming increasingly important as we approach the period when  long-range missiles will come into use.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":72,"text":"We must protect and disperse our striking forces and increase their  readiness for instant reaction. This means more base facilities and standby  crews.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":73,"text":"We must maintain deterrent retaliatory power. This means, among other  things, stepped-up long range missile programs; accelerated programs for  other effective missile systems; and, for some years, more advanced  aircraft.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":74,"text":"We must maintain freedom of the seas. This means nuclear submarines and  cruisers; improved anti-submarine weapons; missile ships; and the like.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":75,"text":"We must maintain all necessary types of mobile forces to deal with local  conflicts, should there be need. This means further improvements in  equipment, mobility, tactics and fire power.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":76,"text":"Through increases in pay and incentive, we must maintain in the armed  forces the skilled manpower modern military forces require.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":77,"text":"We must be forward-looking in our research and development to anticipate  and achieve the unimagined weapons of the future.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":78,"text":"With these and other improvements, we intend to assure that our vigilance,  power, and technical excellence keep abreast of any realistic threat we  face.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":79,"text":"3. MUTUAL AID  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":80,"text":"Third: We must continue to strengthen our mutual security efforts. Most  people now realize that our programs of military aid and defense support  are an integral part of our own defense effort. If the foundations of the  Free World structure were progressively allowed to crumble under the  pressure of communist imperialism, the entire house of freedom would be in  danger of collapse.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":81,"text":"As for the mutual economic assistance program, the benefit to us is  threefold. First, the countries receiving this aid become bulwarks against  communist encroachment as their military defenses and economies are  strengthened. Nations that are conscious of a steady improvement in their  industry, education, health and standard of living are not apt to fall prey  to the blandishments of communist imperialists.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":82,"text":"Second, these countries are helped to reach the point where mutually  profitable trade can expand between them and us.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":83,"text":"Third, the mutual confidence that comes from working together on  constructive projects creates an atmosphere in which real understanding and  peace can flourish.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":84,"text":"To help bring these multiple benefits, our economic aid effort should be  made more effective.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":85,"text":"In proposals for future economic aid, I am stressing a greater use of  repayable loans, through the Development Loan Fund, through funds generated  by sale of surplus farm products, and through the Export-Import Bank.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":86,"text":"While some increase in Government funds will be required, it remains our  objective to encourage shifting to the use of private capital sources as  rapidly as possible.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":87,"text":"One great obstacle to the economic aid program in the past has been, not a  rational argument against it on the merits, but a catchword: \"give-away  program.\"  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":88,"text":"The real fact is that no investment we make in our own security and peace  can pay us greater dividends than necessary amounts of economic aid to  friendly nations.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":89,"text":"This is no \"give-away.\"  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":90,"text":"Let's stick to facts!  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":91,"text":"We cannot afford to have one of our most essential security programs shot  down with a slogan!  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":92,"text":"4. MUTUAL TRADE  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":93,"text":"Fourth: Both in our national interest, and in the interest of world peace,  we must have a five-year extension of the Trade Agreements Act with  broadened authority to negotiate.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":94,"text":"World trade supports a significant segment of American industry and  agriculture. It provides employment for four and one-half million American  workers. It helps supply our ever increasing demand for raw materials. It  provides the opportunity for American free enterprise to develop on a  worldwide scale. It strengthens our friends and increases their desire to  be friends. World trade helps to lay the groundwork for peace by making all  free nations of the world stronger and more self-reliant.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":95,"text":"America is today the world's greatest trading nation. If we use this great  asset wisely to meet the expanding demands of the world, we shall not only  provide future opportunities for our own business, agriculture, and labor,  but in the process strengthen our security posture and other prospects for  a prosperous, harmonious world.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":96,"text":"As President McKinley said, as long ago as 1901: \"Isolation is no longer  possible or desirable .... The period of exclusiveness is past.\"  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":97,"text":"5. SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION WITH OUR ALLIES  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":98,"text":"Fifth: It is of the highest importance that the Congress enact the  necessary legislation to enable us to exchange appropriate scientific and  technical information with friendly countries as part of our effort to  achieve effective scientific cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":99,"text":"It is wasteful in the extreme for friendly allies to consume talent and  money in solving problems that their friends have already solved--all  because of artificial barriers to sharing. We cannot afford to cut  ourselves off from the brilliant talents and minds of scientists in  friendly countries. The task ahead will be hard enough without handcuffs of  our own making.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":100,"text":"The groundwork for this kind of cooperation has already been laid in  discussions among NATO countries. Promptness in following through with  legislation will be the best possible evidence of American unity of purpose  in cooperating with our friends.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":101,"text":"6. EDUCATION AND RESEARCH  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":102,"text":"Sixth: In the area of education and research, I recommend a balanced  program to improve our resources, involving an investment of about a  billion dollars over a four year period. This involves new activities by  the Department of Health, Education and Welfare designed principally to  encourage improved teaching quality and student opportunities in the  interests of national security. It also provides a five-fold increase in  sums available to the National Science Foundation for its special  activities in stimulating and improving science education.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":103,"text":"Scrupulous attention has been paid to maintaining local control of  educational policy, spurring the maximum amount of local effort, and to  avoiding undue stress on the physical sciences at the expense of other  branches of learning.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":104,"text":"In the field of research, I am asking for substantial increases in basic  research funds, including a doubling of the funds available to the National  Science Foundation for this purpose.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":105,"text":"But Federal action can do only a part of the job. In both education and  research, redoubled exertions will be necessary on the part of all  Americans if we are to rise to the demands of our times. This means hard  work on the part of state and local governments, private industry, schools  and colleges, private organizations and foundations, teachers, parents,  and--perhaps most important of all--the student himself, with his bag of  books and his homework.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":106,"text":"With this kind of all-inclusive campaign, I have no doubt that we can  create the intellectual capital we need for the years ahead, invest it in  the right places--and do all this, not as regimented pawns, but as free men  and women!  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":107,"text":"7. SPENDING AND SAVING  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":108,"text":"Seventh: To provide for this extra effort for security, we must apply stern  tests of priority to other expenditures, both military and civilian. This  extra effort involves, most immediately, the need for a supplemental  defense appropriation of $1.3 billion for fiscal year 1958.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":109,"text":"In the 1959 budget, increased expenditures for missiles, nuclear ships,  atomic energy, research and development, science and education, a special  contingency fund to deal with possible new technological discoveries, and  increases in pay and incentives to obtain and retain competent manpower add  up to a total increase over the comparable figures in the 1957 budget of  about $4 billion.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":110,"text":"I believe that, in spite of these necessary increases, we should strive to  finance the 1959 security effort out of expected revenues. While we now  believe that expected revenues and expenditures will roughly balance, our  real purpose will be to achieve adequate security, but always with the  utmost regard for efficiency and careful management.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":111,"text":"This purpose will require the cooperation of Congress in making careful  analysis of estimates presented, reducing expenditure on less essential  military programs and installations, postponing some new civilian programs,  transferring some to the states, and curtailing or eliminating others.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":112,"text":"Such related matters as the national debt ceiling and tax revenues will be  dealt with in later messages.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":113,"text":"8. WORKS OF PEACE  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":114,"text":"My last call for action is not primarily addressed to the Congress and  people of the United States. Rather, it is a message from the people of the  United States to all other peoples, especially those of the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":115,"text":"This is the spirit of what we would like to say:  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":116,"text":"\"In the last analysis, there is only one solution to the grim problems that  lie ahead. The world must stop the present plunge toward more and more  destructive weapons of war, and turn the corner that will start our steps  firmly on the path toward lasting peace.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":117,"text":"\"Our greatest hope for success lies in a universal fact: the people of the  world, as people, have always wanted peace and want peace now.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":118,"text":"\"The problem, then, is to find a way of translating this universal desire  into action.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":119,"text":"\"This will require more than words of peace. It requires works of peace.\"  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":120,"text":"Now, may I try to give you some concrete examples of the kind of works of  peace that might make a beginning in the new direction.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":121,"text":"For a start our people should learn to know each other better. Recent  negotiations in Washington have provided a basis in principle for greater  freedom of communication and exchange of people. I urge the Soviet  government to cooperate in turning principle into practice by prompt and  tangible actions that will break down the unnatural barriers that have  blocked the flow of thought and understanding between our people.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":122,"text":"Another kind of work of peace is cooperation on projects of human welfare.  For example, we now have it within our power to eradicate from the face of  the earth that age-old scourge of mankind: malaria. We are embarking with  other nations in an all-out five-year campaign to blot out this curse  forever. We invite the Soviets to join with us in this great work of  humanity.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":123,"text":"Indeed, we would be willing to pool our efforts with the Soviets in other  campaigns against the diseases that are the common enemy of all  mortals--such as cancer and heart disease.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":124,"text":"If people can get together on such projects, is it not possible that we  could then go on to a full-scale cooperative program of Science for Peace?  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":125,"text":"We have as a guide and inspiration the success of our Atoms-for-Peace  proposal, which in only a few years, under United Nations auspices, became  a reality in the International Atomic Energy Agency.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":126,"text":"A program of Science for Peace might provide a means of funneling into one  place the results of research from scientists everywhere and from there  making it available to all parts of the world.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":127,"text":"There is almost no limit to the human betterment that could result from  such cooperation. Hunger and disease could increasingly be driven from the  earth. The age-old dream of a good life for all could, at long last, be  translated into reality.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":128,"text":"But of all the works of peace, none is more needed now than a real first  step toward disarmament.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":129,"text":"Last August the United Nations General Assembly, by an overwhelming vote,  approved a disarmament plan that we and our allies sincerely believed to be  fair and practical. The Soviets have rejected both the plan, and the  negotiating procedure set up by the United Nations. As a result,  negotiation on this supremely important issue is now at a stand-still.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":130,"text":"But the world cannot afford to stand still on disarmament! We must never  give up the search for a basis of agreement.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":131,"text":"Our allies from time to time develop differing ideas on how to proceed. We  must concert these convictions among ourselves. Thereafter, any reasonable  proposal that holds promise for disarmament and reduction of tension must  be heard, discussed, and, if possible, negotiated.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":132,"text":"But a disarmament proposal, to hold real promise, must at the minimum have  one feature: reliable means to ensure compliance by all. It takes actions  and demonstrated integrity on both sides to create and sustain confidence.  And confidence in a genuine disarmament agreement is vital, not only to the  signers of the agreement, but also to the millions of people all over the  world who are weary of tensions and armaments.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":133,"text":"I say once more, to all peoples, that we will always go the extra mile with  anyone on earth if it will bring us nearer a genuine peace.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":134,"text":"CONCLUSION  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":135,"text":"These, then, are the ways in which we must funnel our energies more  efficiently into the task of advancing security and peace.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":136,"text":"These actions demand and expect two things of the American people:  sacrifice, and a high degree of understanding. For sacrifice to be  effective it must be intelligent. Sacrifice must be made for the right  purpose and in the right place--even if that place happens to come close to  home!  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":137,"text":"After all, it is no good demanding sacrifice in general terms one day, and  the next day, for local reasons, opposing the elimination of some unneeded  Federal facility.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":138,"text":"It is pointless to condemn Federal spending in general, and the next moment  condemn just as strongly an effort to reduce the particular Federal grant  that touches one's own interest.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":139,"text":"And it makes no sense whatever to spend additional billions on military  strength to deter a potential danger, and then, by cutting aid and trade  programs, let the world succumb to a present danger in economic guise.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":140,"text":"My friends of the Congress: The world is waiting to see how wisely and  decisively a free representative government will now act.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":141,"text":"I believe that this Congress possesses and will display the wisdom promptly  to do its part in translating into law the actions demanded by our nation's  interests. But, to make law effective, our kind of government needs the  full voluntary support of millions of Americans for these actions.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":142,"text":"I am fully confident that the response of the Congress and of the American  people will make this time of test a time of honor. Mankind then will see  more clearly than ever that the future belongs, not to the concept of the  regimented atheistic state, but to the people--the God-fearing,  peace-loving people of all the world.  "}
{"year":"1958","paragraph":143,"text":"The Address as reported from the floor appears in the Congressional Record  (vol. 104, p. 171).  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the 86th Congress, my fellow  citizens:  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":2,"text":"This is the moment when Congress and the Executive annually begin their  cooperative work to build a better America.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":3,"text":"One basic purpose unites us: To promote strength and security, side by side  with liberty and opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":4,"text":"As we meet today, in the 170th year of the Republic, our Nation must  continue to provide--as all other free governments have had to do  throughout time--a satisfactory answer to a question as old as history. It  is: Can Government based upon liberty and the God-given rights of man,  permanently endure when ceaselessly challenged by a dictatorship, hostile  to our mode of life, and controlling an economic and military power of  great and growing strength?  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":5,"text":"For us the answer has always been found, and is still found in the  devotion, the vision, the courage and the fortitude of our people.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":6,"text":"Moreover, this challenge we face, not as a single powerful nation, but as  one that has in recent decades reached a position of recognized leadership  in the Free World.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":7,"text":"We have arrived at this position of leadership in an era of remarkable  productivity and growth. It is also a time when man's power of mass  destruction has reached fearful proportions.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":8,"text":"Possession of such capabilities helps create world suspicion and tension.  We, on our part, know that we seek only a just peace for all, with  aggressive designs against no one. Yet we realize that there is uneasiness  in the world because of a belief on the part of peoples that through  arrogance, miscalculation or fear of attack, catastrophic war could be  launched. Keeping the peace in today's world more than ever calls for the  utmost in the nation's resolution, wisdom, steadiness and unremitting  effort.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":9,"text":"We cannot build peace through desire alone. Moreover, we have learned the  bitter lesson that international agreements, historically considered by us  as sacred, are regarded in Communist doctrine and in practice to be mere  scraps of paper. The most recent proof of their disdain of international  obligations, solemnly undertaken, is their announced intention to abandon  their responsibilities respecting Berlin.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":10,"text":"As a consequence, we can have no confidence in any treaty to which  Communists are a party except where such a treaty provides within itself  for self-enforcing mechanisms. Indeed, the demonstrated disregard of the  Communists of their own pledges is one of the greatest obstacles to success  in substituting the Rule of Law for rule by force.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":11,"text":"Yet step by step we must strengthen the institutions of peace--a peace that  rests upon justice--a peace that depends upon a deep knowledge and dear  understanding by all peoples of the cause and consequences of possible  failure in this great purpose.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":12,"text":"To achieve this peace we seek to prevent war at any place and in any  dimension. If, despite our best efforts, a local dispute should flare into  armed hostilities, the next problem would be to keep the conflict from  spreading, and so compromising freedom. In support of these objectives we  maintain forces of great power and flexibility.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":13,"text":"Our formidable air striking forces are a powerful deterrent to general war.  Large and growing portions of these units can depart from their bases in a  matter of minutes.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":14,"text":"Similar forces are included in our naval fleets.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":15,"text":"Ground and other tactical formations can move with swiftness and precision,  when requested by friendly and responsible governments, to help curb  threatened aggression. The stabilizing influence of this capacity has been  dramatically demonstrated more than once over the past year.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":16,"text":"Our military and related scientific progress has been highly gratifying.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":17,"text":"Great strides have been made in the development of ballistic missiles.  Intermediate range missiles are now being deployed in operational units.  The Arias intercontinental ballistic missile program has been marked by  rapid development as evidenced by recent successful tests. Missile training  units have been established and launching sites are far along in  construction.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":18,"text":"New aircraft that fly at twice the speed of sound are entering our  squadrons.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":19,"text":"We have successfully placed five satellites in orbit, which have gathered  information of scientific importance never before available. Our latest  satellite illustrates our steady advance in rocketry and foreshadows new  developments in world-wide communications.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":20,"text":"Warning systems constantly improve.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":21,"text":"Our atomic submarines have shattered endurance records and made historic  voyages under the North Polar Sea.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":22,"text":"A major segment of our national scientific and engineering community is  working intensively to achieve new and greater developments. Advance in  military technology requires adequate financing but, of course, even more,  it requires talent and time.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":23,"text":"All this is given only as a matter of history; as a record of our progress  in space and ballistic missile fields in no more than four years of  intensive effort. At the same time we clearly recognize that some of the  recent Soviet accomplishments in this particular technology are indeed  brilliant.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":24,"text":"Under the law enacted last year the Department of Defense is being  reorganized to give the Secretary of Defense full authority over the  military establishment. Greater efficiency, more cohesive effort and  speedier reaction to emergencies are among the many advantages we are  already noting from these changes.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":25,"text":"These few highlights point up our steady military gains. We are rightfully  gratified by the achievements they represent. But we must remember that  these imposing armaments are purchased at great cost.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":26,"text":"National Security programs account for nearly sixty percent of the entire  Federal budget for this coming fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":27,"text":"Modern weapons are exceedingly expensive.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":28,"text":"The overall cost of introducing ATLAS into our armed forces will average  $35 million per missile on the firing line.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":29,"text":"This year we are investing an aggregate of close to $7 billion in missile  programs alone.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":30,"text":"Other billions go for research, development, test and evaluation of new  weapons systems.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":31,"text":"Our latest atomic submarines will cost $50 millions each, while some  special types will cost three times as much.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":32,"text":"We are now ordering fighter aircraft which are priced at fifty times as  much as the fighters of World War II.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":33,"text":"We are buying certain bombers that cost their weight in gold.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":34,"text":"These sums are tremendous, even when compared with the marvelous resiliency  and capacity of our economy.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":35,"text":"Such expenditures demand both balance and perspective in our planning for  defense. At every turn, we must weigh, judge and select. Needless  duplication of weapons and forces must be avoided.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":36,"text":"We must guard against feverish building of vast armaments to meet glibly  predicted moments of so-called \"maximum peril.\" The threat we face is not  sporadic or dated: It is continuous. Hence we must not be swayed in our  calculations either by groundless fear or by complacency. We must avoid  extremes, for vacillation between extremes is inefficient, costly, and  destructive of morale. In these days of unceasing technological advance, we  must plan our defense expenditures systematically and with care, fully  recognizing that obsolescence compels the never-ending replacement of older  weapons with new ones.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":37,"text":"The defense budget for the coming year has been planned on the basis of  these principles and considerations. Over these many months I have  personally participated in its development.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":38,"text":"The aim is a sensible posture of defense. The secondary aim is increased  efficiency and avoidance of waste. Both are achieved by this budgetary  plan.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":39,"text":"Working by these guide lines I believe with all my heart that America can  be as sure of the strength and efficiency of her armed forces as she is of  their loyalty. I am equally sure that the nation will thus avoid useless  expenditures which, in the name of security, might tend to undermine the  economy and, therefore, the nation's safety.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":40,"text":"Our own vast strength is only a part of that required for dependable  security. Because of this we have joined with nearly 50 other nations in  collective security arrangements. In these common undertakings each nation  is expected to contribute what it can in sharing the heavy load. Each  supplies part of a strategic deployment to protect the forward boundaries  of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":41,"text":"Constantly we seek new ways to make more effective our contribution to this  system of collective security. Recently I have asked a Committee of eminent  Americans of both parties to re-appraise our military assistance programs  and the relative emphasis which should be placed on military and economic  aid.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":42,"text":"I am hopeful that preliminary recommendations of this Committee will be  available in time to assist in shaping the Mutual Security program for the  coming fiscal year.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":43,"text":"Any survey of the free world's defense structure cannot fail to impart a  feeling of regret that so much of our effort and resources must be devoted  to armaments. At Geneva and elsewhere we continue to seek technical and  other agreements that may help to open up, with some promise, the issues of  international disarmament. America will never give up the hope that  eventually all nations can, with mutual confidence, drastically reduce  these non-productive expenditures. II.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":44,"text":"The material foundation of our national safety is a strong and expanding  economy. This we have--and this we must maintain. Only with such an economy  can we be secure and simultaneously provide for the well-being of our  people.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":45,"text":"A year ago the nation was experiencing a decline in employment and output.  Today that recession is fading into history, and this without gigantic,  hastily-improvised public works projects or untimely tax reductions. A  healthy and vigorous recovery has been under way since last May. New homes  are being built at the highest rate in several years. Retail sales are at  peak levels. Personal income is at an all-time high.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":46,"text":"The marked forward thrust of our economy reaffirms our confidence in  competitive enterprise. But--clearly--wisdom and prudence in both the  public and private sectors of the economy are always necessary.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":47,"text":"Our outlook is this: 1960 commitments for our armed forces, the Atomic  Energy Commission and Military Assistance exceed 47 billion dollars. In the  foreseeable future they are not likely to be significantly lower. With an  annual population increase of three million, other governmental costs are  bound to mount.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":48,"text":"After we have provided wisely for our military strength, we must judge how  to allocate our remaining government resources most effectively to promote  our well-being and economic growth.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":49,"text":"Federal programs that will benefit all citizens are moving forward.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":50,"text":"Next year we will be spending increased amounts on health programs; on  Federal assistance to science and education; on the development of the  nation's water resources; on the renewal of urban areas; and on our vast  system of Federal-aid highways.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":51,"text":"Each of these additional outlays is being made necessary by the surging  growth of America.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":52,"text":"Let me illustrate. Responsive to this growth, Federal grants and long term  loans to assist 14 major types of capital improvements in our cities will  total over 2 billion dollars in 1960--double the expenditure of two years  ago. The major responsibility for development in these fields rests in the  localities, even though the Federal Government will continue to do its  proper part in meeting the genuine needs of a burgeoning population.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":53,"text":"But the progress of our economy can more than match the growth of our  needs. We need only to act wisely and confidently.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":54,"text":"Here, I hope you will permit me to digress long enough to express something  that is much on my mind.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":55,"text":"The basic question facing us today is more than mere survival--the military  defense of national life and territory. It is the preservation of a way of  life.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":56,"text":"We must meet the world challenge and at the same time permit no stagnation  in America.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":57,"text":"Unless we progress, we regress.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":58,"text":"We can successfully sustain security and remain true to our heritage of  freedom if we clearly visualize the tasks ahead and set out to perform them  with resolution and fervor. We must first define these tasks and then  understand what we must do to perform them.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":59,"text":"If progress is to be steady we must have long term guides extending far  ahead, certainly five, possibly even ten years. They must reflect the  knowledge that before the end of five years we will have a population of  over 190 million. They must be goals that stand high, and so inspire every  citizen to climb always toward mounting levels of moral, intellectual and  material strength. Every advance toward them must stir pride in individual  and national achievements.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":60,"text":"To define these goals, I intend to mobilize help from every available  source.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":61,"text":"We need more than politically ordained national objectives to challenge the  best efforts of free men and women. A group of selfless and devoted  individuals, outside of government, could effectively participate in making  the necessary appraisal of the potentials of our future. The result would  be establishment of national goals that would not only spur us on to our  finest efforts, but would meet the stern test of practicality.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":62,"text":"The Committee I plan will comprise educators and representatives of labor,  management, finance, the professions and every other kind of useful  activity.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":63,"text":"Such a study would update and supplement, in the light of continuous  changes in our society and its economy, the monumental work of the  Committee on Recent Social Trends which was appointed in 1931 by President  Hoover. Its report has stood the test of time and has had a beneficial  influence on national development. The new Committee would be concerned,  among other things, with the acceleration of our economy's growth and the  living standards of our people, their health and education, their better  assurance of life and liberty and their greater opportunities. It would  also be concerned with methods to meet such goals and what levels of  government--Local, State, or Federal--might or should be particularly  concerned.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":64,"text":"As one example, consider our schools, operated under the authority of local  communities and states. In their capacity and in their quality they conform  to no recognizable standards. In some places facilities are ample, in  others meager. Pay of teachers ranges between wide limits, from the  adequate to the shameful. As would be expected, quality of teaching varies  just as widely. But to our teachers we commit the most valuable possession  of the nation and of the family--our children.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":65,"text":"We must have teachers of competence. To obtain and hold them we need  standards. We need a National Goal. Once established I am certain that  public opinion would compel steady progress toward its accomplishment.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":66,"text":"Such studies would be helpful, I believe, to government at all levels and  to all individuals. The goals so established could help us see our current  needs in perspective. They will spur progress.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":67,"text":"We do not forget, of course, that our nation's progress and fiscal  integrity are interdependent and inseparable. We can afford everything we  clearly need, but we cannot afford one cent of waste. We must examine every  item of governmental expense critically. To do otherwise would betray our  nation's future. Thrift is one of the characteristics that has made this  nation great. Why should we ignore it now?  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":68,"text":"We must avoid any contribution to inflationary processes, which could  disrupt sound growth in our economy.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":69,"text":"Prices have displayed a welcome stability in recent months and, if we are  wise and resolute, we will not tolerate inflation in the years to come. But  history makes clear the risks inherent in any failure to deal firmly with  the .basic causes of inflation. Two of the most important of these causes  are the wage-price spiral and continued deficit financing.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":70,"text":"Inflation would reduce job opportunities, price us out of world markets,  shrink the value of savings and penalize the thrift so essential to finance  a growing economy.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":71,"text":"Inflation is not a Robin Hood, taking from the rich to give to the poor.  Rather, it deals most cruelly with those who can least protect themselves.  It strikes hardest those millions of our citizens whose incomes do not  quickly rise with the cost of living. When prices soar, the pensioner and  the widow see their security undermined, the man of thrift sees his savings  melt away; the white collar worker, the minister, and the teacher see their  standards of living dragged down.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":72,"text":"Inflation can be prevented. But this demands statesmanship on the part of  business and labor leaders and of government at all levels.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":73,"text":"We must encourage the self-discipline, the restraint necessary to curb the  wage-price spiral and we must meet current costs from current revenue.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":74,"text":"To minimize the danger of future soaring prices and to keep our economy  sound and expanding, I shall present to the Congress certain proposals.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":75,"text":"First, I shall submit a balanced budget for the next year, a year expected  to be the most prosperous in our history. It is a realistic budget with  wholly attainable objectives.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":76,"text":"If we cannot live within our means during such a time of rising prosperity,  the hope for fiscal integrity will fade. If we persist in living beyond our  means, we make it difficult for every family in our land to balance its own  household budget. But to live within our means would be a tangible  demonstration of the self-discipline needed to assure a stable dollar.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":77,"text":"The Constitution entrusts the Executive with many functions, but the  Congress--and the Congress alone--has the power of the purse. Ultimately  upon Congress rests responsibility for determining the scope and amount of  Federal spending.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":78,"text":"By working together, the Congress and the Executive can keep a balance  between income and outgo. If this is done there is real hope that we can  look forward to a time in the foreseeable future when needed tax reforms  can be accomplished.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":79,"text":"In this hope, I am requesting the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare  appropriate proposals for revising, at the proper time, our tax structure,  to remove inequities and to enhance incentives for all Americans to work,  to save, and to invest. Such recommendations will be made as soon as our  fiscal condition permits. These prospects will be brightened if 1960  expenditures do not exceed the levels recommended.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":80,"text":"Second, I shall recommend to the Congress that the Chief Executive be given  the responsibility either to approve or to veto specific items in  appropriations and authorization bills. This would save tax dollars.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":81,"text":"Third, to reduce Federal operations in an area where private enterprise can  do the job, I shall recommend legislation for greater flexibility in  extending Federal credit, and in improving the procedures under which  private credits are insured or guaranteed. Present practices have  needlessly added large sums to Federal expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":82,"text":"Fourth, action is required to make more effective use of the large Federal  expenditures for agriculture and to achieve greater fiscal control in this  area.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":83,"text":"Outlays of the Department of Agriculture for the current fiscal year for  the support of farm prices on a very few farm products will exceed five  billion dollars. That is a sum equal to approximately two-fifths of the net  income of all farm operators in the entire United States.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":84,"text":"By the end of this fiscal year it is estimated that there will be in  Government hands surplus farm products worth about nine billion dollars.  And by July 1, 1959, Government expenditures for storage, interest, and  handling of its agricultural inventory will reach a rate of one billion  dollars a year.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":85,"text":"This level of expenditure for farm products could be made willingly for a  temporary period if it were leading to a sound solution of the problem. But  unfortunately this is not true. We need new legislation.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":86,"text":"In the past I have sent messages to the Congress requesting greater freedom  for our farmers to manage their own farms and greater freedom for markets  to reflect the wishes of producers and consumers. Legislative changes that  followed were appropriate in direction but did not go far enough.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":87,"text":"The situation calls for prompt and forthright action. Recommendation for  action will be contained in a message to be transmitted to the Congress  shortly.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":88,"text":"These fiscal and related actions will help create an environment of price  stability for economic growth. However, certain additional measures are  needed.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":89,"text":"I shall ask Congress to amend the Employment Act of 1946 to make it clear  that Government intends to use all appropriate means to protect the buying  power of the dollar.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":90,"text":"I am establishing a continuing Cabinet group on Price Stability for  Economic Growth to study governmental and private policies affecting costs,  prices, and economic growth. It will strive also to build a better public  understanding of the conditions necessary for maintaining growth and price  stability.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":91,"text":"Studies are being undertaken to improve our information on prices, wages,  and productivity.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":92,"text":"I believe all citizens in all walks of life will support this program of  action to accelerate economic growth and promote price stability. III.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":93,"text":"I take up next certain aspects of our international situation and our  programs to strengthen it.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":94,"text":"America's security can be assured only within a world community strong,  stable, independent nations, in which the concepts of freedom, justice and  human dignity can flourish.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":95,"text":"There can be no such thing as Fortress America. If ever we were reduced to  the isolation implied by that term, we would occupy a prison, not a  fortress. The question whether we can afford to help other nations that  want to defend their freedom but cannot fully do so from their own means,  has only one answer: we can and we must, we have been doing so since 1947.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":96,"text":"Our foreign policy has long been dedicated to building a permanent and just  peace.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":97,"text":"During the past six years our free world security arrangements have been  bolstered and the bonds of freedom have been more closely knit. Our friends  in Western Europe are experiencing new internal vitality, and are  increasingly more able to resist external threats.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":98,"text":"Over the years the world has come to understand clearly that it is our firm  policy not to countenance aggression. In Lebanon, Taiwan, and Berlin--our  stand has been dear, right, and expressive of the determined will of a  united people.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":99,"text":"Acting with other free nations we have undertaken the solemn obligation to  defend the people of free Berlin against any effort to destroy their  freedom. In the meantime we shall constantly seek meaningful agreements to  settle this and other problems, knowing full well that not only the  integrity of a single city, but the hope of all free peoples is at stake.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":100,"text":"We need, likewise, to continue helping to build the economic base so  essential to the Free World's stability and strength.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":101,"text":"The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have both fully proven  their worth as instruments of international financial cooperation. Their  Executive Directors have recommended an increase in each member country's  subscription. I am requesting the Congress for immediate approval of our  share of these increases.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":102,"text":"We are now negotiating with representatives of the twenty Latin American  Republics for the creation of an inter-American financial institution. Its  purpose would be to join all the American Republics in a common institution  which would promote and finance development in Latin America, and make more  effective the use of capital from the World Bank, the Export-Import Bank,  and private sources.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":103,"text":"Private enterprise continues to make major contributions to economic  development in all parts of the world. But we have not yet marshalled the  full potential of American business for this task, particularly in  countries which have recently attained their independence. I shall present  to this Congress a program designed to encourage greater participation by  private enterprise in economic development abroad.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":104,"text":"Further, all of us know that to advance the cause of freedom we must do  much more than help build sound economies. The spiritual, intellectual, and  physical strength of people throughout the world will in the last analysis  determine their willingness and their ability to resist Communism.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":105,"text":"To give a single illustration of our many efforts in these fields: We have  been a participant in the effort that has been made over the past few years  against one of the great scourges of mankind--disease. Through the Mutual  Security program public health officials are being trained by American  universities to serve in less developed countries. We are engaged in  intensive malaria eradication projects in many parts of the world.  America's major successes in our own country prove the feasibility of  success everywhere.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":106,"text":"By these and other means we shall continue and expand our campaign against  the afflictions that now bring needless suffering and death to so many of  the world's people. We wish to be part of a great shared effort toward the  triumph of health. IV.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":107,"text":"America is best described by one word, freedom.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":108,"text":"If we hope to strengthen freedom in the world we must be ever mindful of  how our own conduct reacts elsewhere. No nation has ever been so  floodlighted by world opinion as the United States is today. Everything we  do is carefully scrutinized by other peoples throughout the world. The bad  is seen along with the good.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":109,"text":"Because we are human we err. But as free men we are also responsible for  correcting the errors and imperfections of our ways.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":110,"text":"Last January I made comprehensive recommendations to the Congress for  legislation in the labor-management field. To my disappointment, Congress  failed to act. The McClellan Committee disclosures of corruption,  racketeering, and abuse of trust and power in labor-management affairs have  aroused America and amazed other peoples. They emphasize the need for  improved local law enforcement and the enactment of effective Federal  legislation to protect the public interest and to insure the rights and  economic freedoms of millions of American workers. Halfhearted measures  will not do. I shall recommend prompt enactment of legislation designed:  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":111,"text":"To safeguard workers' funds in union treasuries against misuse of any kind  whatsoever.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":112,"text":"To protect the rights and freedoms of individual union members, including  the basic right to free and secret elections of officers.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":113,"text":"To advance true and responsible collective bargaining.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":114,"text":"To protect the public and innocent third parties from unfair and coercive  practices such as boycotting and blackmail picketing.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":115,"text":"The workers and the public must have these vital protections.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":116,"text":"In other areas of human rights--freedom from discrimination in voting, in  public education, in access to jobs, and in other respects--the world is  likewise watching our conduct.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":117,"text":"The image of America abroad is not improved when school children, through  closing of some of our schools and through no fault of their own, are  deprived of their opportunity for an education.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":118,"text":"The government of a free people has no purpose more noble than to work for  the maximum realization of equality of opportunity under law. This is not  the sole responsibility of any one branch of our government. The judicial  arm, which has the ultimate authority for interpreting the Constitution,  has held that certain state laws and practices discriminate upon racial  grounds and are unconstitutional. Whenever the supremacy of the  Constitution of the United States is challenged I shall continue to take  every action necessary to uphold it.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":119,"text":"One of the fundamental concepts of our constitutional system is that it  guarantees to every individual, regardless of race, religion, or national  origin, the equal protection of the laws. Those of us who are privileged to  hold public office have a solemn obligation to make meaningful this  inspiring objective. We can fulfill that obligation by our leadership in  teaching, persuading, demonstrating, and in enforcing the law.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":120,"text":"We are making noticeable progress in the field of civil rights--we are  moving forward toward achievement of equality of opportunity for all people  everywhere in the United States. In the interest of the nation and of each  of its citizens, that progress must continue.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":121,"text":"Legislative proposals of the Administration in this field will be submitted  to the Congress early in the session. All of us should help to make clear  that the government is united in the common purpose of giving support to  the law and the decisions of the Courts.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":122,"text":"By moving steadily toward the goal of greater freedom under law, for our  own people, we shall be the better prepared to work for the cause of  freedom under law throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":123,"text":"All peoples are solely tired of the fear, destruction, and the waste of  war. As never before, the world knows the human and material costs of war  and seeks to replace force with a genuine role of law among nations.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":124,"text":"It is my purpose to intensify efforts during the coming two years in  seeking ways to supplement the procedures of the United Nations and other  bodies with similar objectives, to the end that the rule of law may replace  the rule of force in the affairs of nations. Measures toward this end will  be proposed later, including a re-examination of our own relation to the  International Court of Justice.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":125,"text":"Finally--let us remind ourselves that Marxist scripture is not new; it is  not the gospel of the future. Its basic objective is dictatorship, old as  history. What is new is the shining prospect that man can build a world  where all can live in dignity.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":126,"text":"We seek victory--not over any nation or people--but over the ancient  enemies of us all; victory over ignorance, poverty, disease, and human  degradation wherever they may be found.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":127,"text":"We march in the noblest of causes--human freedom.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":128,"text":"If we make ourselves worthy of America's ideals, if we do not forget that  our nation was founded on the premise that all men are creatures of God's  making, the world will come to know that it is free men who carry forward  the true promise of human progress and dignity.  "}
{"year":"1959","paragraph":129,"text":"The Address as reported from the floor appears in the Congressional Record  of January 9, 1959 (vol. 105, p. 163).  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the 86th Congress:  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":2,"text":"Seven years ago I entered my present office with one long-held resolve  overriding all others. I was then, and remain now, determined that the  United States shall become an ever more potent resource for the cause of  peace--realizing that peace cannot be for ourselves alone, but for peoples  everywhere. This determination is shared by the entire Congress--indeed, by  all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":3,"text":"My purpose today is to discuss some features of America's position, both at  home and in her relations to others.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":4,"text":"First, I point out that for us, annual self-examination is made a definite  necessity by the fact that we now live in a divided world of uneasy  equilibrium, with our side committed to its own protection and against  aggression by the other.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":5,"text":"With both sides of this divided world in possession of unbelievably  destructive weapons, mankind approaches a state where mutual annihilation  becomes a possibility. No other fact of today's world equals this in  importance--it colors everything we say, plan, and do.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":6,"text":"There is demanded of us, vigilance, determination, and the dedication of  whatever portion of our resources that will provide adequate security,  especially a real deterrent to aggression. These things we are doing.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":7,"text":"All these facts emphasize the importance of striving incessantly for a just  peace.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":8,"text":"Only through the strengthening of the spiritual, intellectual, economic and  defensive resources of the Free World can we, in confidence, make progress  toward this goal.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":9,"text":"Second, we note that recent Soviet deportment and pronouncements suggest  the possible opening of a somewhat less strained period in the  relationships between the Soviet Union and the Free World. If these  Pronouncements be genuine, there is brighter hope of diminishing the  intensity of past rivalry and eventually of substituting persuasion for  coercion. Whether this is to become an era of lasting promise remains to be  tested by actions.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":10,"text":"Third, we now stand in the vestibule of a vast new technological age-one  that, despite its capacity for human destruction, has an equal capacity to  make poverty and human misery obsolete. If our efforts are wisely  directed--and if our unremitting efforts for dependable peace begin to  attain some success--we can surely become participants in creating an age  characterized by justice and rising levels of human well-being.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":11,"text":"Over the past year the Soviet Union has expressed an interest in measures  to reduce the common peril of war.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":12,"text":"While neither we nor any other Free World nation can permit ourselves to be  misled by pleasant promises until they are tested by performance, yet we  approach this apparently new opportunity with the utmost seriousness. We  must strive to break the calamitous cycle of frustrations and crises which,  if unchecked, could spiral into nuclear disaster; the ultimate insanity.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":13,"text":"Though the need for dependable agreements to assure against resort to force  in settling disputes is apparent to both sides yet as in other issues  dividing men and nations, we cannot expect sudden and revolutionary  results. But we must find some place to begin.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":14,"text":"One obvious road on which to make a useful start is in the widening of  communication between our two peoples. In this field there are, both sides  willing, countless opportunities--most of them well known to us all--for  developing mutual understanding, the true foundation of peace.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":15,"text":"Another avenue may be through the reopening, on January twelfth, of  negotiations looking to a controlled ban on the testing of nuclear weapons.  Unfortunately, the closing statement from the Soviet scientists who met  with our scientists at Geneva in an unsuccessful effort to develop an  agreed basis for a test ban, gives the clear impression that their  conclusions have been politically guided. Those of the British and American  scientific representatives are their own freely-formed, individual and  collective opinion. I am hopeful that as new negotiations begin, truth--not  political opportunism--will be the guiding light of the deliberations.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":16,"text":"Still another avenue may be found in the field of disarmament, in which the  Soviets have professed a readiness to negotiate seriously. They have not,  however, made clear the plans they may have, if any, for mutual inspection  and verification--the essential condition for any extensive measure of  disarmament.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":17,"text":"There is one instance where our initiative for peace has recently been  successful. A multi-lateral treaty signed last month provides for the  exclusively peaceful use of Antarctica, assured by a system of inspection.  It provides for free and cooperative scientific research in that continent,  and prohibits nuclear explosions there pending general international  agreement on the subject. The Treaty is a significant contribution toward  peace, international cooperation, and the advancement of science. I shall  transmit its text to the Senate for consideration and approval in the near  future.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":18,"text":"The United States is always ready to participate with the Soviet Union in  serious discussion of these or any other subjects that may lead to peace  with justice.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":19,"text":"Certainly it is not necessary to repeat that the United States has no  intention of interfering in the internal affairs of any nation; likewise we  reject any attempt to impose its system on us or on other peoples by force  or subversion.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":20,"text":"This concern for the freedom of other peoples is the intellectual and  spiritual cement which has allied us with more than forty other nations in  a common defense effort. Not for a moment do we forget that our own fate is  firmly fastened to that of these countries; we will not act in any way  which would jeopardize our solemn commitments to them.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":21,"text":"We and our friends are, of course, concerned with self-defense. Growing out  of this concern is the realization that all people of the Free World have a  great stake in the progress, in freedom, of the uncommitted and newly  emerging nations. These peoples, desperately hoping to lift themselves to  decent levels of living must not, by our neglect, be forced to seek help  from, and finally become virtual satellites of, those who proclaim their  hostility to freedom.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":22,"text":"Their natural desire for a better life must not be frustrated by  withholding from them necessary technical and investment assistance. This  is a problem to be solved not by America alone, but also by every nation  cherishing the same ideals and in position to provide help.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":23,"text":"In recent years America's partners and friends in Western Europe and Japan  have made great economic progress. Their newly found economic strength is  eloquent testimony to the striking success of the policies of economic  cooperation which we and they have pursued.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":24,"text":"The international economy of 1960 is markedly different from that of the  early postwar years. No longer is the United States the only major  industrial country capable of providing substantial amounts of the  resources so urgently needed in the newly-developing countries.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":25,"text":"To remain secure and prosperous themselves, wealthy nations must extend the  kind of cooperation to the less fortunate members that will inspire hope,  confidence and progress. A rich nation can for a time, without noticeable  damage to itself, pursue a course of self-indulgence, making its single  goal the material ease and comfort of its own citizens-thus repudiating its  own spiritual and material stake in a peaceful and prosperous society of  nations. But the enmities it will incur, the isolation into which it will  descend, and the internal moral and physical softness that will be  engendered, will, in the long term, bring it to disaster.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":26,"text":"America did not become great through softness and self-indulgence. Her  miraculous progress and achievements flow from other qualities far more  worthy and substantial--  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":27,"text":"--adherence to principles and methods consonant with our religious  philosophy  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":28,"text":"--a satisfaction in hard work  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":29,"text":"--the readiness to sacrifice for worthwhile causes  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":30,"text":"--the courage to meet every challenge to her progress  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":31,"text":"--the intellectual honesty and capacity to recognize the true path of her  own best interests.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":32,"text":"To us and to every nation of the Free World, rich or poor, these qualities  are necessary today as never before if we are to march together to greater  security, prosperity and peace.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":33,"text":"I believe the industrial countries are ready to participate actively in  supplementing the efforts of the developing countries to achieve progress.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":34,"text":"The immediate need for this kind of cooperation is underscored by the  strain in our international balance of payments. Our surplus from foreign  business transactions has in recent years fallen substantially short of the  expenditures we make abroad to maintain our military establishments  overseas, to finance private investment, and to provide assistance to the  less developed nations. In 1959 our deficit in balance of payments  approached $4 billion.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":35,"text":"Continuing deficits of anything like this magnitude would, over time,  impair our own economic growth and check the forward progress of the Free  World.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":36,"text":"We must meet this situation by promoting a rising volume of exports and  world trade. Further, we must induce all industrialized nations of the Free  World to work together in a new cooperative endeavor to help lift the  scourge of poverty from less fortunate nations. This will provide for  better sharing of this burden and for still further profitable trade.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":37,"text":"New nations, and others struggling with the problems of development, will  progress only if they demonstrate faith in their own destiny and possess  the will and use their own resources to fulfill it. Moreover, progress in a  national transformation can be only gradually earned; there is no easy and  quick way to follow from the oxcart to the jet plane. But, just as we drew  on Europe for assistance in our earlier years, so now do those new and  emerging nations that have this faith and determination deserve help.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":38,"text":"Over the last fifteen years, twenty nations have gained political  independence. Others are doing so each year. Most of them are woefully  lacking in technical capacity and in investment capital; without Free World  support in these matters they cannot effectively progress in freedom.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":39,"text":"Respecting their need, one of the major focal points of our concern is the  South Asian region. Here, in two nations alone, are almost five hundred  million people, all working, and working hard, to raise their standards,  and in doing so, to make of themselves a strong bulwark against the spread  of an ideology that would destroy liberty.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":40,"text":"I cannot express to you the depth of my conviction that, in our own and  Free World interests, we must cooperate with others to help these people  achieve their legitimate ambitions, as expressed in their different  multi-year plans. Through the World Bank and other instrumentalities, as  well as through individual action by every nation in position to help, we  must squarely face this titanic challenge.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":41,"text":"All of us must realize, of course, that development in freedom by the newly  emerging nations, is no mere matter of obtaining outside financial  assistance. An indispensable element in this process is a strong and  continuing determination on the part of these nations to exercise the  national discipline necessary for any sustained development period. These  qualities of determination are particularly essential because of the fact  that the process of improvement will necessarily be gradual and laborious  rather than revolutionary. Moreover, everyone should be aware that the  development process is no short term phenomenon. Many years are required  for even the most favorably situated countries.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":42,"text":"I shall continue to urge the American people, in the interests of their own  security, prosperity and peace, to make sure that their own part of this  great project be amply and cheerfully supported. Free World decisions in  this matter may spell the difference between world disaster and world  progress in freedom.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":43,"text":"Other countries, some of which I visited last month, have similar needs.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":44,"text":"A common meeting ground is desirable for those nations which are prepared  to assist in the development effort. During the past year I have discussed  this matter with the leaders of several Western Nations.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":45,"text":"Because of its wealth of experience, the Organization for European Economic  Cooperation could help with initial studies. The goal is to enlist all  available economic resources in the industrialized Free World-especially  private investment capital. But I repeat that .this help, no matter how  great, can be lastingly effective only if it is used as a supplement to the  strength of spirit and will of the people of the newly-developing nations.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":46,"text":"By extending this help we hope to make possible the enthusiastic enrollment  of these nations under freedom's banner. No more startling contrast to a  system of sullen satellites could be imagined.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":47,"text":"If we grasp this opportunity to build an age of productive partnership  between the less fortunate nations and those that have already achieved a  high state of economic advancement, we will make brighter the outlook for a  world order based upon security, freedom and peace. Otherwise, the outlook  could be dark indeed. We face what may be a turning point in history, and  we must act decisively.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":48,"text":"As a nation we can successfully pursue these objectives only from a  position of broadly based strength.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":49,"text":"No matter how earnest is our quest for guaranteed peace, we must maintain a  high degree of military effectiveness at the same time we are engaged in  negotiating the issue of arms reduction. Until tangible and mutually  enforceable arms reduction measures are worked out, we will not weaken the  means of defending our institutions.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":50,"text":"America possesses an enormous defense power. It is my studied conviction  that no nation will ever risk general war against us unless we should be so  foolish as to neglect the defense forces we now so powerfully support. It  is world-wide knowledge that any nation which might be tempted today to  attack the United States, even though our country might sustain great  losses, would itself promptly suffer a terrible destruction. But I once  again assure all peoples and all nations that the United States, except in  defense, will never turn loose this destructive power.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":51,"text":"During the past year, our long-range striking power, unmatched today in  manned bombers, has taken on new strength as the Atlas intercontinental  ballistic missile has entered the operational inventory. In fourteen recent  test launchings, at ranges of over 5,000 miles, Atlas has been striking on  an average within two miles of the target. This is less than the length of  a jet runway--well within the circle of total destruction. Such performance  is a great tribute to American scientists and engineers, who in the past  five years have had to telescope time and technology to develop these  long-range ballistic missiles, where America had none before.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":52,"text":"This year, moreover, growing numbers of nuclear-powered submarines will  enter our active forces, some to be armed with Polaris missiles. These  remarkable ships and weapons, ranging the oceans, will be capable of  accurate fire on targets virtually anywhere on earth. Impossible to destroy  by surprise attack, they will become one of our most effective sentinels  for peace.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":53,"text":"To meet situations of less than general nuclear war, we continue to  maintain our carrier forces, our many service units abroad, our always  ready Army strategic forces and Marine Corps divisions, and the civilian  components. The continuing modernization of these forces is a costly but  necessary process, and is scheduled to go forward at a rate which will  steadily add to our strength.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":54,"text":"The deployment of a portion of these forces beyond our shores, on land and  sea, is persuasive demonstration of our determination to stand  shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies for collective security. Moreover, I  have directed that steps be taken to program our military assistance to  these allies on a longer range basis. This is necessary for a sounder  collective defense system.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":55,"text":"Next I refer to our effort in space exploration, which is often mistakenly  supposed to be an integral part of defense research and development.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":56,"text":"First, America has made great contributions in the past two years to the  world's fund of knowledge of astrophysics and space science. These  discoveries are of present interest chiefly to the scientific community;  but they are important foundation-stones for more extensive exploration of  outer space for the ultimate benefit of all mankind.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":57,"text":"Second, our military missile program, going forward so successfully, does  not suffer from our present lack of very large rocket engines, which are so  necessary in distant space exploration. I am assured by experts that the  thrust of our present missiles is fully adequate for defense requirements.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":58,"text":"Third, the United States is pressing forward in the development of large  rocket engines to place much heavier vehicles into space for exploration  purposes.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":59,"text":"Fourth, in the meantime, it is necessary to remember that we have only  begun to probe the environment immediately surrounding the earth. Using  launch systems presently available, we are developing satellites to scout  the world's weather; satellite relay stations to facilitate and extend  communications over the globe; for navigation aids to give accurate  bearings to ships and aircraft; and for perfecting instruments to collect  and transmit the data we seek. This is the area holding the most promise  for early and useful applications of space technology.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":60,"text":"Fifth, we have just completed a year's experience with our new space law. I  believe it deficient in certain particulars and suggested improvements will  be submitted shortly.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":61,"text":"The accomplishment of the many tasks I have alluded to requires the  continuous strengthening of the spiritual, intellectual, and economic  sinews of American life. The steady purpose of our society is to assure  justice, before God, for every individual. We must be ever alert that  freedom does not wither through the careless amassing of restrictive  controls or the lack of courage to deal boldly with the giant issues of the  day.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":62,"text":"A year ago, when I met with you, the nation was emerging from an economic  downturn, even though the signs of resurgent prosperity were not then  sufficiently convincing to the doubtful. Today our surging strength is  apparent to everyone. 1960 promises to be the most prosperous year in our  history.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":63,"text":"Yet we continue to be afflicted by nagging disorders.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":64,"text":"Among current problems that require solution are:  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":65,"text":"--the need to protect the public interest in situations of prolonged  labor-management stalemate;  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":66,"text":"--the persistent refusal to come to grips with a critical problem in one  sector of American agriculture;  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":67,"text":"--the continuing threat of inflation, together with the persisting tendency  toward fiscal irresponsibility;  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":68,"text":"--in certain instances the denial to some of our citizens of equal  protection of the law.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":69,"text":"Every American was disturbed by the prolonged dispute in the steel industry  and the protracted delay in reaching a settlement.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":70,"text":"We are all relieved that a settlement has at last been achieved in that  industry. Percentagewise, by this settlement the increase to the steel  companies in employment costs is lower than in any prior wage settlement  since World War II. It is also gratifying to note that despite the increase  in wages and benefits several of the major steel producers have announced  that there will be no increase in steel prices at this time. The national  interest demands that in the period of industrial peace which has been  assured by the new contract both management and labor make every possible  effort to increase efficiency and productivity in the manufacture of steel  so that price increases can be avoided.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":71,"text":"One of the lessons of this story is that the potential danger to the entire  Nation of longer and greater strikes must be met. To insure against such  possibilities we must of course depend primarily upon the good commonsense  of the responsible individuals. It is my intention to encourage regular  discussions between management and labor outside the bargaining table, to  consider the interest of the public as well as their mutual interest in the  maintenance of industrial peace, price stability and economic growth.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":72,"text":"To me, it seems almost absurd for the United States to recognize the need,  and so earnestly to seek, for cooperation among the nations unless we can  achieve voluntary, dependable, abiding cooperation among the important  segments of our own free society.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":73,"text":"Failure to face up to basic issues in areas other than those of  labor-management can cause serious strains on the firm freedom supports of  our society.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":74,"text":"I refer to agriculture as one of these areas.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":75,"text":"Our basic farm laws were written 27 years ago, in an emergency effort to  redress hardship caused by a world-wide depression. They were  continued--and their economic distortions intensified--during World War II  in order to provide incentives for production of food needed to sustain a  war-torn free world.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":76,"text":"Today our farm problem is totally different. It is that of effectively  adjusting to the changes caused by a scientific revolution. When the  original farm laws were written, an hour's farm labor produced only one  fourth as much wheat as at present. Farm legislation is woefully  out-of-date, ineffective, and expensive.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":77,"text":"For years we have gone on with an outmoded system which not only has failed  to protect farm income, but also has produced soaring, threatening  surpluses. Our farms have been left producing for war while America has  long been at peace.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":78,"text":"Once again I urge Congress to enact legislation that will gear production  more closely to markets, make costly surpluses more manageable, provide  greater freedom in farm operations, and steadily achieve increased net farm  incomes.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":79,"text":"Another issue that we must meet squarely is that of living within our  means. This requires restraint in expenditure, constant reassessment of  priorities, and the maintenance of stable prices.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":80,"text":"We must prevent inflation. Here is an opponent of so many guises that it is  sometimes difficult to recognize. But our clear need is to stop continuous  and general price rises--a need that all of us can see and feel.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":81,"text":"To prevent steadily rising costs and prices calls for stern self-discipline  by every citizen. No person, city, state, or organized group can afford to  evade the obligation to resist inflation, for every American pays its  crippling tax.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":82,"text":"Inflation's ravages do not end at the water's edge. Increases in prices of  the goods we sell abroad threaten to drive us out of markets that once were  securely ours. Whether domestic prices, so high as to be noncompetitive,  result from demands for too-high profit margins or from increased labor  costs that outrun growth in productivity, the final result is seriously  damaging to the nation.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":83,"text":"We must fight inflation as we would a fire that imperils our home. Only by  so doing can we prevent it from destroying our salaries, savings, pensions  and insurance, and from gnawing away the very roots of a free, healthy  economy and the nation's security.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":84,"text":"One major method by which the Federal government can counter inflation and  rising prices is to insure that its expenditures are below its revenues.  The debt with which we are now confronted is about 290 billion dollars.  With interest charges alone now costing taxpayers about 9 1/2 billions, it  is clear that this debt growth must stop. You will be glad to know that  despite the unsettling influences of the recent steel strike, we estimate  that our accounts will show, on June 30, this year, a favorable balance of  approximately $200 million.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":85,"text":"I shall present to the Congress for 1961 a balanced budget. In the area of  defense, expenditures continue at the record peace-time levels of the last  several years. With a single exception, expenditures in every major  category of Health, Education and Welfare will be equal or greater than  last year. In Space expenditures the amounts are practically doubled. But  the over-all guiding goal of this budget is national need-not response to  specific group, local or political insistence.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":86,"text":"Expenditure increases, other than those I have indicated, are largely  accounted for by the increased cost of legislation previously enacted.[1]  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":87,"text":"[Footnote 1: At this point the President interpolated the two paragraphs  shown in brackets.]  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":88,"text":"[I repeat, this budget will be a balanced one. Expenditures will be 79  billion 8 hundred million. The amount of income over outgo, described  in the budget as a Surplus, to be applied against our national debt, is  4 billion 2 hundred million. Personally, I do not feel that any amount can  be properly called a \"Surplus\" as long as the nation is in debt. I prefer  to think of such an item as \"reduction on our children's inherited  mortgage.\" Once we have established such payments as normal practice, we  can profitably make improvements in our tax structure and thereby truly  reduce the heavy burdens of taxation.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":89,"text":"[In any event, this one reduction will save taxpayers, each year,  approximately 2 hundred million dollars in interest costs.]  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":90,"text":"This budget will help ease pressures in our credit and capital markets. It  will enhance the confidence of people all over the world in the strength of  our economy and our currency and in our individual and collective ability  to be fiscally responsible.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":91,"text":"In the management of the huge public debt the Treasury is unfortunately not  free of artificial barriers. Its ability to deal with the difficult  problems in this field has been weakened greatly by the unwillingness of  the Congress to remove archaic restrictions. The need for a freer hand in  debt management is even more urgent today because the costs of the  undesirable financing practices which the Treasury has been forced into are  mounting. Removal of this roadblock has high priority in my legislative  recommendations.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":92,"text":"Still another issue relates to civil rights.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":93,"text":"In all our hopes and plans for a better world we all recognize that  provincial and racial prejudices must be combatted. In the long perspective  of history, the right to vote has been one of the strongest pillars of a  free society. Our first duty is to protect this right against all  encroachment. In spite of constitutional guarantees, and notwithstanding  much progress of recent years, bias still deprives some persons in this  country of equal protection of the laws.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":94,"text":"Early in your last session I recommended legislation which would help  eliminate several practices discriminating against the basic rights of  Americans. The Civil Rights Commission has developed additional  constructive recommendations. I hope that these will be among the matters  to be seriously considered in the current session. I trust that Congress  will thus signal to the world that our Government is striving for equality  under law for all our people.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":95,"text":"Each year and in many ways our nation continues to undergo profound change  and growth.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":96,"text":"In the past 18 months we have hailed the entry of two more States of the  Union--Alaska and Hawaii. We salute these two western stars proudly.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":97,"text":"Our vigorous expansion, which we all welcome as a sign of health and  vitality, is many-sided. We are, for example, witnessing explosive growth  in metropolitan areas.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":98,"text":"By 1975 the metropolitan areas of the United States will occupy twice the  territory they do today. The roster of urban problems with which they must  cope is staggering. They involve water supply, cleaning the air, adjusting  local tax systems, providing for essential educational, cultural, and  social services, and destroying those conditions which breed delinquency  and crime.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":99,"text":"In meeting these, we must, if we value our historic freedoms, keep within  the traditional framework of our Federal system with powers divided between  the national and state governments. The uniqueness of this system may  confound the casual observer, but it has worked effectively for nearly 200  years.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":100,"text":"I do not doubt that our urban and other perplexing problems can be solved  in the traditional American method. In doing so we must realize that  nothing is really solved and ruinous tendencies are set in motion by  yielding to the deceptive bait of the \"easy\" Federal tax dollar.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":101,"text":"Our educational system provides a ready example. All recognize the vital  necessity of having modern school plants, well-qualified and adequately  compensated teachers, and of using the best possible teaching techniques  and curricula.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":102,"text":"We cannot be complacent about educating our youth.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":103,"text":"But the route to better trained minds is not through the swift  administration of a Federal hypodermic or sustained financial transfusion.  The educational process, essentially a local and personal responsibility,  cannot be made to leap ahead by crash, centralized governmental action.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":104,"text":"The Administration has proposed a carefully reasoned program for helping  eliminate current deficiencies. It is designed to stimulate classroom  construction, not by substitution of Federal dollars for state and local  funds, but by incentives to extend and encourage state and local efforts.  This approach rejects the notion of Federal domination or control. It is  workable, and should appeal to every American interested in advancement of  our educational system in the traditional American way. I urge the Congress  to take action upon it.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":105,"text":"There is one other subject concerning which I renew a recommendation I made  in my State of the Union Message last January. I then advised the Congress  of my purpose to intensify our efforts to replace force with a rule of law  among nations. From many discussions abroad, I am convinced that purpose is  widely and deeply shared by other peoples and nations of the world.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":106,"text":"In the same Message I stated that our efforts would include a reexamination  of our own relation to the International Court of Justice. The Court was  established by the United Nations to decide international legal disputes  between nations. In 1946 we accepted the Court's jurisdiction, but subject  to a reservation of the right to determine unilaterally whether a matter  lies essentially within domestic jurisdiction. There is pending before the  Senate, a Resolution which would repeal our present self-judging  reservation. I support that Resolution and urge its prompt passage. If this  is done, I intend to urge similar acceptance of the Court's jurisdiction by  every member of the United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":107,"text":"Here perhaps it is not amiss for me to say to the Members of the Congress,  in this my final year of office, a word about the institutions we  respectively represent and the meaning which the relationships between our  two branches has for the days ahead.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":108,"text":"I am not unique as a President in having worked with a Congress controlled  by the opposition party--except that no other President ever did it for  quite so long! Yet in both personal and official relationships we have  weathered the storms of the past five years. For this I am grateful.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":109,"text":"My deep concern in the next twelve months, before my successor takes  office, is with our joint Congressional-Executive duty to our own and to  other nations. Acting upon the beliefs I have expressed here today, I shall  devote my full energies to the tasks at hand, whether these involve travel  for promoting greater world understanding, negotiations to reduce  international discord, or constant discussions and communications with the  Congress and the American people on issues both domestic and foreign.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":110,"text":"In pursuit of these objectives, I look forward to, and shall dedicate  myself to, a close and constructive association with the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":111,"text":"Every minute spent in irrelevant interbranch wrangling is precious time  taken from the intelligent initiation and adoption of coherent policies for  our national survival and progress.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":112,"text":"We seek a common goal--brighter opportunity for our own citizens and a  world peace with justice for all.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":113,"text":"Before us and our friends is the challenge of an ideology which, for more  than four decades, has trumpeted abroad its purpose of gaining ultimate  victory over all forms of government at variance with its own.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":114,"text":"We realize that however much we repudiate the tenets of imperialistic  Communism, it represents a gigantic enterprise grimly pursued by leaders  who compel its subjects to subordinate their freedom of action and spirit  and personal desires for some hoped-for advantage in the future.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":115,"text":"The Communists can present an array of material accomplishments over the  past fifteen years that lends a false persuasiveness to many of their  glittering promises to the uncommitted peoples.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":116,"text":"The competition they provide is formidable.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":117,"text":"But in our scale of values we place freedom first--our whole national  existence and development have been geared to that basic concept and are  responsible for the position of free world leadership to which we have  succeeded. It is the highest prize that any nation can possess; it is one  that Communism can never offer. And America's record of material  accomplishment in freedom is written not only in the unparalleled  prosperity of our own nation, but in the many billions we have devoted to  the reconstruction of Free World economics wrecked by World War II and in  the effective help of many more billions we have given in saving the  independence of many others threatened by outside domination. Assuredly we  have the capacity for handling the problems in the new era of the world's  history we are now entering.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":118,"text":"But we must use that capacity intelligently and tirelessly, regardless of  personal sacrifice.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":119,"text":"The fissure that divides our political planet is deep and wide.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":120,"text":"We live, moreover, in a sea of semantic disorder in which old labels no  longer faithfully describe.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":121,"text":"Police states are called \"people's democracies.\"  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":122,"text":"Armed conquest of free people is called \"liberation.\"  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":123,"text":"Such slippery slogans make more difficult the problem of communicating true  faith, facts and beliefs.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":124,"text":"We must make clear our peaceful intentions, our aspirations for a better  world. So doing, we must use language to enlighten the mind, not as the  instrument of the studied innuendo and distorter of truth.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":125,"text":"And we must live by what we say.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":126,"text":"On my recent visit to distant lands I found one statesman after another  eager to tell me of the elements of their government that had been borrowed  from our American Constitution, and from the indestructible ideals set  forth in our Declaration of Independence.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":127,"text":"As a nation we take pride that our own constitutional system, and the  ideals which sustain it, have been long viewed as a fountainhead of  freedom.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":128,"text":"By our every action we must strive to make ourselves worthy of this trust,  ever mindful that an accumulation of seemingly minor encroachments upon  freedom gradually could break down the entire fabric of a free society.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":129,"text":"So persuaded, we shall get on with the task before us.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":130,"text":"So dedicated, and with faith in the Almighty, humanity shall one day  achieve the unity in freedom to which all men have aspired from the dawn of  time.  "}
{"year":"1960","paragraph":131,"text":"The Address as reported from the floor appears in the Congressional Record  of January 7, 1960 (vol. 106, p. 135).  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of the Congress:  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":2,"text":"It is a pleasure to return from whence I came. You are among my oldest  friends in Washington--and this House is my oldest home. It was here, more  than 14 years ago, that I first took the oath of Federal office. It was  here, for 14 years, that I gained both knowledge and inspiration from  members of both parties in both Houses--from your wise and generous  leaders--and from the pronouncements which I can vividly recall, sitting  where you now sit--including the programs of two great Presidents, the  undimmed eloquence of Churchill, the soaring idealism of Nehru, the  steadfast words of General de Gaulle. To speak from this same historic  rostrum is a sobering experience. To be back among so many friends is a  happy one.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":3,"text":"I am confident that that friendship will continue. Our Constitution wisely  assigns both joint and separate roles to each branch of the government; and  a President and a Congress who hold each other in mutual respect will  neither permit nor attempt any trespass. For my part, I shall withhold from  neither the Congress nor the people any fact or report, past, present, or  future, which is necessary for an informed judgment of our conduct and  hazards. I shall neither shift the burden of executive decisions to the  Congress, nor avoid responsibility for the outcome of those decisions.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":4,"text":"I speak today in an hour of national peril and national opportunity. Before  my term has ended, we shall have to test anew whether a nation organized  and governed such as ours can endure. The outcome is by no means certain.  The answers are by no means clear. All of us together--this Administration,  this Congress, this nation--must forge those answers.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":5,"text":"But today, were I to offer--after little more than a week in  office--detailed legislation to remedy every national ill, the Congress  would rightly wonder whether the desire for speed had replaced the duty of  responsibility.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":6,"text":"My remarks, therefore, will be limited. But they will also be candid. To  state the facts frankly is not to despair the future nor indict the past.  The prudent heir takes careful inventory of his legacies, and gives a  faithful accounting to those whom he owes an obligation of trust. And,  while the occasion does not call for another recital of our blessings and  assets, we do have no greater asset than the willingness of a free and  determined people, through its elected officials, to face all problems  frankly and meet all dangers free from panic or fear.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":7,"text":"I.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":8,"text":"The present state of our economy is disturbing. We take office in the wake  of seven months of recession, three and one-half years of slack, seven  years of diminished economic growth, and nine years of falling farm  income.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":9,"text":"Business bankruptcies have reached their highest level since the Great  Depression. Since 1951 farm income has been squeezed down by 25 percent.  Save for a brief period in 1958, insured unemployment is at the highest  peak in our history. Of some five and one-half million Americans who are  without jobs, more than one million have been searching for work for more  than four months. And during each month some 150,000 workers are exhausting  their already meager jobless benefit rights.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":10,"text":"Nearly one-eighth of those who are without jobs live almost without hope  in nearly one hundred especially depressed and troubled areas. The rest  include new school graduates unable to use their talents, farmers forced to  give up their part-time jobs which helped balance their family budgets,  skilled and unskilled workers laid off in such important industries as  metals, machinery, automobiles and apparel.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":11,"text":"Our recovery from the 1958 recession, moreover, was anemic and incomplete.  Our Gross National Product never regained its full potential. Unemployment  never returned to normal levels. Maximum use of our national industrial  capacity was never restored.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":12,"text":"In short, the American economy is in trouble. The most resourceful  industrialized country on earth ranks among the last in the rate of  economic growth. Since last spring our economic growth rate has actually  receded. Business investment is in a decline. Profits have fallen below  predicted levels. Construction is off. A million unsold automobiles are in  inventory. Fewer people are working--and the average work week has shrunk  well below 40 hours. Yet prices have continued to rise--so that now too  many Americans have less to spend for items that cost more to buy.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":13,"text":"Economic prophecy is at best an uncertain art--as demonstrated by the  prediction one year ago from this same podium that 1960 would be, and I  quote, \"the most prosperous year in our history.\" Nevertheless, forecasts  of continued slack and only slightly reduced unemployment through 1961 and  1962 have been made with alarming unanimity--and this Administration does  not intend to stand helplessly by.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":14,"text":"We cannot afford to waste idle hours and empty plants while awaiting the  end of the recession. We must show the world what a free economy can do--to  reduce unemployment, to put unused capacity to work, to spur new  productivity, and to foster higher economic growth within a range of sound  fiscal policies and relative price stability.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":15,"text":"I will propose to the Congress within the next 14 days measures to improve  unemployment compensation through temporary increases in duration on a  self-supporting basis--to provide more food for the families of the  unemployed, and to aid their needy children--to redevelop our areas of  chronic labor surplus--to expand the services of the U.S. Employment  Offices--to stimulate housing and construction--to secure more purchasing  power for our lowest paid workers by raising and expanding the minimum  wage--to offer tax incentives for sound plant investment--to increase the  development of our natural resources--to encourage price stability--and to  take other steps aimed at insuring a prompt recovery and paving the way for  increased long-range growth. This is not a partisan program concentrating  on our weaknesses--it is, I hope, a national program to realize our  national strength.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":16,"text":"II.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":17,"text":"Efficient expansion at home, stimulating the new plant and technology that  can make our goods more competitive, is also the key to the international  balance of payments problem. Laying aside all alarmist talk and panicky  solutions, let us put that knotty problem in its proper perspective.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":18,"text":"It is true that, since 1958, the gap between the dollars we spend or  invest abroad and the dollars returned to us has substantially widened.  This overall deficit in our balance of payments increased by nearly $11  billion in the 3 years--and holders of dollars abroad converted them  to gold in such a quantity as to cause a total outflow of nearly $5  billion of gold from our reserve. The 1959 deficit was caused in large  part by the failure of our exports to penetrate foreign markets--the  result both of restrictions on our goods and our own uncompetitive  prices. The 1960 deficit, on the other hand, was more the result of an  increase in private capital outflow seeking new opportunity, higher  return or speculative advantage abroad.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":19,"text":"Meanwhile this country has continued to bear more than its share of the  West's military and foreign aid obligations. Under existing policies,  another deficit of $2 billion is predicted for 1961--and individuals in  those countries whose dollar position once depended on these deficits for  improvement now wonder aloud whether our gold reserves will remain  sufficient to meet our own obligations.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":20,"text":"All this is cause for concern--but it is not cause for panic. For our  monetary and financial position remains exceedingly strong. Including our  drawing rights in the International Monetary Fund and the gold reserve held  as backing for our currency and Federal Reserve deposits, we have some $22  billion in total gold stocks and other international monetary reserves  available--and I now pledge that their full strength stands behind the  value of the dollar for use if needed.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":21,"text":"Moreover, we hold large assets abroad--the total owed this nation far  exceeds the claims upon our reserves--and our exports once again  substantially exceed our imports.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":22,"text":"In short, we need not--and we shall not--take any action to increase the  dollar price of gold from $35 an ounce--to impose exchange controls--to  reduce our anti-recession efforts--to fall back on restrictive trade  policies--or to weaken our commitments around the world.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":23,"text":"This Administration will not distort the value of the dollar in any  fashion. And this is a commitment.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":24,"text":"Prudence and good sense do require, however, that new steps be taken to  ease the payments deficit and prevent any gold crisis. Our success in world  affairs has long depended in part upon foreign confidence in our ability to  pay. A series of executive orders, legislative remedies and cooperative  efforts with our allies will get underway immediately--aimed at attracting  foreign investment and travel to this country--promoting American exports,  at stable prices and with more liberal government guarantees and  financing--curbing tax and customs loopholes that encourage undue spending  of private dollars abroad--and (through OECD, NATO and otherwise) sharing  with our allies all efforts to provide for the common defense of the free  world and the hopes for growth of the less developed lands. While the  current deficit lasts, ways will be found to ease our dollar outlays abroad  without placing the full burden on the families of men whom we have asked  to serve our Flag overseas.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":25,"text":"In short, whatever is required will be done to back up all our efforts  abroad, and to make certain that, in the future as in the past, the dollar  is as \"sound as a dollar.\"  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":26,"text":"III.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":27,"text":"But more than our exchange of international payments is out of balance.  The current Federal budget for fiscal 1961 is almost certain to show a  net deficit. The budget already submitted for fiscal 1962 will remain in  balance only if the Congress enacts all the revenue measures requested--and  only if an earlier and sharper up-turn in the economy than my economic  advisers now think likely produces the tax revenues estimated.  Nevertheless, a new Administration must of necessity build on the spending  and revenue estimates already submitted. Within that framework, barring the  development of urgent national defense needs or a worsening of the economy,  it is my current intention to advocate a program of expenditures which,  including revenues from a stimulation of the economy, will not of and by  themselves unbalance the earlier Budget.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":28,"text":"However, we will do what must be done. For our national household is  cluttered with unfinished and neglected tasks. Our cities are being  engulfed in squalor. Twelve long years after Congress declared our goal to  be \"a decent home and a suitable environment for every American family,\" we  still have 25 million Americans living in substandard homes. A new housing  program under a new Housing and Urban Affairs Department will be needed  this year.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":29,"text":"Our classrooms contain 2 million more children than they can properly have  room for, taught by 90,000 teachers not properly qualified to teach. One  third of our most promising high school graduates are financially unable to  continue the development of their talents. The war babies of the 1940's,  who overcrowded our schools in the 1950's, are now descending in 1960 upon  our colleges--with two college students for every one, ten years from  now--and our colleges are ill prepared. We lack the scientists, the  engineers and the teachers our world obligations require. We have neglected  oceanography, saline water conversion, and the basic research that lies at  the root of all progress. Federal grants for both higher and public school  education can no longer be delayed.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":30,"text":"Medical research has achieved new wonders--but these wonders are too often  beyond the reach of too many people, owing to a lack of income  (particularly among the aged), a lack of hospital beds, a lack of nursing  homes and a lack of doctors and dentists. Measures to provide health care  for the aged under Social Security, and to increase the supply of both  facilities and personnel, must be undertaken this year.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":31,"text":"Our supply of clean water is dwindling. Organized and juvenile crimes cost  the taxpayers millions of dollars each year, making it essential that we  have improved enforcement and new legislative safeguards. The denial of  constitutional rights to some of our fellow Americans on account of  race--at the ballot box and elsewhere--disturbs the national conscience,  and subjects us to the charge of world opinion that our democracy is not  equal to the high promise of our heritage. Morality in private business  has not been sufficiently spurred by morality in public business. A host  of problems and projects in all 50 States, though not possible to include  in this Message, deserves--and will receive--the attention of both the  Congress and the Executive Branch. On most of these matters, Messages will  be sent to the Congress within the next two weeks.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":32,"text":"IV.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":33,"text":"But all these problems pale when placed beside those which confront us  around the world. No man entering upon this office, regardless of his  party, regardless of his previous service in Washington, could fail to be  staggered upon learning--even in this brief 10 day period--the harsh  enormity of the trials through which we must pass in the next four years.  Each day the crises multiply. Each day their solution grows more difficult.  Each day we draw nearer the hour of maximum danger, as weapons spread and  hostile forces grow stronger. I feel I must inform the Congress that our  analyses over the last ten days make it clear that--in each of the  principal areas of crisis--the tide of events has been running out and time  has not been our friend.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":34,"text":"In Asia, the relentless pressures of the Chinese Communists menace the  security of the entire area--from the borders of India and South Viet Nam  to the jungles of Laos, struggling to protect its newly-won independence.  We seek in Laos what we seek in all Asia, and, indeed, in all of the  world--freedom for the people and independence for the government. And this  Nation shall persevere in our pursuit of these objectives.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":35,"text":"In Africa, the Congo has been brutally torn by civil strife, political  unrest and public disorder. We shall continue to support the heroic  efforts of the United Nations to restore peace and order--efforts which  are now endangered by mounting tensions, unsolved problems, and decreasing  support from many member states.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":36,"text":"In Latin America, Communist agents seeking to exploit that region's  peaceful revolution of hope have established a base on Cuba, only 90 miles  from our shores. Our objection with Cuba is not over the people's drive for  a better life. Our objection is to their domination by foreign and domestic  tyrannies. Cuban social and economic reform should be encouraged. Questions  of economic and trade policy can always be negotiated. But Communist  domination in this Hemisphere can never be negotiated.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":37,"text":"We are pledged to work with our sister Republics to free the Americas of  all such foreign domination and all tyranny, working toward the goal of a  free hemisphere of free governments, extending from Cape Horn to the Arctic  Circle.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":38,"text":"In Europe our alliances are unfulfilled and in some disarray. The unity of  NATO has been weakened by economic rivalry and partially eroded by national  interest. It has not yet fully mobilized its resources nor fully achieved a  common outlook. Yet no Atlantic power can meet on its own the mutual  problems now facing us in defense, foreign aid, monetary reserves, and a  host of other areas; and our close ties with those whose hopes and  interests we share are among this Nation's most powerful assets.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":39,"text":"Our greatest challenge is still the world that lies beyond the Cold  War--but the first great obstacle is still our relations with the Soviet  Union and Communist China. We must never be lulled into believing that  either power has yielded its ambitions for world domination--ambitions  which they forcefully restated only a short time ago. On the contrary, our  task is to convince them that aggression and subversion will not be  profitable routes to pursue these ends. Open and peaceful competition--for  prestige, for markets, for scientific achievement, even for men's minds--is  something else again. For if Freedom and Communism were to compete for  man's allegiance in a world at peace, I would look to the future with ever  increasing confidence.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":40,"text":"To meet this array of challenges--to fulfill the role we cannot avoid on  the world scene--we must reexamine and revise our whole arsenal of tools:  military, economic and political.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":41,"text":"One must not overshadow the other. On the Presidential Coat of Arms, the  American eagle holds in his right talon the olive branch, while in his left  he holds a bundle of arrows. We intend to give equal attention to both.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":42,"text":"First, we must strengthen our military tools. We are moving into a period  of uncertain risk and great commitment in which both the military and  diplomatic possibilities require a Free World force so powerful as to make  any aggression clearly futile. Yet in the past, lack of a consistent,  coherent military strategy, the absence of basic assumptions about our  national requirements and the faulty estimates and duplication arising from  inter-service rivalries have all made it difficult to assess accurately how  adequate--or inadequate--our defenses really are.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":43,"text":"I have, therefore, instructed the Secretary of Defense to reappraise our  entire defense strategy--our ability to fulfill our commitments--the  effectiveness, vulnerability, and dispersal of our strategic bases, forces  and warning systems--the efficiency and economy of our operation and  organization--the elimination of obsolete bases and installations--and the  adequacy, modernization and mobility of our present conventional and  nuclear forces and weapons systems in the light of present and future  dangers. I have asked for preliminary conclusions by the end of  February--and I then shall recommend whatever legislative, budgetary or  executive action is needed in the light of these conclusions.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":44,"text":"In the meantime, I have asked the Defense Secretary to initiate immediately  three new steps most clearly needed now:  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":45,"text":"First, I have directed prompt attention to increase our air-lift capacity.  Obtaining additional air transport mobility--and obtaining it now--will  better assure the ability of our conventional forces to respond, with  discrimination and speed, to any problem at any spot on the globe at any  moment's notice. In particular it will enable us to meet any deliberate  effort to avoid or divert our forces by starting limited wars in widely  scattered parts of the globe.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":46,"text":"(b) I have directed prompt action to step up our Polaris submarine program.  Using unobligated ship-building funds now (to let contracts originally  scheduled for the next fiscal year) will build and place on station--at  least nine months earlier than planned--substantially more units of a  crucial deterrent--a fleet that will never attack first, but possess  sufficient powers of retaliation, concealed beneath the seas, to discourage  any aggressor from launching an attack upon our security.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":47,"text":"(c) I have directed prompt action to accelerate our entire missile program.  Until the Secretary of Defense's reappraisal is completed, the emphasis  here will be largely on improved organization and decision-making--on  cutting down the wasteful duplications and the time-lag that have  handicapped our whole family of missiles. If we are to keep the peace, we  need an invulnerable missile force powerful enough to deter any aggressor  from even threatening an attack that he would know could not destroy enough  of our force to prevent his own destruction. For as I said upon taking the  oath of office: \"Only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be  certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.\"  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":48,"text":"Secondly, we must improve our economic tools. Our role is essential and  unavoidable in the construction of a sound and expanding economy for the  entire non-communist world, helping other nations build the strength to  meet their own problems, to satisfy their own aspirations--to surmount  their own dangers. The problems in achieving this goal are towering and  unprecedented--the response must be towering and unprecedented as well,  much as Lend-Lease and the Marshall Plan were in earlier years, which  brought such fruitful results.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":49,"text":"(a) I intend to ask the Congress for authority to establish a new and more  effective program for assisting the economic, educational and social  development of other countries and continents. That program must stimulate  and take more effectively into account the contributions of our allies, and  provide central policy direction for all our own programs that now so often  overlap, conflict or diffuse our energies and resources. Such a program,  compared to past programs, will require  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":50,"text":"--more flexibility for short run emergencies  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":51,"text":"--more commitment to long term development--new attention to education at  all levels--greater emphasis on the recipient nation's role, their effort,  their purpose, with greater social justice for their people, broader  distribution and participation by their people and more efficient public  administration and more efficient tax systems of their own  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":52,"text":"--and orderly planning for national and regional development instead of a  piecemeal approach.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":53,"text":"I hope the Senate will take early action approving the Convention  establishing the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  This will be an important instrument in sharing with our allies this  development effort--working toward the time when each nation will  contribute in proportion to its ability to pay. For, while we are prepared  to assume our full share of these huge burdens, we cannot and must not be  expected to bear them alone.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":54,"text":"To our sister republics to the south, we have pledged a new alliance for  progress--alianza para progreso. Our goal is a free and prosperous Latin  America, realizing for all its states and all its citizens a degree of  economic and social progress that matches their historic contributions of  culture, intellect and liberty. To start this nation's role at this time in  that alliance of neighbors, I am recommending the following:  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":55,"text":"--That the Congress appropriate in full the $500 million fund pledged by  the Act of Bogota, to be used not as an instrument of the Cold War, but as  a first step in the sound development of the Americas.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":56,"text":"--That a new Inter-Departmental Task Force be established under the  leadership of the Department of State, to coordinate at the highest level  all policies and programs of concern to the Americas.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":57,"text":"--That our delegates to the OAS, working with those of other members,  strengthen that body as an instrument to preserve the peace and to prevent  foreign domination anywhere in the Hemisphere.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":58,"text":"--That, in cooperation with other nations, we launch a new hemispheric  attack on illiteracy and inadequate educational opportunities to all  levels; and, finally,  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":59,"text":"--That a Food-for-Peace mission be sent immediately to Latin America to  explore ways in which our vast food abundance can be used to help end  hunger and malnutrition in certain areas of suffering in our own  hemisphere.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":60,"text":"This Administration is expanding its Food-for-Peace Program in every  possible way. The product of our abundance must be used more effectively to  relieve hunger and help economic growth in all corners of the globe. And I  have asked the Director of this Program to recommend additional ways in  which these surpluses can advance the interests of world peace--including  the establishment of world food reserves.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":61,"text":"An even more valuable national asset is our reservoir of dedicated men and  women--not only on our college campuses but in every age group--who have  indicated their desire to contribute their skills, their efforts, and a  part of their lives to the fight for world order. We can mobilize this  talent through the formation of a National Peace Corps, enlisting the  services of all those with the desire and capacity to help foreign lands  meet their urgent needs for trained personnel.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":62,"text":"Finally, while our attention is centered on the development of the non-  communist world, we must never forget our hopes for the ultimate freedom  and welfare of the Eastern European peoples. In order to be prepared to  help re-establish historic ties of friendship, I am asking the Congress  for increased discretion to use economic tools in this area whenever  this is found to be clearly in the national interest. This will require  amendment of the Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act along the lines I  proposed as a member of the Senate, and upon which the Senate voted last  summer. Meanwhile, I hope to explore with the Polish government the  possibility of using our frozen Polish funds on projects of peace that  will demonstrate our abiding friendship for and interest in the people  of Poland.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":63,"text":"Third, we must sharpen our political and diplomatic tools--the means of  cooperation and agreement on which an enforceable world order must  ultimately rest.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":64,"text":"I have already taken steps to coordinate and expand our disarmament  effort--to increase our programs of research and study--and to make arms  control a central goal of our national policy under my direction. The  deadly arms race, and the huge resources it absorbs, have too long  overshadowed all else we must do. We must prevent that arms race from  spreading to new nations, to new nuclear powers and to the reaches of outer  space. We must make certain that our negotiators are better informed and  better prepared--to formulate workable proposals of our own and to make  sound judgments about the proposals of others.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":65,"text":"I have asked the other governments concerned to agree to a reasonable delay  in the talks on a nuclear test ban--and it is our intention to resume  negotiations prepared to reach a final agreement with any nation that is  equally willing to agree to an effective and enforceable treaty.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":66,"text":"We must increase our support of the United Nations as an instrument to end  the Cold War instead of an arena in which to fight it. In recognition of  its increasing importance and the doubling of its membership  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":67,"text":"--we are enlarging and strengthening our own mission to the U.N.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":68,"text":"--we shall help insure that it is properly financed.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":69,"text":"--we shall work to see that the integrity of the office of the  Secretary-General is maintained.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":70,"text":"--And I would address a special plea to the smaller nations of the  world--to join with us in strengthening this organization, which is far  more essential to their security than it is to ours--the only body in the  world where no nation need be powerful to be secure, where every nation has  an equal voice, and where any nation can exert influence not according to  the strength of its armies but according to the strength of its ideas. It  deserves the support of all.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":71,"text":"Finally, this Administration intends to explore promptly all possible areas  of cooperation with the Soviet Union and other nations \"to invoke the  wonders of science instead of its terrors.\" Specifically, I now invite all  nations--including the Soviet Union--to join with us in developing a  weather prediction program, in a new communications satellite program and  in preparation for probing the distant planets of Mars and Venus, probes  which may someday unlock the deepest secrets of the universe.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":72,"text":"Today this country is ahead in the science and technology of space, while  the Soviet Union is ahead in the capacity to lift large vehicles into  orbit. Both nations would help themselves as well as other nations by  removing these endeavors from the bitter and wasteful competition of the  Cold War. The United States would be willing to join with the Soviet Union  and the scientists of all nations in a greater effort to make the fruits  of this new knowledge available to all--and, beyond that, in an effort to  extend farm technology to hungry nations--to wipe out disease--to increase  the exchanges of scientists and their knowledge--and to make our own  laboratories available to technicians of other lands who lack the  facilities to pursue their own work. Where nature makes natural allies of  us all, we can demonstrate that beneficial relations are possible even  with those with whom we most deeply disagree--and this must someday be the  basis of world peace and world law.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":73,"text":"V.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":74,"text":"I have commented on the state of the domestic economy, our balance of  payments, our Federal and social budget and the state of the world. I would  like to conclude with a few remarks about the state of the Executive  branch. We have found it full of honest and useful public servants--but  their capacity to act decisively at the exact time action is needed has too  often been muffled in the morass of committees, timidities and fictitious  theories which have created a growing gap between decision and execution,  between planning and reality. In a time of rapidly deteriorating situations  at home and abroad, this is bad for the public service and particularly bad  for the country; and we mean to make a change.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":75,"text":"I have pledged myself and my colleagues in the cabinet to a continuous  encouragement of initiative, responsibility and energy in serving the  public interest. Let every public servant know, whether his post is high or  low, that a man's rank and reputation in this Administration will be  determined by the size of the job he does, and not by the size of his  staff, his office or his budget. Let it be clear that this Administration  recognizes the value of dissent and daring--that we greet healthy  controversy as the hallmark of healthy change. Let the public service be a  proud and lively career. And let every man and woman who works in any area  of our national government, in any branch, at any level, be able to say  with pride and with honor in future years: \"I served the United States  government in that hour of our nation's need.\"  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":76,"text":"For only with complete dedication by us all to the national interest can we  bring our country through the troubled years that lie ahead. Our problems  are critical. The tide is unfavorable. The news will be worse before it is  better. And while hoping and working for the best, we should prepare  ourselves now for the worst.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":77,"text":"We cannot escape our dangers--neither must we let them drive us into panic  or narrow isolation. In many areas of the world where the balance of power  already rests with our adversaries, the forces of freedom are sharply  divided. It is one of the ironies of our time that the techniques of a  harsh and repressive system should be able to instill discipline and ardor  in its servants--while the blessings of liberty have too often stood for  privilege, materialism and a life of ease.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":78,"text":"But I have a different view of liberty.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":79,"text":"Life in 1961 will not be easy. Wishing it, predicting it, even asking for  it, will not make it so. There will be further setbacks before the tide is  turned. But turn it we must. The hopes of all mankind rest upon us--not  simply upon those of us in this chamber, but upon the peasant in Laos, the  fisherman in Nigeria, the exile from Cuba, the spirit that moves every man  and Nation who shares our hopes for freedom and the future. And in the  final analysis, they rest most of all upon the pride and perseverance of  our fellow citizens of the great Republic.  "}
{"year":"1961","paragraph":80,"text":"In the words of a great President, whose birthday we honor today, closing  his final State of the Union Message sixteen years ago, \"We pray that we  may be worthy of the unlimited opportunities that God has given us.\"  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Vice President, my old colleague from Massachusetts and your new  Speaker, John McCormack, Members of the 87th Congress, ladies and  gentlemen:  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":2,"text":"This week we begin anew our joint and separate efforts to build the  American future. But, sadly, we build without a man who linked a long past  with the present and looked strongly to the future. \"Mister Sam\" Rayburn is  gone. Neither this House nor the Nation is the same without him.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":3,"text":"Members of the Congress, the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but  partners for progress. We are all trustees for the American people,  custodians of the American heritage. It is my task to report the State of  the Union--to improve it is the task of us all.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":4,"text":"In the past year, I have traveled not only across our own land but to  other lands--to the North and the South, and across the seas. And I have  found--as I am sure you have, in your travels--that people everywhere,  in spite of occasional disappointments, look to us--not to our wealth or  power, but to the splendor of our ideals. For our Nation is commissioned  by history to be either an observer of freedom's failure or the cause of  its success. Our overriding obligation in the months ahead is to fulfill  the world's hopes by fulfilling our own faith.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":5,"text":"I. STRENGTHENING THE ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":6,"text":"That task must begin at home. For if we cannot fulfill our own ideals here,  we cannot expect others to accept them. And when the youngest child alive  today has grown to the cares of manhood, our position in the world will  be determined first of all by what provisions we make today--for his  education, his health, and his opportunities for a good home and a good  job and a good life.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":7,"text":"At home, we began the year in the valley of recession--we completed it on  the high road of recovery and growth. With the help of new Congressionally  approved or Administratively increased stimulants to our economy, the  number of major surplus labor areas has declined from 101 to 60;  non-agricultural employment has increased by more than a million jobs; and  the average factory work-week has risen to well over 40 hours. At year's  end the economy which Mr. Khrushchev once called a \"stumbling horse\" was  racing to new records in consumer spending, labor income, and industrial  production.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":8,"text":"We are gratified--but we are not satisfied. Too many unemployed are still  looking for the blessings of prosperity. As those who leave our schools and  farms demand new jobs, automation takes old jobs away. To expand our growth  and job opportunities, I urge on the Congress three measures:  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":9,"text":"(1) First, the Manpower Training and Development Act, to stop the waste of  able-bodied men and women who want to work, but whose only skill has been  replaced by a machine, or moved with a mill, or shut down with a mine;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":10,"text":"(2) Second, the Youth Employment Opportunities Act, to help train and place  not only the one million young Americans who are both out of school and out  of work, but the twenty-six million young Americans entering the labor  market in this decade; and  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":11,"text":"(3) Third, the 8 percent tax credit for investment in machinery and  equipment, which, combined with planned revisions of depreciation  allowances, will spur our modernization, our growth, and our ability to  compete abroad.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":12,"text":"Moreover--pleasant as it may be to bask in the warmth of recovery--let us  not forget that we have suffered three recessions in the last 7 years. The  time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining--by filling three basic  gaps in our anti-recession protection. We need:  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":13,"text":"(1) First, Presidential stand-by authority, subject to Congressional veto,  to adjust personal income tax rates downward within a specified range and  time, to slow down an economic decline before it has dragged us all down;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":14,"text":"(2) Second, Presidential stand-by authority, upon a given rise in the rate  of unemployment, to accelerate Federal and federally-aided capital  improvement programs; and  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":15,"text":"(3) Third, a permanent strengthening of our unemployment compensation  system--to maintain for our fellow citizens searching for a job who cannot  find it, their purchasing power and their living standards without constant  resort--as we have seen in recent years by the Congress and the  Administrations--to temporary supplements.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":16,"text":"If we enact this six-part program, we can show the whole world that a free  economy need not be an unstable economy--that a free system need not leave  men unemployed--and that a free society is not only the most productive but  the most stable form of organization yet fashioned by man.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":17,"text":"II. FIGHTING INFLATION  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":18,"text":"But recession is only one enemy of a free economy--inflation is another.  Last year, 1961, despite rising production and demand, consumer prices held  almost steady--and wholesale prices declined. This is the best record of  overall price stability of any comparable period of recovery since the end  of World War II.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":19,"text":"Inflation too often follows in the shadow of growth--while price stability  is made easy by stagnation or controls. But we mean to maintain both  stability and growth in a climate of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":20,"text":"Our first line of defense against inflation is the good sense and public  spirit of business and labor--keeping their total increases in wages and  profits in step with productivity. There is no single statistical test to  guide each company and each union. But I strongly urge them--for their  country's interest, and for their own--to apply the test of the public  interest to these transactions.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":21,"text":"Within this same framework of growth and wage-price stability:  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":22,"text":"--This administration has helped keep our economy competitive by widening  the access of small business to credit and Government contracts, and by  stepping up the drive against monopoly, price-fixing, and racketeering;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":23,"text":"--We will submit a Federal Pay Reform bill aimed at giving our classified,  postal, and other employees new pay scales more comparable to those of  private industry;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":24,"text":"--We are holding the fiscal 1962 budget deficit far below the level  incurred after the last recession in 1958; and, finally,  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":25,"text":"--I am submitting for fiscal 1963 a balanced Federal Budget.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":26,"text":"This is a joint responsibility, requiring Congressional cooperation on  appropriations, and on three sources of income in particular:  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":27,"text":"(1) First, an increase in postal rates, to end the postal deficit;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":28,"text":"(2) Second, passage of the tax reforms previously urged, to remove  unwarranted tax preferences, and to apply to dividends and to interest the  same withholding requirements we have long applied to wages; and  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":29,"text":"(3) Third, extension of the present excise and corporation tax rates,  except for those changes--which will be recommended in a message--affecting  transportation.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":30,"text":"III. GETTING AMERICA MOVING  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":31,"text":"But a stronger nation and economy require more than a balanced Budget. They  require progress in those programs that spur our growth and fortify our  strength.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":32,"text":"CITIES  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":33,"text":"A strong America depends on its cities--America's glory, and sometimes  America's shame. To substitute sunlight for congestion and progress for  decay, we have stepped up existing urban renewal and housing programs, and  launched new ones--redoubled the attack on water pollution--speeded aid to  airports, hospitals, highways, and our declining mass transit systems--and  secured new weapons to combat organized crime, racketeering, and youth  delinquency, assisted by the coordinated and hard-hitting efforts of our  investigative services: the FBI, the Internal Revenue, the Bureau of  Narcotics, and many others. We shall need further anti-crime, mass transit,  and transportation legislation--and new tools to fight air pollution. And  with all this effort under way, both equity and common sense require that  our nation's urban areas--containing three-fourths of our population--sit  as equals at the Cabinet table. I urge a new Department of Urban Affairs  and Housing.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":34,"text":"AGRICULTURE AND RESOURCES  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":35,"text":"A strong America also depends on its farms and natural resources. American  farmers took heart in 1961--from a billion dollar rise in farm income--and  from a hopeful start on reducing the farm surpluses. But we are still  operating under a patchwork accumulation of old laws, which cost us $1  billion a year in CCC carrying charges alone, yet fail to halt rural  poverty or boost farm earnings.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":36,"text":"Our task is to master and turn to fully fruitful ends the magnificent  productivity of our farms and farmers. The revolution on our own  countryside stands in the sharpest contrast to the repeated farm failures  of the Communist nations and is a source of pride to us all. Since 1950 our  agricultural output per man-hour has actually doubled! Without new,  realistic measures, it will someday swamp our farmers and our taxpayers in  a national scandal or a farm depression.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":37,"text":"I will, therefore, submit to the Congress a new comprehensive farm  program--tailored to fit the use of our land and the supplies of each crop  to the long-range needs of the sixties--and designed to prevent chaos in  the sixties with a program of common sense.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":38,"text":"We also need for the sixties--if we are to bequeath our full national  estate to our heirs--a new long-range conservation and recreation  program--expansion of our superb national parks and forests--preservation  of our authentic wilderness areas--new starts on water and power projects  as our population steadily increases--and expanded REA generation and  transmission loans.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":39,"text":"CIVIL RIGHTS  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":40,"text":"But America stands for progress in human rights as well as economic  affairs, and a strong America requires the assurance of full and equal  rights to all its citizens, of any race or of any color. This  Administration has shown as never before how much could be done through the  full use of Executive powers--through the enforcement of laws already  passed by the Congress--through persuasion, negotiation, and litigation, to  secure the constitutional rights of all: the right to vote, the right to  travel without hindrance across State lines, and the right to free public  education.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":41,"text":"I issued last March a comprehensive order to guarantee the right to equal  employment opportunity in all Federal agencies and contractors. The Vice  President's Committee thus created has done much, including the voluntary  \"Plans for Progress\" which, in all sections of the country, are achieving a  quiet but striking success in opening up to all races new professional,  supervisory, and other job opportunities.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":42,"text":"But there is much more to be done--by the Executive, by the courts, and by  the Congress. Among the bills now pending before you, on which the  executive departments will comment in detail, are appropriate methods of  strengthening these basic rights which have our full support. The right to  vote, for example, should no longer be denied through such arbitrary  devices on a local level, sometimes abused, such as literacy tests and poll  taxes. As we approach the 100th anniversary, next January, of the  Emancipation Proclamation, let the acts of every branch of the  Government--and every citizen--portray that \"righteousness does exalt a  nation.\"  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":43,"text":"HEALTH AND WELFARE  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":44,"text":"Finally, a strong America cannot neglect the aspirations of its  citizens--the welfare of the needy, the health care of the elderly, the  education of the young. For we are not developing the Nation's wealth for  its own sake. Wealth is the means--and people are the ends. All our  material riches will avail us little if we do not use them to expand the  opportunities of our people.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":45,"text":"Last year, we improved the diet of needy people--provided more hot lunches  and fresh milk to school children--built more college dormitories--and, for  the elderly, expanded private housing, nursing homes, health services, and  social security. But we have just begun.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":46,"text":"To help those least fortunate of all, I am recommending a new public  welfare program, stressing services instead of support, rehabilitation  instead of relief, and training for useful work instead of prolonged  dependency.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":47,"text":"To relieve the critical shortage of doctors and dentists--and this is a  matter which should concern us all--and expand research, I urge action to  aid medical and dental colleges and scholarships and to establish new  National Institutes of Health.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":48,"text":"To take advantage of modern vaccination achievements, I am proposing a mass  immunization program, aimed at the virtual elimination of such ancient  enemies of our children as polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":49,"text":"To protect our consumers from the careless and the unscrupulous, I shall  recommend improvements in the Food and Drug laws--strengthening inspection  and standards, halting unsafe and worthless products, preventing misleading  labels, and cracking down on the illicit sale of habit-forming drugs.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":50,"text":"But in matters of health, no piece of unfinished business is more important  or more urgent than the enactment under the social security system of  health insurance for the aged.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":51,"text":"For our older citizens have longer and more frequent illnesses, higher  hospital and medical bills and too little income to pay them. Private  health insurance helps very few--for its cost is high and its coverage  limited. Public welfare cannot help those too proud to seek relief but  hard-pressed to pay their own bills. Nor can their children or  grandchildren always sacrifice their own health budgets to meet this  constant drain.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":52,"text":"Social security has long helped to meet the hardships of retirement, death,  and disability. I now urge that its coverage be extended without further  delay to provide health insurance for the elderly.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":53,"text":"EDUCATION  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":54,"text":"Equally important to our strength is the quality of our education. Eight  million adult Americans are classified as functionally illiterate. This is  a disturbing figure--reflected in Selective Service rejection  rates--reflected in welfare rolls and crime rates. And I shall recommend  plans for a massive attack to end this adult illiteracy.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":55,"text":"I shall also recommend bills to improve educational quality, to stimulate  the arts, and, at the college level, to provide Federal loans for the  construction of academic facilities and Federally financed scholarships.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":56,"text":"If this Nation is to grow in wisdom and strength, then every able high  school graduate should have the opportunity to develop his talents. Yet  nearly half lack either the funds or the facilities to attend college.  Enrollments are going to double in our colleges in the short space of 10  years. The annual cost per student is skyrocketing to astronomical  levels--now averaging $1,650 a year, although almost half of our families  earn less than $5,000. They cannot afford such costs--but this Nation  cannot afford to maintain its military power and neglect its brainpower.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":57,"text":"But excellence in education must begin at the elementary level. I sent to  the Congress last year a proposal for Federal aid to public school  construction and teachers' salaries. I believe that bill, which passed the  Senate and received House Committee approval, offered the minimum amount  required by our needs and--in terms of across-the-board aid--the maximum  scope permitted by our Constitution. I therefore see no reason to weaken or  withdraw that bill: and I urge its passage at this session.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":58,"text":"\"Civilization,\" said H. G. Wells, \"is a race between education and  catastrophe.\" It is up to you in this Congress to determine the winner of  that race.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":59,"text":"These are not unrelated measures addressed to specific gaps or grievances  in our national life. They are the pattern of our intentions and the  foundation of our hopes. \"I believe in democracy,\" said Woodrow Wilson,  \"because it releases the energy of every human being.\" The dynamic of  democracy is the power and the purpose of the individual, and the policy of  this administration is to give to the individual the opportunity to realize  his own highest possibilities.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":60,"text":"Our program is to open to all the opportunity for steady and productive  employment, to remove from all the handicap of arbitrary or irrational  exclusion, to offer to all the facilities for education and health and  welfare, to make society the servant of the individual and the individual  the source of progress, and thus to realize for all the full promise of  American life.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":61,"text":"IV. OUR GOALS ABROAD  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":62,"text":"All of these efforts at home give meaning to our efforts abroad. Since the  close of the Second World War, a global civil war has divided and tormented  mankind. But it is not our military might, or our higher standard of  living, that has most distinguished us from our adversaries. It is our  belief that the state is the servant of the citizen and not his master.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":63,"text":"This basic clash of ideas and wills is but one of the forces reshaping our  globe--swept as it is by the tides of hope and fear, by crises in the  headlines today that become mere footnotes tomorrow. Both the successes and  the setbacks of the past year remain on our agenda of unfinished business.  For every apparent blessing contains the seeds of danger--every area of  trouble gives out a ray of hope--and the one unchangeable certainty is that  nothing is certain or unchangeable.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":64,"text":"Yet our basic goal remains the same: a peaceful world community of free and  independent states--free to choose their own future and their own system,  so long as it does not threaten the freedom of others.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":65,"text":"Some may choose forms and ways that we would not choose for ourselves--but  it is not for us that they are choosing. We can welcome diversity--the  Communists cannot. For we offer a world of choice--they offer the world of  coercion. And the way of the past shows clearly that freedom, not coercion,  is the wave of the future. At times our goal has been obscured by crisis or  endangered by conflict--but it draws sustenance from five basic sources of  strength:  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":66,"text":"--the moral and physical strength of the United States;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":67,"text":"--the united strength of the Atlantic Community;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":68,"text":"--the regional strength of our Hemispheric relations;  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":69,"text":"--the creative strength of our efforts in the new and developing nations;  and  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":70,"text":"--the peace-keeping strength of the United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":71,"text":"V. OUR MILITARY STRENGTH  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":72,"text":"Our moral and physical strength begins at home as already discussed. But it  includes our military strength as well. So long as fanaticism and fear  brood over the affairs of men, we must arm to deter others from  aggression.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":73,"text":"In the past 12 months our military posture has steadily improved. We  increased the previous defense budget by 15 percent--not in the expectation  of war but for the preservation of peace. We more than doubled our  acquisition rate of Polaris submarines--we doubled the production capacity  for Minuteman missiles--and increased by 50 percent the number of manned  bombers standing ready on a 15 minute alert. This year the combined force  levels planned under our new Defense budget--including nearly three hundred  additional Polaris and Minuteman missiles--have been precisely calculated  to insure the continuing strength of our nuclear deterrent.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":74,"text":"But our strength may be tested at many levels. We intend to have at all  times the capacity to resist non-nuclear or limited attacks--as a  complement to our nuclear capacity, not as a substitute. We have rejected  any all-or-nothing posture which would leave no choice but inglorious  retreat or unlimited retaliation.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":75,"text":"Thus we have doubled the number of ready combat divisions in the Army's  strategic reserve--increased our troops in Europe--built up the  Marines--added new sealift and airlift capacity--modernized our weapons and  ammunition--expanded our anti-guerrilla forces--and increased the active  fleet by more than 70 vessels and our tactical air forces by nearly a dozen  wings.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":76,"text":"Because we needed to reach this higher long-term level of readiness more  quickly, 155,000 members of the Reserve and National Guard were activated  under the Act of this Congress. Some disruptions and distress were  inevitable. But the overwhelming majority bear their burdens--and their  Nation's burdens--with admirable and traditional devotion.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":77,"text":"In the coming year, our reserve programs will be revised--two Army  Divisions will, I hope, replace those Guard Divisions on duty--and  substantial other increases will boost our Air Force fighter units, the  procurement of equipment, and our continental defense and warning efforts.  The Nation's first serious civil defense shelter program is under way,  identifying, marking, and stocking 50 million spaces; and I urge your  approval of Federal incentives for the construction of public fall-out  shelters in schools and hospitals and similar centers.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":78,"text":"VI. THE UNITED NATIONS  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":79,"text":"But arms alone are not enough to keep the peace--it must be kept by men.  Our instrument and our hope is the United Nations--and I see little merit  in the impatience of those who would abandon this imperfect world  instrument because they dislike our imperfect world. For the troubles of  a world organization merely reflect the troubles of the world itself. And  if the organization is weakened, these troubles can only increase. We may  not always agree with every detailed action taken by every officer of the  United Nations, or with every voting majority. But as an institution, it  should have in the future, as it has had in the past since its inception,  no stronger or more faithful member than the United States of America.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":80,"text":"In 1961 the peace-keeping strength of the United Nations was reinforced.  And those who preferred or predicted its demise, envisioning a troika in  the seat of Hammarskjold--or Red China inside the Assembly--have seen  instead a new vigor, under a new Secretary General and a fully independent  Secretariat. In making plans for a new forum and principles on disarmament  --for peace-keeping in outer space--for a decade of development effort--the  UN fulfilled its Charter's lofty aim.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":81,"text":"Eighteen months ago the tangled and turbulent Congo presented the UN with  its gravest challenge. The prospect was one of chaos--or certain big-power  confrontation, with all of its hazards and all of its risks, to us and to  others. Today the hopes have improved for peaceful conciliation within a  united Congo. This is the objective of our policy in this important area.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":82,"text":"No policeman is universally popular--particularly when he uses his stick to  restore law and order on his beat. Those members who are willing to  contribute their votes and their views--but very little else--have created  a serious deficit by refusing to pay their share of special UN assessments.  Yet they do pay their annual assessments to retain their votes--and a new  UN Bond issue, financing special operations for the next 18 months, is to  be repaid with interest from these regular assessments. This is clearly in  our interest. It will not only keep the UN solvent, but require all voting  members to pay their fair share of its activities. Our share of special  operations has long been much higher than our share of the annual  assessment--and the bond issue will in effect reduce our disproportionate  obligation, and for these reasons, I am urging Congress to approve our  participation.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":83,"text":"With the approval of this Congress, we have undertaken in the past year a  great new effort in outer space. Our aim is not simply to be first on the  moon, any more than Charles Lindbergh's real aim was to be the first to  Paris. His aim was to develop the techniques of our own country and other  countries in the field of air and the atmosphere, and our objective in  making this effort, which we hope will place one of our citizens on the  moon, is to develop in a new frontier of science, commerce and cooperation,  the position of the United States and the Free World.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":84,"text":"This Nation belongs among the first to explore it, and among the first--if  not the first--we shall be. We are offering our know-how and our  cooperation to the United Nations. Our satellites will soon be providing  other nations with improved weather observations. And I shall soon send to  the Congress a measure to govern the financing and operation of an  International Communications Satellite system, in a manner consistent with  the public interest and our foreign policy.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":85,"text":"But peace in space will help us naught once peace on earth is gone. World  order will be secured only when the whole world has laid down these weapons  which seem to offer us present security but threaten the future survival of  the human race. That armistice day seems very far away. The vast resources  of this planet are being devoted more and more to the means of destroying,  instead of enriching, human life.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":86,"text":"But the world was not meant to be a prison in which man awaits his  execution. Nor has mankind survived the tests and trials of thousands of  years to surrender everything--including its existence--now. This Nation  has the will and the faith to make a supreme effort to break the log jam  on disarmament and nuclear tests--and we will persist until we prevail,  until the rule of law has replaced the ever dangerous use of force.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":87,"text":"VII. LATIN AMERICA  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":88,"text":"I turn now to a prospect of great promise: our Hemispheric relations. The  Alliance for Progress is being rapidly transformed from proposal to  program. Last month in Latin America I saw for myself the quickening of  hope, the revival of confidence, the new trust in our country--among  workers and farmers as well as diplomats. We have pledged our help in  speeding their economic, educational, and social progress. The Latin  American Republics have in turn pledged a new and strenuous effort of  self-help and self-reform.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":89,"text":"To support this historic undertaking, I am proposing--under the authority  contained in the bills of the last session of the Congress--a special  long-term Alliance for Progress fund of $3 billion. Combined with our Food  for Peace, Export-Import Bank, and other resources, this will provide more  than $1 billion a year in new support for the Alliance. In addition, we  have increased twelve-fold our Spanish and Portuguese language broadcasting  in Latin America, and improved Hemispheric trade and defense. And while  the blight of communism has been increasingly exposed and isolated in the  Americas, liberty has scored a gain. The people of the Dominican Republic,  with our firm encouragement and help, and those of our sister Republics of  this Hemisphere, are safely passing through the treacherous course from  dictatorship through disorder towards democracy.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":90,"text":"VIII. THE NEW AND DEVELOPING NATIONS  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":91,"text":"Our efforts to help other new or developing nations, and to strengthen  their stand for freedom, have also made progress. A newly unified Agency  for International Development is reorienting our foreign assistance to  emphasize long-term development loans instead of grants, more economic aid  instead of military, individual plans to meet the individual needs of the  nations, and new standards on what they must do to marshal their own  resources.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":92,"text":"A newly conceived Peace Corps is winning friends and helping people in  fourteen countries--supplying trained and dedicated young men and women, to  give these new nations a hand in building a society, and a glimpse of the  best that is in our country. If there is a problem here, it is that we  cannot supply the spontaneous and mounting demand.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":93,"text":"A newly-expanded Food for Peace Program is feeding the hungry of many  lands with the abundance of our productive farms--providing lunches for  children in school, wages for economic development, relief for the victims  of flood and famine, and a better diet for millions whose daily bread is  their chief concern.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":94,"text":"These programs help people; and, by helping people, they help freedom. The  views of their governments may sometimes be very different from ours--but  events in Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe teach us never to  write off any nation as lost to the Communists. That is the lesson of our  time. We support the independence of those newer or weaker states whose  history, geography, economy or lack of power impels them to remain outside  \"entangling alliances\"--as we did for more than a century. For the  independence of nations is a bar to the Communists' \"grand design\"--it is  the basis of our own.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":95,"text":"In the past year, for example, we have urged a neutral and independent  Laos--regained there a common policy with our major allies--and insisted  that a cease-fire precede negotiations. While a workable formula for  supervising its independence is still to be achieved, both the spread  of war--which might have involved this country also--and a Communist  occupation have thus far been prevented.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":96,"text":"A satisfactory settlement in Laos would also help to achieve and safeguard  the peace in Viet-Nam--where the foe is increasing his tactics of  terror--where our own efforts have been stepped up--and where the local  government has initiated new programs and reforms to broaden the base of  resistance. The systematic aggression now bleeding that country is not a  \"war of liberation\"--for Viet-Nam is already free. It is a war of attempted  subjugation--and it will be resisted.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":97,"text":"IX. THE ATLANTIC COMMUNITY  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":98,"text":"Finally, the united strength of the Atlantic Community has flourished in  the last year under severe tests. NATO has increased both the number and  the readiness of its air, ground, and naval units--both its nuclear and  non-nuclear capabilities. Even greater efforts by all its members are still  required. Nevertheless our unity of purpose and will has been, I believe,  immeasurably strengthened.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":99,"text":"The threat to the brave city of Berlin remains. In these last 6 months the  Allies have made it unmistakably clear that our presence in Berlin, our  free access thereto, and the freedom of two million West Berliners would  not be surrendered either to force or through appeasement--and to maintain  those rights and obligations, we are prepared to talk, when appropriate,  and to fight, if necessary. Every member of NATO stands with us in a common  commitment to preserve this symbol of free man's will to remain free.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":100,"text":"I cannot now predict the course of future negotiations over Berlin. I can  only say that we are sparing no honorable effort to find a peaceful and  mutually acceptable resolution of this problem. I believe such a resolution  can be found, and with it an improvement in our relations with the Soviet  Union, if only the leaders in the Kremlin will recognize the basic rights  and interests involved, and the interest of all mankind in peace.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":101,"text":"But the Atlantic Community is no longer concerned with purely military  aims. As its common undertakings grow at an ever-increasing pace, we are,  and increasingly will be, partners in aid, trade, defense, diplomacy, and  monetary affairs.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":102,"text":"The emergence of the new Europe is being matched by the emergence of new  ties across the Atlantic. It is a matter of undramatic daily cooperation in  hundreds of workaday tasks: of currencies kept in effective relation, of  development loans meshed together, of standardized weapons, and concerted  diplomatic positions. The Atlantic Community grows, not like a volcanic  mountain, by one mighty explosion, but like a coral reef, from the  accumulating activity of all.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":103,"text":"Thus, we in the free world are moving steadily toward unity and  cooperation, in the teeth of that old Bolshevik prophecy, and at the very  time when extraordinary rumbles of discord can be heard across the Iron  Curtain. It is not free societies which bear within them the seeds of  inevitable disunity.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":104,"text":"X. OUR BALANCE OF PAYMENTS  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":105,"text":"On one special problem, of great concern to our friends, and to us, I am  proud to give the Congress an encouraging report. Our efforts to safeguard  the dollar are progressing. In the 11 months preceding last February 1, we  suffered a net loss of nearly $2 billion in gold. In the 11 months that  followed, the loss was just over half a billion dollars. And our deficit in  our basic transactions with the rest of the world--trade, defense, foreign  aid, and capital, excluding volatile short-term flows--has been reduced  from $2 billion for 1960 to about one-third that amount for 1961.  Speculative fever against the dollar is ending--and confidence in the  dollar has been restored.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":106,"text":"We did not--and could not--achieve these gains through import restrictions,  troop withdrawals, exchange controls, dollar devaluation or choking off  domestic recovery. We acted not in panic but in perspective. But the  problem is not yet solved. Persistently large deficits would endanger our  economic growth and our military and defense commitments abroad. Our goal  must be a reasonable equilibrium in our balance of payments. With the  cooperation of the Congress, business, labor, and our major allies, that  goal can be reached.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":107,"text":"We shall continue to attract foreign tourists and investments to our  shores, to seek increased military purchases here by our allies, to  maximize foreign aid procurement from American firms, to urge increased aid  from other fortunate nations to the less fortunate, to seek tax laws which  do not favor investment in other industrialized nations or tax havens, and  to urge coordination of allied fiscal and monetary policies so as to  discourage large and disturbing capital movements.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":108,"text":"TRADE  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":109,"text":"Above all, if we are to pay for our commitments abroad, we must expand our  exports. Our businessmen must be export conscious and export competitive.  Our tax policies must spur modernization of our plants--our wage and price  gains must be consistent with productivity to hold the line on prices--our  export credit and promotion campaigns for American industries must continue  to expand.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":110,"text":"But the greatest challenge of all is posed by the growth of the European  Common Market. Assuming the accession of the United Kingdom, there will  arise across the Atlantic a trading partner behind a single external tariff  similar to ours with an economy which nearly equals our own. Will we in  this country adapt our thinking to these new prospects and patterns--or  will we wait until events have passed us by?  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":111,"text":"This is the year to decide. The Reciprocal Trade Act is expiring. We need a  new law--a wholly new approach--a bold new instrument of American trade  policy. Our decision could well affect the unity of the West, the course of  the Cold War, and the economic growth of our Nation for a generation to  come.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":112,"text":"If we move decisively, our factories and farms can increase their sales to  their richest, fastest-growing market. Our exports will increase. Our  balance of payments position will improve. And we will have forged across  the Atlantic a trading partnership with vast resources for freedom.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":113,"text":"If, on the other hand, we hang back in deference to local economic  pressures, we will find ourselves cut off from our major allies.  Industries--and I believe this is most vital--industries will move their  plants and jobs and capital inside the walls of the Common Market, and  jobs, therefore, will be lost here in the United States if they cannot  otherwise compete for its consumers. Our farm surpluses--our balance of  trade, as you all know, to Europe, the Common Market, in farm products, is  nearly three or four to one in our favor, amounting to one of the best  earners of dollars in our balance of payments structure, and without  entrance to this Market, without the ability to enter it, our farm  surpluses will pile up in the Middle West, tobacco in the South, and other  commodities, which have gone through Western Europe for 15 years. Our  balance of payments position will worsen. Our consumers will lack a wider  choice of goods at lower prices. And millions of American workers--whose  jobs depend on the sale or the transportation or the distribution of  exports or imports, or whose jobs will be endangered by the movement of our  capital to Europe, or whose jobs can be maintained only in an expanding  economy--these millions of workers in your home States and mine will see  their real interests sacrificed.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":114,"text":"Members of the Congress: The United States did not rise to greatness by  waiting for others to lead. This Nation is the world's foremost  manufacturer, farmer, banker, consumer, and exporter. The Common Market is  moving ahead at an economic growth rate twice ours. The Communist economic  offensive is under way. The opportunity is ours--the initiative is up to  us--and I believe that 1962 is the time.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":115,"text":"To seize that initiative, I shall shortly send to the Congress a new  five-year Trade Expansion Action, far-reaching in scope but designed with  great care to make certain that its benefits to our people far outweigh any  risks. The bill will permit the gradual elimination of tariffs here in the  United States and in the Common Market on those items in which we together  supply 80 percent of the world's trade--mostly items in which our own  ability to compete is demonstrated by the fact that we sell abroad, in  these items, substantially more than we import. This step will make it  possible for our major industries to compete with their counterparts in  Western Europe for access to European consumers.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":116,"text":"On other goods the bill will permit a gradual reduction of duties up to 50  percent--permitting bargaining by major categories--and provide for  appropriate and tested forms of assistance to firms and employees adjusting  to import competition. We are not neglecting the safeguards provided by  peril points, an escape clause, or the National Security Amendment. Nor are  we abandoning our non-European friends or our traditional \"most-favored  nation\" principle. On the contrary, the bill will provide new encouragement  for their sale of tropical agricultural products, so important to our  friends in Latin America, who have long depended upon the European market,  who now find themselves faced with new challenges which we must join with  them in overcoming.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":117,"text":"Concessions, in this bargaining, must of course be reciprocal, not  unilateral. The Common Market will not fulfill its own high promise unless  its outside tariff walls are low. The dangers of restriction or timidity in  our own policy have counterparts for our friends in Europe. For together we  face a common challenge: to enlarge the prosperity of free men  everywhere--to build in partnership a new trading community in which all  free nations may gain from the productive energy of free competitive  effort.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":118,"text":"These various elements in our foreign policy lead, as I have said, to a  single goal--the goal of a peaceful world of free and independent states.  This is our guide for the present and our vision for the future--a free  community of nations, independent but interdependent, uniting north and  south, east and west, in one great family of man, outgrowing and  transcending the hates and fears that rend our age.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":119,"text":"We will not reach that goal today, or tomorrow. We may not reach it in our  own lifetime. But the quest is the greatest adventure of our century. We  sometimes chafe at the burden of our obligations, the complexity of our  decisions, the agony of our choices. But there is no comfort or security  for us in evasion, no solution in abdication, no relief in  irresponsibility.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":120,"text":"A year ago, in assuming the tasks of the Presidency, I said that few  generations, in all history, had been granted the role of being the great  defender of freedom in its hour of maximum danger. This is our good  fortune; and I welcome it now as I did a year ago. For it is the fate of  this generation--of you in the Congress and of me as President--to live  with a struggle we did not start, in a world we did not make. But the  pressures of life are not always distributed by choice. And while no  nation has ever faced such a challenge, no nation has ever been so ready  to seize the burden and the glory of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1962","paragraph":121,"text":"And in this high endeavor, may God watch over the United States of America.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the 88th Congress:  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":2,"text":"I congratulate you all--not merely on your electoral victory but on your  selected role in history. For you and I are privileged to serve the great  Republic in what could be the most decisive decade in its long history. The  choices we make, for good or ill, may well shape the state of the Union for  generations yet to come.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":3,"text":"Little more than 100 weeks ago I assumed the office of President of the  United States. In seeking the help of the Congress and our countrymen, I  pledged no easy answers. I pledged--and asked--only toil and dedication.  These the Congress and the people have given in good measure. And today,  having witnessed in recent months a heightened respect for our national  purpose and power--having seen the courageous calm of a united people in  a perilous hour--and having observed a steady improvement in the  opportunities and well-being of our citizens--I can report to you that  the state of this old but youthful Union, in the 175th year of its life,  is good.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":4,"text":"In the world beyond our borders, steady progress has been made in building  a world of order. The people of West Berlin remain both free and secure. A  settlement, though still precarious, has been reached in Laos. The  spearpoint of aggression has been blunted in Viet-Nam. The end of agony may  be in sight in the Congo. The doctrine of troika is dead. And, while danger  continues, a deadly threat has been removed in Cuba.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":5,"text":"At home, the recession is behind us. Well over a million more men and women  are working today than were working 2 years ago. The average factory  work week is once again more than 40 hours; our industries are turning out  more goods than ever before; and more than half of the manufacturing  capacity that lay silent and wasted 100 weeks ago is humming with  activity.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":6,"text":"In short, both at home and abroad, there may now be a temptation to relax.  For the road has been long, the burden heavy, and the pace consistently  urgent.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":7,"text":"But we cannot be satisfied to rest here. This is the side of the hill, not  the top. The mere absence of war is not peace. The mere absence of  recession is not growth. We have made a beginning--but we have only begun.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":8,"text":"Now the time has come to make the most of our gains--to translate the  renewal of our national strength into the achievement of our national  purpose.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":9,"text":"I.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":10,"text":"America has enjoyed 22 months of uninterrupted economic recovery. But  recovery is not enough. If we are to prevail in the long run, we must  expand the long-run strength of our economy. We must move along the path to  a higher rate of growth and full employment.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":11,"text":"For this would mean tens of billions of dollars more each year in  production, profits, wages, and public revenues. It would mean an end to  the persistent slack which has kept our unemployment at or above 5 percent  for 61 out of the past 62 months--and an end to the growing pressures for  such restrictive measures as the 35-hour week, which alone could increase  hourly labor costs by as much as 14 percent, start a new wage-price spiral  of inflation, and undercut our efforts to compete with other nations.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":12,"text":"To achieve these greater gains, one step, above all, is essential--the  enactment this year of a substantial reduction and revision in Federal  income taxes.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":13,"text":"For it is increasingly clear--to those in Government, business, and labor  who are responsible for our economy's success--that our obsolete tax system  exerts too heavy a drag on private purchasing power, profits, and  employment. Designed to check inflation in earlier years, it now checks  growth instead. It discourages extra effort and risk. It distorts the use  of resources. It invites recurrent recessions, depresses our Federal  revenues, and causes chronic budget deficits.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":14,"text":"Now, when the inflationary pressures of the war and the post-war years no  longer threaten, and the dollar commands new respect--now, when no military  crisis strains our resources--now is the time to act. We cannot afford to  be timid or slow. For this is the most urgent task confronting the Congress  in 1963.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":15,"text":"In an early message, I shall propose a permanent reduction in tax rates  which will lower liabilities by $13.5 billion. Of this, $11 billion results  from reducing individual tax rates, which now range between 20 and 91  percent, to a more sensible range of 14 to 65 percent, with a split in the  present first bracket. Two and one-half billion dollars results from  reducing corporate tax rates, from 52 percent--which gives the Government  today a majority interest in profits--to the permanent pre-Korean level of  47 percent. This is in addition to the more than $2 billion cut in  corporate tax liabilities resulting from last year's investment credit and  depreciation reform.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":16,"text":"To achieve this reduction within the limits of a manageable budgetary  deficit, I urge: first, that these cuts be phased over 3 calendar years,  beginning in 1963 with a cut of some $6 billion at annual rates; second,  that these reductions be coupled with selected structural changes,  beginning in 1964, which will broaden the tax base, end unfair or  unnecessary preferences, remove or lighten certain hardships, and in the  net offset some $3.5 billion of the revenue loss; and third, that budgetary  receipts at the outset be increased by $1.5 billion a year, without any  change in tax liabilities, by gradually shifting the tax payments of large  corporations to a more current time schedule. This combined program, by  increasing the amount of our national income, will in time result in still  higher Federal revenues. It is a fiscally responsible program--the surest  and the soundest way of achieving in time a balanced budget in a balanced  full employment economy.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":17,"text":"This net reduction in tax liabilities of $10 billion will increase the  purchasing power of American families and business enterprises in every tax  bracket, with greatest increase going to our low-income consumers. It will,  in addition, encourage the initiative and risk-taking on which our free  system depends--induce more investment, production, and capacity use--help  provide the 2 million new jobs we need every year--and reinforce the  American principle of additional reward for additional effort.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":18,"text":"I do not say that a measure for tax reduction and reform is the only way to  achieve these goals.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":19,"text":"No doubt a massive increase in Federal spending could also create jobs  and growth, but in today's setting, private consumers, employers, and  investors should be given a full opportunity first.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":20,"text":"No doubt a temporary tax cut could provide a spur to our economy--but a  long-run problem compels a long-run solution.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":21,"text":"No doubt a reduction in either individual or corporation taxes alone  would be of great help--but corporations need customers and job seekers  need jobs.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":22,"text":"No doubt tax reduction without reform would sound simpler and more  attractive to many--but our growth is also hampered by a host of tax  inequities and special preferences which have distorted the flow of  investment.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":23,"text":"And finally, there are no doubt some who would prefer to put off a tax  cut in the hope that ultimately an end to the cold war would make possible  an equivalent cut in expenditures--but that end is not in view and to wait  for it would be costly and self-defeating.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":24,"text":"In submitting a tax program which will, of course, temporarily increase the  deficit but can ultimately end it--and in recognition of the need to  control expenditures--I will shortly submit a fiscal 1964 administrative  budget which, while allowing for needed rises in defense, space, and fixed  interest charges, holds total expenditures for all other purposes below  this year's level.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":25,"text":"This requires the reduction or postponement of many desirable programs, the  absorption of a large part of last year's Federal pay raise through  personnel and other economies, the termination of certain installations and  projects, and the substitution in several programs of private for public  credit. But I am convinced that the enactment this year of tax reduction  and tax reform overshadows all other domestic problems in this Congress.  For we cannot for long lead the cause of peace and freedom, if we ever  cease to set the pace here at home.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":26,"text":"II.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":27,"text":"Tax reduction alone, however, is not enough to strengthen our society, to  provide opportunities for the four million Americans who are born every  year, to improve the lives of 32 million Americans who live on the  outskirts of poverty.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":28,"text":"The quality of American life must keep pace with the quantity of American  goods.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":29,"text":"This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":30,"text":"Therefore, by holding down the budgetary cost of existing programs to keep  within the limitations I have set, it is both possible and imperative to  adopt other new measures that we cannot afford to postpone.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":31,"text":"These measures are based on a series of fundamental premises, grouped under  four related headings:  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":32,"text":"First, we need to strengthen our Nation by investing in our youth.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":33,"text":"The future of any country which is dependent upon the will and wisdom of  its citizens is damaged, and irreparably damaged, whenever any of its  children is not educated to the full extent of his talent, from grade  school through graduate school. Today, an estimated 4 out of every 10  students in the 5th grade will not even finish high school--and that is a  waste we cannot afford.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":34,"text":"In addition, there is no reason why one million young Americans, out of  school and out of work, should all remain unwanted and often untrained on  our city streets when their energies can be put to good use.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":35,"text":"Finally, the overseas success of our Peace Corps volunteers, most of them  young men and women carrying skills and ideas to needy people, suggests the  merit of a similar corps serving our own community needs: in mental  hospitals, on Indian reservations, in centers for the aged or for young  delinquents, in schools for the illiterate or the handicapped. As the  idealism of our youth has served world peace, so can it serve the domestic  tranquility.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":36,"text":"Second, we need to strengthen our Nation by safeguarding its health.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":37,"text":"Our working men and women, instead of being forced to beg for help from  public charity once they are old and ill, should start contributing now to  their own retirement health program through the Social Security System.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":38,"text":"Moreover, all our miracles of medical research will count for little if  we cannot reverse the growing nationwide shortage of doctors, dentists, and  nurses, and the widespread shortages of nursing homes and modern urban  hospital facilities. Merely to keep the present ratio of doctors and  dentists from declining any further, we must over the next 10 years  increase the capacity of our medical schools by 50 percent and our dental  schools by 100 percent.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":39,"text":"Finally, and of deep concern, I believe that the abandonment of the  mentally ill and the mentally retarded to the grim mercy of custodial  institutions too often inflicts on them and on their families a needless  cruelty which this Nation should not endure. The incidence of mental  retardation in this country is three times as high as that of Sweden, for  example--and that figure can and must be reduced.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":40,"text":"Third, we need to strengthen our Nation by protecting the basic rights of  its citizens.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":41,"text":"The right to competent counsel must be assured to every man accused of  crime in Federal court, regardless of his means.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":42,"text":"And the most precious and powerful right in the world, the right to vote  in a free American election, must not be denied to any citizen on grounds  of his race or color. I wish that all qualified Americans permitted to vote  were willing to vote, but surely in this centennial year of Emancipation  all those who are willing to vote should always be permitted.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":43,"text":"Fourth, we need to strengthen our Nation by making the best and the most  economical use of its resources and facilities.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":44,"text":"Our economic health depends on healthy transportation arteries; and I  believe the way to a more modern, economical choice of national  transportation service is through increased competition and decreased  regulation. Local mass transit, faring even worse, is as essential a  community service as hospitals and highways. Nearly three-fourths of our  citizens live in urban areas, which occupy only 2 percent of our land--and  if local transit is to survive and relieve the congestion of these cities,  it needs Federal stimulation and assistance.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":45,"text":"Next, this Government is in the storage and stockpile business to the  melancholy tune of more than $16 billion. We must continue to support farm  income, but we should not pile more farm surpluses on top of the $7.5  billion we already own. We must maintain a stockpile of strategic  materials, but the $8.5 billion we have acquired--for reasons both good and  bad--is much more than we need; and we should be empowered to dispose of  the excess in ways which will not cause market disruption.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":46,"text":"Finally, our already overcrowded national parks and recreation areas will  have twice as many visitors 10 years from now as they do today. If we do  not plan today for the future growth of these and other great natural  assets--not only parks and forests but wildlife and wilderness preserves,  and water projects of all kinds--our children and their children will be  poorer in every sense of the word.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":47,"text":"These are not domestic concerns alone. For upon our achievement of greater  vitality and strength here at home hang our fate and future in the world:  our ability to sustain and supply the security of free men and nations, our  ability to command their respect for our leadership, our ability to expand  our trade without threat to our balance of payments, and our ability to  adjust to the changing demands of cold war competition and challenge.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":48,"text":"We shall be judged more by what we do at home than by what we preach  abroad. Nothing we could do to help the developing countries would help  them half as much as a booming U.S. economy. And nothing our opponents  could do to encourage their own ambitions would encourage them half as much  as a chronic, lagging U.S. economy. These domestic tasks do not divert  energy from our security--they provide the very foundation for freedom's  survival and success.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":49,"text":"III.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":50,"text":"Turning to the world outside, it was only a few years ago--in Southeast  Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, even outer space--that  communism sought to convey the image of a unified, confident, and expanding  empire, closing in on a sluggish America and a free world in disarray. But  few people would hold to that picture today.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":51,"text":"In these past months we have reaffirmed the scientific and military  superiority of freedom. We have doubled our efforts in space, to assure us  of being first in the future. We have undertaken the most far-reaching  defense improvements in the peacetime history of this country. And we have  maintained the frontiers of freedom from Viet-Nam to West Berlin.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":52,"text":"But complacency or self-congratulation can imperil our security as much as  the weapons of tyranny. A moment of pause is not a promise of peace.  Dangerous problems remain from Cuba to the South China Sea. The world's  prognosis prescribes, in short, not a year's vacation for us, but a year of  obligation and opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":53,"text":"Four special avenues of opportunity stand out: the Atlantic Alliance, the  developing nations, the new Sino-Soviet difficulties, and the search for  worldwide peace.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":54,"text":"IV.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":55,"text":"First, how fares the grand alliance? Free Europe is entering into a new  phase of its long and brilliant history. The era of colonial expansion has  passed; the era of national rivalries is fading; and a new era of  interdependence and unity is taking shape. Defying the old prophecies of  Marx, consenting to what no conqueror could ever compel, the free nations  of Europe are moving toward a unity of purpose and power and policy in  every sphere of activity.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":56,"text":"For 17 years this movement has had our consistent support, both political  and economic. Far from resenting the new Europe, we regard her as a welcome  partner, not a rival. For the road to world peace and freedom is still  long, and there are burdens which only full partners can share--in  supporting the common defense, in expanding world trade, in aligning our  balance of payments, in aiding the emergent nations, in concerting  political and economic policies, and in welcoming to our common effort  other industrialized nations, notably Japan, whose remarkable economic and  political development of the 1950's permits it now to play on the world  scene a major constructive role.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":57,"text":"No doubt differences of opinion will continue to get more attention than  agreements on action, as Europe moves from independence to more formal  interdependence. But these are honest differences among honorable  associates--more real and frequent, in fact, among our Western European  allies than between them and the United States. For the unity of freedom  has never relied on uniformity of opinion. But the basic agreement of this  alliance on fundamental issues continues.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":58,"text":"The first task of the alliance remains the common defense. Last month Prime  Minister Macmillan and I laid plans for a new stage in our long cooperative  effort, one which aims to assist in the wider task of framing a common  nuclear defense for the whole alliance.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":59,"text":"The Nassau agreement recognizes that the security of the West is  indivisible, and so must be our defense. But it also recognizes that this  is an alliance of proud and sovereign nations, and works best when we do  not forget it. It recognizes further that the nuclear defense of the West  is not a matter for the present nuclear powers alone--that France will be  such a power in the future--and that ways must be found without increasing  the hazards of nuclear diffusion, to increase the role of our other  partners in planning, manning, and directing a truly multilateral nuclear  force within an increasingly intimate NATO alliance. Finally, the Nassau  agreement recognizes that nuclear defense is not enough, that the agreed  NATO levels of conventional strength must be met, and that the alliance  cannot afford to be in a position of having to answer every threat with  nuclear weapons or nothing.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":60,"text":"We remain too near the Nassau decisions, and too far from their full  realization, to know their place in history. But I believe that, for the  first time, the door is open for the nuclear defense of the alliance to  become a source of confidence, instead of a cause of contention.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":61,"text":"The next most pressing concern of the alliance is our common economic goals  of trade and growth. This Nation continues to be concerned about its  balance-of-payments deficit, which, despite its decline, remains a stubborn  and troublesome problem. We believe, moreover, that closer economic ties  among all free nations are essential to prosperity and peace. And neither  we nor the members of the European Common Market are so affluent that we  can long afford to shelter high cost farms or factories from the winds of  foreign competition, or to restrict the channels of trade with other  nations of the free world. If the Common Market should move toward  protectionism and restrictionism, it would undermine its own basic  principles. This Government means to use the authority conferred on it last  year by the Congress to encourage trade expansion on both sides of the  Atlantic and around the world.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":62,"text":"V.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":63,"text":"Second, what of the developing and non-aligned nations? They were shocked  by the Soviets' sudden and secret attempt to transform Cuba into a nuclear  striking base--and by Communist China's arrogant invasion of India. They  have been reassured by our prompt assistance to India, by our support  through the United Nations of the Congo's unification, by our patient  search for disarmament, and by the improvement in our treatment of citizens  and visitors whose skins do not happen to be white. And as the older  colonialism recedes, and the neo-colonialism of the Communist powers stands  out more starkly than ever, they realize more clearly that the issue in the  world struggle is not communism versus capitalism, but coercion versus free  choice.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":64,"text":"They are beginning to realize that the longing for independence is the same  the world over, whether it is the independence of West Berlin or Viet-Nam.  They are beginning to realize that such independence runs athwart all  Communist ambitions but is in keeping with our own--and that our approach  to their diverse needs is resilient and resourceful, while the Communists  are still relying on ancient doctrines and dogmas.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":65,"text":"Nevertheless it is hard for any nation to focus on an external or  subversive threat to its independence when its energies are drained in  daily combat with the forces of poverty and despair. It makes little sense  for us to assail, in speeches and resolutions, the horrors of communism, to  spend $50 billion a year to prevent its military advance--and then to  begrudge spending, largely on American products, less than one-tenth of  that amount to help other nations strengthen their independence and cure  the social chaos in which communism has always thrived.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":66,"text":"I am proud--and I think most Americans are proud--of a mutual defense and  assistance program, evolved with bipartisan support in three  administrations, which has, with all its recognized problems, contributed  to the fact that not a single one of the nearly fifty U.N. members to gain  independence since the Second World War has succumbed to Communist  control.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":67,"text":"I am proud of a program that has helped to arm and feed and clothe millions  of people who live on the front lines of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":68,"text":"I am especially proud that this country has put forward for the 60's a vast  cooperative effort to achieve economic growth and social progress  throughout the Americas--the Alliance for Progress.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":69,"text":"I do not underestimate the difficulties that we face in this mutual effort  among our close neighbors, but the free states of this hemisphere, working  in close collaboration, have begun to make this alliance a living reality.  Today it is feeding one out of every four school age children in Latin  America an extra food ration from our farm surplus. It has distributed 1.5  million school books and is building 17,000 classrooms. It has helped  resettle tens of thousands of farm families on land they can call their  own. It is stimulating our good neighbors to more self-help and  self-reform--fiscal, social, institutional, and land reforms. It is  bringing new housing and hope, new health and dignity, to millions who were  forgotten. The men and women of this hemisphere know that the alliance  cannot succeed if it is only another name for United States handouts--that  it can succeed only as the Latin American nations themselves devote their  best effort to fulfilling its goals.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":70,"text":"This story is the same in Africa, in the Middle East, and in Asia. Wherever  nations are willing to help themselves, we stand ready to help them build  new bulwarks of freedom. We are not purchasing votes for the cold war; we  have gone to the aid of imperiled nations, neutrals and allies alike. What  we do ask--and all that we ask--is that our help be used to best advantage,  and that their own efforts not be diverted by needless quarrels with other  independent nations.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":71,"text":"Despite all its past achievements, the continued progress of the Mutual  Assistance Program requires a persistent discontent with present  performance. We have been reorganizing this program to make it a more  effective, efficient instrument--and that process will continue this year.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":72,"text":"But free world development will still be an uphill struggle. Government aid  can only supplement the role of private investment, trade expansion,  commodity stabilization, and, above all, internal self-improvement. The  processes of growth are gradual--bearing fruit in a decade, not a day. Our  successes will be neither quick nor dramatic. But if these programs were  ever to be ended, our failures in a dozen countries would be sudden and  certain.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":73,"text":"Neither money nor technical assistance, however, can be our only weapon  against poverty. In the end, the crucial effort is one of purpose,  requiring the fuel of finance but also a torch of idealism. And nothing  carries the spirit of this American idealism more effectively to the far  corners of the earth than the American Peace Corps.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":74,"text":"A year ago, less than 900 Peace Corps volunteers were on the job. A year  from now they will number more than 9,000--men and women, aged 18 to 79,  willing to give 2 years of their lives to helping people in other lands.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":75,"text":"There are, in fact, nearly a million Americans serving their country and  the cause of freedom in overseas posts, a record no other people can match.  Surely those of us who stay at home should be glad to help indirectly; by  supporting our aid programs; .by opening our doors to foreign visitors and  diplomats and students; and by proving, day by day, by deed as well as  word, that we are a just and generous people.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":76,"text":"VI.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":77,"text":"Third, what comfort can we take from the increasing strains and tensions  within the Communist bloc? Here hope must be tempered with caution. For the  Soviet-Chinese disagreement is over means, not ends. A dispute over how  best to bury the free world is no grounds for Western rejoicing.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":78,"text":"Nevertheless, while a strain is not a fracture, it is clear that the forces  of diversity are at work inside the Communist camp, despite all the iron  disciplines of regimentation and all the iron dogmatisms of ideology. Marx  is proven wrong once again: for it is the closed Communist societies, not  the free and open societies which carry within themselves the seeds of  internal disintegration.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":79,"text":"The disarray of the Communist empire has been heightened by two other  formidable forces. One is the historical force of nationalism--and the  yearning of all men to be free. The other is the gross inefficiency of  their economies. For a closed society is not open to ideas of progress--and  a police state finds that it cannot command the grain to grow.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":80,"text":"New nations asked to choose between two competing systems need only compare  conditions in East and West Germany, Eastern and Western Europe, North and  South Viet-Nam. They need only compare the disillusionment of Communist  Cuba with the promise of the Alliance for Progress. And all the world knows  that no successful system builds a wall to keep its people in and freedom  out--and the wall of shame dividing Berlin is a symbol of Communist  failure.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":81,"text":"VII.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":82,"text":"Finally, what can we do to move from the present pause toward enduring  peace? Again I would counsel caution. I foresee no spectacular reversal in  Communist methods or goals. But if all these trends and developments can  persuade the Soviet Union to walk the path of peace, then let her know that  all free nations will journey with her. But until that choice is made, and  until the world can develop a reliable system of international security,  the free peoples have no choice but to keep their arms nearby.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":83,"text":"This country, therefore, continues to require the best defense in the  world--a defense which is suited to the sixties. This means, unfortunately,  a rising defense budget--for there is no substitute for adequate defense,  and no \"bargain basement\" way of achieving it. It means the expenditure of  more than $15 billion this year on nuclear weapons systems alone, a sum  which is about equal to the combined defense budgets of our European  Allies.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":84,"text":"But it also means improved air and missile defenses, improved civil  defense, a strengthened anti-guerrilla capacity and, of prime importance,  more powerful and flexible non-nuclear forces. For threats of massive  retaliation may not deter piecemeal aggression--and a line of destroyers in  a quarantine, or a division of well-equipped men on a border, may be more  useful to our real security than the multiplication of awesome weapons  beyond all rational need.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":85,"text":"But our commitment to national safety is not a commitment to expand our  military establishment indefinitely. We do not dismiss disarmament as  merely an idle dream. For we believe that, in the end, it is the only way  to assure the security of all without impairing the interests of any. Nor  do we mistake honorable negotiation for appeasement. While we shall never  weary in the defense of freedom, neither shall we ever abandon the pursuit  of peace.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":86,"text":"In this quest, the United Nations requires our full and continued support.  Its value in serving the cause of peace has been shown anew in its role in  the West New Guinea settlement, in its use as a forum for the Cuban crisis,  and in its task of unification in the Congo. Today the United Nations is  primarily the protector of the small and the weak, and a safety valve for  the strong. Tomorrow it can form the framework for a world of law--a world  in which no nation dictates the destiny of another, and in which the vast  resources now devoted to destructive means will serve constructive ends.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":87,"text":"In short, let our adversaries choose. If they choose peaceful competition,  they shall have it. If they come to realize that their ambitions cannot  succeed--if they see their \"wars of liberation\" and subversion will  ultimately fail--if they recognize that there is more security in accepting  inspection than in permitting new nations to master the black arts of  nuclear war--and if they are willing to turn their energies, as we are, to  the great unfinished tasks of our own peoples--then, surely, the areas of  agreement can be very wide indeed: a clear understanding about Berlin,  stability in Southeast Asia, an end to nuclear testing, new checks on  surprise or accidental attack, and, ultimately, general and complete  disarmament.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":88,"text":"VIII.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":89,"text":"For we seek not the worldwide victory of one nation or system but a  worldwide victory of man. The modern globe is too small, its weapons are  too destructive, and its disorders are too contagious to permit any other  kind of victory.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":90,"text":"To achieve this end, the United States will continue to spend a greater  portion of its national production than any other people in the free world.  For 15 years no other free nation has demanded so much of itself. Through  hot wars and cold, through recession and prosperity, through the ages of  the atom and outer space, the American people have never faltered and their  faith has never flagged. If at times our actions seem to make life  difficult for others, it is only because history has made life difficult  for us all.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":91,"text":"But difficult days need not be dark. I think these are proud and memorable  days in the cause of peace and freedom. We are proud, for example, of Major  Rudolf Anderson who gave his life over the island of Cuba. We salute  Specialist James Allen Johnson who died on the border of South Korea. We  pay honor to Sergeant Gerald Pendell who was killed in Viet-Nam. They are  among the many who in this century, far from home, have died for our  country. Our task now, and the task of all Americans is to live up to their  commitment.  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":92,"text":"My friends: I close on a note of hope. We are not lulled by the momentary  calm of the sea or the somewhat clearer skies above. We know the turbulence  that lies below, and the storms that are beyond the horizon this year. But  now the winds of change appear to be blowing more strongly than ever, in  the world of communism as well as our own. For 175 years we have sailed  with those winds at our back, and with the tides of human freedom in our  favor. We steer our ship with hope, as Thomas Jefferson said, \"leaving Fear  astern.\"  "}
{"year":"1963","paragraph":93,"text":"Today we still welcome those winds of change--and we have every reason to  believe that our tide is running strong. With thanks to Almighty God for  seeing us through a perilous passage, we ask His help anew in guiding the  \"Good Ship Union.\"  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the House and Senate, my fellow  Americans:  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":2,"text":"I will be brief, for our time is necessarily short and our agenda is  already long.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":3,"text":"Last year's congressional session was the longest in peacetime history.  With that foundation, let us work together to make this year's session the  best in the Nation's history.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":4,"text":"Let this session of Congress be known as the session which did more for  civil rights than the last hundred sessions combined; as the session which  enacted the most far-reaching tax cut of our time; as the session which  declared all-out war on human poverty and unemployment in these United  States; as the session which finally recognized the health needs of all our  older citizens; as the session which reformed our tangled transportation  and transit policies; as the session which achieved the most effective,  efficient foreign aid program ever; and as the session which helped to  build more homes, more schools, more libraries, and more hospitals than any  single session of Congress in the history of our Republic.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":5,"text":"All this and more can and must be done. It can be done by this summer, and  it can be done without any increase in spending. In fact, under the budget  that I shall shortly submit, it can be done with an actual reduction in  Federal expenditures and Federal employment.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":6,"text":"We have in 1964 a unique opportunity and obligation--to prove the success  of our system; to disprove those cynics and critics at home and abroad who  question our purpose and our competence.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":7,"text":"If we fail, if we fritter and fumble away our opportunity in needless,  senseless quarrels between Democrats and Republicans, or between the House  and the Senate, or between the South and North, or between the Congress and  the administration, then history will rightfully judge us harshly. But if  we succeed, if we can achieve these goals by forging in this country a  greater sense of union, then, and only then, can we take full satisfaction  in the State of the Union. II.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":8,"text":"Here in the Congress you can demonstrate effective legislative leadership  by discharging the public business with clarity and dispatch, voting each  important proposal up, or voting it down, but at least bringing it to a  fair and a final vote.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":9,"text":"Let us carry forward the plans and programs of John Fitzgerald Kennedy--not  because of our sorrow or sympathy, but because they are right.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":10,"text":"In his memory today, I especially ask all members of my own political  faith, in this election year, to put your country ahead of your party, and  to always debate principles; never debate personalities.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":11,"text":"For my part, I pledge a progressive administration which is efficient, and  honest and frugal. The budget to be submitted to the Congress shortly is in  full accord with this pledge.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":12,"text":"It will cut our deficit in half--from $10 billion to $4,900 million. It  will be, in proportion to our national output, the smallest budget since  1951.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":13,"text":"It will call for a substantial reduction in Federal employment, a feat  accomplished only once before in the last 10 years. While maintaining the  full strength of our combat defenses, it will call for the lowest number of  civilian personnel in the Department of Defense since 1950.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":14,"text":"It will call for total expenditures of $97,900 million--compared to $98,400  million for the current year, a reduction of more than $500 million. It  will call for new obligational authority of $103,800 million--a reduction  of more than $4 billion below last year's request of $107,900 million.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":15,"text":"But it is not a standstill budget, for America cannot afford to stand  still. Our population is growing. Our economy is more complex. Our people's  needs are expanding.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":16,"text":"But by closing down obsolete installations, by curtailing less urgent  programs, by cutting back where cutting back seems to be wise, by insisting  on a dollar's worth for a dollar spent, I am able to recommend in this  reduced budget the most Federal support in history for education, for  health, for retraining the unemployed, and for helping the economically and  the physically handicapped.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":17,"text":"This budget, and this year's legislative program, are designed to help each  and every American citizen fulfill his basic hopes--his hopes for a fair  chance to make good; his hopes for fair play from the law; his hopes for a  full-time job on full-time pay; his hopes for a decent home for his family  in a decent community; his hopes for a good school for his children with  good teachers; and his hopes for security when faced with sickness or  unemployment or old age. III.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":18,"text":"Unfortunately, many Americans live on the outskirts of hope--some because  of their poverty, and some because of theft color, and all too many because  of both. Our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":19,"text":"This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on  poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all Americans to join with me  in that effort.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":20,"text":"It will not be a short or easy struggle, no single weapon or strategy will  suffice, but we shall not rest until that war is won. The richest Nation on  earth can afford to win it. We cannot afford to lose it. One thousand  dollars invested in salvaging an unemployable youth today can return  $40,000 or more in his lifetime.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":21,"text":"Poverty is a national problem, requiring improved national organization and  support. But this attack, to be effective, must also be organized at the  State and the local level and must be supported and directed by State and  local efforts.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":22,"text":"For the war against poverty will not be won here in Washington. It must be  won in the field, in every private home, in every public office, from the  courthouse to the White House.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":23,"text":"The program I shall propose will emphasize this cooperative approach to  help that one-fifth of all American families with incomes too small to even  meet their basic needs.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":24,"text":"Our chief weapons in a more pinpointed attack will be better schools, and  better health, and better homes, and better training, and better job  opportunities to help more Americans, especially young Americans, escape  from squalor and misery and unemployment rolls where other citizens help to  carry them.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":25,"text":"Very often a lack of jobs and money is not the cause of poverty, but the  symptom. The cause may lie deeper in our failure to give our fellow  citizens a fair chance to develop their own capacities, in a lack of  education and training, in a lack of medical care and housing, in a lack of  decent communities in which to live and bring up their children.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":26,"text":"But whatever the cause, our joint Federal-local effort must pursue poverty,  pursue it wherever it exists--in city slums and small towns, in  sharecropper shacks or in migrant worker camps, on Indian Reservations,  among whites as well as Negroes, among the young as well as the aged, in  the boom towns and in the depressed areas.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":27,"text":"Our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty, but to cure it and,  above all, to prevent it. No single piece of legislation, however, is going  to suffice.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":28,"text":"We will launch a special effort in the chronically distressed areas of  Appalachia.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":29,"text":"We must expand our small but our successful area redevelopment program.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":30,"text":"We must enact youth employment legislation to put jobless, aimless,  hopeless youngsters to work on useful projects.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":31,"text":"We must distribute more food to the needy through a broader food stamp  program.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":32,"text":"We must create a National Service Corps to help the economically  handicapped of our own country as the Peace Corps now helps those abroad.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":33,"text":"We must modernize our unemployment insurance and establish a high-level  commission on automation. If we have the brain power to invent these  machines, we have the brain power to make certain that they are a boon and  not a bane to humanity.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":34,"text":"We must extend the coverage of our minimum wage laws to more than 2 million  workers now lacking this basic protection of purchasing power.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":35,"text":"We must, by including special school aid funds as part of our education  program, improve the quality of teaching, training, and counseling in our  hardest hit areas.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":36,"text":"We must build more libraries in every area and more hospitals and nursing  homes under the Hill-Burton Act, and train more nurses to staff them.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":37,"text":"We must provide hospital insurance for our older citizens financed by every  worker and his employer under Social Security, contributing no more than $1  a month during the employee's working career to protect him in his old age  in a dignified manner without cost to the Treasury, against the devastating  hardship of prolonged or repeated illness.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":38,"text":"We must, as a part of a revised housing and urban renewal program, give  more help to those displaced by slum clearance, provide more housing for  our poor and our elderly, and seek as our ultimate goal in our free  enterprise system a decent home for every American family.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":39,"text":"We must help obtain more modern mass transit within our communities as well  as low-cost transportation between them.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":40,"text":"Above all, we must release $11 billion of tax reduction into the private  spending stream to create new jobs and new markets in every area of this  land. IV.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":41,"text":"These programs are obviously not for the poor or the underprivileged alone.  Every American will benefit by the extension of social security to cover  the hospital costs of their aged parents. Every American community will  benefit from the construction or modernization of schools, libraries,  hospitals, and nursing homes, from the training of more nurses and from the  improvement of urban renewal in public transit. And every individual  American taxpayer and every corporate taxpayer will benefit from the  earliest possible passage of the pending tax bill from both the new  investment it will bring and the new jobs that it will create.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":42,"text":"That tax bill has been thoroughly discussed for a year. Now we need action.  The new budget clearly allows it. Our taxpayers surely deserve it. Our  economy strongly demands it. And every month of delay dilutes its benefits  in 1964 for consumption, for investment, and for employment.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":43,"text":"For until the bill is signed, its investment incentives cannot be deemed  certain, and the withholding rate cannot be reduced--and the most damaging  and devastating thing you can do to any businessman in America is to keep  him in doubt and to keep him guessing on what our tax policy is. And I say  that we should now reduce to 14 percent instead of 15 percent our  withholding rate.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":44,"text":"I therefore urge the Congress to take final action on this bill by the  first of February, if at all possible. For however proud we may be of the  unprecedented progress of our free enterprise economy over the last 3  years, we should not and we cannot permit it to pause.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":45,"text":"In 1963, for the first time in history, we crossed the 70 million job mark,  but we will soon need more than 75 million jobs. In 1963 our gross national  product reached the $600 billion level--$100 billion higher than when we  took office. But it easily could and it should be still $30 billion higher  today than it is.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":46,"text":"Wages and profits and family income are also at their highest levels in  history--but I would remind you that 4 million workers and 13 percent of  our industrial capacity are still idle today.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":47,"text":"We need a tax cut now to keep this country moving. V.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":48,"text":"For our goal is not merely to spread the work. Our goal is to create more  jobs. I believe the enactment of a 35-hour week would sharply increase  costs, would invite inflation, would impair our ability to compete, and  merely share instead of creating employment. But I am equally opposed to  the 45- or 50-hour week in those industries where consistently excessive  use of overtime causes increased unemployment.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":49,"text":"So, therefore, I recommend legislation authorizing the creation of a  tripartite industry committee to determine on an industry-by-industry basis  as to where a higher penalty rate for overtime would increase job openings  without unduly increasing costs, and authorizing the establishment of such  higher rates. VI.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":50,"text":"Let me make one principle of this administration abundantly clear: All of  these increased opportunities--in employment, in education, in housing, and  in every field--must be open to Americans of every color. As far as the writ  of Federal law will run, we must abolish not some, but all racial  discrimination. For this is not merely an economic issue, or a social,  political, or international issue. It is a moral issue, and it must be met  by the passage this session of the bill now pending in the House.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":51,"text":"All members of the public should have equal access to facilities open to  the public. All members of the public should be equally eligible for  Federal benefits that are financed by the public. All members of the public  should have an equal chance to vote for public officials and to send their  children to good public schools and to contribute their talents to the  public good.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":52,"text":"Today, Americans of all races stand side by side in Berlin and in Viet Nam.  They died side by side in Korea. Surely they can work and eat and travel  side by side in their own country. VII.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":53,"text":"We must also lift by legislation the bars of discrimination against those  who seek entry into our country, particularly those who have much needed  skills and those joining their families.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":54,"text":"In establishing preferences, a nation that was built by the immigrants of  all lands can ask those who now seek admission: \"What can you do for our  country?\" But we should not be asking: \"In what country were you born?\"  VIII.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":55,"text":"For our ultimate goal is a world without war, a world made safe for  diversity, in which all men, goods, and ideas can freely move across every  border and every boundary.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":56,"text":"We must advance toward this goal in 1964 in at least 10 different ways, not  as partisans, but as patriots.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":57,"text":"First, we must maintain--and our reduced defense budget will maintain--that  margin of military safety and superiority obtained through 3 years of  steadily increasing both the quality and the quantity of our strategic, our  conventional, and our antiguerilla forces. In 1964 we will be better  prepared than ever before to defend the cause of freedom, whether it is  threatened by outright aggression or by the infiltration practiced by those  in Hanoi and Havana, who ship arms and men across international borders to  foment insurrection. And we must continue to use that strength as John  Kennedy used it in the Cuban crisis and for the test ban treaty--to  demonstrate both the futility of nuclear war and the possibilities of  lasting peace.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":58,"text":"Second, we must take new steps--and we shall make new proposals at  Geneva--toward the control and the eventual abolition of arms. Even in the  absence of agreement, we must not stockpile arms beyond our needs or seek  an excess of military power that could be provocative as well as wasteful.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":59,"text":"It is in this spirit that in this fiscal year we are cutting back our  production of enriched uranium by 25 percent. We are shutting down four  plutonium piles. We are closing many nonessential military installations.  And it is in this spirit that we today call on our adversaries to do the  same.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":60,"text":"Third, we must make increased use of our food as an instrument of  peace--making it available by sale or trade or loan or donation--to hungry  people in all nations which tell us of their needs and accept proper  conditions of distribution.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":61,"text":"Fourth, we must assure our pre-eminence in the peaceful exploration of  outer space, focusing on an expedition to the moon in this decade--in  cooperation with other powers if possible, alone if necessary.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":62,"text":"Fifth, we must expand world trade. Having recognized in the Act of 1962  that we must buy as well as sell, we now expect our trading partners to  recognize that we must sell as well as buy. We are willing to give them  competitive access to our market, asking only that they do the same for  us.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":63,"text":"Sixth, we must continue, through such measures as the interest equalization  tax, as well as the cooperation of other nations, our recent progress  toward balancing our international accounts.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":64,"text":"This administration must and will preserve the present gold value of the  dollar.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":65,"text":"Seventh, we must become better neighbors with the free states of the  Americas, working with the councils of the OAS, with a stronger Alliance  for Progress, and with all the men and women of this hemisphere who really  believe in liberty and justice for all.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":66,"text":"Eighth, we must strengthen the ability of free nations everywhere to  develop their independence and raise their standard of living, and thereby  frustrate those who prey on poverty and chaos. To do this, the rich must  help the poor--and we must do our part. We must achieve a more rigorous  administration of our development assistance, with larger roles for private  investors, for other industrialized nations, and for international agencies  and for the recipient nations themselves.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":67,"text":"Ninth, we must strengthen our Atlantic and Pacific partnerships, maintain  our alliances and make the United Nations a more effective instrument for  national independence and international order.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":68,"text":"Tenth, and finally, we must develop with our allies new means of bridging  the gap between the East and the West, facing danger boldly wherever danger  exists, but being equally bold in our search for new agreements which can  enlarge the hopes of all, while violating the interests of none.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":69,"text":"In short, I would say to the Congress that we must be constantly prepared  for the worst, and constantly acting for the best. We must be strong enough  to win any war, and we must be wise enough to prevent one.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":70,"text":"We shall neither act as aggressors nor tolerate acts of aggression. We  intend to bury no one, and we do not intend to be buried.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":71,"text":"We can fight, if we must, as we have fought before, but we pray that we  will never have to fight again. IX.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":72,"text":"My good friends and my fellow Americans: In these last 7 sorrowful weeks,  we have learned anew that nothing is so enduring as faith, and nothing is  so degrading as hate.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":73,"text":"John Kennedy was a victim of hate, but he was also a great builder of  faith--faith in our fellow Americans, whatever their creed or their color  or their station in life; faith in the future of man, whatever his  divisions and differences.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":74,"text":"This faith was echoed in all parts of the world. On every continent and in  every land to which Mrs. Johnson and I traveled, we found faith and hope  and love toward this land of America and toward our people.  "}
{"year":"1964","paragraph":75,"text":"So I ask you now in the Congress and in the country to join with me in  expressing and fulfilling that faith in working for a nation, a nation that  is free from want and a world that is free from hate--a world of peace and  justice, and freedom and abundance, for our time and for all time to come.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":1,"text":"On this Hill which was my home, I am stirred by old friendships.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":2,"text":"Though total agreement between the Executive and the Congress is  impossible, total respect is important.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":3,"text":"I am proud to be among my colleagues of the Congress whose legacy to their  trust is their loyalty to their Nation.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":4,"text":"I am not unaware of the inner emotions of the new Members of this body  tonight.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":5,"text":"Twenty-eight years ago, I felt as you do now. You will soon learn that you  are among men whose first love is their country, men who try each day to do  as best they can what they believe is right.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":6,"text":"We are entering the third century of the pursuit of American union.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":7,"text":"Two hundred years ago, in 1765, nine assembled colonies first joined  together to demand freedom from arbitrary power.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":8,"text":"For the first century we struggled to hold together the first continental  union of democracy in the history of man. One hundred years ago, in 1865,  following a terrible test of blood and fire, the compact of union was  finally sealed.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":9,"text":"For a second century we labored to establish a unity of purpose and  interest among the many groups which make up the American community.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":10,"text":"That struggle has often brought pain and violence. It is not yet over. But  we have achieved a unity of interest among our people that is unmatched in  the history of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":11,"text":"And so tonight, now, in 1965, we begin a new quest for union. We seek the  unity of man with the world that he has built--with the knowledge that can  save or destroy him--with the cities which can stimulate or stifle  him--with the wealth and the machines which can enrich or menace his  spirit.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":12,"text":"We seek to establish a harmony between man and society which will allow  each of us to enlarge the meaning of his life and all of us to elevate the  quality of our civilization. This is the search that we begin tonight.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":13,"text":"STATE OF THE WORLD  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":14,"text":"But the unity we seek cannot realize its full promise in  isolation. For today the state of the Union depends, in large measure, upon  the state of the world.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":15,"text":"Our concern and interest, compassion and vigilance, extend to every corner  of a dwindling planet.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":16,"text":"Yet, it is not merely our concern but the concern of all free men. We will  not, and we should not, assume that it is the task of Americans alone to  settle all the conflicts of a torn and troubled world.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":17,"text":"Let the foes of freedom take no comfort from this. For in concert with  other nations, we shall help men defend their freedom.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":18,"text":"Our first aim remains the safety and the well-being of our own country.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":19,"text":"We are prepared to live as good neighbors with all, but we cannot be  indifferent to acts designed to injure our interests, or our citizens, or  our establishments abroad. The community of nations requires mutual  respect. We shall extend it--and we shall expect it.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":20,"text":"In our relations with the world we shall follow the example of Andrew  Jackson who said: \"I intend to ask for nothing that is not clearly right  and to submit to nothing that is wrong.\" And he promised, that \"the honor  of my country shall never be stained by an apology from me for the  statement of truth or for the performance of duty.\" That was this Nation's  policy in the 1830's and that is this Nation's policy in the 1960's.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":21,"text":"Our own freedom and growth have never been the final goal of the American  dream.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":22,"text":"We were never meant to be an oasis of liberty and abundance in a worldwide  desert of disappointed dreams. Our Nation was created to help strike away  the chains of ignorance and misery and tyranny wherever they keep man less  than God means him to be.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":23,"text":"We are moving toward that destiny, never more rapidly than we have moved in  the last 4 years.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":24,"text":"In this period we have built a military power strong enough to meet any  threat and destroy any adversary. And that superiority will continue to  grow so long as this office is mine--and you sit on Capitol Hill.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":25,"text":"In this period no new nation has become Communist, and the unity of the  Communist empire has begun to crumble.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":26,"text":"In this period we have resolved in friendship our disputes with our  neighbors of the hemisphere, and joined in an Alliance for Progress toward  economic growth and political democracy.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":27,"text":"In this period we have taken more steps toward peace--including the test  ban treaty--than at any time since the cold war began.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":28,"text":"In this period we have relentlessly pursued our advances toward the  conquest of space.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":29,"text":"Most important of all, in this period, the United States has reemerged into  the fullness of its self-confidence and purpose. No longer are we called  upon to get America moving. We are moving. No longer do we doubt our  strength or resolution. We are strong and we have proven our resolve.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":30,"text":"No longer can anyone wonder whether we are in the grip of historical decay.  We know that history is ours to make. And if there is great danger, there  is now also the excitement of great expectations.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":31,"text":"AMERICA AND THE COMMUNIST NATIONS  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":32,"text":"Yet we still live in a troubled and  perilous world. There is no longer a single threat. There are many. They  differ in intensity and in danger. They require different attitudes and  different answers.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":33,"text":"With the Soviet Union we seek peaceful understandings that can lessen the  danger to freedom.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":34,"text":"Last fall I asked the American people to choose that course. I will carry  forward their command.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":35,"text":"If we are to live together in peace, we must come to know each other  better.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":36,"text":"I am sure that the American people would welcome a chance to listen to the  Soviet leaders on our television--as I would like the Soviet people to hear  our leaders on theirs.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":37,"text":"I hope the new Soviet leaders can visit America so they can learn about our  country at firsthand.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":38,"text":"In Eastern Europe restless nations are slowly beginning to assert their  identity. Your Government, assisted by the leaders in American labor and  business, is now exploring ways to increase peaceful trade with these  countries and with the Soviet Union. I will report our conclusions to the  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":39,"text":"In Asia, communism wears a more aggressive face. We see that in Viet-Nam.  Why are we there?  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":40,"text":"We are there, first, because a friendly nation has asked us for help  against the Communist aggression. Ten years ago our President pledged our  help. Three Presidents have supported that pledge. We will not break it  now.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":41,"text":"Second, our own security is tied to the peace of Asia. Twice in one  generation we have had to fight against aggression in the Far East. To  ignore aggression now would only increase the danger of a much larger war.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":42,"text":"Our goal is peace in southeast Asia. That will come only when aggressors  leave their neighbors in peace.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":43,"text":"What is at stake is the cause of freedom and in that cause America will  never be found wanting.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":44,"text":"THE NON-COMMUNIST WORLD  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":45,"text":"But communism is not the only source of trouble and  unrest. There are older and deeper sources--in the misery of nations and in  man's irrepressible ambition for liberty and a better life.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":46,"text":"With the free Republics of Latin America I have always felt--and my country  has always felt--very special ties of interest and affection. It will be  the purpose of my administration to strengthen these ties. Together we  share and shape the destiny of the new world. In the coming year I hope to  pay a visit to Latin America. And I will steadily enlarge our commitment to  the Alliance for Progress as the instrument of our war against poverty and  injustice in this hemisphere.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":47,"text":"In the Atlantic community we continue to pursue our goal of 20 years--a  Europe that is growing in strength, unity, and cooperation with America. A  great unfinished task is the reunification of Germany through  self-determination.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":48,"text":"This European policy is not based on any abstract design. It is based on  the realities of common interests and common values, common dangers and  common expectations. These realities will continue to have their  way--especially, I think, in our expanding trade and especially in our  common defense.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":49,"text":"Free Americans have shaped the policies of the United States. And because  we know these realities, those policies have been, and will be, in the  interest of Europe.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":50,"text":"Free Europeans must shape the course of Europe. And, for the same reasons,  that course has been, and will be, in our interest and in the interest of  freedom.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":51,"text":"I found this truth confirmed in my talks with European leaders in the last  year. I hope to repay these visits to some of our friends in Europe this  year.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":52,"text":"In Africa and Asia we are witnessing the turbulent unfolding of new nations  and continents.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":53,"text":"We welcome them to the society of nations.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":54,"text":"We are committed to help those seeking to strengthen their own  independence, and to work most closely with those governments dedicated to  the welfare of all of their people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":55,"text":"We seek not fidelity to an iron faith, but a diversity of belief as varied  as man himself. We seek not to extend the power of America but the progress  of humanity. We seek not to dominate others but to strengthen the freedom  of all people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":56,"text":"I will seek new ways to use our knowledge to help deal with the explosion  in world population and the growing scarcity in world resources.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":57,"text":"Finally, we renew our commitment to the continued growth and the  effectiveness of the United Nations. The frustrations of the United Nations  are a product of the world that we live in, and not of the institution  which gives them voice. It is far better to throw these differences open to  the assembly of nations than to permit them to fester in silent danger.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":58,"text":"These are some of the goals of the American Nation in the world in which we  live.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":59,"text":"For ourselves we seek neither praise nor blame, neither gratitude nor  obedience.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":60,"text":"We seek peace.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":61,"text":"We seek freedom.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":62,"text":"We seek to enrich the life of man.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":63,"text":"For that is the world in which we will flourish and that is the world that  we mean for all men to ultimately have.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":64,"text":"TOWARD THE GREAT SOCIETY  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":65,"text":"World affairs will continue to call upon our energy  and our courage.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":66,"text":"But today we can turn increased attention to the character of American  life.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":67,"text":"We are in the midst of the greatest upward surge of economic well-being in  the history of any nation.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":68,"text":"Our flourishing progress has been marked by price stability that is  unequalled in the world. Our balance of payments deficit has declined and  the soundness of our dollar is unquestioned. I pledge to keep it that way  and I urge business and labor to cooperate to that end.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":69,"text":"We worked for two centuries to climb this peak of prosperity. But we are  only at the beginning of the road to the Great Society. Ahead now is a  summit where freedom from the wants of the body can help fulfill the needs  of the spirit.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":70,"text":"We built this Nation to serve its people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":71,"text":"We want to grow and build and create, but we want progress to be the  servant and not the master of man.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":72,"text":"We do not intend to live in the midst of abundance, isolated from neighbors  and nature, confined by blighted cities and bleak suburbs, stunted by a  poverty of learning and an emptiness of leisure.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":73,"text":"The Great Society asks not how much, but how good; not only how to create  wealth but how to use it; not only how fast we are going, but where we are  headed.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":74,"text":"It proposes as the first test for a nation: the quality of its people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":75,"text":"This kind of society will not flower spontaneously from swelling riches and  surging power.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":76,"text":"It will not be the gift of government or the creation of presidents. It  will require of every American, for many generations, both faith in the  destination and the fortitude to make the journey.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":77,"text":"And like freedom itself, it will always be challenge and not fulfillment.  And tonight we accept that challenge.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":78,"text":"A NATIONAL AGENDA  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":79,"text":"I propose that we begin a program in education to ensure  every American child the fullest development of his mind and skills.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":80,"text":"I propose that we begin a massive attack on crippling and killing  diseases.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":81,"text":"I propose that we launch a national effort to make the American city a  better and a more stimulating place to live.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":82,"text":"I propose that we increase the beauty of America and end the poisoning of  our rivers and the air that we breathe.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":83,"text":"I propose that we carry out a new program to develop regions of our country  that are now suffering from distress and depression.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":84,"text":"I propose that we make new efforts to control and prevent crime and  delinquency.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":85,"text":"I propose that we eliminate every remaining obstacle to the right and the  opportunity to vote.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":86,"text":"I propose that we honor and support the achievements of thought and the  creations of art.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":87,"text":"I propose that we make an all-out campaign against waste and inefficiency.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":88,"text":"THE TASK  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":89,"text":"Our basic task is threefold:  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":90,"text":"First, to keep our economy growing;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":91,"text":"--to open for all Americans the opportunity that is now enjoyed by most  Americans;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":92,"text":"--and to improve the quality of life for all.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":93,"text":"In the next 6 weeks I will submit special messages with detailed proposals  for national action in each of these areas.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":94,"text":"Tonight I would like just briefly to explain some of my major  recommendations in the three main areas of national need.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":95,"text":"1. A GROWING ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":96,"text":"BASIC POLICIES  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":97,"text":"First, we must keep our Nation prosperous. We seek full  employment opportunity for every American citizen. I will present a budget  designed to move the economy forward. More money will be left in the hands  of the consumer by a substantial cut in excise taxes. We will continue  along the path toward a balanced budget in a balanced economy.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":98,"text":"I confidently predict--what every economic sign tells us tonight--the  continued flourishing of the American economy.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":99,"text":"But we must remember that fear of a recession can contribute to the fact of  a recession. The knowledge that our Government will, and can, move swiftly  will strengthen the confidence of investors and business.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":100,"text":"Congress can reinforce this confidence by insuring that its procedures  permit rapid action on temporary income tax cuts. And special funds for  job-creating public programs should be made available for immediate use if  recession threatens.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":101,"text":"Our continued prosperity demands continued price stability. Business,  labor, and the consumer all have a high stake in keeping wages and prices  within the framework of the guideposts that have already served the Nation  so well.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":102,"text":"Finding new markets abroad for our goods depends on the initiative of  American business. But we stand ready--with credit and other help--to  assist the flow of trade which will benefit the entire Nation.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":103,"text":"ON THE FARMS  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":104,"text":"Our economy owes much to the efficiency of our farmers. We must  continue to assure them the opportunity to earn a fair reward. I have  instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to lead a major effort to find new  approaches to reduce the heavy cost of our farm programs and to direct more  of our effort to the small farmer who needs the help the most.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":105,"text":"INCREASED PROSPERITY  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":106,"text":"We can help insure continued prosperity through:  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":107,"text":"--a regional recovery program to assist the development of stricken areas  left behind by our national progress;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":108,"text":"--further efforts to provide our workers with the skills demanded by modern  technology, for the laboring-man is an indispensable force in the American  system;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":109,"text":"--the extension of the minimum wage to more than 2 million unprotected  workers;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":110,"text":"--the improvement and the modernization of the unemployment compensation  system.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":111,"text":"And as pledged in our 1960 and 1964 Democratic platforms, I will propose to  Congress changes in the Taft-Hartley Act including section 14(b). I will do  so hoping to reduce the conflicts that for several years have divided  Americans in various States of our Union.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":112,"text":"In a country that spans a continent modern transportation is vital to  continued growth.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":113,"text":"TRANSPORTATION FOR GROWTH  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":114,"text":"I will recommend heavier reliance on competition  in transportation and a new policy for our merchant marine.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":115,"text":"I will ask for funds to study high-speed rail transportation between urban  centers. We will begin with test projects between Washington and Boston. On  high-speed trains, passengers could travel this distance in less than 4  hours.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":116,"text":"II. OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":117,"text":"Second, we must open opportunity to all our people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":118,"text":"Most Americans enjoy a good life. But far too many are still trapped in  poverty and idleness and fear.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":119,"text":"Let a just nation throw open to them the city of promise:  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":120,"text":"--to the elderly, by providing hospital care under social security and by  raising benefit payments to those struggling to maintain the dignity of  their later years;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":121,"text":"--to the poor and the unfortunate, through doubling the war against poverty  this year;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":122,"text":"--to Negro Americans, through enforcement of the civil rights law and  elimination of barriers to the right to vote;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":123,"text":"--to those in other lands that are seeking the promise of America, through  an immigration law based on the work a man can do and not where he was born  or how he spells his name.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":124,"text":"III. TO ENRICH THE LIFE OF ALL  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":125,"text":"Our third goal is to improve the quality of  American life.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":126,"text":"THROUGH EDUCATION  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":127,"text":"We begin with learning.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":128,"text":"Every child must have the best education that this Nation can provide.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":129,"text":"Thomas Jefferson said that no nation can be both ignorant and free. Today  no nation can be both ignorant and great.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":130,"text":"In addition to our existing programs, I will recommend a new program for  schools and students with a first year authorization of $1,500 million.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":131,"text":"It will help at every stage along the road to learning.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":132,"text":"For the preschool years we will help needy children become aware of the  excitement of learning.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":133,"text":"For the primary and secondary school years we will aid public schools  serving low-income families and assist students in both public and private  schools.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":134,"text":"For the college years we will provide scholarships to high school students  of the greatest promise and the greatest need and we will guarantee  low-interest loans to students continuing their college studies.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":135,"text":"New laboratories and centers will help our schools--help them lift their  standards of excellence and explore new methods of teaching. These centers  will provide special training for those who need and those who deserve  special treatment.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":136,"text":"THROUGH BETTER HEALTH  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":137,"text":"Greatness requires not only an educated people but a  healthy people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":138,"text":"Our goal is to match the achievements of our medicine to the afflictions of  our people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":139,"text":"We already carry on a large program in this country for research and  health.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":140,"text":"In addition, regional medical centers can provide the most advanced  diagnosis and treatment for heart disease and cancer and stroke and other  major diseases.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":141,"text":"New support for medical and dental education will provide the trained  people to apply our knowledge.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":142,"text":"Community centers can help the mentally ill and improve health care for  school-age children from poor families, including services for the mentally  retarded.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":143,"text":"THROUGH IMPROVING THE WORLD WE LIVE IN  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":144,"text":"The City  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":145,"text":"An educated and healthy people require surroundings in harmony with  their hopes. In our urban areas the central problem today is to protect and  restore man's satisfaction in belonging to a community where he can find  security and significance.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":146,"text":"The first step is to break old patterns--to begin to think and work and  plan for the development of the entire metropolitan areas. We will take  this step with new programs of help for the basic community facilities and  for neighborhood centers of health and recreation.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":147,"text":"New and existing programs will be open to those cities which work together  to develop unified long-range policies for metropolitan areas.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":148,"text":"We must also make some very important changes in our housing programs if we  are to pursue these same basic goals.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":149,"text":"So a Department of Housing and Urban Development will be needed to  spearhead this effort in our cities.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":150,"text":"Every citizen has the right to feel secure in his home and on the streets  of his community.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":151,"text":"To help control crime, we will recommend programs:  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":152,"text":"--to train local law enforcement officers;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":153,"text":"--to put the best techniques of modern science at their disposal;  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":154,"text":"--to discover the causes of crime and better ways to prevent it.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":155,"text":"I will soon assemble a panel of outstanding experts of this Nation to  search out answers to the national problem of crime and delinquency, and I  welcome the recommendations and the constructive efforts of the Congress.  The Beauty of America  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":156,"text":"For over three centuries the beauty of America has sustained our spirit and  has enlarged our vision. We must act now to protect this heritage. In a  fruitful new partnership with the States and the cities the next decade  should be a conservation milestone. We must make a massive effort to save  the countryside and to establish--as a green legacy for tomorrow--more  large and small parks, more seashores and open spaces than have been  created during any other period in our national history.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":157,"text":"A new and substantial effort must be made to landscape highways to provide  places of relaxation and recreation wherever our roads run,  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":158,"text":"Within our cities imaginative programs are needed to landscape streets and  to transform open areas into places of beauty and recreation.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":159,"text":"We will seek legal power to prevent pollution of our air and water before  it happens. We will step up our effort to control harmful wastes, giving  first priority to the cleanup of our most contaminated rivers. We will  increase research to learn much more about the control of pollution.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":160,"text":"We hope to make the Potomac a model of beauty here in the Capital, and  preserve unspoiled stretches of some of our waterways with a Wild Rivers  bill.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":161,"text":"More ideas for a beautiful America will emerge from a White House  Conference on Natural Beauty which I will soon call.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":162,"text":"Art and Science  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":163,"text":"We must also recognize and encourage those who can be  pathfinders for the Nation's imagination and understanding.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":164,"text":"To help promote and honor creative achievements, I will propose a National  Foundation on the Arts.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":165,"text":"To develop knowledge which will enrich our lives and ensure our progress, I  will recommend programs to encourage basic science, particularly in the  universities--and to bring closer the day when the oceans will supply our  growing need for fresh water.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":166,"text":"For government to serve these goals it must be modern in structure,  efficient in action, and ready for any emergency.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":167,"text":"I am busy, currently, reviewing the structure of the entire executive  branch of this Government. I hope to reshape it and to reorganize it to  meet more effectively the tasks of the 20th century.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":168,"text":"Wherever waste is found, I will eliminate it.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":169,"text":"Last year we saved almost $3,500 million by eliminating waste in the  National Government.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":170,"text":"And I intend to do better this year.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":171,"text":"And very soon I will report to you on our progress and on new economies  that your Government plans to make.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":172,"text":"Even the best of government is subject to the worst of hazards.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":173,"text":"I will propose laws to insure the necessary continuity of leadership should  the President become disabled or die.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":174,"text":"In addition, I will propose reforms in the electoral college--leaving  undisturbed the vote by States--but making sure that no elector can  substitute his will for that of the people.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":175,"text":"Last year, in a sad moment, I came here and I spoke to you after 33 years  of public service, practically all of them here on this Hill.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":176,"text":"This year I speak after 1 year as President of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":177,"text":"Many of you in this Chamber are among my oldest friends. We have shared  many happy moments and many hours of work, and we have watched many  Presidents together. Yet, only in the White House can you finally know the  full weight of this Office.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":178,"text":"The greatest burden is not running the huge operations of government--or  meeting daily troubles, large and small--or even working with the  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":179,"text":"A President's hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is  right.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":180,"text":"Yet the Presidency brings no special gift of prophecy or foresight. You  take an oath, you step into an office, and you must then help guide a great  democracy.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":181,"text":"The answer was waiting for me in the land where I was born.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":182,"text":"It was once barren land. The angular hills were covered with scrub cedar  and a few large live oaks. Little would grow in that harsh caliche soil of  my country. And each spring the Pedernales River would flood our valley.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":183,"text":"But men came and they worked and they endured and they built.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":184,"text":"And tonight that country is abundant; abundant with fruit and cattle and  goats and sheep, and there are pleasant homes and lakes and the floods are  gone.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":185,"text":"Why did men come to that once forbidding land?  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":186,"text":"Well, they were restless, of course, and they had to be moving on. But  there was more than that. There was a dream--a dream of a place where a  free man could build for himself, and raise his children to a better  life--a dream of a continent to be conquered, a world to be won, a nation  to be made.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":187,"text":"Remembering this, I knew the answer.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":188,"text":"A President does not shape a new and personal vision of America.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":189,"text":"He collects it from the scattered hopes of the American past.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":190,"text":"It existed when the first settlers saw the coast of a new world, and when  the first pioneers moved westward.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":191,"text":"It has guided us every step of the way.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":192,"text":"It sustains every President. But it is also your inheritance and it belongs  equally to all the people that we all serve.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":193,"text":"It must be interpreted anew by each generation for its own needs; as I have  tried, in part, to do tonight.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":194,"text":"It shall lead us as we enter the third century of the search for a more  perfect union?  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":195,"text":"This, then, is the state of the Union: Free and restless, growing and full  of hope.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":196,"text":"So it was in the beginning.  "}
{"year":"1965","paragraph":197,"text":"So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to  keep the faith.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the House and the Senate, my fellow  Americans:  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":2,"text":"I come before you tonight to report on the State of the Union for the third  time.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":3,"text":"I come here to thank you and to add my tribute, once more, to the Nation's  gratitude for this, the 89th Congress. This Congress has already reserved  for itself an honored chapter in the history of America.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":4,"text":"Our Nation tonight is engaged in a brutal and bitter conflict in Vietnam.  Later on I want to discuss that struggle in some detail with you. It just  must be the center of our concerns.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":5,"text":"But we will not permit those who fire upon us in Vietnam to win a victory  over the desires and the intentions of all the American people. This Nation  is mighty enough, its society is healthy enough, its people are strong  enough, to pursue our goals in the rest of the world while still building a  Great Society here at home.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":6,"text":"And that is what I have come here to ask of you tonight.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":7,"text":"I recommend that you provide the resources to carry forward, with full  vigor, the great health and education programs that you enacted into law  last year.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":8,"text":"I recommend that we prosecute with vigor and determination our war on  poverty.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":9,"text":"I recommend that you give a new and daring direction to our foreign aid  program, designed to make a maximum attack on hunger and disease and  ignorance in those countries that are determined to help themselves, and to  help those nations that are trying to control population growth.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":10,"text":"I recommend that you make it possible to expand trade between the United  States and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":11,"text":"I recommend to you a program to rebuild completely, on a scale never before  attempted, entire central and slum areas of several of our cities in  America.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":12,"text":"I recommend that you attack the wasteful and degrading poisoning of our  rivers, and, as the cornerstone of this effort, clean completely entire  large river basins.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":13,"text":"I recommend that you meet the growing menace of crime in the streets by  building up law enforcement and by revitalizing the entire Federal system  from prevention to probation.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":14,"text":"I recommend that you take additional steps to insure equal justice to all  of our people by effectively enforcing nondiscrimination in Federal and  State jury selection, by making it a serious Federal crime to obstruct  public and private efforts to secure civil rights, and by outlawing  discrimination in the sale and rental of housing.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":15,"text":"I recommend that you help me modernize and streamline the Federal  Government by creating a new Cabinet level Department of Transportation and  reorganizing several existing agencies. In turn, I will restructure our  civil service in the top grades so that men and women can easily be  assigned to jobs where they are most needed, and ability will be both  required as well as rewarded.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":16,"text":"I will ask you to make it possible for Members of the House of  Representatives to work more effectively in the service of the Nation  through a constitutional amendment extending the term of a Congressman to 4  years, concurrent with that of the President. II.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":17,"text":"Because of Vietnam we cannot do all that we should, or all that we would  like to do. We will ruthlessly attack waste and inefficiency. We will make  sure that every dollar is spent with the thrift and with the commonsense  which recognizes how hard the taxpayer worked in order to earn it.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":18,"text":"We will continue to meet the needs of our people by continuing to develop  the Great Society.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":19,"text":"Last year alone the wealth that we produced increased $47 billion, and it  will soar again this year to a total over $720 billion.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":20,"text":"Because our economic policies have produced rising revenues, if you approve  every program that I recommend tonight, our total budget deficit will be  one of the lowest in many years. It will be only $1.8 billion next year.  Total spending in the administrative budget will be $112.8 billion.  Revenues next year will be $111 billion.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":21,"text":"On a cash basis--which is the way that you and I keep our family  budget--the Federal budget next year will actually show a surplus. That is  to say, if we include all the money that your Government will take in and  all the money that your Government will spend, your Government next year  will collect one-half billion dollars more than it will spend in the year  1967.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":22,"text":"I have not come here tonight to ask for pleasant luxuries or for idle  pleasures. I have come here to recommend that you, the representatives of  the richest Nation on earth, you, the elected servants of a people who live  in abundance unmatched on this globe, you bring the most urgent decencies  of life to all of your fellow Americans.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":23,"text":"There are men who cry out: We must sacrifice. Well, let us rather ask them:  Who will they sacrifice? Are they going to sacrifice the children who seek  the learning, or the sick who need medical care, or the families who dwell  in squalor now brightened by the hope of home? Will they sacrifice  opportunity for the distressed, the beauty of our land, the hope of our  poor?  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":24,"text":"Time may require further sacrifices. And if it does, then we will make  them.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":25,"text":"But we will not heed those who wring it from the hopes of the unfortunate  here in a land of plenty.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":26,"text":"I believe that we can continue the Great Society while we fight in Vietnam.  But if there are some who do not believe this, then, in the name of  justice, let them call for the contribution of those who live in the  fullness of our blessing, rather than try to strip it from the hands of  those that are most in need.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":27,"text":"And let no one think that the unfortunate and the oppressed of this land  sit stifled and alone in their hope tonight. Hundreds of their servants and  their protectors sit before me tonight here in this great Chamber. III.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":28,"text":"The Great Society leads us along three roads--growth and justice and  liberation.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":29,"text":"I can report to you tonight what you have seen for yourselves already--in  every city and countryside. This Nation is flourishing.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":30,"text":"Workers are making more money than ever--with after-tax income in the past  5 years up 33 percent; in the last year alone, up 8 percent.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":31,"text":"More people are working than ever before in our history--an increase last  year of 2 1/2 million jobs.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":32,"text":"Corporations have greater after-tax earnings than ever in history. For the  past 5 years those earnings have been up over 65 percent, and last year  alone they had a rise of 20 percent.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":33,"text":"Average farm income is higher than ever. Over the past 5 years it is up 40  percent, and over the past year it is up 22 percent alone.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":34,"text":"I was informed this afternoon by the distinguished Secretary of the  Treasury that his preliminary estimates indicate that our balance of  payments deficit has been reduced from $2.8 billion in 1964 to $1.3  billion, or less, in 1965. This achievement has been made possible by the  patriotic voluntary cooperation of businessmen and bankers working with  your Government.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":35,"text":"We must now work together with increased urgency to wipe out this balance  of payments deficit altogether in the next year.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":36,"text":"And as our economy surges toward new heights we must increase our vigilance  against the inflation which raises the cost of living and which lowers the  savings of every family in this land. It is essential, to prevent  inflation, that we ask both labor and business to exercise price and wage  restraint, and I do so again tonight.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":37,"text":"I believe it desirable, because of increased military expenditures, that  you temporarily restore the automobile and certain telephone excise tax  reductions made effective only 12 days ago. Without raising taxes--or even  increasing the total tax bill paid--we should move to improve our  withholding system so that Americans can more realistically pay as they go,  speed up the collection of corporate taxes, and make other necessary  simplifications of the tax structure at an early date.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":38,"text":"I hope these measures will be adequate. But if the necessities of Vietnam  require it, I will not hesitate to return to the Congress for additional  appropriations, or additional revenues if they are needed.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":39,"text":"I propose legislation to establish unavoidable requirements for  nondiscriminatory jury selection in Federal and State courts--and to give  the Attorney General the power necessary to enforce those requirements.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":40,"text":"I propose legislation to strengthen authority of Federal courts to try  those who murder, attack, or intimidate either civil rights workers or  others exercising their constitutional rights--and to increase penalties to  a level equal to the nature of the crime.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":41,"text":"Legislation, resting on the fullest constitutional authority of the Federal  Government, to prohibit racial discrimination in the sale or rental of  housing.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":42,"text":"For that other nation within a Nation--the poor--whose distress has now  captured the conscience of America, I will ask the Congress not only to  continue, but to speed up the war on poverty. And in so doing, we will  provide the added energy of achievement with the increased efficiency of  experience.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":43,"text":"To improve the life of our rural Americans and our farm population, we will  plan for the future through the establishment of several new Community  Development Districts, improved education through the use of Teacher Corps  teams, better health measures, physical examinations, and adequate and  available medical resources.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":44,"text":"For those who labor, I propose to improve unemployment insurance, to expand  minimum wage benefits, and by the repeal of section 14(b) of the  Taft-Hartley Act to make the labor laws in all our States equal to the laws  of the 31 States which do not have tonight right-to-work measures.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":45,"text":"And I also intend to ask the Congress to consider measures which, without  improperly invading State and local authority, will enable us effectively  to deal with strikes which threaten irreparable damage to the national  interest.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":46,"text":"Yet, slowly, painfully, on the edge of victory, has come the knowledge that  shared prosperity is not enough. In the midst of abundance modern man walks  oppressed by forces which menace and confine the quality of his life, and  which individual abundance alone will not overcome.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":47,"text":"We can subdue and we can master these forces--bring increased meaning to  our lives--if all of us, Government and citizens, are bold enough to change  old ways, daring enough to assault new dangers, and if the dream is dear  enough to call forth the limitless capacities of this great people.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":48,"text":"This year we must continue to improve the quality of American life.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":49,"text":"Let us fulfill and improve the great health and education programs of last  year, extending special opportunities to those who risk their lives in our  Armed Forces.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":50,"text":"I urge the House of Representatives to complete action on three programs  already passed by the Senate--the Teacher Corps, rent assistance, and home  rule for the District of Columbia.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":51,"text":"In some of our urban areas we must help rebuild entire sections and  neighborhoods containing, in some cases, as many as 100,000 people. Working  together, private enterprise and government must press forward with the  task of providing homes and shops, parks and hospitals, and all the other  necessary parts of a flourishing community where our people can come to  live the good life.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":52,"text":"I will offer other proposals to stimulate and to reward planning for the  growth of entire metropolitan areas.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":53,"text":"Of all the reckless devastations of our national heritage, none is really  more shameful than the continued poisoning of our rivers and our air.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":54,"text":"We must undertake a cooperative effort to end pollution in several river  basins, making additional funds available to help draw the plans and  construct the plants that are necessary to make the waters of our entire  river systems clean, and make them a source of pleasure and beauty for all  of our people.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":55,"text":"To attack and to overcome growing crime and lawlessness, I think we must  have a stepped-up program to help modernize and strengthen our local police  forces.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":56,"text":"Our people have a right to feel secure in their homes and on their  streets--and that right just must be secured.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":57,"text":"Nor can we fail to arrest the destruction of life and property on our  highways.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":58,"text":"I will propose a Highway Safety Act of 1966 to seek an end to this mounting  tragedy.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":59,"text":"We must also act to prevent the deception of the American  consumer--requiring all packages to state clearly and truthfully their  contents--all interest and credit charges to be fully revealed--and keeping  harmful drugs and cosmetics away from our stores.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":60,"text":"It is the genius of our Constitution that under its shelter of enduring  institutions and rooted principles there is ample room for the rich  fertility of American political invention. We must change to master  change.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":61,"text":"I propose to take steps to modernize and streamline the executive branch,  to modernize the relations between city and State and Nation.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":62,"text":"A new Department of Transportation is needed to bring together our  transportation activities. The present structure--35 Government agencies,  spending $5 billion yearly--makes it almost impossible to serve either the  growing demands of this great Nation or the needs of the industry, or the  right of the taxpayer to full efficiency and real frugality.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":63,"text":"I will propose in addition a program to construct and to flight-test a new  supersonic transport airplane that will fly three times the speed of  sound--in excess of 2,000 miles per hour.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":64,"text":"I propose to examine our Federal system--the relation between city, State,  Nation, and the citizens themselves. We need a commission of the most  distinguished scholars and men of public affairs to do this job. I will ask  them to move on to develop a creative federalism to best use the wonderful  diversity of our institutions and our people to solve the problems and to  fulfill the dreams of the American people.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":65,"text":"As the process of election becomes more complex and more costly, we must  make it possible for those without personal wealth to enter public life  without being obligated to a few large contributors.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":66,"text":"Therefore, I will submit legislation to revise the present unrealistic  restriction on contributions--to prohibit the endless proliferation of  committees, bringing local and State committees under the act--to attach  strong teeth and severe penalties to the requirement of full disclosure of  contributions--and to broaden the participation of the people, through added  tax incentives, to stimulate small contributions to the party and to the  candidate of their choice.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":67,"text":"To strengthen the work of Congress I strongly urge an amendment to provide  a 4-year term for Members of the House of Representatives--which should not  begin before 1972.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":68,"text":"The present 2-year term requires most Members of Congress to divert  enormous energies to an almost constant process of campaigning--depriving  this Nation of the fullest measure of both their skill and their wisdom.  Today, too, the work of government is far more complex than in our early  years, requiring more time to learn and more time to master the technical  tasks of legislating. And a longer term will serve to attract more men of  the highest quality to political life. The Nation, the principle of  democracy, and, I think, each congressional district, will all be better  served by a 4-year term for Members of the House. And I urge your swift  action. IV.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":69,"text":"Tonight the cup of peril is full in Vietnam. That conflict is not an  isolated episode, but another great event in the policy that we have  followed with strong consistency since World War II.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":70,"text":"The touchstone of that policy is the interest of the United States--the  welfare and the freedom of the people of the United States. But nations  sink when they see that interest only through a narrow glass.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":71,"text":"In a world that has grown small and dangerous, pursuit of narrow aims could  bring decay and even disaster.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":72,"text":"An America that is mighty beyond description--yet living in a hostile or  despairing world--would be neither safe nor free to build a civilization to  liberate the spirit of man.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":73,"text":"In this pursuit we helped rebuild Western Europe. We gave our aid to Greece  and Turkey, and we defended the freedom of Berlin.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":74,"text":"In this pursuit we have helped new nations toward independence. We have  extended the helping hand of the Peace Corps and carried forward the  largest program of economic assistance in the world.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":75,"text":"And in this pursuit we work to build a hemisphere of democracy and of  social justice.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":76,"text":"In this pursuit we have defended against Communist aggression--in Korea  under President Truman--in the Formosa Straits under President  Eisenhower--in Cuba under President Kennedy--and again in Vietnam.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":77,"text":"Tonight Vietnam must hold the center of our attention, but across the world  problems and opportunities crowd in on the American Nation. I will discuss  them fully in the months to come, and I will follow the five continuing  lines of policy that America has followed under its last four Presidents.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":78,"text":"While special Vietnam expenditures for the next fiscal year are estimated  to increase by $5.8 billion, I can tell you that all the other expenditures  put together in the entire Federal budget will rise this coming year by  only $.6 billion. This is true because of the stringent cost-conscious  economy program inaugurated in the Defense Department, and followed by the  other departments of Government.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":79,"text":"We will vigorously pursue existing proposals--and seek new ones--to control  arms and to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":80,"text":"By strengthening the common defense, by stimulating world commerce, by  meeting new hopes, these associations serve the cause of a flourishing  world.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":81,"text":"We will take new steps this year to help strengthen the Alliance for  Progress, the unity of Europe, the community of the Atlantic, the regional  organizations of developing continents, and that supreme association--the  United Nations.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":82,"text":"We will work to strengthen economic cooperation, to reduce barriers to  trade, and to improve international finance.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":83,"text":"From the Marshall plan to this very moment tonight, that policy has rested  on the claims of compassion, and the certain knowledge that only a people  advancing in expectation will build secure and peaceful lands.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":84,"text":"This year I propose major new directions in our program of foreign  assistance to help those countries who will help themselves.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":85,"text":"We will conduct a worldwide attack on the problems of hunger and disease  and ignorance.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":86,"text":"We will place the matchless skill and the resources of our own great  America, in farming and in fertilizers, at the service of those countries  committed to develop a modern agriculture.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":87,"text":"We will aid those who educate the young in other lands, and we will give  children in other continents the same head start that we are trying to give  our own children. To advance these ends I will propose the International  Education Act of 1966.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":88,"text":"I will also propose the International Health Act of 1966 to strike at  disease by a new effort to bring modern skills and knowledge to the  uncared-for, those suffering in the world, and by trying to wipe out  smallpox and malaria and control yellow fever over most of the world during  this next decade; to help countries trying to control population growth, by  increasing our research--and we will earmark funds to help their efforts.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":89,"text":"In the next year, from our foreign aid sources, we propose to dedicate $1  billion to these efforts, and we call on all who have the means to join us  in this work in the world.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":90,"text":"For a peaceful world order will be possible only when each country walks  the way that it has chosen to walk for itself.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":91,"text":"We follow this principle by encouraging the end of colonial rule.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":92,"text":"We follow this principle, abroad as well as at home, by continued hostility  to the rule of the many by the few--or the oppression of one race by  another.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":93,"text":"We follow this principle by building bridges to Eastern Europe. And I will  ask the Congress for authority to remove the special tariff restrictions  which are a barrier to increasing trade between the East and the West.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":94,"text":"The insistent urge toward national independence is the strongest force of  today's world in which we live.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":95,"text":"In Africa and Asia and Latin America it is shattering the designs of those  who would subdue others to their ideas or their will.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":96,"text":"It is eroding the unity of what was once a Stalinist empire.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":97,"text":"In recent months a number of nations have east out those who would subject  them to the ambitions of mainland China.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":98,"text":"History is on the side of freedom and is on the side of societies shaped  from the genius of each people. History does not favor a single system or  belief--unless force is used to make it so.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":99,"text":"That is why it has been necessary for us to defend this basic principle of  our policy, to defend it in Berlin, in Korea, in Cuba--and tonight in  Vietnam.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":100,"text":"For tonight, as so many nights before, young Americans struggle and young  Americans die in a distant land.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":101,"text":"Tonight, as so many nights before, the American Nation is asked to  sacrifice the blood of its children and the fruits of its labor for the  love of its freedom.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":102,"text":"How many times--in my lifetime and in yours--have the American people  gathered, as they do now, to hear their President tell them of conflict and  tell them of danger?  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":103,"text":"Each time they have answered. They have answered with all the effort that  the security and the freedom of this Nation required.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":104,"text":"And they do again tonight in Vietnam. Not too many years ago Vietnam was a  peaceful, if troubled, land. In the North was an independent Communist  government. In the South a people struggled to build a nation, with the  friendly help of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":105,"text":"There were some in South Vietnam who wished to force Communist rule on  their own people. But their progress was slight. Their hope of success was  dim. Then, little more than 6 years ago, North Vietnam decided on conquest.  And from that day to this, soldiers and supplies have moved from North to  South in a swelling stream that is swallowing the remnants of revolution in  aggression.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":106,"text":"As the assault mounted, our choice gradually became clear. We could leave,  abandoning South Vietnam to its attackers and to certain conquest, or we  could stay and fight beside the people of South Vietnam. We stayed.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":107,"text":"And we will stay until aggression has stopped.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":108,"text":"We will stay because a just nation cannot leave to the cruelties of its  enemies a people who have staked their lives and independence on America's  solemn pledge--a pledge which has grown through the commitments of three  American Presidents.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":109,"text":"We will stay because in Asia and around the world are countries whose  independence rests, in large measure, on confidence in America's word and  in America's protection. To yield to force in Vietnam would weaken that  confidence, would undermine the independence of many lands, and would whet  the appetite of aggression. We would have to fight in one land, and then we  would have to fight in another--or abandon much of Asia to the domination  of Communists.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":110,"text":"And we do not intend to abandon Asia to conquest.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":111,"text":"Last year the nature of the war in Vietnam changed again. Swiftly  increasing numbers of armed men from the North crossed the borders to join  forces that were already in the South. Attack and terror increased, spurred  and encouraged by the belief that the United States lacked the will to  continue and that their victory was near.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":112,"text":"Despite our desire to limit conflict, it was necessary to act: to hold back  the mounting aggression, to give courage to the people of the South, and to  make our firmness clear to the North. Thus. we began limited air action  against military targets in North Vietnam. We increased our fighting force  to its present strength tonight of 190,000 men.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":113,"text":"These moves have not ended the aggression but they have prevented its  success. The aims of the enemy have been put out of reach by the skill and  the bravery of Americans and their allies--and by the enduring courage of  the South Vietnamese who, I can tell you, have lost eight men last year for  every one of ours.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":114,"text":"The enemy is no longer close to victory. Time is no longer on his side.  There is no cause to doubt the American commitment.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":115,"text":"Our decision to stand firm has been matched by our desire for peace.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":116,"text":"In 1965 alone we had 300 private talks for peace in Vietnam, with friends  and adversaries throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":117,"text":"Since Christmas your Government has labored again, with imagination and  endurance, to remove any barrier to peaceful settlement. For 20 days now we  and our Vietnamese allies have dropped no bombs in North Vietnam.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":118,"text":"Able and experienced spokesmen have visited, in behalf of America, more  than 40 countries. We have talked to more than a hundred governments, all  113 that we have relations with, and some that we don't. We have talked to  the United Nations and we have called upon all of its members to make any  contribution that they can toward helping obtain peace.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":119,"text":"In public statements and in private communications, to adversaries and to  friends, in Rome and Warsaw, in Paris and Tokyo, in Africa and throughout  this hemisphere, America has made her position abundantly clear.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":120,"text":"We seek neither territory nor bases, economic domination or military  alliance in Vietnam. We fight for the principle of self-determination--that  the people of South Vietnam should be able to choose their own course,  choose it in free elections without violence, without terror, and without  fear.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":121,"text":"The people of all Vietnam should make a free decision on the great question  of reunification.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":122,"text":"This is all we want for South Vietnam. It is all the people of South  Vietnam want. And if there is a single nation on this earth that desires  less than this for its own people, then let its voice be heard.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":123,"text":"We have also made it clear--from Hanoi to New York--that there are no  arbitrary limits to our search for peace. We stand by the Geneva Agreements  of 1954 and 1962. We will meet at any conference table, we will discuss any  proposals--four points or fourteen or forty--and we will consider the views  of any group. We will work for a cease-fire now or once discussions have  begun. We will respond if others reduce their use of force, and we will  withdraw our soldiers once South Vietnam is securely guaranteed the right  to shape its own future.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":124,"text":"We have said all this, and we have asked--and hoped--and we have waited for  a response.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":125,"text":"So far we have received no response to prove either success or failure.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":126,"text":"We have carried our quest for peace to many nations and peoples because we  share this planet with others whose future, in large measure, is tied to  our own action, and whose counsel is necessary to our own hopes.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":127,"text":"We have found understanding and support. And we know they wait with us  tonight for some response that could lead to peace.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":128,"text":"I wish tonight that I could give you a blueprint for the course of this  conflict over the coming months, but we just cannot know what the future  may require. We may have to face long, hard combat or a long, hard  conference, or even both at once.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":129,"text":"Until peace comes, or if it does not come, our course is clear. We will act  as we must to help protect the independence of the valiant people of South  Vietnam. We will strive to limit the conflict, for we wish neither  increased destruction nor do we want to invite increased danger.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":130,"text":"But we will give our fighting men what they must have: every gun, and every  dollar, and every decision--whatever the cost or whatever the challenge.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":131,"text":"And we will continue to help the people of South Vietnam care for those  that are ravaged by battle, create progress in the villages, and carry  forward the healing hopes of peace as best they can amidst the uncertain  terrors of war.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":132,"text":"And let me be absolutely clear: The days may become months, and the months  may become years, but we will stay as long as aggression commands us to  battle.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":133,"text":"There may be some who do not want peace, whose ambitions stretch so far  that war in Vietnam is but a welcome and convenient episode in an immense  design to subdue history to their will. But for others it must now be  clear--the choice is not between peace and victory, it lies between peace  and the ravages of a conflict from which they can only lose.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":134,"text":"The people of Vietnam, North and South, seek the same things: the shared  needs of man, the needs for food and shelter and education--the chance to  build and work and till the soil, free from the arbitrary horrors of  battle--the desire to walk in the dignity of those who master their own  destiny. For many painful years, in war and revolution and infrequent  peace, they have struggled to fulfill those needs.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":135,"text":"It is a crime against mankind that so much courage, and so much will, and  so many dreams, must be flung on the fires of war and death.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":136,"text":"To all of those caught up in this conflict we therefore say again tonight:  Let us choose peace, and with it the wondrous works of peace, and beyond  that, the time when hope reaches toward consummation, and life is the  servant of life.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":137,"text":"In this work, we plan to discharge our duty to the people whom we serve.  V.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":138,"text":"This is the State of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":139,"text":"But over it all--wealth, and promise, and expectation--lies our troubling  awareness of American men at war tonight.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":140,"text":"How many men who listen to me tonight have served their Nation in other  wars? How very many are not here to listen?  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":141,"text":"The war in Vietnam is not like these other wars. Yet, finally, war is  always the same. It is young men dying in the fullness of their promise. It  is trying to kill a man that you do not even know well enough to hate.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":142,"text":"Therefore, to know war is to know that there is still madness in this  world.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":143,"text":"Many of you share the burden of this knowledge tonight with me. But there  is a difference. For finally I must be the one to order our guns to fire,  against all the most inward pulls of my desire. For we have children to  teach, and we have sick to be cured, and we have men to be freed. There are  poor to be lifted up, and there are cities to be built, and there is a  world to be helped.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":144,"text":"Yet we do what we must.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":145,"text":"I am hopeful, and I will try as best I can, with everything I have got, to  end this battle and to return our sons to their desires.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":146,"text":"Yet as long as others will challenge America's security and test the  clearness of our beliefs with fire and steel, then we must stand or see the  promise of two centuries tremble. I believe tonight that you do not want me  to try that risk. And from that belief your President summons his strength  for the trials that lie ahead in the days to come.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":147,"text":"The work must be our work now. Scarred by the weaknesses of man, with  whatever guidance God may offer us, we must nevertheless and alone with our  mortality, strive to ennoble the life of man on earth.  "}
{"year":"1966","paragraph":148,"text":"Thank you, and goodnight.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, distinguished Members of the Congress:  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":2,"text":"I share with all of you the grief that you feel at the death today of one  of the most beloved, respected, and effective Members of this body, the  distinguished Representative from Rhode Island, Mr. Fogarty.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":3,"text":"I have come here tonight to report to you that this is a time of testing  for our Nation.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":4,"text":"At home, the question is whether we will continue working for better  opportunities for all Americans, when most Americans are already living  better than any people in history.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":5,"text":"Abroad, the question is whether we have the staying power to fight a very  costly war, when the objective is limited and the danger to us is seemingly  remote.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":6,"text":"So our test is not whether we shrink from our country's cause when the  dangers to us are obvious and dose at hand, but, rather, whether we carry  on when they seem obscure and distant--and some think that it is safe to  lay down our burdens.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":7,"text":"I have come tonight to ask this Congress and this Nation to resolve that  issue: to meet our commitments at home and abroad--to continue to build a  better America--and to reaffirm this Nation's allegiance to freedom.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":8,"text":"As President Abraham Lincoln said, \"We must ask where we are, and whither  we are tending.\" I.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":9,"text":"The last 3 years bear witness to our determination to make this a better  country.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":10,"text":"We have struck down legal barriers to equality.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":11,"text":"We have improved the education of 7 million deprived children and this year  alone we have enabled almost 1 million students to go to college.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":12,"text":"We have brought medical care to older people who were unable to afford it.  Three and one-half million Americans have already received treatment under  Medicare since July.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":13,"text":"We have built a strong economy that has put almost 3 million more Americans  on the payrolls in the last year alone.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":14,"text":"We have included more than 9 million new workers under a higher minimum  wage.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":15,"text":"We have launched new training programs to provide job skills for almost 1  million Americans.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":16,"text":"We have helped more than a thousand local communities to attack poverty in  the neighborhoods of the poor. We have set out to rebuild our cities on a  scale that has never been attempted before. We have begun to rescue our  waters from the menace of pollution and to restore the beauty of our land  and our countryside, our cities and our towns.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":17,"text":"We have given 1 million young Americans a chance to earn through the  Neighborhood Youth Corps--or through Head Start, a chance to learn.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":18,"text":"So together we have tried to meet the needs of our people. And, we have  succeeded in creating a better life for the many as well as the few. Now we  must answer whether our gains shall be the foundations of further progress,  or whether they shall be only monuments to what might have been--abandoned  now by a people who lacked the will to see their great work through.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":19,"text":"I believe that our people do not want to quit--though the task is great,  the work hard, often frustrating, and success is a matter not of days or  months, but of years--and sometimes it may be even decades. II.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":20,"text":"I have come here tonight to discuss with you five ways of carrying forward  the progress of these last 3 years. These five ways concern programs,  partnerships, priorities, prosperity, and peace.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":21,"text":"First, programs. We must see to it, I think, that these new programs that  we have passed work effectively and are administered in the best possible  way.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":22,"text":"Three years ago we set out to create these new instruments of social  progress. This required trial and error--and it has produced both. But as  we learn, through success and failure, we are changing our strategy and we  are trying to improve our tactics. In the long run, these starts--some  rewarding, others inadequate and disappointing--are crucial to SUCCESS.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":23,"text":"One example is the struggle to make life better for the less fortunate  among us.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":24,"text":"On a similar occasion, at this rostrum in 1949, I heard a great American  President, Harry S. Truman, declare this: \"The American people have decided  that poverty is just as wasteful and just as unnecessary as preventable  disease.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":25,"text":"Many listened to President Truman that day here in this Chamber, but few  understood what was required and did anything about it. The executive  branch and the Congress waited 15 long years before ever taking any action  on that challenge, as it did on many other challenges that great President  presented. And when, 3 years ago, you here in the Congress joined with me  in a declaration of war on poverty, then I warned, \"It will not be a short  or easy struggle--no single weapon... will suffice--but we shall not rest  until that war is won.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":26,"text":"And I have come here to renew that pledge tonight.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":27,"text":"I recommend that we intensify our efforts to give the poor a chance to  enjoy and to join in this Nation's progress.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":28,"text":"I shall propose certain administrative changes suggested by the  Congress--as well as some that we have learned from our own trial and  error.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":29,"text":"I shall urge special methods and special funds to reach the hundreds of  thousands of Americans that are now trapped in the ghettos of our big  cities and, through Head Start, to try to reach out to our very young,  little children. The chance to learn is their brightest hope and must  command our full determination. For learning brings skills; and skills  bring jobs; and jobs bring responsibility and dignity, as well as taxes.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":30,"text":"This war--like the war in Vietnam--is not a simple one. There is no single  battle-line which you can plot each day on a chart. The enemy is not easy to  perceive, or to isolate, or to destroy. There are mistakes and there are  setbacks. But we are moving, and our direction is forward.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":31,"text":"This is true with other programs that are making and breaking new ground.  Some do not yet have the capacity to absorb well or wisely all the money  that could be put into them. Administrative skills and trained manpower are  just as vital to their success as dollars. And I believe those skills will  come. But it will take time and patience and hard work. Success cannot be  forced at a single stroke. So we must continue to strengthen the  administration of every program if that success is to come--as we know it  must.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":32,"text":"We have done much in the space of 2 short years, working together.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":33,"text":"I have recommended, and you, the Congress, have approved, 10 different  reorganization plans, combining and consolidating many bureaus of this  Government, and creating two entirely new Cabinet departments.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":34,"text":"I have come tonight to propose that we establish a new department--a  Department of Business and Labor.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":35,"text":"By combining the Department of Commerce with the Department of Labor and  other related agencies, I think we can create a more economical, efficient,  and streamlined instrument that will better serve a growing nation.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":36,"text":"This is our goal throughout the entire Federal Government. Every program  will be thoroughly evaluated. Grant-in-aid programs will be improved and  simplified as desired by many of our local administrators and our  Governors.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":37,"text":"Where there have been mistakes, we will try very hard to correct them.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":38,"text":"Where there has been progress, we will try to build upon it.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":39,"text":"Our second objective is partnership--to create an effective partnership at  all levels of government. And I should treasure nothing more than to have  that partnership begin between the executive and the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":40,"text":"The 88th and the 89th Congresses passed more social and economic  legislation than any two single Congresses in American history. Most of you  who were Members of those Congresses voted to pass most of those measures.  But your efforts will come to nothing unless it reaches the people.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":41,"text":"Federal energy is essential. But it is not enough. Only a total working  partnership among Federal, State, and local governments can succeed. The  test of that partnership will be the concern of each public organization,  each private institution, and each responsible citizen.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":42,"text":"Each State, county, and city needs to examine its capacity for government  in today's world, as we are examining ours in the executive department, and  as I see you are examining yours. Some will need to reorganize and reshape  their methods of administration--as we are doing. Others will need to revise  their constitutions and their laws to bring them up to date--as we are  doing. Above all, I think we must work together and find ways in which the  multitudes of small jurisdictions can be brought together more  efficiently.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":43,"text":"During the past 3 years we have returned to State and local governments  about $40 billion in grants-in-aid. This year alone, 70 percent of our  Federal expenditures for domestic programs will be distributed through the  State and local governments. With Federal assistance, State and local  governments by 1970 will be spending close to $110 billion annually. These  enormous sums must be used wisely, honestly, and effectively. We intend to  work closely with the States and the localities to do exactly that.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":44,"text":"Our third objective is priorities, to move ahead on the priorities that we  have established within the resources that are available.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":45,"text":"I wish, of course, that we could do all that should be done--and that we  could do it now. But the Nation has many commitments and responsibilities  which make heavy demands upon our total resources. No administration would  more eagerly utilize for these programs all the resources they require than  the administration that started them.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":46,"text":"So let us resolve, now, to do all that we can, with what we have--knowing  that it is far, far more than we have ever done before, and far, far less  than our problems will ultimately require.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":47,"text":"Let us create new opportunities for our children and our young Americans  who need special help.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":48,"text":"We should strengthen the Head Start program, begin it for children 3 years  old, and maintain its educational momentum by following through in the  early years.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":49,"text":"We should try new methods of child development and care from the earliest  years, before it is too late to correct.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":50,"text":"And I will propose these measures to the 90th Congress.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":51,"text":"Let us insure that older Americans, and neglected Americans, share in their  Nation's progress.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":52,"text":"We should raise social security payments by an overall average of 20  percent. That will add $4 billion 100 million to social security payments  in the first year. I will recommend that each of the 23 million Americans  now receiving payments get an increase of at least 15 percent.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":53,"text":"I will ask that you raise the minimum payments by 59 percent--from $44 to  $70 a month, and to guarantee a minimum benefit of $100 a month for those  with a total of 25 years of coverage. We must raise the limits that retired  workers can earn without losing social security income.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":54,"text":"We must eliminate by law unjust discrimination in employment because of  age.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":55,"text":"We should embark upon a major effort to provide self-help assistance to the  forgotten in our midst--the American Indians and the migratory farm  workers. And we should reach with the hand of understanding to help those  who live in rural poverty.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":56,"text":"And I will propose these measures to the 90th Congress.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":57,"text":"So let us keep on improving the quality of life and enlarging the meaning  of justice for all of our fellow Americans.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":58,"text":"We should transform our decaying slums into places of decency through the  landmark Model Cities program. I intend to seek for this effort, this year,  the full amount that you in Congress authorized last year.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":59,"text":"We should call upon the genius of private industry and the most advanced  technology to help rebuild our great cities.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":60,"text":"We should vastly expand the fight for dean air with a total attack on  pollution at its sources, and--because air, like water, does not respect  manmade boundaries--we should set up \"regional airsheds\" throughout this  great land.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":61,"text":"We should continue to carry to every corner of the Nation our campaign for  a beautiful America--to dean up our towns, to make them more beautiful, our  cities, our countryside, by creating more parks, and more seashores, and  more open spaces for our children to play in, and for the generations that  come after us to enjoy.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":62,"text":"We should continue to seek equality and justice for each citizen--before a  jury, in seeking a job, in exercising his civil rights. We should find a  solution to fair housing, so that every American, regardless of color, has  a decent home of his choice.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":63,"text":"We should modernize our Selective Service System. The National Commission  on Selective Service will shortly submit its report. I will send you new  recommendations to meet our military manpower needs. But let us resolve  that this is to be the Congress that made our draft laws as fair and as  effective as possible.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":64,"text":"We should protect what Justice Brandeis called the \"right most valued by  civilized men\"--the right to privacy. We should outlaw all  wiretapping--public and private--wherever and whenever it occurs, except  when the security of this Nation itself is at stake--and only then with the  strictest governmental safeguards. And we should exercise the full reach of  our constitutional powers to outlaw electronic \"bugging\" and \"snooping.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":65,"text":"I hope this Congress will try to help me do more for the consumer. We  should demand that the cost of credit be clearly and honestly expressed  where average citizens can understand it. We should immediately take steps  to prevent massive power failures, to safeguard the home against hazardous  household products, and to assure safety in the pipelines that carry  natural gas across our Nation.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":66,"text":"We should extend Medicare benefits that are now denied to 1,300,000  permanently and totally disabled Americans under 65 years of age.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":67,"text":"We should improve the process of democracy by passing our election reform  and financing proposals, by tightening our laws regulating lobbying, and by  restoring a reasonable franchise to Americans who move their residences.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":68,"text":"We should develop educational television into a vital public resource to  enrich our homes, educate our families, and to provide assistance in our  classrooms. We should insist that the public interest be fully served  through the public's airwaves.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":69,"text":"And I will propose these measures to the 90th Congress.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":70,"text":"Now we come to a question that weighs very heavily on all our minds--on  yours and mine. This Nation must make an all-out effort to combat crime.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":71,"text":"The 89th Congress gave us a new start in the attack on crime by passing the  Law Enforcement Assistance Act that I recommended. We appointed the  National Crime Commission to study crime in America and to recommend the  best ways to carry that attack forward.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":72,"text":"And while we do not have all the answers, on the basis of its preliminary  recommendations we are ready to move.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":73,"text":"This is not a war that Washington alone can win. The idea of a national  police force is repugnant to the American people. Crime must be rooted out  in local communities by local authorities. Our policemen must be better  trained, must be better paid, and must be better supported by the local  citizens that they try to serve and to protect.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":74,"text":"The National Government can and expects to help.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":75,"text":"And so I will recommend to the 90th Congress the Safe Streets and Crime  Control Act of 1967. It will enable us to assist those States and cities  that try to make their streets and homes safer, their police forces better,  their corrections systems more effective, and their courts more efficient.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":76,"text":"When the Congress approves, the Federal Government will be able to provide  a substantial percentage of the cost:  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":77,"text":"--90 percent of the cost of developing the State and local plans, master  plans, to combat crime in their area;  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":78,"text":"--60 percent of the cost of training new tactical units, developing instant  communications and special alarm systems, and introducing the latest  equipment and techniques so that they can become weapons in the war on  crime;  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":79,"text":"--50 percent of the cost of building crime laboratories and police  academy-type centers so that our citizens can be protected by the best  trained and served by the best equipped police to be found anywhere. We  will also recommend new methods to prevent juvenile delinquents from  becoming adult delinquents. We will seek new partnerships with States and  cities in order to deal with this hideous narcotics problem. And we will  recommend strict controls on the sale of firearms.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":80,"text":"At the heart of this attack on crime must be the conviction that a free  America--as Abraham Lincoln once said--must \"let reverence for the  laws . . . become the political religion of the Nation.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":81,"text":"Our country's laws must be respected. Order must be maintained. And I will  support--with all the constitutional powers the President possesses--our  Nation's law enforcement officials in their attempt to control the crime  and the violence that tear the fabric of our communities.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":82,"text":"Many of these priority proposals will be built on foundations that have  already been laid. Some will necessarily be small at first, but \"every  beginning is a consequence.\" If we postpone this urgent work now, it will  simply have to be done later, and later we will pay a much higher price.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":83,"text":"Our fourth objective is prosperity, to keep our economy moving ahead,  moving ahead steadily and safely.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":84,"text":"We have now enjoyed 6 years of unprecedented and rewarding prosperity. Last  year, in 1966:  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":85,"text":"--Wages were the highest in history--and the unemployment rate, announced  yesterday, reached the lowest point in 13 years;  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":86,"text":"--Total after-tax income of American families rose nearly 5 percent;  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":87,"text":"--Corporate profits after taxes rose a little more than 5 percent;  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":88,"text":"--Our gross national product advanced 5.5 percent, to about $740 billion;  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":89,"text":"--Income per farm went up 6 percent.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":90,"text":"Now we have been greatly concerned because consumer prices rose 4.5 percent  over the 18 months since we decided to send troops to Vietnam. This was  more than we had expected--and the Government tried to do everything that  we knew how to do to hold it down. Yet we were not as successful as we  wished to be. In the 18 months after we entered World War II, prices rose  not 4.5 percent, but 13.5 percent. In the first 18 months after Korea,  after the conflict broke out there, prices rose not 4.5 percent, but 11  percent. During those two periods we had OPA price control that the  Congress gave us and War Labor Board wage controls.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":91,"text":"Since Vietnam we have not asked for those controls and we have tried to  avoid imposing them. We believe that we have done better, but we make no  pretense of having been successful or doing as well as we wished.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":92,"text":"Our greatest disappointment in the economy during 1966 was the excessive  rise in interest rates and the tightening of credit. They imposed very  severe and very unfair burdens on our home buyers and on our home builders,  and all those associated with the home industry.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":93,"text":"Last January, and again last September, I recommended fiscal and moderate  tax measures to try to restrain the unbalanced pace of economic expansion.  Legislatively and administratively we took several billions out of the  economy. With these measures, in both instances, the Congress approved most  of the recommendations rather promptly.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":94,"text":"As 1966 ended, price stability was seemingly being restored. Wholesale  prices are lower tonight than they were in August. So are retail food  prices. Monetary conditions are also easing. Most interest rates have  retreated from their earlier peaks. More money now seems to be available.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":95,"text":"Given the cooperation of the Federal Reserve System, which I so earnestly  seek, I am confident that this movement can continue. I pledge the American  people that I will do everything in a President's power to lower interest  rates and to ease money in this country. The Federal Home Loan Bank Board  tomorrow morning will announce that it will make immediately available to  savings and loan associations an additional $1 billion, and will lower from  6 percent to 5 3/4 percent the interest rate charged on those loans.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":96,"text":"We shall continue on a sensible course of fiscal and budgetary policy that  we believe will keep our economy growing without new inflationary spirals;  that will finance responsibly the needs of our men in Vietnam and the  progress of our people at home; that will support a significant improvement  in our export surplus, and will press forward toward easier credit and  toward lower interest rates.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":97,"text":"I recommend to the Congress a surcharge of 6 percent on both corporate and  individual income taxes--to last for 2 years or for so long as the unusual  expenditures associated with our efforts in Vietnam continue. I will  promptly recommend an earlier termination date if a reduction in these  expenditures permits it. This surcharge will raise revenues by some $4.5  billion in the first year. For example, a person whose tax payment, the tax  he owes, is $1,000, will pay, under this proposal, an extra $60 over the  12-month period, or $5 a month. The overwhelming majority of Americans who  pay taxes today are below that figure and they will pay substantially less  than $5 a month. Married couples with two children, with incomes up to  $5,000 per year, will be exempt from this tax--as will single people with  an income of up to $1,900 a year.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":98,"text":"Now if Americans today still paid the income and excise tax rates in effect  when I came into the Presidency, in the year 1964, their annual taxes would  have been over $20 billion more than at present tax rates. So this proposal  is that while we have this problem and this emergency in Vietnam, while we  are trying to meet the needs of our people at home, your Government asks  for slightly more than one-fourth of that tax cut each year in order to try  to hold our budget deficit in fiscal 1968 within prudent limits and to give  our country and to give our fighting men the help they need in this hour of  trial.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":99,"text":"For fiscal 1967, we estimate the budget expenditures to be $126.7 billion  and revenues of $117 billion. That will leave us a deficit this year of  $9.7 billion.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":100,"text":"For fiscal 1968, we estimate budget expenditures of $135 billion. And with  the tax measures recommended, and a continuing strong economy, we estimate  revenues will be $126.9 billion. The deficit then will be $8.1 billion.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":101,"text":"I will very soon forward all of my recommendations to the Congress. Yours  is the responsibility to discuss and to debate them--to approve or modify or  reject them.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":102,"text":"I welcome your views, as I have welcomed working with you for 30 years as a  colleague and as Vice President and President.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":103,"text":"I should like to say to the Members of the opposition--whose numbers, if I  am not mistaken, seem to have increased somewhat--that the genius of the  American political system has always been best expressed through creative  debate that offers choices and reasonable alternatives. Throughout our  history, great Republicans and Democrats have seemed to understand this. So  let there be light and reason in our relations. That is the way to a  responsible session and a responsive government.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":104,"text":"Let us be remembered as a President and a Congress who tried to improve the  quality of life for every American--not just the rich, not just the poor,  but every man, woman, and child in this great Nation of ours.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":105,"text":"We all go to school--to good schools or bad schools. We all take air into  our lungs--clean air or polluted air. We all drink water--pure water or  polluted water. We all face sickness someday, and some more often than we  wish, and old age as well. We all have a stake in this Great Society--in  its economic growth, in reduction of civil strife--a great stake in good  government.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":106,"text":"We just must not arrest the pace of progress we have established in this  country in these years. Our children's children will pay the price if we  are not wise enough, and courageous enough, and determined enough to stand  up and meet the Nation's needs as well as we can in the time allotted us.  III.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":107,"text":"Abroad, as at home, there is also risk in change. But abroad, as at home,  there is a greater risk in standing still. No part of our foreign policy is  so sacred that it ever remains beyond review. We shall be flexible where  conditions in the world change--and where man's efforts can change them for  the better.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":108,"text":"We are in the midst of a great transition--a transition from narrow  nationalism to international partnership; from the harsh spirit of the cold  war to the hopeful spirit of common humanity on a troubled and a threatened  planet.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":109,"text":"In Latin America, the American chiefs of state will be meeting very shortly  to give our hemispheric policies new direction.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":110,"text":"We have come a long way in this hemisphere since the inter-American effort  in economic and social development was launched by the conference at Bogota  in 1960 under the leadership of President Eisenhower. The Alliance for  Progress moved dramatically forward under President Kennedy. There is new  confidence that the voice of the people is being heard; that the dignity of  the individual is stronger than ever in this hemisphere, and we are facing  up to and meeting many of the hemispheric problems together. In this  hemisphere that reform under democracy can be made to happen--because it  has happened. So together, I think, we must now move to strike down the  barriers to full cooperation among the American nations, and to free the  energies and the resources of two great continents on behalf of all of our  citizens.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":111,"text":"Africa stands at an earlier stage of development than Latin America. It has  yet to develop the transportation, communications, agriculture, and, above  all, the trained men and women without which growth is impossible. There,  too, the job will best be done if the nations and peoples of Africa  cooperate on a regional basis. More and more our programs for Africa are  going to be directed toward self-help.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":112,"text":"The future of Africa is shadowed by unsolved racial conflicts. Our policy  will continue to reflect our basic commitments as a people to support those  who are prepared to work towards cooperation and harmony between races, and  to help those who demand change but reject the fool's gold of violence.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":113,"text":"In the Middle East the spirit of good will toward all, unfortunately, has  not yet taken hold. An already tortured peace seems to be constantly  threatened. We shall try to use our influence to increase the possibilities  of improved relations among the nations of that region. We are working hard  at that task.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":114,"text":"In the great subcontinent of South Asia live more than a sixth of the  earth's population. Over the years we--and others--have invested very  heavily in capital and food for the economic development of India and  Pakistan.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":115,"text":"We are not prepared to see our assistance wasted, however, in conflict. It  must strengthen their capacity to help themselves. It must help these two  nations--both our friends--to overcome poverty, to emerge as self-reliant  leaders, and find terms for reconciliation and cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":116,"text":"In Western Europe we shall maintain in NATO an integrated common defense.  But we also look forward to the time when greater security can be achieved  through measures of arms control and disarmament, and through other forms  of practical agreement.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":117,"text":"We are shaping a new future of enlarged partnership in nuclear affairs, in  economic and technical cooperation, in trade negotiations, in political  consultation, and in working together with the governments and peoples of  Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":118,"text":"The emerging spirit of confidence is precisely what we hoped to achieve  when we went to work a generation ago to put our shoulder to the wheel and  try to help rebuild Europe. We faced new challenges and opportunities then  and there--and we faced also some dangers. But I believe that the peoples  on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as both sides of this Chamber,  wanted to face them together.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":119,"text":"Our relations with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe are also in  transition. We have avoided both the acts and the rhetoric of the cold war.  When we have differed with the Soviet Union, or other nations, for that  matter, I have tried to differ quietly and with courtesy, and without  venom.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":120,"text":"Our objective is not to continue the cold war, but to end it.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":121,"text":"We have reached an agreement at the United Nations on the peaceful uses of  outer space.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":122,"text":"We have agreed to open direct air flights with the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":123,"text":"We have removed more than 400 nonstrategic items from export control.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":124,"text":"We are determined that the Export-Import Bank can allow commercial credits  to Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia, as well as to Romania and  Yugoslavia.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":125,"text":"We have entered into a cultural agreement with the Soviet Union for another  2 years.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":126,"text":"We have agreed with Bulgaria and Hungary to upgrade our legations to  embassies.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":127,"text":"We have started discussions with international agencies on ways of  increasing contacts with Eastern European countries.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":128,"text":"This administration has taken these steps even as duty compelled us to  fulfill and execute alliances and treaty obligations throughout the world  that were entered into before I became President.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":129,"text":"So tonight I now ask and urge this Congress to help our foreign and our  commercial trade policies by passing an East-West trade bill and by  approving our consular convention with the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":130,"text":"The Soviet Union has in the past year increased its long-range missile  capabilities. It has begun to place near Moscow a limited antimissile  defense. My first responsibility to our people is to assure that no nation  can ever find it rational to launch a nuclear attack or to use its nuclear  power as a credible threat against us or against our allies.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":131,"text":"I would emphasize that that is why an important link between Russia and the  United States is in our common interest, in arms control and in  disarmament. We have the solemn duty to slow down the arms race between us,  if that is at all possible, in both conventional and nuclear weapons and  defenses. I thought we were making some progress in that direction the  first few months I was in office. I realize that any additional race would  impose on our peoples, and on all mankind, for that matter, an additional  waste of resources with no gain in security to either side.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":132,"text":"I expect in the days ahead to closely consult and seek the advice of the  Congress about the possibilities of international agreements bearing  directly upon this problem.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":133,"text":"Next to the pursuit of peace, the really greatest challenge to the human  family is the race between food supply and population increase. That race  tonight is being lost.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":134,"text":"The time for rhetoric has clearly passed. The time for concerted action is  here and we must get on with the job.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":135,"text":"We believe that three principles must prevail if our policy is to succeed:  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":136,"text":"First, the developing nations must give highest priority to food  production, including the use of technology and the capital of private  enterprise.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":137,"text":"Second, nations with food deficits must put more of their resources into  voluntary family planning programs.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":138,"text":"And third, the developed nations must all assist other nations to avoid  starvation in the short run and to move rapidly towards the ability to feed  themselves.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":139,"text":"Every member of the world community now bears a direct responsibility to  help bring our most basic human account into balance. IV.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":140,"text":"I come now finally to Southeast Asia--and to Vietnam in particular. Soon I  will submit to the Congress a detailed report on that situation. Tonight I  want to just review the essential points as briefly as I can.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":141,"text":"We are in Vietnam because the United States of America and our allies are  committed by the SEATO Treaty to \"act to meet the common danger\" of  aggression in Southeast Asia.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":142,"text":"We are in Vietnam because an international agreement signed by the United  States, North Vietnam, and others in 1962 is being systematically violated  by the Communists. That violation threatens the independence of all the  small nations in Southeast Asia, and threatens the peace of the entire  region and perhaps the world.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":143,"text":"We are there because the people of South Vietnam have as much right to  remain non-Communist--if that is what they choose--as North Vietnam has to  remain Communist.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":144,"text":"We are there because the Congress has pledged by solemn vote to take all  necessary measures to prevent further aggression.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":145,"text":"No better words could describe our present course than those once spoken by  the great Thomas Jefferson:  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":146,"text":"\"It is the melancholy law of human societies to be compelled sometimes to  choose a great evil in order to ward off a greater.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":147,"text":"We have chosen to fight a limited war in Vietnam in an attempt to prevent a  larger war--a war almost certain to follow, I believe, if the Communists  succeed in overrunning and taking over South Vietnam by aggression and by  force. I believe, and I am supported by some authority, that if they are  not checked now the world can expect to pay a greater price to check them  later.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":148,"text":"That is what our statesmen said when they debated this treaty, and that is  why it was ratified 82 to 1 by the Senate many years ago.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":149,"text":"You will remember that we stood in Western Europe 20 years ago. Is there  anyone in this Chamber tonight who doubts that the course of freedom was  not changed for the better because of the courage of that stand?  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":150,"text":"Sixteen years ago we and others stopped another kind of aggression--this  time it was in Korea. Imagine how different Asia might be today if we had  failed to act when the Communist army of North Korea marched south. The  Asia of tomorrow will be far different because we have said in Vietnam, as  we said 16 years ago in Korea: \"This far and no further.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":151,"text":"I think I reveal no secret when I tell you that we are dealing with a  stubborn adversary who is committed to the use of force and terror to  settle political questions.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":152,"text":"I wish I could report to you that the conflict is almost over. This I  cannot do. We face more cost, more loss, and more agony. For the end is not  yet. I cannot promise you that it will come this year--or come next year.  Our adversary still believes, I think, tonight, that he can go on fighting  longer than we can, and longer than we and our allies will be prepared to  stand up and resist.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":153,"text":"Our men in that area--there are nearly 500,000 now--have borne well \"the  burden and the heat of the day.\" Their efforts have deprived the Communist  enemy of the victory that he sought and that he expected a year ago. We  have steadily frustrated his main forces. General Westmoreland reports that  the enemy can no longer succeed on the battlefield.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":154,"text":"So I must say to you that our pressure must be sustained--and will be  sustained--until he realizes that the war he started is costing him more  than he can ever gain.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":155,"text":"I know of no strategy more likely to attain that end than the strategy of  \"accumulating slowly, but inexorably, every kind of material resource\"--of  \"laboriously teaching troops the very elements of their trade.\" That, and  patience--and I mean a great deal of patience.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":156,"text":"Our South Vietnamese allies are also being tested tonight. Because they  must provide real security to the people living in the countryside. And  this means reducing the terrorism and the armed attacks which kidnaped and  killed 26,900 civilians in the last 32 months, to levels where they can be  successfully controlled by the regular South Vietnamese security forces. It  means bringing to the villagers an effective civilian government that they  can respect, and that they can rely upon and that they can participate in,  and that they can have a personal stake in. We hope that government is now  beginning to emerge.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":157,"text":"While I cannot report the desired progress in the pacification effort, the  very distinguished and able Ambassador, Henry Cabot Lodge, reports that  South Vietnam is turning to this task with a new sense of urgency. We can  help, but only they can win this part of the war. Their task is to build  and protect a new life in each rural province.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":158,"text":"One result of our stand in Vietnam is already clear.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":159,"text":"It is this: The peoples of Asia now know that the door to independence is  not going to be slammed shut. They know that it is possible for them to  choose their own national destinies--without coercion.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":160,"text":"The performance of our men in Vietnam--backed by the American people--has  created a feeling of confidence and unity among the independent nations of  Asia and the Pacific. I saw it in their faces in the 19 days that I spent  in their homes and in their countries. Fear of external Communist conquest  in many Asian nations is already subsiding--and with this, the spirit of  hope is rising. For the first time in history, a common outlook and common  institutions are already emerging.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":161,"text":"This forward movement is rooted in the ambitions and the interests of Asian  nations themselves. It was precisely this movement that we hoped to  accelerate when I spoke at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore in April 1965, and I  pledged \"a much more massive effort to improve the life of man\" in that  part of the world, in the hope that we could take some of the funds that we  were spending on bullets and bombs and spend it on schools and production.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":162,"text":"Twenty months later our efforts have produced a new reality: The doors of  the billion dollar Asian Development Bank that I recommended to the  Congress, and you endorsed almost unanimously, I am proud to tell you are  already open. Asians are engaged tonight in regional efforts in a dozen new  directions. Their hopes are high. Their faith is strong. Their confidence  is deep.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":163,"text":"And even as the war continues, we shall play our part in carrying forward  this constructive historic development. As recommended by the Eugene Black  mission, and if other nations will join us, I will seek a special  authorization from the Congress of $200 million for East Asian regional  programs.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":164,"text":"We are eager to turn our resources to peace. Our efforts in behalf of  humanity I think need not be restricted by any parallel or by any boundary  line. The moment that peace comes, as I pledged in Baltimore, I will ask  the Congress for funds to join in an international program of  reconstruction and development for all the people of Vietnam--and their  deserving neighbors who wish our help.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":165,"text":"We shall continue to hope for a reconciliation between the people of  Mainland China and the world community--including working together in all  the tasks of arms control, security, and progress on which the fate of the  Chinese people, like their fellow men elsewhere, depends.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":166,"text":"We would be the first to welcome a China which decided to respect her  neighbors' rights. We would be the first to applaud her were she to apply  her great energies and intelligence to improving the welfare of her people.  And we have no intention of trying to deny her legitimate needs for  security and friendly relations with her neighboring countries.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":167,"text":"Our hope that all of this will someday happen rests on the conviction that  we, the American people and our allies, will and are going to see Vietnam  through to an honorable peace.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":168,"text":"We will support all appropriate initiatives by the United Nations, and  others, which can bring the several parties together for unconditional  discussions of peace--anywhere, any time. And we will continue to take  every possible initiative ourselves to constantly probe for peace.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":169,"text":"Until such efforts succeed, or until the infiltration ceases, or until the  conflict subsides, I think the course of wisdom for this country is that we  just must firmly pursue our present course. We will stand firm in Vietnam.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":170,"text":"I think you know that our fighting men there tonight bear the heaviest  burden of all. With their lives they serve their Nation. We must give them  nothing less than our full support--and we have given them that--nothing  less than the determination that Americans have always given their fighting  men. Whatever our sacrifice here, even if it is more than $5 a month, it is  small compared to their own.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":171,"text":"How long it will take I cannot prophesy. I only know that the will of the  American people, I think, is tonight being tested.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":172,"text":"Whether we can fight a war of limited objectives over a period of time, and  keep alive the hope of independence and stability for people other than  ourselves; whether we can continue to act with restraint when the  temptation to \"get it over with\" is inviting but dangerous; whether we can  accept the necessity of choosing \"a great evil in order to ward off a  greater\"; whether we can do these without arousing the hatreds and the  passions that are ordinarily loosed in time of war--on all these questions  so much turns.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":173,"text":"The answers will determine not only where we are, but \"whither we are  tending.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":174,"text":"A time of testing--yes. And a time of transition. The transition is  sometimes slow; sometimes unpopular; almost always very painful; and often  quite dangerous.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":175,"text":"But we have lived with danger for a long time before, and we shall live  with it for a long time yet to come. We know that \"man is born unto  trouble.\" We also know that this Nation was not forged and did not survive  and grow and prosper without a great deal of sacrifice from a great many  men.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":176,"text":"For all the disorders that we must deal with, and all the frustrations that  concern us, and all the anxieties that we are called upon to resolve, for  all the issues we must face with the agony that attends them, let us  remember that \"those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like  men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.\"  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":177,"text":"But let us also count not only our burdens but our blessings--for they are  many.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":178,"text":"And let us give thanks to the One who governs us all.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":179,"text":"Let us draw encouragement from the signs of hope--for they, too, are many.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":180,"text":"Let us remember that we have been tested before and America has never been  found wanting.  "}
{"year":"1967","paragraph":181,"text":"So with your understanding, I would hope your confidence, and your support,  we are going to persist--and we are going to succeed.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the Congress, and my fellow  Americans:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":2,"text":"I was thinking as I was walking down the aisle tonight of what Sam Rayburn  told me many years ago: The Congress always extends a very warm welcome to  the President--as he comes in.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":3,"text":"Thank all of you very, very much.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":4,"text":"I have come once again to this Chamber--the home of our democracy--to give  you, as the Constitution requires, \"Information of the State of the  Union.\"  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":5,"text":"I report to you that our country is challenged, at home and abroad:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":6,"text":"--that it is our will that is being tried, not our strength; our sense of  purpose, not our ability to achieve a better America;  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":7,"text":"--that we have the strength to meet our every challenge; the physical  strength to hold the course of decency and compassion at home; and the  moral strength to support the cause of peace in the world.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":8,"text":"And I report to you that I believe, with abiding conviction, that this  people--nurtured by their deep faith, tutored by their hard lessons, moved  by their high aspirations--have the will to meet the trials that these times  impose.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":9,"text":"Since I reported to you last January:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":10,"text":"--Three elections have been held in Vietnam--in the midst of war and under  the constant threat of violence.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":11,"text":"--A President, a Vice President, a House and Senate, and village officials  have been chosen by popular, contested ballot.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":12,"text":"--The enemy has been defeated in battle after battle.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":13,"text":"--The number of South Vietnamese living in areas under Government  protection tonight has grown by more than a million since January of last  year.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":14,"text":"These are all marks of progress. Yet:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":15,"text":"--The enemy continues to pour men and material across frontiers and into  battle, despite his continuous heavy losses.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":16,"text":"--He continues to hope that America's will to persevere can be broken.  Well--he is wrong. America will persevere. Our patience and our  perseverance will match our power. Aggression will never prevail.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":17,"text":"But our goal is peace--and peace at the earliest possible moment.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":18,"text":"Right now we are exploring the meaning of Hanoi's recent statement. There  is no mystery about the questions which must be answered before the bombing  is stopped.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":19,"text":"We believe that any talks should follow the San Antonio formula that I  stated last September, which said:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":20,"text":"--The bombing would stop immediately if talks would take place promptly and  with reasonable hopes that they would be productive.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":21,"text":"--And the other side must not take advantage of our restraint as they have  in the past. This Nation simply cannot accept anything less without  jeopardizing the lives of our men and of our allies.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":22,"text":"If a basis for peace talks can be established on the San Antonio  foundations--and it is my hope and my prayer that they can--we would  consult with our allies and with the other side to see if a complete  cessation of hostilities--a really true cease-fire--could be made the first  order of business. I will report at the earliest possible moment the  results of these explorations to the American people.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":23,"text":"I have just recently returned from a very fruitful visit and talks with His  Holiness the Pope and I share his hope--as he expressed it earlier  today--that both sides will extend themselves in an effort to bring an end  to the war in Vietnam. I have today assured him that we and our allies will  do our full part to bring this about.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":24,"text":"Since I spoke to you last January, other events have occurred that have  major consequences for world peace.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":25,"text":"--The Kennedy Round achieved the greatest reduction in tariff barriers in  all the history of trade negotiations.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":26,"text":"--The nations of Latin America at Punta del Este resolved to move toward  economic integration.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":27,"text":"--In Asia, the nations from Korea and Japan to Indonesia and Singapore  worked behind America's shield to strengthen their economies and to broaden  their political cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":28,"text":"--In Africa, from which the distinguished Vice President has just returned,  he reports to me that there is a spirit of regional cooperation that is  beginning to take hold in very practical ways.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":29,"text":"These events we all welcomed. Yet since I last reported to you, we and the  world have been confronted by a number of crises:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":30,"text":"--During the Arab-Israeli war last June, the hot line between Washington  and Moscow was used for the first time in our history. A cease-fire was  achieved without a major power confrontation.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":31,"text":"Now the nations of the Middle East have the opportunity to cooperate with  Ambassador Jarring's U.N. mission and they have the responsibility to find  the terms of living together in stable peace and dignity, and we shall do  all in our power to help them achieve that result.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":32,"text":"--Not far from this scene of conflict, a crisis flared on Cyprus involving  two peoples who are America's friends: Greece and Turkey. Our very able  representative, Mr. Cyrus Vance, and others helped to ease this tension.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":33,"text":"--Turmoil continues on the mainland of China after a year of violent  disruption. The radical extremism of their Government has isolated the  Chinese people behind their own borders. The United States, however,  remains willing to permit the travel of journalists to both our countries;  to undertake cultural and educational exchanges; and to talk about the  exchange of basic food crop materials.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":34,"text":"Since I spoke to you last, the United States and the Soviet Union have  taken several important steps toward the goal of international  cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":35,"text":"As you will remember, I met with Chairman Kosygin at Glassboro and we  achieved if not accord, at least a clearer understanding of our respective  positions after 2 days of meeting.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":36,"text":"Because we believe the nuclear danger must be narrowed, we have worked with  the Soviet Union and with other nations to reach an agreement that will  halt the spread of nuclear weapons. On the basis of communications from  Ambassador Fisher in Geneva this afternoon, I am encouraged to believe that  a draft treaty can be laid before the conference in Geneva in the very near  future. I hope to be able to present that treaty to the Senate this year  for the Senate's approval.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":37,"text":"We achieved, in 1967, a consular treaty with the Soviets, the first  commercial air agreement between the two countries, and a treaty banning  weapons in outer space. We shall sign, and submit to the Senate shortly, a  new treaty with the Soviets and with others for the protection of  astronauts.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":38,"text":"Serious differences still remain between us, yet in these relations, we  have made some progress since Vienna, the Berlin Wall, and the Cuban  missile crisis.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":39,"text":"But despite this progress, we must maintain a military force that is  capable of deterring any threat to this Nation's security, whatever the  mode of aggression. Our choices must not be confined to total war--or to  total acquiescence.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":40,"text":"We have such a military force today. We shall maintain it.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":41,"text":"I wish--with all of my heart--that the expenditures that are necessary to  build and to protect our power could all be devoted to the programs of  peace. But until world conditions permit, and until peace is assured,  America's might--and America's bravest sons who wear our Nation's  uniform--must continue to stand guard for all of us--as they gallantly do  tonight in Vietnam and other places in the world.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":42,"text":"Yet neither great weapons nor individual courage can provide the conditions  of peace.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":43,"text":"For two decades America has committed itself against the tyranny of want  and ignorance in the world that threatens the peace. We shall sustain that  commitment. This year I shall propose:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":44,"text":"--That we launch, with other nations, an exploration of the ocean depths to  tap its wealth, and its energy, and its abundance.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":45,"text":"--That we contribute our fair share to a major expansion of the  International Development Association, and to increase the resources of the  Asian Development Bank.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":46,"text":"--That we adopt a prudent aid program, rooted in the principle of  self-help.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":47,"text":"--That we renew and extend the food for freedom program.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":48,"text":"Our food programs have already helped millions avoid the horrors of  famine.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":49,"text":"But unless the rapid growth of population in developing countries is  slowed, the gap between rich and poor will widen steadily.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":50,"text":"Governments in the developing countries must take such facts into  consideration. We in the United States are prepared to help assist them in  those efforts.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":51,"text":"But we must also improve the lives of children already born in the villages  and towns and cities on this earth. They can be taught by great teachers  through space communications and the miracle of satellite television--and we  are going to bring to bear every resource of mind and technology to help  make this dream come true.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":52,"text":"Let me speak now about some matters here at home.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":53,"text":"Tonight our Nation is accomplishing more for its people than has ever been  accomplished before. Americans are prosperous as men have never been in  recorded history. Yet there is in the land a certain restlessness--a  questioning.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":54,"text":"The total of our Nation's annual production is now above $800 billion. For  83 months this Nation has been on a steady upward trend of growth.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":55,"text":"All about them, most American families can see the evidence of growing  abundance: higher paychecks, humming factories, new cars moving down new  highways. More and more families own their own homes, equipped with more  than 70 million television sets.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":56,"text":"A new college is founded every week. Today more than half of the high  school graduates go on to college.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":57,"text":"There are hundreds of thousands of fathers and mothers who never completed  grammar school--who will see their children graduate from college.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":58,"text":"Why, then, this restlessness?  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":59,"text":"Because when a great ship cuts through the sea, the waters are always  stirred and troubled.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":60,"text":"And our ship is moving. It is moving through troubled and new waters; it is  moving toward new and better shores.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":61,"text":"We ask now, not how can we achieve abundance?--but how shall we use our  abundance? Not, is there abundance enough for all?--but, how can all share  in our abundance?  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":62,"text":"While we have accomplished much, much remains for us to meet and much  remains for us to master.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":63,"text":"--In some areas, the jobless rate is still three or four times the national  average.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":64,"text":"--Violence has shown its face in some of our cities.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":65,"text":"--Crime increases on our streets.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":66,"text":"--Income for farm workers remains far behind that for urban workers; and  parity for our farmers who produce our food is still just a hope--not an  achievement.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":67,"text":"--New housing construction is far less than we need--to assure decent  shelter for every family.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":68,"text":"--Hospital and medical costs are high, and they are rising.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":69,"text":"--Many rivers--and the air in many cities--remain badly polluted. And our  citizens suffer from breathing that air.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":70,"text":"We have lived with conditions like these for many, many years. But much  that we once accepted as inevitable, we now find absolutely intolerable.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":71,"text":"In our cities last summer, we saw how wide is the gulf for some Americans  between the promise and the reality of our society.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":72,"text":"We know that we cannot change all of this in a day. It represents the  bitter consequences of more than three centuries.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":73,"text":"But the issue is not whether we can change this; the issue is whether we  will change this.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":74,"text":"Well, I know we can. And I believe we will.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":75,"text":"This then is the work we should do in the months that are ahead of us in  this Congress.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":76,"text":"The first essential is more jobs, useful jobs for tens of thousands who can  become productive and can pay their own way.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":77,"text":"Our economy has created 7 1/2 million new jobs in the past 4 years. It is  adding more than a million and a half new jobs this year.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":78,"text":"Through programs passed by the Congress, job training is being given  tonight to more than a million Americans in this country.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":79,"text":"This year, the time has come when we must get to those who are last in  line--the hard-core unemployed--the hardest to reach.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":80,"text":"Employment officials estimate that 500,000 of these persons are now  unemployed in the major cities of America. Our objective is to place these  500,000 in private industry jobs within the next 3 years.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":81,"text":"To do this, I propose a $2. 1 billion manpower program in the coming fiscal  year--a 25 percent increase over the current year. Most of this increase  will be used to start a new partnership between government and private  industry to train and to hire the hard-core unemployed persons. I know of  no task before us of more importance to us, to the country, or to our  future.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":82,"text":"Another essential is to rebuild our cities.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":83,"text":"Last year the Congress authorized $662 million for the Model Cities  program. I requested the full amount of that authorization to help meet the  crisis in the cities of America. But the Congress appropriated only $312  million--less than half.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":84,"text":"This year I urge the Congress to honor my request for model cities funds to  rebuild the centers of American cities by granting us the full amount that  you in the Congress authorized--$1 billion.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":85,"text":"The next essential is more housing--and more housing now.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":86,"text":"Surely a nation that can go to the moon can place a decent home within the  reach of its families.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":87,"text":"Therefore we must call together the resources of industry and labor, to  start building 300,000 housing units for low- and middle-income families  next year--that is three times more than this year. We must make it  possible for thousands of families to become homeowners, not rent-payers.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":88,"text":"I propose, for the consideration of this Congress, a 10-year campaign to  build 6 million new housing units for low and middle-income families. Six  million units in the next 10 years. We have built 530,000 the last 10  years.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":89,"text":"Better health for our children--all of our children--is essential if we are  to have a better America.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":90,"text":"Last year, Medicare, Medicaid, and other new programs that you passed in  the Congress brought better health to more than 25 million Americans.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":91,"text":"American medicine--with the very strong support and cooperation of public  resources--has produced a phenomenal decline in the death rate from many of  the dread diseases.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":92,"text":"But it is a shocking fact that, in saving the lives of babies, America  ranks 15th among the nations of the world. And among children, crippling  defects are often discovered too late for any corrective action. This is a  tragedy that Americans can, and Americans should, prevent.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":93,"text":"I shall, therefore, propose to the Congress a child health program to  provide, over the next 5 years, for families unable to afford it--access to  health services from prenatal care of the mother through the child's first  year.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":94,"text":"When we do that you will find it is the best investment we ever made  because we will get these diseases in their infancy and we will find a cure  in a great many instances that we can never find by overcrowding our  hospitals when they are grown.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":95,"text":"Now when we act to advance the consumer's cause I think we help every  American.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":96,"text":"Last year, with very little fanfare the Congress and the executive branch  moved in that field.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":97,"text":"We enacted the Wholesome Meat Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, the Product  Safety Commission, and a law to improve clinical laboratories.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":98,"text":"And now, I think, the time has come to complete our unfinished work. The  Senate has already passed the truth-in-lending bill, the fire safety bill,  and the pipeline safety laws.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":99,"text":"Tonight I plead with the House to immediately act upon these measures and I  hope take favorable action upon all of them. I call upon the Congress to  enact, without delay, the remainder of the 12 vital consumer protection  laws that I submitted to the Congress last year.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":100,"text":"I also urge final action on a measure that is already passed by the House  to guard against fraud and manipulation in the Nation's commodity exchange  market.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":101,"text":"These measures are a pledge to our people--to keep them safe in their homes  and at work, and to give them a fair deal in the marketplace.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":102,"text":"And I think we must do more. I propose:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":103,"text":"--New powers for the Federal Trade Commission to stop those who defraud and  who swindle our public.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":104,"text":"--New safeguards to insure the quality of fish and poultry, and the safety  of our community water supplies.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":105,"text":"--A major study of automobile insurance.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":106,"text":"--Protection against hazardous radiation from television sets and other  electronic equipment.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":107,"text":"And to give the consumer a stronger voice, I plan to appoint a consumer  counsel in the Justice Department--a lawyer for the American consumer--to  work directly under the Attorney General, to serve the President's Special  Assistant for Consumer Affairs, and to serve the consumers of this land.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":108,"text":"This Congress--Democrats and Republicans--can earn the thanks of history.  We can make this truly a new day for the American consumer, and by giving  him this protection we can live in history as the consumer-conscious  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":109,"text":"So let us get on with the work. Let us act soon.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":110,"text":"We, at every level of the government, State, local, Federal, know that the  American people have had enough of rising crime and lawlessness in this  country.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":111,"text":"They recognize that law enforcement is first the duty of local police and  local government.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":112,"text":"They recognize that the frontline headquarters against crime is in the  home, the church, the city hall and the county courthouse and the  statehouse--not in the far-removed National Capital of Washington.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":113,"text":"But the people also recognize that the National Government can and the  National Government should help the cities and the States in their war on  crime to the full extent of its resources and its constitutional authority.  And this we shall do.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":114,"text":"This does not mean a national police force. It does mean help and financial  support:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":115,"text":"--to develop State and local master plans to combat crime,  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":116,"text":"--to provide better training and better pay for police, and  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":117,"text":"--to bring the most advanced technology to the war on crime in every city  and every county in America.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":118,"text":"There is no more urgent business before this Congress than to pass the Safe  Streets Act this year that I proposed last year. That law will provide  these required funds. They are so critically needed that I have doubled my  request under this act to $100 million in fiscal 1969.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":119,"text":"And I urge the Congress to stop the trade in mail-order murder, to stop it  this year by adopting a proper gun control law.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":120,"text":"This year, I will propose a Drug Control Act to provide stricter penalties  for those who traffic in LSD and other dangerous drugs with our people.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":121,"text":"I will ask for more vigorous enforcement of all of our drug laws by  increasing the number of Federal drug and narcotics control officials by  more than 30 percent. The time has come to stop the sale of slavery to the  young. I also request you to give us funds to add immediately 100 assistant  United States attorneys throughout the land to help prosecute our criminal  laws. We have increased our judiciary by 40 percent and we have increased  our prosecutors by 16 percent. The dockets are full of cases because we  don't have assistant district attorneys to go before the Federal judge and  handle them. We start these young lawyers at $8,200 a year. And the docket  is clogged because we don't have authority to hire more of them.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":122,"text":"I ask the Congress for authority to hire 100 more. These young men will  give special attention to this drug abuse, too.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":123,"text":"Finally, I ask you to add 100 FBI agents to strengthen law enforcement in  the Nation and to protect the individual rights of every citizen.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":124,"text":"A moment ago I spoke of despair and frustrated hopes in the cities where  the fires of disorder burned last summer. We can--and in time we  will--change that despair into confidence, and change those frustrations  into achievements. But violence will never bring progress.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":125,"text":"We can make progress only by attacking the causes of violence and only  where there is civil order founded on justice.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":126,"text":"Today we are helping local officials improve their capacity to deal  promptly with disorders.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":127,"text":"Those who preach disorder and those who preach violence must know that  local authorities are able to resist them swiftly, to resist them sternly,  and to resist them decisively.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":128,"text":"I shall recommend other actions:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":129,"text":"--To raise the farmers' income by establishing a security commodity reserve  that will protect the market from price-depressing stocks and protect the  consumer from food scarcity.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":130,"text":"--I shall recommend programs to help farmers bargain more effectively for  fair prices.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":131,"text":"--I shall recommend programs for new air safety measures.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":132,"text":"--Measures to stem the rising costs of medical care.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":133,"text":"--Legislation to encourage our returning veterans to devote themselves to  careers in community service such as teaching, and being firemen, and  joining our police force, and our law enforcement officials.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":134,"text":"--I shall recommend programs to strengthen and finance our anti-pollution  efforts.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":135,"text":"--Fully funding all of the $2.18 billion poverty program that you in the  Congress had just authorized in order to bring opportunity to those who  have been left far behind.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":136,"text":"--I shall recommend an Educational Opportunity Act to speed up our drive to  break down the financial barriers that are separating our young people from  college.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":137,"text":"I shall also urge the Congress to act on several other vital pending  bills--especially the civil rights measures--fair jury trials, protection  of Federal rights, enforcement of equal employment opportunity, and fair  housing.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":138,"text":"The unfinished work of the first session must be completed--the Higher  Education Act, the Juvenile Delinquency Act, conservation measures to save  the redwoods of California, and to preserve the wonders of our scenic  rivers, the Highway Beautification Act--and all the other measures for a  cleaner, and for a better, and for a more beautiful America.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":139,"text":"Next month we'll begin our 8th year of uninterrupted prosperity. The  economic outlook for this year is one of steady growth--if we are vigilant.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":140,"text":"True, there are some clouds on the horizon. Prices are rising. Interest  rates have passed the peak of 1966; and if there is continued inaction on  the tax bill, they will climb even higher.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":141,"text":"I warn the Congress and the Nation tonight that this failure to act on the  tax bill will sweep us into an accelerating spiral of price increases, a  slump in homebuilding, and a continuing erosion of the American dollar.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":142,"text":"This would be a tragedy for every American family. And I predict that if  this happens, they will all let us know about it.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":143,"text":"We--those of us in the executive branch, in the Congress, and the leaders  of labor and business--must do everything we can to prevent that kind of  misfortune.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":144,"text":"Under the new budget, the expenditures for 1969 will increase by $10.4  billion. Receipts will increase by $22.3 billion including the added tax  revenues. Virtually all of this expenditure increase represents the  mandatory cost of our defense efforts, $3 billion; increased interest,  almost $1 billion; or mandatory payments under laws passed by  Congress--such as those provided in the Social Security Act that you passed  in 1967, and to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, veterans, and farmers,  of about $4 1/2 billion; and the additional $1 billion 600 million next  year for the pay increases that you passed in military and civilian pay.  That makes up the $10 billion that is added to the budget. With few  exceptions, very few, we are holding the fiscal 1969 budget to last year's  level, outside of those mandatory and required increases.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":145,"text":"A Presidential commission composed of distinguished congressional fiscal  leaders and other prominent Americans recommended this year that we adopt a  new budget approach. I am carrying out their recommendations in this year's  budget. This budget, therefore, for the first time accurately covers all  Federal expenditures and all Federal receipts, including for the first time  in one budget $47 billion from the social security, Medicare, highway, and  other trust funds.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":146,"text":"The fiscal 1969 budget has expenditures of approximately $186 billion, with  total estimated revenues, including the tax bill, of about $178 billion.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":147,"text":"If the Congress enacts the tax increase, we will reduce the budget deficit  by some $12 billion. The war in Vietnam is costing us about $25 billion and  we are asking for about $12 billion in taxes--and if we get that $12  billion tax bill we will reduce the deficit from about $20 billion in 1968  to about $8 billion in 1969.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":148,"text":"Now, this is a tight budget. It follows the reduction that I made in  cooperation with the Congress--a reduction made after you had reviewed  every appropriations bill and reduced the appropriations by some $5 or $6  billion and expenditures by $1.5 billion. We conferred together and I  recommended to the Congress and you subsequently approved taking 2 percent  from payrolls and 10 percent from controllable expenditures. We therefore  reduced appropriations almost $10 billion last session and expenditures  over $4 billion. Now, that was in the budget last year.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":149,"text":"I ask the Congress to recognize that there are certain selected programs  that meet the Nation's most urgent needs and they have increased. We have  insisted that decreases in very desirable but less urgent programs be made  before we would approve any increases. So I ask the Congress tonight:  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":150,"text":"--to hold its appropriations to the budget requests, and  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":151,"text":"--to act responsibly early this year by enacting the tax surcharge which  for the average American individual amounts to about a penny out of each  dollar's income.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":152,"text":"This tax increase would yield about half of the $23 billion per year that  we returned to the people in the tax reduction bills of 1964 and 1965.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":153,"text":"This must be a temporary measure, which expires in less than 2 years.  Congress can repeal it sooner if the need has passed. But Congress can  never repeal inflation.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":154,"text":"The leaders of American business and the leaders of American labor--those  who really have power over wages and prices--must act responsibly, and in  their Nation's interest by keeping increases in line with productivity. If  our recognized leaders do not do this, they and those for whom they speak  and all of us are going to suffer very serious consequences.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":155,"text":"On January 1st, I outlined a program to reduce our balance of payments  deficit sharply this year. We will ask the Congress to help carry out those  parts of the program which require legislation. We must restore equilibrium  to our balance of payments.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":156,"text":"We must also strengthen the international monetary system. We have assured  the world that America's full gold stock stands behind our commitment to  maintain the price of gold at $35 an ounce. We must back this commitment by  legislating now to free our gold reserves.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":157,"text":"Americans, traveling more than any other people in history, took $4 billion  out of their country last year in travel costs. We must try to reduce the  travel deficit that we have of more than $2 billion. We are hoping that we  can reduce it by $500 million--without unduly penalizing the travel of  teachers, students, business people who have essential and necessary  travel, or people who have relatives abroad whom they want to see. Even  with this reduction of $500 million, the American people will still be  traveling more overseas than they did in 1967, 1966, or 1965 or any other  year in their history.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":158,"text":"If we act together as I hope we can, I believe we can continue our economic  expansion which has already broken all past records. And I hope that we can  continue that expansion in the days ahead.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":159,"text":"Each of these questions I have discussed with you tonight is a question of  policy for our people. Therefore, each of them should be--and doubtless  will be--debated by candidates for public office this year.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":160,"text":"I hope those debates will be marked by new proposals and by a seriousness  that matches the gravity of the questions themselves.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":161,"text":"These are not appropriate subjects for narrow partisan oratory. They go to  the heart of what we Americans are all about--all of us, Democrats and  Republicans.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":162,"text":"Tonight I have spoken of some of the goals I should like to see America  reach. Many of them can be achieved this year--others by the time we  celebrate our Nation's 200th birthday--the bicentennial of our  independence.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":163,"text":"Several of these goals are going to be very hard to reach. But the State of  our Union will be much stronger 8 years from now on our 200th birthday if  we resolve to reach these goals now. They are more important--much more  important--than the identity of the party or the President who will then be  in office.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":164,"text":"These goals are what the fighting and our alliances are really meant to  protect.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":165,"text":"Can we achieve these goals?  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":166,"text":"Of course we can--if we will.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":167,"text":"If ever there was a people who sought more than mere abundance, it is our  people.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":168,"text":"If ever there was a nation that was capable of solving its problems, it is  this Nation.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":169,"text":"If ever there were a time to know the pride and the excitement and the hope  of being an American--it is this time.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":170,"text":"So this, my friends, is the State of our Union: seeking, building, tested  many times in this past year--and always equal to the test.  "}
{"year":"1968","paragraph":171,"text":"Thank you and good night.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the Congress and my fellow  Americans:  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":2,"text":"For the sixth and the last time, I present to the Congress my assessment of  the State of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":3,"text":"I shall speak to you tonight about challenge and opportunity--and about the  commitments that all of us have made together that will, if we carry them  out, give America our best chance to achieve the kind of great society that  we all want. Every President lives, not only with what is, but with what  has been and what could be.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":4,"text":"Most of the great events in his Presidency are part of a larger sequence  extending back through several years and extending back through several  other administrations.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":5,"text":"Urban unrest, poverty, pressures on welfare, education of our people, law  enforcement and law and order, the continuing crisis in the Middle East,  the conflict in Vietnam, the dangers of nuclear war, the great difficulties  of dealing with the Communist powers, all have this much in common: They  and their causes--the causes that gave rise to them--all of these have  existed with us for many years. Several Presidents have already sought to  try to deal with them. One or more Presidents will try to resolve them or  try to contain them in the years that are ahead of us.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":6,"text":"But if the Nation's problems are continuing, so are this great Nation's  assets:  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":7,"text":"--our economy,  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":8,"text":"--the democratic system,  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":9,"text":"--our sense of exploration, symbolized most recently by the wonderful  flight of the Apollo 8, in which all Americans took great pride,  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":10,"text":"--the good commonsense and sound judgment of the American people, and  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":11,"text":"--their essential love of justice.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":12,"text":"We must not ignore our problems. But .neither should we ignore our  strengths. Those strengths are available to sustain a President of either  party--to support his progressive efforts both at home and overseas.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":13,"text":"Unfortunately, the departure of an administration does not mean the end of  the problems that this administration has faced. The effort to meet the  problems must go on, year after year, if the momentum that we have all  mounted together in these past years is not to be lost.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":14,"text":"Although the struggle for progressive change is continuous, there are times  when a watershed is reached--when there is--if not really a break with the  past--at least the fulfillment of many of its oldest hopes, and a stepping  forth into a new environment, to seek new goals. I think the past 5 years  have been such a time.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":15,"text":"We have finished a major part of the old agenda.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":16,"text":"Some of the laws that we wrote have already, in front of our eyes, taken on  the flesh of achievement.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":17,"text":"Medicare that we were unable to pass for so many years is now a part of  American life.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":18,"text":"Voting rights and the voting booth that we debated so long back in the  riffles, and the doors to public service, are open at last to all Americans  regardless of their color.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":19,"text":"Schools and school children all over America tonight are receiving Federal  assistance to go to good schools.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":20,"text":"Preschool education--Head Start--is already here to stay and, I think, so  are the Federal programs that tonight are keeping more than a million and a  half of the cream of our young people in the colleges and the universities  of this country.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":21,"text":"Part of the American earth--not only in description on a map, but in the  reality of our shores, our hills, our parks, our forests, and our  mountains--has been permanently set aside for the American public and for  their benefit. And there is more that will be set aside before this  administration ends.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":22,"text":"Five million Americans have been trained for jobs in new Federal programs.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":23,"text":"I think it is most important that we all realize tonight that this Nation  is close to full employment--with less unemployment than we have had at any  time in almost 20 years. That is not in theory; that is in fact. Tonight,  the unemployment rate is down to 3.3 percent. The number of jobs has grown  more than 8 1/2 million in the last 5 years. That is more than in all the  preceding 12 years.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":24,"text":"These achievements completed the full cycle, from idea to enactment and,  finally, to a place in the lives of citizens all across this country.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":25,"text":"I wish it were possible to say that everything that this Congress and the  administration achieved during this period had already completed that  cycle. But a great deal of what we have committed needs additional funding  to become a tangible realization.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":26,"text":"Yet the very existence of these commitments--these promises to the American  people, made by this Congress and by the executive branch of the  Government--are achievements in themselves, and failure to carry through on  our commitments would be a tragedy for this Nation.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":27,"text":"This much is certain: No one man or group of men made these commitments  alone. Congress and the executive branch, with their checks and balances,  reasoned together and finally wrote them into the law of the land. They now  have all the moral force that the American political system can summon when  it acts as one.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":28,"text":"They express America's common determination to achieve goals. They imply  action.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":29,"text":"In most cases, you have already begun that action--but it is not fully  completed, of course.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":30,"text":"Let me speak for a moment about these commitments. I am going to speak in  the language which the Congress itself spoke when it passed these measures.  I am going to quote from your words.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":31,"text":"In 1966, Congress declared that \"improving the quality of urban life is the  most critical domestic problem facing the United States.\" Two years later  it affirmed the historic goal of \"a decent home . . . for every American  family.\" That is your language.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":32,"text":"Now to meet these commitments, we must increase our support for the model  cities program, where blueprints of change are already being prepared in  more than 150 American cities.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":33,"text":"To achieve the goals of the Housing Act of 1968 that you have already  passed, we should begin this year more than 500,000 homes for needy  families in the coming fiscal year. Funds are provided in the new budget to  do just this. This is almost 10 times--10 times--the average rate of the  past 10 years.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":34,"text":"Our cities and our towns are being pressed for funds to meet the needs of  their growing populations. So I believe an urban development bank should be  created by the Congress. This bank could obtain resources through the  issuance of taxable bonds and it could then lend these resources at reduced  rates to the communities throughout the land for schools, hospitals, parks,  and other public facilities.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":35,"text":"Since we enacted the Social Security Act back in 1935, Congress has  recognized the necessity to \"make more adequate provision for aged persons  . . . through maternal and child welfare . . . and public health.\" Those  are the words of the Congress--\"more adequate.\"  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":36,"text":"The time has come, I think, to make it more adequate. I believe we should  increase social security benefits, and I am so recommending tonight.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":37,"text":"I am suggesting that there should be an overall increase in benefits of at  least 13 percent. Those who receive only the minimum of $55 should get $80  a month.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":38,"text":"Our Nation, too, is rightfully proud of our medical advances. But we should  remember that our country ranks 15th among the nations of the world in its  infant mortality rate.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":39,"text":"I think we should assure decent medical care for every expectant mother and  for their children during the first year of their life in the United States  of America.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":40,"text":"I think we should protect our children and their families from the costs of  catastrophic illness.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":41,"text":"As we pass on from medicine, I think nothing is clearer to the Congress  than the commitment that the Congress made to end poverty. Congress  expressed it well, I think, in 1964, when they said: \"It is the policy of  the United States to eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of  plenty in this nation.\"  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":42,"text":"This is the richest nation in the world. The antipoverty program has had  many achievements. It also has some failures. But we must not cripple it  after only 3 years of trying to solve the human problems that have been  with us and have been building up among us for generations.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":43,"text":"I believe the Congress this year will want to improve the administration of  the poverty program by reorganizing portions of it and transferring them to  other agencies. I believe, though, it will want to continue, until we have  broken the back of poverty, the efforts we are now making throughout this  land.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":44,"text":"I believe, and I hope the next administration--I believe they believe--that  the key to success in this effort is jobs. It is work for people who want  to work.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":45,"text":"In the budget for fiscal 1970, I shall recommend a total of $3.5 billion  for our job training program, and that is five times as much as we spent in  1964 trying to prepare Americans where they can work to earn their own  living.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":46,"text":"The Nation's commitment in the field of civil rights began with the  Declaration of Independence. They were extended by the 13th, 14th, and 15th  amendments. They have been powerfully strengthened by the enactment of  three far-reaching civil rights laws within the past 5 years, that this  Congress, in its wisdom, passed.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":47,"text":"On January 1 of this year, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 covered over 20  million American homes and apartments. The prohibition against racial  discrimination in that act should be remembered and it should be vigorously  enforced throughout this land.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":48,"text":"I believe we should also extend the vital provisions of the Voting Rights  Act for another 5 years.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":49,"text":"In the Safe Streets Act of 1968, Congress determined \"To assist state and  local governments in reducing the incidence of crime.\"  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":50,"text":"This year I am proposing that the Congress provide the full $300 million  that the Congress last year authorized to do just that.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":51,"text":"I hope the Congress will put the money where the authorization is.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":52,"text":"I believe this is an essential contribution to justice and to public order  in the United States. I hope these grants can be made to the States and  they can be used effectively to reduce the crime rate in this country.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":53,"text":"But all of this is only a small part of the total effort that must be  made--I think chiefly by the local governments throughout the Nation--if we  expect to reduce the toll of crime that we all detest.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":54,"text":"Frankly, as I leave the Office of the Presidency, one of my greatest  disappointments is our failure to secure passage of a licensing and  registration act for firearms. I think if we had passed that act, it would  have reduced the incidence of crime. I believe that the Congress should  adopt such a law, and I hope that it will at a not too distant date.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":55,"text":"In order to meet our long-standing commitment to make government as  efficient as possible, I believe that we should reorganize our postal  system along the lines of the Kappel[1] report.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":56,"text":"[Footnote 1: Frederick R. Kappel, Chairman of the Commission on Executive,  Legislative and Judicial Salaries.]  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":57,"text":"I hope we can all agree that public service should never impose an  unreasonable financial sacrifice on able men and women who want to serve  their country.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":58,"text":"I believe that the recommendations of the Commission on Executive,  Legislative and Judicial Salaries are generally sound. Later this week, I  shall submit a special message which I reviewed with the leadership this  evening containing a proposal that has been reduced and has modified the  Commission's recommendation to some extent on the congressional salaries.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":59,"text":"For Members of Congress, I will recommend the basic compensation not of the  $50,000 unanimously recommended by the Kappel Commission and the other  distinguished Members, but I shall reduce that $50,000 to $42,500. I will  suggest that Congress appropriate a very small additional allowance for  official expenses, so that Members will not be required to use their salary  increase for essential official business.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":60,"text":"I would have submitted the Commission's recommendations, except the advice  that I received from the leadership--and you usually are consulted about  matters that affect the Congress--was that the Congress would not accept  the $50,000 recommendation, and if I expected my recommendation to be  seriously considered, I should make substantial reductions. That is the  only reason I didn't go along with the Kappel report.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":61,"text":"In 1967 I recommended to the Congress a fair and impartial random selection  system for the draft. I submit it again tonight for your most respectful  consideration.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":62,"text":"I know that all of us recognize that most of the things we do to meet all  of these commitments I talk about will cost money. If we maintain the  strong rate of growth that we have had in this country for the past 8  years, I think we shall generate the resources that we need to meet these  commitments.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":63,"text":"We have already been able to increase our support for major social  programs--although we have heard a lot about not being able to do anything  on the home front because of Vietnam; but we have been able in the last  5 years to increase our commitments for such things as health and education  from $30 billion in 1964 to $68 billion in the coming fiscal year. That is  more than double. That is more than it has ever been increased in the 188  years of this Republic, notwithstanding Vietnam.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":64,"text":"We must continue to budget our resources and budget them responsibly in a  way that will preserve our prosperity and will strengthen our dollar.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":65,"text":"Greater revenues and the reduced Federal spending required by Congress last  year have changed the budgetary picture dramatically since last January  when we made our estimates. At that time, you will remember that we  estimated we would have a deficit of $8 billion. Well, I am glad to report  to you tonight that the fiscal year ending June 30, 1969, this June, we are  going to have not a deficit, but we are going to have a $2.4 billion  surplus.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":66,"text":"You will receive the budget tomorrow. The budget for the next fiscal year,  that begins July 1--which you will want to examine very carefully in the  days ahead--will provide a $3.4 billion surplus.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":67,"text":"This budget anticipates the extension of the surtax that Congress enacted  last year. I have communicated with the President-elect, Mr. Nixon, in  connection with this policy of continuing the surtax for the time being.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":68,"text":"I want to tell you that both of us want to see it removed just as soon as  circumstances will permit, but the President-elect has told me that he has  concluded that until his administration, and this Congress, can examine the  appropriation bills, and each item in the budget, and can ascertain that  the facts justify permitting the surtax to expire or to be reduced, he, Mr.  Nixon, will support my recommendation that the surtax be continued.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":69,"text":"Americans, I believe, are united in the hope that the Paris talks will  bring an early peace to Vietnam. And if our hopes for an early settlement  of the war are realized, then our military expenditures can be reduced and  very substantial savings can be made to be used for other desirable  purposes, as the Congress may determine.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":70,"text":"In any event, I think it is imperative that we do all that we responsibly  can to resist inflation while maintaining our prosperity. I think all  Americans know that our prosperity is broad and it is deep, and it has  brought record profits, the highest in our history, and record wages.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":71,"text":"Our gross national product has grown more in the last 5 years than any  other period in our Nation's history. Our wages have been the highest. Our  profits have been the best. This prosperity has enabled millions to escape  the poverty that they would have otherwise had the last few years.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":72,"text":"I think also you will be very glad to hear that the Secretary of the  Treasury informs me tonight that in 1968 in our balance of payments we have  achieved a surplus. It appears that we have, in fact, done better this year  than we have done in any year in this regard since the year 1957.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":73,"text":"The quest for a durable peace, I think, has absorbed every administration  since the end of World War II. It has required us to seek a limitation of  arms races not only among the superpowers, but among the smaller nations as  well. We have joined in the test ban treaty of 1963, the outer space treaty  of 1967, and the treaty against the spread of nuclear weapons in 1968.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":74,"text":"This latter agreement--the nonproliferation treaty--is now pending in the  Senate and it has been pending there since last July. In my opinion, delay  in ratifying it is not going to be helpful to the cause of peace. America  took the lead in negotiating this treaty and America should now take steps  to have it approved at the earliest possible date.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":75,"text":"Until a way can be found to scale down the level of arms among the  superpowers, mankind cannot view the future without fear and great  apprehension. So, I believe that we should resume the talks with the Soviet  Union about limiting offensive and defensive missile systems. I think they  would already have been resumed except for Czechoslovakia and our election  this year.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":76,"text":"It was more than 20 years ago that we embarked on a program of trying to  aid the developing nations. We knew then that we could not live in good  conscience as a rich enclave on an earth that was seething in misery.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":77,"text":"During these years there have been great advances made under our program,  particularly against want and hunger, although we are disappointed at the  appropriations last year. We thought they were woefully inadequate. This  year I am asking for adequate funds for economic assistance in the hope  that we can further peace throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":78,"text":"I think we must continue to support efforts in regional cooperation. Among  those efforts, that of Western Europe has a very special place in America's  concern.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":79,"text":"The only course that is going to permit Europe to play the great world role  that its resources permit is to go forward to unity. I think America  remains ready to work with a united Europe, to work as a partner on the  basis of equality.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":80,"text":"For the future, the quest for peace, I believe, requires:  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":81,"text":"--that we maintain the liberal trade policies that have helped us become  the leading nation in world trade,  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":82,"text":"--that we strengthen the international monetary system as an instrument of  world prosperity, and  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":83,"text":"--that we seek areas of agreement with the Soviet Union where the interests  of both nations and the interests of world peace are properly served.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":84,"text":"The strained relationship between us and the world's leading Communist  power has not ended--especially in the light of the brutal invasion of  Czechoslovakia. But totalitarianism is no less odious to us because we are  able to reach some accommodation that reduces the danger of world  catastrophe.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":85,"text":"What we do, we do in the interest of peace in the world. We earnestly hope  that time will bring a Russia that is less afraid of diversity and  individual freedom.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":86,"text":"The quest for peace tonight continues in Vietnam, and in the Paris talks.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":87,"text":"I regret more than any of you know that it has not been possible to restore  peace to South Vietnam.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":88,"text":"The prospects, I think, for peace are better today than at any time since  North Vietnam began its invasion with its regular forces more than 4 years  ago.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":89,"text":"The free nations of Asia know what they were not sure of at that time: that  America cares about their freedom, and it also cares about America's own  vital interests in Asia and throughout the Pacific.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":90,"text":"The North Vietnamese know that they cannot achieve their aggressive  purposes by force. There may be hard fighting before a settlement is  reached; but, I can assure you, it will yield no victory to the Communist  cause.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":91,"text":"I cannot speak to you tonight about Vietnam without paying a very personal  tribute to the men who have carried the battle out there for all of us. I  have been honored to be their Commander in Chief. The Nation owes them its  unstinting support while the battle continues--and its enduring gratitude  when their service is done.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":92,"text":"Finally, the quest for stable peace in the Middle East goes on in many  capitals tonight. America fully supports the unanimous resolution of the  U.N. Security Council which points the way. There must be a settlement of  the armed hostility that exists in that region of the world today. It is a  threat not only to Israel and to all the Arab States, but it is a threat to  every one of us and to the entire world as well.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":93,"text":"Now, my friends in Congress, I want to conclude with a few very personal  words to you.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":94,"text":"I rejected and rejected and then finally accepted the congressional  leadership's invitation to come here to speak this farewell to you in  person tonight.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":95,"text":"I did that for two reasons. One was philosophical. I wanted to give you my  judgment, as I saw it, on some of the issues before our Nation, as I view  them, before I leave.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":96,"text":"The other was just pure sentimental. Most all of my life as a public  official has been spent here in this building. For 38 years--since I worked  on that gallery as a doorkeeper in the House of Representatives--I have  known these halls, and I have known most of the men pretty well who walked  them.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":97,"text":"I know the questions that you face. I know the conflicts that you endure. I  know the ideals that you seek to serve.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":98,"text":"I left here first to become Vice President, and then to become, in a moment  of tragedy, the President of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":99,"text":"My term of office has been marked by a series of challenges, both at home  and throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":100,"text":"In meeting some of these challenges, the Nation has found a new confidence.  In meeting others, it knew turbulence and doubt, and fear and hate.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":101,"text":"Throughout this time, I have been sustained by my faith in representative  democracy--a faith that I had learned here in this Capitol Building as an  employee and as a Congressman and as a Senator.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":102,"text":"I believe deeply in the ultimate purposes of this Nation--described by the  Constitution, tempered by history, embodied in progressive laws, and given  life by men and women that have been elected to serve their fellow  citizens.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":103,"text":"Now for 5 most demanding years in the White House, I have been strengthened  by the counsel and the cooperation of two great former Presidents, Harry S.  Truman and Dwight David Eisenhower. I have been guided by the memory of my  pleasant and close association with the beloved John F. Kennedy, and with  our greatest modern legislator, Speaker Sam Rayburn.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":104,"text":"I have been assisted by my friend every step of the way, Vice President  Hubert Humphrey. I am so grateful that I have been supported daily by the  loyalty of Speaker McCormack and Majority Leader Albert.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":105,"text":"I have benefited from the wisdom of Senator Mike Mansfield, and I am sure  that I have avoided many dangerous pitfalls by the good commonsense counsel  of the President Pro Tem of the Senate, Senator Richard Brevard Russell.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":106,"text":"I have received the most generous cooperation from the leaders of the  Republican Party in the Congress of the United States, Senator Dirksen and  Congressman Gerald Ford, the Minority Leader.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":107,"text":"No President should ask for more, although I did upon occasions. But few  Presidents have ever been blessed with so much.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":108,"text":"President-elect Nixon, in the days ahead, is going to need your  understanding, just as I did. And he is entitled to have it. I hope every  Member will remember that the burdens he will bear as our President, will  be borne for all of us. Each of us should try not to increase these burdens  for the sake of narrow personal or partisan advantage.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":109,"text":"Now, it is time to leave. I hope it may be said, a hundred years from now,  that by working together we helped to make our country more just, more just  for all of its people, as well as to insure and guarantee the blessings of  liberty for all of our posterity.  "}
{"year":"1969","paragraph":110,"text":"That is what I hope. But I believe that at least it will be said that we  tried.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my colleagues in the Congress, our  distinguished guests and my fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":2,"text":"To address a joint session of the Congress in this great Chamber in which I  was once privileged to serve is an honor for which I am deeply grateful.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":3,"text":"The State of the Union Address is traditionally an occasion for a lengthy  and detailed account by the President of what he has accomplished in the  past, what he wants the Congress to do in the future, and, in an election  year, to lay the basis for the political issues which might be decisive in  the fall.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":4,"text":"Occasionally there comes a time when profound and far-reaching events  command a break with tradition. This is such a time.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":5,"text":"I say this not only because 1970 marks the beginning of a new decade in  which America will celebrate its 200th birthday. I say it because new  knowledge and hard experience argue persuasively that both our programs and  our institutions in America need to be reformed.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":6,"text":"The moment has arrived to harness the vast energies and abundance of this  land to the creation of a new American experience, an experience richer and  deeper and more truly a reflection of the goodness and grace of the human  spirit.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":7,"text":"The seventies will be a time of new beginnings, a time of exploring both on  the earth and in the heavens, a time of discovery. But the time has also  come for emphasis on developing better ways of managing what we have and of  completing what man's genius has begun but left unfinished.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":8,"text":"Our land, this land that is ours together, is a great and a good land. It  is also an unfinished land, and the challenge of perfecting it is the  summons of the seventies.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":9,"text":"It is in that spirit that I address myself to those great issues facing our  Nation which are above partisanship.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":10,"text":"When we speak of America's priorities the first priority must always be  peace for America and the world.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":11,"text":"The major immediate goal of our foreign policy is to bring an end to the  war in Vietnam in a way that our generation will be remembered not so much  as the generation that suffered in war, but more for the fact that we had  the courage and character to win the kind of a just peace that the next  generation was able to keep.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":12,"text":"We are making progress toward that goal.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":13,"text":"The prospects for peace are far greater today than they were a year ago.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":14,"text":"A major part of the credit for this development goes to the Members of this  Congress who, despite their differences on the conduct of the war, have  overwhelmingly indicated their support of a just peace. By this action, you  have completely demolished the enemy's hopes that they can gain in  Washington the victory our fighting men have denied them in Vietnam.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":15,"text":"No goal could be greater than to make the next generation the first in this  century in which America was at peace with every nation in the world.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":16,"text":"I shall discuss in detail the new concepts and programs designed to achieve  this goal in a separate report on foreign policy, which I shall submit to  the Congress at a later date.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":17,"text":"Today, let me describe the directions of our new policies.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":18,"text":"We have based our policies on an evaluation of the world as it is, not as  it was 25 years ago at the conclusion of World War II. Many of the policies  which were necessary and right then are obsolete today.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":19,"text":"Then, because of America's overwhelming military and economic strength,  because of the weakness of other major free world powers and the inability  of scores of newly independent nations to defend, or even govern,  themselves, America had to assume the major burden for the defense of  freedom in the world.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":20,"text":"In two wars, first in Korea and now in Vietnam, we furnished most of the  money, most of the arms, most of the men to help other nations defend their  freedom.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":21,"text":"Today the great industrial nations of Europe, as well as Japan, have  regained their economic strength; and the nations of Latin America--and  many of the nations who acquired their freedom from colonialism after World  War II in Asia and Africa--have a new sense of pride and dignity and a  determination to assume the responsibility for their own defense.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":22,"text":"That is the basis of the doctrine I announced at Guam.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":23,"text":"Neither the defense nor the development of other nations can be exclusively  or primarily an American undertaking.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":24,"text":"The nations of each part of the world should assume the primary  responsibility for their own well-being; and they themselves should  determine the terms of that well-being.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":25,"text":"We shall be faithful to our treaty commitments, but we shall reduce our  involvement and our presence in other nations' affairs.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":26,"text":"To insist that other nations play a role is not a retreat from  responsibility; it is a sharing of responsibility.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":27,"text":"The result of this new policy has been not to weaken our alliances, but to  give them new life, new strength, a new sense of common purpose.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":28,"text":"Relations with our European allies are once again strong and healthy, based  on mutual consultation and mutual responsibility.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":29,"text":"We have initiated a new approach to Latin America in which we deal with  those nations as partners rather than patrons.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":30,"text":"The new partnership concept has been welcomed in Asia. We have developed an  historic new basis for Japanese-American friendship and cooperation, which  is the linchpin for peace in the Pacific.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":31,"text":"If we are to have peace in the last third of the century, a major factor  will be the development of a new relationship between the United States and  the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":32,"text":"I would not underestimate our differences, but we are moving with precision  and purpose from an era of confrontation to an era of negotiation.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":33,"text":"Our negotiations on strategic arms limitations and in other areas will have  far greater chance for success if both sides enter them motivated by mutual  self-interest rather than naive sentimentality.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":34,"text":"It is with this same spirit that we have resumed discussions with Communist  China in our talks at Warsaw.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":35,"text":"Our concern in our relations with both these nations is to avoid a  catastrophic collision and to build a solid basis for peaceful settlement  of our differences.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":36,"text":"I would be the last to suggest that the road to peace is not difficult and  dangerous, but I believe our new policies have contributed to the prospect  that America may have the best chance since World War II to enjoy a  generation of uninterrupted peace. And that chance will be enormously  increased if we continue to have a relationship between Congress and the  Executive in which, despite differences in detail, where the security of  America and the peace of mankind are concerned, we act not as Republicans,  not as Democrats, but as Americans.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":37,"text":"As we move into the decade of the seventies, we have the greatest  opportunity for progress at home of any people in world history.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":38,"text":"Our gross national product will increase by $500 billion in the next 10  years. This increase alone is greater than the entire growth of the  American economy from 1790 to 1950.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":39,"text":"The critical question is not whether we will grow, but how we will use that  growth.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":40,"text":"The decade of the sixties was also a period of great growth economically.  But in that same 10-year period we witnessed the greatest growth of crime,  the greatest increase in inflation, the greatest social unrest in America  in 100 years. Never has a nation seemed to have had more and enjoyed it  less.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":41,"text":"At heart, the issue is the effectiveness of government.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":42,"text":"Ours has become--as it continues to be, and should remain--a society of  large expectations. Government helped to generate these expectations. It  undertook to meet them. Yet, increasingly, it proved unable to do so.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":43,"text":"As a people, we had too many visions--and too little vision.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":44,"text":"Now, as we enter the seventies, we should enter also a great age of reform  of the institutions of American government.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":45,"text":"Our purpose in this period should not be simply better management of the  programs of the past. The time has come for a new quest--a quest not for a  greater quantity of what we have, but for a new quality of life in  America.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":46,"text":"A major part of the substance for an unprecedented advance in this Nation's  approach to its problems and opportunities is contained in more than two  score legislative proposals which I sent to the Congress last year and  which still await enactment.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":47,"text":"I will offer at least a dozen more major programs in the course of this  session.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":48,"text":"At this point I do not intend to go through a detailed listing of what I  have proposed or will propose, but I would like to mention three areas in  which urgent priorities demand that we move and move now:  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":49,"text":"First, we cannot delay longer in accomplishing a total reform of our  welfare system. When a system penalizes work, breaks up homes, robs  recipients of dignity, there is no alternative to abolishing that system  and adopting in its place the program of income support, job training, and  work incentives which I recommended to the Congress last year.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":50,"text":"Second, the time has come to assess and reform all of our institutions of  government at the Federal, State, and local level. It is time for a New  Federalism, in which, after 190 years of power flowing from the people and  local and State governments to Washington, D.C., it will begin to flow from  Washington back to the States and to the people of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":51,"text":"Third, we must adopt reforms which will expand the range of opportunities  for all Americans. We can fulfill the American dream only when each person  has a fair chance to fulfill his own dreams. This means equal voting  rights, equal employment opportunity, and new opportunities for expanded  ownership. Because in order to be secure in their human rights, people need  access to property rights.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":52,"text":"I could give similar examples of the need for reform in our programs for  health, education, housing, transportation, as well as other critical areas  which directly affect the well-being of millions of Americans.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":53,"text":"The people of the United States should wait no longer for these reforms  that would so deeply enhance the quality of their life.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":54,"text":"When I speak of actions which would be beneficial to the American people, I  can think of none more important than for the Congress to join this  administration in the battle to stop the rise in the cost of living.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":55,"text":"Now, I realize it is tempting to blame someone else for inflation. Some  blame business for raising prices. Some blame unions for asking for more  wages.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":56,"text":"But a review of the stark fiscal facts of the 1960's clearly demonstrates  where the primary blame for rising prices must be placed.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":57,"text":"In the decade of the sixties the Federal Government spent $57 billion more  than it took in in taxes.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":58,"text":"In that same decade the American people paid the bill for that deficit in  price increases which raised the cost of living for the average family of  four by $200 per month in America.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":59,"text":"Now millions of Americans are forced to go into debt today because the  Federal Government decided to go into debt yesterday. We must balance our  Federal budget so that American families will have a better chance to  balance their family budgets.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":60,"text":"Only with the cooperation of the Congress can we meet this highest priority  objective of responsible government. We are on the right track.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":61,"text":"We had a balanced budget in 1969. This administration cut more than $7  billion out of spending plans in order to produce a surplus in 1970, and in  spite of the fact that Congress reduced revenues by $3 billion, I shall  recommend a balanced budget for 1971.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":62,"text":"But I can assure you that not only to present, but to stay within, a  balanced budget requires some very hard decisions. It means rejecting  spending programs which would benefit some of the people when their net  effect would result in price increases for all the people.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":63,"text":"It is time to quit putting good money into bad programs. Otherwise, we will  end up with bad money and bad programs.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":64,"text":"I recognize the political popularity of spending programs, and particularly  in an election year. But unless we stop the rise in prices, the cost of  living for millions of American families will become unbearable and  government's ability to plan programs for progress for the future will  become impossible.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":65,"text":"In referring to budget cuts, there is one area where I have ordered an  increase rather than a cut--and that is the requests of those agencies with  the responsibilities for law enforcement.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":66,"text":"We have heard a great deal of overblown rhetoric during the sixties in  which the word \"war\" has perhaps too often been used--the war on poverty,  the war on misery, the war on disease, the war on hunger. But if there is  one area where the word \"war\" is appropriate it is in the fight against  crime. We must declare and win the war against the criminal elements which  increasingly threaten our cities, our homes, and our lives.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":67,"text":"We have a tragic example of this problem in the Nation's Capital, for whose  safety the Congress and the Executive have the primary responsibility. I  doubt if many Members of this Congress who live more than a few blocks from  here would dare leave their cars in the Capitol garage and walk home alone  tonight.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":68,"text":"Last year this administration sent to the Congress 13 separate pieces of  legislation dealing with organized crime, pornography, street crime,  narcotics, crime in the District of Columbia.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":69,"text":"None of these bills has reached my desk for signature.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":70,"text":"I am confident that the Congress will act now to adopt the legislation I  placed before you last year. We in the Executive have done everything we  can under existing law, but new and stronger weapons are needed in that  fight.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":71,"text":"While it is true that State and local law enforcement agencies are the  cutting edge in the effort to eliminate street crime, burglaries, murder,  my proposals to you have embodied my belief that the Federal Government  should play a greater role in working in partnership with these agencies.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":72,"text":"That is why 1971 Federal spending for local law enforcement will double  that budgeted for 1970.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":73,"text":"The primary responsibility for crimes that affect individuals is with local  and State rather than with Federal Government. But in the field of  organized crime, narcotics, pornography, the Federal Government has a  special responsibility it should fulfill. And we should make Washington,  D.C., where we have the primary responsibility, an example to the Nation  and the world of respect for law rather than lawlessness.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":74,"text":"I now turn to a subject which, next to our desire for peace, may well  become the major concern of the American people in the decade of the  seventies.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":75,"text":"In the next 10 years we shall increase our wealth by 50 percent. The  profound question is: Does this mean we will be 50 percent richer in a real  sense, 50 percent better off, 50 percent happier?  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":76,"text":"Or does it mean that in the year 1980 the President standing in this place  will look back on a decade in which 70 percent of our people lived in  metropolitan areas choked by traffic, suffocated by smog, poisoned by  water, deafened by noise, and terrorized by crime?  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":77,"text":"These are not the great questions that concern world leaders at summit  conferences. But people do not live at the summit. They live in the  foothills of everyday experience, and it is time for all of us to concern  ourselves with the way real people live in real life.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":78,"text":"The great question of the seventies is, shall we surrender to our  surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make  reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land, and to our  water?  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":79,"text":"Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond  factions. It has become a common cause of all the people of this country.  It is a cause of particular concern to young Americans, because they more  than we will reap the grim consequences of our failure to act on programs  which are needed now if we are to prevent disaster later.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":80,"text":"Clean air, clean water, open spaces--these should once again be the  birthright of every American. If we act now, they can be.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":81,"text":"We still think of air as free. But clean air is not free, and neither is  clean water. The price tag on pollution control is high. Through our years  of past carelessness we incurred a debt to nature, and now that debt is  being called.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":82,"text":"The program I shall propose to Congress will be the most comprehensive and  costly program in this field in America's history.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":83,"text":"It is not a program for just one year. A year's plan in this field is no  plan at all. This is a time to look ahead not a year, but 5 years or 10  years--whatever time is required to do the job.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":84,"text":"I shall propose to this Congress a $10 billion nationwide clean waters  program to put modern municipal waste treatment plants in every place in  America where they are needed to make our waters clean again, and do it  now. We have the industrial capacity, if we begin now, to build them all  within 5 years. This program will get them built within 5 years.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":85,"text":"As our cities and suburbs relentlessly expand, those priceless open spaces  needed for recreation areas accessible to their people are swallowed  up--often forever. Unless we preserve these spaces while they are still  available, we will have none to preserve. Therefore, I shall propose new  financing methods for purchasing open space and parklands now, before they  are lost to us.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":86,"text":"The automobile is our worst polluter of the air. Adequate control requires  further advances in engine design and fuel composition. We shall intensify  our research, set increasingly strict standards, and strengthen enforcement  procedures--and we shall do it now.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":87,"text":"We can no longer afford to consider air and water common property, free to  be abused by anyone without regard to the consequences. Instead, we should  begin now to treat them as scarce resources, which we are no more free to  contaminate than we are free to throw garbage into our neighbor's yard.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":88,"text":"This requires comprehensive new regulations. It also requires that, to the  extent possible, the price of goods should be made to include the costs of  producing and disposing of them without damage to the environment.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":89,"text":"Now, I realize that the argument is often made that there is a fundamental  contradiction between economic growth and the quality of life, so that to  have one we must forsake the other.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":90,"text":"The answer is not to abandon growth, but to redirect it. For example, we  should turn toward ending congestion and eliminating smog the same  reservoir of inventive genius that created them in the first place.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":91,"text":"Continued vigorous economic growth provides us with the means to enrich  life itself and to enhance our planet as a place hospitable to man.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":92,"text":"Each individual must enlist in this fight if it is to be won.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":93,"text":"It has been said that no matter how many national parks and historical  monuments we buy and develop, the truly significant environment for each of  us is that in which we spend 80 percent of our time--in our homes, in our  places of work, the streets over which we travel.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":94,"text":"Street litter, rundown parking strips and yards, dilapidated fences, broken  windows, smoking automobiles, dingy working places, all should be the  object of our fresh view.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":95,"text":"We have been too tolerant of our surroundings and too willing to leave it  to others to clean up our environment. It is time for those who make  massive demands on society to make some minimal demands on themselves. Each  of us must resolve that each day he will leave his home, his property, the  public places of the city or town a little cleaner, a little better, a  little more pleasant for himself and those around him.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":96,"text":"With the help of people we can do anything, and without their help, we can  do nothing. In this spirit, together, we can reclaim our land for ours and  generations to come.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":97,"text":"Between now and the year 2000, over 100 million children will be born in  the United States. Where they grow up--and how--will, more than any one  thing, measure the quality of American life in these years ahead.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":98,"text":"This should be a warning to us.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":99,"text":"For the past 30 years our population has also been growing and shifting.  The result is exemplified in the vast areas of rural America emptying out  of people and of promise--a third of our counties lost population in the  sixties.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":100,"text":"The violent and decayed central cities of our great metropolitan complexes  are the most conspicuous area of failure in American life today.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":101,"text":"I propose that before these problems become insoluble, the Nation develop a  national growth policy.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":102,"text":"In the future, government decisions as to where to build highways, locate  airports, acquire land, or sell land should be made with a clear objective  of aiding a balanced growth for America.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":103,"text":"In particular, the Federal Government must be in a position to assist in  the building of new cities and the rebuilding of old ones.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":104,"text":"At the same time, we will carry our concern with the quality of life in  America to the farm as well as the suburb, to the village as well as to the  city. What rural America needs most is a new kind of assistance. It needs  to be dealt with, not as a separate nation, but as part of an overall  growth policy for America. We must create a new rural environment which  will not only stem the migration to urban centers, but reverse it. If we  seize our growth as a challenge, we can make the 1970's an historic period  when by conscious choice we transformed our land into what we want it to  become.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":105,"text":"America, which has pioneered in the new abundance, and in the new  technology, is called upon today to pioneer in meeting the concerns which  have followed in their wake--in turning the wonders of science to the  service of man.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":106,"text":"In the majesty of this great Chamber we hear the echoes of America's  history, of debates that rocked the Union and those that repaired it, of  the summons to war and the search for peace, of the uniting of the people,  the building of a nation.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":107,"text":"Those echoes of history remind us of our roots and our strengths.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":108,"text":"They remind us also of that special genius of American democracy, which at  one critical turning point after another has led us to spot the new road to  the future and given us the wisdom and the courage to take it.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":109,"text":"As I look down that new road which I have tried to map out today, I see a  new America as we celebrate our 200th anniversary 6 years from now.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":110,"text":"I see an America in which we have abolished hunger, provided the means for  every family in the Nation to obtain a minimum income, made enormous  progress in providing better housing, faster transportation, improved  health, and superior education.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":111,"text":"I see an America in which we have checked inflation, and waged a winning  war against crime.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":112,"text":"I see an America in which we have made great strides in stopping the  pollution of our air, cleaning up our water, opening up our parks,  continuing to explore in space.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":113,"text":"Most important, I see an America at peace with all the nations of the  world.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":114,"text":"This is not an impossible dream. These goals are all within our reach.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":115,"text":"In times past, our forefathers had the vision but not the means to achieve  such goals.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":116,"text":"Let it not be recorded that we were the first American generation that had  the means but not the vision to make this dream come true.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":117,"text":"But let us, above all, recognize a fundamental truth. We can be the best  clothed, best fed, best housed people in the world, enjoying clean air,  clean water, beautiful parks, but we could still be the unhappiest people  in the world without an indefinable spirit--the lift of a driving dream  which has made America, from its beginning, the hope of the world.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":118,"text":"Two hundred years ago this was a new nation of 3 million people, weak  militarily, poor economically. But America meant something to the world  then which could not be measured in dollars, something far more important  than military might.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":119,"text":"Listen to President Thomas Jefferson in 1802: We act not \"for ourselves  alone, but for the whole human race.\"  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":120,"text":"We had a spiritual quality then which caught the imagination of millions of  people in the world.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":121,"text":"Today, when we are the richest and strongest nation in the world, let it  not be recorded that we lack the moral and spiritual idealism which made us  the hope of the world at the time of our birth.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":122,"text":"The demands of us in 1976 are even greater than in 1776.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":123,"text":"It is no longer enough to live and let live. Now we must live and help  live.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":124,"text":"We need a fresh climate in America, one in which a person can breathe  freely and breathe in freedom.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":125,"text":"Our recognition of the truth that wealth and happiness are not the same  thing requires us to measure success or failure by new criteria.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":126,"text":"Even more than the programs I have described today, what this Nation needs  is an example from its elected leaders in providing the spiritual and moral  leadership which no programs for material progress can satisfy.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":127,"text":"Above all, let us inspire young Americans with a sense of excitement, a  sense of destiny, a sense of involvement, in meeting the challenges we face  in this great period of our history. Only then are they going to have any  sense of satisfaction in their lives.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":128,"text":"The greatest privilege an individual can have is to serve in a cause bigger  than himself. We have such a cause.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":129,"text":"How we seize the opportunities I have described today will determine not  only our future, but the future of peace and freedom in this world in the  last third of the century.  "}
{"year":"1970","paragraph":130,"text":"May God give us the wisdom, the strength and, above all, the idealism to be  worthy of that challenge, so that America can fulfill its destiny of being  the world's best hope for liberty, for opportunity, for progress and peace  for all peoples.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my colleagues in the Congress, our  distinguished guests, my fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":2,"text":"As this 92d Congress begins its session, America has lost a great Senator,  and all of us who had the privilege to know him have lost a loyal friend. I  had the privilege of visiting Senator Russell in the hospital just a few  days before he died. He never spoke about himself. He only spoke eloquently  about the need for a strong national defense. In tribute to one of the most  magnificent Americans of all time, I respectfully ask that all those here  will rise in silent prayer for Senator Russell.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":3,"text":"Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":4,"text":"Mr. Speaker, before I begin my formal address, I want to use this  opportunity to congratulate all of those who were winners in the rather  spirited contest for leadership positions in the House and the Senate and,  also, to express my condolences to the losers. I know how both of you  feel.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":5,"text":"And I particularly want to join with all of the Members of the House and  the Senate as well in congratulating the new Speaker of the United States  Congress.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":6,"text":"To those new Members of this House who may have some doubts about the  possibilities for advancement in the years ahead, I would remind you that  the Speaker and I met just 24 years ago in this Chamber as freshmen Members  of the 80th Congress. As you see, we both have come up in the world a bit  since then.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":7,"text":"Mr. Speaker, this 92d Congress has a chance to be recorded as the greatest  Congress in America's history.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":8,"text":"In these troubled years just past, America has been going through a long  nightmare of war and division, of crime and inflation. Even more deeply, we  have gone through a long, dark night of the American spirit. But now that  night is ending. Now we must let our spirits soar again. Now we are ready  for the lift of a driving dream.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":9,"text":"The people of this Nation are eager to get on with the quest for new  greatness. They see challenges, and they are prepared to meet those  challenges. It is for us here to open the doors that will set free again  the real greatness of this Nation--the genius of the American people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":10,"text":"How shall we meet this challenge? How can we truly open the doors, and set  free the full genius of our people?  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":11,"text":"The way in which the 92d Congress answers these questions will determine  its place in history. More importantly, it can determine this Nation's  place in history as we enter the third century of our independence.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":12,"text":"Tonight I shall present to the Congress six great goals. I shall ask not  simply for more new programs in the old framework. I shall ask to change  the framework of government itself---to reform the entire structure of  American government so we can make it again fully responsive to the needs  and the wishes of the American people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":13,"text":"If we act boldly--if we seize this moment and achieve these goals--we can  close the gap between promise and performance in American government. We  can bring together the resources of this Nation and the spirit of the  American people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":14,"text":"In discussing these great goals, I shall deal tonight only with matters on  the domestic side of the Nation's agenda. I shall make a separate report to  the Congress and the Nation next month on developments in foreign policy.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":15,"text":"The first of these great goals is already before the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":16,"text":"I urge that the unfinished business of the 91st Congress be made the first  priority business of the 92d Congress.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":17,"text":"Over the next 2 weeks, I will call upon Congress to take action on more  than 35 pieces of proposed legislation on which action was not completed  last year.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":18,"text":"The most important is welfare reform.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":19,"text":"The present welfare system has become a monstrous, consuming outrage--an  outrage against the community, against the taxpayer, and particularly  against the children it is supposed to help.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":20,"text":"We may honestly disagree, as we do, on what to do about it. But we can all  agree that we must meet the challenge, not by pouring more money into a bad  program, but by abolishing the present welfare system and adopting a new  one.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":21,"text":"So let us place a floor under the income of every family with children in  America--and without those demeaning, soul-stifling affronts to human  dignity that so blight the lives of welfare children today. But let us also  establish an effective work incentive and an effective work requirement.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":22,"text":"Let us provide the means by which more can help themselves. This shall be  our goal.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":23,"text":"Let us generously help those who are not able to help themselves. But let  us stop helping those who are able to help themselves but refuse to do so.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":24,"text":"The second great goal is to achieve what Americans have not enjoyed since  1957--full prosperity in peacetime.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":25,"text":"The tide of inflation has turned. The rise in the cost of living, which had  been gathering dangerous momentum in the late sixties, was reduced last  year. Inflation will be further reduced this year.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":26,"text":"But as we have moved from runaway inflation toward reasonable price  stability and at the same time as we have been moving from a wartime  economy to a peacetime economy, we have paid a price in increased  unemployment.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":27,"text":"We should take no comfort from the fact that the level of unemployment in  this transition from a wartime to a peacetime economy is lower than in any  peacetime year of the sixties.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":28,"text":"This is not good enough for the man who is unemployed in the seventies. We  must do better for workers in peacetime and we will do better.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":29,"text":"To achieve this, I will submit an expansionary budget this year--one that  will help stimulate the economy and thereby open up new job opportunities  for millions of Americans.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":30,"text":"It will be a full employment budget, a budget designed to be in balance if  the economy were operating at its peak potential. By spending as if we were  at full employment, we will help to bring about full employment.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":31,"text":"I ask the Congress to accept these expansionary policies--to accept the  concept of a full employment budget. At the same time, I ask the Congress  to cooperate in resisting expenditures that go beyond the limits of the  full employment budget. For as we wage a campaign to bring about a widely  shared prosperity, we must not reignite the fires of inflation and so  undermine that prosperity.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":32,"text":"With the stimulus and the discipline of a full employment budget, with the  commitment of the independent Federal Reserve System to provide fully for  the monetary needs of a growing economy, and with a much greater effort on  the part of labor and management to make their wage and price decisions in  the light of the national interest and their own self-interest--then for  the worker, the farmer, the consumer, for Americans everywhere we shall  gain the goal of a new prosperity: more jobs, more income, more profits,  without inflation and without war.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":33,"text":"This is a great goal, and one that we can achieve together.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":34,"text":"The third great goal is to continue the effort so dramatically begun last  year: to restore and enhance our natural environment.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":35,"text":"Building on the foundation laid in the 37-point program that I submitted to  Congress last year, I will propose a strong new set of initiatives to clean  up our air and water, to combat noise, and to preserve and restore our  surroundings.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":36,"text":"I will propose programs to make better use of our land, to encourage a  balanced national growth--growth that will revitalize our rural heartland  and enhance the quality of life in America.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":37,"text":"And not only to meet today's needs but to anticipate those of tomorrow, I  will put forward the most extensive program ever proposed by a President of  the United States to expand the Nation's parks, recreation areas, open  spaces, in a way that truly brings parks to the people where the people  are. For only if we leave a legacy of parks will the next generation have  parks to enjoy.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":38,"text":"As a fourth great goal, I will offer a far-reaching set of proposals for  improving America's health care and making it available more fairly to more  people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":39,"text":"I will propose:  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":40,"text":"--A program to insure that no American family will be prevented from  obtaining basic medical care by inability to pay.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":41,"text":"--I will propose a major increase in and redirection of aid to medical  schools, to greatly increase the number of doctors and other health  personnel.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":42,"text":"--Incentives to improve the delivery of health services, to get more  medical care resources into those areas that have not been adequately  served, to make greater use of medical assistants, and to slow the alarming  rise in the costs of medical care.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":43,"text":"--New programs to encourage better preventive medicine, by attacking the  causes of disease and injury, and by providing incentives to doctors to  keep people well rather than just to treat them when they are sick.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":44,"text":"I will also ask for an appropriation of an extra $100 million to launch an  intensive campaign to find a cure for cancer, and I will ask later for  whatever additional funds can effectively be used. The time has come in  America when the same kind of concentrated effort that split the atom and  took man to the moon should be turned toward conquering this dread disease.  Let us make a total national commitment to achieve this goal.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":45,"text":"America has long been the wealthiest nation in the world. Now it is time we  became the healthiest nation in the world.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":46,"text":"The fifth great goal is to strengthen and to renew our State and local  governments.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":47,"text":"As we approach our 200th anniversary in 1976, we remember that this Nation  launched itself as a loose confederation of separate States, without a  workable central government. At that time, the mark of its leaders' vision  was that they quickly saw the need to balance the separate powers of the  States with a government of central powers.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":48,"text":"And so they gave us a constitution of balanced powers, of unity with  diversity--and so clear was their vision that it survives today as the  oldest written constitution still in force in the world.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":49,"text":"For almost two centuries since--and dramatically in the 1930's--at those  great turning points when the question has been between the States and the  Federal Government, that question has been resolved in favor of a stronger  central Federal Government.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":50,"text":"During this time the Nation grew and the Nation prospered. But one thing  history tells us is that no great movement goes in the same direction  forever. Nations change, they adapt, or they slowly die.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":51,"text":"The time has now come in America to reverse the flow of power and resources  from the States and communities to Washington, and start power and  resources flowing back from Washington to the States and communities and,  more important, to the people all across America.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":52,"text":"The time has come for a new partnership between the Federal Government and  the States and localities--a partnership in which we entrust the States and  localities with a larger share of the Nation's responsibilities, and in  which we share our Federal revenues with them so that they can meet those  responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":53,"text":"To achieve this goal, I propose to the Congress tonight that we enact a  plan of revenue sharing historic in scope and bold in concept.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":54,"text":"All across America today, States and cities are confronted with a financial  crisis. Some have already been cutting back on essential services---for  example, just recently San Diego and Cleveland cut back on trash  collections. Most are caught between the prospects of bankruptcy on the one  hand and adding to an already crushing tax burden on the other.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":55,"text":"As one indication of the rising costs of local government, I discovered the  other day that my home town of Whittier, California--which has a population  of 67,000--has a larger budget for 1971 than the entire Federal budget was  in 1791.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":56,"text":"Now the time has come to take a new direction, and once again to introduce  a new and more creative balance to our approach to government.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":57,"text":"So let us put the money where the needs are. And let us put the power to  spend it where the people are.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":58,"text":"I propose that the Congress make a $16 billion investment in renewing  State and local government. Five billion dollars of this will be in new and  unrestricted funds to be used as the States and localities see fit. The  other $11 billion will be provided by allocating $1 billion of new funds  and converting one-third of the money going to the present narrow-purpose  aid programs into Federal revenue sharing funds for six broad purposes--for  urban development, rural development, education, transportation, job  training, and law enforcement--but with the States and localities making  their own decisions on how it should be spent within each category.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":59,"text":"For the next fiscal year, this would increase total Federal aid to the  States and localities more than 25 percent over the present level.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":60,"text":"The revenue sharing proposals I send to the Congress will include the  safeguards against discrimination that accompany all other Federal funds  allocated to the States. Neither the President nor the Congress nor the  conscience of this Nation can permit money which comes from all the people  to be used in a way which discriminates against some of the people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":61,"text":"The Federal Government will still have a large and vital role to play in  achieving our national progress. Established functions that are clearly and  essentially Federal in nature will still be performed by the Federal  Government. New functions that need to be sponsored or performed by the  Federal Government--such as those I have urged tonight in welfare and  health--will be added to the Federal agenda. Whenever it makes the best  sense for us to act as a whole nation, the Federal Government should and  will lead the way. But where States or local governments can better do what  needs to be done, let us see that they have the resources to do it there.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":62,"text":"Under this plan, the Federal Government will provide the States and  localities with more money and less interference--and by cutting down the  interference the same amount of money will go a lot further.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":63,"text":"Let us share our resources.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":64,"text":"Let us share them to rescue the States and localities from the brink of  financial crisis.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":65,"text":"Let us share them to give homeowners and wage earners a chance to escape  from ever-higher property taxes and sales taxes.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":66,"text":"Let us share our resources for two other reasons as well.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":67,"text":"The first of these reasons has to do with government itself, and the second  has to do with each of us, with the individual.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":68,"text":"Let's face it. Most Americans today are simply fed up with government at  all levels. They will not--and they should not--continue to tolerate the  gap between promise and performance in government.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":69,"text":"The fact is that we have made the Federal Government so strong it grows  muscle-bound and the States and localities so weak they approach  impotence.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":70,"text":"If we put more power in more places, we can make government more creative  in more places. That way we multiply the number of people with the ability  to make things happen--and we can open the way to a new burst of creative  energy throughout America.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":71,"text":"The final reason I urge this historic shift is much more personal, for each  and for every one of us.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":72,"text":"As everything seems to have grown bigger and more complex in America, as  the forces that shape our lives seem to have grown more distant and more  impersonal, a great feeling of frustration has crept across this land.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":73,"text":"Whether it is the workingman who feels neglected, the black man who feels  oppressed, or the mother concerned about her children, there has been a  growing feeling that \"Things are in the saddle, and ride mankind.\"  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":74,"text":"Millions of frustrated young Americans today are crying out--asking not  what will government do for me, but what can I do, how can I contribute,  how can I matter?  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":75,"text":"And so let us answer them. Let us say to them and let us say to all  Americans, \"We hear you. We will give you a chance. We are going to give  you a new chance to have more to say about the decisions that affect your  future--a chance to participate in government--because we are going to  provide more centers of power where what you do can make a difference that  you can see and feel in your own life and the life of your whole  community.\"  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":76,"text":"The further away government is from people, the stronger government becomes  and the weaker people become. And a nation with a strong government and a  weak people is an empty shell.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":77,"text":"I reject the patronizing idea that government in Washington, D.C., is  inevitably more wise, more honest, and more efficient than government at  the local or State level. The honesty and efficiency of government depends  on people. Government at all levels has good people and bad people. And the  way to get more good people into government is to give them more  opportunity to do good things.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":78,"text":"The idea that a bureaucratic elite in Washington knows best what is best  for people everywhere and that you cannot trust local governments is really  a contention that you cannot trust people to govern themselves. This notion  is completely foreign to the American experience. Local government is the  government closest to the people, it is most responsive to the individual  person. It is people's government in a far more intimate way than the  Government in Washington can ever be.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":79,"text":"People came to America because they wanted to determine their own future  rather than to live in a country where others determined their future for  them.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":80,"text":"What this change means is that once again in America we are placing our  trust in people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":81,"text":"I have faith in people. I trust the judgment of people. Let us give the  people of America a chance, a bigger voice in deciding for themselves those  questions that so greatly affect their lives.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":82,"text":"The sixth great goal is a complete reform of the Federal Government  itself.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":83,"text":"Based on a long and intensive study with the aid of the best advice  obtainable, I have concluded that a sweeping reorganization of the  executive branch is needed if the Government is to keep up with the times  and with the needs of the people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":84,"text":"I propose, therefore, that we reduce the present 12 Cabinet Departments to  eight.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":85,"text":"I propose that the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, and Justice  remain, but that all the other departments be consolidated into four: Human  Resources, Community Development, Natural Resources, and Economic  Development.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":86,"text":"Let us look at what these would be:  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":87,"text":"--First, a department dealing with the concerns of people--as individuals,  as members of a family--a department focused on human needs.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":88,"text":"--Second, a department concerned with the community--rural communities and  urban communities--and with all that it takes to make a community function  as a community.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":89,"text":"--Third, a department concerned with our physical environment, with the  preservation and balanced use of those great natural resources on which our  Nation depends.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":90,"text":"--And fourth, a department concerned with our prosperity--with our jobs,  our businesses, and those many activities that keep our economy running  smoothly and well.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":91,"text":"Under this plan, rather than dividing up our departments by narrow  subjects, we would organize them around the great purposes of government.  Rather than scattering responsibility by adding new levels of bureaucracy,  we would focus and concentrate the responsibility for getting problems  solved.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":92,"text":"With these four departments, when we have a problem we will know where to  go--and the department will have the authority and the resources to do  something about it.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":93,"text":"Over the years we have added departments and created agencies at the  Federal level, each to serve a new constituency, to handle a particular  task--and these have grown and multiplied in what has become a hopeless  confusion of form and function.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":94,"text":"The time has come to match our structure to our purposes---to look with a  fresh eye, to organize the Government by conscious, comprehensive design to  meet the new needs of a new era.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":95,"text":"One hundred years ago, Abraham Lincoln stood on a battlefield and spoke of  a \"government of the people, by the people, for the people.\" Too often  since then, we have become a nation of the Government, by the Government,  for the Government.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":96,"text":"By enacting these reforms, we can renew that principle that Lincoln stated  so simply and so well.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":97,"text":"By giving everyone's voice a chance to be heard, we will have government  that truly is of the people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":98,"text":"By creating more centers of meaningful power, more places where decisions  that really count can be made, by giving more people a chance to do  something, we can have government that truly is by the people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":99,"text":"And by setting up a completely modern, functional system of government at  the national level, we in Washington will at last be able to provide  government that is truly for the people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":100,"text":"I realize that what I am asking is that not only the executive branch in  Washington but that even this Congress will have to change by giving up  some of its power.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":101,"text":"Change is hard. But without change there can be no progress. And for each  of us the question then becomes, not \"Will change cause me inconvenience?\"  but \"Will change bring progress for America?\"  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":102,"text":"Giving up power is hard. But I would urge all of you, as leaders of this  country, to remember that the truly revered leaders in world history are  those who gave power to people, and not those who took it away.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":103,"text":"As we consider these reforms we will be acting, not for the next 2 years or  for the next 10 years, but for the next 100 years.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":104,"text":"So let us approach these six great goals with a sense not only of this  moment in history but also of history itself.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":105,"text":"Let us act with the willingness to work together and the vision and the  boldness and the courage of those great Americans who met in Philadelphia  almost 190 years ago to write a constitution.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":106,"text":"Let us leave a heritage as they did--not just for our children but for  millions yet unborn--of a nation where every American will have a chance  not only to live in peace and to enjoy prosperity and opportunity but to  participate in a system of government where he knows not only his votes but  his ideas count--a system of government which will provide the means for  America to reach heights of achievement undreamed of before.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":107,"text":"Those men who met at Philadelphia left a great heritage because they had a  vision--not only of what the Nation was but of what it could become.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":108,"text":"As I think of that vision, I recall that America was founded as the land of  the open door--as a haven for the oppressed, a land of opportunity, a place  of refuge, of hope.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":109,"text":"When the first settlers opened the door of America three and a half  centuries ago, they came to escape persecution and to find opportunity--and  they left wide the door of welcome for others to follow.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":110,"text":"When the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence almost two centuries  ago, they opened the door to a new vision of liberty and of human  fulfillment--not just for an elite but for all.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":111,"text":"To the generations that followed, America's was the open door that beckoned  millions from the old world to the new in search of a better life, a freer  life, a fuller life, and in which, by their own decisions, they could shape  their own destinies.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":112,"text":"For the black American, the Indian, the Mexican-American, and for those  others in our land who have not had an equal chance, the Nation at last has  begun to confront the need to press open the door of full and equal  opportunity, and of human dignity.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":113,"text":"For all Americans, with these changes I have proposed tonight we can open  the door to a new era of opportunity. We can open the door to full and  effective participation in the decisions that affect their lives. We can  open the door to a new partnership among governments at all levels, between  those governments and the people themselves. And by so doing, we can open  wide the doors of human fulfillment for millions of people here in America  now and in the years to come.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":114,"text":"In the next few weeks I will spell out in greater detail the way I propose  that we achieve these six great goals. I ask this Congress to be  responsive. If it is, then the 92d Congress, your Congress, our Congress,  at the end of its term, will be able to look back on a record more splendid  than any in our history.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":115,"text":"This can be the Congress that helped us end the longest war in the Nation's  history, and end it in a way that will give us at last a genuine chance to  enjoy what we have not had in this century: a full generation of peace.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":116,"text":"This can be the Congress that helped achieve an expanding economy, with  full employment and without inflation--and without the deadly stimulus of  war.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":117,"text":"This can be the Congress that reformed a welfare system that has robbed  recipients of their dignity and robbed States and cities of their  resources.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":118,"text":"This can be the Congress that pressed forward the rescue of our  environment, and established for the next generation an enduring legacy of  parks for the people.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":119,"text":"This can be the Congress that launched a new era in American medicine, in  which the quality of medical care was enhanced while the costs were made  less burdensome.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":120,"text":"But above all, what this Congress can be remembered for is opening the way  to a new American revolution--a peaceful revolution in which power was  turned back to the people--in which government at all levels was refreshed  and renewed and made truly responsive. This can be a revolution as  profound, as far-reaching, as exciting as that first revolution almost 200  years ago--and it can mean that just 5 years from now America will enter  its third century as a young nation new in spirit, with all the vigor and  the freshness with which it began its first century.  "}
{"year":"1971","paragraph":121,"text":"My colleagues in the Congress, these are great goals. They can make the  sessions of this Congress a great moment for America. So let us pledge  together to go forward together--by achieving these goals to give America  the foundation today for a new greatness tomorrow and in all the years to  come, and in so doing to make this the greatest Congress in the history of  this great and good country.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my colleagues in the Congress, our  distinguished guests, my fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":2,"text":"Twenty-five years ago I sat here as a freshman Congressman--along with  Speaker Albert--and listened for the first time to the President address  the State of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":3,"text":"I shall never forget that moment. The Senate, the diplomatic corps, the  Supreme Court, the Cabinet entered the Chamber, and then the President of  the United States. As all of you are aware, I had some differences with  President Truman. He had some with me. But I remember that on that day--the  day he addressed that joint session of the newly elected Republican 80th  Congress, he spoke not as a partisan, but as President of all the  people--calling upon the Congress to put aside partisan considerations in  the national interest.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":4,"text":"The Greek-Turkish aid program, the Marshall Plan, the great foreign policy  initiatives which have been responsible for avoiding a world war for over  25 years were approved by the 80th Congress, by a bipartisan majority of  which I was proud to be a part.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":5,"text":"Nineteen hundred seventy-two is now before us. It holds precious time in  which to accomplish good for the Nation. We must not waste it. I know the  political pressures in this session of the Congress will be great. There  are more candidates for the Presidency in this Chamber today than there  probably have been at any one time in the whole history of the Republic.  And there is an honest difference of opinion, not only between the parties,  but within each party, on some foreign policy issues and on some domestic  policy issues.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":6,"text":"However, there are great national problems that are so vital that they  transcend partisanship. So let us have our debates. Let us have our honest  differences. But let us join in keeping the national interest first. Let us  join in making sure that legislation the Nation needs does not become  hostage to the political interests of any party or any person.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":7,"text":"There is ample precedent, in this election year, for me to present you with  a huge list of new proposals, knowing full well that there would not be any  possibility of your passing them if you worked night and day.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":8,"text":"I shall not do that.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":9,"text":"I have presented to the leaders of the Congress today a message of 15,000  words discussing in some detail where the Nation stands and setting forth  specific legislative items on which I have asked the Congress to act. Much  of this is legislation which I proposed in 1969, in 1970, and also in the  first session of this 92d Congress and on which I feel it is essential that  action be completed this year.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":10,"text":"I am not presenting proposals which have attractive labels but no hope of  passage. I am presenting only vital programs which are within the capacity  of this Congress to enact, within the capacity of the budget to finance,  and which I believe should be above partisanship--programs which deal with  urgent priorities for the Nation, which should and must be the subject of  bipartisan action by this Congress in the interests of the country in  1972.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":11,"text":"When I took the oath of office on the steps of this building just 3 years  ago today, the Nation was ending one of the most tortured decades in its  history.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":12,"text":"The 1960's were a time of great progress in many areas. But as we all know,  they were also times of great agony--the agonies of war, of inflation, of  rapidly rising crime, of deteriorating titles, of hopes raised and  disappointed, and of anger and frustration that led finally to violence and  to the worst civil disorder in a century.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":13,"text":"I recall these troubles not to point any fingers of blame. The Nation was  so torn in those final years of the sixties that many in both parties  questioned whether America could be governed at all.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":14,"text":"The Nation has made significant progress in these first years of the  seventies:  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":15,"text":"Our cities are no longer engulfed by civil disorders.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":16,"text":"Our colleges and universities have again become places of learning instead  of battlegrounds.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":17,"text":"A beginning has been made in preserving and protecting our environment.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":18,"text":"The rate of increase in crime has been slowed--and here in the District of  Columbia, the one city where the Federal Government has direct  jurisdiction, serious crime in 1971 was actually reduced by 13 percent from  the year before.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":19,"text":"Most important, because of the beginnings that have been made, we can say  today that this year 1972 can be the year in which America may make the  greatest progress in 25 years toward achieving our goal of being at peace  with all the nations of the world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":20,"text":"As our involvement in the war in Vietnam comes to an end, we must now go on  to build a generation of peace.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":21,"text":"To achieve that goal, we must first face realistically the need to maintain  our defense.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":22,"text":"In the past 3 years, we have reduced the burden of arms. For the first time  in 20 years, spending on defense has been brought below spending on human  resources.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":23,"text":"As we look to the future, we find encouraging progress in our negotiations  with the Soviet Union on limitation of strategic arms. And looking further  into the future, we hope there can eventually be agreement on the mutual  reduction of arms. But until there is such a mutual agreement, we must  maintain the strength necessary to deter war.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":24,"text":"And that is why, because of rising research and development costs, because  of increases in military and civilian pay, because of the need to proceed  with new weapons systems, my budget for the coming fiscal year will provide  for an increase in defense spending.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":25,"text":"Strong military defenses are not the enemy of peace; they are the guardians  of peace.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":26,"text":"There could be no more misguided set of priorities than one which would  tempt others by weakening America, and thereby endanger the peace of the  world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":27,"text":"In our foreign policy, we have entered a new era. The world has changed  greatly in the 11 years since President John Kennedy said in his Inaugural  Address, \"... we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,  support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success  of liberty.\"  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":28,"text":"Our policy has been carefully and deliberately adjusted to meet the new  realities of the new world we live in. We make today only those commitments  we are able and prepared to meet.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":29,"text":"Our commitment to freedom remains strong and unshakable. But others must  bear their share of the burden of defending freedom around the world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":30,"text":"And so this, then, is our policy:  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":31,"text":"--We will maintain a nuclear deterrent adequate to meet any threat to the  security of the United States or of our allies.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":32,"text":"--We will help other nations develop the capability of defending  themselves.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":33,"text":"--We will faithfully honor all of our treaty commitments.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":34,"text":"--We will act to defend our interests, whenever and wherever they are  threatened anyplace in the world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":35,"text":"--But where our interests or our treaty commitments are not involved, our  role will be limited.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":36,"text":"--We will not intervene militarily.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":37,"text":"--But we will use our influence to prevent war.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":38,"text":"--If war comes, we will use our influence to stop it.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":39,"text":"--Once it is over, we will do our share in helping to bind up the wounds of  those who have participated in it.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":40,"text":"As you know, I will soon be visiting the People's Republic of China and the  Soviet Union. I go there with no illusions. We have great differences with  both powers. We shall continue to have great differences. But peace depends  on the ability of great powers to live together on the same planet despite  their differences.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":41,"text":"We would not be true to our obligation to generations yet unborn if we  failed to seize this moment to do everything in our power to insure that we  will be able to talk about those differences, rather than to fight about  them, in the future.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":42,"text":"As we look back over this century, let us, in the highest spirit of  bipartisanship, recognize that we can be proud of our Nation's record in  foreign affairs.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":43,"text":"America has given more generously of itself toward maintaining freedom,  preserving peace, alleviating human suffering around the globe, than any  nation has ever done in the history of man.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":44,"text":"We have fought four wars in this century, but our power has never been used  to break the peace, only to keep it; never been used to destroy freedom,  only to defend it. We now have within our reach the goal of insuring that  the next generation can be the first generation in this century to be  spared the scourges of war.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":45,"text":"Turning to our problems at home, we are making progress toward our goal of  a new prosperity without war.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":46,"text":"Industrial production, consumer spending, retail sales, personal income all  have been rising. Total employment, real income are the highest in history.  New home building starts this past year reached the highest level ever.  Business and consumer confidence have both been rising. Interest rates are  down. The rate of inflation is down. We can look with confidence to 1972 as  the year when the back of inflation will be broken.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":47,"text":"Now, this a good record, but it is not good enough--not when we still have  an unemployment rate of 6 percent.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":48,"text":"It is not enough to point out that this was the rate of the early peacetime  years of the sixties, or that if the more than 2 million men released from  the Armed Forces and defense-related industries were still in their wartime  jobs, unemployment would be far lower.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":49,"text":"Our goal in this country is full employment in peacetime. We intend to meet  that goal, and we can.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":50,"text":"The Congress has helped to meet that goal by passing our job-creating tax  program last month.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":51,"text":"The historic monetary agreements, agreements that we have reached with the  major European nations, Canada, and Japan, will help meet it by providing  new markets for American products, new jobs for American workers.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":52,"text":"Our budget will help meet it by being expansionary without being  inflationary--a job-producing budget that will help take up the gap as the  economy expands to full employment.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":53,"text":"Our program to raise farm income will help meet it by helping to revitalize  rural America, by giving to America's farmers their fair share of America's  increasing productivity.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":54,"text":"We also will help meet our goal of full employment in peacetime with a set  of major initiatives to stimulate more imaginative use of America's great  capacity for technological advance, and to direct it toward improving the  quality of life for every American.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":55,"text":"In reaching the moon, we demonstrated what miracles American technology is  capable of achieving. Now the time has come to move more deliberately  toward making full use of that technology here on earth, of harnessing the  wonders of science to the service of man.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":56,"text":"I shall soon send to the Congress a special message proposing a new program  of Federal partnership in technological research and development--with  Federal incentives to increase private research, federally supported  research on projects designed to improve our everyday lives in ways that  will range from improving mass transit to developing new systems of  emergency health care that could save thousands of lives annually.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":57,"text":"Historically, our superior technology and high productivity have made it  possible for American workers to be the highest paid in the world by far,  and yet for our goods still to compete in world markets.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":58,"text":"Now we face a new situation. As other nations move rapidly forward in  technology, the answer to the new competition is not to build a wall around  America, but rather to remain competitive by improving our own technology  still further and by increasing productivity in American industry.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":59,"text":"Our new monetary and trade agreements will make it possible for American  goods to compete fairly in the world's markets--but they still must  compete. The new technology program will put to use the skills of many  highly trained Americans, skills that might otherwise be wasted. It will  also meet the growing technological challenge from abroad, and it will thus  help to create new industries, as well as creating more jobs for America's  workers in producing for the world's markets.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":60,"text":"This second session of the 92d Congress already has before it more than 90  major Administration proposals which still await action.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":61,"text":"I have discussed these in the extensive written message that I have  presented to the Congress today.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":62,"text":"They include, among others, our programs to improve life for the aging; to  combat crime and drug abuse; to improve health services and to ensure that  no one will be denied needed health care because of inability to pay; to  protect workers' pension rights; to promote equal opportunity for members  of minorities, and others who have been left behind; to expand consumer  protection; to improve the environment; to revitalize rural America; to  help the cities; to launch new initiatives in education; to improve  transportation, and to put an end to costly labor tie-ups in  transportation.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":63,"text":"The west coast dock strike is a case in point. This Nation cannot and will  not tolerate that kind of irresponsible labor tie-up in the future.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":64,"text":"The messages also include basic reforms which are essential if our  structure of government is to be adequate in the decades ahead.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":65,"text":"They include reform of our wasteful and outmoded welfare  system--substitution of a new system that provides work requirements and  work incentives for those who can help themselves, income support for those  who cannot help themselves, and fairness to the working poor.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":66,"text":"They include a $17 billion program of Federal revenue sharing with the  States and localities as an investment in their renewal, an investment also  of faith in the American people.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":67,"text":"They also include a sweeping reorganization of the executive branch of the  Federal Government so that it will be more efficient, more responsive, and  able to meet the challenges of the decades ahead.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":68,"text":"One year ago, standing in this place, I laid before the opening session of  this Congress six great goals. One of these was welfare reform. That  proposal has been before the Congress now for nearly 2 1/2 years.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":69,"text":"My proposals on revenue sharing, government reorganization, health care,  and the environment have now been before the Congress for nearly a year.  Many of the other major proposals that I have referred to have been here  that long or longer.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":70,"text":"Now, 1971, we can say, was a year of consideration of these measures. Now  let us join in making 1972 a year of action on them, action by the  Congress, for the Nation and for the people of America.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":71,"text":"Now, in addition, there is one pressing need which I have not previously  covered, but which must be placed on the national agenda.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":72,"text":"We long have looked in this Nation to the local property tax as the main  source of financing for public primary and secondary education.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":73,"text":"As a result, soaring school costs, soaring property tax rates now threaten  both our communities and our schools. They threaten communities because  property taxes, which more than doubled in the 10 years from 1960 to '70,  have become one of the most oppressive and discriminatory of all taxes,  hitting most cruelly at the elderly and the retired; and they threaten  schools, as hard-pressed voters understandably reject new bond issues at  the polls.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":74,"text":"The problem has been given even greater urgency by four recent court  decisions, which have held that the conventional method of financing  schools through local property taxes is discriminatory and  unconstitutional.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":75,"text":"Nearly 2 years ago, I named a special Presidential commission to study the  problems of school finance, and I also directed the Federal departments to  look into the same problems. We are developing comprehensive proposals to  meet these problems.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":76,"text":"This issue involves two complex and interrelated sets of problems: support  of the schools and the basic relationships of Federal, State, and local  governments in any tax reforms.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":77,"text":"Under the leadership of the Secretary of the Treasury, we are carefully  reviewing all of the tax aspects, and I have this week enlisted the  Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in addressing the  intergovernmental relations aspects.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":78,"text":"I have asked this bipartisan Commission to review our proposals for Federal  action to cope with the gathering crisis of school finance and property  taxes. Later in the year, when both Commissions have completed their  studies, I shall make my final recommendations for relieving the burden of  property taxes and providing both fair and adequate financing for our  children's education.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":79,"text":"These recommendations will be revolutionary. But all these recommendations,  however, will be rooted in one fundamental principle with which there can  be no compromise: Local school boards must have control over local  schools.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":80,"text":"As we look ahead over the coming decades, vast new growth and change are  not only certainties, they will be the dominant reality of this world, and  particularly of our life in America.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":81,"text":"Surveying the certainty of rapid change, we can be like a fallen rider  caught in the stirrups--or we can sit high in the saddle, the masters of  change, directing it on a course we choose.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":82,"text":"The secret of mastering change in today's world is to reach back to old and  proven principles, and to adapt them with imagination and intelligence to  the new realities of a new age.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":83,"text":"That is what we have done in the proposals that I have laid before the  Congress. They are rooted in basic principles that are as enduring as human  nature, as robust as the American experience; and they are responsive to  new conditions. Thus they represent a spirit of change that is truly  renewal.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":84,"text":"As we look back at those old principles, we find them as timely as they are  timeless.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":85,"text":"We believe in independence, and self-reliance, and the creative value of  the competitive spirit.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":86,"text":"We believe in full and equal opportunity for all Americans and in the  protection of individual rights and liberties.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":87,"text":"We believe in the family as the keystone of the community, and in the  community as the keystone of the Nation.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":88,"text":"We believe in compassion toward those in need.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":89,"text":"We believe in a system of law, justice, and order as the basis of a  genuinely free society.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":90,"text":"We believe that a person should get what he works for--and that those who  can, should work for what they get.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":91,"text":"We believe in the capacity of people to make their own decisions in their  own lives, in their own communities--and we believe in their right to make  those decisions.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":92,"text":"In applying these principles, we have done so with the full understanding  that what we seek in the seventies, what our quest is, is not merely for  more, but for better for a better quality of life for all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":93,"text":"Thus, for example, we are giving a new measure of attention to cleaning up  our air and water, making our surroundings more attractive. We are  providing broader support for the arts, helping stimulate a deeper  appreciation of what they can contribute to the Nation's activities and to  our individual lives.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":94,"text":"But nothing really matters more to the quality of our lives than the way we  treat one another, than our capacity to live respectfully together as a  unified society, with a full, generous regard for the rights of others and  also for the feelings of others.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":95,"text":"As we recover from the turmoil and violence of recent years, as we learn  once again to speak with one another instead of shouting at one another, we  are regaining that capacity.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":96,"text":"As is customary here, on this occasion, I have been talking about programs.  Programs are important. But even more important than programs is what we  are as a Nation--what we mean as a Nation, to ourselves and to the world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":97,"text":"In New York Harbor stands one of the most famous statues in the world--the  Statue of Liberty, the gift in 1886 of the people of France to the people  of the United States. This statue is more than a landmark; it is a  symbol--a symbol of what America has meant to the world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":98,"text":"It reminds us that what America has meant is not its wealth, and not its  power, but its spirit and purpose--a land that enshrines liberty and  opportunity, and that has held out a hand of welcome to millions in search  of a better and a fuller and, above all, a freer life.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":99,"text":"The world's hopes poured into America, along with its people. And those  hopes, those dreams, that have been brought here from every corner of the  world, have become a part of the hope that we now hold out to the world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":100,"text":"Four years from now, America will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its  founding as a Nation. There are those who say that the old Spirit of '76 is  dead--that we no longer have the strength of character, the idealism, the  faith in our founding purposes that that spirit represents.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":101,"text":"Those who say this do not know America.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":102,"text":"We have been undergoing self-doubts and self-criticism. But these are only  the other side of our growing sensitivity to the persistence of want in the  midst of plenty, of our impatience with the slowness with which age-old  ills are being overcome.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":103,"text":"If we were indifferent to the shortcomings of our society, or complacent  about our institutions, or blind to the lingering inequities--then we would  have lost our way.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":104,"text":"But the fact that we have those concerns is evidence that our ideals, deep  down, are still strong. Indeed, they remind us that what is really best  about America is its compassion. They remind us that in the final analysis,  America is great not because it is strong, not because it is rich, but  because this is a good country.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":105,"text":"Let us reject the narrow visions of those who would tell us that we are  evil because we are not yet perfect, that we are corrupt because we are not  yet pure, that all the sweat and toil and sacrifice that have gone into the  building of America were for naught because the building is not yet done.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":106,"text":"Let us see that the path we are traveling is wide, with room in it for all  of us, and that its direction is toward a better Nation and a more peaceful  world.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":107,"text":"Never has it mattered more that we go forward together.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":108,"text":"Look at this Chamber. The leadership of America is here today--the Supreme  Court, the Cabinet, the Senate, the House of Representatives.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":109,"text":"Together, we hold the future of the Nation, and the conscience of the  Nation in our hands.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":110,"text":"Because this year is an election year, it will be a time of great  pressure.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":111,"text":"If we yield to that pressure and fail to deal seriously with the historic  challenges that we face, we will have failed the trust of millions of  Americans and shaken the confidence they have a right to place in us, in  their Government.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":112,"text":"Never has a Congress had a greater opportunity to leave a legacy of a  profound and constructive reform for the Nation than this Congress.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":113,"text":"If we succeed in these tasks, there will be credit enough for all--not only  for doing what is right, but doing it in the right way, by rising above  partisan interest to serve the national interest.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":114,"text":"And if we fail, more than any one of us, America will be the loser.  "}
{"year":"1972","paragraph":115,"text":"That is why my call upon the Congress today is for a high statesmanship, so  that in the years to come Americans will look back and say because it  withstood the intense pressures of a political year, and achieved such  great good for the American people and for the future of this Nation, this  was truly a great Congress.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":1,"text":"To the Congress of the United States:  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":2,"text":"The traditional form of the President's annual report giving \"to the  Congress Information of the State of the Union\" is a single message or  address. As the affairs and concerns of our Union have multiplied over the  years, however, so too have the subjects that require discussion in State  of the Union Messages.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":3,"text":"This year in particular, with so many changes in Government programs under  consideration--and with our very philosophy about the relationship between  the individual and the State at an historic crossroads--a single,  all-embracing State of the Union Message would not appear to be adequate.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":4,"text":"I have therefore decided to present my 1973 State of the Union report in  the form of a series of messages during these early weeks of the 93rd  Congress. The purpose of this first message in the series is to give a  concise overview of where we stand as a people today, and to outline some  of the general goals that I believe we should pursue over the next year and  beyond. In coming weeks, I will send to the Congress further State of the  Union reports on specific areas of policy including economic affairs,  natural resources, human resources, community development and foreign and  defense policy.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":5,"text":"The new course these messages will outline represents a fresh approach to  Government: an approach that addresses the realities of the 1970s, not  those of the 1930s or of the 1960s. The role of the Federal Government as  we approach our third century of independence should not be to dominate any  facet of American life, but rather to aid and encourage people, communities  and institutions to deal with as many of the difficulties and challenges  facing them as possible, and to help see to it that every American has a  full and equal opportunity to realize his or her potential.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":6,"text":"If we were to continue to expand the Federal Government at the rate of the  past several decades, it soon would consume us entirely. The time has come  when we must make clear choices--choices between old programs that set  worthy goals but failed to reach them and new programs that provide a  better way to realize those goals; and choices, too, between competing  programs--all of which may be desirable in themselves but only some of  which we can afford with the finite resources at our command.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":7,"text":"Because our resources are not infinite, we also face a critical choice in  1973 between holding the line in Government spending and adopting expensive  programs which will surely force up taxes and refuel inflation.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":8,"text":"Finally, it is vital at this time that we restore a greater sense of  responsibility at the State and local level, and among individual  Americans.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":9,"text":"WHERE WE STAND  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":10,"text":"The basic state of our Union today is sound, and full of promise.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":11,"text":"We enter 1973 economically strong, militarily secure and, most important of  all, at peace after a long and trying war.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":12,"text":"America continues to provide a better and more abundant life for more of  its people than any other nation in the world. We have passed through one  of the most difficult periods in our history without surrendering to  despair and without dishonoring our ideals as a people.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":13,"text":"Looking back, there is a lesson in all this for all of us. The lesson is  one that we sometimes had to learn the hard way over the past few years.  But we did learn it. That lesson is that even potentially destructive  forces can be converted into positive forces when we know how to channel  them, and when we use common sense and common decency to create a climate  of mutual respect and goodwill.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":14,"text":"By working together and harnessing the forces of nature, Americans have  unlocked some of the great mysteries of the universe.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":15,"text":"Men have walked the surface of the moon and soared to new heights of  discovery.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":16,"text":"This same spirit of discovery is helping us to conquer disease and  suffering that have plagued our own planet since the dawn of time.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":17,"text":"By working together with the leaders of other nations, we have been able to  build a new hope for lasting peace--for a structure of world order in which  common interest outweighs old animosities, and in which a new generation of  the human family can grow up at peace in a changing world.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":18,"text":"At home, we have learned that by working together we can create prosperity  without fanning inflation; we can restore order without weakening freedom.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":19,"text":"THE CHALLENGES WE FACE  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":20,"text":"These first years of the 1970s have been good years for America.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":21,"text":"Our job--all of us together--is to make 1973 and the years to come even  better ones. I believe that we can. I believe that we can make the years  leading to our Bicentennial the best four years in American history.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":22,"text":"But we must never forget that nothing worthwhile can be achieved without  the will to succeed and the strength to sacrifice.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":23,"text":"Hard decisions must be made, and we must stick by them.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":24,"text":"In the field of foreign policy, we must remember that a strong America--an  America whose word is believed and whose strength is respected--is  essential to continued peace and understanding in the world. The peace with  honor we have achieved in Vietnam has strengthened this basic American  credibility. We must act in such a way in coming years that this  credibility will remain intact, and with it, the world stability of which  it is so indispensable a part.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":25,"text":"At home, we must reject the mistaken notion--a notion that has dominated  too much of the public dialogue for too long--that ever bigger Government  is the answer to every problem.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":26,"text":"We have learned only too well that heavy taxation and excessive Government  spending are not a cure-all. In too many cases, instead of solving the  problems they were aimed at, they have merely placed an ever heavier burden  on the shoulders of the American taxpayer, in the form of higher taxes and  a higher cost of living. At the same time they have deceived our people  because many of the intended beneficiaries received far less than was  promised, thus undermining public faith in the effectiveness of Government  as a whole.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":27,"text":"The time has come for us to draw the line. The time has come for the  responsible leaders of both political parties to take a stand against  overgrown Government and for the American taxpayer. We are not spending the  Federal Government's money, we are spending the taxpayer's money, and it  must be spent in a way which guarantees his money's worth and yields the  fullest possible benefit to the people being helped.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":28,"text":"The answer to many of the domestic problems we face is not higher taxes and  more spending. It is less waste, more results and greater freedom for the  individual American to earn a rightful place in his own community--and for  States and localities to address their own needs in their own ways, in the  light of their own priorities.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":29,"text":"By giving the people and their locally elected leaders a greater voice  through changes such as revenue sharing, and by saying \"no\" to excessive  Federal spending and higher taxes, we can help achieve this goal.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":30,"text":"COMING MESSAGES  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":31,"text":"The policies which I will outline to the Congress in the weeks ahead  represent a reaffirmation, not an abdication, of Federal responsibility.  They represent a pragmatic rededication to social compassion and national  excellence, in place of the combination of good intentions and fuzzy  follow-through which too often in the past was thought sufficient.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":32,"text":"In the field of economic affairs, our objectives will be to hold down  taxes, to continue controlling inflation, to promote economic growth, to  increase productivity, to encourage foreign trade, to keep farm income  high, to bolster small business, and to promote better labor-management  relations.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":33,"text":"In the area of natural resources, my recommendations will include programs  to preserve and enhance the environment, to advance science and technology,  and to assure balanced use of our irreplaceable natural resources.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":34,"text":"In developing human resources, I will have recommendations to advance the  Nation's health and education, to improve conditions of people in need, to  carry forward our increasingly successful attacks on crime, drug abuse and  injustice, and to deal with such important areas of special concern as  consumer affairs. We will continue and improve our Nation's efforts to  assist those who have served in the Armed Services in Vietnam through  better job and training opportunities.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":35,"text":"We must do a better job in community development--in creating more livable  communities, in which all of our children can grow up with fuller access to  opportunity and greater immunity to the social evils and blights which now  plague so many of our towns and cities. I shall have proposals to help us  achieve this.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":36,"text":"I shall also deal with our defense and foreign policies, and with our new  approaches to the role and structure of Government itself.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":37,"text":"Considered as a whole, this series of messages will be a blueprint for  modernizing the concept and the functions of American Government to meet  the needs of our people.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":38,"text":"Converting it into reality will require a spirit of cooperation and shared  commitment on the part of all branches of the Government, for the goals we  seek are not those of any single party or faction, they are goals for the  betterment of all Americans. As President, I recognize that I cannot do  this job alone. The Congress must help, and I pledge to do my part to  achieve a constructive working relationship with the Congress. My sincere  hope is that the executive and legislative branches can work together in  this great undertaking in a positive spirit of mutual respect and  cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":39,"text":"Working together--the Congress, the President and the people--I am  confident that we can translate these proposals into an action program that  can reform and revitalize American Government and, even more important,  build a better life for all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":40,"text":"The White House,  "}
{"year":"1973","paragraph":41,"text":"February 2, 1973.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my colleagues in the Congress, our  distinguished guests, my fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":2,"text":"We meet here tonight at a time of great challenge and great opportunities  for America. We meet at a time when we face great problems at home and  abroad that will test the strength of our fiber as a nation. But we also  meet at a time when that fiber has been tested, and it has proved strong.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":3,"text":"America is a great and good land, and we are a great and good land because  we are a strong, free, creative people and because America is the single  greatest force for peace anywhere in the world. Today, as always in our  history, we can base our confidence in what the American people will  achieve in the future on the record of what the American people have  achieved in the past.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":4,"text":"Tonight, for the first time in 12 years, a President of the United States  can report to the Congress on the state of a Union at peace with every  nation of the world. Because of this, in the 22,000-word message on the  state of the Union that I have just handed to the Speaker of the House and  the President of the Senate, I have been able to deal primarily with the  problems of peace with what we can do here at home in America for the  American people--rather than with the problems of war.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":5,"text":"The measures I have outlined in this message set an agenda for truly  significant progress for this Nation and the world in 1974. Before we chart  where we are going, let us see how far we have come.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":6,"text":"It was 5 years ago on the steps of this Capitol that I took the oath of  office as your President. In those 5 years, because of the initiatives  undertaken by this Administration, the world has changed. America has  changed. As a result of those changes, America is safer today, more  prosperous today, with greater opportunity for more of its people than ever  before in our history.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":7,"text":"Five years ago, America was at war in Southeast Asia. We were locked in  confrontation with the Soviet Union. We were in hostile isolation from a  quarter of the world's people who lived in Mainland China.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":8,"text":"Five years ago, our cities were burning and besieged.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":9,"text":"Five years ago, our college campuses were a battleground.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":10,"text":"Five years ago, crime was increasing at a rate that struck fear across the  Nation.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":11,"text":"Five years ago, the spiraling rise in drug addiction was threatening human  and social tragedy of massive proportion, and there was no program to deal  with it.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":12,"text":"Five years ago--as young Americans had done for a generation before  that--America's youth still lived under the shadow of the military draft.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":13,"text":"Five years ago, there was no national program to preserve our environment.  Day by day, our air was getting dirtier, our water was getting more foul.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":14,"text":"And 5 years ago, American agriculture was practically a depressed industry  with 100,000 farm families abandoning the farm every year.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":15,"text":"As we look at America today, we find ourselves challenged by new problems.  But we also find a record of progress to confound the professional criers  of doom and prophets of despair. We met the challenges we faced 5 years  ago, and we will be equally confident of meeting those that we face today.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":16,"text":"Let us see for a moment how we have met them.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":17,"text":"After more than 10 years of military involvement, all of our troops have  returned from Southeast Asia, and they have returned with honor. And we can  be proud of the fact that our courageous prisoners of war, for whom a  dinner was held in Washington tonight, that they came home with their heads  high, on their feet and not on their knees.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":18,"text":"In our relations with the Soviet Union, we have turned away from a policy  of confrontation to one of negotiation. For the first time since World War  II, the world's two strongest powers are working together toward peace in  the world. With the People's Republic of China after a generation of  hostile isolation, we have begun a period of peaceful exchange and  expanding trade.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":19,"text":"Peace has returned to our cities, to our campuses. The 17-year rise in  crime has been stopped. We can confidently say today that we are finally  beginning to win the war against crime. Right here in this Nation's  Capital--which a few years ago was threatening to become the crime capital  of the world--the rate in crime has been cut in half. A massive campaign  against drug abuse has been organized. And the rate of new heroin  addiction, the most vicious threat of all, is decreasing rather than  increasing.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":20,"text":"For the first time in a generation, no young Americans are being drafted  into the armed services of the United States. And for the first time ever,  we have organized a massive national effort to protect the environment. Our  air is getting cleaner, our water is getting purer, and our agriculture,  which was depressed, is prospering. Farm income is up 70 percent, farm  production is setting all-time records, and the billions of dollars the  taxpayers were paying in subsidies has been cut to nearly zero.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":21,"text":"Overall, Americans are living more abundantly than ever before, today. More  than 2 1/2 million new jobs were created in the past year alone. That is  the biggest percentage increase in nearly 20 years. People are earning  more. What they earn buys more, more than ever before in history. In the  past 5 years, the average American's real spendable income--that is, what  you really can buy with your income, even after allowing for taxes and  inflation--has increased by 16 percent.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":22,"text":"Despite this record of achievement, as we turn to the year ahead we hear  once again the familiar voice of the perennial prophets of gloom telling us  now that because of the need to fight inflation, because of the energy  shortage, America may be headed for a recession.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":23,"text":"Let me speak to that issue head on. There will be no recession in the  United States of America. Primarily due to our energy crisis, our economy  is passing through a difficult period. But I pledge to you tonight that the  full powers of this Government will be used to keep America's economy  producing and to protect the jobs of America's workers.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":24,"text":"We are engaged in a long and hard fight against inflation. There have been,  and there will be in the future, ups and downs in that fight. But if this  Congress cooperates in our efforts to hold down the cost of Government, we  shall win our fight to hold down the cost of living for the American  people.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":25,"text":"As we look back over our history, the years that stand out as the ones of  signal achievement are those in which the Administration and the Congress,  whether one party or the other, working together, had the wisdom and the  foresight to select those particular initiatives for which the Nation was  ready and the moment was right--and in which they seized the moment and  acted.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":26,"text":"Looking at the year 1974 which lies before us, there are 10 key areas in  which landmark accomplishments are possible this year in America. If we  make these our national agenda, this is what we will achieve in 1974:  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":27,"text":"We will break the back of the energy crisis; we will lay the foundation for  our future capacity to meet America's energy needs from America's own  resources.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":28,"text":"And we will take another giant stride toward lasting peace in the  world--not only by continuing our policy of negotiation rather than  confrontation where the great powers are concerned but also by helping  toward the achievement of a just and lasting settlement in the Middle  East.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":29,"text":"We will check the rise in prices without administering the harsh medicine  of recession, and we will move the economy into a steady period of growth  at a sustainable level.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":30,"text":"We will establish a new system that makes high-quality health care  available to every American in a dignified manner and at a price he can  afford.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":31,"text":"We will make our States and localities more responsive to the needs of  their own citizens.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":32,"text":"We will make a crucial breakthrough toward better transportation in our  towns and in our cities across America.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":33,"text":"We will reform our system of Federal aid to education, to provide it when  it is needed, where it is needed, so that it will do the most for those who  need it the most.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":34,"text":"We will make an historic beginning on the task of defining and protecting  the right of personal privacy for every American.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":35,"text":"And we will start on a new road toward reform of a welfare system that  bleeds the taxpayer, corrodes the community, and demeans those it is  intended to assist.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":36,"text":"And together with the other nations of the world, we will establish the  economic framework within which Americans will share more fully in an  expanding worldwide trade and prosperity in the years ahead, with more open  access to both markets and supplies.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":37,"text":"In all of the 186 State of the Union messages delivered from this place, in  our history this is the first in which the one priority, the first  priority, is energy. Let me begin by reporting a new development which I  know will be welcome news to every American. As you know, we have committed  ourselves to an active role in helping to achieve a just and durable peace  in the Middle East, on the basis of full implementation of Security Council  Resolutions 242 and 338. The first step in the process is the disengagement  of Egyptian and Israeli forces which is now taking place.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":38,"text":"Because of this hopeful development, I can announce tonight that I have  been assured, through my personal contacts with friendly leaders in the  Middle Eastern area, that an urgent meeting will be called in the immediate  future to discuss the lifting of the oil embargo.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":39,"text":"This is an encouraging sign. However, it should be clearly understood by  our friends in the Middle East that the United States will not be coerced  on this issue.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":40,"text":"Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, the cooperation of the American  people in our energy conservation program has already gone a long way  towards achieving a goal to which I am deeply dedicated. Let us do  everything we can to avoid gasoline rationing in the United States of  America.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":41,"text":"Last week, I sent to the Congress a comprehensive special message setting  forth our energy situation, recommending the legislative measures which are  necessary to a program for meeting our needs. If the embargo is lifted,  this will ease the crisis, but it will not mean an end to the energy  shortage in America. Voluntary conservation will continue to be necessary.  And let me take this occasion to pay tribute once again to the splendid  spirit of cooperation the American people have shown which has made  possible our success in meeting this emergency up to this time.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":42,"text":"The new legislation I have requested will also remain necessary. Therefore,  I urge again that the energy measures that I have proposed be made the  first priority of this session of the Congress. These measures will require  the oil companies and other energy producers to provide the public with the  necessary information on their supplies. They will prevent the injustice of  windfall profits for a few as a result of the sacrifices of the millions of  Americans. And they will give us the organization, the incentives, the  authorities needed to deal with the short-term emergency and to move toward  meeting our long-term needs.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":43,"text":"Just as 1970 was the year in which we began a full-scale effort to protect  the environment, 1974 must be the year in which we organize a full-scale  effort to provide for our energy needs, not only in this decade but through  the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":44,"text":"As we move toward the celebration 2 years from now of the 200th anniversary  of this Nation's independence, let us press vigorously on toward the goal I  announced last November for Project Independence. Let this be our national  goal: At the end of this decade, in the year 1980, the United States will  not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need to provide our  jobs, to heat our homes, and to keep our transportation moving.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":45,"text":"To indicate the size of the Government commitment, to spur energy research  and development, we plan to spend $10 billion in Federal funds over the  next 5 years. That is an enormous amount. But during the same 5 years,  private enterprise will be investing as much as $200 billion--and in 10  years, $500 billion--to develop the new resources, the new technology, the  new capacity America will require for its energy needs in the 1980's. That  is just a measure of the magnitude of the project we are undertaking.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":46,"text":"But America performs best when called to its biggest tasks. It can truly be  said that only in America could a task so tremendous be achieved so  quickly, and achieved not by regimentation, but through the effort and  ingenuity of a free people, working in a free system.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":47,"text":"Turning now to the rest of the agenda for 1974, the time is at hand this  year to bring comprehensive, high quality health care within the reach of  every American. I shall propose a sweeping new program that will assure  comprehensive health insurance protection to millions of Americans who  cannot now obtain it or afford it, with vastly improved protection against  catastrophic illnesses. This will be a plan that maintains the high  standards of quality in America's health care. And it will not require  additional taxes.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":48,"text":"Now, I recognize that other plans have been put forward that would cost $80  billion or even $100 billion and that would put our whole health care  system under the heavy hand of the Federal Government. This is the wrong  approach. This has been tried abroad, and it has failed. It is not the way  we do things here in America. This kind of plan would threaten the quality  of care provided by our whole health care system. The right way is one that  builds on the strengths of the present system and one that does not destroy  those strengths, one based on partnership, not paternalism. Most important  of all, let us keep this as the guiding principle of our health programs.  Government has a great role to play, but we must always make sure that our  doctors will be working for their patients and not for the Federal  Government.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":49,"text":"Many of you will recall that in my State of the Union Address 3 years ago,  I commented that \"Most Americans today are simply fed up with government at  all levels,\" and I recommended a sweeping set of proposals to revitalize  State and local governments, to make them more responsive to the people  they serve. I can report to you today that as a result of revenue sharing  passed by the Congress, and other measures, we have made progress toward  that goal. After 40 years of moving power from the States and the  communities to Washington, D.C., we have begun moving power back from  Washington to the States and communities and, most important, to the people  of America.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":50,"text":"In this session of the Congress, I believe we are near the breakthrough  point on efforts which I have suggested, proposals to let people themselves  make their own decisions for their own communities and, in particular, on  those to provide broad new flexibility in Federal aid for community  development, for economic development, for education. And I look forward to  working with the Congress, with members of both parties in resolving  whatever remaining differences we have in this legislation so that we can  make available nearly $5 1/2 billion to our States and localities to use  not for what a Federal bureaucrat may want, but for what their own people  in those communities want. The decision should be theirs.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":51,"text":"I think all of us recognize that the energy crisis has given new urgency to  the need to improve public transportation, not only in our cities but in  rural areas as well. The program I have proposed this year will give  communities not only more money but also more freedom to balance their own  transportation needs. It will mark the strongest Federal commitment ever to  the improvement of mass transit as an essential element of the improvement  of life in our towns and cities.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":52,"text":"One goal on which all Americans agree is that our children should have the  very best education this great Nation can provide.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":53,"text":"In a special message last week, I recommended a number of important new  measures that can make 1974 a year of truly significant advances for our  schools and for the children they serve. If the Congress will act on these  proposals, more flexible funding will enable each Federal dollar to meet  better the particular need of each particular school district. Advance  funding will give school authorities a chance to make each year's plans,  knowing ahead of time what Federal funds they are going to receive. Special  targeting will give special help to the truly disadvantaged among our  people. College students faced with rising costs for their education will  be able to draw on an expanded program of loans and grants. These advances  are a needed investment in America's most precious resource, our next  generation. And I urge the Congress to act on this legislation in 1974.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":54,"text":"One measure of a truly free society is the vigor with which it protects the  liberties of its individual citizens. As technology has advanced in  America, it has increasingly encroached on one of those liberties--what I  term the right of personal privacy. Modern information systems, data banks,  credit records, mailing list abuses, electronic snooping, the collection of  personal data for one purpose that may be used for another--all these have  left millions of Americans deeply concerned by the privacy they cherish.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":55,"text":"And the time has come, therefore, for a major initiative to define the  nature and extent of the basic rights of privacy and to erect new  safeguards to ensure that those rights are respected.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":56,"text":"I shall launch such an effort this year at the highest levels of the  Administration, and I look forward again to working with this Congress in  establishing a new set of standards that respect the legitimate needs of  society, but that also recognize personal privacy as a cardinal principle  of American liberty.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":57,"text":"Many of those in this Chamber tonight will recall that it was 3 years ago  that I termed the Nation's welfare system \"a monstrous, consuming  outrage--an outrage against the community, against the taxpayer, and  particularly against the children that it is supposed to help.\"  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":58,"text":"That system is still an outrage. By improving its administration, we have  been able to reduce some of the abuses. As a result, last year, for the  first time in 18 years, there has been a halt in the growth of the welfare  caseload. But as a system, our welfare program still needs reform as  urgently today as it did when I first proposed in 1969 that we completely  replace it with a different system.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":59,"text":"In these final 3 years of my Administration, I urge the Congress to join me  in mounting a major new effort to replace the discredited present welfare  system with one that works, one that is fair to those who need help or  cannot help themselves, fair to the community, and fair to the taxpayer.  And let us have as our goal that there will be no Government program which  makes it more profitable to go on welfare than to go to work.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":60,"text":"I recognize that from the debates that have taken place within the Congress  over the past 3 years on this program that we cannot expect enactment  overnight of a new reform. But I do propose that the Congress and the  Administration together make this the year in which we discuss, debate, and  shape such a reform so that it can be enacted as quickly as possible.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":61,"text":"America's own prosperity in the years ahead depends on our sharing fully  and equitably in an expanding world prosperity. Historic negotiations will  take place this year that will enable us to ensure fair treatment in  international markets for American workers, American farmers, American  investors, and American consumers.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":62,"text":"It is vital that the authorities contained in the trade bill I submitted to  the Congress be enacted so that the United States can negotiate flexibly  and vigorously on behalf of American interests. These negotiations can  usher in a new era of international trade that not only increases the  prosperity of all nations but also strengthens the peace among all  nations.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":63,"text":"In the past 5 years, we have made more progress toward a lasting structure  of peace in the world than in any comparable time in the Nation's history.  We could not have made that progress if we had not maintained the military  strength of America. Thomas Jefferson once observed that the price of  liberty is eternal vigilance. By the same token, and for the same reason,  in today's world the price of peace is a strong defense as far as the  United States is concerned.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":64,"text":"In the past 5 years, we have steadily reduced the burden of national  defense as a share of the budget, bringing it down from 44 percent in 1969  to 29 percent in the current year. We have cut our military manpower over  the past 5 years by more than a third, from 3.5 million to 2.2 million.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":65,"text":"In the coming year, however, increased expenditures will be needed. They  will be needed to assure the continued readiness of our military forces, to  preserve present force levels in the face of rising costs, and to give us  the military strength we must have if our security is to be maintained and  if our initiatives for peace are to succeed.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":66,"text":"The question is not whether we can afford to maintain the necessary  strength of our defense, the question is whether we can afford not to  maintain it, and the answer to that question is no. We must never allow  America to become the second strongest nation in the world.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":67,"text":"I do not say this with any sense of belligerence, because I recognize the  fact that is recognized around the world. America's military strength has  always been maintained to keep the peace, never to break it. It has always  been used to defend freedom, never to destroy it. The world's peace, as  well as our own, depends on our remaining as strong as we need to be as  long as we need to be.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":68,"text":"In this year 1974, we will be negotiating with the Soviet Union to place  further limits on strategic nuclear arms. Together with our allies, we will  be negotiating with the nations of the Warsaw Pact on mutual and balanced  reduction of forces in Europe. And we will continue our efforts to promote  peaceful economic development in Latin America, in Africa, in Asia. We will  press for full compliance with the peace accords that brought an end to  American fighting in Indochina, including particularly a provision that  promised the fullest possible accounting for those Americans who are  missing in action.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":69,"text":"And having in mind the energy crisis to which I have referred to earlier,  we will be working with the other nations of the world toward agreement on  means by which oil supplies can be assured at reasonable prices on a stable  basis in a fair way to the consuming and producing nations alike.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":70,"text":"All of these are steps toward a future in which the world's peace and  prosperity, and ours as well as a result, are made more secure.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":71,"text":"Throughout the 5 years that I have served as your President, I have had one  overriding aim, and that was to establish a new structure of peace in the  world that can free future generations of the scourge of war. I can  understand that others may have different priorities. This has been and  this will remain my first priority and the chief legacy I hope to leave  from the 8 years of my Presidency.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":72,"text":"This does not mean that we shall not have other priorities, because as we  strengthen the peace, we must also continue each year a steady  strengthening of our society here at home. Our conscience requires it, our  interests require it, and we must insist upon it.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":73,"text":"As we create more jobs, as we build a better health care system, as we  improve our education, as we develop new sources of energy, as we provide  more abundantly for the elderly and the poor, as we strengthen the system  of private enterprise that produces our prosperity--as we do all of this  and even more, we solidify those essential bonds that hold us together as  a nation.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":74,"text":"Even more importantly, we advance what in the final analysis government in  America is all about.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":75,"text":"What it is all about is more freedom, more security, a better life for each  one of the 211 million people that live in this land.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":76,"text":"We cannot afford to neglect progress at home while pursuing peace abroad.  But neither can we afford to neglect peace abroad while pursuing progress  at home. With a stable peace, all is possible, but without peace, nothing  is possible.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":77,"text":"In the written message that I have just delivered to the Speaker and to the  President of the Senate, I commented that one of the continuing challenges  facing us in the legislative process is that of the timing and pacing of  our initiatives, selecting each year among many worthy projects those that  are ripe for action at that time.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":78,"text":"What is true in terms of our domestic initiatives is true also in the  world. This period we now are in, in the world--and I say this as one who  has seen so much of the world, not only in these past 5 years but going  back over many years--we are in a period which presents a juncture of  historic forces unique in this century. They provide an opportunity we may  never have again to create a structure of peace solid enough to last a  lifetime and more, not just peace in our time but peace in our children's  time as well. It is on the way we respond to this opportunity, more than  anything else, that history will judge whether we in America have met our  responsibility. And I am confident we will meet that great historic  responsibility which is ours today.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":79,"text":"It was 27 years ago that John F. Kennedy and I sat in this Chamber, as  freshmen Congressmen, hearing our first State of the Union address  delivered by Harry Truman. I know from my talks with him, as members of the  Labor Committee on which we both served, that neither of us then even  dreamed that either one or both might eventually be standing in this place  that I now stand in now and that he once stood in, before me. It may well  be that one of the freshmen Members of the 93d Congress, one of you out  there, will deliver his own State of the Union message 27 years from now,  in the year 2001.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":80,"text":"Well, whichever one it is, I want you to be able to look back with pride  and to say that your first years here were great years and recall that you  were here in this 93d Congress when America ended its longest war and began  its longest peace.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":81,"text":"Mr. Speaker, and Mr. President, and my distinguished colleagues and our  guests: I would like to add a personal word with regard to an issue that  has been of great concern to all Americans over the past year. I refer, of  course, to the investigations of the so-called Watergate affair. As you  know, I have provided to the Special Prosecutor voluntarily a great deal of  material. I believe that I have provided all the material that he needs to  conclude his investigations and to proceed to prosecute the guilty and to  clear the innocent.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":82,"text":"I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other  investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":83,"text":"And the time has come, my colleagues, for not only the Executive, the  President, but the Members of Congress, for all of us to join together in  devoting our full energies to these great issues that I have discussed  tonight which involve the welfare of all of the American people in so many  different ways, as well as the peace of the world.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":84,"text":"I recognize that the House Judiciary Committee has a special responsibility  in this area, and I want to indicate on this occasion that I will cooperate  with the Judiciary Committee in its investigation. I will cooperate so that  it can conclude its investigation, make its decision, and I will cooperate  in any way that I consider consistent with my responsibilities to the  Office of the Presidency of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":85,"text":"There is only one limitation. I will follow the precedent that has been  followed by and defended by every President from George Washington to  Lyndon B. Johnson of never doing anything that weakens the Office of the  President of the United States or impairs the ability of the Presidents of  the future to make the great decisions that are so essential to this Nation  and the world.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":86,"text":"Another point I should like to make very briefly: Like every Member of the  House and Senate assembled here tonight, I was elected to the office that I  hold. And like every Member of the House and Senate, when I was elected to  that office, I knew that I was elected for the purpose of doing a job and  doing it as well as I possibly can. And I want you to know that I have no  intention whatever of ever walking away from the job that the people  elected me to do for the people of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":87,"text":"Now, needless to say, it would be understatement if I were not to admit  that the year 1973 was not a very easy year for me personally or for my  family. And as I have already indicated, the year 1974 presents very great  and serious problems, as very great and serious opportunities are also  presented.  "}
{"year":"1974","paragraph":88,"text":"But my colleagues, this I believe: With the help of God, who has blessed  this land so richly, with the cooperation of the Congress, and with the  support of the American people, we can and we will make the year 1974 a  year of unprecedented progress toward our goal of building a structure of  lasting peace in the world and a new prosperity without war in the United  States of America.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of the 94th Congress, and  distinguished guests:  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":2,"text":"Twenty-six years ago, a freshman Congressman, a young fellow with lots of  idealism who was out to change the world, stood before Sam Rayburn in the  well of the House and solemnly swore to the same oath that all of you took  yesterday--an unforgettable experience, and I congratulate you all.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":3,"text":"Two days later, that same freshman stood at the back of this great  Chamber--over there someplace--as President Truman, all charged up by his  single-handed election victory, reported as the Constitution requires on  the state of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":4,"text":"When the bipartisan applause stopped, President Truman said, \"I am happy to  report to this 81st Congress that the state of the Union is good. Our  Nation is better able than ever before to meet the needs of the American  people, and to give them their fair chance in the pursuit of happiness.  [It] is foremost among the nations of the world in the search for peace.\"  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":5,"text":"Today, that freshman Member from Michigan stands where Mr. Truman  stood, and I must say to you that the state of the Union is not good:  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":6,"text":"Millions of Americans are out of work.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":7,"text":"Recession and inflation are eroding the money of millions more.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":8,"text":"Prices are too high, and sales are too slow.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":9,"text":"This year's Federal deficit will be about $30 billion; next year's probably  $45 billion.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":10,"text":"The national debt will rise to over $500 billion.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":11,"text":"Our plant capacity and productivity are not increasing fast enough.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":12,"text":"We depend on others for essential energy.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":13,"text":"Some people question their Government's ability to make hard decisions and  stick with them; they expect Washington politics as usual.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":14,"text":"Yet, what President Truman said on January 5, 1949, is even more true in  1975. We are better able to meet our people's needs. All Americans do have  a fairer chance to pursue happiness. Not only are we still the foremost  nation in the pursuit of peace but today's prospects of attaining it are  infinitely brighter.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":15,"text":"There were 59 million Americans employed at the start of 1949; now there  are more than 85 million Americans who have jobs. In comparable dollars,  the average income of the American family has doubled during the past 26  years.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":16,"text":"Now, I want to speak very bluntly. I've got bad news, and I don't expect  much, if any, applause. The American people want action, and it will take  both the Congress and the President to give them what they want. Progress  and solutions can be achieved, and they will be achieved.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":17,"text":"My message today is not intended to address all of the complex needs of  America. I will send separate messages making specific recommendations for  domestic legislation, such as the extension of general revenue sharing and  the Voting Rights Act.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":18,"text":"The moment has come to move in a new direction. We can do this by  fashioning a new partnership between the Congress on the one hand, the  White House on the other, and the people we both represent.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":19,"text":"Let us mobilize the most powerful and most creative industrial nation that  ever existed on this Earth to put all our people to work. The emphasis on  our economic efforts must now shift from inflation to jobs.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":20,"text":"To bolster business and industry and to create new jobs, I propose a 1-year  tax reduction of $16 billion. Three-quarters would go to individuals and  one-quarter to promote business investment.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":21,"text":"This cash rebate to individuals amounts to 12 percent of 1974 tax  payments--a total cut of $12 billion, with a maximum of $1,000 per return.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":22,"text":"I call on the Congress to act by April 1. If you do--and I hope you  will--the Treasury can send the first check for half of the rebate in May  and the second by September.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":23,"text":"The other one-fourth of the cut, about $4 billion, will go to business,  including farms, to promote expansion and to create more jobs. The 1-year  reduction for businesses would be in the form of a liberalized investment  tax credit increasing the rate to 12 percent for all businesses.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":24,"text":"This tax cut does not include the more fundamental reforms needed in our  tax system. But it points us in the right direction--allowing taxpayers  rather than the Government to spend their pay.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":25,"text":"Cutting taxes now is essential if we are to turn the economy around. A tax  cut offers the best hope of creating more jobs. Unfortunately, it will  increase the size of the budget deficit. Therefore, it is more important  than ever that we take steps to control the growth of Federal  expenditures.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":26,"text":"Part of our trouble is that we have been self-indulgent. For decades, we  have been voting ever-increasing levels of Government benefits, and now the  bill has come due. We have been adding so many new programs that the size  and the growth of the Federal budget has taken on a life of its own.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":27,"text":"One characteristic of these programs is that their cost increases  automatically every year because the number of people eligible for most of  the benefits increases every year. When these programs are enacted, there  is no dollar amount set. No one knows what they will cost. All we know is  that whatever they cost last year, they will cost more next year.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":28,"text":"It is a question of simple arithmetic. Unless we check the excessive growth  of Federal expenditures or impose on ourselves matching increases in taxes,  we will continue to run huge inflationary deficits in the Federal budget.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":29,"text":"If we project the current built-in momentum of Federal spending through the  next 15 years, State, Federal, and local government expenditures could  easily comprise half of our gross national product. This compares with less  than a third in 1975.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":30,"text":"I have just concluded the process of preparing the budget submissions for  fiscal year 1976. In that budget, I will propose legislation to restrain  the growth of a number of existing programs. I have also concluded that no  new spending programs can be initiated this year, except for energy.  Further, I will not hesitate to veto any new spending programs adopted by  the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":31,"text":"As an additional step toward putting the Federal Government's house in  order, I recommend a 5-percent limit on Federal pay increases in 1975. In  all Government programs tied to the Consumer Price Index--including social  security, civil service and military retirement pay, and food stamps--I  also propose a 1-year maximum increase of 5 percent.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":32,"text":"None of these recommended ceiling limitations, over which Congress has  final authority, are easy to propose, because in most cases they involve  anticipated payments to many, many deserving people. Nonetheless, it must  be done. I must emphasize that I am not asking to eliminate, to reduce, to  freeze these payments. I am merely recommending that we slow down the rate  at which these payments increase and these programs grow.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":33,"text":"Only a reduction in the growth of spending can keep Federal borrowing down  and reduce the damage to the private sector from high interest rates. Only  a reduction in spending can make it possible for the Federal Reserve System  to avoid an inflationary growth in the money supply and thus restore  balance to our economy. A major reduction in the growth of Federal spending  can help dispel the uncertainty that so many feel about our economy and put  us on the way to curing our economic ills.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":34,"text":"If we don't act to slow down the rate of increase in Federal spending, the  United States Treasury will be legally obligated to spend more than $360  billion in fiscal year 1976, even if no new programs are enacted. These are  not matters of conjecture or prediction, but again, a matter of simple  arithmetic. The size of these numbers and their implications for our  everyday life and the health of our economic system are shocking.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":35,"text":"I submitted to the last Congress a list of budget deferrals and  rescissions. There will be more cuts recommended in the budget that I will  submit. Even so, the level of outlays for fiscal year 1976 is still much,  much too high. Not only is it too high for this year but the decisions we  make now will inevitably have a major and growing impact on expenditure  levels in future years. I think this is a very fundamental issue that we,  the Congress and I, must jointly solve.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":36,"text":"Economic disruptions we and others are experiencing stem in part from the  fact that the world price of petroleum has quadrupled in the last year. But  in all honesty, we cannot put all of the blame on the oil-exporting  nations. We, the United States, are not blameless. Our growing dependence  upon foreign sources has been adding to our vulnerability for years and  years, and we did nothing to prepare ourselves for such an event as the  embargo of 1973.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":37,"text":"During the 1960's, this country had a surplus capacity of crude oil which  we were able to make available to our trading partners whenever there was a  disruption of supply. This surplus capacity enabled us to influence both  supplies and prices of crude oil throughout the world. Our excess capacity  neutralized any effort at establishing an effective cartel, and thus the  rest of the world was assured of adequate supplies of oil at reasonable  prices.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":38,"text":"By 1970, our surplus capacity had vanished, and as a consequence, the  latent power of the oil cartel could emerge in full force. Europe and  Japan, both heavily dependent on imported oil, now struggle to keep their  economies in balance. Even the United States, our country, which is far  more self-sufficient than most other industrial countries, has been .put  under serious pressure.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":39,"text":"I am proposing a program which will begin to restore our country's surplus  capacity in total energy. In this way, we will be able to assure ourselves  reliable and adequate energy and help foster a new world energy stability  for other major consuming nations.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":40,"text":"But this Nation and, in fact, the world must face the prospect of energy  difficulties between now and 1985. This program will impose burdens on all  of us with the aim of reducing our consumption of energy and increasing our  production. Great attention has been paid to the considerations of  fairness, and I can assure you that the burdens will not fall more harshly  on those less able to bear them.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":41,"text":"I am recommending a plan to make us invulnerable to cutoffs of foreign oil.  It will require sacrifices, but it--and this is most important--it will  work.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":42,"text":"I have set the following national energy goals to assure that our future is  as secure and as productive as our past:  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":43,"text":"First, we must reduce oil imports by 1 million barrels per day by the end  of this year and by 2 million barrels per day by the end of 1977.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":44,"text":"Second, we must end vulnerability to economic disruption by foreign  suppliers by 1985.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":45,"text":"Third, we must develop our energy technology and resources so that the  United States has the ability to supply a significant share of the energy  needs of the free world by the end of this century.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":46,"text":"To attain these objectives, we need immediate action to cut imports.  Unfortunately, in the short term there are only a limited number of actions  which can increase domestic supply. I will press for all of them.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":47,"text":"I urge quick action on the necessary legislation to allow commercial  production at the Elk Hills, California, Naval Petroleum Reserve. In order  that we make greater use of domestic coal resources, I am submitting  amendments to the Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act which  will greatly increase the number of powerplants that can be promptly  converted to coal.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":48,"text":"Obviously, voluntary conservation continues to be essential, but tougher  programs are needed--and needed now. Therefore, I am using Presidential  powers to raise the fee on all imported crude oil and petroleum products.  The crude oil fee level will be increased $1 per barrel on February 1, by  $2 per barrel on March 1, and by $3 per barrel on April 1. I will take  actions to reduce undue hardships on any geographical region. The foregoing  are interim administrative actions. They will be rescinded when the broader  but necessary legislation is enacted.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":49,"text":"To that end, I am requesting the Congress to act within 90 days on a more  comprehensive energy tax program. It includes: excise taxes and import fees  totaling $2 per barrel on product imports and on all crude oil;  deregulation of new natural gas and enactment of a natural gas excise tax.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":50,"text":"I plan to take Presidential initiative to decontrol the price of domestic  crude oil on April 1. I urge the Congress to enact a windfall profits tax  by that date to ensure that oil producers do not profit unduly.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":51,"text":"The sooner Congress acts, the more effective the oil conservation program  will be and the quicker the Federal revenues can be returned to our  people.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":52,"text":"I am prepared to use Presidential authority to limit imports, as necessary,  to guarantee success.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":53,"text":"I want you to know that before deciding on my energy conservation program,  I considered rationing and higher gasoline taxes as alternatives. In my  judgment, neither would achieve the desired results and both would produce  unacceptable inequities.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":54,"text":"A massive program must be initiated to increase energy supply, to cut  demand, and provide new standby emergency programs to achieve the  independence we want by 1985. The largest part of increased oil production  must come from new frontier areas on the Outer Continental Shelf and from  the Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 in Alaska. It is the intent of this  Administration to move ahead with exploration, leasing, and production on  those frontier areas of the Outer Continental Shelf where the environmental  risks are acceptable.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":55,"text":"Use of our most abundant domestic resource--coal--is severely limited. We  must strike a reasonable compromise on environmental concerns with coal. I  am submitting Clean Air amendments which will allow greater coal use  without sacrificing clean air goals.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":56,"text":"I vetoed the strip mining legislation passed by the last Congress. With  appropriate changes, I will sign a revised version when it comes to the  White House.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":57,"text":"I am proposing a number of actions to energize our nuclear power program. I  will submit legislation to expedite nuclear leasing and the  rapid selection of sites.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":58,"text":"In recent months, utilities have cancelled or postponed over 60 percent of  planned nuclear expansion and 30 percent of planned additions to  non-nuclear capacity. Financing problems for that industry are worsening. I  am therefore recommending that the 1-year investment tax credit of 12  percent be extended an additional 2 years to specifically speed the  construction of powerplants that do not use natural gas or oil. I am also  submitting proposals for selective reform of State utility commission  regulations.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":59,"text":"To provide the critical stability for our domestic energy production in the  face of world price uncertainty, I will request legislation to authorize  and require tariffs, import quotas, or price floors to protect our energy  prices at levels which will achieve energy independence.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":60,"text":"Increasing energy supplies is not enough. We must take additional steps to  cut long-term consumption. I therefore propose to the Congress: legislation  to make thermal efficiency standards mandatory for all new buildings in the  United States; a new tax credit of up to $150 for those homeowners who  install insulation equipment; the establishment of an energy conservation  program to help low-income families purchase insulation supplies;  legislation to modify and defer automotive pollution standards for 5 years,  which will enable us to improve automobile gas mileage by 40 percent by  1980.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":61,"text":"These proposals and actions, cumulatively, can reduce our dependence on  foreign energy supplies from 3 to 5 million barrels per day by 1985. To  make the United States invulnerable to foreign disruption, I propose  standby emergency legislation and a strategic storage program of 1 billion  barrels of oil for domestic needs and 300 million barrels for national  defense purposes.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":62,"text":"I will ask for the funds needed for energy research and development  activities. I have established a goal of 1 million barrels of synthetic  fuels and shale oil production per day by 1985 together with an incentive  program to achieve it.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":63,"text":"I have a very deep belief in America's capabilities. Within the next 10  years, my program envisions: 200 major nuclear powerplants; 250 major new  coal mines; 150 major coal-fired powerplants; 30 major new refineries; 20  major new synthetic fuel plants; the drilling of many thousands of new  oil wells; the insulation of 18 million homes; and the manufacturing  and the sale of millions of new automobiles, trucks, and buses that  use much less fuel.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":64,"text":"I happen to believe that we can do it. In another crisis--the one in 1942  President Franklin D. Roosevelt said this country would build 60,000  military aircraft. By 1943, production in that program had reached  125,000 aircraft annually. They did it then. We can do it now.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":65,"text":"If the Congress and the American people will work with me to attain these  targets, they will be achieved and will be surpassed. From adversity, let  us seize opportunity. Revenues of some $30 billion from higher energy taxes  designed to encourage conservation must be refunded to the American people  in a manner which corrects distortions in our tax system wrought by  inflation.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":66,"text":"People have been pushed into higher tax brackets by inflation, with  consequent reduction in their actual spending power. Business taxes are  similarly distorted because inflation exaggerates reported profits,  resulting in excessive taxes.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":67,"text":"Accordingly, I propose that future individual income taxes be reduced by  $16.5 billion. This will be done by raising the low-income allowance and  reducing tax rates. This continuing tax cut will primarily benefit lower-  and middle-income taxpayers.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":68,"text":"For example, a typical family of four with a gross income of $5,600 now  pays $185 in Federal income taxes. Under this tax cut plan, they would pay  nothing. A family of four with a gross income of $12,500 now pays $1,260 in  Federal taxes. My proposal reduces that total by $300. Families grossing  $20,000 would receive a reduction of $210.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":69,"text":"Those with the very lowest incomes, who can least afford higher costs, must  also be compensated. I propose a payment of $80 to every person 18 years of  age and older in that very limited category.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":70,"text":"State and local governments will receive $2 billion in additional revenue  sharing to offset their increased energy costs.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":71,"text":"To offset inflationary distortions and to generate more economic activity,  the corporate tax rate will be reduced from 48 percent to 42 percent.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":72,"text":"Now let me turn, if I might, to the international dimension of the present  crisis. At no time in our peacetime history has the state of the Nation  depended more heavily on the state of the world. And seldom, if ever, has  the state of the world depended more heavily on the state of our Nation.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":73,"text":"The economic distress is global. We will not solve it at home unless we  help to remedy the profound economic dislocation abroad. World trade and  monetary structure provides markets, energy, food, and vital raw  materials--for all nations. This international system is now in jeopardy.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":74,"text":"This Nation can be proud of significant achievements in recent years in  solving problems and crises. The Berlin agreement, the SALT agreements, our  new relationship with China, the unprecedented efforts in the Middle East  are immensely encouraging. But the world is not free from crisis. In a  world of 150 nations, where nuclear technology is proliferating and  regional conflicts continue, international security cannot be taken for  granted.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":75,"text":"So, let there be no mistake about it: International cooperation is a vital  factor of our lives today. This is not a moment for the American people to  turn inward. More than ever before, our own well-being depends on America's  determination and America's leadership in the whole wide world.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":76,"text":"We are a great Nation--spiritually, politically, militarily,  diplomatically, and economically. America's commitment to international  security has sustained the safety of allies and friends in many areas--in  the Middle East, in Europe, and in Asia. Our turning away would unleash new  instabilities, new dangers around the globe, which, in turn, would threaten  our own security.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":77,"text":"At the end of World War II, we turned a similar challenge into an historic  opportunity and, I might add, an historic achievement. An old order was in  disarray; political and economic institutions were shattered. In that  period, this Nation and its partners built new institutions, new mechanisms  of mutual support and cooperation. Today, as then, we face an historic  opportunity. If we act imaginatively and boldly, as we acted then, this  period will in retrospect be seen as one of the great creative moments of  our Nation's history. The whole world is watching to see how we respond.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":78,"text":"A resurgent American economy would do more to restore the confidence of the  world in its own future than anything else we can do. The program that this  Congress passes can demonstrate to the world that we have started to put  our own house in order. If we can show that this Nation is able and willing  to help other nations meet the common challenge, it can demonstrate that  the United States will fulfill its responsibilities as a leader among  nations.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":79,"text":"Quite frankly, at stake is the future of industrialized democracies, which  have perceived their destiny in common and sustained it in common for 30  years.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":80,"text":"The developing nations are also at a turning point. The poorest nations see  their hopes of feeding their hungry and developing their societies  shattered by the economic crisis. The long-term economic future for the  producers of raw materials also depends on cooperative solutions.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":81,"text":"Our relations with the Communist countries are a basic factor of the world  environment. We must seek to build a long-term basis for coexistence. We  will stand by our principles. We will stand by our interests. We will act  firmly when challenged. The kind of a world we want depends on a broad  policy of creating mutual incentives for restraint and for cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":82,"text":"As we move forward to meet our global challenges and opportunities, we must  have the tools to do the job.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":83,"text":"Our military forces are strong and ready. This military strength deters  aggression against our allies, stabilizes our relations with former  adversaries, and protects our homeland. Fully adequate conventional and  strategic forces cost many, many billions, but these dollars are sound  insurance for our safety and for a more peaceful world.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":84,"text":"Military strength alone is not sufficient. Effective diplomacy is also  essential in preventing conflict, in building world understanding. The  Vladivostok negotiations with the Soviet Union represent a major step in  moderating strategic arms competition. My recent discussions with the  leaders of the Atlantic community, Japan, and South Korea have contributed  to meeting the common challenge.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":85,"text":"But we have serious problems before us that require cooperation between the  President and the Congress. By the Constitution and tradition, the  execution of foreign policy is the responsibility of the President.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":86,"text":"In recent years, under the stress of the Vietnam war, legislative  restrictions on the President's ability to execute foreign policy and  military decisions have proliferated. As a Member of the Congress, I  opposed some and I approved others. As President, I welcome the advice and  cooperation of the House and the Senate.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":87,"text":"But if our foreign policy is to be successful, we cannot rigidly restrict  in legislation the ability of the President to act. The conduct of  negotiations is ill-suited to such limitations. Legislative restrictions,  intended for the best motives and purposes, can have the opposite result,  as we have seen most recently in our trade relations with the Soviet  Union.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":88,"text":"For my part, I pledge this Administration will act in the closest  consultation with the Congress as we face delicate situations and troubled  times throughout the globe.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":89,"text":"When I became President only 5 months ago, I promised the last Congress a  policy of communication, conciliation, compromise, and cooperation. I renew  that pledge to the new Members of this Congress.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":90,"text":"Let me sum it up. America needs a new direction, which I have sought to  chart here today--a change of course which will: put the unemployed back to  work; increase real income and production; restrain the growth of Federal  Government spending; achieve energy independence; and advance the cause of  world understanding.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":91,"text":"We have the ability. We have the know-how. In partnership with the American  people, we will achieve these objectives.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":92,"text":"As our 200th anniversary approaches, we owe it to ourselves and to  posterity to rebuild our political and economic strength. Let us make  America once again and for centuries more to come what it has so long  been--a stronghold and a beacon-light of liberty for the whole world.  "}
{"year":"1975","paragraph":93,"text":"Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of the 94th Congress, and  distinguished guests:  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":2,"text":"As we begin our Bicentennial, America is still one of the youngest nations  in recorded history. Long before our forefathers came to these shores, men  and women had been struggling on this planet to forge a better life for  themselves and their families.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":3,"text":"In man's long, upward march from savagery and slavery--throughout the  nearly 2,000 years of the Christian calendar, the nearly 6,000 years of  Jewish reckoning--there have been many deep, terrifying valleys, but also  many bright and towering peaks.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":4,"text":"One peak stands highest in the ranges of human history. One example shines  forth of a people uniting to produce abundance and to share the good life  fairly and with freedom. One union holds out the promise of justice and  opportunity for every citizen: That union is the United States of America.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":5,"text":"We have not remade paradise on Earth. We know perfection will not be found  here. But think for a minute how far we have come in 200 years.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":6,"text":"We came from many roots, and we have many branches. Yet all Americans  across the eight generations that separate us from the stirring deeds of  1776, those who know no other homeland and those who just found refuge  among our shores, say in unison:  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":7,"text":"I am proud of America, and I am proud to be an American. Life will be a  little better here for my children than for me. I believe this not because  I am told to believe it, but because life has been better for me than it  was for my father and my mother. I know it will be better for my children  because my hands, my brains, my voice, and my vote can help make it  happen.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":8,"text":"It has happened here in America. It has happened to you and to me.  Government exists to create and preserve conditions in which people can  translate their ideas into practical reality. In the best of times, much is  lost in translation. But we try. Sometimes we have tried and failed. Always  we have had the best of intentions.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":9,"text":"But in the recent past, we sometimes forgot the sound principles that  guided us through most of our history. We wanted to accomplish great things  and solve age-old problems. And we became overconfident of our abilities.  We tried to be a policeman abroad and the indulgent parent here at home.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":10,"text":"We thought we could transform the country through massive national  programs, but often the programs did not work. Too often they only made  things worse. In our rush to accomplish great deeds quickly, we trampled on  sound principles of restraint and endangered the rights of individuals. We  unbalanced our economic system by the huge and unprecedented growth of  Federal expenditures and borrowing. And we were not totally honest with  ourselves about how much these programs would cost and how we would pay for  them. Finally, we shifted our emphasis from defense to domestic problems  while our adversaries continued a massive buildup of arms.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":11,"text":"The time has now come for a fundamentally different approach for a new  realism that is true to the great principles upon which this Nation was  founded.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":12,"text":"We must introduce a new balance to our economy--a balance that favors not  only sound, active government but also a much more vigorous, healthy  economy that can create new jobs and hold down prices.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":13,"text":"We must introduce a new balance in the relationship between the individual  and the government--a balance that favors greater individual freedom and  self-reliance.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":14,"text":"We must strike a new balance in our system of federalism--a balance that  favors greater responsibility and freedom for the leaders of our State and  local governments.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":15,"text":"We must introduce a new balance between the spending on domestic programs  and spending on defense--a balance that ensures we will fully meet our  obligation to the needy while also protecting our security in a world that  is still hostile to freedom.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":16,"text":"And in all that we do, we must be more honest with the American people,  promising them no more than we can deliver and delivering all that we  promise.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":17,"text":"The genius of America has been its incredible ability to improve the lives  of its citizens through a unique combination of governmental and free  citizen activity.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":18,"text":"History and experience tells us that moral progress cannot come in  comfortable and in complacent times, but out of trial and out of confusion.  Tom Paine aroused the troubled Americans of 1776 to stand up to the times  that try men's souls because the harder the conflict, the more glorious the  triumph.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":19,"text":"Just a year ago I reported that the state of the Union was not good.  Tonight, I report that the state of our Union is better--in many ways a lot  better--but still not good enough.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":20,"text":"To paraphrase Tom Paine, 1975 was not a year for summer soldiers and  sunshine patriots. It was a year of fears and alarms and of dire  forecasts--most of which never happened and won't happen.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":21,"text":"As you recall, the year 1975 opened with rancor and with bitterness.  Political misdeeds of the past had neither been forgotten nor forgiven. The  longest, most divisive war in our history was winding toward an unhappy  conclusion. Many feared that the end of that foreign war of men and  machines meant the beginning of a domestic war of recrimination and  reprisal. Friends and adversaries abroad were asking whether America had  lost its nerve. Finally, our economy was ravaged by inflation--inflation  that was plunging us into the worst recession in four decades. At the same  time, Americans became increasingly alienated from big institutions. They  were steadily losing confidence, not just in big government but in big  business, big labor, and big education, among others. Ours was a troubled  land.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":22,"text":"And so, 1975 was a year of hard decisions, difficult compromises, and a new  realism that taught us something important about America. It brought back a  needed measure of common sense, steadfastness, and self-discipline.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":23,"text":"Americans did not panic or demand instant but useless cures. In all  sectors, people met their difficult problems with the restraint and with  responsibility worthy of their great heritage.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":24,"text":"Add up the separate pieces of progress in 1975, subtract the setbacks, and  the sum total shows that we are not only headed in a new direction, a  direction which I proposed 12 months ago, but it turned out to be the right  direction.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":25,"text":"It is the right direction because it follows the truly revolutionary  American concept of 1776, which holds that in a free society the making of  public policy and successful problem-solving involves much more than  government. It involves a full partnership among all branches and all  levels of government, private institutions, and individual citizens.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":26,"text":"Common sense tells me to stick to that steady course.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":27,"text":"Take the state of our economy. Last January, most things were rapidly  getting worse. This January, most things are slowly but surely getting  better.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":28,"text":"The worst recession since World War II turned around in April. The best  cost-of-living news of the past year is that double-digit inflation of 12  percent or higher was cut almost in half. The worst--unemployment remains  far too high.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":29,"text":"Today, nearly 1,700,000 more Americans are working than at the bottom of  the recession. At year's end, people were again being hired much faster  than they were being laid off.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":30,"text":"Yet, let's be honest. Many Americans have not yet felt these changes in  their daily lives. They still see prices going up far too fast, and they  still know the fear of unemployment.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":31,"text":"We are also a growing nation. We need more and more jobs every year.  Today's economy has produced over 85 million jobs for Americans, but we  need a lot more jobs, especially for the young.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":32,"text":"My first objective is to have sound economic growth without inflation.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":33,"text":"We all know from recent experience what runaway inflation does to ruin  every other worthy purpose. We are slowing it. We must stop it cold.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":34,"text":"For many Americans, the way to a healthy, noninflationary economy has  become increasingly apparent. The Government must stop spending so much and  stop borrowing so much of our money. More money must remain in private  hands where it will do the most good. To hold down the cost of living, we  must hold down the cost of government.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":35,"text":"In the past decade, the Federal budget has been growing at an average rate  of over 10 percent a year. The budget I am submitting Wednesday cuts this  rate of growth in half. I have kept my promise to submit a budget for the  next fiscal year of $395 billion. In fact, it is $394.2 billion.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":36,"text":"By holding down the growth of Federal spending, we can afford additional  tax cuts and return to the people who pay taxes more decisionmaking power  over their own lives.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":37,"text":"Last month I signed legislation to extend the 1975 tax reductions for the  first 6 months of this year. I now propose that effective July 1, 1976, we  give our taxpayers a tax cut of approximately $10 billion more than  Congress agreed to in December.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":38,"text":"My broader tax reduction would mean that for a family of four making  $15,000 a year, there will be $227 more in take-home pay annually.  Hardworking Americans caught in the middle can really use that kind of  extra cash.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":39,"text":"My recommendations for a firm restraint on the growth of Federal spending  and for greater tax reduction are simple and straightforward. For every  dollar saved in cutting the growth in the Federal budget, we can have an  added dollar of Federal tax reduction.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":40,"text":"We can achieve a balanced budget by 1979 if we have the courage and the  wisdom to continue to reduce the growth of Federal spending.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":41,"text":"One test of a healthy economy is a job for every American who wants to  work. Government--our kind of government--cannot create that many jobs. But  the Federal Government can create conditions and incentives for private  business and industry to make more and more jobs.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":42,"text":"Five out of six jobs in this country are in private business and in  industry. Common sense tells us this is the place to look for more jobs and  to find them faster. I mean real, rewarding, permanent jobs.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":43,"text":"To achieve this we must offer the American people greater incentives to  invest in the future. My tax proposals are a major step in that direction.  To supplement these proposals, I ask that Congress enact changes in Federal  tax laws that will speed up plant expansion and the purchase of new  equipment. My recommendations will concentrate this job-creation tax  incentive in areas where the unemployment rate now runs over 7 percent.  Legislation to get this started must be approved at the earliest possible  date.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":44,"text":"Within the strict budget total that I will recommend for the coming year, I  will ask for additional housing assistance for 500,000 families. These  programs will expand housing opportunities, spur construction, and help to  house moderate- and low-income families.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":45,"text":"We had a disappointing year in the housing industry in 1975. But with lower  interest rates and available mortgage money, we can have a healthy recovery  in 1976.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":46,"text":"A necessary condition of a healthy economy is freedom from the petty  tyranny of massive government regulation. We are wasting literally millions  of working hours costing billions of taxpayers' and consumers' dollars  because of bureaucratic redtape. The American farmer, who now feeds 215  million Americans, but also millions worldwide, has shown how much more he  can produce without the shackles of government control.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":47,"text":"Now, we badly need reforms in other key areas in our economy: the airlines,  trucking, railroads, and financial institutions. I have submitted concrete  plans in each of these areas, not to help this or that industry, but to  foster competition and to bring prices down for the consumer.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":48,"text":"This administration, in addition, will strictly enforce the Federal  antitrust laws for the very same purposes.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":49,"text":"Taking a longer look at America's future, there can be neither sustained  growth nor more jobs unless we continue to have an assured supply of energy  to run our economy. Domestic production of oil and gas is still declining.  Our dependence on foreign oil at high prices is still too great, draining  jobs and dollars away from our own economy at the rate of $125 per year for  every American.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":50,"text":"Last month, I signed a compromise national energy bill which enacts a part  of my comprehensive energy independence program. This legislation was late,  not the complete answer to energy independence, but still a start in the  right direction.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":51,"text":"I again urge the Congress to move ahead immediately on the remainder of my  energy proposals to make America invulnerable to the foreign oil cartel.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":52,"text":"My proposals, as all of you know, would reduce domestic natural gas  shortages; allow production from Federal petroleum reserves; stimulate  effective conservation, including revitalization of our railroads and the  expansion of our urban transportation systems; develop more and cleaner  energy from our vast coal resources; expedite clean and safe nuclear power  production; create a new national energy independence authority to  stimulate vital energy investment; and accelerate development of technology  to capture energy from the Sun and the Earth for this and future  generations.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":53,"text":"Also, I ask, for the sake of future generations, that we preserve the  family farm and family-owned small business. Both strengthen America and  give stability to our economy. I will propose estate tax changes so that  family businesses and family farms can be handed down from generation to  generation without having to be sold to pay taxes.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":54,"text":"I propose tax changes to encourage people to invest in America's future,  and their own, through a plan that gives moderate-income families income  tax benefits if they make long-term investments in common stock in American  companies.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":55,"text":"The Federal Government must and will respond to clear-cut national  needs--for this and future generations.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":56,"text":"Hospital and medical services in America are among the best in the world,  but the cost of a serious and extended illness can quickly wipe out a  family's lifetime savings. Increasing health costs are of deep concern to  all and a powerful force pushing up the cost of living. The burden of  catastrophic illness can be borne by very few in our society. We must  eliminate this fear from every family.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":57,"text":"I propose catastrophic health insurance for everybody covered by Medicare.  To finance this added protection, fees for short-term care will go up  somewhat, but nobody after reaching age 65 will have to pay more than $500  a year for covered hospital or nursing home care, nor more than $250 for 1  year's doctor bills.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":58,"text":"We cannot realistically afford federally dictated national health insurance  providing full coverage for all 215 million Americans. The experience of  other countries raises questions about the quality as well as the cost of  such plans. But I do envision the day when we may use the private health  insurance system to offer more middle-income families high quality health  services at prices they can afford and shield them also from their  catastrophic illnesses.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":59,"text":"Using resources now available, I propose improving the Medicare and other  Federal health programs to help those who really need protection--older  people and the poor. To help States and local governments give better  health care to the poor, I propose that we combine 16 existing Federal  programs, including Medicaid, into a single $10 billion Federal grant.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":60,"text":"Funds would be divided among States under a new formula which provides a  larger share of Federal money to those States that have a larger share of  low-income families.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":61,"text":"I will take further steps to improve the quality of medical and hospital  care for those who have served in our Armed Forces.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":62,"text":"Now let me speak about social security. Our Federal social security system  for people who have worked and contributed to it for all their lives is a  vital part of our economic system. Its value is no longer debatable. In my  budget for fiscal year 1977, I am recommending that the full cost-of-living  increases in the social security benefits be paid during the coming year.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":63,"text":"But I am concerned about the integrity of our Social Security Trust Fund  that enables people--those retired and those still working who will  retire--to count on this source of retirement income. Younger workers watch  their deductions rise and wonder if they will be adequately protected in  the future. We must meet this challenge head on. Simple arithmetic warns  all of us that the Social Security Trust Fund is headed for trouble. Unless  we act soon to make sure the fund takes in as much as it pays out, there  will be no security for old or for young.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":64,"text":"I must, therefore, recommend a three-tenths of 1 percent increase in both  employer and employee social security taxes effective January 1, 1977. This  will cost each covered employee less than 1 extra dollar a week and will  ensure the integrity of the trust fund.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":65,"text":"As we rebuild our economy, we have a continuing responsibility to provide a  temporary cushion to the unemployed. At my request, the Congress enacted  two extensions and two expansions in unemployment insurance which helped  those who were jobless during 1975. These programs will continue in 1976.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":66,"text":"In my fiscal year 1977 budget, I am also requesting funds to continue  proven job training and employment opportunity programs for millions of  other Americans.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":67,"text":"Compassion and a sense of community--two of America's greatest strengths  throughout our history--tell us we must take care of our neighbors who  cannot take care of themselves. The host of Federal programs in this field  reflect our generosity as a people.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":68,"text":"But everyone realizes that when it comes to welfare, government at all  levels is not doing the job well. Too many of our welfare programs are  inequitable and invite abuse. Too many of our welfare programs have  problems from beginning to end. Worse, we are wasting badly needed  resources without reaching many of the truly needy.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":69,"text":"Complex welfare programs cannot be reformed overnight. Surely we cannot  simply dump welfare into the laps of the 50 States, their local taxpayers,  or their private charities, and just walk away from it. Nor is it the right  time for massive and sweeping changes while we are still recovering from  the recession.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":70,"text":"Nevertheless, there are still plenty of improvements that we can make. I  will ask Congress for Presidential authority to tighten up the rules for  eligibility and benefits.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":71,"text":"Last year I twice sought long overdue reform of the scandal-riddled food  stamp program. This year I say again: Let's give food stamps to those most  in need. Let's not give any to those who don't need them.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":72,"text":"Protecting the life and property of the citizen at home is the  responsibility of all public officials, but is primarily the job of local  and State law enforcement authorities.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":73,"text":"Americans have always found the very thought of a Federal police force  repugnant, and so do I. But there are proper ways in which we can help to  insure domestic tranquility as the Constitution charges us.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":74,"text":"My recommendations on how to control violent crime were submitted to the  Congress last June with strong emphasis on protecting the innocent victims  of crime. To keep a convicted criminal from committing more crimes, we must  put him in prison so he cannot harm more law-abiding citizens. To be  effective, this punishment must be swift and it must be certain.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":75,"text":"Too often, criminals are not sent to prison after conviction but are  allowed to return to the streets. Some judges are reluctant to send  convicted criminals to prison because of inadequate facilities. To  alleviate this problem at the Federal level, my new budget proposes the  construction of four new Federal facilities.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":76,"text":"To speed Federal justice, I propose an increase this year in the United  States attorneys prosecuting Federal crimes and the reinforcement of the  number of United States marshals. Additional Federal judges are needed, as  recommended by me and the Judicial Conference.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":77,"text":"Another major threat to every American's person and property is the  criminal carrying a handgun. The way to cut down on the criminal use of  guns is not to take guns away from the law-abiding citizen, but to impose  mandatory sentences for crimes in which a gun is used, make it harder to  obtain cheap guns for criminal purposes, and concentrate gun control  enforcement in highcrime areas.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":78,"text":"My budget recommends 500 additional Federal agents in the 11 largest  metropolitan high-crime areas to help local authorities stop criminals from  selling and using handguns.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":79,"text":"The sale of hard drugs is tragically on the increase again. I have directed  all agencies of the Federal Government to step up law enforcement efforts  against those who deal in drugs. In 1975, I am glad to report, Federal  agents seized substantially more heroin coming into our country than in  1974.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":80,"text":"As President, I have talked personally with the leaders of Mexico,  Colombia, and Turkey to urge greater efforts by their Governments to  control effectively the production and shipment of hard drugs.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":81,"text":"I recommended months ago that the Congress enact mandatory fixed sentences  for persons convicted of Federal crimes involving the sale of hard drugs.  Hard drugs, we all know, degrade the spirit as they destroy the body of  their users.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":82,"text":"It is unrealistic and misleading to hold out the hope that the Federal  Government can move into every neighborhood and clean up crime. Under the  Constitution, the greatest responsibility for curbing crime lies with State  and local authorities. They are the frontline fighters in the war against  crime.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":83,"text":"There are definite ways in which the Federal Government can help them. I  will propose in the new budget that Congress authorize almost $7 billion  over the next 5 years to assist State and local governments to protect the  safety and property of all their citizens.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":84,"text":"As President, I pledge the strict enforcement of Federal laws and--by  example, support, and leadership--to help State and local authorities  enforce their laws. Together, we must protect the victims of crime and  ensure domestic tranquility.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":85,"text":"Last year I strongly recommended a 5-year extension of the existing revenue  sharing legislation, which thus far has provided $23 1/2 billion to help  State and local units of government solve problems at home. This program  has been effective with decisionmaking transferred from the Federal  Government to locally elected officials. Congress must act this year, or  State and local units of government will have to drop programs or raise  local taxes.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":86,"text":"Including my health care program reforms, I propose to consolidate some 59  separate Federal programs and provide flexible Federal dollar grants to  help States, cities, and local agencies in such important areas as  education, child nutrition, and social services. This flexible system will  do the job better and do it closer to home.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":87,"text":"The protection of the lives and property of Americans from foreign enemies  is one of my primary responsibilities as President.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":88,"text":"In a world of instant communications and intercontinental ballistic  missiles, in a world economy that is global and interdependent, our  relations with other nations become more, not less, important to the lives  of Americans.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":89,"text":"America has had a unique role in the world since the day of our  independence 200 years ago. And ever since the end of World War II, we have  borne--successfully--a heavy responsibility for ensuring a stable world  order and hope for human progress.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":90,"text":"Today, the state of our foreign policy is sound and strong. We are at  peace, and I will do all in my power to keep it that way.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":91,"text":"Our military forces are capable and ready. Our military power is without  equal, and I intend to keep it that way.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":92,"text":"Our principal alliances with the industrial democracies of the Atlantic  community and Japan have never been more solid.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":93,"text":"A further agreement to limit the strategic arms race may be achieved.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":94,"text":"We have an improving relationship with China, the world's most populous  nation.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":95,"text":"The key elements for peace among the nations of the Middle East now exist.  Our traditional friendships in Latin America, Africa, and Asia continue.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":96,"text":"We have taken the role of leadership in launching a serious and hopeful  dialog between the industrial world and the developing world.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":97,"text":"We have helped to achieve significant reform of the international monetary  system.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":98,"text":"We should be proud of what America, what our country, has accomplished in  these areas, and I believe the American people are.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":99,"text":"The American people have heard too much about how terrible our mistakes,  how evil our deeds, and how misguided our purposes. The American people  know better.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":100,"text":"The truth is we are the world's greatest democracy. We remain the symbol of  man's aspiration for liberty and well-being. We are the embodiment of hope  for progress.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":101,"text":"I say it is time we quit downgrading ourselves as a nation. Of course, it  is our responsibility to learn the right lesson from past mistakes. It is  our duty to see that they never happen again. But our greater duty is to  look to the future. The world's troubles will not go away.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":102,"text":"The American people want strong and effective international and defense  policies. In our constitutional system, these policies should reflect  consultation and accommodation between the President and the Congress. But  in the final analysis, as the framers of our Constitution knew from hard  experience, the foreign relations of the United States can be conducted  effectively only if there is strong central direction that allows  flexibility of action. That responsibility clearly rests with the  President.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":103,"text":"I pledge to the American people policies which seek a secure, just, and  peaceful world. I pledge to the Congress to work with you to that end.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":104,"text":"We must not face a future in which we can no longer help our friends, such  as Angola, even in limited and carefully controlled ways. We must not lose  all capacity to respond short of military intervention.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":105,"text":"Some hasty actions of the Congress during the past year--most recently in  respect to Angola--were, in my view, very shortsighted. Unfortunately, they  are still very much on the minds of our allies and our adversaries.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":106,"text":"A strong defense posture gives weight to our values and our views in  international negotiations. It assures the vigor of our alliances. And it  sustains our efforts to promote settlements of international conflicts.  Only from a position of strength can we negotiate a balanced agreement to  limit the growth of nuclear arms. Only a balanced agreement will serve our  interests and minimize the threat of nuclear confrontation.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":107,"text":"The defense budget I will submit to the Congress for fiscal year 1977 will  show an essential increase over the current year. It provides for real  growth in purchasing power over this year's defense budget, which includes  the cost of the all-volunteer force.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":108,"text":"We are continuing to make economies to enhance the efficiency of our  military forces. But the budget I will submit represents the necessity of  American strength for the real world in which we live.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":109,"text":"As conflict and rivalry persist in the world, our United States  intelligence capabilities must be the best in the world.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":110,"text":"The crippling of our foreign intelligence services increases the danger of  American involvement in direct armed conflict. Our adversaries are  encouraged to attempt new adventures while our own ability to monitor  events and to influence events short of military action is undermined.  Without effective intelligence capability, the United States stands  blindfolded and hobbled.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":111,"text":"In the near future, I will take actions to reform and strengthen our  intelligence community. I ask for your positive cooperation. It is time to  go beyond sensationalism and ensure an effective, responsible, and  responsive intelligence capability.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":112,"text":"Tonight I have spoken about our problems at home and abroad. I have  recommended policies that will meet the challenge of our third century. I  have no doubt that our Union will endure, better, stronger, and with more  individual freedom. We can see forward only dimly--1 year, 5 years, a  generation perhaps. Like our forefathers, we know that if we meet the  challenges of our own time with a common sense of purpose and conviction,  if we remain true to our Constitution and to our ideals, then we can know  that the future will be better than the past.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":113,"text":"I see America today crossing a threshold, not just because it is our  Bicentennial but because we have been tested in adversity. We have taken a  new look at what we want to be and what we want our Nation to become.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":114,"text":"I see America resurgent, certain once again that life will be better for  our children than it is for us, seeking strength that cannot be counted in  megatons and riches that cannot be eroded by inflation.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":115,"text":"I see these United States of America moving forward as before toward a more  perfect Union where the government serves and the people rule.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":116,"text":"We will not make this happen simply by making speeches, good or bad, yours  or mine, but by hard work and hard decisions made with courage and with  common sense.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":117,"text":"I have heard many inspiring Presidential speeches, but the words I remember  best were spoken by Dwight D. Eisenhower. \"America is not good because it  is great,\" the President said. \"America is great because it is good.\"  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":118,"text":"President Eisenhower was raised in a poor but religious home in the heart  of America. His simple words echoed President Lincoln's eloquent testament  that \"right makes might.\" And Lincoln in turn evoked the silent image of  George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge.  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":119,"text":"So, all these magic memories which link eight generations of Americans are  summed up in the inscription just above me. How many times have we seen it?  \"In God We Trust.\"  "}
{"year":"1976","paragraph":120,"text":"Let us engrave it now in each of our hearts as we begin our Bicentennial.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of the 95th Congress, and  distinguished guests:  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":2,"text":"In accordance with the Constitution, I come before you once again to report  on the state of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":3,"text":"This report will be my last--maybe--[laughter]--but for the Union it is  only the first of such reports in our third century of independence, the  close of which none of us will ever see. We can be confident, however, that  100 years from now a freely elected President will come before a freely  elected Congress chosen to renew our great Republic's pledge to the  Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":4,"text":"For my part I pray the third century we are beginning will bring to all  Americans, our children and their children's children, a greater measure of  individual equality, opportunity, and justice, a greater abundance of  spiritual and material blessings, and a higher quality of life, liberty,  and the pursuit of happiness.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":5,"text":"The state of the Union is a measurement of the many elements of which it is  composed--a political union of diverse States, an economic union of varying  interests, an intellectual union of common convictions, and a moral union  of immutable ideals.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":6,"text":"Taken in sum, I can report that the state of the Union is good. There is  room for improvement, as always, but today we have a more perfect Union  than when my stewardship began.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":7,"text":"As a people we discovered that our Bicentennial was much more than a  celebration of the past; it became a joyous reaffirmation of all that it  means to be Americans, a confirmation before all the world of the vitality  and durability of our free institutions. I am proud to have been privileged  to preside over the affairs of our Federal Government during these eventful  years when we proved, as I said in my first words upon assuming office,  that \"our Constitution works; our great Republic is a Government of laws  and not of men. Here the people rule.\"  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":8,"text":"The people have spoken; they have chosen a new President and a new Congress  to work their will. I congratulate you--particularly the new Members--as  sincerely as I did President-elect Carter. In a few days it will be his  duty to outline for you his priorities and legislative recommendations.  Tonight I will not infringe on that responsibility, but rather wish him the  very best in all that is good for our country.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":9,"text":"During the period of my own service in this Capitol and in the White House,  I can recall many orderly transitions of governmental responsibility--of  problems as well as of position, of burdens as well as of power. The genius  of the American system is that we do this so naturally and so normally.  There are no soldiers marching in the street except in the Inaugural  Parade; no public demonstrations except for some of the dancers at the  Inaugural Ball; the opposition party doesn't go underground, but goes on  functioning vigorously in the Congress and in the country; and our vigilant  press goes right on probing and publishing our faults and our follies,  confirming the wisdom of the framers of the first amendment.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":10,"text":"Because of the transfer of authority in our form of government affects the  state of the Union and of the world, I am happy to report to you that the  current transition is proceeding very well. I was determined that it  should; I wanted the new President to get off on an easier start than I  had.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":11,"text":"When I became President on August 9, 1974, our Nation was deeply divided  and tormented. In rapid succession the Vice President and the President had  resigned in disgrace. We were still struggling with the after-effects of a  long, unpopular, and bloody war in Southeast Asia. The economy was unstable  and racing toward the worst recession in 40 years. People were losing jobs.  The cost of living was soaring. The Congress and the Chief Executive were  at loggerheads. The integrity of our constitutional process and other  institutions was being questioned. For more than 15 years domestic spending  had soared as Federal programs multiplied, and the expense escalated  annually. During the same period our national security needs were steadily  shortchanged. In the grave situation which prevailed in August 1974, our  will to maintain our international leadership was in doubt.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":12,"text":"I asked for your prayers and went to work.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":13,"text":"In January 1975 I reported to the Congress that the state of the Union was  not good. I proposed urgent action to improve the economy and to achieve  energy independence in 10 years. I reassured America's allies and sought to  reduce the danger of confrontation with potential adversaries. I pledged a  new direction for America. 1975 was a year of difficult decisions, but  Americans responded with realism, common sense, and self-discipline.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":14,"text":"By January 1976 we were headed in a new direction, which I hold to be the  right direction for a free society. It was guided by the belief that  successful problem-solving requires more than Federal action alone, that it  involves a full partnership among all branches and all levels of government  and public policies which nurture and promote the creative energies of  private enterprises, institutions, and individual citizens.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":15,"text":"A year ago I reported that the state of the Union was better--in many ways  a lot better--but still not good enough. Common sense told me to stick to  the steady course we were on, to continue to restrain the inflationary  growth of government, to reduce taxes as well as spending, to return local  decisions to local officials, to provide for long-range sufficiency in  energy and national security needs. I resisted the immense pressures of an  election year to open the floodgates of Federal money and the temptation to  promise more than I could deliver. I told it as it was to the American  people and demonstrated to the world that in our spirited political  competition, as in this chamber, Americans can disagree without being  disagreeable.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":16,"text":"Now, after 30 months as your President, I can say that while we still have  a way to go, I am proud of the long way we have come together.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":17,"text":"I am proud of the part I have had in rebuilding confidence in the  Presidency, confidence in our free system, and confidence in our future.  Once again, Americans believe in themselves, in their leaders, and in the  promise that tomorrow holds for their children.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":18,"text":"I am proud that today America is at peace. None of our sons are fighting  and dying in battle anywhere in the world. And the chance for peace among  all nations is improved by our determination to honor our vital commitments  in defense of peace and freedom.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":19,"text":"I am proud that the United States has strong defenses, strong alliances,  and a sound and courageous foreign policy.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":20,"text":"Our alliances with major partners, the great industrial democracies of  Western Europe, Japan, and Canada, have never been more solid.  Consultations on mutual security, defense, and East-West relations have  grown closer. Collaboration has branched out into new fields such as  energy, economic policy, and relations with the Third World. We have used  many avenues for cooperation, including summit meetings held among major  allied countries. The friendship of the democracies is deeper, warmer, and  more effective than at any time in 30 years.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":21,"text":"We are maintaining stability in the strategic nuclear balance and pushing  back the specter of nuclear war. A decisive step forward was taken  in the Vladivostok Accord which I negotiated with General Secretary  Brezhnev--joint recognition that an equal ceiling should be placed  on the number of strategic weapons on each side. With resolve and wisdom  on the part of both nations, a good agreement is well within reach  this year.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":22,"text":"The framework for peace in the Middle East has been built. Hopes for future  progress in the Middle East were stirred by the historic agreements we  reached and the trust and confidence that we formed. Thanks to American  leadership, the prospects for peace in the Middle East are brighter than  they have been in three decades. The Arab states and Israel continue to  look to us to lead them from confrontation and war to a new era of  accommodation and peace. We have no alternative but to persevere, and I am  sure we will. The opportunities for a final settlement are great, and the  price of failure is a return to the bloodshed and hatred that for too long  have brought tragedy to all of the peoples of this area and repeatedly  edged the world to the brink of war.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":23,"text":"Our relationship with the People's Republic of China is proving its  importance and its durability. We are finding more and more common ground  between our two countries on basic questions of international affairs.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":24,"text":"In my two trips to Asia as President, we have reaffirmed America's  continuing vital interest in the peace and security of Asia and the Pacific  Basin, established a new partnership with Japan, confirmed our dedication  to the security of Korea, and reinforced our ties with the free nations of  Southeast Asia.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":25,"text":"An historic dialog has begun between industrial nations and developing  nations. Most proposals on the table are the initiatives of the United  States, including those on food, energy, technology, trade, investment, and  commodities. We are well launched on this process of shaping positive and  reliable economic relations between rich nations and poor nations over the  long term.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":26,"text":"We have made progress in trade negotiations and avoided protectionism  during recession. We strengthened the international monetary system. During  the past 2 years the free world's most important economic powers have  already brought about important changes that serve both developed and  developing economies. The momentum already achieved must be nurtured and  strengthened, for the prosperity of the rich and poor depends upon it.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":27,"text":"In Latin America, our relations have taken on a new maturity and a sense of  common enterprise.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":28,"text":"In Africa the quest for peace, racial justice, and economic progress is at  a crucial point. The United States, in close cooperation with the United  Kingdom, is actively engaged in this historic process. Will change come  about by warfare and chaos and foreign intervention? Or will it come about  by negotiated and fair solutions, ensuring majority rule, minority rights,  and economic advance? America is committed to the side of peace and justice  and to the principle that Africa should shape its own future, free of  outside intervention.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":29,"text":"American leadership has helped to stimulate new international efforts to  stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to shape a comprehensive  treaty governing the use of oceans.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":30,"text":"I am gratified by these accomplishments. They constitute a record of broad  success for America and for the peace and prosperity of all mankind. This  administration leaves to its successor a world in better condition than we  found. We leave, as well, a solid foundation for progress on a range of  issues that are vital to the well-being of America.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":31,"text":"What has been achieved in the field of foreign affairs and what can be  accomplished by the new administration demonstrate the genius of Americans  working together for the common good. It is this, our remarkable ability to  work together, that has made us a unique nation. It is Congress, the  President, and the people striving for a better world.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":32,"text":"I know all patriotic Americans want this Nation's foreign policy to  succeed. I urge members of my party in this Congress to give the new  President loyal support in this area. I express the hope that this new  Congress will reexamine its constitutional role in international affairs.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":33,"text":"The exclusive right to declare war, the duty to advise and consent on the  part of the Senate, the power of the purse on the part of the House are  ample authority for the legislative branch and should be jealously guarded.  But because we may have been too careless of these powers in the past does  not justify congressional intrusion into, or obstruction of, the proper  exercise of Presidential responsibilities now or in the future. There can  be only one Commander in Chief. In these times crises cannot be managed and  wars cannot be waged by committee, nor can peace be pursued solely by  parliamentary debate. To the ears of the world, the President speaks for  the Nation. While he is, of course, ultimately accountable to the Congress,  the courts, and the people, he and his emissaries must not be handicapped  in advance in their relations with foreign governments as has sometimes  happened in the past.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":34,"text":"At home I am encouraged by the Nation's recovery from the recession and our  steady return to sound economic growth. It is now continuing after the  recent period of uncertainty, which is part of the price we pay for free  elections.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":35,"text":"Our most pressing need today and the future is more jobs--productive,  permanent jobs created by a thriving economy. We must revise our tax system  both to ease the burden of heavy taxation and to encourage the investment  necessary for the creation of productive jobs for all Americans who want to  work.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":36,"text":"Earlier this month I proposed a permanent income tax reduction of $10  billion below current levels, including raising the personal exemption from  $750 to $1,000. I also recommended a series of measures to stimulate  investment, such as accelerated depreciation for new plants and equipment  in areas of high unemployment, a reduction in the corporate tax rate from  48 to 46 percent, and eliminating the present double taxation of dividends.  I strongly urge the Congress to pass these measures to help create the  productive, permanent jobs in the private economy that are so essential for  our future.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":37,"text":"All the basic trends are good; we are not on the brink of another recession  or economic disaster. If we follow prudent policies that encourage  productive investment and discourage destructive inflation, we will come  out on top, and I am sure we will.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":38,"text":"We have successfully cut inflation by more than half. When I took office,  the Consumer Price Index was rising at 12.2 percent a year. During 1976 the  rate of inflation was 5 percent.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":39,"text":"We have created more jobs--over 4 million more jobs today than in the  spring of 1975. Throughout this Nation today we have over 88 million people  in useful, productive jobs--more than at any other time in our Nation's  history. But there are still too many Americans unemployed. This is the  greatest regret that I have as I leave office.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":40,"text":"We brought about with the Congress, after much delay, the renewal of the  general revenue sharing. We expanded community development and Federal  manpower programs. We began a significant urban mass transit program.  Federal programs today provide more funds for our States and local  governments than ever before--$70 billion for the current fiscal year.  Through these programs and others that provide aid directly to individuals,  we have kept faith with our tradition of compassionate help for those who  need it. As we begin our third century we can be proud of the progress that  we have made in meeting human needs for all of our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":41,"text":"We have cut the growth of crime by nearly 90 percent. Two years ago crime  was increasing at the rate of 18 percent annually. In the first three  quarters of 1976, that growth rate had been cut to 2 percent. But crime,  and the fear of crime, remains one of the most serious problems facing our  citizens.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":42,"text":"We have had some successes, and there have been some disappointments.  Bluntly, I must remind you that we have not made satisfactory progress  toward achieving energy independence. Energy is absolutely vital to the  defense of our country, to the strength of our economy, and to the quality  of our lives.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":43,"text":"Two years ago I proposed to the Congress the first comprehensive national  energy program--a specific and coordinated set of measures that would end  our vulnerability to embargo, blockade, or arbitrary price increases and  would mobilize U.S. technology and resources to supply a significant share  of the free world's energy after 1985. Of the major energy proposals I  submitted 2 years ago, only half, belatedly, became law. In 1973 we were  dependent upon foreign oil imports for 36 percent of our needs. Today, we  are 40-percent dependent, and we'll pay out $34 billion for foreign oil  this year. Such vulnerability at present or in the future is intolerable  and must be ended.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":44,"text":"The answer to where we stand on our national energy effort today reminds me  of the old argument about whether the tank is half full or half empty. The  pessimist will say we have half failed to achieve our 10-year energy goals;  the optimist will say that we have half succeeded. I am always an optimist,  but we must make up for lost time.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":45,"text":"We have laid a solid foundation for completing the enormous task which  confronts us. I have signed into law five major energy bills which contain  significant measures for conservation, resource development, stockpiling,  and standby authorities. We have moved forward to develop the naval  petroleum reserves; to build a 500-million barrel strategic petroleum  stockpile; to phase out unnecessary Government allocation and price  controls; to develop a lasting relationship with other oil consuming  nations; to improve the efficiency of energy use through conservation in  automobiles, buildings, and industry; and to expand research on new  technology and renewable resources such as wind power, geothermal and solar  energy. All these actions, significant as they are for the long term, are  only the beginning.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":46,"text":"I recently submitted to the Congress my proposals to reorganize the Federal  energy structure and the hard choices which remain if we are serious about  reducing our dependence upon foreign energy. These include programs to  reverse our declining production of natural gas and increase incentives for  domestic crude oil production. I proposed to minimize environmental  uncertainties affecting coal development, expand nuclear power generation,  and create an energy independence authority to provide government financial  assistance for vital energy programs where private capital is not  available.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":47,"text":"We must explore every reasonable prospect for meeting our energy needs when  our current domestic reserves of oil and natural gas begin to dwindle in  the next decade. I urgently ask Congress and the new administration to move  quickly on these issues. This Nation has the resources and the capability  to achieve our energy goals if its Government has the will to proceed, and  I think we do.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":48,"text":"I have been disappointed by inability to complete many of the meaningful  organizational reforms which I contemplated for the Federal Government,  although a start has been made. For example, the Federal judicial system  has long served as a model for other courts. But today it is threatened by  a shortage of qualified Federal judges and an explosion of litigation  claiming Federal jurisdiction. I commend to the new administration and the  Congress the recent report and recommendations of the Department of  Justice, undertaken at my request, on \"the needs of the Federal Courts.\" I  especially endorse its proposals for a new commission on the judicial  appointment process.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":49,"text":"While the judicial branch of our Government may require reinforcement, the  budgets and payrolls of the other branches remain staggering. I cannot help  but observe that while the White House staff and the Executive Office of  the President have been reduced and the total number of civilians in the  executive branch contained during the 1970's, the legislative branch has  increased substantially although the membership of the Congress remains at  535. Congress now costs the taxpayers more than a million dollars per  Member; the whole legislative budget has passed the billion dollar mark.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":50,"text":"We have made some progress in cutting back the expansion of government and  its intrusion into individual lives, but believe me, there is much more to  be done--and you and I know it. It can only be done by tough and  temporarily painful surgery by a Congress as prepared as the President to  face up to this very real political problem. Again, I wish my successor,  working with a substantial majority of his own party, the best of success  in reforming the costly and cumbersome machinery of the Federal  Government.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":51,"text":"The task of self-government is never finished. The problems are great; the  opportunities are greater.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":52,"text":"America's first goal is and always will be peace with honor. America must  remain first in keeping peace in the world. We can remain first in peace  only if we are never second in defense.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":53,"text":"In presenting the state of the Union to the Congress and to the American  people, I have a special obligation as Commander in Chief to report on our  national defense. Our survival as a free and independent people requires,  above all, strong military forces that are well equipped and highly trained  to perform their assigned mission.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":54,"text":"I am particularly gratified to report that over the past 2 1/2 years, we  have been able to reverse the dangerous decline of the previous decade in  real resources this country was devoting to national defense. This was an  immediate problem I faced in 1974. The evidence was unmistakable that the  Soviet Union had been steadily increasing the resources it applied to  building its military strength. During this same period the United States  real defense spending declined. In my three budgets we not only arrested  that dangerous decline, but we have established the positive trend which is  essential to our ability to contribute to peace and stability in the  world.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":55,"text":"The Vietnam war, both materially and psychologically, affected our overall  defense posture. The dangerous anti-military sentiment discouraged defense  spending and unfairly disparaged the men and women who serve in our Armed  Forces.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":56,"text":"The challenge that now confronts this country is whether we have the  national will and determination to continue this essential defense effort  over the long term, as it must be continued. We can no longer afford to  oscillate from year to year in so vital a matter; indeed, we have a duty to  look beyond the immediate question of budgets and to examine the nature of  the problem we will face over the next generation.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":57,"text":"I am the first recent President able to address long-term, basic issues  without the burden of Vietnam. The war in Indochina consumed enormous  resources at the very time that the overwhelming strategic superiority we  once enjoyed was disappearing. In past years, as a result of decisions by  the United States, our strategic forces leveled off, yet the Soviet Union  continued a steady, constant buildup of its own forces, committing a high  percentage of its national economic effort to defense.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":58,"text":"The United States can never tolerate a shift in strategic balance against  us or even a situation where the American people or our allies believe the  balance is shifting against us. The United States would risk the most  serious political consequences if the world came to believe that our  adversaries have a decisive margin of superiority.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":59,"text":"To maintain a strategic balance we must look ahead to the 1980's and  beyond. The sophistication of modern weapons requires that we make  decisions now if we are to ensure our security 10 years from now.  Therefore, I have consistently advocated and strongly urged that we pursue  three critical strategic programs: the Trident missile launching submarine;  the B-1 bomber, with its superior capability to penetrate modern air  defenses; and a more advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that will  be better able to survive nuclear attack and deliver a devastating  retaliatory strike.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":60,"text":"In an era where the strategic nuclear forces are in rough equilibrium, the  risks of conflict below the nuclear threshold may grow more perilous. A  major, long-term objective, therefore, is to maintain capabilities to deal  with, and thereby deter, conventional challenges and crises, particularly  in Europe.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":61,"text":"We cannot rely solely on strategic forces to guarantee our security or to  deter all types of aggression. We must have superior naval and marine  forces to maintain freedom of the seas, strong multipurpose tactical air  forces, and mobile, modern ground forces. Accordingly, I have directed a  long-term effort to improve our worldwide capabilities to deal with  regional crises.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":62,"text":"I have submitted a 5-year naval building program indispensable to the  Nation's maritime strategy. Because the security of Europe and the  integrity of NATO remain the cornerstone of American defense policy, I have  initiated a special, long-term program to ensure the capacity of the  Alliance to deter or defeat aggression in Europe.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":63,"text":"As I leave office I can report that our national defense is effectively  deterring conflict today. Our Armed Forces are capable of carrying out the  variety of missions assigned to them. Programs are underway which will  assure we can deter war in the years ahead. But I also must warn that it  will require a sustained effort over a period of years to maintain these  capabilities. We must have the wisdom, the stamina, and the courage to  prepare today for the perils of tomorrow, and I believe we will.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":64,"text":"As I look to the future--and I assure you I intend to go on doing that for  a good many years--I can say with confidence that the state of the Union is  good, but we must go on making it better and better.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":65,"text":"This gathering symbolizes the constitutional foundation which makes  continued progress possible, synchronizing the skills of three independent  branches of Government, reserving fundamental sovereignty to the people of  this great land. It is only as the temporary representatives and servants  of the people that we meet here, we bring no hereditary status or gift of  infallibility, and none follows us from this place.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":66,"text":"Like President Washington, like the more fortunate of his successors, I  look forward to the status of private citizen with gladness and gratitude.  To me, being a citizen of the United States of America is the greatest  honor and privilege in this world.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":67,"text":"From the opportunities which fate and my fellow citizens have given me, as  a Member of the House, as Vice President and President of the Senate, and  as President of all the people, I have come to understand and place the  highest value on the checks and balances which our founders imposed on  government through the separation of powers among co-equal legislative,  executive, and judicial branches. This often results in difficulty and  delay, as I well know, but it also places supreme authority under God,  beyond any one person, any one branch, any majority great or small, or any  one party. The Constitution is the bedrock of all our freedoms. Guard and  cherish it, keep honor and order in your own house, and the Republic will  endure.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":68,"text":"It is not easy to end these remarks. In this Chamber, along with some of  you, I have experienced many, many of the highlights of my life. It was  here that I stood 28 years ago with my freshman colleagues, as Speaker Sam  Rayburn administered the oath. I see some of you now--Charlie Bennett, Dick  Bolling, Carl Perkins, Pete Rodino, Harley Staggers, Tom Steed, Sid Yates,  Clem Zablocki-and I remember those who have gone to their rest. It was here  we waged many, many a lively battle--won some, lost some, but always  remaining friends. It was here, surrounded by such friends, that the  distinguished Chief Justice swore me in as Vice President on December 6,  1973. It was here I returned 8 months later as your President to ask not  for a honeymoon, but for a good marriage.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":69,"text":"I will always treasure those memories and your many, many kindnesses. I  thank you for them all.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":70,"text":"My fellow Americans, I once asked you for your prayers, and now I give you  mine: May God guide this wonderful country, its people, and those they have  chosen to lead them. May our third century be illuminated by liberty and  blessed with brotherhood, so that we and all who come after us may be the  humble servants of thy peace. Amen.  "}
{"year":"1977","paragraph":71,"text":"Good night. God bless you.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":1,"text":"Two years ago today we had the first caucus in Iowa, and one year ago  tomorrow, I walked from here to the White House to take up the duties of  President of the United States. I didn't know it then when I walked, but  I've been trying to save energy ever since.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":2,"text":"I return tonight to fulfill one of those duties of the Constitution: to  give to the Congress, and to the Nation, information on the state of the  Union.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":3,"text":"Militarily, politically, economically, and in spirit, the state of our  Union is sound.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":4,"text":"We are a great country, a strong country, a vital and dynamic country, and  so we will remain.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":5,"text":"We are a confident people and a hardworking people, a decent and a  compassionate people, and so we will remain.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":6,"text":"I want to speak to you tonight about where we are and where we must go,  about what we have done and what we must do. And I want to pledge to you my  best efforts and ask you to pledge yours.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":7,"text":"Each generation of Americans has to face circumstances not of its own  choosing, but by which its character is measured and its spirit is tested.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":8,"text":"There are times of emergency, when a nation and its leaders must bring  their energies to bear on a single urgent task. That was the duty Abraham  Lincoln faced when our land was torn apart by conflict in the War Between  the States. That was the duty faced by Franklin Roosevelt when he led  America out of an economic depression and again when he led America to  victory in war.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":9,"text":"There are other times when there is no single overwhelming crisis, yet  profound national interests are at stake.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":10,"text":"At such times the risk of inaction can be equally great. It becomes the  task of leaders to call forth the vast and restless energies of our people  to build for the future.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":11,"text":"That is what Harry Truman did in the years after the Second World War, when  we helped Europe and Japan rebuild themselves and secured an international  order that has protected freedom from aggression.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":12,"text":"We live in such times now, and we face such duties.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":13,"text":"We've come through a long period of turmoil and doubt, but we've once again  found our moral course, and with a new spirit, we are striving to express  our best instincts to the rest of the world.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":14,"text":"There is all across our land a growing sense of peace and a sense of common  purpose. This sense of unity cannot be expressed in programs or in  legislation or in dollars. It's an achievement that belongs to every  individual American. This unity ties together, and it towers over all our  efforts here in Washington, and it serves as an inspiring beacon for all of  us who are elected to serve.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":15,"text":"This new atmosphere demands a new spirit, a partnership between those of us  who lead and those who elect. The foundations of this partnership are  truth, the courage to face hard decisions, concern for one another and the  common good over special interests, and a basic faith and trust in the  wisdom and strength and judgment of the American people.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":16,"text":"For the first time in a generation, we are not haunted by a major  international crisis or by domestic turmoil, and we now have a rare and a  priceless opportunity to address persistent problems and burdens which come  to us as a nation, quietly and steadily getting worse over the years.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":17,"text":"As President, I've had to ask you, the Members of Congress, and you, the  American people, to come to grips with some of the most difficult and hard  questions facing our society.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":18,"text":"We must make a maximum effort, because if we do not aim for the best, we  are very likely to achieve little. I see no benefit to the country if we  delay, because the problems will only get worse.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":19,"text":"We need patience and good will, but we really need to realize that there is  a limit to the role and the function of government. Government cannot solve  our problems, it can't set our goals, it cannot define our vision.  Government cannot eliminate poverty or provide a bountiful economy or  reduce inflation or save our cities or cure illiteracy or provide energy.  And government cannot mandate goodness. Only a true partnership between  government and the people can ever hope to reach these goals.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":20,"text":"Those of us who govern can sometimes inspire, and we can identify needs and  marshal resources, but we simply cannot be the managers of everything and  everybody.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":21,"text":"We here in Washington must move away from crisis management, and we must  establish clear goals for the future, immediate and the distant future,  which will let us work together and not in conflict. Never again should we  neglect a growing crisis like the shortage of energy, where further delay  will only lead to more harsh and painful solutions.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":22,"text":"Every day we spend more than $120 million for foreign oil. This slows our  economic growth, it lowers the value of the dollar overseas, and it  aggravates unemployment and inflation here at home.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":23,"text":"Now we know what we must do, increase production. We must cut down on  waste. And we must use more of those fuels which are plentiful and more  permanent. We must be fair to people, and we must not disrupt our Nation's  economy and our budget.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":24,"text":"Now, that sounds simple. But I recognize the difficulties involved. I know  that it is not easy for the Congress to act. But the fact remains that on  the energy legislation, we have failed the American people. Almost 5 years  after the oil embargo dramatized the problem for us all, we still do not  have a national energy program. Not much longer can we tolerate this  stalemate. It undermines our national interest both at home and abroad. We  must succeed, and I believe we will.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":25,"text":"Our main task at home this year, with energy a central element, is the  Nation's economy. We must continue the recovery and further cut  unemployment and inflation.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":26,"text":"Last year was a good one for the United States. We reached all of our major  economic goals for 1977. Four million new jobs were created, an alltime  record, and the number of unemployed dropped by more than a million.  Unemployment right now is the lowest it has been since 1974, and not since  World War II has such a high percentage of American people been employed.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":27,"text":"The rate of inflation went down. There was a good growth in business  profits and investments, the source of more jobs for our workers, and a  higher standard of living for all our people. After taxes and inflation,  there was a healthy increase in workers' wages.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":28,"text":"And this year, our country will have the first $2 trillion economy in the  history of the world.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":29,"text":"Now, we are proud of this progress the first year, but we must do even  better in the future.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":30,"text":"We still have serious problems on which all of us must work together. Our  trade deficit is too large. Inflation is still too high, and too many  Americans still do not have a job.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":31,"text":"Now, I didn't have any simple answers for all these problems. But we have  developed an economic policy that is working, because it's simple,  balanced, and fair. It's based on four principles: First, the economy must  keep on expanding to produce new jobs and better income, which our people  need. The fruits of growth must be widely shared. More jobs must be made  available to those who have been bypassed until now. And the tax system  must be made fairer and simpler.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":32,"text":"Secondly, private business and not the Government must lead the expansion  in the future.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":33,"text":"Third, we must lower the rate of inflation and keep it down. Inflation  slows down economic growth, and it's the most cruel to the poor and also to  the elderly and others who live on fixed incomes.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":34,"text":"And fourth, we must contribute to the strength of the world economy.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":35,"text":"I will announce detailed proposals for improving our tax system later this  week. We can make our tax laws fairer, we can make them simpler and easier  to understand, and at the same time, we can, and we will, reduce the tax  burden on American citizens by $25 billion.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":36,"text":"The tax reforms and the tax reductions go together. Only with the long  overdue reforms will the full tax cut be advisable.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":37,"text":"Almost $17 billion in income tax cuts will go to individuals. Ninety-six  percent of all American taxpayers will see their taxes go down. For a  typical family of four, this means an annual saving of more than $250 a  year, or a tax reduction of about 20 percent. A further $2 billion cut in  excise taxes will give more relief and also contribute directly to lowering  the rate of inflation.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":38,"text":"And we will also provide strong additional incentives for business  investment and growth through substantial cuts in the corporate tax rates  and improvement in the investment tax credit.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":39,"text":"Now, these tax proposals will increase opportunity everywhere in the  Nation. But additional jobs for the disadvantaged deserve special  attention.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":40,"text":"We've already passed laws to assure equal access to the voting booth and to  restaurants and to schools, to housing, and laws to permit access to jobs.  But job opportunity, the chance to earn a decent living, is also a basic  human right, which we cannot and will not ignore.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":41,"text":"A major priority for our Nation is the final elimination of the barriers  that restrict the opportunities available to women and also to black people  and Hispanics and other minorities. We've come a long way toward that goal.  But there is still much to do. What we inherited from the past must not be  permitted to shackle us in the future.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":42,"text":"I'll be asking you for a substantial increase in funds for public jobs for  our young people, and I also am recommending that the Congress continue the  public service employment programs at more than twice the level of a year  ago. When welfare reform is completed, we will have more than a million  additional jobs so that those on welfare who are able to work can work.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":43,"text":"However, again, we know that in our free society, private business is still  the best source of new jobs. Therefore, I will propose a new program to  encourage businesses to hire young and disadvantaged Americans. These young  people only need skills and a chance in order to take their place in our  economic system. Let's give them the chance they need. A major step in the  right direction would be the early passage of a greatly improved  Humphrey-Hawkins bill.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":44,"text":"My budget for 1979 addresses these national needs, but it is lean and  tight. I have cut waste wherever possible.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":45,"text":"I am proposing an increase of less than 2 percent after adjusting for  inflation, the smallest increase in the Federal budget in 4 years.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":46,"text":"Lately, Federal spending has taken a steadily increasing portion of what  Americans produce. Our new budget reverses that trend, and later I hope to  bring the Government's toll down even further. And with your help, we'll do  that.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":47,"text":"In time of high employment and a strong economy, deficit spending should  not be a feature of our budget. As the economy continues to gain strength  and as our unemployment rates continue to fall, revenues will grow. With  careful planning, efficient management, and proper restraint on spending,  we can move rapidly toward a balanced budget, and we will.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":48,"text":"Next year the budget deficit will be only slightly less than this year. But  one-third of the deficit is due to the necessary tax cuts that I've  proposed. This year the right choice is to reduce the burden on taxpayers  and provide more jobs for our people.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":49,"text":"The third element in our program is a renewed attack on inflation. We've  learned the hard way that high unemployment will not prevent or cure  inflation. Government can help us by stimulating private investment and by  maintaining a responsible economic policy. Through a new top-level review  process, we will do a better job of reducing Government regulation that  drives up costs and drives up prices.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":50,"text":"But again, Government alone cannot bring down the rate of inflation. When a  level of high inflation is expected to continue, then companies raise  prices to protect their profit margins against prospective increases in  wages and other costs, while workers demand higher wages as protection  against expected price increases. It's like an escalation in the arms race,  and understandably, no one wants to disarm alone.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":51,"text":"Now, no one firm or a group of workers can halt this process. It's an  effort that we must all make together. I'm therefore asking government,  business, labor, and other groups to join in a voluntary program to  moderate inflation by holding wage and price increases in each sector of  the economy during 1978 below the average increases of the last 2 years.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":52,"text":"I do not believe in wage and price controls. A sincere commitment to  voluntary constraint provides a way, perhaps the only way, to fight  inflation without Government interference.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":53,"text":"As I came into the Capitol tonight, I saw the farmers, my fellow farmers,  standing out in the snow. I'm familiar with their problem, and I know from  Congress' action that you are too. When I was running Carters Warehouse, we  had spread on our own farms 5-10-15 fertilizer for about $40 a ton. The  last time I was home, the price was about $100 a ton. The cost of nitrogen  has gone up 150 percent, and the price of products that farmers sell has  either stayed the same or gone down a little.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":54,"text":"Now, this past year in 1977, you, the Congress, and I together passed a new  agricultural act. It went into effect October 1. It'll have its first  impact on the 1978 crops. It will help a great deal. It'll add $6 1/2  billion or more to help the farmers with their price supports and target  prices.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":55,"text":"Last year we had the highest level of exports of farm products in the  history of our country, $24 billion. We expect to have more this year.  We'll be working together. But I think it's incumbent on us to monitor very  carefully the farm situation and continue to work harmoniously with the  farmers of our country. What's best for the farmers, the farm families, in  the long run is also best for the consumers of our country.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":56,"text":"Economic success at home is also the key to success in our international  economic policy. An effective energy program, strong investment and  productivity, and controlled inflation will provide [improve] our trade  balance and balance it, and it will help to protect the integrity of the  dollar overseas.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":57,"text":"By working closely with our friends abroad, we can promote the economic  health of the whole world, with fair and balanced agreements lowering the  barriers to trade.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":58,"text":"Despite the inevitable pressures that build up when the world economy  suffers from high unemployment, we must firmly resist the demands for  self-defeating protectionism. But free trade must also be fair trade. And I  am determined to protect American industry and American workers against  foreign trade practices which are unfair or illegal.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":59,"text":"In a separate written message to Congress, I've outlined other domestic  initiatives, such as welfare reform, consumer protection, basic education  skills, urban policy, reform of our labor laws, and national health care  later on this year. I will not repeat these tonight. But there are several  other points that I would like to make directly to you.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":60,"text":"During these past years, Americans have seen our Government grow far from  us.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":61,"text":"For some citizens, the Government has almost become like a foreign country,  so strange and distant that we've often had to deal with it through trained  ambassadors who have sometimes become too powerful and too influential,  lawyers, accountants, and lobbyists. This cannot go on.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":62,"text":"We must have what Abraham Lincoln wanted, a government for the people.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":63,"text":"We've made progress toward that kind of government. You've given me the  authority I requested to reorganize the Federal bureaucracy. And I am using  that authority.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":64,"text":"We've already begun a series of reorganization plans which will be  completed over a period of 3 years. We have also proposed abolishing almost  500 Federal advisory and other commissions and boards. But I know that the  American people are still sick and tired of Federal paperwork and redtape.  Bit by bit we are chopping down the thicket of unnecessary Federal  regulations by which Government too often interferes in our personal lives  and our personal business. We've cut the public's Federal paperwork load by  more than 12 percent in less than a year. And we are not through cutting.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":65,"text":"We've made a good start on turning the gobbledygook of Federal regulations  into plain English that people can understand. But we know that we still  have a long way to go.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":66,"text":"We've brought together parts of 11 Government agencies to create a new  Department of Energy. And now it's time to take another major step by  creating a separate Department of Education.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":67,"text":"But even the best organized Government will only be as effective as the  people who carry out its policies. For this reason, I consider civil  service reform to be absolutely vital. Worked out with the civil servants  themselves, this reorganization plan will restore the merit principle to a  system which has grown into a bureaucratic maze. It will provide greater  management flexibility and better rewards for better performance without  compromising job security.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":68,"text":"Then and only then can we have a government that is efficient, open, and  truly worthy of our people's understanding and respect. I have promised  that we will have such a government, and I intend to keep that promise.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":69,"text":"In our foreign policy, the separation of people from government has been in  the past a source of weakness and error. In a democratic system like ours,  foreign policy decisions must be able to stand the test of public  examination and public debate. If we make a mistake in this administration,  it will be on the side of frankness and openness with the American people.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":70,"text":"In our modern world, when the deaths of literally millions of people can  result from a few terrifying seconds of destruction, the path of national  strength and security is identical to the path of peace.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":71,"text":"Tonight, I am happy to report that because we are strong, our Nation is at  peace with the world.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":72,"text":"We are a confident nation. We've restored a moral basis for our foreign  policy. The very heart of our identity as a nation is our firm commitment  to human rights.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":73,"text":"We stand for human rights because we believe that government has as a  purpose to promote the well-being of its citizens. This is true in our  domestic policy; it's also true in our foreign policy. The world must know  that in support of human rights, the United States will stand firm.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":74,"text":"We expect no quick or easy results, but there has been significant movement  toward greater freedom and humanity in several parts of the world.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":75,"text":"Thousands of political prisoners have been freed. The leaders of the world,  even our ideological adversaries, now see that their attitude toward  fundamental human rights affects their standing in the international  community, and it affects their relations with the United States.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":76,"text":"To serve the interests of every American, our foreign policy has three  major goals.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":77,"text":"The first and prime concern is and will remain the security of our  country.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":78,"text":"Security is based on our national will, and security is based on the  strength of our Armed Forces. We have the will, and militarily we are very  strong.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":79,"text":"Security also comes through the strength of our alliances. We have  reconfirmed our commitment to the defense of Europe, and this year we will  demonstrate that commitment by further modernizing and strengthening our  military capabilities there.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":80,"text":"Security can also be enhanced by agreements with potential adversaries  which reduce the threat of nuclear disaster while maintaining our own  relative strategic capability.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":81,"text":"In areas of peaceful competition with the Soviet Union, we will continue to  more than hold our own.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":82,"text":"At the same time, we are negotiating with quiet confidence, without haste,  with careful determination, to ease the tensions between us and to ensure  greater stability and security.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":83,"text":"The strategic arms limitation talks have been long and difficult. We want a  mutual limit on both the quality and the quantity of the giant nuclear  arsenals of both nations, and then we want actual reductions in strategic  arms as a major step toward the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons  from the face of the Earth.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":84,"text":"If these talks result in an agreement this year, and I trust they will, I  pledge to you that the agreement will maintain and enhance the stability of  the world's strategic balance and the security of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":85,"text":"For 30 years, concerted but unsuccessful efforts have been made to ban the  testing of atomic explosives, both military weapons and peaceful nuclear  devices.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":86,"text":"We are hard at work with Great Britain and the Soviet Union on an agreement  which will stop testing and will protect our national security and provide  for adequate verification of compliance. We are now making, I believe, good  progress toward this comprehensive ban on nuclear explosions.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":87,"text":"We are also working vigorously to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons  among the nations of the world which do not now have them and to reduce the  deadly global traffic in conventional arms sales. Our stand for peace is  suspect if we are also the principal arms merchant of the world. So, we've  decided to cut down our arms transfers abroad on a year-by-year basis and  to work with other major arms exporters to encourage their similar  constraint.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":88,"text":"Every American has a stake in our second major goal, a world at peace. In a  nuclear age, each of us is threatened when peace is not secured everywhere.  We are trying to promote harmony in those parts of the world where major  differences exist among other nations and threaten international peace.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":89,"text":"In the Middle East, we are contributing our good offices to maintain the  momentum of the current negotiations and to keep open the lines of  communication among the Middle Eastern leaders. The whole world has a great  stake in the success of these efforts. This is a precious opportunity for a  historic settlement of a longstanding conflict, an opportunity which may  never come again in our lifetime.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":90,"text":"Our role has been difficult and sometimes thankless and controversial. But  it has been constructive and it has been necessary, and it will continue.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":91,"text":"Our third major foreign policy goal is one that touches the life of every  American citizen every day, world economic growth and stability.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":92,"text":"This requires strong economic performance by the industrialized democracies  like ourselves and progress in resolving the global energy crisis. Last  fall, with the help of others, we succeeded in our vigorous efforts to  maintain the stability of the price of oil. But as many foreign leaders  have emphasized to me personally and, I am sure, to you, the greatest  future contribution that America can make to the world economy would be an  effective energy conservation program here at home. We will not hesitate to  take the actions needed to protect the integrity of the American dollar.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":93,"text":"We are trying to develop a more just international system. And in this  spirit, we are supporting the struggle for human development in Africa, in  Asia, and in Latin America.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":94,"text":"Finally, the world is watching to see how we act on one of our most  important and controversial items of business, approval of the Panama Canal  treaties. The treaties now before the Senate are the result of the work of  four administrations, two Democratic, two Republican.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":95,"text":"They guarantee that the canal will be open always for unrestricted use by  the ships of the world. Our ships have the right to go to the head of the  line for priority of passage in times of emergency or need. We retain the  permanent right to defend the canal with our own military forces, if  necessary, to guarantee its openness and its neutrality.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":96,"text":"The treaties are to the clear advantage of ourselves, the Panamanians, and  the other users of the canal. Ratifying the Panama Canal treaties will  demonstrate our good faith to the world, discourage the spread of hostile  ideologies in this hemisphere, and directly contribute to the economic  well-being and the security of the United States.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":97,"text":"I have to say that that's very welcome applause.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":98,"text":"There were two moments on my recent journey which, for me, confirmed the  final aims of our foreign policy and what it always must be.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":99,"text":"One was in a little village in India, where I met a people as passionately  attached to their rights and liberties as we are, but whose children have a  far smaller chance for good health or food or education or human  fulfillment than a child born in this country.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":100,"text":"The other moment was in Warsaw, capital of a nation twice devastated by war  in this century. There, people have rebuilt the city which war's  destruction took from them. But what was new only emphasized clearly what  was lost.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":101,"text":"What I saw in those two places crystalized for me the purposes of our own  Nation's policy: to ensure economic justice, to advance human rights, to  resolve conflicts without violence, and to proclaim in our great democracy  our constant faith in the liberty and dignity of human beings everywhere.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":102,"text":"We Americans have a great deal of work to do together. In the end, how well  we do that work will depend on the spirit in which we approach it. We must  seek fresh answers, unhindered by the stale prescriptions of the past.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":103,"text":"It has been said that our best years are behind us. But I say again that  America's best is still ahead. We have emerged from bitter experiences  chastened but proud, confident once again, ready to face challenges once  again, and united once again.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":104,"text":"We come together tonight at a solemn time. Last week the Senate lost a good  and honest man, Lee Metcalf of Montana.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":105,"text":"And today, the flag of the United States flew at half-mast from this  Capitol and from American installations and ships all over the world, in  mourning for Senator Hubert Humphrey.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":106,"text":"Because he exemplified so well the joy and the zest of living, his death  reminds us not so much of our own mortality, but of the possibilities  offered to us by life. He always looked to the future with a special  American kind of confidence, of hope and enthusiasm. And the best way that  we can honor him is by following his example.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":107,"text":"Our task, to use the words of Senator Humphrey, is \"reconciliation,  rebuilding, and rebirth.\"  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":108,"text":"Reconciliation of private needs and interests into a higher purpose.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":109,"text":"Rebuilding the old dreams of justice and liberty, and country and  community.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":110,"text":"Rebirth of our faith in the common good.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":111,"text":"Each of us here tonight, and all who are listening in your homes, must  rededicate ourselves to serving the common good. We are a community, a  beloved community, all of us. Our individual fates are linked, our futures  intertwined. And if we act in that knowledge and in that spirit, together,  as the Bible says, we can move mountains.  "}
{"year":"1978","paragraph":112,"text":"Thank you very much.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":1,"text":"Tonight I want to examine in a broad sense the state of our American  Union--how we are building a new foundation for a peaceful and a prosperous  world.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":2,"text":"Our children who will be born this year will come of age in the 21st  century. What kind of society, what kind of world are we building for them?  Will we ourselves be at peace? Will our children enjoy a better quality of  life? Will a strong and united America still be a force for freedom and  prosperity around the world?  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":3,"text":"Tonight, there is every sign that the state of our Union is sound.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":4,"text":"Our economy offers greater prosperity for more of our people than ever  before. Real per capita income and real business profits have risen  substantially in the last 2 years. Farm exports are setting an all-time  record each year, and farm income last year, net farm income, was up more  than 25 percent.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":5,"text":"Our liberties are secure. Our military defenses are strong and growing  stronger. And more importantly, tonight, America--our beloved country--is  at peace.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":6,"text":"Our earliest national commitments, modified and reshaped by succeeding  generations, have served us well. But the problems that we face today are  different from those that confronted earlier generations of Americans. They  are more subtle, more complex, and more interrelated. At home, we are  recognizing ever more clearly that government alone cannot solve these  problems. And abroad, few of them can be solved by the United States alone.  But Americans as a united people, working with our allies and friends, have  never been afraid to face problems and to solve problems, either here or  abroad.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":7,"text":"The challenge to us is to build a new and firmer foundation for the  future--for a sound economy, for a more effective government, for more  political trust, and for a stable peace--so that the America our children  inherit will be even stronger and even better than it is today.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":8,"text":"We cannot resort to simplistic or extreme solutions which substitute myths  for common sense.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":9,"text":"In our economy, it is a myth that we must choose endlessly between  inflation and recession. Together, we build the foundation for a strong  economy, with lower inflation, without contriving either a recession with  its high unemployment or unworkable, mandatory government controls.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":10,"text":"In our government, it is a myth that we must choose between compassion and  competence. Together, we build the foundation for a government that works,  and works for people.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":11,"text":"In our relations with our potential adversaries, it is a myth that we must  choose between confrontation and capitulation. Together, we build the  foundation for a stable world of both diversity and peace.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":12,"text":"Together, we've already begun to build the foundation for confidence in our  economic system. During the last 2 years, in bringing our economy out of  the deepest recession since the 1930's, we've created 7,100,000 new jobs.  The unemployment rate has gone down 25 percent. And now we must redouble  our fight against the persistent inflation that has wracked our country for  more than a decade. That's our important domestic issue, and we must do it  together.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":13,"text":"We know that inflation is a burden for all Americans, but it's a disaster  for the poor, the sick, and the old. No American family should be forced to  choose among food, warmth, health care, or decent housing because the cost  of any of these basic necessities has climbed out of reach.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":14,"text":"Three months ago, I outlined to the Nation a balanced anti-inflation  program that couples responsible government restraint with responsible wage  and price restraint. It's based upon my knowledge that there is a more  powerful force than government compulsion--the force created by the  cooperative efforts of millions of Americans working toward a common goal.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":15,"text":"Business and labor have been increasingly supportive. It's imperative that  we in government do our part. We must stop excessive government growth, and  we must control government spending habits.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":16,"text":"I've sent to this Congress a stringent but a fair budget, one that, since I  ran for President in 1976, will have cut the Federal deficit in half. And  as a percentage of our gross national product, the deficit will have  dropped by almost 75 percent.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":17,"text":"This Congress had a good record last year, and I now ask the 96th Congress  to continue this partnership in holding the line on excess Federal  spending. It will not be easy. But we must be strong, and we must be  persistent.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":18,"text":"This budget is a clear message that, with the help of you and the American  people, I am determined, as President, to bring inflation under control.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":19,"text":"The 1980 budget provides enough spending restraint to begin unwinding  inflation, but enough support for our country to keep American workers  productive and to encourage the investments that provide new jobs. We will  continue to mobilize our Nation's resources to reduce our trade deficit  substantially this year and to maintain the strength of the American  dollar.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":20,"text":"We've demonstrated in this restrained budget that we can build on the gains  of the past 2 years to provide additional support to educate disadvantaged  children, to care for the elderly, to provide nutrition and legal services  for the poor, and to strengthen the economic base of our urban communities  and, also, our rural areas.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":21,"text":"This year, we will take our first steps to develop a national health plan.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":22,"text":"We must never accept a permanent group of unemployed Americans, with no  hope and no stake in building our society. For those left out of the  economy because of discrimination, a lack of skills, or poverty, we must  maintain high levels of training, and we must continue to provide jobs.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":23,"text":"A responsible budget is not our only weapon to control inflation. We must  act now to protect all Americans from health care costs that are rising $1  million per hour, 24 hours a day, doubling every 5 years. We must take  control of the largest contributor to that inflation: skyrocketing hospital  costs.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":24,"text":"There will be no clearer test of the commitment of this Congress to the  anti-inflation fight than the legislation that I will submit again this  year to hold down inflation in hospital care.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":25,"text":"Over the next 5 years, my proposals will save Americans a total of $60  billion, of which $25 billion will be savings to the American taxpayer in  the Federal budget itself. The American people have waited long enough.  This year we must act on hospital cost containment.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":26,"text":"We must also fight inflation by improvements and better enforcement of our  antitrust laws and by reducing government obstacles to competition in the  private sector.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":27,"text":"We must begin to scrutinize the overall effect of regulation in our  economy. Through deregulation of the airline industry we've increased  profits, cut prices for all Americans, and begun--for one of the few times  in the history of our Nation--to actually dismantle a major Federal  bureaucracy. This year, we must begin the effort to reform our regulatory  processes for the railroad, bus, and the trucking industries.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":28,"text":"America has the greatest economic system in the world. Let's reduce  government interference and give it a chance to work.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":29,"text":"I call on Congress to take other anti-inflation action--to expand our  exports to protect American jobs threatened by unfair trade, to conserve  energy, to increase production and to speed development of solar power, and  to reassess our Nation's technological superiority. American workers who  enlist in the fight against inflation deserve not just our gratitude, but  they deserve the protection of the real wage insurance proposal that I have  already made to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":30,"text":"To be successful, we must change our attitudes as well as our policies. We  cannot afford to live beyond our means. We cannot afford to create programs  that we can neither manage nor finance, or to waste our natural resources,  and we cannot tolerate mismanagement and fraud. Above all, we must meet the  challenges of inflation as a united people.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":31,"text":"With the support of the American people, government in recent decades has  helped to dismantle racial barriers, has provided assistance for the  jobless and the retired, has fed the hungry, has protected the safety,  health, and bargaining rights of American workers, and has helped to  preserve our natural heritage.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":32,"text":"But it's not enough to have created a lot of government programs. Now we  must make the good programs more effective and improve or weed out those  which are wasteful or unnecessary.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":33,"text":"With the support of the Congress, we've begun to reorganize and to get  control of the bureaucracy. We are reforming the civil service system, so  that we can recognize and reward those who do a good job and correct or  remove those who do not.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":34,"text":"This year, we must extend major reorganization efforts to education, to  economic development, and to the management of our natural resources. We  need to enact a sunshine [sunset] law that when government programs have  outlived their value, they will automatically be terminated.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":35,"text":"There's no such thing as an effective and a noncontroversial reorganization  and reform. But we know that honest, effective government is essential to  restore public faith in our public action.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":36,"text":"None of us can be satisfied when two-thirds of the American citizens chose  not to vote last year in a national election. Too many Americans feel  powerless against the influence of private lobbying groups and the  unbelievable flood of private campaign money which threatens our electoral  process.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":37,"text":"This year, we must regain the public's faith by requiring limited financial  funds from public funds for congressional election campaigns. House bill 1  provides for this public financing of campaigns. And I look forward with a  great deal of anticipation to signing it at an early date.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":38,"text":"A strong economy and an effective government will restore confidence in  America. But the path of the future must be charted in peace. We must  continue to build a new and a firm foundation for a stable world  community.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":39,"text":"We are building that new foundation from a position of national  strength--the strength of our own defenses, the strength of our friendships  with other nations, and of our oldest American ideals.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":40,"text":"America's military power is a major force for security and stability in the  world. We must maintain our strategic capability and continue the progress  of the last 2 years with our NATO Allies, with whom we have increased our  readiness, modernized our equipment, and strengthened our defense forces in  Europe. I urge you to support the strong defense budget which I have  proposed to the Congress.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":41,"text":"But our national security in this complicated age requires more than just  military might. In less than a lifetime, world population has more than  doubled, colonial empires have disappeared, and a hundred new nations have  been born, and migration to the world's cities have all awakened new  yearnings for economic justice and human rights among people everywhere.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":42,"text":"This demand for justice and human rights is a wave of the future. In such a  world, the choice is not which super power will dominate the world. None  can and none will. The choice instead is between a world of anarchy and  destruction, or a world of cooperation and peace.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":43,"text":"In such a world, we seek not to stifle inevitable change, but to influence  its course in helpful and constructive ways that enhance our values, our  national interests, and the cause of peace.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":44,"text":"Towering over this volatile, changing world, like a thundercloud on a  summer day, looms the awesome power of nuclear weapons.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":45,"text":"We will continue to help shape the forces of change, to anticipate emerging  problems of nuclear proliferation and conventional arms sales, and to use  our great strength parts of the world before they erupt and spread.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":46,"text":"We have no desire to be the world's policeman. But America does want to be  the world's peacemaker.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":47,"text":"We are building the foundation for truly global cooperation, not only with  Western and industrialized nations but with the developing countries as  well. Our ties with Japan and our European allies are stronger than ever,  and so are our friendly relations with the people of Latin America, Africa,  and the Western Pacific and Asia.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":48,"text":"We've won new respect in this hemisphere with the Panama Canal treaties.  We've gained new trust with the developing world through our opposition to  racism, our commitment to human rights, and our support for majority rule  in Africa.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":49,"text":"The multilateral trade negotiations are now reaching a successful  conclusion, and congressional approval is essential to the economic  well-being of our own country and of the world. This will be one of our top  priorities in 1979.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":50,"text":"We are entering a hopeful era in our relations with one-fourth of the  world's people who live in China. The presence of Vice Premier Deng  Xiaoping next week will help to inaugurate that new era. And with prompt  congressional action on authorizing legislation, we will continue our  commitment to a prosperous, peaceful, and secure life for the people of  Taiwan.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":51,"text":"I'm grateful that in the past year, as in the year before, no American has  died in combat anywhere in the world. And in Iran, Nicaragua, Cyprus,  Namibia, and Rhodesia, our country is working for peaceful solutions to  dangerous conflicts.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":52,"text":"In the Middle East, under the most difficult circumstances, we have sought  to help ancient enemies lay aside deep-seated differences that have  produced four bitter wars in our lifetime.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":53,"text":"Our firm commitment to Israel's survival and security is rooted in our  deepest convictions and in our knowledge of the strategic importance to our  own Nation of a stable Middle East. To promote peace and reconciliation in  the region, we must retain the trust and the confidence both of Israel and  also of the Arab nations that are sincerely searching for peace.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":54,"text":"I am determined, as President, to use the full, beneficial influence of our  country so that the precious opportunity for lasting peace between Israel  and Egypt will not be lost.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":55,"text":"The new foundation of international cooperation that we seek excludes no  nation. Cooperation with the Soviet Union serves the cause of peace, for in  this nuclear age, world peace must include peace between the super  powers--and it must mean the control of nuclear arms.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":56,"text":"Ten years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union made the historic  decision to open the strategic arms limitations talks, or SALT. The purpose  of SALT, then as now, is not to gain a unilateral advantage for either  nation, but to protect the security of both nations, to reverse the costly  and dangerous momentum of the nuclear arms race, to preserve a stable  balance of nuclear forces, and to demonstrate to a concerned world that we  are determined to help preserve the peace.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":57,"text":"The first SALT agreement was concluded in 1972. And since then, during 6  years of negotiation by both Republican and Democratic leaders, nearly all  issues of SALT II have been resolved. If the Soviet Union continues to  negotiate in good faith, a responsible SALT agreement will be reached.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":58,"text":"It's important that the American people understand the nature of the SALT  process.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":59,"text":"SALT II is not based on sentiment; it's based on self-interest--of the  United States and of the Soviet Union. Both nations share a powerful common  interest in reducing the threat of a nuclear war. I will sign no agreement  which does not enhance our national security.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":60,"text":"SALT II does not rely on trust; it will be verifiable. We have very  sophisticated, proven means, including our satellites, to determine for  ourselves whether or not the Soviet Union is meeting its treaty  obligations. I will sign no agreement which cannot be verified.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":61,"text":"The American nuclear deterrent will remain strong after SALT II. For  example, just one of our relatively invulnerable Poseidon  submarines--comprising less than 2 percent of our total nuclear force of  submarines, aircraft, and land-based missiles--carries enough warheads to  destroy every large- and medium-sized city in the Soviet Union. Our  deterrent is overwhelming, and I will sign no agreement unless our deterrent  force will remain overwhelming.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":62,"text":"A SALT agreement, of course, cannot substitute for wise diplomacy or a  strong defense, nor will it end the danger of nuclear war. But it will  certainly reduce that danger. It will strengthen our efforts to ban nuclear  tests and to stop the spread of atomic weapons to other nations. And it can  begin the process of negotiating new agreements which will further limit  nuclear arms.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":63,"text":"The path of arms control, backed by a strong defense, the path our Nation  and every President has walked for 30 years, can lead to a world of law and  of international negotiation and consultation in which all peoples might  live in peace. In this year 1979, nothing is more important than that the  Congress and the people of the United States resolve to continue with me on  that path of nuclear arms control and world peace. This is paramount.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":64,"text":"I've outlined some of the changes that have transformed the world and which  are continuing as we meet here tonight. But we in America need not fear  change. The values on which our Nation was founded: individual liberty,  self-determination, the potential for human fulfillment in freedom, all of  these endure. We find these democratic principles praised, even in books  smuggled out of totalitarian nations and on wallposters in lands which we  thought were closed to our influence. Our country has regained its special  place of leadership in the worldwide struggle for human rights. And that is  a commitment that we must keep at home, as well as abroad.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":65,"text":"The civil rights revolution freed all Americans, black and white, but its  full promise still remains unrealized. I will continue to work with all my  strength for equal opportunity for all Americans--and for affirmative  action for those who carry the extra burden of past denial of equal  opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":66,"text":"We remain committed to improving our labor laws to better protect the  rights of American workers. And our Nation must make it clear that the  legal rights of women as citizens are guaranteed under the laws of our land  by ratifying the equal rights amendment.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":67,"text":"As long as I'm President, at home and around the world America's examples  and America's influence will be marshaled to advance the cause of human  rights.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":68,"text":"To establish those values, two centuries ago a bold generation of Americans  risked their property, their position, and life itself. We are their heirs,  and they are sending us a message across the centuries. The words they made  so vivid are now growing faintly indistinct, because they are not heard  often enough. They are words like \"justice,\" \"equality,\" \"unity,\" \"truth,\"  \"sacrifice,\" \"liberty,\" \"faith,\" and \"love.\"  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":69,"text":"These words remind us that the duty of our generation of Americans is to  renew our Nation's faith, not focused just against foreign threats but  against the threats of selfishness, cynicism, and apathy.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":70,"text":"The new foundation I've discussed tonight can help us build a nation and a  world where every child is nurtured and can look to the future with hope,  where the resources now wasted on war can be turned towards meeting human  needs, where all people have enough to eat, a decent home, and protection  against disease.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":71,"text":"It can help us build a nation and a world where all people are free to seek  the truth and to add to human understanding, so that all of us may live our  lives in peace.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":72,"text":"Tonight, I ask you, the Members of the Congress, to join me in building  that new foundation, a better foundation, for our beloved country and our  world.  "}
{"year":"1979","paragraph":73,"text":"Thank you very much.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":1,"text":"This last few months has not been an easy time for any of us. As we meet  tonight, it has never been more clear that the state of our Union depends  on the state of the world. And tonight, as throughout our own generation,  freedom and peace in the world depend on the state of our Union.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":2,"text":"The 1980's have been born in turmoil, strife, and change. This is a time of  challenge to our interests and our values and it's a time that tests our  wisdom and our skills.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":3,"text":"At this time in Iran, 50 Americans are still held captive, innocent victims  of terrorism and anarchy. Also at this moment, massive Soviet troops are  attempting to subjugate the fiercely independent and deeply religious  people of Afghanistan. These two acts--one of international terrorism and  one of military aggression--present a serious challenge to the United  States of America and indeed to all the nations of the world. Together, we  will meet these threats to peace.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":4,"text":"I'm determined that the United States will remain the strongest of all  nations, but our power will never be used to initiate a threat to the  security of any nation or to the rights of any human being. We seek to be  and to remain secure--a nation at peace in a stable world. But to be secure  we must face the world as it is.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":5,"text":"Three basic developments have helped to shape our challenges: the steady  growth and increased projection of Soviet military power beyond its own  borders; the overwhelming dependence of the Western democracies on oil  supplies from the Middle East; and the press of social and religious and  economic and political change in the many nations of the developing world,  exemplified by the revolution in Iran.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":6,"text":"Each of these factors is important in its own right. Each interacts with  the others. All must be faced together, squarely and courageously. We will  face these challenges, and we will meet them with the best that is in us.  And we will not fail.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":7,"text":"In response to the abhorrent act in Iran, our Nation has never been aroused  and unified so greatly in peacetime. Our position is clear. The United  States will not yield to blackmail.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":8,"text":"We continue to pursue these specific goals: first, to protect the present  and long-range interests of the United States; secondly, to preserve the  lives of the American hostages and to secure, as quickly as possible, their  safe release, if possible, to avoid bloodshed which might further endanger  the lives of our fellow citizens; to enlist the help of other nations in  condemning this act of violence, which is shocking and violates the moral  and the legal standards of a civilized world; and also to convince and to  persuade the Iranian leaders that the real danger to their nation lies in  the north, in the Soviet Union and from the Soviet troops now in  Afghanistan, and that the unwarranted Iranian quarrel with the United  States hampers their response to this far greater danger to them.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":9,"text":"If the American hostages are harmed, a severe price will be paid. We will  never rest until every one of the American hostages are released.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":10,"text":"But now we face a broader and more fundamental challenge in this region  because of the recent military action of the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":11,"text":"Now, as during the last 3 1/2 decades, the relationship between our  country, the United States of America, and the Soviet Union is the most  critical factor in determining whether the world will live at peace or be  engulfed in global conflict.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":12,"text":"Since the end of the Second World War, America has led other nations in  meeting the challenge of mounting Soviet power. This has not been a simple  or a static relationship. Between us there has been cooperation, there has  been competition, and at times there has been confrontation.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":13,"text":"In the 1940's we took the lead in creating the Atlantic Alliance in  response to the Soviet Union's suppression and then consolidation of its  East European empire and the resulting threat of the Warsaw Pact to Western  Europe.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":14,"text":"In the 1950's we helped to contain further Soviet challenges in Korea and  in the Middle East, and we rearmed to assure the continuation of that  containment.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":15,"text":"In the 1960's we met the Soviet challenges in Berlin, and we faced the  Cuban missile crisis. And we sought to engage the Soviet Union in the  important task of moving beyond the cold war and away from confrontation.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":16,"text":"And in the 1970's three American Presidents negotiated with the Soviet  leaders in attempts to halt the growth of the nuclear arms race. We sought  to establish rules of behavior that would reduce the risks of conflict, and  we searched for areas of cooperation that could make our relations  reciprocal and productive, not only for the sake of our two nations but for  the security and peace of the entire world.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":17,"text":"In all these actions, we have maintained two commitments: to be ready to  meet any challenge by Soviet military power, and to develop ways to resolve  disputes and to keep the peace.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":18,"text":"Preventing nuclear war is the foremost responsibility of the two  superpowers. That's why we've negotiated the strategic arms limitation  treaties--SALT I and SALT II. Especially now, in a time of great tension,  observing the mutual constraints imposed by the terms of these treaties  will be in the best interest of both countries and will help to preserve  world peace. I will consult very closely with the Congress on this matter  as we strive to control nuclear weapons. That effort to control nuclear  weapons will not be abandoned.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":19,"text":"We superpowers also have the responsibility to exercise restraint in the  use of our great military force. The integrity and the independence of  weaker nations must not be threatened. They must know that in our presence  they are secure.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":20,"text":"But now the Soviet Union has taken a radical and an aggressive new step.  It's using its great military power against a relatively defenseless  nation. The implications of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan could pose  the most serious threat to the peace since the Second World War.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":21,"text":"The vast majority of nations on Earth have condemned this latest Soviet  attempt to extend its colonial domination of others and have demanded the  immediate withdrawal of Soviet troops. The Moslem world is especially and  justifiably outraged by this aggression against an Islamic people. No  action of a world power has ever been so quickly and so overwhelmingly  condemned. But verbal condemnation is not enough. The Soviet Union must pay  a concrete price for their aggression.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":22,"text":"While this invasion continues, we and the other nations of the world cannot  conduct business as usual with the Soviet Union. That's why the United  States has imposed stiff economic penalties on the Soviet Union. I will not  issue any permits for Soviet ships to fish in the coastal waters of the  United States. I've cut Soviet access to high-technology equipment and to  agricultural products. I've limited other commerce with the Soviet Union,  and I've asked our allies and friends to join with us in restraining their  own trade with the Soviets and not to replace our own embargoed items. And  I have notified the Olympic Committee that with Soviet invading forces in  Afghanistan, neither the American people nor I will support sending an  Olympic team to Moscow.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":23,"text":"The Soviet Union is going to have to answer some basic questions: Will it  help promote a more stable international environment in which its own  legitimate, peaceful concerns can be pursued? Or will it continue to expand  its military power far beyond its genuine security needs, and use that  power for colonial conquest? The Soviet Union must realize that its  decision to use military force in Afghanistan will be costly to every  political and economic relationship it values.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":24,"text":"The region which is now threatened by Soviet troops in Afghanistan is of  great strategic importance: It contains more than two-thirds of the world's  exportable oil. The Soviet effort to dominate Afghanistan has brought  Soviet military forces to within 300 miles of the Indian Ocean and close to  the Straits of Hormuz, a waterway through which most of the world's oil  must flow. The Soviet Union is now attempting to consolidate a strategic  position, therefore, that poses a grave threat to the free movement of  Middle East oil.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":25,"text":"This situation demands careful thought, steady nerves, and resolute action,  not only for this year but for many years to come. It demands collective  efforts to meet this new threat to security in the Persian Gulf and in  Southwest Asia. It demands the participation of all those who rely on oil  from the Middle East and who are concerned with global peace and stability.  And it demands consultation and close cooperation with countries in the  area which might be threatened.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":26,"text":"Meeting this challenge will take national will, diplomatic and political  wisdom, economic sacrifice, and, of course, military capability. We must  call on the best that is in us to preserve the security of this crucial  region.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":27,"text":"Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to  gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on  the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault  will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":28,"text":"During the past 3 years, you have joined with me to improve our own  security and the prospects for peace, not only in the vital oil-producing  area of the Persian Gulf region but around the world. We've increased  annually our real commitment for defense, and we will sustain this increase  of effort throughout the Five Year Defense Program. It's imperative that  Congress approve this strong defense budget for 1981, encompassing a  5-percent real growth in authorizations, without any reduction.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":29,"text":"We are also improving our capability to deploy U.S. military forces rapidly  to distant areas. We've helped to strengthen NATO and our other alliances,  and recently we and other NATO members have decided to develop and to  deploy modernized, intermediate-range nuclear forces to meet an unwarranted  and increased threat from the nuclear weapons of the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":30,"text":"We are working with our allies to prevent conflict in the Middle East. The  peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is a notable achievement which  represents a strategic asset for America and which also enhances prospects  for regional and world peace. We are now engaged in further negotiations to  provide full autonomy for the people of the West Bank and Gaza, to resolve  the Palestinian issue in all its aspects, and to preserve the peace and  security of Israel. Let no one doubt our commitment to the security of  Israel. In a few days we will observe an historic event when Israel makes  another major withdrawal from the Sinai and when Ambassadors will be  exchanged between Israel and Egypt.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":31,"text":"We've also expanded our own sphere of friendship. Our deep commitment to  human rights and to meeting human needs has improved our relationship with  much of the Third World. Our decision to normalize relations with the  People's Republic of China will help to preserve peace and stability in  Asia and in the Western Pacific.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":32,"text":"We've increased and strengthened our naval presence in the Indian Ocean,  and we are now making arrangements for key naval and air facilities to be  used by our forces in the region of northeast Africa and the Persian Gulf.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":33,"text":"We've reconfirmed our 1959 agreement to help Pakistan preserve its  independence and its integrity. The United States will take action  consistent with our own laws to assist Pakistan in resisting any outside  aggression. And I'm asking the Congress specifically to reaffirm this  agreement. I'm also working, along with the leaders of other nations, to  provide additional military and economic aid for Pakistan. That request  will come to you in just a few days.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":34,"text":"Finally, we are prepared to work with other countries in the region to  share a cooperative security framework that respects differing values and  political beliefs, yet which enhances the independence, security, and  prosperity of all.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":35,"text":"All these efforts combined emphasize our dedication to defend and preserve  the vital interests of the region and of the nation which we represent and  those of our allies--in Europe and the Pacific, and also in the parts of  the world which have such great strategic importance to us, stretching  especially through the Middle East and Southwest Asia. With your help, I  will pursue these efforts with vigor and with determination. You and I will  act as necessary to protect and to preserve our Nation's security.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":36,"text":"The men and women of America's Armed Forces are on duty tonight in many  parts of the world. I'm proud of the job they are doing, and I know you  share that pride. I believe that our volunteer forces are adequate for  current defense needs, and I hope that it will not become necessary to  impose a draft. However, we must be prepared for that possibility. For this  reason, I have determined that the Selective Service System must now be  revitalized. I will send legislation and budget proposals to the Congress  next month so that we can begin registration and then meet future  mobilization needs rapidly if they arise.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":37,"text":"We also need clear and quick passage of a new charter to define the legal  authority and accountability of our intelligence agencies. We will  guarantee that abuses do not recur, but we must tighten our controls on  sensitive intelligence information, and we need to remove unwarranted  restraints on America's ability to collect intelligence.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":38,"text":"The decade ahead will be a time of rapid change, as nations everywhere seek  to deal with new problems and age-old tensions. But America need have no  fear. We can thrive in a world of change if we remain true to our values  and actively engaged in promoting world peace. We will continue to work as  we have for peace in the Middle East and southern Africa. We will continue  to build our ties with developing nations, respecting and helping to  strengthen their national independence which they have struggled so hard to  achieve. And we will continue to support the growth of democracy and the  protection of human rights.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":39,"text":"In repressive regimes, popular frustrations often have no outlet except  through violence. But when peoples and their governments can approach their  problems together through open, democratic methods, the basis for stability  and peace is far more solid and far more enduring. That is why our support  for human rights in other countries is in our own national interest as well  as part of our own national character.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":40,"text":"Peace--a peace that preserves freedom--remains America's first goal. In the  coming years, as a mighty nation we will continue to pursue peace. But to  be strong abroad we must be strong at home. And in order to be strong, we  must continue to face up to the difficult issues that confront us as a  nation today.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":41,"text":"The crises in Iran and Afghanistan have dramatized a very important lesson:  Our excessive dependence on foreign oil is a clear and present danger to  our Nation's security. The need has never been more urgent. At long last,  we must have a clear, comprehensive energy policy for the United States.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":42,"text":"As you well know, I have been working with the Congress in a concentrated  and persistent way over the past 3 years to meet this need. We have made  progress together. But Congress must act promptly now to complete final  action on this vital energy legislation. Our Nation will then have a major  conservation effort, important initiatives to develop solar power,  realistic pricing based on the true value of oil, strong incentives for the  production of coal and other fossil fuels in the United States, and our  Nation's most massive peacetime investment in the development of synthetic  fuels.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":43,"text":"The American people are making progress in energy conservation. Last year  we reduced overall petroleum consumption by 8 percent and gasoline  consumption by 5 percent below what it was the year before. Now we must do  more.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":44,"text":"After consultation with the Governors, we will set gasoline conservation  goals for each of the 50 States, and I will make them mandatory if these  goals are not met.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":45,"text":"I've established an import ceiling for 1980 of 8.2 million barrels a  day--well below the level of foreign oil purchases in 1977. I expect our  imports to be much lower than this, but the ceiling will be enforced by an  oil import fee if necessary. I'm prepared to lower these imports still  further if the other oil-consuming countries will join us in a fair and  mutual reduction. If we have a serious shortage, I will not hesitate to  impose mandatory gasoline rationing immediately.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":46,"text":"The single biggest factor in the inflation rate last year, the increase in  the inflation rate last year, was from one cause: the skyrocketing prices  of OPEC oil. We must take whatever actions are necessary to reduce our  dependence on foreign oil--and at the same time reduce inflation.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":47,"text":"As individuals and as families, few of us can produce energy by ourselves.  But all of us can conserve energy--every one of us, every day of our lives.  Tonight I call on you--in fact, all the people of America--to help our  Nation. Conserve energy. Eliminate waste. Make 1980 indeed a year of energy  conservation.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":48,"text":"Of course, we must take other actions to strengthen our Nation's economy.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":49,"text":"First, we will continue to reduce the deficit and then to balance the  Federal budget.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":50,"text":"Second, as we continue to work with business to hold down prices, we'll  build also on the historic national accord with organized labor to restrain  pay increases in a fair fight against inflation.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":51,"text":"Third, we will continue our successful efforts to cut paperwork and to  dismantle unnecessary Government regulation.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":52,"text":"Fourth, we will continue our progress in providing jobs for America,  concentrating on a major new program to provide training and work for our  young people, especially minority youth. It has been said that \"a mind is a  terrible thing to waste.\" We will give our young people new hope for jobs  and a better life in the 1980's.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":53,"text":"And fifth, we must use the decade of the 1980's to attack the basic  structural weaknesses and problems in our economy through measures to  increase productivity, savings, and investment.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":54,"text":"With these energy and economic policies, we will make America even stronger  at home in this decade--just as our foreign and defense policies will make  us stronger and safer throughout the world. We will never abandon our  struggle for a just and a decent society here at home. That's the heart of  America--and it's the source of our ability to inspire other people to  defend their own rights abroad.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":55,"text":"Our material resources, great as they are, are limited. Our problems are  too complex for simple slogans or for quick solutions. We cannot solve them  without effort and sacrifice. Walter Lippmann once reminded us, \"You took  the good things for granted. Now you must earn them again. For every right  that you cherish, you have a duty which you must fulfill. For every good  which you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and  your ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer.\"  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":56,"text":"Our challenges are formidable. But there's a new spirit of unity and  resolve in our country. We move into the 1980's with confidence and hope  and a bright vision of the America we want: an America strong and free, an  America at peace, an America with equal rights for all citizens--and for  women, guaranteed in the United States Constitution--an America with jobs  and good health and good education for every citizen, an America with a  clean and bountiful life in our cities and on our farms, an America that  helps to feed the world, an America secure in filling its own energy needs,  an America of justice, tolerance, and compassion. For this vision to come  true, we must sacrifice, but this national commitment will be an exciting  enterprise that will unify our people.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":57,"text":"Together as one people, let us work to build our strength at home, and  together as one indivisible union, let us seek peace and security  throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":58,"text":"Together let us make of this time of challenge and danger a decade of  national resolve and of brave achievement.  "}
{"year":"1980","paragraph":59,"text":"Thank you very much.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":1,"text":"To the Congress of the United States:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":2,"text":"The State of the Union is sound. Our economy is recovering from a  recession. A national energy plan is in place and our dependence on foreign  oil is decreasing. We have been at peace for four uninterrupted years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":3,"text":"But, our Nation has serious problems. Inflation and unemployment are  unacceptably high. The world oil market is increasingly tight. There are  trouble spots throughout the world, and 52 American hostages are being held  in Iran against international law and against every precept of human  affairs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":4,"text":"However, I firmly believe that, as a result of the progress made in so many  domestic and international areas over the past four years, our Nation is  stronger, wealthier, more compassionate and freer than it was four years  ago. I am proud of that fact. And I believe the Congress should be proud as  well, for so much of what has been accomplished over the past four years  has been due to the hard work, insights and cooperation of Congress. I  applaud the Congress for its efforts and its achievements.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":5,"text":"In this State of the Union Message I want to recount the achievements and  progress of the last four years and to offer recommendations to the  Congress for this year. While my term as President will end before the 97th  Congress begins its work in earnest, I hope that my recommendations will  serve as a guide for the direction this country should take so we build on  the record of the past four years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":6,"text":"RECORD OF PROGRESS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":7,"text":"When I took office, our Nation faced a number of serious domestic and  international problems:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":8,"text":"--no national energy policy existed, and our dependence on foreign oil was  rapidly increasing;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":9,"text":"--public trust in the integrity and openness of the government was low;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":10,"text":"--the Federal government was operating inefficiently in administering  essential programs and policies;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":11,"text":"--major social problems were being ignored or poorly addressed by the  Federal government;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":12,"text":"--our defense posture was declining as a result of a defense budget which  was continuously shrinking in real terms;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":13,"text":"--the strength of the NATO Alliance needed to be bolstered;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":14,"text":"--tensions between Israel and Egypt threatened another Middle East war;  and  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":15,"text":"--America's resolve to oppose human rights violations was under serious  question.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":16,"text":"Over the past 48 months, clear progress has been made in solving the  challenges we found in January of 1977:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":17,"text":"--almost all of our comprehensive energy program have been enacted, and the  Department of Energy has been established to administer the program;  confidence in the government's integrity has been restored, and respect for  the government's openness and fairness has been renewed;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":18,"text":"--the government has been made more effective and efficient: the Civil  Service system was completely reformed for the first time this century;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":19,"text":"--14 reorganization initiatives have been proposed to the Congress,  approved, and implemented;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":20,"text":"--two new Cabinet departments have been created to consolidate and  streamline the government's handling of energy and education problems;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":21,"text":"--inspectors general have been placed in each Cabinet department to combat  fraud, waste and other abuses;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":22,"text":"--the regulatory process has been reformed through creation of the  Regulatory Council, implementation of Executive Order 12044 and its  requirement for cost-impact analyses, elimination of unnecessary  regulation, and passage of the Regulatory Flexibility Act;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":23,"text":"--procedures have been established to assure citizen participation in  government;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":24,"text":"--and the airline, trucking, rail and communications industries are being  deregulated;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":25,"text":"--critical social problems, many long ignored by the Federal government,  have been addressed directly;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":26,"text":"--an urban policy was developed and implemented to reverse the decline  in our urban areas;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":27,"text":"--the Social Security System was refinanced to put it on a sound financial  basis;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":28,"text":"--the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act was enacted;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":29,"text":"--Federal assistance for education was expanded by more than 75 percent;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":30,"text":"--the minimum wage was increased to levels needed to ease the effects of  inflation;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":31,"text":"--affirmative action has been pursued aggressively; more blacks, Hispanics  and women have been appointed to senior government positions and to  judgeships than at any other time in our history;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":32,"text":"--the ERA ratification deadline was extended to aid the ratification effort;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":33,"text":"--and minority business procurement by the Federal government has more than  doubled;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":34,"text":"--the Nation's first sectoral policies were put in place, for the auto and  steel industries, with my Administration demonstrating the value of  cooperation between the government, business and labor;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":35,"text":"--reversing previous trends, real defense spending has increased every year  since 1977;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":36,"text":"--the real increase in FY 1980 defense spending is well above 3 percent  and I expect FY 1981 defense spending to be even higher;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":37,"text":"--looking ahead, the defense program I am proposing is premised on a real  increase in defense spending over the next five years of 20 percent or  more;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":38,"text":"--the NATO Alliance has proven its unity in responding to the situations in  Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia and in agreeing on the issues to be  addressed in the review of the Helsinki Final Act currently underway in  Madrid;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":39,"text":"--the peace process in the Middle East established at Camp David and by the  Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel is being buttressed on two fronts:  steady progress in the normalization of Egyptian-Israeli relations in many  fields, and the commitment of both Egypt and Israel, with United States'  assistance, to see through to successful conclusion the autonomy  negotiations for the West Bank and Gaza;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":40,"text":"--the Panama Canal Treaties have been put into effect, which has helped to  improve relations with Latin America;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":41,"text":"--we have continued this Nation's strong commitment to the pursuit of human  rights throughout the world, evenhandedly and objectively;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":42,"text":"--our commitment to a worldwide human rights policy has remained firm;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":43,"text":"--and many other countries have given high priority to it;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":44,"text":"--our resolve to oppose aggression, such as the illegal invasion of the  Soviet Union into Afghanistan, has been supported by tough action.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":45,"text":"I. ENSURING ECONOMIC STRENGTH ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":46,"text":"During the last decade our Nation has withstood a series of economic shocks  unprecedented in peacetime. The most dramatic of these has been the  explosive increases of OPEC oil prices. But we have also faced world  commodity shortages, natural disasters, agricultural shortages and major  challenges to world peace and security. Our ability to deal with these  shocks has been impaired because of a decrease in the growth of  productivity and the persistence of underlying inflationary forces built up  over the past 15 years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":47,"text":"Nevertheless, the economy has proved to be remarkably resilient. Real  output has grown at an average rate of 3 percent per year since I took  office, and employment has grown by 10 percent. We have added about 8  million productive private sector jobs to the economy. However,  unacceptably high inflation--the most difficult economic problem I have  faced--persists.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":48,"text":"This inflation--which threatens the growth, productivity, and stability of  our economy--requires that we restrain the growth of the budget to the  maximum extent consistent with national security and human compassion. I  have done so in my earlier budgets, and in my FY '82 budget. However, while  restraint is essential to any appropriate economic policy, high inflation  cannot be attributed solely to government spending. The growth in budget  outlays has been more the result of economic factors than the cause of  them.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":49,"text":"We are now in the early stages of economic recovery following a short  recession. Typically, a post-recessionary period has been marked by  vigorous economic growth aided by anti-recessionary policy measures such as  large tax cuts or big, stimulation spending programs. I have declined to  recommend such actions to stimulate economic activity, because the  persistent inflationary pressures that beset our economy today dictate a  restrained fiscal policy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":50,"text":"Accordingly, I am asking the Congress to postpone until January 1, 1982,  the personal tax reductions I had earlier proposed to take effect on  January 1 of this year.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":51,"text":"However, my 1982 budget proposes significant tax changes to increase the  sources of financing for business investment. While emphasizing the need  for continued fiscal restraint, this budget takes the first major step in a  long-term tax reduction program designed to increase capital formation. The  failure of our Nation's capital stock to grow at a rate that keeps pace  with its labor force has clearly been one cause of our productivity  slowdown. Higher investment rates are also critically needed to meet our  Nation's energy needs, and to replace energy-inefficient plants and  equipment with new energy-saving physical plants. The level of investment  that is called for will not occur in the absence of policies to encourage  it.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":52,"text":"Therefore, my budget proposes a major liberalization of tax allowances for  depreciation, as well as simplified depreciation accounting, increasing the  allowable rates by about 40 percent. I am also proposing improvements in  the investment tax credit, making it refundable, to meet the investment  needs of firms with no current earnings.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":53,"text":"These two proposals, along with carefully-phased tax reductions for  individuals, will improve both economic efficiency and tax equity. I urge  the Congress to enact legislation along the lines and timetable I have  proposed.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":54,"text":"THE 1982 BUDGET  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":55,"text":"The FY 1982 budget I have sent to the Congress continues our four-year  policy of prudence and restraint. While the budget deficits during my term  are higher than I would have liked, their size is determined for the most  part by economic conditions. And in spite of these conditions, the relative  size of the deficit continues to decline. In 1976, before I took office,  the budget deficit equalled 4 percent of gross national product. It had  been cut to 2.3 percent in the 1980 fiscal year just ended. My 1982 budget  contains a deficit estimated to be less than 1 percent of our gross  national product.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":56,"text":"The rate of growth in Federal spending has been held to a minimum.  Nevertheless, outlays are still rising more rapidly than many had  anticipated, the result of many powerful forces in our society:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":57,"text":"We face a threat to our security, as events in Afghanistan, the Middle  East, and Eastern Europe make clear. We have a steadily aging population  and, as a result, the biggest single increase in the Federal budget is the  rising cost of retirement programs, particularly social security. We face  other important domestic needs: to continue responsibility for the  disadvantaged; to provide the capital needed by our cities and our  transportation systems; to protect our environment; to revitalize American  industry; and to increase the export of American goods and services so  essential to the creation of jobs and a trade surplus.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":58,"text":"Yet the Federal Government itself may not always be the proper source of  such assistance. For example, it must not usurp functions if they can be  more appropriately decided upon, managed, and financed by the private  sector or by State and local governments. My Administration has always  sought to consider the proper focus of responsibility for the most  efficient resolution of problems.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":59,"text":"We have also recognized the need to simplify the system of grants to State  and local governments. I have again proposed several grant consolidations  in the 1982 budget, including a new proposal that would consolidate several  highway programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":60,"text":"The pressures for growth in Federal use of national resources are great. My  Administration has initiated many new approaches to cope with these  pressures. We started a multi-year budget system, and we began a system for  controlling Federal credit programs. Yet in spite of increasing needs to  limit spending growth, we have consistently adhered to these strong budget  principles:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":61,"text":"Our Nation's armed forces must always stand sufficiently strong to deter  aggression and to assure our security. An effective national energy plan is  essential to increase domestic production of oil and gas, to encourage  conservation of our scarce energy resources, to stimulate conversion to  more abundant fuels, and to reduce our trade deficit. The essential human  needs for our citizens must be given the highest priority. The Federal  Government must lead the way in investment in the Nation's technological  future. The Federal Government has an obligation to nurture and protect our  environment--the common resource, birthright, and sustenance of the  American people.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":62,"text":"My 1982 budget continues to support these principles. It also proposes  responsible tax reductions to encourage a more productive economy, and  adequate funding of our highest priority programs within an overall policy  of constraint.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":63,"text":"Fiscal restraint must be continued in the years ahead. Budgets must be  tight enough to convince those who set wages and prices that the Federal  Government is serious about fighting inflation but not so tight as to choke  off all growth.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":64,"text":"Careful budget policy should be supplemented by other measures designed to  reduce inflation at lower cost in lost output and employment. These other  steps include measures to increase investment--such as the tax proposals  included in my 1982 budget--and measures to increase competition and  productivity in our economy. Voluntary incomes policies can also directly  influence wages and prices in the direction of moderation and thereby bring  inflation down faster and at lower cost to the economy. Through a tax-based  incomes policy (TIP) we could provide tax incentives for firms and workers  to moderate their wage and price increases. In the coming years, control of  Federal expenditures can make possible periodic tax reductions. The  Congress should therefore begin now to evaluate the potentialities of a TIP  program so that when the next round of tax reductions is appropriate a TIP  program will be seriously considered.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":65,"text":"EMPLOYMENT  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":66,"text":"During the last four years we have given top priority to meeting the needs  of workers and providing additional job opportunities to those who seek  work. Since the end of 1976:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":67,"text":"Almost 9 million new jobs have been added to the nation's economy total  employment has reached 97 million. More jobs than ever before are held by  women, minorities and young people. Employment over the past four years has  increased by: 17% for adult women 11% for blacks, and 30% for Hispanics  employment of black teenagers increased by more than 5%, reversing the  decline that occurred in the previous eight years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":68,"text":"Major initiatives launched by this Administration helped bring about these  accomplishments and have provided a solid foundation for employment and  training policy in the 1980's. In 1977, as part of the comprehensive  economic stimulus program:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":69,"text":"425,000 public service jobs were created A $1 billion youth employment  initiative funded 200,000 jobs the doubling of the Job Corps to 44,000  slots began and 1 million summer youth jobs were approved--a 25 percent  increase.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":70,"text":"In 1978:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":71,"text":"The Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act became law the $400 million  Private Sector Initiatives Program was begun a targeted jobs tax credit for  disadvantaged youth and others with special employment barriers was enacted  the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act was reauthorized for four  years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":72,"text":"In 1979:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":73,"text":"A $6 billion welfare reform proposal was introduced with funding for  400,000 public service jobs welfare reform demonstration projects were  launched in communities around the country the Vice President initiated a  nationwide review of youth unemployment in this country.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":74,"text":"In 1980:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":75,"text":"The findings of the Vice President's Task Force revealed the major  education and employment deficits that exist for poor and minority  youngsters. As a result a $2 billion youth education and jobs initiative  was introduced to provide unemployed youth with the basic education and  work experience they need to compete in the labor market of the 1980's. As  part of the economic revitalization program several steps were proposed to  aid workers in high unemployment communities:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":76,"text":"An additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits for the long term  unemployed. $600 million to train the disadvantaged and unemployed for new  private sector jobs. Positive adjustment demonstrations to aid workers in  declining industries. The important Title VII Private Sector Initiatives  Program was reauthorized for an additional two years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":77,"text":"In addition to making significant progress in helping the disadvantaged and  unemployed, important gains were realized for all workers:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":78,"text":"An historic national accord with organized labor made it possible for the  views of working men and women to be heard as the nation's economic and  domestic policies were formulated; the Mine Safety and Health Act brought  about improved working conditions for the nation's 500,000 miners.  substantial reforms of Occupational Safety and Health Administration were  accomplished to help reduce unnecessary burdens on business and to focus on  major health and safety problems; the minimum wage was increased over a  four year period from $2.30 to $3.35 an hour; the Black Lung Benefit Reform  Act was signed into law; attempts to weaken Davis-Bacon Act were defeated.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":79,"text":"While substantial gains have been made in the last four years, continued  efforts are required to ensure that this progress is continued:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":80,"text":"Government must continue to make labor a full partner in the policy  decisions that affect the interests of working men and women; a broad,  bipartisan effort to combat youth unemployment must be sustained  compassionate reform of the nation's welfare system should be continued  with employment opportunities provided for those able to work; workers in  declining industries should be provided new skills and help in finding  employment.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":81,"text":"TRADE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":82,"text":"Over the past year, the U.S. trade picture improved as a result of solid  export gains in both manufactured and agricultural products. Agricultural  exports reached a new record of over $40 billion, while manufactured  exports have grown by 24 percent to a record $144 billion. In these areas  the United States recorded significant surpluses of $24 billion and $19  billion respectively. While our oil imports remained a major drain on our  foreign exchange earnings, that drain was somewhat moderated by a 19  percent decline in the volume of oil imports.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":83,"text":"U.S. trade negotiators made significant progress over the past year in  assuring effective implementation of the agreements negotiated during the  Tokyo Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations. Agreements reached with the  Japanese government, for example, will assure that the United States will  be able to expand its exports to the Japanese market in such key areas as  telecommunications equipment, tobacco, and lumber. Efforts by U.S. trade  negotiators also helped to persuade a number of key developing countries to  accept many of the non-tariff codes negotiated during the Multilateral  Trade Negotiations. This will assure that these countries will increasingly  assume obligations under the international trading system.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":84,"text":"A difficult world economic environment posed a challenge for the management  of trade relations. U.S. trade negotiators were called upon to manage  serious sectoral problems in such areas as steel, and helped to assure that  U.S. chemical exports will have continued access to the European market.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":85,"text":"Close consultations with the private sector in the United States have  enabled U.S. trade negotiators to pinpoint obstacles to U.S. trade in  services, and to build a basis for future negotiations. Services have been  an increasingly important source of export earnings for the United States,  and the United States must assure continued and increased access to foreign  markets.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":86,"text":"The trade position of the United States has improved. But vigorous efforts  are needed in a number of areas to assure continued market access for U.S.  exports, particularly agricultural and high technology products, in which  the United States continues to have a strong competitive edge. Continued  efforts are also needed to remove many domestic disincentives, which now  hamper U.S. export growth. And we must ensure that countries do not  manipulate investment, or impose investment performance requirements which  distort trade and cost us jobs in this country.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":87,"text":"In short, we must continue to seek free--but fair--trade. That is the  policy my Administration has pursued from the beginning, even in areas  where foreign competition has clearly affected our domestic industry. In  the steel industry, for instance, we have put Trigger Price Mechanism into  place to help prevent the dumping of steel. That action has strengthened  the domestic steel industry. In the automobile industry, we have worked--  without resort to import quotas--to strengthen the industry's ability to  modernize and compete effectively.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":88,"text":"SMALL BUSINESS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":89,"text":"I have often said that there is nothing small about small business in  America. These firms account for nearly one-half our gross national  product; over half of new technology; and much more than half of the jobs  created by industry.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":90,"text":"Because this sector of the economy is the very lifeblood of our National  economy, we have done much together to improve the competitive climate for  smaller firms. These concerted efforts have been an integral part of my  program to revitalize the economy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":91,"text":"They include my campaign to shrink substantially the cash and time  consuming red tape burden imposed on business. They include my  personally-directed policy of ambitiously increasing the Federal  contracting dollars going to small firms, especially those owned by women  and minorities. And they include my proposals to reinvigorate existing  small businesses and assist the creation of new ones through tax reform;  financing assistance; market expansion; and support of product innovation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":92,"text":"Many of my initiatives to facilitate the creation and growth of small  businesses were made in response to the White House Conference on Small  Business, which I convened. My Administration began the implementation of  most of the ideas produced last year by that citizen's advisory body;  others need to be addressed. I have proposed the reconvening of the  Conference next year to review progress; reassess priorities; and set new  goals. In the interim I hope that the incoming Administration and the new  Congress will work with the committee I have established to keep these  business development ideas alive and help implement Conference  recommendations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":93,"text":"MINORITY BUSINESS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":94,"text":"One of the most successful developments of my Administration has been the  growth and strengthening of minority business. This is the first  Administration to put the issue on the policy agenda as a matter of major  importance. To implement the results of our early efforts in this field I  submitted legislation to Congress designed to further the development of  minority business.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":95,"text":"We have reorganized the Office of Minority Business into the Minority  Business Development Administration in the Department of Commerce. MBDA has  already proven to be a major factor in assisting minority businesses to  achieve equitable competitive positions in the marketplace.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":96,"text":"The Federal government's procurement from minority-owned firms has nearly  tripled since I took office. Federal deposits in minority-owned banks have  more than doubled and minority ownership of radio and television stations  has nearly doubled. The SBA administered 8(a) Pilot Program for procurement  with the Army proved to be successful and I recently expanded the number of  agencies involved to include NASA and the Departments of Energy and  Transportation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":97,"text":"I firmly believe the critical path to full freedom and equality for  America's minorities rests with the ability of minority communities to  participate competitively in the free enterprise system. I believe the  government has a fundamental responsibility to assist in the development of  minority business and I hope the progress made in the last four years will  continue.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":98,"text":"II. CREATING ENERGY SECURITY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":99,"text":"Since I took office, my highest legislative priorities have involved the  reorientation and redirection of U.S. energy activities and for the first  time, to establish a coordinated national energy policy. The struggle to  achieve that policy has been long and difficult, but the accomplishments of  the past four years make clear that our country is finally serious about  the problems caused by our overdependence on foreign oil. Our progress  should not be lost. We must rely on and encourage multiple forms of energy  production--coal, crude oil, natural gas, solar, nuclear, synthetics--and  energy conservation. The framework put in place over the last four years  will enable us to do this.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":100,"text":"NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":101,"text":"As a result of actions my Administration and the Congress have taken over  the past four years, our country finally has a national energy policy:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":102,"text":"Under my program of phased decontrol, domestic crude oil price controls  will end September 30, 1981. As a result exploratory drilling activities  have reached an all-time high; Prices for new natural gas are being  decontrolled under the Natural Gas Policy Act--and natural gas production  is now at an all time high; the supply shortages of several years ago have  been eliminated; The windfall profits tax on crude oil has been enacted  providing $227 billion over ten years for assistance to low-income  households, increased mass transit funding, and a massive investment in the  production and development of alternative energy sources; The Synthetic  Fuels Corporation has been established to help private companies build the  facilities to produce energy from synthetic fuels; Solar energy funding has  been quadrupled, solar energy tax credits enacted, and a Solar Energy and  Energy Conservation Bank has been established; A route has been chosen to  bring natural gas from the North Slope of Alaska to the lower 48 states;  Coal production and consumption incentives have been increased, and coal  production is now at its highest level in history; A gasoline rationing  plan has been approved by Congress for possible use in the event of a  severe energy supply shortage or interruption; Gasohol production has been  dramatically increased, with a program being put in place to produce 500  million gallons of alcohol fuel by the end of this year--an amount that  could enable gasohol to meet the demand for 10 percent of all unleaded  gasoline; New energy conservation incentives have been provided for  individuals, businesses and communities and conservation has increased  dramatically. The U.S. has reduced oil imports by 25 percent--or 2 million  barrels per day--over the past four years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":103,"text":"INCREASED DEVELOPMENT OF DOMESTIC ENERGY SOURCES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":104,"text":"Although it is essential that the Nation reduce its dependence on imported  fossil fuels and complete the transition to reliance on domestic renewable  sources of energy, it is also important that this transition be  accomplished in an orderly, economic, and environmentally sound manner. To  this end, the Administration has launched several initiatives.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":105,"text":"Leasing of oil and natural gas on federal lands, particularly the outer  continental shelf, has been accelerated at the same time as the  Administration has reformed leasing procedures through the 1978 amendments  to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. In 1979 the Interior Department  held six OCS lease sales, the greatest number ever, which resulted in  federal receipts of $6.5 billion, another record. The five-year OCS Leasing  schedule was completed, requiring 36 sales over the next five years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":106,"text":"Since 1971 no general federal coal lease sales were suspended. Over the  past four years the Administration has completely revised the federal coal  leasing program to bring it into compliance with the requirements of 1976  Federal Land Planning and Management Act and other statutory provisions.  The program is designed to balance the competing interests that affect  resource development on public lands and to ensure that adequate supplies  of coal will be available to meet national needs. As a result, the first  general competitive federal coal lease sale in ten years will be held this  month.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":107,"text":"In July 1980, I signed into law the Energy Security Act of 1980 which  established the Synthetic Fuels Corporation. The Corporation is designed to  spur the development of commercial technologies for production of synthetic  fuels, such as liquid and gaseous fuels from coal and the production of oil  from oil shale. The Act provides the Corporation with an initial $22  billion to accomplish these objectives. The principal purpose of the  legislation is to ensure that the nation will have available in the late  1980's the option to undertake commercial development of synthetic fuels if  that becomes necessary. The Energy Security Act also provides significant  incentives for the development of gasohol and biomass fuels, thereby  enhancing the nation's supply of alternative energy sources.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":108,"text":"COMMITMENT TO A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":109,"text":"The Administration's 1977 National Energy Plan marked an historic departure  from the policies of previous Administrations. The plan stressed the  importance of both energy production and conservation to achieving our  ultimate national goal of relying primarily on secure sources of energy.  The National Energy Plan made energy conservation a cornerstone of our  national energy policy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":110,"text":"In 1978, I initiated the Administration's Solar Domestic Policy Review.  This represented the first step towards widespread introduction of  renewable energy sources into the Nation's economy. As a result of the  Review, I issued the 1979 Solar Message to Congress, the first such message  in the Nation's history. The Message outlined the Administration's solar  program and established an ambitious national goal for the year 2000 of  obtaining 20 percent of this Nation's energy from solar and renewable  sources. The thrust of the federal solar program is to help industry  develop solar energy sources by emphasizing basic research and development  of solar technologies which are not currently economic, such as  photovoltaics, which generate energy directly from the sun. At the same  time, through tax incentives, education, and the Solar Energy and Energy  Conservation Bank, the solar program seeks to encourage state and local  governments, industry, and our citizens to expand their use of solar and  renewable resource technologies currently available.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":111,"text":"As a result of these policies and programs, the energy efficiency of the  American economy has improved markedly and investments in renewable energy  sources have grown significantly. It now takes 3 1/2 percent less energy to  produce a constant dollar of GNP than it did in January 1977. This increase  in efficiency represents a savings of over 1.3 million barrels per day of  oil equivalent, about the level of total oil production now occurring in  Alaska. Over the same period, Federal support for conservation and solar  energy has increased by more than 3000 percent, to $3.3 billion in FY 1981,  including the tax credits for solar energy and energy conservation  investments--these credits are expected to amount to $1.2 billion in FY  1981 and $1.5 billion in FY 1982.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":112,"text":"COMMITMENT TO NUCLEAR SAFETY AND SECURITY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":113,"text":"Since January 1977, significant progress has been achieved in resolving  three critical problems resulting from the use of nuclear energy:  radioactive waste management, nuclear safety and weapons proliferation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":114,"text":"In 1977, the Administration announced its nuclear nonproliferation policy  and initiated the International Fuel Cycle Evaluation. In 1978, Congress  passed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Act, an historic piece of legislation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":115,"text":"In February 1980, the Administration transmitted its nuclear waste  management policy to the Congress. This policy was a major advance over all  previous efforts. The principal aspects of that policy are: acknowledging  the seriousness of the problem and the numerous technical and institutional  issues; adopting a technically and environmentally conservative approach to  the first permanent repository; and providing the states with significant  involvement in nuclear waste disposal decisions by creating the State  Planning Council. While much of the plan can be and is being implemented  administratively, some new authorities are needed. The Congress should give  early priority to enacting provisions for away-from-reactor storage and the  State Planning Council.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":116,"text":"The accident at Three Mile Island made the nation acutely aware of the  safety risks posed by nuclear power plants. In response, the President  established the Kemeny Commission to review the accident and make  recommendations. Virtually all of the Commission's substantive  recommendations were adopted by the Administration and are now being  implemented by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Congress adopted the  President's proposed plan for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the  Nuclear Safety Oversight Committee was established to ensure that the  Administration's decisions were implemented.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":117,"text":"Nuclear safety will remain a vital concern in the years ahead. We must  continue to press ahead for the safe, secure disposal of radioactive  wastes, and prevention of nuclear proliferation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":118,"text":"While significant growth in foreign demand for U.S. steam coal is foreseen,  congestion must be removed at major U.S. coal exporting ports such as  Hampton Roads, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland. My Administration has  worked through the Interagency Coal Task Force Study to promote cooperation  and coordination of resources between shippers, railroads, vessel broker/  operators and port operators, and to determine the most appropriate Federal  role in expanding and modernizing coal export facilities, including  dredging deeper channels at selected ports. As a result of the Task Force's  efforts, administrative steps have been taken by the Corps of Engineers to  reduce significantly the amount of time required for planning and economic  review of port dredging proposals. The Administration has also recommended  that the Congress enact legislation to give the President generic authority  to recommend appropriations for channel dredging activities. Private  industry will, of course, play the major role in developing the United  States' coal export facilities, but the government must continue to work to  facilitate transportation to foreign markets.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":119,"text":"III. ENHANCING BASIC HUMAN AND SOCIAL NEEDS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":120,"text":"For too long prior to my Administration, many of our Nation's basic human  and social needs were being ignored or handled insensitively by the Federal  government. Over the last four years, we have significantly increased  funding for many of the vital programs in these areas; developed new  programs where needs were unaddressed; targeted Federal support to those  individuals and areas most in need of our assistance; and removed barriers  that have unnecessarily kept many disadvantaged citizens from obtaining aid  for their most basic needs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":121,"text":"Our record has produced clear progress in the effort to solve some of the  country's fundamental human and social problems. My Administration and the  Congress, working together, have demonstrated that government must and can  meet our citizens' basic human and social needs in a responsible and  compassionate way.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":122,"text":"But there is an unfinished agenda still before the Congress. If we are to  meet our obligations to help all Americans realize the dreams of sound  health care, decent housing, effective social services, a good education,  and a meaningful job, important legislation still must be enacted. National  Health Insurance, Welfare Reform, Child Health Assessment Program, are  before the Congress and I urge their passage.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":123,"text":"HEALTH NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":124,"text":"During my Administration, I proposed to Congress a National Health Plan  which will enable the country to reach the goal of comprehensive, universal  health care coverage. The legislation I submitted lays the foundation for  this comprehensive plan and addresses the most serious problems of health  financing and delivery. It is realistic and enactable. It does not  overpromise or overspend, and, as a result, can be the solution to the  thirty years of Congressional battles on national health insurance. My Plan  includes the following key features:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":125,"text":"Nearly 15 million additional poor would receive fully-subsidized  comprehensive coverage; pre-natal and delivery services are provided for  all pregnant women and coverage is provided for all acute care for infants  in their first year of life; the elderly and disabled would have a limit of  $1,250 placed on annual out-of-pocket medical expenses and would no longer  face limits on hospital coverage; all full-time employees and their  families would receive insurance against at least major medical expenses  under mandated employer coverage; Medicare and Medicaid would be combined  and expanded into an umbrella Federal program, Healthcare, for increased  program efficiency, accountability and uniformity; and strong cost  controls and health system reforms would be implemented, including  greater incentives for Health Maintenance Organizations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":126,"text":"I urge the new Congress to compare my Plan with the alternatives--programs  which either do too little to improve the health care needs of Americans  most in need or programs which would impose substantial financial burdens  on the American taxpayers. I hope the Congress will see the need for and  the benefits of my Plan and work toward prompt enactment. We cannot afford  further delay in this vital area.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":127,"text":"HEALTH CARE COST CONTROL  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":128,"text":"Inflation in health care costs remains unacceptably high. Throughout my  Administration, legislation to reduce health care cost inflation was one of  my highest priorities, but was not passed by the Congress. Therefore, my FY  1982 budget proposes sharing the responsibility for health care cost  control with the private sector, through voluntary hospital cost guidelines  and intensified monitoring. In the longer term, the health care  reimbursement system must be reformed. We must move away from inflationary  cost-based reimbursement and fee-for-service, and toward a system of  prospective reimbursement, under which health care providers would operate  within predetermined budgets. This reimbursement reform is essential to  ultimately control inflation in health care costs, and will be a  significant challenge to the new Congress.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":129,"text":"HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":130,"text":"During my Administration, the Surgeon General released \"Healthy People,\" a  landmark report on health promotion and disease prevention. The report  signals the growing consensus that the Nation's health strategy must be  refocused in the 1980's to emphasize the prevention of disease.  Specifically, the report lays out measurable and achieveable goals in the  reduction of mortality which can be reached by 1990.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":131,"text":"I urge the new Congress to endorse the principles of \"Healthy People,\" and  to adopt the recommendations to achieve its goals. This will necessitate  adoption of a broader concept of health care, to include such areas as  environmental health, workplace health and safety, commercial product  safety, traffic safety, and health education, promotion and information.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":132,"text":"MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":133,"text":"Ensuring a healthy start in life for children remains not only a high  priority of my Administration, but also one of the most cost effective  forms of health care.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":134,"text":"When I took office, immunization levels for preventable childhood diseases  had fallen to 70%. As a result of a concerted nationwide effort during my  Administration, I am pleased to report that now at least 90% of children  under 15, and virtually all school-age children are immunized. In addition,  reported cases of measles and mumps are at their lowest levels ever.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":135,"text":"Under the National Health Plan I have proposed, there would be no  cost-sharing for prenatal and delivery services for all pregnant women and  for acute care provided to infants in their first year of life. These  preventive services have extremely high returns in terms of improved  newborn and long-term child health.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":136,"text":"Under the Child Health Assurance Program (CHAP) legislation which I  submitted to the Congress, and which passed the House, an additional two  million low-income children under 18 would become eligible for Medicaid  benefits, which would include special health assessments. CHAP would also  improve the continuity of care for the nearly 14 million children now  eligible for Medicaid. An additional 100,000 low-income pregnant women  would become eligible for prenatal care under the proposal. I strongly urge  the new Congress to enact CHAP and thereby provide millions of needy  children with essential health services. The legislation has had strong  bipartisan support, which should continue as the details of the bill are  completed.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":137,"text":"I also urge the new Congress to provide strong support for two highly  successful ongoing programs: the special supplemental food program for  women, infants and children (WIC) and Family Planning. The food supplements  under WIC have been shown to effectively prevent ill health and thereby  reduce later medical costs. The Family Planning program has been effective  at reducing unwanted pregnancies among low-income women and adolescents.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":138,"text":"EXPANSION OF SERVICES TO THE POOR AND UNDERSERVED  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":139,"text":"During my Administration, health services to the poor and underserved have  been dramatically increased. The number of National Health Service Corps  (NHSC) assignees providing services in medically underserved communities  has grown from 500 in 1977 to nearly 3,000 in 1981. The population served  by the NHSC has more than tripled since 1977. The number of Community  Health Centers providing services in high priority underserved areas has  doubled during my Administration, and will serve an estimated six million  people in 1981. I strongly urge the new Congress to support these highly  successful programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":140,"text":"MENTAL HEALTH  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":141,"text":"One of the most significant health achievements during my Administration  was the recent passage of the Mental Health Systems Act, which grew out of  recommendations of my Commission on Mental Health. I join many others in my  gratitude to the First Lady for her tireless and effective contribution to  the passage of this important legislation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":142,"text":"The Act is designed to inaugurate a new era of Federal and State  partnership in the planning and provision of mental health services. In  addition, the Act specifically provides for prevention and support services  to the chronically mentally ill to prevent unnecessary institutionalization  and for the development of community-based mental health services. I urge  the new Congress to provide adequate support for the full and timely  implementation of this Act.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":143,"text":"HEALTH PROTECTION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":144,"text":"With my active support, the Congress recently passed \"Medigap\" legislation,  which provides for voluntary certification of health insurance policies  supplemental to Medicare, to curb widespread abuses in this area.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":145,"text":"In the area of toxic agent control, legislation which I submitted to the  Congress recently passed. This will provide for a \"super-fund\" to cover  hazardous waste cleanup costs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":146,"text":"In the area of accidental injury control, we have established automobile  safety standards and increased enforcement activities with respect to the  55 MPH speed limit. By the end of the decade these actions are expected to  save over 13,000 lives and 100,000 serious injuries each year.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":147,"text":"I urge the new Congress to continue strong support for all these  activities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":148,"text":"FOOD AND NUTRITION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":149,"text":"Building on the comprehensive reform of the Food Stamp Program that I  proposed and Congress passed in 1977, my Administration and the Congress  worked together in 1979 and 1980 to enact several other important changes  in the Program. These changes will further simplify administration and  reduce fraud and error, will make the program more responsive to the needs  of the elderly and disabled, and will increase the cap on allowable program  expenditures. The Food Stamp Act will expire at the end of fiscal 1981. It  is essential that the new Administration and the Congress continue this  program to ensure complete eradication of the debilitating malnutrition  witnessed and documented among thousands of children in the 1960's.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":150,"text":"DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":151,"text":"At the beginning of my Administration there were over a half million heroin  addicts in the United States. Our continued emphasis on reducing the supply  of heroin, as well as providing treatment and rehabilitation to its  victims, has reduced the heroin addict population, reduced the number of  heroin overdose deaths by 80%, and reduced the number of heroin related  injuries by 50%. We have also seen and encouraged a national movement of  parents and citizens committed to reversing the very serious and disturbing  trends of adolescent drug abuse.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":152,"text":"Drug abuse in many forms will continue to detract, however, from the  quality of life of many Americans. To prevent that, I see four great  challenges in the years ahead. First, we must deal aggressively with the  supplies of illegal drugs at their source, through joint crop destruction  programs with foreign nations and increased law enforcement and border  interdiction. Second, we must look to citizens and parents across the  country to help educate the increasing numbers of American youth who are  experimenting with drugs to the dangers of drug abuse. Education is a key  factor in reducing drug abuse. Third, we must focus our efforts on drug and  alcohol abuse in the workplace for not only does this abuse contribute to  low productivity but it also destroys the satisfaction and sense of purpose  all Americans can gain from the work experience. Fourth, we need a change  in attitude, from an attitude which condones the casual use of drugs to one  that recognizes the appropriate use of drugs for medical purposes and  condemns the inappropriate and harmful abuse of drugs. I hope the Congress  and the new Administration will take action to meet each of these  challenges.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":153,"text":"EDUCATION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":154,"text":"The American people have always recognized that education is one of the  soundest investments they can make. The dividends are reflected in every  dimension of our national life--from the strength of our economy and  national security to the vitality of our music, art, and literature. Among  the accomplishments that have given me the most satisfaction over the last  four years are the contributions that my Administration has been able to  make to the well-being of students and educators throughout the country.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":155,"text":"This Administration has collaborated successfully with the Congress on  landmark education legislation. Working with the Congressional leadership,  my Administration spotlighted the importance of education by creating a new  Department of Education. The Department has given education a stronger  voice at the Federal level, while at the same time reserving the actual  control and operation of education to states, localities, and private  institutions. The Department has successfully combined nearly 150 Federal  education programs into a cohesive, streamlined organization that is more  responsive to the needs of educators and students. The Department has made  strides to cut red tape and paperwork and thereby to make the flow of  Federal dollars to school districts and institutions of higher education  more efficient. It is crucial that the Department be kept intact and  strengthened.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":156,"text":"Our collaboration with the Congress has resulted in numerous other  important legislative accomplishments for education. A little over two  years ago, I signed into law on the same day two major bills--one  benefiting elementary and secondary education and the other, postsecondary  education. The Education Amendments of 1978 embodied nearly all of my  Administration's proposals for improvements in the Elementary and Secondary  Education Act, including important new programs to improve students'  achievement in the basic skills and to aid school districts with  exceptionally high concentrations of children from low-income families. The  Middle Income Student Assistance Act, legislation jointly sponsored by this  Administration and the Congressional leadership, expanded eligibility for  need-based Basic Educational Opportunity Grants to approximately one-third  of the students enrolled in post-secondary education and made many more  students eligible for the first time for other types of grants, work-study,  and loans.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":157,"text":"Just three and a half months ago, my Administration and the Congress  successfully concluded over two years of work on a major reauthorization  bill that further expands benefits to postsecondary education. Reflected in  the Education Amendments of 1980 are major Administration recommendations  for improvements in the Higher Education Act--including proposals for  better loan access for students; a new parent loan program; simplified  application procedures for student financial aid; a strengthened Federal  commitment to developing colleges, particularly the historically Black  institutions; a new authorization for equipment and facilities  modernization funding for the nation's major research universities; and  revitalized international education programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":158,"text":"Supplementing these legislative accomplishments have been important  administrative actions aimed at reducing paperwork and simplifying  regulations associated with Federal education programs. We also launched  major initiatives to reduce the backlog of defaulted student loans and  otherwise to curb fraud, abuse, and waste in education programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":159,"text":"To insure that the education enterprise is ready to meet the scientific and  technological changes of the future, we undertook a major study of the  status of science and engineering education throughout the nation. I hope  that the findings from this report will serve as a springboard for needed  reforms at all levels of education.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":160,"text":"I am proud that this Administration has been able to provide the financial  means to realize many of our legislative and administrative goals. Compared  to the previous administration's last budget, I have requested the largest  overall increase in Federal funding for education in our nation's history.  My budget requests have been particularly sensitive to the needs of special  populations like minorities, women, the educationally and economically  disadvantaged, the handicapped, and students with limited English-speaking  ability. At the same time, I have requested significant increases for many  programs designed to enhance the quality of American education, including  programs relating to important areas as diverse as international education,  research libraries, museums, and teacher centers.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":161,"text":"Last year, I proposed to the Congress a major legislative initiative that  would direct $2 billion into education and job training programs designed  to alleviate youth unemployment through improved linkages between the  schools and the work place. This legislation generated bipartisan support;  but unfortunately, action on it was not completed in the final, rushed days  of the 96th Congress. I urge the new Congress--as it undertakes broad  efforts to strengthen the economy as well as more specific tasks like  reauthorizing the Vocational Education Act--to make the needs of our  nation's unemployed youth a top priority for action. Only by combining a  basic skills education program together with work training and employment  incentives can we make substantial progress in eliminating one of the most  severe social problems in our nation--youth unemployment, particularly  among minorities. I am proud of the progress already made through passage  of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Project Act of 1977 and the  substantial increase in our investment in youth employment programs. The  new legislation would cap these efforts.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":162,"text":"INCOME SECURITY SOCIAL SECURITY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":163,"text":"One of the highest priorities of my Administration has been to continue the  tradition of effectiveness and efficiency widely associated with the social  security program, and to assure present and future beneficiaries that they  will receive their benefits as expected. The earned benefits that are paid  monthly to retired and disabled American workers and their families provide  a significant measure of economic protection to millions of people who  might otherwise face retirement or possible disability with fear. I have  enacted changes to improve the benefits of many social security  beneficiaries during my years as President.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":164,"text":"The last four years have presented a special set of concerns over the  financial stability of the social security system. Shortly after taking  office I proposed and Congress enacted legislation to protect the stability  of the old age and survivors trust fund and prevent the imminent exhaustion  of the disability insurance trust fund, and to correct a flaw in the  benefit formula that was threatening the long run health of the entire  social security system. The actions taken by the Congress at my request  helped stabilize the system. That legislation was later complemented by the  Disability Insurance Amendments of 1980 which further bolstered the  disability insurance program, and reduced certain inequities among  beneficiaries.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":165,"text":"My commitment to the essential retirement and disability protection  provided to 35 million people each month has been demonstrated by the fact  that without interruption those beneficiaries have continued to receive  their social security benefits, including annual cost of living increases.  Changing and unpredictable economic circumstances require that we continue  to monitor the financial stability of the social security system. To  correct anticipated short-term strains on the system, I proposed last year  that the three funds be allowed to borrow from one another, and I urge the  Congress again this year to adopt such interfund borrowing. To further  strengthen the social security system and provide a greater degree of  assurance to beneficiaries, given projected future economic uncertainties,  additional action should be taken. Among the additional financing options  available are borrowing from the general fund, financing half of the  hospital insurance fund with general revenues, and increasing the payroll  tax rate. The latter option is particularly unpalatable given the  significant increase in the tax rate already mandated in law.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":166,"text":"This Administration continues to oppose cuts in basic social security  benefits and taxing social security benefits. The Administration continues  to support annual indexing of social security benefits.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":167,"text":"WELFARE REFORM  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":168,"text":"In 1979 I proposed a welfare reform package which offers solutions to some  of the most urgent problems in our welfare system. This proposal is  embodied in two bills, The Work and Training Opportunities Act and The  Social Welfare Reform Amendments Act. The House passed the second of these  two proposals. Within the framework of our present welfare system, my  reform proposals offer achievable means to increase self-sufficiency  through work rather than welfare, more adequate assistance to people unable  to work, the removal of inequities in coverage under current programs, and  fiscal relief needed by States and localities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":169,"text":"Our current welfare system is long overdue for serious reform; the system  is wasteful and not fully effective. The legislation I have proposed will  help eliminate inequities by establishing a national minimum benefit, and  by directly relating benefit levels to the poverty threshold. It will  reduce program complexity, which leads to inefficiency and waste, by  simplifying and coordinating administration among different programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":170,"text":"I urge the Congress to take action in this area along the lines I have  recommended.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":171,"text":"CHILD WELFARE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":172,"text":"My Administration has worked closely with the Congress on legislation which  is designed to improve greatly the child welfare services and foster care  programs and to create a Federal system of adoption assistance. These  improvements will be achieved with the recent enactment of H.R. 3434, the  Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980. The well-being of  children in need of homes and their permanent placement have been a primary  concern of my Administration. This legislation will ensure that children  are not lost in the foster care system, but instead will be returned to  their families where possible or placed in permanent adoptive homes.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":173,"text":"LOW-INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":174,"text":"In 1979 I proposed a program to provide an annual total of $1.6 billion to  low-income households which are hardest hit by rising energy bills. With  the cooperation of Congress, we were able to move quickly to provide  assistance to eligible households in time to meet their winter heating  bills.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":175,"text":"In response to the extreme heat conditions affecting many parts of the  country during 1980, I directed the Community Services Administration to  make available over $27 million to assist low-income individuals,  especially the elderly, facing life threatening circumstances due to  extreme heat.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":176,"text":"Congress amended and reauthorized the low-income energy assistance program  for fiscal year 1981, and provided $1.85 billion to meet anticipated  increasing need. The need for a program to help low-income households with  rising energy expenses will not abate in the near future. The low-income  energy assistance program should be reauthorized to meet those needs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":177,"text":"HOUSING  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":178,"text":"For the past 14 months, high interest rates have had a severe impact on the  nation's housing market. Yet the current pressures and uncertainties should  not obscure the achievements of the past four years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":179,"text":"Working with the Congress, the regulatory agencies, and the financial  community, my Administration has brought about an expanded and steadier  flow of funds into home mortgages. Deregulation of the interest rates  payable by depository institutions, the evolution of variable and  renegotiated rate mortgages, development of high yielding savings  certificates, and expansion of the secondary mortgage market have all  increased housing's ability to attract capital and have assured that  mortgage money would not be cut off when interest rates rose. These actions  will diminish the cyclicality of the housing industry. Further, we have  secured legislation updating the Federal Government's emergency authority  to provide support for the housing industry through the Brooke-Cranston  program, and creating a new Section 235 housing stimulus program. These  tools will enable the Federal Government to deal quickly and effectively  with serious distress in this critical industry.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":180,"text":"We have also worked to expand homeownership opportunities for Americans. By  using innovative financing mechanisms, such as the graduated payment  mortgage, we have increased the access of middle income families to housing  credit. By revitalizing the Section 235 program, we have enabled nearly  100,000 moderate income households to purchase new homes. By reducing  paperwork and regulation in Federal programs, and by working with State and  local governments to ease the regulatory burden, we have helped to hold  down housing costs and produce affordable housing.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":181,"text":"As a result of these governmentwide efforts, 5 1/2 million more American  families bought homes in the past four years than in any equivalent period  in history. And more than 7 million homes have begun construction during my  Administration, 1 million more than in the previous four years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":182,"text":"We have devoted particular effort to meeting the housing needs of low and  moderate income families. In the past four years, more than 1 million  subsidized units have been made available for occupancy by lower income  Americans and more than 600,000 assisted units have gone into construction.  In addition, we have undertaken a series of measures to revitalize and  preserve the nation's 2 million units of public and assisted housing.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":183,"text":"For Fiscal Year 1982, I am proposing to continue our commitment to lower  income housing. I am requesting funds to support 260,000 units of Section 8  and public housing, maintaining these programs at the level provided by  Congress in Fiscal 1981.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":184,"text":"While we have made progress in the past four years, in the future there are  reasons for concern. Home price inflation and high interest rates threaten  to put homeownership out of reach for first-time homebuyers. Lower income  households, the elderly and those dependent upon rental housing face rising  rents, low levels of rental housing construction by historic standards, and  the threat of displacement due to conversion to condominiums and other  factors. Housing will face strong competition for investment capital from  the industrial sector generally and the energy industries, in particular.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":185,"text":"To address these issues, I appointed a Presidential Task Force and Advisory  Group last October. While this effort will not proceed due to the election  result, I hope the incoming Administration will proceed with a similar  venture.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":186,"text":"The most important action government can take to meet America's housing  needs is to restore stability to the economy and bring down the rate of  inflation. Inflation has driven up home prices, operating costs and  interest rates. Market uncertainty about inflation has contributed to the  instability in interest rates, which has been an added burden to  homebuilders and homebuyers alike. By making a long-term commitment to  provide a framework for greater investment, sustained economic growth, and  price stability, my Administration has begun the work of creating a healthy  environment for housing.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":187,"text":"TRANSPORTATION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":188,"text":"With the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the Motor Carrier  Act of 1980, and the Harley O. Staggers Rail Act of 1980, my  Administration, working with the Congress, has initiated a new era of  reduced regulation of transportation industries. Deregulation will lead to  increased productivity and operating efficiencies in the industries  involved, and stimulate price and service competition, to the benefit of  consumers generally. I urge the new Administration to continue our efforts  on behalf of deregulation legislation for the intercity passenger bus  industry as well.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":189,"text":"In the coming decade, the most significant challenge facing the nation in  transportation services will be to improve a deteriorating physical  infrastructure of roadways, railroads, waterways and mass transit systems,  in order to conserve costly energy supplies while promoting effective  transportation services.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":190,"text":"HIGHWAYS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":191,"text":"Our vast network of highways, which account for 90 percent of travel and 80  percent by value of freight traffic goods movement, is deteriorating. If  current trends continue, a major proportion of the Interstate pavement will  have deteriorated by the end of the 1980's.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":192,"text":"Arresting the deterioration of the nation's system of highways is a high  priority objective for the 1980's. We must reorient the Federal mission  from major new construction projects to the stewardship of the existing  Interstate Highway System. Interstate gaps should be judged on the  connections they make and on their compatibility with community needs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":193,"text":"During this decade, highway investments will be needed to increase  productivity, particularly in the elimination of bottlenecks, provide more  efficient connections to ports and seek low-cost solutions to traffic  demand.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":194,"text":"My Administration has therefore recommended redefining completion of the  Interstate system, consolidating over 27 categorical assistance programs  into nine, and initiating a major repair and rehabilitation program for  segments of the Interstate system. This effort should help maintain the  condition and performance of the Nation's highways, particularly the  Interstate and primary system; provide a realistic means to complete the  Interstate system by 1990; ensure better program delivery through  consolidation, and assist urban revitalization. In addition, the Congress  must address the urgent funding problems of the highway trust fund, and the  need to generate greater revenues.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":195,"text":"MASS TRANSIT  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":196,"text":"In the past decade the nation's public transit systems' ridership increased  at an annual average of 1.1% each year in the 1970's (6.9% in 1979).  Continued increases in the cost of fuel are expected to make transit a  growing part of the nation's transportation system.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":197,"text":"As a result, my Administration projected a ten year, $43 billion program to  increase mass transit capacity by 50 percent, and promote more energy  efficient vehicle uses in the next decade. The first part of this proposal  was the five year, $24.7 billion Urban Mass Transportation Administration  reauthorization legislation I sent to the Congress in March, 1980. I urge  the 97th Congress to quickly enact this or similar legislation in 1981.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":198,"text":"My Administration was also the first to have proposed and signed into law a  non-urban formula grant program to assist rural areas and small communities  with public transportation programs to end their dependence on the  automobile, promote energy conservation and efficiency, and provide  transportation services to impoverished rural communities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":199,"text":"A principal need of the 1980's will be maintaining mobility for all  segments of the population in the face of severely increasing  transportation costs and uncertainty of fuel supplies. We must improve the  flexibility of our transportation system and offer greater choice and  diversity in transportation services. While the private automobile will  continue to be the principal means of transportation for many Americans,  public transportation can become an increasingly attractive alternative.  We, therefore, want to explore a variety of paratransit modes, various  types of buses, modern rapid transit, regional rail systems and light rail  systems.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":200,"text":"Highway planning and transit planning must be integrated and related to  State, regional, district and neighborhood planning efforts now in place or  emerging. Low density development and land use threaten the fiscal capacity  of many communities to support needed services and infrastructure.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":201,"text":"ELDERLY AND HANDICAPPED TRANSPORTATION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":202,"text":"Transportation policies in the 1980's must pay increasing attention to the  needs of the elderly and handicapped. By 1990, the number of people over 65  will have grown from today's 19 million to 27 million. During the same  period, the number of handicapped--people who have difficulty using  transit as well as autos, including the elderly--is expected to increase  from 9 to 11 million, making up 4.5 percent of the population.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":203,"text":"We must not retreat from a policy that affords a significant and growing  portion of our population accessible public transportation while  recognizing that the handicapped are a diverse group and will need  flexible, door-to-door service where regular public transportation will not  do the job.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":204,"text":"RAILROADS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":205,"text":"In addition, the Federal government must reassess the appropriate Federal  role of support for passenger and freight rail services such as Amtrak and  Conrail. Our goal through federal assistance should be to maintain and  enhance adequate rail service, where it is not otherwise available to needy  communities. But Federal subsidies must be closely scrutinized to be sure  they are a stimulus to, and not a replacement for, private investment and  initiative. Federal assistance cannot mean permanent subsidies for  unprofitable operations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":206,"text":"WATERWAYS AND RURAL TRANSPORTATION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":207,"text":"There is a growing need in rural and small communities for improved  transportation services. Rail freight service to many communities has  declined as railroads abandon unproductive branch lines. At the same time,  rural roads are often inadequate to handle large, heavily-loaded trucks.  The increased demand for \"harvest to harbor\" service has also placed an  increased burden on rural transportation systems, while bottlenecks along  the Mississippi River delay grain shipments to the Gulf of Mexico.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":208,"text":"We have made some progress:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":209,"text":"--To further develop the nation's waterways, my Administration began  construction of a new 1,200 foot lock at the site of Lock and Dam 26 on the  Mississippi River. When opened in 1987, the new lock will have a capacity  of 86 million tons per year, an 18 percent increase over the present  system. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has also undertaken studies to  assess the feasibility of expanding the Bonneville Locks. Rehabilitation of  John Day Lock was begun in 1980 and should be completed in 1982. My  Administration also supports the completion of the Upper Mississippi River  Master Plan to determine the feasibility of constructing a second lock at  Alton, Illinois. These efforts will help alleviate delays in transporting  corn, soybeans and other goods along the Mississippi River to the Gulf of  Mexico.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":210,"text":"--The Department of Transportation's new Small Community and Rural  Transportation Policy will target federal assistance for passenger  transportation, roads and highways, truck service, and railroad freight  service to rural areas. This policy implements and expands upon the earlier  White House Initiative, \"Improving Transportation in Rural America,\"  announced in June, 1979, and the President's \"Small Community and Rural  Development Policy\" announced in December, 1979. The Congress should seek  ways to balance rail branch line abandonment with the service needs of  rural and farm communities, provide financial assistance to rail branch  line rehabilitation where appropriate, assist shippers to adjust to rail  branch line abandonment where it takes place, and help make it possible for  trucking firms to serve light density markets with dependable and efficient  trucking services.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":211,"text":"MARITIME POLICY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":212,"text":"During my Administration I have sought to ensure that the U.S. maritime  industry will not have to function at an unfair competitive disadvantage in  the international market. As I indicated in my maritime policy statement to  the Congress in July, 1979, the American merchant marine is vital to our  Nation's welfare, and Federal actions should promote rather than harm it.  In pursuit of this objective, I signed into law the Controlled Carrier Act  of 1978, authorizing the Federal Maritime Commission to regulate certain  rate cutting practices of some state-controlled carriers, and recently  signed a bilateral maritime agreement with the People's Republic of China  that will expand the access of American ships to 20 specified Chinese  ports, and set aside for American-flag ships a substantial share (at least  one-third) of the cargo between our countries. This agreement should  officially foster expanded U.S. and Chinese shipping services linking the  two countries, and will provide further momentum to the growth of  Sino-American trade.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":213,"text":"There is also a need to modernize and expand the dry bulk segment of our  fleet. Our heavy dependence on foreign carriage of U.S.-bulk cargoes  deprives the U.S. economy of seafaring and shipbuilding jobs, adds to the  balance-of-payments deficit, deprives the Government of substantial tax  revenues, and leaves the United States dependent on foreign-flag shipping  for a continued supply of raw materials to support the civil economy and  war production in time of war.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":214,"text":"I therefore sent to the Congress proposed legislation to strengthen this  woefully weak segment of the U.S.-flag fleet by removing certain  disincentives to U.S. construction of dry bulkers and their operation under  U.S. registry. Enactment of this proposed legislation would establish the  basis for accelerating the rebuilding of the U.S.-flag dry bulk fleet  toward a level commensurate with the position of the United States as the  world's leading bulk trading country.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":215,"text":"During the past year the Administration has stated its support for  legislation that would provide specific Federal assistance for the  installation of fuel-efficient engines in existing American ships, and  would strengthen this country's shipbuilding mobilization base.  Strengthening the fleet is important, but we must also maintain our  shipbuilding base for future ship construction.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":216,"text":"Provisions in existing laws calling for substantial or exclusive use of  American-flag vessels to carry cargoes generated by the Government must be  vigorously pursued.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":217,"text":"I have therefore supported requirements that 50 percent of oil purchased  for the strategic petroleum reserve be transported in U.S.-flag vessels,  that the Cargo Preference Act be applied to materials furnished for the  U.S. assisted construction of air bases in Israel, and to cargoes  transported pursuant to the Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act. In  addition, the deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act requires that at least  one ore carrier per mine site be a U.S.-flag vessel.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":218,"text":"Much has been done, and much remains to be done. The FY 1982 budget  includes a $107 million authorization for Construction Differential Subsidy  (\"CDS\") funds which, added to the unobligated CDS balance of $100 million  from 1980, and the recently enacted $135 million 1981 authorization, will  provide an average of $171 million in CDS funds in 1981 and 1982.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":219,"text":"COAL EXPORT POLICY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":220,"text":"While significant growth in foreign demand for U.S. steam coal is foreseen,  congestion at major U.S. coal exporting ports such as Hampton Roads,  Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland, could delay and impede exports.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":221,"text":"My Administration has worked through the Interagency Coal Task Force Study,  which I created, to promote cooperation and coordination of resources  between shippers, railroads, vessel broker/ operators and port operators,  and to determine the most appropriate Federal role in expanding and  modernizing coal export facilities, including dredging deeper channels at  selected ports.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":222,"text":"Some progress has already been made. In addition to action taken by  transshippers to reduce the number of coal classifications used whenever  possible, by the Norfolk and Western Railroad to upgrade its computer  capability to quickly inventory its coal cars in its yards, and by the  Chessie Railroad which is reactivating Pier 15 in Newport News and has  established a berth near its Curtis Bay Pier in Baltimore to decrease  delays in vessel berthing, public activities will include:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":223,"text":"--A $26.5 million plan developed by the State of Pennsylvania and Conrail  to increase Conrail's coal handling capacity at Philadelphia;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":224,"text":"--A proposal by the State of Virginia to construct a steam coal port on  the Craney Island Disposal area in Portsmouth harbor;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":225,"text":"--Plans by Mobile, Alabama, which operates the only publicly owned coal  terminal in the U.S. to enlarge its capacity at McDuffie Island to 10  million tons ground storage and 100 car unit train unloading capability;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":226,"text":"--Development at New Orleans of steam coal facilities that are expected to  add over 20 million tons of annual capacity by 1983; and  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":227,"text":"--The Corps of Engineers, working with other interested Federal agencies,  will determine which ports should be dredged, to what depth and on what  schedule, in order to accommodate larger coal carrying vessels.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":228,"text":"Private industry will, of course, play a major role in developing the  United States' coal export facilities. The new Administration should  continue to work to eliminate transportation bottlenecks that impede our  access to foreign markets.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":229,"text":"Special Needs  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":230,"text":"WOMEN  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":231,"text":"The past four years have been years of rapid advancement for women. Our  focus has been two-fold: to provide American women with a full range of  opportunities and to make them a part of the mainstream of every aspect of  our national life and leadership.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":232,"text":"I have appointed a record number of women to judgeships and to top  government posts. Fully 22 percent of all my appointees are women, and I  nominated 41 of the 46 women who sit on the Federal bench today. For the  first time in our history, women occupy policymaking positions at the  highest level of every Federal agency and department and have demonstrated  their ability to serve our citizens well.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":233,"text":"We have strengthened the rights of employed women by consolidating and  strengthening enforcement of sex discrimination laws under the EEOC, by  expanding employment rights of pregnant women through the Pregnancy  Disability Bill, and by increasing federal employment opportunities for  women through civil service reform, and flexi-time and part-time  employment.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":234,"text":"By executive order, I created the first national program to provide women  businessowners with technical assistance, grants, loans, and improved  access to federal contracts.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":235,"text":"We have been sensitive to the needs of women who are homemakers. I  established an Office of Families within HHS and sponsored the White House  Conference on Families. We initiated a program targeting CETA funds to help  displaced homemakers. The Social Security system was amended to eliminate  the widow's penalty and a comprehensive study of discriminatory provisions  and possible changes was presented to Congress. Legislation was passed to  give divorced spouses of foreign service officers rights to share in  pension benefits.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":236,"text":"We created an office on domestic violence within HHS to coordinate the 12  agencies that now have domestic violence relief programs, and to distribute  information on the problem and the services available to victims.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":237,"text":"Despite a stringent budget for FY 1981, the Administration consistently  supported the Women's Educational Equity Act and family planning  activities, as well as other programs that affect women, such as food  stamps, WIC, and social security.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":238,"text":"We have been concerned not only about the American woman's opportunities,  but ensuring equality for women around the world. In November, 1980, I sent  to the Senate the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of  Discrimination Against Women. This United Nations document is the most  comprehensive and detailed international agreement which seeks the  advancement of women.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":239,"text":"On women's issues, I have sought the counsel of men and women in and out of  government and from all regions of our country. I established two panels--  the President's Advisory Committee for Women and the Interdepartmental Task  Force on Women--to advise me on these issues. The mandate for both groups  expired on December 31, but they have left behind a comprehensive review of  the status of women in our society today. That review provides excellent  guidance for the work remaining in our battle against sex discrimination.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":240,"text":"Even though we have made progress, much remains on the agenda for women. I  remain committed to the Equal Rights Amendment and will continue to work  for its passage. It is essential to the goal of bringing America's women  fully into the mainstream of American life that the ERA be ratified.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":241,"text":"The efforts begun for women in employment, business and education should be  continued and strengthened. Money should be available to states to  establish programs to help the victims of domestic violence. Congress  should pass a national health care plan and a welfare reform program, and  these measures should reflect the needs of women.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":242,"text":"The talents of women should continue to be used to the fullest inside and  outside of government, and efforts should continue to see that they have  the widest range of opportunities and options.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":243,"text":"HANDICAPPED  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":244,"text":"I hope that my Administration will be remembered in this area for leading  the way toward full civil rights for handicapped Americans. When I took  office, no federal agency had yet issued 504 regulations. As I leave  office, this first step by every major agency and department in the federal  government is almost complete. But it is only a first step. The years ahead  will require steadfast dedication by the President to protect and promote  these precious rights in the classroom, in the workplace, and in all public  facilities so that handicapped individuals may join the American mainstream  and contribute to the fullest their resources and talents to our economic  and social life.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":245,"text":"Just as we supported, in an unprecedented way, the civil rights of disabled  persons in schools and in the workplace, other initiatives in health  prevention, such as our immunization and nutrition programs for young  children and new intense efforts to reverse spinal cord injury, must  continue so that the incidence of disability continues to decline.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":246,"text":"This year is the U.N.-declared International Year of Disabled Persons. We  are organizing activities to celebrate and promote this important  commemorative year within the government as well as in cooperation with  private sector efforts in this country and around the world. The  International Year will give our country the opportunity to recognize the  talents and capabilities of our fellow citizens with disabilities. We can  also share our rehabilitation and treatment skills with other countries and  learn from them as well. I am proud that the United States leads the world  in mainstreaming and treating disabled people. However, we have a long way  to go before all psychological and physical barriers to disabled people are  torn down and they can be full participants in our American way of life. We  must pledge our full commitment to this goal during the International Year.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":247,"text":"FAMILIES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":248,"text":"Because of my concern for American families, my Administration convened  last year the first White House Conference on Families which involved seven  national hearings, over 506 state and local events, three White House  Conferences, and the direct participation of more than 125,000 citizens.  The Conference reaffirmed the centrality of families in our lives and  nation but documented problems American families face as well. We also  established the Office of Families within the Department of Health and  Human Services to review government policies and programs that affect  families.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":249,"text":"I expect the departments and agencies within the executive branch of the  Federal government as well as Members of Congress, corporate and business  leaders, and State and local officials across the country, to study closely  the recommendations of the White House Conference and implement them  appropriately. As public policy is developed and implemented by the Federal  government, cognizance of the work of the Conference should be taken as a  pragmatic and essential step.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":250,"text":"The Conference has done a good job of establishing an agenda for action to  assure that the policies of the Federal government are more sensitive in  their impact on families. I hope the Congress will review and seriously  consider the Conference's recommendations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":251,"text":"OLDER AMERICANS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":252,"text":"My Administration has taken great strides toward solving the difficult  problems faced by older Americans. Early in my term we worked successfully  with the Congress to assure adequate revenues for the Social Security Trust  Funds. And last year the strength of the Social Security System was  strengthened by legislation I proposed to permit borrowing among the  separate trust funds. I have also signed into law legislation prohibiting  employers from requiring retirement prior to age 70, and removing mandatory  retirement for most Federal employees. In addition, my Administration  worked very closely with Congress to amend the Older Americans Act in a way  that has already improved administration of its housing, social services,  food delivery, and employment programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":253,"text":"This year, I will be submitting to Congress a budget which again  demonstrates my commitment to programs for the elderly. It will include, as  my previous budgets have, increased funding for nutrition, senior centers  and home health care, and will focus added resources on the needs of older  Americans.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":254,"text":"With the 1981 White House Conference on Aging approaching, I hope the new  Administration will make every effort to assure an effective and useful  conference. This Conference should enable older Americans to voice their  concerns and give us guidance in our continued efforts to ensure the  quality of life so richly deserved by our senior citizens.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":255,"text":"REFUGEES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":256,"text":"We cannot hope to build a just and humane society at home if we ignore the  humanitarian claims of refugees, their lives at stake, who have nowhere  else to turn. Our country can be proud that hundreds of thousands of people  around the world would risk everything they have--including their own  lives--to come to our country.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":257,"text":"This Administration initiated and implemented the first comprehensive  reform of our refugee and immigration policies in over 25 years. We also  established the first refugee coordination office in the Department of  State under the leadership of a special ambassador and coordinator for  refugee affairs and programs. The new legislation and the coordinator's  office will bring common sense and consolidation to our Nation's previously  fragmented, inconsistent, and in many ways, outdated, refugee and  immigration policies.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":258,"text":"With the unexpected arrival of thousands of Cubans and Haitians who sought  refuge in our country last year, outside of our regular immigration and  refugee admissions process, our country and its government were tested in  being compassionate and responsive to a major human emergency. Because we  had taken steps to reorganize our refugee programs, we met that test  successfully. I am proud that the American people responded to this crisis  with their traditional good will and hospitality. Also, we would never have  been able to handle this unprecedented emergency without the efforts of the  private resettlement agencies who have always been there to help refugees  in crises.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":259,"text":"Immigrants to this country always contribute more toward making our country  stronger than they ever take from the system. I am confident that the  newest arrivals to our country will carry on this tradition.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":260,"text":"While we must remain committed to aiding and assisting those who come to  our shores, at the same time we must uphold our immigration and refugee  policies and provide adequate enforcement resources. As a result of our  enforcement policy, the illegal flow from Cuba has been halted and an  orderly process has been initiated to make certain that our refugee and  immigration laws are honored.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":261,"text":"This year the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy will  complete its work and forward its advice and recommendations. I hope that  the recommendations will be carefully considered by the new Administration  and the Congress, for it is clear that we must take additional action to  keep our immigration policy responsive to emergencies and ever changing  times.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":262,"text":"VETERANS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":263,"text":"This country and its leadership has a continuing and unique obligation to  the men and women who served their nation in the armed forces and help  maintain or restore peace in the world.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":264,"text":"My commitment to veterans, as evidenced by my record, is characterized by a  conscientious and consistent emphasis in these general areas:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":265,"text":"First, we have worked to honor the Vietnam veteran. During my  Administration, and under the leadership of VA Administrator Max Cleland, I  was proud to lead our country in an overdue acknowledgement of our Nation's  gratitude to the men and women who served their country during the bitter  war in Southeast Asia. Their homecoming was deferred and seemed doomed to  be ignored. Our country has matured in the last four years and at long last  we were able to separate the war from the warrior and honor these veterans.  But with our acknowledgement of their service goes an understanding that  some Vietnam veterans have unique needs and problems.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":266,"text":"My Administration was able to launch a long sought after psychological  readjustment and outreach program, unprecedented in its popularity,  sensitivity and success. This program must be continued. The Administration  has also grappled with the difficult questions posed by some veterans who  served in Southeast Asia and were exposed to potentially harmful  substances, including the herbicide known as Agent Orange. We have launched  scientific inquiries that should answer many veterans' questions about  their health and should provide the basis for establishing sound  compensation policy. We cannot rest until their concerns are dealt with in  a sensitive, expeditious and compassionate fashion.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":267,"text":"Second, we have focused the VA health care system in the needs of the  service-connected disabled veteran. We initiated and are implementing the  first reform of the VA vocational rehabilitation system since its inception  in 1943. Also, my Administration was the first to seek a cost-of-living  increase for the recipients of VA compensation every year. My last budget  also makes such a request. The Administration also launched the Disabled  Veterans Outreach Program in the Department of Labor which has successfully  placed disabled veterans in jobs. Services provided by the VA health care  system will be further targeted to the special needs of disabled veterans  during the coming year.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":268,"text":"Third, the VA health care system, the largest in the free world, has  maintained its independence and high quality during my Administration. We  have made the system more efficient and have therefore treated more  veterans than ever before by concentrating on out-patient care and through  modern management improvements. As the median age of the American veteran  population increases, we must concentrate on further changes within the VA  system to keep it independent and to serve as a model to the nation and to  the world as a center for research, treatment and rehabilitation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":269,"text":"Government Assistance  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":270,"text":"GENERAL AID TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":271,"text":"Since taking office, I have been strongly committed to strengthening the  fiscal and economic condition of our Nation's State and local governments.  I have accomplished this goal by encouraging economic development of local  communities, and by supporting the General Revenue Sharing and other  essential grant-in-aid programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":272,"text":"GRANTS-IN-AID TO STATES AND LOCALITIES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":273,"text":"During my Administration, total grants-in-aid to State and local  governments have increased by more than 40 percent, from $68 billion in  Fiscal Year 1977 to $96 billion in Fiscal Year 1981. This significant  increase in aid has allowed States and localities to maintain services that  are essential to their citizens without imposing onerous tax burdens. It  also has allowed us to establish an unprecedented partnership between the  leaders of the Federal government and State and local government elected  officials.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":274,"text":"GENERAL REVENUE SHARING  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":275,"text":"Last year Congress enacted legislation that extends the General Revenue  Sharing program for three more years. This program is the cornerstone of  our efforts to maintain the fiscal health of our Nation's local government.  It will provide $4.6 billion in each of the next three years to cities,  counties and towns. This program is essential to the continued ability of  our local governments to provide essential police, fire and sanitation  services.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":276,"text":"This legislation renewing GRS will be the cornerstone of  Federal-State-local government relations in the 1980's. This policy will  emphasize the need for all levels of government to cooperate in order to  meet the needs of the most fiscally strained cities and counties, and also  will emphasize the important role that GRS can play in forging this  partnership. I am grateful that Congress moved quickly to assure that our  Nation's localities can begin the 1980's in sound fiscal condition.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":277,"text":"COUNTER-CYCLICAL ASSISTANCE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":278,"text":"Last year, I proposed that Congress enact a $1 billion counter-cyclical  fiscal assistance program to protect States and localities from unexpected  changes in the national economy. This program unfortunately was not enacted  by the [full] Congress. I, therefore, have not included funding for  counter-cyclical aid in my Fiscal Year 1982 budget. Nevertheless, I urge  Congress to enact a permanent stand-by counter-cyclical program, so that  States and cities can be protected during the next economic downturn.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":279,"text":"URBAN POLICY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":280,"text":"Three years ago, I proposed the Nation's first comprehensive urban policy.  That policy involved more than one hundred improvements in existing Federal  programs, four new Executive Orders and nineteen pieces of urban-oriented  legislation. With Congress' cooperation, sixteen of these bills have now  been signed into law.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":281,"text":"ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":282,"text":"One of the principal goals of my domestic policy has been to strengthen the  private sector economic base of our Nation's economically troubled urban  and rural areas. With Congress' cooperation, we have substantially expanded  the Federal government's economic development programs and provided new tax  incentives for private investment in urban and rural communities. These  programs have helped many communities to attract new private sector jobs  and investments and to retain the jobs and investments that already are in  place.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":283,"text":"When I took office, the Federal government was spending less than $300  million annually on economic development programs, and only $60 million of  those funds in our Nation's urban areas. Since that time, we have created  the Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) program and substantially  expanded the economic development programs in the Commerce Department. My  FY 1982 budget requests more than $1.5 billion for economic development  grants, loans and interest subsidies and almost $1.5 billion for loan  guarantees. Approximately 60 percent of these funds will be spent in our  Nation's urban areas. In addition, we have extended the 10 percent  investment credit to include rehabilitation of existing industrial  facilities as well as new construction.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":284,"text":"I continue to believe that the development of private sector investment and  jobs is the key to revitalizing our Nation's economically depressed urban  and rural areas. To ensure that the necessary economic development goes  forward, the Congress must continue to provide strong support for the UDAG  program and the programs for the Economic Development Administration. Those  programs provide a foundation for the economic development of our Nation in  the 1980's.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":285,"text":"COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":286,"text":"The partnership among Federal, State and local governments to revitalize  our Nation's communities has been a high priority of my Administration.  When I took office, I proposed a substantial expansion of the Community  Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the enactment of a new $400  million Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) program. Both of these  programs have provided essential community and economic development  assistance to our Nation's cities and counties.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":287,"text":"Last year, Congress reauthorized both the CDBG and UDAG programs. The CDBG  program was reauthorized for three more years with annual funding increases  of $150 million, and the UDAG program was extended for three years at the  current funding level of $675 million annually. My 1982 budget requests  full funding for both of these programs. These actions should help our  Nation's cities and counties to continue the progress they have made in the  last three years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":288,"text":"NEIGHBORHOODS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":289,"text":"During my Administration we have taken numerous positive steps to achieve a  full partnership of neighborhood organizations and government at all  levels. We have successfully fought against red lining and housing  discrimination. We created innovative Self Help funding and technical  resource transfer mechanisms. We have created unique methods of access for  neighborhood organizations to have a participating role in Federal and  State government decision-making. Neighborhood based organizations are the  threshold of the American community.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":290,"text":"The Federal government will need to develop more innovative and practical  ways for neighborhood based organizations to successfully participate in  the identification and solution of local and neighborhood concerns. Full  partnership will only be achieved with the knowing participation of leaders  of government, business, education and unions. Neither state nor Federal  solutions imposed from on high will suffice. Neighborhoods are the fabric  and soul of this great land. Neighborhoods define the weave that has been  used to create a permanent fabric. The Federal government must take every  opportunity to provide access and influence to the individuals and  organizations affected at the neighborhood level.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":291,"text":"Rural Policy  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":292,"text":"Since the beginning of my Administration, I have been committed to  improving the effectiveness with which the Federal government deals with  the problems and needs of a rapidly changing rural America. The rapid  growth of some rural areas has placed a heavy strain on communities and  their resources. There are also persistent problems of poverty and economic  stagnation in other parts of rural America. Some rural areas continue to  lose population, as they have for the past several decades.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":293,"text":"In December, 1979, I announced the Small Community and Rural Development  Policy. It was the culmination of several years' work and was designed to  address the varying needs of our rural population. In 1980, my  Administration worked with the Congress to pass the Rural Development  Policy Act of 1980, which when fully implemented will allow us to meet the  needs of rural people and their communities more effectively and more  efficiently.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":294,"text":"As a result of the policy and the accompanying legislation, we have:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":295,"text":"--Created the position of Under Secretary of Agriculture for Small  Community and Rural Development to provide overall leadership.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":296,"text":"--Established a White House Working Group to assist in the implementation  of the policy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":297,"text":"--Worked with more than 40 governors to form State rural development  councils to work in partnership with the White House Working Group, and the  Federal agencies, to better deliver State and Federal programs to rural  areas.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":298,"text":"--Directed the White House Working Group to annually review existing and  proposed policies, programs, and budget levels to determine their adequacy  in meeting rural needs and the fulfilling of the policy's objectives and  principles.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":299,"text":"This effort on the part of my Administration and the Congress has resulted  in a landmark policy. For the first time, rural affairs has received the  prominence it has always deserved. It is a policy that can truly help  alleviate the diverse and differing problems rural America will face in the  1980's.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":300,"text":"With the help and dedication of a great many people around the country who  are concerned with rural affairs, we have constructed a mechanism for  dealing effectively with rural problems. There is now a great opportunity  to successfully combine Federal efforts with the efforts of rural community  leaders and residents. It is my hope this spirit of cooperation and record  of accomplishment will be continued in the coming years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":301,"text":"CONSUMERS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":302,"text":"In September, 1979, I signed an Executive Order designed to strengthen and  coordinate Federal consumer programs and to establish procedures to improve  and facilitate consumer participation in government decision-making. Forty  Federal agencies have adopted programs to comply with the requirements of  the Order. These programs will improve complaint handling, provide better  information to consumers, enhance opportunities for public participation in  government proceedings, and assure that the consumer point of view is  considered in all programs, policies, and regulations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":303,"text":"While substantial progress has been made in assuring a consumer presence in  Federal agencies, work must continue to meet fully the goals of the  Executive Order. Close monitoring of agency compliance with the  requirements of the Order is necessary. Continued evaluation to assure that  the programs are effective and making maximum use of available resources is  also essential. As a complement to these initiatives, efforts to provide  financial assistance in regulatory proceedings to citizen groups, small  businesses, and others whose participation is limited by their economic  circumstances must continue to be pursued.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":304,"text":"It is essential that consumer representatives in government pay particular  attention to the needs and interests of low-income consumers and  minorities. The Office of Consumer Affairs' publication, \"People Power:  What Communities Are Doing to Counter Inflation,\" catalogues some of the  ways that government and the private sector can assist the less powerful in  our society to help themselves. New ways should be found to help foster  this new people's movement which is founded on the principle of  self-reliance.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":305,"text":"Science and Technology  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":306,"text":"Science and technology contribute immeasurably to the lives of all  Americans. Our high standard of living is largely the product of the  technology that surrounds us in the home or factory. Our good health is due  in large part to our ever increasing scientific understanding. Our national  security is assured by the application pate science and technology will  bring.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":307,"text":"The Federal government has a special role to play in science and  technology. Although the fruits of scientific achievements surround us, it  is often difficult to predict the benefits that will arise from a given  scientific venture. And these benefits, even if predictable, do not usually  lead to ownership rights. Accordingly, the Government has a special  obligation to support science as an investment in our future.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":308,"text":"My Administration has sought to reverse a decade-long decline in funding.  Despite the need for fiscal restraint, real support of basic research has  grown nearly 11% during my term in office. And, my Administration has  sought to increase the support of long-term research in the variety of  mission agencies. In this way, we can harness the American genius for  innovation to meet the economic, energy, health, and security challenges  that confront our nation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":309,"text":"--International Relations and National Security. Science and technology  are becoming increasingly important elements of our national security and  foreign policies. This is especially so in the current age of sophisticated  defense systems and of growing dependence among all countries on modern  technology for all aspects of their economic strength. For these reasons,  scientific and technological considerations have been integral elements of  the Administration's decision-making on such national security and foreign  policy issues as the modernization of our strategic weaponry, arms control,  technology transfer, the growing bilateral relationship with China, and our  relations with the developing world.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":310,"text":"Four themes have shaped U.S. policy in international scientific and  technological cooperation: pursuit of new international initiatives to  advance our own research and development objectives; development and  strengthening of scientific exchange to bridge politically ideological, and  cultural divisions between this country and other countries; formulation of  programs and institutional relations to help developing countries use  science and technology beneficially; and cooperation with other nations to  manage technologies with local impact. At my direction, my Science and  Technology Adviser has actively pursued international programs in support  of these four themes. We have given special attention to scientific and  technical relations with China, to new forms of scientific and technical  cooperation with Japan, to cooperation with Mexico, other Latin American  and Caribbean countries and several states in Black America, and to the  proposed Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":311,"text":"In particular our cooperation with developing countries reflects the  importance that each of them has placed on the relationship between  economic growth and scientific and technological capability. It also  reflects their view that the great strength of the U.S. in science and  technology makes close relations with the U.S. technical community an  especially productive means of enhancing this capability. Scientific and  technological assistance is a key linkage between the U.S. and the  developing world, a linkage that has been under-utilized in the past and  one which we must continue to work to strengthen.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":312,"text":"--Space Policy. The Administration has established a framework for a  strong and evolving space program for the 1980's.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":313,"text":"The Administration's space policy reaffirmed the separation of military  space systems and the open civil space program, and at the same time,  provided new guidance on technology transfer between the civil and military  programs. The civil space program centers on three basic tenets: First, our  space policy will reflect a balanced strategy of applications, science, and  technology development. Second, activities will be pursued when they can be  uniquely or more efficiently accomplished in space. Third, a premature  commitment to a high challenge, space-engineering initiative of the  complexity of Apollo is inappropriate. As the Shuttle development phases  down, however, there will be added flexibility to consider new space  applications, space science and new space exploration activities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":314,"text":"--Technology Development. The Shuttle dominates our technology development  effort and correctly so. It represents one of the most sophisticated  technological challenges ever undertaken, and as a result, has encountered  technical problems. Nonetheless, the first manned orbital flight is now  scheduled for March, 1981. I have been pleased to support strongly the  necessary funds for the Shuttle throughout my Administration.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":315,"text":"--Space Applications. Since 1972, the U.S. has conducted experimental  civil remote sensing through Landsat satellites, thereby realizing many  successful applications. Recognizing this fact, I directed the  implementation of an operational civil land satellite remote sensing  system, with the operational management responsibility in Commerce's  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In addition, because ocean  observations from space can meet common civil and military data  requirements, a National Oceanic Satellite System has been proposed as a  major FY 1981 new start.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":316,"text":"--Space Science Exploration. The goals of this Administration's policy in  space science have been to: (1) continue a vigorous program of planetary  exploration to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system; (2)  utilize the space telescope and free-flying satellites to usher in a new  era of astronomy; (3) develop a better understanding of the sun and its  interaction with the terrestrial environment; and (4) utilize the Shuttle  and Spacelab to conduct basic research that complements earth-based life  science investigations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":317,"text":"DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":318,"text":"Washington, D.C., is home to both the Federal Government and to more than  half a million American citizens. I have worked to improve the relationship  between the Federal establishment and the Government of the District of  Columbia in order to further the goals and spirit of home rule. The City  controls more of its own destiny than was the case four years ago. Yet,  despite the close cooperation between my Administration and that of Mayor  Barry, we have not yet seen the necessary number of states ratify the  Constitutional Amendment granting full voting representation in the  Congress to the citizens of this city. It is my hope that this inequity  will be rectified. The country and the people who inhabit Washington  deserve no less.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":319,"text":"THE ARTS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":320,"text":"The arts are a precious national resource.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":321,"text":"Federal support for the arts has been enhanced during my Administration by  expanding government funding and services to arts institutions, individual  artists, scholars, and teachers through the National Endowment for the  Arts. We have broadened its scope and reach to a more diverse population.  We have also reactivated the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":322,"text":"It is my hope that during the coming years the new Administration and the  Congress will:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":323,"text":"--Continue support of institutions promoting development and understanding  of the arts;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":324,"text":"--Encourage business participants in a comprehensive effort to achieve a  truly mixed economy of support for the arts;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":325,"text":"--Explore a variety of mechanisms to nurture the creative talent of our  citizens and build audiences for their work;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":326,"text":"--Support strong, active National Endowments for the Arts;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":327,"text":"--Seek greater recognition for the rich cultural tradition of the nation's  minorities;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":328,"text":"--Provide grants for the arts in low-income neighborhoods.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":329,"text":"THE HUMANITIES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":330,"text":"In recently reauthorizing Federal appropriations for the National Endowment  for the Humanities, the Congress has once again reaffirmed that \"the  encouragement and support of national progress and scholarship in the  humanities . . . while primarily a matter for private and local initiative,  is also an appropriate matter of concern to the Federal Government\" and  that \"a high civilization must not limit its efforts to science and  technology alone but must give full value and support to the other great  branches of man's scholarly and cultural activity in order to achieve a  better understanding of the past, a better analysis of the present, and a  better view of the future.\"  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":331,"text":"I believe we are in agreement that the humanities illuminate the values  underlying important personal, social, and national questions raised in our  society by its multiple links to and increasing dependence on technology,  and by the diverse heritage of our many regions and ethnic groups. The  humanities cast light on the broad issue of the role in a society of men  and women of imagination and energy--those individuals who through their  own example define \"the spirit of the age,\" and in so doing move nations.  Our Government's support for the humanities, within the framework laid down  by the Congress, is a recognition of their essential nourishment of the  life of the mind and vital enrichment of our national life.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":332,"text":"I will be proposing an increase in funding this year sufficient to enable  the Endowment to maintain the same level of support offered our citizens in  Fiscal Year 1981.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":333,"text":"In the allocation of this funding, special emphasis will be given to:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":334,"text":"--Humanities education in the nation's schools, in response to the great  needs that have arisen in this area;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":335,"text":"--Scholarly research designed to increase our understanding of the  cultures, traditions, and historical forces at work in other nations and in  our own;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":336,"text":"--Drawing attention to the physical disintegration of the raw material of  our cultural heritage--books, manuscripts, periodicals, and other  documents--and to the development of techniques to prevent the destruction  and to preserve those materials; and  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":337,"text":"--The dissemination of quality programming in the humanities to  increasingly large American audiences through the use of radio and  television.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":338,"text":"The dominant effort in the Endowment's expenditures will be a commitment to  strengthen and promulgate scholarly excellence and achievement in work in  the humanities in our schools, colleges, universities, libraries, museums  and other cultural institutions, as well as in the work of individual  scholars or collaborative groups engaged in advanced research in the  humanities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":339,"text":"In making its grants the Endowment will increase its emphasis on techniques  which stimulate support for the humanities from non-Federal sources, in  order to reinforce our tradition of private philanthropy in this field, and  to insure and expand the financial viability of our cultural institutions  and life.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":340,"text":"INSULAR AREAS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":341,"text":"I have been firmly committed to self-determination for Puerto Rico, the  Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands, and  have vigorously supported the realization of whatever political status  aspirations are democratically chosen by their peoples. This principle was  the keystone of the comprehensive territorial policy I sent the Congress  last year. I am pleased that most of the legislative elements of that  policy were endorsed by the 96th Congress.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":342,"text":"The unique cultures, fragile economies, and locations of our Caribbean and  Pacific Islands are distinct assets to the United States which require the  sensitive application of policy. The United States Government should pursue  initiatives begun by my Administration and the Congress to stimulate  insular economic development; enhance treatment under Federal programs  eliminating current inequities; provide vitally needed special assistance  and coordinate and rationalize policies. These measures will result in  greater self-sufficiency and balanced growth. In particular, I hope that  the new Congress will support funding for fiscal management, comprehensive  planning and other technical assistance for the territories, as well as  create the commission I have proposed to review the applicability of all  Federal laws to the insular areas and make recommendations for appropriate  modification.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":343,"text":"IV. REMOVING GOVERNMENTAL WASTE AND INEFFICIENCY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":344,"text":"One of my major commitments has been to restore public faith in our Federal  government by cutting out waste and inefficiency. In the past four years,  we have made dramatic advances toward this goal, many of them previously  considered impossible to achieve. Where government rules and operations  were unnecessary, they have been eliminated, as with airline, rail,  trucking and financial deregulation. Where government functions are needed,  they have been streamlined, through such landmark measures as the Civil  Service Reform Act of 1978. I hope that the new administration and the  Congress will keep up the momentum we have established for effective and  responsible change in this area of crucial public concern.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":345,"text":"CIVIL SERVICE REFORM  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":346,"text":"In March 1978, I submitted the Civil Service Reform Act to Congress. I  called it the centerpiece of my efforts to reform and reorganize the  government. With bipartisan support from Congress, the bill passed, and I  am pleased to say that implementation is running well ahead of the  statutory schedule. Throughout the service, we are putting into place the  means to assure that reward and retention are based on performance and not  simply on length of time on the job. In the first real test of the Reform  Act, 98 percent of the eligible top-level managers joined the Senior  Executive Service, choosing to relinquish job protections for the challenge  and potential reward of this new corps of top executives. Though the Act  does not require several of its key elements to be in operation for another  year, some Federal agencies already have established merit pay systems for  GS-13-15 managers, and most agencies are well on their way to establishing  new performance standards for all their employees. All have paid out, or  are now in the process of paying out, performance bonuses earned by  outstanding members of the Senior Executive Service. Dismissals have  increased by 10 percent, and dismissals specifically for inadequate job  performance have risen 1500 percent, since the Act was adopted. Finally, we  have established a fully independent Merit Systems Protection Board and  Special Counsel to protect the rights of whistle-blowers and other Federal  employees faced with threats to their rights.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":347,"text":"In 1981, civil service reform faces critical challenges, all agencies must  have fully functioning performance appraisal systems for all employees, and  merit pay systems for compensating the government's 130,000 GS-13-15  managers. Performance bonuses for members of the Senior Executive Service  will surely receive scrutiny. If this attention is balanced and  constructive, it can only enhance the chances for ultimate success of our  bipartisan commitment to the revolutionary and crucial \"pay for  performance\" concept.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":348,"text":"REGULATORY REFORM  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":349,"text":"During the past four years we have made tremendous progress in regulatory  reform. We have discarded old economic regulations that prevented  competition and raised consumer costs, and we have imposed strong  management principles on the regulatory programs the country needs, cutting  paperwork and other wasteful burdens. The challenge for the future is to  continue the progress in both areas without crippling vital health and  safety programs.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":350,"text":"Our economic deregulation program has achieved major successes in five  areas:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":351,"text":"Airlines: The Airline Deregulation Act is generating healthy competition,  saving billions in fares, and making the airlines more efficient. The Act  provides that in 1985 the CAB itself will go out of existence.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":352,"text":"Trucking: The trucking deregulation bill opens the industry to competition  and allows truckers wide latitude on the routes they drive and the goods  they haul. The bill also phases out most of the old law's immunity for  setting rates. The Congressional Budget Office estimates these reforms will  save as much as $8 billion per year and cut as much as half a percentage  point from the inflation rate.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":353,"text":"Railroads: Overregulation has stifled railroad management initiative,  service, and competitive pricing. The new legislation gives the railroads  the freedom they need to rebuild a strong, efficient railroad industry.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":354,"text":"Financial Institutions: With the help of the Congress, over the past four  years we have achieved two major pieces of financial reform legislation,  legislation which has provided the basis for the most far-reaching changes  in the financial services industry since the 1930's. The International  Banking Act of 1978 was designed to reduce the advantages that foreign  banks operating in the United States possessed in comparison to domestic  banks. The Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act,  adopted last March, provides for the phased elimination of a variety of  anti-competitive barriers to financial institutions and freedom to offer  services to and attract the savings of consumers, especially small savers.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":355,"text":"Recently, I submitted to the Congress my Administration's recommendations  for the phased liberalization of restrictions on geographic expansion by  commercial banks. Last year the Administration and financial regulatory  agencies proposed legislation to permit the interstate acquisition of  failing depository institutions. In view of the difficult outlook for some  depository institutions I strongly urge the Congress to take prompt  favorable action on the failing bank legislation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":356,"text":"Telecommunications: While Congress did not pass legislation in this area,  the Federal Communications Commission has taken dramatic action to open all  aspects of communications to competition and to eliminate regulations in  the areas where competition made them obsolete. The public is benefitting  from an explosion of competition and new services.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":357,"text":"While these initiatives represent dramatic progress in economic  deregulation, continued work is needed. I urge Congress to act on  communications legislation and to consider other proposed deregulation  measures, such as legislation on the bus industry. In addition, the  regulatory commissions must maintain their commitment to competition as the  best regulator of all.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":358,"text":"The other part of my reform program covers the regulations that are needed  to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens. For these  regulations, my Administration has created a management program to cut  costs without sacrificing goals. Under my Executive Order 12044, we  required agencies to analyze the costs of their major new rules and  consider alternative approaches, such as performance standards and  voluntary codes, that may make rules less costly and more flexible. We  created the Regulatory Analysis Review Group in the White House to analyze  the most costly proposed new rules and find ways to improve them. The  Regulatory Council was established to provide the first Government-wide  listing of upcoming rules and eliminate overlapping and conflicting  regulations. Agencies have launched \"sunset\" programs to weed out outmoded  old regulations. We have acted to encourage public participation in  regulatory decision-making.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":359,"text":"These steps have already saved billions of dollars in regulatory costs and  slashed thousands of outmoded regulations. We are moving steadily toward a  regulatory system that provides needed protections fairly, predictably, and  at minimum cost.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":360,"text":"I urge Congress to continue on this steady path and resist the simplistic  solutions that have been proposed as alternatives. Proposals like  legislative veto and increased judicial review will add another layer to  the regulatory process, making it more cumbersome and inefficient. The  right approach to reform is to improve the individual statutes, where they  need change, and to ensure that the regulatory agencies implement those  statutes sensibly.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":361,"text":"PAPERWORK REDUCTION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":362,"text":"The Federal Government imposes a huge paperwork burden on business, local  government, and the private sector. Many of these forms are needed for  vital government functions, but others are duplicative, overly complex or  obsolete.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":363,"text":"During my Administration we cut the paperwork burden by 15 percent, and we  created procedures to continue this progress. The new Paperwork Reduction  Act centralizes, in OMB, oversight of all agencies' information  requirements and strengthens OMB's authority to eliminate needless forms.  The \"paperwork budget\" process, which I established by executive order,  applies the discipline of the budget process to the hours of reporting time  imposed on the public, forcing agencies to scrutinize all their forms each  year. With effective implementation, these steps should allow further,  substantial paperwork cuts in the years ahead.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":364,"text":"TIGHTENING STANDARDS FOR GOVERNMENTAL EFFICIENCY AND INTEGRITY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":365,"text":"To develop a foundation to carry out energy policy, we consolidated  scattered energy programs and launched the Synthetic Fuels Corporation; to  give education the priority it deserves and at the same time reduce HHS to  more manageable size, I gave education a seat at the Cabinet table, to  create a stronger system for attacking waste and fraud, I reorganized audit  and investigative functions by putting an Inspector General in major  agencies. Since I took office, we have submitted 14 reorganization  initiatives and had them all approved by Congress. We have saved hundreds  of millions of dollars through the adoption of businesslike cash management  principles and set strict standards for personal financial disclosure and  conflict of interest avoidance by high Federal officials.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":366,"text":"To streamline the structure of the government, we have secured approval of  14 reorganization initiatives, improving the efficiency of the most  important sectors of the government, including energy, education, and civil  rights enforcement. We have eliminated more than 300 advisory committees as  well as other agencies, boards and commissions which were obsolete or  ineffective. Independent Inspectors General have been appointed in major  agencies to attack fraud and waste. More than a billion dollars of  questionable transactions have been identified through their audit  activities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":367,"text":"The adoption of business-like cash management and debt collection  initiatives will save over $1 billion, by streamlining the processing of  receipts, by controlling disbursements more carefully, and by reducing idle  cash balances. Finally this Administration has set strict standards for  personal financial disclosure and conflict of interest avoidance by high  Federal officials, to elevate the level of public trust in the government.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":368,"text":"V. PROTECTING BASIC RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":369,"text":"I am extremely proud of the advances we have made in ensuring equality and  protecting the basic freedoms of all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":370,"text":"--The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of  Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP) have been reorganized and strengthened  and a permanent civil rights unit has been established in OMB.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":371,"text":"--To avoid fragmented, inconsistent and duplicative enforcement of civil  rights laws, three agencies have been given coordinative and  standard-setting responsibilities in discrete areas: EEOC for all  employment-related activities, HUD for all those relating to housing, and  the Department of Justice for all other areas.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":372,"text":"--With the enactment of the Right to Financial Privacy Act and a bill  limiting police search of newsrooms, we have begun to establish a sound,  comprehensive, privacy program.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":373,"text":"Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment must be aggressively pursued.  Only one year remains in which to obtain ratification by three additional  states.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":374,"text":"The Congress must give early attention to a number of important bills which  remain. These bills would:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":375,"text":"--strengthen the laws against discrimination in housing. Until it is  enacted, the 1968 Civil Rights Act's promise of equal access to housing  will remain unfulfilled;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":376,"text":"--establish a charter for the FBI and the intelligence agencies. The  failure to define in law the duties and responsibilities of these agencies  has made possible some of the abuses which have occurred in recent years;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":377,"text":"--establish privacy safeguards for medical research, bank, insurance, and  credit records; and provide special protection for election fund transfer  systems.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":378,"text":"EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":379,"text":"I remain committed as strongly as possible to the ratification of the Equal  Rights Amendment.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":380,"text":"As a result of our efforts in 1978, the Equal Rights Amendment's deadline  for ratification was extended for three years. We have now one year and  three States left. We cannot afford any delay in marshalling our resources  and efforts to obtain the ratification of those three additional States.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":381,"text":"Although the Congress has no official role in the ratification process at  this point, you do have the ability to affect public opinion and the  support of State Legislators for the Amendment. I urge Members from States  which have not yet ratified the Equal Rights Amendment to use their  influence to secure ratification. I will continue my own efforts to help  ensure ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":382,"text":"MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":383,"text":"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led this Nation's effort to provide all its  citizens with civil rights and equal opportunities. His commitment to human  rights, peace and non-violence stands as a monument to his humanity and  courage. As one of our Nation's most outstanding leaders, it is appropriate  that his birthday be commemorated as a national holiday. I hope the  Congress will enact legislation this year that will achieve this goal.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":384,"text":"FAIR HOUSING  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":385,"text":"The Fair Housing Act Amendments of 1980 passed the House of Representatives  by an overwhelming bipartisan majority only to die in the Senate at the  close of the 96th Congress. The leaders of both parties have pledged to  make the enactment of fair housing legislation a top priority of the  incoming Congress. The need is pressing and a strengthened federal  enforcement effort must be the primary method of resolution.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":386,"text":"CRIMINAL CODE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":387,"text":"The Federal criminal laws are often archaic, frequently contradictory and  imprecise, and clearly in need of revision and codification. The new  Administration should continue the work which has been begun to develop a  Federal criminal code which simplifies and clarifies our criminal laws,  while maintaining our basic civil liberties and protections.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":388,"text":"PRIVACY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":389,"text":"As our public and private institutions collect more and more information  and as communications and computer technologies advance, we must act to  protect the personal privacy of our citizens.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":390,"text":"In the past four years we acted on the report of the Privacy Commission and  established a national privacy policy. We worked with Congress to pass  legislation restricting wiretaps and law enforcement access to bank records  and to reporters' files. We reduced the number of personal files held by  the government and restricted the transfer of personal information among  Federal agencies. We also worked with the Organization for Economic  Cooperation and Development to establish international guidelines to  protect the privacy of personal information that is transferred across  borders.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":391,"text":"VI. PROTECTING AND DEVELOPING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":392,"text":"Two of our Nation's most precious natural resources are our environment and  our vast agricultural capacity. From the beginning of my Administration, I  have worked with the Congress to enhance and protect, as well as develop  our natural resources. In the environmental areas, I have been especially  concerned about the importance of balancing the need for resource  development with preserving a clean environment, and have taken numerous  actions to foster this goal. In the agricultural area, I have taken the  steps needed to improve farm incomes and to increase our agricultural  production to record levels. That progress must be continued in the 1980's.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":393,"text":"ENVIRONMENT  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":394,"text":"Preserving the quality of our environment has been among the most important  objectives of my Administration and of the Congress. As a result of these  shared commitments and the dedicated efforts of many members of the  Congress and my Administration, we have achieved several historic  accomplishments.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":395,"text":"PROTECTION OF ALASKA LANDS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":396,"text":"Passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was one of  the most important conservation actions of this century. At stake was the  fate of millions of acres of beautiful land, outstanding and unique  wildlife populations, native cultures, and the opportunity to ensure that  future generations of Americans would be able to enjoy the benefits of  these nationally significant resources. As a result of the leadership,  commitment, and persistence of my Administration and the Congressional  leadership, the Alaska Lands Bill was signed into law last December.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":397,"text":"The Act adds 97 million acres of new parks and refuges, more than doubling  the size of our National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Systems. The  bill triples the size of our national wilderness system, increasing its  size by 56 million acres. And by adding 25 free-flowing river segments to  the Wild and Scenic River System, the bill almost doubles the river mileage  in that system. The Alaska Lands Act reaffirms our commitment to the  environment and strikes a balance between protecting areas of great beauty  and allowing development of Alaska's oil, gas, mineral, and timber  resources.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":398,"text":"PROTECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":399,"text":"In addition to the Alaska Lands Act, over the past four years we have been  able to expand significantly the national wilderness and parks systems. In  1978, the Congress passed the historical Omnibus Parks Act, which made 12  additions to the National Park System. The Act also established the first  two national trails since the National Trails System Act was passed in  1968. Then, in 1980, as a result of my 1979 Environmental Message, the  Federal land management agencies have established almost 300 new National  Recreational Trails. With the completion of the RARE II process, which  eliminated the uncertainty surrounding the status of millions of acres of  land, we called for over 15 million acres of new wilderness in the nation's  National Forest, in 1980 the Congress established about 4.5 million acres  of wilderness in the lower 48 states. In addition, the Administration  recommended legislation to protect Lake Tahoe, and through an Executive  Order has already established a mechanism to help ensure the Lake's  protection. Finally, in 1980 the Administration established the Channel  Islands Marine Sanctuary.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":400,"text":"Administration actions over the past four years stressed the importance of  providing Federal support only for water resource projects that are  economically and environmentally sound. This policy should have a major and  lasting influence on the federal government's role in water resource  development and management. The Administration's actions to recommend to  the Congress only economically and environmentally sound water resource  projects for funding resulted not only in our opposing uneconomic projects  but also, in 1979, in the first Administration proposal of new project  starts in 4 years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":401,"text":"One of the most significant water policy actions of the past four years was  the Administration's June 6, 1978 Water Policy Reform Message to the  Congress. This Message established a new national water resources policy  with the following objectives:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":402,"text":"--to give priority emphasis to water conservation;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":403,"text":"--to consider environmental requirements and values more fully and along  with economic factors in the planning and management of water projects and  programs;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":404,"text":"--to enhance cooperation between state and federal agencies in water  resources planning and management.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":405,"text":"In addition, the Executive Office of the President established 11 policy  decision criteria to evaluate the proposed federal water projects, the  Water Resources Council developed and adopted a new set of Principles and  Standards for water projects which is binding on all federal construction  agencies, and improved regulations were developed to implement the National  Historic Preservation Act and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. As a  result, water resource projects must be determined to be economically sound  before the Administration will recommend authorization or appropriation.  Over the years ahead, this policy will help to reduce wasteful federal  spending by targeting federal funds to the highest priority water resource  projects.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":406,"text":"In the pursuit of this policy, however, we cannot lose projects. In the  part that sound water resource projects play in providing irrigation,  power, and flood control. We must also recognize the special needs of  particular regions of the country in evaluating the need for additional  projects.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":407,"text":"ADDRESSING GLOBAL RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":408,"text":"The Global 2000 Report to the President, prepared in response to my 1977  Environment Message, is the first of its kind. Never before has our  government, or any government, taken such a comprehensive, long-range look  at the interrelated global issues of resources, population, and  environment.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":409,"text":"The Report's conclusions are important. They point to a rapid increase in  population and human needs through the year 2000 while at the same time a  decline in the earth's capacity to meet those needs, unless nations of the  world act decisively to alter current trends.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":410,"text":"The United States has contributed actively to a series of U.N. conferences  on the environment, population, and resources, and is preparing for  the 1981 Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy. Following my  1977 Environmental Message, the Administration development assistance  programs have added emphasis to natural resource management and  environmental protection. My 1979 Environmental Message called attention to  the alarming loss of world forests, particularly in the tropics. An  interagency task force on tropical forests has developed a U.S. government  program to encourage conservation and wise management of tropical forests.  The Administration is encouraging action by other nations and world  organizations to the same purpose. The United States is a world leader in  wildlife conservation and the assessment of environmental effects of  government actions. The January 5, 1979, Executive Order directing U.S.  government agencies to consider the effects of their major actions abroad,  is another example of this leadership.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":411,"text":"COMMITMENT TO CONTROL OF POLLUTION AND HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":412,"text":"Over the past four years, there has been steady progress towards cleaner  air and water, sustained by the commitment of Congress and the  Administration to these important national objectives. In addition, the  Administration has developed several new pollution compliance approaches  such as alternative and innovative waste water treatment projects, the  \"bubble\" concept, the \"offset\" policy, and permit consolidation, all of  which are designed to reduce regulatory burdens on the private sector.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":413,"text":"One of the most pressing problems to come to light in the past four years  has been improper hazardous waste disposal. The Administration has moved on  three fronts. First, we proposed the Oil Hazardous Substances and Hazardous  Waste Response, Liability and Compensation Act (the Superfund bill) to  provide comprehensive authority and $1.6 billion in funds to clean up  abandoned hazardous waste disposal sites. In November 1980 the Congress  passed a Superfund bill which I signed into law.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":414,"text":"Second, the administration established a hazardous waste enforcement strike  force to ensure that when available, responsible parties are required to  clean up sites posing dangers to public health and to the environment. To  date, 50 lawsuits have been brought by the strike force.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":415,"text":"Third, regulations implementing subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and  Recovery Act were issued. The regulations establish comprehensive controls  for hazardous waste and, together with vigorous enforcement, will help to  ensure that Love Canal will not be repeated.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":416,"text":"THE FUTURE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":417,"text":"For the future, we cannot, and we must not, forget that we are charged with  the stewardship of an irreplaceable environment and natural heritage. Our  children, and our children's children, are dependent upon our maintaining  our commitment to preserving and enhancing the quality of our environment.  It is my hope that when our descendants look back on the 1980's they will  be able to affirm:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":418,"text":"--that we kept our commitment to the restoration of environmental  quality;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":419,"text":"--that we protected the public health from the continuing dangers of toxic  chemicals, from pollution, from hazardous and radioactive waste, and that  we made our communities safer, healthier and better places to live;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":420,"text":"--that we preserved America's wilderness areas and particularly its last  great frontier, Alaska, for the benefit of all Americans in perpetuity;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":421,"text":"--that we put this nation on a path to a sustainable energy future, one  based increasingly on renewable resources and on energy conservation;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":422,"text":"--that we moved to protect America's countryside and coastland from  mismanagement and irresponsibility;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":423,"text":"--that we redirected the management of the nation's water resources toward  water conservation, sound development and environmental protection;  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":424,"text":"--that we faced squarely such worldwide problems as the destruction of  forests, acid rain, carbon dioxide build-up and nuclear proliferation; and  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":425,"text":"--that we protected the habitat and the existence of our own species on  this earth.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":426,"text":"AGRICULTURE THE FARM ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":427,"text":"The farm economy is sound and its future is bright. Agriculture remains a  major bulwark of the nation's economy and an even more important factor in  the world food system. The demand for America's agricultural abundance,  here and abroad, continues to grow. In the near-term, the strength of this  demand is expected to press hard against supplies, resulting in continued  price strength.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":428,"text":"The health and vitality of current-day agriculture represents a significant  departure from the situation that existed when I came to office four years  ago. In January 1977, the farm economy was in serious trouble. Farm prices  and farm income were falling rapidly. Grain prices were at their lowest  levels in years and steadily falling. Livestock producers, in their fourth  straight year of record losses, were liquidating breeding herds at an  unparalleled rate. Dairy farmers were losing money on every hundredweight  of milk they produced. Sugar prices were in a nosedive.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":429,"text":"Through a combination of improvements in old, established programs and the  adoption of new approaches where innovation and change were needed, my  Administration turned this situation around. Commodity prices have steadily  risen. Farm income turned upward. U.S. farm exports set new records each  year, increasing over 80 percent for the four year period. Livestock  producers began rebuilding their herds. Dairy farmers began to earn a  profit again.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":430,"text":"RECENT POLICY INITIATIVES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":431,"text":"Several major agricultural policy initiatives have been undertaken over the  past year. Some are the culmination of policy proposals made earlier in  this Administration; others are measures taken to help farmers offset the  impact of rapid inflation in production costs. In combination, they  represent a significant strengthening of our nation's food and agricultural  policy. These initiatives include:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":432,"text":"FOOD SECURITY RESERVE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":433,"text":"The Congress authorized formation of a 4 million ton food grain reserve for  use in international food assistance. This reserve makes it possible for  the United States to stand behind its food aid commitment to food deficit  nations, even during periods of short supplies and high prices. This  corrects a serious fault in our past food assistance policy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":434,"text":"COMPREHENSIVE CROP INSURANCE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":435,"text":"The Congress also authorized a significant new crop insurance program  during 1980. This measure provides farmers with an important new program  tool for sharing the economic risks that are inherent to agriculture. When  fully operational, it will replace a hodgepodge of disaster programs that  suffered from numerous shortcomings.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":436,"text":"SPECIAL LOAN RATES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":437,"text":"Another legislative measure passed late in the 2nd session of the 96th  Congress authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to provide higher loan  rates to farmers who enter their grain in the farmer-owned grain reserve.  This additional incentive to participate will further strengthen the  reserve.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":438,"text":"INCREASED LOAN PRICES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":439,"text":"In July 1980, I administratively raised loan prices for wheat, feedgrains,  and soybeans to help offset the effects of a serious cost-price squeeze. At  the same time, the release and call prices for the grain reserve were  adjusted upward.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":440,"text":"HIGHER TARGET PRICES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":441,"text":"The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1980 raised the target prices for  1980-crop wheat and feed grain crops. This change corrected for  shortcomings in the adjustment formula contained in the Food and  Agriculture Act of 1977.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":442,"text":"FUTURE AGENDA  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":443,"text":"The food and agricultural policies adopted by this Administration over the  past four years, including those described above, will provide a firm  foundation for future governmental actions in this field. Expiration of the  Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 later this year will require early  attention by the Congress. With relatively minor changes, most of the  authorities contained in the 1977 Act should be extended in their present  form. The farmer-owned grain reserve has proven to be a particularly  effective means of stabilizing grain markets and should be preserved in  essentially its present form.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":444,"text":"Beyond this, it will be important for the Congress to keep a close eye on  price-cost developments in the farm sector. As noted above, some of the  actions I took last year were for the purpose of providing relief from the  cost-price squeeze facing farmers. Should these pressures continue, further  actions might be required.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":445,"text":"My Administration has devoted particular attention to the issues of world  hunger, agricultural land use, and the future structure of American  agriculture. I encourage the Congress and the next Administration to review  the results of these landmark enquiries and, where deemed appropriate, to  act on their recommendations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":446,"text":"Following a careful review of the situation, I recently extended the  suspension of grain sales to the Soviet Union. I am satisfied that this  action has served its purpose effectively and fairly. However, as long as  this suspension must remain in effect, it will be important for the next  Administration and the Congress to take whatever actions are necessary to  ensure that the burden does not fall unfairly on our Nation's farmers. This  has been a key feature of my Administration's policy, and it should be  maintained.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":447,"text":"VII. FOREIGN POLICY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":448,"text":"From the time I assumed office four years ago this month, I have stressed  the need for this country to assert a leading role in a world undergoing  the most extensive and intensive change in human history.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":449,"text":"My policies have been directed in particular at three areas of change:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":450,"text":"--the steady growth and increased projection abroad of Soviet military  power, power that has grown faster than our own over the past two decades.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":451,"text":"--the overwhelming dependence of Western nations, which now increasingly  includes the United States, on vital oil supplies from the Middle East.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":452,"text":"--the pressures of change in many nations of the developing world, in Iran  and uncertainty about the future stability of many developing countries.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":453,"text":"As a result of those fundamental facts, we face some of the most serious  challenges in the history of this nation. The Soviet invasion of  Afghanistan is a threat to global peace, to East-West relations, and to  regional stable flow of oil. As the unprecedented relations, an and  overwhelming vote in the General Assembly demonstrated, countries across  the world, and particularly the nonaligned, regard the Soviet invasion as a  threat to their independence and security. Turmoil within the region  adjacent to the Persian Gulf poses risks for the security and prosperity of  every oil importing nation and thus for the entire global economy. The  continuing holding of American hostages in Iran is both an affront to  civilized people everywhere, and a serious impediment to meeting the  self-evident threat to widely-shared common interests, including those of  Iran.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":454,"text":"But as we focus our most urgent efforts on pressing problems, we will  continue to pursue the benefits that only change can bring. For it always  has been the essence of America that we want to move on, we understand that  prosperity, progress and most of all peace cannot be had by standing still.  A world of nations striving to preserve their independence, and of peoples  aspiring for economic development and political freedom, is not a world  hostile to the ideals and interests of the United States. We face powerful  adversaries, but we have strong friends and dependable allies. We have  common interests with the vast majority of the world's nations and  peoples.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":455,"text":"There have been encouraging developments in recent years, as well as  matters requiring continued vigilance and concern:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":456,"text":"--Our alliances with the world's most advanced and democratic states from  Western Europe through Japan are stronger than ever.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":457,"text":"--We have helped to bring about a dramatic improvement in relations  between Egypt and Israel and an historic step towards a comprehensive  Arab-Israeli settlement.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":458,"text":"--Our relations with China are growing closer, providing a major new  dimension in our policy in Asia and the world.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":459,"text":"--Across southern Africa from Rhodesia to Namibia we are helping with the  peaceful transition to majority rule in a context of respect for minority  as well as majority rights.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":460,"text":"--We have worked domestically and with our allies to respond to an  uncertain energy situation by conservation and diversification of energy  supplies based on internationally agreed targets.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":461,"text":"--We have unambiguously demonstrated our commitment to defend Western  interests in Southwest Asia, and we have significantly increased our  ability to do so.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":462,"text":"--And over the past four years the U.S. has developed an energy program  which is comprehensive and ambitious. New institutions have been  established such as the Synthetic Fuels Corporation and Solar Bank. Price  decontrol for oil and gas is proceeding. American consumers have risen to  the challenge, and we have experienced real improvements in consumption  patterns.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":463,"text":"The central challenge for us today is to our steadfastedness of purpose. We  are no longer tempted by isolationism. But we must also learn to deal  effectively with the contradictions of the world, the need to cooperate  with potential adversaries without euphoria, without undermining our  determination to compete with such adversaries and if necessary confront  the threats they may pose to our security.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":464,"text":"We face a broad range of threats and opportunities. We have and should  continue to pursue a broad range of defense, diplomatic and economic  capabilities and objectives.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":465,"text":"I see six basic goals for America in the world over the 1980's:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":466,"text":"--First, we will continue, as we have over the past four years, to build  America's military strength and that of our allies and friends. Neither the  Soviet Union nor any other nation will have reason to question our will to  sustain the strongest and most flexible defense forces.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":467,"text":"--Second, we will pursue an active diplomacy in the world, working,  together with our friends and allies, to resolve disputes through peaceful  means and to make any aggressor pay a heavy price.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":468,"text":"--Third, we will strive to resolve pressing international economic  problems, particularly energy and inflation, and continue to pursue our  still larger objective of global economic growth through expanded trade and  development assistance and through the preservation of an open multilateral  trading system.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":469,"text":"--Fourth, we will continue vigorously to support the process of building  democratic institutions and improving human rights protection around the  world. We are deeply convinced that the future lies not with dictatorship  but democracy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":470,"text":"--Fifth, we remain deeply committed to the process of mutual and  verifiable arms control, particularly to the effort to prevent the spread  and further development of nuclear weapons. Our decision to defer, but not  abandon our efforts to secure ratification of the SALT II Treaty reflects  our firm conviction that the United States has a profound national  security interest in the constraints on Soviet nuclear forces which only  that treaty can provide.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":471,"text":"--Sixth, we must continue to look ahead in order to evaluate and respond  to resource, environment and population challenges through the end of this  century.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":472,"text":"One very immediate and pressing objective that is uppermost on our minds  and those of the American people is the release of our hostages in Iran.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":473,"text":"We have no basic quarrel with the nation, the revolution or the people  of Iran. The threat to them comes not from American policy but from Soviet  actions in the region. We are prepared to work with the government of Iran  to develop a new and mutually beneficial relationship.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":474,"text":"But that will not be possible so long as Iran continues to hold Americans  hostages, in defiance of the world community and civilized behavior. They  must be released unharmed. We have thus far pursued a measured program of  peaceful diplomatic and economic steps in an attempt to resolve this issue  without resorting to other remedies available to us under international  law. This reflects the deep respect of our nation for the rule of law and  for the safety of our people being held, and our belief that a great power  bears a responsibility to use its strength in a measured and judicious  manner. But our patience is not unlimited and our concern for the  well-being of our fellow citizens grows each day.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":475,"text":"ENHANCING NATIONAL SECURITY, AMERICAN MILITARY STRENGTH  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":476,"text":"The maintenance of national security is my first concern, as it has been  for every president before me.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":477,"text":"We must have both the military power and the political will to deter our  adversaries and to support our friends and allies.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":478,"text":"We must pay whatever price is required to remain the strongest nation in  the world. That price has increased as the military power of our major  adversary has grown and its readiness to use that power been made all too  evident in Afghanistan. The real increases in defense spending, therefore  probably will be higher than previously projected; protecting our security  may require a larger share of our national wealth in the future.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":479,"text":"THE U.S.-SOVIET RELATIONSHIP  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":480,"text":"We are demonstrating to the Soviet Union across a broad front that it will  pay a heavy price for its aggression in terms of our relationship.  Throughout the last decades U.S.-Soviet relations have been a mixture of  cooperation and competition. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the  imposition of a puppet government have highlighted in the starkest terms  the darker side of their policies, going well beyond competition and the  legitimate pursuit of national interest, and violating all norms of  international law and practice.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":481,"text":"This attempt to subjugate an independent, non-aligned Islamic people is a  callous violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, two  fundamentals of international order. Hence, it is also a dangerous threat  to world peace. For the first time since the communization of Eastern  Europe after World War II, the Soviets have sent combat forces into an area  that was not previously under their control, into a non-aligned and  sovereign state.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":482,"text":"The destruction of the independence of the Afghanistan government and the  occupation by the Soviet Union have altered the strategic situation in that  part of the world in a very ominous fashion. It has significantly shortened  the striking distance to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf for the  Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":483,"text":"It has also eliminated a buffer between the Soviet Union and Pakistan and  presented a new threat to Iran. These two countries are now far more  vulnerable to Soviet political intimidation. If that intimidation were to  prove effective, the Soviet Union could control an area of vital strategic  and economic significance to the survival of Western Europe, the Far East,  and ultimately the United States.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":484,"text":"It has now been over a year since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan dealt  a major blow to U.S.-Soviet relations and the entire international system.  The U.S. response has proven to be serious and far-reaching. It has been  increasingly effective, imposing real and sustained costs on the U.S.S.R.'s  economy and international image.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":485,"text":"Meanwhile, we have encouraged and supported efforts to reach a political  settlement in Afghanistan which would lead to a withdrawal of Soviet forces  from that country and meet the interests of all concerned. It is Soviet  intransigence that has kept those efforts from bearing fruit.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":486,"text":"Meanwhile, an overwhelming November resolution of the United Nations  General Assembly on Afghanistan has again made clear that the world has not  and will not forget Afghanistan. And our response continues to make it  clear that Soviet use of force in pursuit of its international objectives  is incompatible with the notion of business-as-usual.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":487,"text":"BILATERAL COMMUNICATION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":488,"text":"U.S.-Soviet relations remain strained by the continued Soviet presence in  Afghanistan, by growing Soviet military capabilities, and by the Soviets'  apparent willingness to use those capabilities without respect for the most  basic norms of international behavior.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":489,"text":"But the U.S.-Soviet relationship remains the single most important element  in determining whether there will be war or peace. And so, despite serious  strains in our relations, we have maintained a dialogue with the Soviet  Union over the past year. Through this dialogue, we have ensured against  bilateral misunderstandings and miscalculations which might escalate out of  control, and have managed to avoid the injection of superpower rivalries  into areas of tension like the Iran-Iraq conflict.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":490,"text":"POLAND  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":491,"text":"Now, as was the case a year ago, the prospect of Soviet use of force  threatens the international order. The Soviet Union has completed  preparations for a possible military intervention against Poland. Although  the situation in Poland has shown signs of stabilizing recently, Soviet  forces remain in a high state of readiness and they could move into Poland  on short notice. We continue to believe that the Polish people should be  allowed to work out their internal problems themselves, without outside  interference, and we have made clear to the Soviet leadership that any  intervention in Poland would have severe and prolonged consequences for  East-West detente, and U.S.-Soviet relations in particular.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":492,"text":"DEFENSE BUDGET  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":493,"text":"For many years the Soviets have steadily increased their real defense  spending, expanded their strategic forces, strengthened their forces in  Europe and Asia, and enhanced their capability for projecting military  force around the world directly or through the use of proxies. Afghanistan  dramatizes the vastly increased military power of the Soviet Union.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":494,"text":"The Soviet Union has built a war machine far beyond any reasonable  requirements for their own defense and security. In contrast, our own  defense spending declined in real terms every year from 1968 through 1976.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":495,"text":"We have reversed this decline in our own effort. Every year since 1976  there has been a real increase in our defense spending, and our lead has  encouraged increases by our allies. With the support of the Congress, we  must and will make an even greater effort in the years ahead.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":496,"text":"The Fiscal Year 1982 budget would increase funding authority for defense to  more than $196 billion. This amount, together with a supplemental request  for FY 1981 of about $6 billion, will more than meet my Administration's  pledge for a sustained growth of 3 percent in real expenditures, and  provides for 5 percent in program growth in FY 1982 and beyond.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":497,"text":"The trends we mean to correct cannot be remedied overnight; we must be  willing to see this program through. To ensure that we do so I am setting a  growth rate for defense that we can sustain over the long haul.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":498,"text":"The defense program I have proposed for the next five years will require  some sacrifice, but sacrifice we can well afford.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":499,"text":"The defense program emphasizes four areas:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":500,"text":"1. It ensures that our strategic nuclear forces will be equivalent to those  of the Soviet Union and that deterrence against nuclear war will be  maintained; 2. It upgrades our forces so that the military balance between  NATO and the Warsaw Pact will continue to deter the outbreak of war,  conventional or nuclear, in Europe; 3. It provides us the ability to come  quickly to the aid of friends and allies around the globe; 4. And it ensures  that our Navy will continue to be the most powerful on the seas.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":501,"text":"STRATEGIC FORCES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":502,"text":"We are strengthening each of the three legs of our strategic forces. The  cruise missile production which will begin next year will modernize our  strategic air deterrent. B-52 capabilities will also be improved. These  steps will maintain and enhance the B-52 fleet by improving its ability to  deliver weapons against increasingly heavily defended targets.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":503,"text":"We are also modernizing our strategic submarine force. Four more POSEIDON  submarines backfitted with new, 4,000 mile TRIDENT I missiles began  deployments in 1980. Nine TRIDENT submarines have been authorized through  1981, and we propose one more each year.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":504,"text":"The new M-X missile program to enhance our land-based intercontinental  ballistic missile force continues to make progress. Technical refinements  in the basing design over the last year will result in operational  benefits, lower costs, and reduced environmental impact. The M-X program  continues to be an essential ingredient in our strategic posture, providing  survivability, endurance, secure command and control and the capability to  threaten targets the Soviets hold dear.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":505,"text":"Our new systems will enable U.S. strategic forces to maintain equivalence  in the face of the mounting Soviet challenge. We would however need an even  greater investment in strategic systems to meet the likely Soviet buildup  without SALT.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":506,"text":"STRATEGIC DOCTRINE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":507,"text":"This Administration's systematic contributions to the necessary evolution  of strategic doctrine began in 1977 when I commissioned a comprehensive net  assessment. From that base a number of thorough investigations of specific  topics continued. I should emphasize that the need for an evolutionary  doctrine is driven not by any change in our basic objective, which remains  peace and freedom for all mankind. Rather, the need for change is driven by  the inexorable buildup of Soviet military power and the increasing  propensity of Soviet leaders to use this power in coercion and outright  aggression to impose their will on others.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":508,"text":"I have codified our evolving strategic doctrine in a number of interrelated  and mutually supporting Presidential Directives. Their overarching theme is  to provide a doctrinal basis, and the specific program to implement it,  that tells the world that no potential adversary of the United States could  ever conclude that the fruits of his aggression would be significant or  worth the enormous costs of our retaliation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":509,"text":"The Presidential Directives include:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":510,"text":"PD-18: An overview of our strategic objectives PD-37: Basic space policy  PD-41: Civil Defense PD-53: Survivability and endurance for  telecommunications PD-57: Mobilization planning PD-58: Continuity of  Government PD-59: Countervailing Strategy for General War.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":511,"text":"These policies have been devised to deter, first and foremost, Soviet  aggression. As such they confront not only Soviet military forces but also  Soviet military doctrine. By definition deterrence requires that we shape  Soviet assessments about the risks of war, assessments they will make using  their doctrine, not ours.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":512,"text":"But at the same time we in no way seek to emulate their doctrine. In  particular, nothing in our policy contemplates that nuclear warfare could  ever be a deliberate instrument for achieving our own goals of peace and  freedom. Moreover, our policies are carefully devised to provide the  greatest possible incentives and opportunities for future progress in arms  control.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":513,"text":"Finally, our doctrinal evolution has been undertaken with appropriate  consultation with our NATO Allies and others. We are fully consistent with  NATO's strategy of flexible response.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":514,"text":"FORCES FOR NATO  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":515,"text":"We are greatly accelerating our ability to reinforce Western Europe with  massive ground and air forces in a crisis. We are undertaking a major  modernization program for the Army's weapons and equipment, adding armor,  firepower, and tactical mobility.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":516,"text":"We are prepositioning more heavy equipment in Europe to help us cope with  attacks with little warning, and greatly strengthening our airlift and  sealift capabilities.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":517,"text":"We are also improving our tactical air forces, buying about 1700 new  fighter and attack aircraft over the next five years, and increasing the  number of Air Force fighter wings by over 10 percent.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":518,"text":"We are working closely with our European allies to secure the Host Nation  Support necessary to enable us to deploy more quickly a greater ratio of  combat forces to the European theater at a lower cost to the United  States.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":519,"text":"SECURITY ASSISTANCE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":520,"text":"As we move to enhance U.S. defense capabilities, we must not lose sight of  the need to assist others in maintaining their own security and  independence. Events since World War II, most recently in Southwest Asia,  have amply demonstrated that U.S. security cannot exist in a vacuum, and  that our own prospects for peace are closely tied to those of our friends.  The security assistance programs which I am proposing for the coming fiscal  year thus directly promote vital U.S. foreign policy and national security  aims, and are integral parts of our efforts to improve and upgrade our own  military forces.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":521,"text":"More specifically, these programs, which are part of our overall foreign  aid request, promote U.S. security in two principal ways. First, they  assist friendly and allied nations to develop the capability to defend  themselves and maintain their own independence. An example during this past  year was the timely support provided Thailand to help bolster that  country's defenses against the large numbers of Soviet-backed Vietnamese  troops ranged along its eastern frontier. In addition, over the years these  programs have been important to the continued independence of other friends  and allies such as Israel, Greece, Turkey and Korea. Second, security  assistance constitutes an essential element in the broad cooperative  relationships we have established with many nations which permit either  U.S. bases on their territory or access by U.S. forces to their facilities.  These programs have been particularly important with regard to the  recently-concluded access agreements with various countries in the Persian  Gulf and Indian Ocean regions and have been crucial to the protection of  our interests throughout Southwest Asia.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":522,"text":"RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":523,"text":"We are systematically enhancing our ability to respond rapidly to non-NATO  contingencies wherever required by our commitments or when our vital  interests are threatened.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":524,"text":"The rapid deployment forces we are assembling will be extraordinarily  flexible: They could range in size from a few ships or air squadrons to  formations as large as 100,000 men, together with their support. Our forces  will be prepared for rapid deployment to any region of strategic  significance.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":525,"text":"Among the specific initiatives we are taking to help us respond to crises  outside of Europe are:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":526,"text":"The development of a new fleet of large cargo aircraft with  intercontinental range; the design and procurement of a force of Maritime  Prepositioning Ships that will carry heavy equipment and supplies for three  Marine Corps brigades; the procurement of fast sealift ships to move large  quantities of men and material quickly from the U.S. to overseas areas of  deployment; increasing training and exercise activities to ensure that our  forces will be well prepared to deploy and operate in distant areas.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":527,"text":"In addition, our European allies have agreed on the importance of providing  support to U.S. deployments to Southwest Asia.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":528,"text":"NAVAL FORCES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":529,"text":"Seapower is indispensable to our global position, in peace and also in war.  Our shipbuilding program will sustain a 550-ship Navy in the 1990's and we  will continue to build the most capable ships afloat.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":530,"text":"The program I have proposed will assure the ability of our Navy to operate  in high threat areas, to maintain control of the seas and protect vital  lines of communication, both military and economic and to provide the  strong maritime component of our rapid deployment forces. This is essential  for operations in remote areas of the world, where we cannot predict far in  advance the precise location of trouble, or preposition equipment on land.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":531,"text":"MILITARY PERSONNEL  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":532,"text":"No matter how capable or advanced our weapons systems, our military  security depends on the abilities, the training and the dedication of the  people who serve in our armed forces. I am determined to recruit and to  retain under any foreseeable circumstances an ample level of such skilled  and experienced military personnel. This Administration has supported for  FY 1981 the largest peacetime increase ever in military pay and  allowances.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":533,"text":"We have enhanced our readiness and combat endurance by improving the  Reserve Components. All reservists are assigned to units structured to  complement and provide needed depth to our active forces. Some reserve  personnel have also now been equipped with new equipment.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":534,"text":"MOBILIZATION PLANNING  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":535,"text":"We have completed our first phase of mobilization planning, the first such  Presidentially-directed effort since World War II. The government-wide  exercise of our mobilization plans at the end of 1980 showed, first, that  planning pays off and, second, that much more needs to be done.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":536,"text":"OUR INTELLIGENCE POSTURE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":537,"text":"Our national interests are critically dependent on a strong and effective  intelligence capability. We will maintain and strengthen the intelligence  capabilities needed to assure our national security. Maintenance of and  continued improvements in our multi-faceted intelligence effort are  essential if we are to cope successfully with the turbulence and  uncertainties of today's world.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":538,"text":"The intelligence budget I have submitted to the Congress responds to our  needs in a responsible way, providing for significant growth over the  Fiscal Year 1981 budget. This growth will enable us to develop new  technical means of intelligence collection while also assuring that the  more traditional methods of intelligence work are also given proper stress.  We must continue to integrate both modes of collection in our analyses.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":539,"text":"REGIONAL POLICIES  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":540,"text":"Every President for over three decades has recognized that America's  interests are global and that we must pursue a global foreign policy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":541,"text":"Two world wars have made clear our stake in Western Europe and the North  Atlantic area. We are also inextricably linked with the Far East,  politically, economically, and militarily. In both of these, the United  States has a permanent presence and security commitments which would be  automatically triggered. We have become increasingly conscious of our  growing interests in a third area, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf  area.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":542,"text":"We have vital stakes in other major regions of the world as well. We have  long recognized that in an era of interdependence, our own security and  prosperity depend upon a larger common effort with friends and allies  throughout the world.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":543,"text":"THE ATLANTIC ALLIANCE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":544,"text":"In recognition of the threat which the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan posed  to Western interests in both Europe and Southwest Asia, NATO foreign and  defense ministers have expressed full support for U.S. efforts to develop a  capability to respond to a contingency in Southwest Asia and have approved  an extensive program to help fill the gap which could be created by the  diversion of U.S. forces to that region.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":545,"text":"The U.S. has not been alone in seeking to maintain stability in the  Southwest Asia area and insure access to the needed resources there. The  European nations with the capability to do so are improving their own  forces in the region and providing greater economic and political support  to the residents of the area. In the face of the potential danger posed by  the Iran-Iraq conflict, we have developed coordination among the Western  forces in the area of the Persian Gulf in order to be able to safeguard  passage in that essential waterway.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":546,"text":"Concerning developments in and around Poland the allies have achieved the  highest level of cohesion and unity of purpose in making clear the effects  on future East-West relations of a precipitous Soviet act there.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":547,"text":"The alliance has continued to build on the progress of the past three years  in improving its conventional forces through the Long-Term Defense Program.  Though economic conditions throughout Europe today are making its  achievement difficult, the yearly real increase of 3 percent in defense  spending remains a goal actively sought by the alliance.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":548,"text":"The NATO alliance also has moved forward during the past year with the  implementation of its historic December 1979 decision to modernize its  Theater Nuclear Force capabilities through deployment of improved Pershing  ballistic missiles and ground-launched cruise missiles in Europe. Our  allies continue to cooperate actively with us in this important joint  endeavor, whose purpose is to demonstrate convincingly to the Soviet Union  the potential costs of a nuclear conflict in Europe. At the same time, we  offered convincing evidence of our commitment to arms control in Europe by  initiating preliminary consultations with the Soviet Union in Geneva on the  subject of negotiated limits on long-range theater nuclear forces. Also,  during 1980 we initiated and carried out a withdrawal from our nuclear  weapons stockpile in Europe of 1,000 nuclear warheads. This successful  drawdown in our nuclear stockpile was a further tangible demonstration of  our commitment to the updating of our existing theater nuclear forces in  Europe.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":549,"text":"In the NATO area, we continued to work closely with other countries in  providing resources to help Turkey regain economic health. We regretted  that massive political and internal security problems led the Turkish  military to take over the government on September 12. The new Turkish  authorities are making some progress in resolving those problems, and they  have pledged an early return to civilian government. The tradition of the  Turkish military gives us cause to take that pledge seriously. We welcomed  the reestablishment of Greece's links to the integrated military command  structure of the Atlantic Alliance--a move which we had strongly  encouraged--as a major step toward strengthening NATO's vital southern  flank at a time of international crisis and tension in adjacent areas.  Greek reintegration exemplifies the importance which the allies place on  cooperating in the common defense and shows that the allies can make the  difficult decisions necessary to insure their continued security. We also  welcomed the resumption of the intercommunal talks on Cyprus.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":550,"text":"THE U.S. AND THE PACIFIC NATIONS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":551,"text":"The United States is a Pacific nation, as much as it is an Atlantic nation.  Our interests in Asia are as important to us as our interests in Europe.  Our trade with Asia is as great as our trade with Europe. During the past  four years we have regained a strong, dynamic and flexible posture for the  United States in this vital region.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":552,"text":"Our major alliances with Japan, Australia and New Zealand are now stronger  than they ever have been, and together with the nations of western Europe,  we have begun to form the basic political structure for dealing with  international crises that affect us all. Japan, Australia and New Zealand  have given us strong support in developing a strategy for responding to  instability in the Persian Gulf.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":553,"text":"Normalization of U.S. relations with China has facilitated China's full  entry into the international community and encouraged a constructive  Chinese role in the Asia-Pacific region. Our relations with China have been  rapidly consolidated over the past year through the conclusion of a series  of bilateral agreements. We have established a pattern of frequent and  frank consultations between our two governments, exemplified by a series of  high-level visits and by regular exchanges at the working level, through  which we have been able to identify increasingly broad areas of common  interest on which we can cooperate.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":554,"text":"United States relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations  (ASEAN) have also expanded dramatically in the past four years. ASEAN is  now the focus for U.S. policy in Southeast Asia, and its cohesion and  strength are essential to stability in this critical area and beyond.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":555,"text":"Soviet-supported Vietnamese aggression in Indo-china has posed a major  challenge to regional stability. In response, we have reiterated our  security commitment to Thailand and have provided emergency security  assistance for Thai forces facing a Vietnamese military threat along the  Thai-Cambodian border. We have worked closely with ASEAN and the U.N. to  press for withdrawal of Vietnamese forces from Cambodia and to encourage a  political settlement in Cambodia which permits that nation to be governed  by leaders of its own choice. We still look forward to the day when  Cambodia peacefully can begin the process of rebuilding its social,  economic and political institutions, after years of devastation and  occupation. And, on humanitarian grounds and in support of our friends in  the region, we have worked vigorously with international organizations to  arrange relief and resettlement for the exodus of Indo-chinese refugees  which threatened to overwhelm these nations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":556,"text":"We have maintained our alliance with Korea and helped assure Korea's  security during a difficult period of political transition.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":557,"text":"We have amended our military base agreement with the Philippines, ensuring  stable access to these bases through 1991. The importance of our Philippine  bases to the strategic flexibility of U.S. forces and our access to the  Indian Ocean is self-evident.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":558,"text":"Finally, we are in the process of concluding a long negotiation  establishing Micronesia's status as a freely associated state.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":559,"text":"We enter the 1980's with a firm strategic footing in East Asia and the  Pacific, based on stable and productive U.S. relations with the majority of  countries of the region. We have established a stable level of U.S.  involvement in the region, appropriate to our own interests and to the  interests of our friends and allies there.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":560,"text":"THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTHWEST ASIA  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":561,"text":"The continuing Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the dislocations caused  by the Iraq-Iran war serve as constant reminders of the critical importance  for us, and our allies, of a third strategic zone stretching across the  Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and much of the Indian subcontinent. This  Southwest Asian region has served as a key strategic and commercial link  between East and West over the centuries. Today it produces two-thirds of  the world's oil exports, providing most of the energy needs of our European  allies and Japan. It has experienced almost continuous conflict between  nations, internal instabilities in many countries, and regional rivalries,  combined with very rapid economic and social change. And now the Soviet  Union remains in occupation of one of these nations, ignoring world opinion  which has called on it to get out.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":562,"text":"We have taken several measures to meet these challenges.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":563,"text":"MIDDLE EAST  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":564,"text":"In the Middle East, our determination to consolidate what has already been  achieved in the peace process--and to buttress that accomplishment with  further progress toward a comprehensive peace settlement--must remain a  central goal of our foreign policy. Pursuant to their peace treaty, Egypt  and Israel have made steady progress in the normalization of their  relations in a variety of fields, bringing the benefits of peace directly  to their people. The new relationship between Egypt and Israel stands as an  example of peaceful cooperation in an increasingly fragmented and turbulent  region.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":565,"text":"Both President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin remain committed to the  current negotiations to provide full autonomy to the inhabitants of the  West Bank and Gaza. These negotiations have been complex and difficult, but  they have already made significant progress, and it is vital that the two  sides, with our assistance, see the process through to a successful  conclusion. We also recognize the need to broaden the peace process to  include other parties to the conflict and believe that a successful  autonomy agreement is an essential first step toward this objective.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":566,"text":"We have also taken a number of steps to strengthen our bilateral relations  with both Israel and Egypt. We share important strategic interests with  both of these countries.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":567,"text":"We remain committed to Israel's security and are prepared to take concrete  steps to support Israel whenever that security is threatened.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":568,"text":"PERSIAN GULF  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":569,"text":"The Persian Gulf has been a vital crossroads for trade between Europe and  Asia at many key moments in history. It has become essential in recent  years for its supply of oil to the United States, our allies, and our  friends. We have taken effective measures to control our own consumption of  imported fuel, working in cooperation with the other key industrial /  nations of the world. However, there is little doubt that the healthy  growth of our American and world economies will depend for many years on  continued safe access to the Persian Gulf's oil production. The denial of  these oil supplies would threaten not only our own but world security.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":570,"text":"The potent new threat from an advancing Soviet Union, against the  background of regional instability of which it can take advantage, requires  that we reinforce our ability to defend our regional friends and to protect  the flow of oil. We are continuing to build on the strong political,  economic, social and humanitarian ties which bind this government and the  American people to friendly governments and peoples of the Persian Gulf.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":571,"text":"We have also embarked on a course to reinforce the trust and confidence our  regional friends have in our ability to come to their assistance rapidly  with American military force if needed. We have increased our naval  presence in the Indian Ocean. We have created a Rapid Deployment Force  which can move quickly to the Gulf--or indeed any other area of the world  where outside aggression threatens. We have concluded several agreements  with countries which are prepared to let us use their airports and naval  facilities in an emergency. We have met requests for reasonable amounts of  American weaponry from regional countries which are anxious to defend  themselves. And we are discussing with a number of our area friends further  ways we can help to improve their security and ours, both for the short and  the longer term.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":572,"text":"SOUTH ASIA  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":573,"text":"We seek a South Asia comprising sovereign and stable states, free of  outside interference, which can strengthen their political institutions  according to their own national genius and can develop their economies for  the betterment of their people.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":574,"text":"The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan has posed a new challenge to this  region, and particularly to neighboring Pakistan. We are engaged in a  continuing dialogue with the Pakistan government concerning its development  and security requirements and the economic burden imposed by Afghan  refugees who have fled to Pakistan. We are participating with other aid  consortium members in debt rescheduling and will continue to cooperate  through the UNHCR in providing refugee assistance. We remain committed to  Pakistan's territorial integrity and independence.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":575,"text":"Developments in the broad South/Southwest Asian region have also lent a new  importance to our relations with India, the largest and strongest power in  the area. We share India's interest in a more constructive relationship.  Indian policies and perceptions at times differ from our own, and we have  established a candid dialogue with this sister democracy which seeks to  avoid the misunderstandings which have sometimes complicated our ties.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":576,"text":"We attach major importance to strong economic assistance programs to the  countries in the area, which include a majority of the poor of the  non-Communist world. We believe that these programs will help achieve  stability in the area, an objective we share with the countries in the  region. Great progress has been achieved by these countries in increasing  food production; international cooperation in harnessing the great river  resources of South Asia would contribute further to this goal and help to  increase energy production.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":577,"text":"We continue to give high priority to our non-proliferation goals in the  area in the context of our broad global and regional priorities. The  decision to continue supply of nuclear fuel to the Indian Tarapur reactors  was sensitive to this effort.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":578,"text":"AFRICA  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":579,"text":"The United States has achieved a new level of trust and cooperation with  Africa. Our efforts, together with our allies, to achieve peace in southern  Africa, our increased efforts to help the poorest countries in Africa to  combat poverty, and our expanded efforts to promote trade and investment  have led to growing respect for the U.S. and to cooperation in areas of  vital interest to the United States.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":580,"text":"Africa is a continent of poor nations for the most part. It also contains  many of the mineral resources vital for our economy. We have worked with  Africa in a spirit of mutual cooperation to help the African nations solve  their problems of poverty and to develop stronger ties between our private  sector and African economies. Our assistance to Africa has more than  doubled in the last four years. Equally important, we set in motion new  mechanisms for private investment and trade.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":581,"text":"Nigeria is the largest country in Black Africa and the second largest oil  supplier to the United States. During this Administration we have greatly  expanded and improved our relationship with Nigeria and other West African  states whose aspirations for a constitutional democratic order we share and  support. This interest was manifested both symbolically and practically by  the visit of Vice President Mondale to West Africa in July (1980) and the  successful visit to Washington of the President of Nigeria in October.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":582,"text":"During Vice President Mondale's visit, a Joint Agricultural Consultative  Committee was established, with the U.S. represented entirely by the  private sector. This could herald a new role for the American private  sector in helping solve the world's serious food shortages. I am pleased to  say that our relations with Nigeria are at an all-time high, providing the  foundation for an even stronger relationship in the years ahead.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":583,"text":"Another tenet of this Administration's approach to African problems has  been encouragement and support for regional solutions to Africa's  problems. We have supported initiatives by the Organization of African  Unity to solve the protracted conflict in the western Sahara, Chad, and the  Horn. In Chad, the world is watching with dismay as a country torn by a  devastating civil war has become a fertile field for Libya's exploitation,  thus demonstrating that threats to peace can come from forces within as  well as without Africa.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":584,"text":"In southern Africa the United States continues to pursue a policy of  encouraging peaceful development toward majority rule. In 1980, Southern  Rhodesia became independent as Zimbabwe, a multiracial nation under a  system of majority rule. Zimbabwean independence last April was the  culmination of a long struggle within the country and diplomatic efforts  involving Great Britain, African states neighboring Zimbabwe, and the  United States.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":585,"text":"The focus of our efforts in pursuit of majority rule in southern Africa has  now turned to Namibia. Negotiations are proceeding among concerned parties  under the leadership of U.N. Secretary General Waldheim. This should lead  to implementation of the U.N. plan for self-determination and independence  for Namibia during 1981. If these negotiations are successfully concluded,  sixty-five years of uncertainty over the status of the territory, including  a seven-year-long war, will be ended.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":586,"text":"In response to our active concern with issues of importance to Africans,  African states have cooperated with us on issues of importance to our  national interests. African states voted overwhelmingly in favor of the  U.N. Resolution calling for release of the hostages, and for the U.N.  Resolution condemning the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Two countries of  Africa have signed access agreements with the U.S. allowing us use of naval  and air facilities in the Indian Ocean.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":587,"text":"Africans have become increasingly vocal on human rights. African leaders  have spoken out on the issue of political prisoners, and the OAU is  drafting its own Charter on Human Rights. Three countries in Africa--  Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda--have returned to civilian rule during the past  year.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":588,"text":"U.S. cooperation with Africa on all these matters represents a strong base  on which we can build in future years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":589,"text":"Liberia is a country of long-standing ties with the U.S. and the site of  considerable U.S. investment and facilities. This past April a coup  replaced the government and a period of political and economic uncertainty  ensued. The U.S. acted swiftly to meet this situation. We, together with  African leaders, urged the release of political prisoners, and many have  been released; we provided emergency economic assistance to help avoid  economic collapse, and helped to involve the IMF and the banking community  to bring about economic stability; and we have worked closely with the new  leaders to maintain Liberia's strong ties with the West and to protect  America's vital interests.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":590,"text":"NORTH AFRICA  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":591,"text":"In early 1979, following a Libyan-inspired commando attack on a Tunisian  provincial city, the U.S. responded promptly to Tunisia's urgent request  for assistance, both by airlifting needed military equipment and by making  clear our longstanding interest in the security and integrity of this  friendly country. The U.S. remains determined to oppose other irresponsible  Libyan aspirations. Despairing of a productive dialogue with the Libyan  authorities, the U.S. closed down its embassy in Libya and later expelled  six Libyan diplomats in Washington in order to deter an intimidation  campaign against Libyan citizens in the U.S.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":592,"text":"U.S. relations with Algeria have improved, and Algeria has played an  indispensable and effective role as intermediary between Iran and the U.S.  over the hostage issue.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":593,"text":"The strengthening of our arms supply relationship with Morocco has helped  to deal with attacks inside its internationally recognized frontiers and to  strengthen its confidence in seeking a political settlement of the Western  Sahara conflict. While not assuming a mediatory role, the U.S. encouraged  all interested parties to turn their energies to a peaceful and sensible  compromise resolution of the war in the Sahara and supported efforts by the  Organization of African Unity toward that end. As the year drew to a close,  the U.S. was encouraged by evolution in the attitudes of all sides, and is  hopeful that their differences will be peacefully resolved in the year  ahead so that the vast economic potential of North Africa can be developed  for the well-being of the people living there.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":594,"text":"LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":595,"text":"The principles of our policies in this hemisphere have been clear and  constant over the last four years. We support democracy and respect for  human rights. We have struggled with many to help free the region of both  repression and terrorism. We have respected ideological diversity and  opposed outside intervention in purely internal affairs. We will act,  though, in response to a request for assistance by a country threatened by  external aggression. We support social and economic development within a  democratic framework. We support the peaceful settlement of disputes. We  strongly encourage regional cooperation and shared responsibilities within  the hemisphere to all these ends, and we have eagerly and regularly sought  the advice of the leaders of the region on a wide range of issues.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":596,"text":"Last November, I spoke to the General Assembly of the Organization of  American States of a cause that has been closest to my heart--human  rights. It is an issue that has found its time in the hemisphere. The cause  is not mine alone, but an historic movement that will endure.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":597,"text":"At Riobamba, Ecuador, last September four Andean Pact countries, Costa  Rica, and Panama broke new ground by adopting a \"Code of Conduct,\" that  joint action in defense of human rights does not violate the principles of  nonintervention in the internal affairs of states in this hemisphere. The  Organization of American States has twice condemned the coup that  overturned the democratic process in Bolivia and the widespread abuse of  human rights by the regime which seized power. The Inter-American  Commission on Human Rights has gained world acclaim for its dispassionate  reports. It completed two major country studies this year in addition to  its annual report. In a resolution adopted without opposition, the OAS  General Assembly in November strongly supported the work of the Commission.  The American Convention on Human Rights is in force and an Inter-American  Court has been created to judge human rights violations. This convention  has been pending before the Senate for two years; I hope the United States  this year will join the other nations of the hemisphere in ratifying a  convention which embodies principles that are our tradition.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":598,"text":"The trend in favor of democracy has continued. During this past year, Peru  inaugurated a democratically elected government. Brazil continues its  process of liberalization. In Central America, Hondurans voted in record  numbers in their first national elections in over eight years. In the  Caribbean seven elections have returned governments firmly committed to the  democratic traditions of the Commonwealth.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":599,"text":"Another major contribution to peace in the hemisphere is Latin America's  own Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. On behalf of the United  States, I signed Protocol I of this Treaty in May of 1977 and sent it to  the Senate for ratification. I urge that it be acted upon promptly by the  Senate in order that it be brought into the widest possible effect in the  Latin American region.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":600,"text":"Regional cooperation for development is gaining from Central America to the  Andes, and throughout the Caribbean. The Caribbean Group for Cooperation in  Economic Development, which we established with 29 other nations in 1977,  has helped channel $750 million in external support for growth in the  Caribbean. The recent meeting of the Chiefs of State of the Eastern  Caribbean set a new precedent for cooperation in that region. Mexico and  Venezuela jointly and Trinidad and Tobago separately have established oil  facilities that will provide substantial assistance to their oil importing  neighbors. The peace treaty between El Salvador and Honduras will hopefully  stimulate Central America to move forward again toward economic  integration. Formation of Caribbean/ Central American Action, a private  sector organization, has given a major impetus to improving  people-to-people bonds and strengthening the role of private enterprise in  the development of democratic societies.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":601,"text":"The Panama treaties have been in force for over a year. A new partnership  has been created with Panama; it is a model for large and small nations. A  longstanding issue that divided us from our neighbors has been resolved.  The security of the canal has been enhanced. The canal is operating as well  as ever, with traffic through it reaching record levels this year. Canal  employees, American and Panamanian alike, have remained on the job and have  found their living and working conditions virtually unchanged.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":602,"text":"In 1980, relations with Mexico continued to improve due in large measure to  the effectiveness of the Coordinator for Mexican Affairs and the expanded  use of the U.S.-Mexico Consultative Mechanism. By holding periodic meetings  of its various working groups, we have been able to prevent mutual concerns  from becoming political issues. The Secretary of State visited Mexico City  in November, and, along with the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations,  reviewed the performance of the Consultative Mechanism. The office of the  Coordinator has ensured the implementation of my directive to all agencies  to accord high priority to Mexican concerns. Trade with Mexico rose by  almost 60 percent to nearly $30 billion, making that country our third  largest trading partner.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":603,"text":"These are all encouraging developments. Other problems remain, however.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":604,"text":"The impact of large-scale migration is affecting many countries in the  hemisphere. The most serious manifestation was the massive, illegal exodus  from Cuba last summer. The Cuban government unilaterally encouraged the  disorderly and even deadly migration of 125,000 of its citizens in complete  disregard for international law or the immigration laws of its neighbors.  Migrations of this nature clearly require concerted action, and we have  asked the OAS to explore means of dealing with similar situations which may  occur in the future.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":605,"text":"We have a long-standing treaty with Colombia on Quita Sueno, Roncador, and  Serrano which remains to be ratified by the Senate.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":606,"text":"In Central America, the future of Nicaragua is unclear. Recent tensions,  the restrictions on the press and political activity, an inordinate Cuban  presence in the country and the tragic killing by the security forces of a  businessman well known for his democratic orientation, cause us  considerable concern. These are not encouraging developments. But those who  seek a free society remain in the contest for their nation's destiny. They  have asked us to help rebuild their country, and by our assistance, to  demonstrate that the democratic nations do not intend to abandon Nicaragua  to the Cubans. As long as those who intend to pursue their pluralistic  goals play important roles in Nicaragua, it deserves our continuing  support.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":607,"text":"In El Salvador, we have supported the efforts of the Junta to change the  fundamental basis of an inequitable system and to give a stake in a new  nation to those millions of people, who for so long, lived without hope or  dignity. As the government struggles against those who would restore an old  tyranny or impose a new one, the United States will continue to stand  behind them.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":608,"text":"We have increased our aid to the Caribbean, an area vital to our national  security, and we should continue to build close relations based on mutual  respect and understanding, and common interests.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":609,"text":"As the nations of this hemisphere prepare to move further into the 1980's,  I am struck by the depth of underlying commitment that there is to our  common principles: non-intervention, peaceful settlement of disputes,  cooperation for development, democracy and defense of basic human rights. I  leave office satisfied that the political, economic, social and  organizational basis for further progress with respect to all these  principles have been substantially strengthened in the past four years. I  am particularly reassured by the leadership by other nations of the  hemisphere in advancing these principles. The success of our common task of  improving the circumstances of all peoples and nations in the hemisphere  can only be assured by the sharing of responsibility. I look forward to a  hemisphere that at the end of this decade has proven itself anew as a  leader in the promotion of both national and human dignity.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":610,"text":"THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":611,"text":"A growing defense effort and a vigorous foreign policy rest upon a strong  economy here in the United States. And the strength of our own economy  depends upon our ability to lead and compete in the international  marketplace.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":612,"text":"ENERGY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":613,"text":"Last year, the war between Iraq and Iran led to the loss of nearly 4  million barrels of oil to world markets, the third major oil market  disruption in the past seven years. This crisis has vividly demonstrated  once again both the value of lessened dependence on oil imports and the  continuing instability of the Persian Gulf area.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":614,"text":"Under the leadership of the United States, the 21 members of the  International Energy Agency took collective action to ensure that the oil  shortfall stemming from the Iran-Iraq war would not be aggravated by  competition for scarce spot market supplies. We are also working together  to see that those nations most seriously affected by the oil disruption--  including our key NATO allies Turkey and Portugal--can get the oil they  need. At the most recent IEA Ministerial meeting we joined the other  members in pledging to take those policy measures necessary to slice our  joint oil imports in the first quarter of 1981 by 2.2 million barrels.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":615,"text":"Our international cooperation efforts in the energy field are not limited  to crisis management. At the Economic Summit meetings in Tokyo and Venice,  the heads of government of the seven major industrial democracies agreed to  a series of tough energy conservation and production goals. We are working  together with all our allies and friends in this effort.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":616,"text":"Construction has begun on a commercial scale coal liquefaction plant in  West Virginia co-financed by the United States, Japan and West Germany. An  interagency task force has just reported to me on a series of measures we  need to take to increase coal production and exports. This report builds on  the work of the International Energy Agency's Coal Industry Advisory Board.  With the assurances of a reliable United States steam coal supply at  reasonable prices, many of the electric power plants to be built in the  1980's and 1990's can be coal-fired rather than oil-burning.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":617,"text":"We are working cooperatively with other nations to increase energy security  in other areas as well. Joint research and development with our allies is  underway in solar energy, nuclear power, industrial conservation and other  areas. In addition, we are assisting rapidly industrializing nations to  carefully assess their basic energy policy choices, and our development  assistance program helps the developing countries to increase indigenous  energy production to meet the energy needs of their poorest citizens. We  support the proposal for a new World Bank energy affiliate to these same  ends, whose fulfillment will contribute to a better global balance between  energy supply and demand.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":618,"text":"INTERNATIONAL MONETARY POLICY  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":619,"text":"Despite the rapid increase in oil costs, the policy measures we have taken  to improve domestic economic performance have had a continued powerful  effect on our external accounts and on the strength of the dollar. A strong  dollar helps in the fight against inflation.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":620,"text":"There has also been considerable forward movement in efforts to improve the  functioning of the international monetary system. The stability of the  international system of payments and trade is important to the stability  and good health of our own economy. We have given strong support to the  innovative steps being taken by the International Monetary Fund and World  Bank to help promote early adjustment to the difficult international  economic problems. Recent agreement to increase quotas by fifty percent  will ensure the IMF has sufficient resources to perform its central role in  promoting adjustment and financing payments imbalances. The World Bank's  new structural adjustment lending program will also make an important  contribution to international efforts to help countries achieve a  sustainable level of growth and development.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":621,"text":"SUGAR  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":622,"text":"In 1980, Congress passed U.S. implementing legislation for the  International Sugar Agreement, thus fulfilling a major commitment of this  Administration. The agreement is an important element in our international  commodity policy with far-reaching implications for our relations with  developing countries, particularly sugar producers in Latin America.  Producers and consumers alike will benefit from a more stable market for  this essential commodity.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":623,"text":"COFFEE  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":624,"text":"At year's end, Congress approved implementing legislation permitting the  U.S. to carry out fully its commitments under International Coffee  Agreement Specifically, the legislation enables us to meet our part of an  understanding negotiated last fall among members of the Agreement, which  defends, by use of export quotas, a price range well below coffee prices of  previous years and which commits major coffee producers to eliminate cartel  arrangements that manipulated future markets to raise prices. The way is  now open to a fully-functioning International Coffee Agreement which can  help to stabilize this major world commodity market. The results will be  positive for both consumers--who will be less likely to suffer from sharp  increases in coffee prices--and producers--who can undertake future  investment with assurance of greater protection against disruptive price  fluctuations in their exports.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":625,"text":"NATURAL RUBBER  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":626,"text":"In 1980, the International Natural Rubber Agreement entered into force  provisionally. U.S. membership in this new body was approved overwhelmingly  by the Senate last year. The natural rubber agreement is a model of its  kind and should make a substantial contribution to a stable world market in  this key industrial commodity. It is thus an excellent example of  constructive steps to improve the operation of the world economy in ways  which can benefit the developing and industrialized countries alike. In  particular, the agreement has improved important U.S. relationships with  the major natural rubber-producing countries of Southeast Asia.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":627,"text":"COMMON FUND  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":628,"text":"The United States joined members of the United Nations Conference on Trade  and Development, both developed and developing nations, in concluding  Articles of Agreement in 1980 for a Common Fund to help international  commodity agreements stabilize the prices of raw materials.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":629,"text":"ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH DEVELOPING NATIONS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":630,"text":"Our relations with the developing nations are of major importance to the  United States. The fabric of our relations with these countries has strong  economic and political dimensions. They constitute the most rapidly growing  markets for our exports, and are important sources of fuel and raw  materials. Their political views are increasingly important, as  demonstrated in their overwhelming condemnation of the Soviet invasion of  Afghanistan. Our ability to work together with developing nations toward  goals we have in common (their political independence, the resolution of  regional tensions, and our growing ties of trade for example) require us to  maintain the policy of active involvement with the developing world that we  have pursued over the past four years.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":631,"text":"The actions we have taken in such areas as energy, trade, commodities, and  international financial institutions are all important to the welfare of  the developing countries. Another important way the United States can  directly assist these countries and demonstrate our concern for their  future is through our multilateral and bilateral foreign assistance  program. The legislation which I will be submitting to you for FY 82  provides the authority and the funds to carry on this activity. Prompt  Congressional action on this legislation is essential in order to attack  such high priority global problems as food and energy, meet our treaty and  base rights agreements, continue our peace efforts in the Middle East,  provide economic and development support to countries in need, promote  progress on North-South issues, protect Western interests, and counter  Soviet influence.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":632,"text":"Our proposed FY 1982 bilateral development aid program is directly  responsive to the agreement reached at the 1980 Venice Economic Summit that  the major industrial nations should increase their aid for food and energy  production and for family planning. We understand that other Summit  countries plan similar responses. It is also important to honor our  international agreements for multilateral assistance by authorizing and  appropriating funds for the International Financial Institutions. These  multilateral programs enhance the efficiency of U.S. contributions by  combining them with those of many other donor countries to promote  development; the proposed new World Bank affiliate to increase energy  output in developing countries offers particular promise. All these types  of aid benefit our long-run economic and political interests.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":633,"text":"Progress was made on a number of economic issues in negotiations throughout  the U.N. system. However, in spite of lengthy efforts in the United  Nations, agreement has not been reached on how to launch a process of  Global Negotiations in which nations might collectively work to solve such  important issues as energy, food, protectionism, and population pressures.  The United States continues to believe that progress can best be made when  nations focus on such specific problems, rather than on procedural and  institutional questions. It will continue to work to move the North-South  dialogue into a more constructive phase.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":634,"text":"FOOD--THE WAR ON HUNGER  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":635,"text":"The War on Hunger must be a continuous urgent priority. Major portions of  the world's population continue to be threatened by the specter of hunger  and malnutrition. During the past year, some 150 million people in 36  African countries were faced with near disaster as the result of serious  drought, induced food shortages. Our government, working in concert with  the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), helped to respond to  that need. But the problems of hunger cannot be solved by short-term  measures. We must continue to support those activities, bilateral and  multilateral, which aim at improving food production especially in  developing countries and assuring global food security. These measures are  necessary to the maintenance of a stable and healthy world economy.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":636,"text":"I am pleased that negotiation of a new Food Aid Convention, which  guarantees a minimum annual level of food assistance, was successfully  concluded in March. The establishment of the International Emergency Wheat  Reserve will enable the U.S. to meet its commitment under the new  Convention to feed hungry people, even in times of short supply.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":637,"text":"Of immediate concern is the prospect of millions of Africans threatened by  famine because of drought and civil disturbances. The U.S. plea for  increased food aid resulted in the organization of an international  pledging conference and we are hopeful that widespread starvation will be  avoided.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":638,"text":"Good progress has been made since the Venice Economic Summit called for  increased effort on this front. We and other donor countries have begun to  assist poor countries develop long-term strategies to improve their food  production. The World Bank will invest up to $4 billion in the next few  years in improving the grain storage and food-handling capacity of  countries prone to food shortages.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":639,"text":"Good progress has been made since the Tokyo Economic Summit called for  increased effort on this front. The World Bank is giving this problem top  priority, as are some other donor countries. The resources of the  consultative Group on International Agricultural Research will be doubled  over a five-year period. The work of our own Institute of Scientific and  Technological Cooperation will further strengthen the search for relevant  new agricultural technologies.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":640,"text":"The goal of freeing the world from hunger by the year 2000 should command  the full support of all countries.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":641,"text":"The Human Dimension of Foreign Policy  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":642,"text":"HUMAN RIGHTS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":643,"text":"The human rights policy of the United States has been an integral part of  our overall foreign policy for the past several years. This policy serves  the national interest of the United States in several important ways: by  encouraging respect by governments for the basic rights of human beings, it  promotes peaceful, constructive change, reduces the likelihood of internal  pressures for violent change and for the exploitation of these by our  adversaries, and thus directly serves our long-term interest in peace and  stability; by matching espousal of fundamental American principles of  freedom with specific foreign policy actions, we stand out in vivid  contrast to our ideological adversaries; by our efforts to expand freedom  elsewhere, we render our own freedom, and our own nation, more secure.  Countries that respect human rights make stronger allies and better  friends.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":644,"text":"Rather than attempt to dictate what system of government or institutions  other countries should have, the U.S. supports, throughout the world, the  internationally recognized human rights which all members of the United  Nations have pledged themselves to respect. There is more than one model  that can satisfy the continuing human reach for freedom and justice:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":645,"text":"1980 has been a year of some disappointments, but has also seen some  positive developments in the ongoing struggle for fulfillment of human  rights throughout the world. In the year we have seen:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":646,"text":"--Free elections were held and democratic governments installed in Peru,  Dominica, and Jamaica. Honduras held a free election for installation of a  constituent assembly. An interim government was subsequently named pointing  toward national presidential elections in 1981. Brazil continues on its  course of political liberalization.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":647,"text":"--The \"Charter of Conduct\" signed in Riobamba, Ecuador, by Ecuador,  Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama and Spain, affirms the  importance of democracy and human rights for the Andean countries.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":648,"text":"--The Organization of American States, in its annual General Assembly,  approved a resolution in support of the Inter-American Human Rights  Commission's work. The resolution took note of the Commission's annual  report, which described the status of human rights in Chile, El Salvador,  Paraguay and Uruguay; and the special reports on Argentina and Haiti, which  described human rights conditions as investigated during on-site  inspections to these countries.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":649,"text":"--The awarding of the Nobel Prize for Peace to Adolfo Perez Esquivel of  Argentina for his non-violent advocacy of human rights.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":650,"text":"--The United States was able to rejoin the International Labor  Organization after an absence of two years, as that U.N. body reformed its  procedures to return to its original purpose of strengthening  employer-employee-government relations to insure human rights for the  working people of the world.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":651,"text":"The United States, of course, cannot take credit for all these various  developments. But we can take satisfaction in knowing that our policies  encourage and perhaps influence them.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":652,"text":"Those who see a contradiction between our security and our humanitarian  interests forget that the basis for a secure and stable society is the bond  of trust between a government and its people. I profoundly believe that the  future of our world is not to be found in authoritarianism: that wears the  mask of order, or totalitarianism that wears the mask of justice. Instead,  let us find our future in the human face of democracy, the human voice of  individual liberty, the human hand of economic development.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":653,"text":"HUMANITARIAN AID  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":654,"text":"The United States has continued to play its traditional role of safehaven  for those who flee or are forced to flee their homes because of persecution  or war. During 1980, the United States provided resettlement opportunities  for 216,000 refugees from countries around the globe. In addition, the  United States joined with other nations to provide relief to refugees in  country of first asylum in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":655,"text":"The great majority of refugee admissions continued to be from Indo-china.  During 1980, 168,000 Indo-chinese were resettled in the United States.  Although refugee populations persist in camps in Southeast Asia, and  refugees continue to flee Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea, the flow is not as  great as in the past. One factor in reducing the flow from Vietnam has been  the successful negotiation and commencement of an Orderly Departure Program  which permits us to process Vietnamese for resettlement in the United  States with direct departure from Ho Chi Minh Ville in an orderly fashion.  The first group of 250 departed Vietnam for the United States in December,  1980.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":656,"text":"In addition to the refugees admitted last year, the United States accepted  for entry into the United States 125,000 Cubans who were expelled by Fidel  Castro. Federal and state authorities, as well as private voluntary  agencies, responded with unprecedented vigor to coping with the unexpected  influx of Cubans.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":657,"text":"Major relief efforts to aid refugees in countries of first asylum continued  in several areas of the world. In December, 1980, thirty-two nations,  meeting in New York City, agreed to contribute $65 million to the  continuing famine relief program in Kampuchea. Due in great part to the  generosity of the American people and the leadership exercised in the  international arena by the United States, we have played the pivotal role  in ameliorating massive suffering in Kampuchea.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":658,"text":"The United States has taken the lead among a group of donor countries who  are providing relief to some two million refugees in the Horn of Africa who  have been displaced by fighting in Ethiopia. U.S. assistance, primarily to  Somalia, consists of $35 million worth of food and $18 million in cash and  kind. Here again, United States efforts can in large part be credited with  keeping hundreds of thousands of people alive.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":659,"text":"Another major international relief effort has been mounted in Pakistan. The  United States is one of 25 countries plus the European Economic Community  who have been helping the Government of Pakistan to cope with the problem  of feeding and sheltering the more than one million refugees that have been  generated by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":660,"text":"In April, 1980, the Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980 which brought  together, for the first time, in one piece of legislation the various  threads of U.S. policy towards refugees. The law laid down a new, broader  definition of the term refugee, established mechanisms for arriving at a  level of refugee admissions through consultation with Congress, and  established the Office of the United States Coordinator for Refugees.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":661,"text":"It cannot be ignored that the destructive and aggressive policies of the  Soviet Union have added immeasurably to the suffering in these three tragic  situations.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":662,"text":"The Control of Nuclear Weapons  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":663,"text":"Together with our friends and allies, we are striving to build a world in  which peoples with diverse interests can live freely and prosper. But all  that humankind has achieved to date, all that we are seeking to accomplish,  and human existence itself can be undone in an instant--in the catastrophe  of a nuclear war.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":664,"text":"Thus one of the central objectives of my Administration has been to control  the proliferation of nuclear weapons to those nations which do not have  them, and their further development by the existing nuclear powers--  notably the Soviet Union and the United States.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":665,"text":"NON-PROLIFERATION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":666,"text":"My Administration has been committed to stemming the spread of nuclear  weapons. Nuclear proliferation would raise the spectre of the use of  nuclear explosives in crucial, unstable regions of the world endangering  not only our security and that of our Allies, but that of the whole world.  Non-proliferation is not and can not be a unilateral U.S. policy, nor  should it be an issue of contention between the industrialized and  developing states. The international non-proliferation effort requires the  support of suppliers as well as importers of nuclear technology and  materials.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":667,"text":"We have been proceeding on a number of fronts:  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":668,"text":"--First, we have been seeking to encourage nations to accede to the  Non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.S. is also actively encouraging other  nations to accept full-scope safeguards on all of their nuclear activities  and is asking other nuclear suppliers to adopt a full-scope safeguards  requirement as a condition for future supply.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":669,"text":"--Second, the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation (INFCE), which  was completed in 1980, demonstrated that suppliers and recipients can work  together on these technically complex and sensitive issues. While  differences remain, the INFCE effort provides a broader international basis  for national decisions which must balance energy needs with  non-proliferation concerns.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":670,"text":"--Finally, we are working to encourage regional cooperation and restraint.  Protocol I of the Treaty of Tlatelolco which will contribute to the  lessening of nuclear dangers for our Latin American neighbors ought now to  be ratified by the United States Senate.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":671,"text":"LIMITATIONS ON STRATEGIC ARMS  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":672,"text":"I remain convinced that the SALT II Treaty is in our Nation's security  interest and that it would add significantly to the control of nuclear  weapons. I strongly support continuation of the SALT process and the  negotiation of more far-reaching mutual restraints on nuclear weaponry.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":673,"text":"CONCLUSION  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":674,"text":"We have new support in the world for our purposes of national independence  and individual human dignity. We have a new will at home to do what is  required to keep us the strongest nation on earth.  "}
{"year":"1981","paragraph":675,"text":"We must move together into this decade with the strength which comes from  realization of the dangers before us and from the confidence that together  we can overcome them.  The White House, January 16, 1981.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honored  guests, and fellow citizens:  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":2,"text":"Today marks my first State of the Union address to you, a constitutional  duty as old as our Republic itself.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":3,"text":"President Washington began this tradition in 1790 after reminding the  Nation that the destiny of self-government and the \"preservation of the  sacred fire of liberty\" is \"finally staked on the experiment entrusted to  the hands of the American people.\" For our friends in the press, who place  a high premium on accuracy, let me say: I did not actually hear George  Washington say that. But it is a matter of historic record.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":4,"text":"But from this podium, Winston Churchill asked the free world to stand  together against the onslaught of aggression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt  spoke of a day of infamy and summoned a nation to arms. Douglas MacArthur  made an unforgettable farewell to a country he loved and served so well.  Dwight Eisenhower reminded us that peace was purchased only at the price of  strength. And John F. Kennedy spoke of the burden and glory that is  freedom.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":5,"text":"When I visited this Chamber last year as a newcomer to Washington, critical  of past policies which I believed had failed, I proposed a new spirit of  partnership between this Congress and this administration and between  Washington and our State and local governments. In forging this new  partnership for America, we could achieve the oldest hopes of our  Republic--prosperity for our nation, peace for the world, and the blessings  of individual liberty for our children and, someday, for all of humanity.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":6,"text":"It's my duty to report to you tonight on the progress that we have made in  our relations with other nations, on the foundation we've carefully laid  for our economic recovery, and finally, on a bold and spirited initiative  that I believe can change the face of American government and make it again  the servant of the people.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":7,"text":"Seldom have the stakes been higher for America. What we do and say here  will make all the difference to autoworkers in Detroit, lumberjacks in the  Northwest, steelworkers in Steubenville who are in the unemployment lines;  to black teenagers in Newark and Chicago; to hard-pressed farmers and small  businessmen; and to millions of everyday Americans who harbor the simple  wish of a safe and financially secure future for their children. To  understand the state of the Union, we must look not only at where we are  and where we're going but where we've been. The situation at this time last  year was truly ominous.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":8,"text":"The last decade has seen a series of recessions. There was a recession in  1970, in 1974, and again in the spring of 1980. Each time, unemployment  increased and inflation soon turned up again. We coined the word  \"stagflation\" to describe this.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":9,"text":"Government's response to these recessions was to pump up the money supply  and increase spending. In the last 6 months of 1980, as an example, the  money supply increased at the fastest rate in postwar history--13 percent.  Inflation remained in double digits, and government spending increased at  an annual rate of 17 percent. Interest rates reached a staggering 21.5  percent. There were 8 million unemployed.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":10,"text":"Late in 1981 we sank into the present recession, largely because continued  high interest rates hurt the auto industry and construction. And there was  a drop in productivity, and the already high unemployment increased.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":11,"text":"This time, however, things are different. We have an economic program in  place, completely different from the artificial quick fixes of the past. It  calls for a reduction of the rate of increase in government spending, and  already that rate has been cut nearly in half. But reduced spending the  first and smallest phase of a 3-year tax rate reduction designed to  stimulate the economy and create jobs. Already interest rates are down to  15 3/4 percent, but they must still go lower. Inflation is down from 12.4  percent to 8.9, and for the month of December it was running at an  annualized rate of 5.2 percent. If we had not acted as we did, things would  be far worse for all Americans than they are today. Inflation, taxes, and  interest rates would all be higher.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":12,"text":"A year ago, Americans' faith in their governmental process was steadily  declining. Six out of 10 Americans were saying they were pessimistic about  their future. A new kind of defeatism was heard. Some said our domestic  problems were uncontrollable, that we had to learn to live with this  seemingly endless cycle of high inflation and high unemployment.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":13,"text":"There were also pessimistic predictions about the relationship between our  administration and this Congress. It was said we could never work together.  Well, those predictions were wrong. The record is clear, and I believe that  history will remember this as an era of American renewal, remember this  administration as an administration of change, and remember this Congress  as a Congress of destiny.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":14,"text":"Together, we not only cut the increase in government spending nearly in  half, we brought about the largest tax reductions and the most sweeping  changes in our tax structure since the beginning of this century. And  because we indexed future taxes to the rate of inflation, we took away  government's built-in profit on inflation and its hidden incentive to grow  larger at the expense of American workers.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":15,"text":"Together, after 50 years of taking power away from the hands of the people  in their States and local communities, we have started returning power and  resources to them.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":16,"text":"Together, we have cut the growth of new Federal regulations nearly in half.  In 1981 there were 23,000 fewer pages in the Federal Register, which lists  new regulations, than there were in 1980. By deregulating oil we've come  closer to achieving energy independence and helped bring down the cost of  gasoline and heating fuel.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":17,"text":"Together, we have created an effective Federal strike force to combat waste  and fraud in government. In just 6 months it has saved the taxpayers more  than $2 billion, and it's only getting started.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":18,"text":"Together we've begun to mobilize the private sector, not to duplicate  wasteful and discredited government programs, but to bring thousands of  Americans into a volunteer effort to help solve many of America's social  problems.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":19,"text":"Together we've begun to restore that margin of military safety that ensures  peace. Our country's uniform is being worn once again with pride.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":20,"text":"Together we have made a New Beginning, but we have only begun.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":21,"text":"No one pretends that the way ahead will be easy. In my Inaugural Address  last year, I warned that the \"ills we suffer have come upon us over several  decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go  away . . . because we as Americans have the capacity now, as we've had it  in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and  greatest bastion of freedom.\"  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":22,"text":"The economy will face difficult moments in the months ahead. But the  program for economic recovery that is in place will pull the economy out of  its slump and put us on the road to prosperity and stable growth by the  latter half of this year. And that is why I can report to you tonight that  in the near future the state of the Union and the economy will be  better--much better--if we summon the strength to continue on the course  that we've charted.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":23,"text":"And so, the question: If the fundamentals are in place, what now? Well, two  things. First, we must understand what's happening at the moment to the  economy. Our current problems are not the product of the recovery program  that's only just now getting underway, as some would have you believe; they  are the inheritance of decades of tax and tax and spend and spend.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":24,"text":"Second, because our economic problems are deeply rooted and will not  respond to quick political fixes, we must stick to our carefully integrated  plan for recovery. That plan is based on four commonsense fundamentals:  continued reduction of the growth in Federal spending; preserving the  individual and business tax reductions that will stimulate saving and  investment; removing unnecessary Federal regulations to spark productivity;  and maintaining a healthy dollar and a stable monetary policy, the latter a  responsibility of the Federal Reserve System.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":25,"text":"The only alternative being offered to this economic program is a return to  the policies that gave us a trillion-dollar debt, runaway inflation,  runaway interest rates and unemployment. The doubters would have us turn  back the clock with tax increases that would offset the personal tax rate  reductions already passed by this Congress. Raise present taxes to cut  future deficits, they tell us. Well, I don't believe we should buy that  argument.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":26,"text":"There are too many imponderables for anyone to predict deficits or  surpluses several years ahead with any degree of accuracy. The budget in  place, when I took office, had been projected as balanced. It turned out to  have one of the biggest deficits in history. Another example of the  imponderables that can make deficit projections highly questionable--a  change of only one percentage point in unemployment can alter a deficit up  or down by some $25 billion.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":27,"text":"As it now stands, our forecast, which we're required by law to make, will  show major deficits starting at less than a hundred billion dollars and  declining, but still too high. More important, we're making progress with  the three keys to reducing deficits: economic growth, lower interest rates,  and spending control. The policies we have in place will reduce the deficit  steadily, surely, and in time, completely.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":28,"text":"Higher taxes would not mean lower deficits. If they did, how would we  explain that tax revenues more than doubled just since 1976; yet in that  same 6-year period we ran the largest series of deficits in our history. In  1980 tax revenues increased by $54 billion, and in 1980 we had one of our  all-time biggest deficits. Raising taxes won't balance the budget; it will  encourage more government spending and less private investment. Raising  taxes will slow economic growth, reduce production, and destroy future  jobs, making it more difficult for those without jobs to find them and more  likely that those who now have jobs could lose them. So, I will not ask you  to try to balance the budget on the backs of the American taxpayers.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":29,"text":"I will seek no tax increases this year, and I have no intention of  retreating from our basic program of tax relief. I promise to bring the  American people--to bring their tax rates down and to keep them down, to  provide them incentives to rebuild our economy, to save, to invest in  America's future. I will stand by my word. Tonight I'm urging the American  people: Seize these new opportunities to produce, to save, to invest, and  together we'll make this economy a mighty engine of freedom, hope, and  prosperity again.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":30,"text":"Now, the budget deficit this year will exceed our earlier expectations. The  recession did that. It lowered revenues and increased costs. To some  extent, we're also victims of our own success. We've brought inflation down  faster than we thought we could, and in doing this, we've deprived  government of those hidden revenues that occur when inflation pushes people  into higher income tax brackets. And the continued high interest rates last  year cost the government about $5 billion more than anticipated.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":31,"text":"We must cut out more nonessential government spending and rout out more  waste, and we will continue our efforts to reduce the number of employees  in the Federal work force by 75,000.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":32,"text":"The budget plan I submit to you on February 8th will realize major savings  by dismantling the Departments of Energy and Education and by eliminating  ineffective subsidies for business. We'll continue to redirect our  resources to our two highest budget priorities--a strong national defense  to keep America free and at peace and a reliable safety net of social  programs for those who have contributed and those who are in need.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":33,"text":"Contrary to some of the wild charges you may have heard, this  administration has not and will not turn its back on America's elderly or  America's poor. Under the new budget, funding for social insurance programs  will be more than double the amount spent only 6 years ago. But it would be  foolish to pretend that these or any programs cannot be made more efficient  and economical.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":34,"text":"The entitlement programs that make up our safety net for the truly needy  have worthy goals and many deserving recipients. We will protect them. But  there's only one way to see to it that these programs really help those  whom they were designed to help. And that is to bring their spiraling costs  under control.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":35,"text":"Today we face the absurd situation of a Federal budget with three-quarters  of its expenditures routinely referred to as \"uncontrollable.\" And a large  part of this goes to entitlement programs.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":36,"text":"Committee after committee of this Congress has heard witness after witness  describe many of these programs as poorly administered and rife with waste  and fraud. Virtually every American who shops in a local supermarket is  aware of the daily abuses that take place in the food stamp program, which  has grown by 16,000 percent in the last 15 years. Another example is  Medicare and Medicaid--programs with worthy goals but whose costs have  increased from 11.2 billion to almost 60 billion, more than 5 times as  much, in just 10 years.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":37,"text":"Waste and fraud are serious problems. Back in 1980 Federal investigators  testified before one of your committees that \"corruption has permeated  virtually every area of the Medicare and Medicaid health care industry.\"  One official said many of the people who are cheating the system were \"very  confident that nothing was going to happen to them.\" Well, something is  going to happen. Not only the taxpayers are defrauded; the people with real  dependency on these programs are deprived of what they need, because  available resources are going not to the needy, but to the greedy.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":38,"text":"The time has come to control the uncontrollable. In August we made a start.  I signed a bill to reduce the growth of these programs by $44 billion over  the next 3 years while at the same time preserving essential services for  the truly needy. Shortly you will receive from me a message on further  reforms we intend to install--some new, but others long recommended by your  own congressional committees. I ask you to help make these savings for the  American taxpayer.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":39,"text":"The savings we propose in entitlement programs will total some $63 billion  over 4 Years and will, without affecting social t security, go a long way  toward bringing Federal spending under control.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":40,"text":"But don't be fooled by those who proclaim that spending cuts will deprive  the elderly, the needy, and the helpless. The. Federal Government will  still subsidize 95 million meals every day. That's one out of seven of all  the meals served in America. Head Start, senior nutrition programs, and  child welfare programs will not be cut from the levels we proposed last  year. More than one-half billion dollars has been proposed for minority  business assistance. And research at the National Institute of Health will  be increased by over $100 million. While meeting all these needs, we intend  to plug unwarranted tax loopholes and strengthen the law which requires all  large corporations to pay a minimum tax.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":41,"text":"I am confident the economic program we've put into operation will protect  the needy while it triggers a recovery that will benefit all Americans. It  will stimulate the economy, result in increased savings and provide capital  for expansion, mortgages for homebuilding, and jobs for the unemployed.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":42,"text":"Now that the essentials of that program are in place, our next major  undertaking must be a program--just as bold, just as innovative--to make  government again accountable to the people, to make our system of  federalism work again.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":43,"text":"Our citizens feel they've lost control of even the most basic decisions  made about the essential services of government, such as schools, welfare,  roads, and even garbage collection. And they're right. A maze of  interlocking jurisdictions and levels of government confronts average  citizens in trying to solve even the simplest of problems. They don't know  where to turn for answers, who to hold accountable, who to praise, who to  blame, who to vote for or against. The main reason for this is the  overpowering growth of Federal grants-in-aid programs during the past few  decades.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":44,"text":"In 1960 the Federal Government had 132 categorical grant programs, costing  $7 billion. When I took office, there were approximately 500, costing  nearly a hundred billion dollars--13 programs for energy, 36 for pollution  control, 66 for social services, 90 for education. And here in the  Congress, it takes at least 166 committees just to try to keep track of  them.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":45,"text":"You know and I know that neither the President nor the Congress can  properly oversee this jungle of grants-in-aid; indeed, the growth of these  grants has led to the distortion in the vital functions of government. As  one Democratic Governor put it recently: The National Government should be  worrying about \"arms control, not potholes.\"  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":46,"text":"The growth in these Federal programs has--in the words of one  intergovernmental commission--made the Federal Government \"more pervasive,  more intrusive, more unmanageable, more ineffective and costly, and above  all, more (un) accountable.\" Let's solve this problem with a single, bold  stroke: the return of some $47 billion in Federal programs to State and  local government, together with the means to finance them and a transition  period of nearly 10 years to avoid unnecessary disruption.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":47,"text":"I will shortly send this Congress a message describing this program. I want  to emphasize, however, that its full details will have been worked out only  after close consultation with congressional, State, and local officials.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":48,"text":"Starting in fiscal 1984, the Federal Government will assume full  responsibility for the cost of the rapidly growing Medicaid program to go  along with its existing responsibility for Medicare. As part of a  financially equal swap, the States will simultaneously take full  responsibility for Aid to Families with Dependent Children and food stamps.  This will make welfare less costly and more responsive to genuine need,  because it'll be designed and administered closer to the grass roots and  the people it serves.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":49,"text":"In 1984 the Federal Government will apply the full proceeds from certain  excise taxes to a grass roots trust fund that will belong in fair shares to  the 50 States. The total amount flowing into this fund will be $28 billion  a year. Over the next 4 years the States can use this money in either of  two ways. If they want to continue receiving Federal grants in such areas  as transportation, education, and social services, they can use their trust  fund money to pay for the grants. Or to the extent they choose to forgo the  Federal grant programs, they can use their trust fund money on their own  for those or other purposes. There will be a mandatory pass-through of part  of these funds to local governments.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":50,"text":"By 1988 the States will be in complete control of over 40 Federal grant  programs. The trust fund will start to phase out, eventually to disappear,  and the excise taxes will be turned over to the States. They can then  preserve, lower, or raise taxes on their own and fund and manage these  programs as they see fit.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":51,"text":"In a single stroke we will be accomplishing a realignment that will end  cumbersome administration and spiraling costs at the Federal level while we  ensure these programs will be more responsive to both the people they're  meant to help and the people who pay for them.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":52,"text":"Hand in hand with this program to strengthen the discretion and flexibility  of State and local governments, we're proposing legislation for an  experimental effort to improve and develop our depressed urban areas in the  1980's and '90's. This legislation will permit States and localities to  apply to the Federal Government for designation as urban enterprise zones.  A broad range of special economic incentives in the zones will help attract  new business, new jobs, new opportunity to America's inner cities and rural  towns. Some will say our mission is to save free enterprise. Well, I say we  must free enterprise so that together we can save America.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":53,"text":"Some will also say our States and local communities are not up to the  challenge of a new and creative partnership. Well, that might have been  true 20 years ago before reforms like reapportionment and the Voting Rights  Act, the 10-year extension of which I strongly support. It's no longer true  today. This administration has faith in State and local governments and the  constitutional balance envisioned by the Founding Fathers. We also believe  in the integrity, decency, and sound, good sense of grass roots Americans.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":54,"text":"Our faith in the American people is reflected in another major endeavor.  Our private sector initiatives task force is seeking out successful  community models of school, church, business, union, foundation, and civic  programs that help community needs. Such groups are almost invariably far  more efficient than government in running social programs.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":55,"text":"We're not asking them to replace discarded and often discredited government  programs dollar for dollar, service for service. We just want to help them  perform the good works they choose and help others to profit by their  example. Three hundred and eighty-five thousand corporations and private  organizations are already working on social programs ranging from drug  rehabilitation to job training, and thousands more Americans have written  us asking how they can help. The volunteer spirit is still alive and well  in America.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":56,"text":"Our nation's long journey towards civil rights for all our citizens--once  a source of discord, now a source of pride--must continue with no  backsliding or slowing down. We must and shall see that those basic laws  that guarantee equal rights are preserved and, when necessary,  strengthened.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":57,"text":"Our concern for equal rights for women is firm and unshakable. We launched  a new Task Force on Legal Equity for Women and a Fifty States Project that  will examine State laws for discriminatory language. And for the first time  in our history, a woman sits on the highest court in the land.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":58,"text":"So, too, the problem of crime--one as real and deadly serious as any in  America today. It demands that we seek transformation of our legal system,  which overly protects the rights of criminals while it leaves society and  the innocent victims of crime without justice.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":59,"text":"We look forward to the enactment of a responsible clean air act to increase  jobs while continuing to improve the quality of our air. We're encouraged  by the bipartisan initiative of the House and are hopeful of further  progress as the Senate continues its deliberations.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":60,"text":"So far, I've concentrated largely, now, on domestic matters. To view the  state of the Union in perspective, we must not ignore the rest of the  world. There isn't time tonight for a lengthy treatment of social--or  foreign policy, I should say, a subject I intend to address in detail in  the near future. A few words, however, are in order on the progress we've  made over the past year, reestablishing respect for our nation around the  globe and some of the challenges and goals that we will approach in the  year ahead.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":61,"text":"At Ottawa and Cancun, I met with leaders of the major industrial powers and  developing nations. Now, some of those I met with were a little surprised  that I didn't apologize for America's wealth. Instead, I spoke of the  strength of the free marketplace system and how that system could help them  realize their aspirations for economic development and political freedom. I  believe lasting friendships were made, and the foundation was laid for  future cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":62,"text":"In the vital region of the Caribbean Basin, we're developing a program of  aid, trade, and investment incentives to promote self-sustaining growth and  a better, more secure life for our neighbors to the south. Toward those who  would export terrorism and subversion in the Caribbean and elsewhere,  especially Cuba and Libya, we will act with firmness.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":63,"text":"Our foreign policy is a policy of strength, fairness, and balance. By  restoring America's military credibility, by pursuing peace at the  negotiating table wherever both sides are willing to sit down in good  faith, and by regaining the respect of America's allies and adversaries  alike, we have strengthened our country's position as a force for peace and  progress in the world.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":64,"text":"When action is called for, we're taking it. Our sanctions against the  military dictatorship that has attempted to crush human rights in  Poland--and against the Soviet regime behind that military  dictatorship--clearly demonstrated to the world that America will not  conduct \"business as usual\" with the forces of oppression. If the events in  Poland continue to deteriorate, further measures will follow.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":65,"text":"Now, let me also note that private American groups have taken the lead in  making January 30th a day of solidarity with the people of Poland. So, too,  the European Parliament has called for March 21st to be an international  day of support for Afghanistan. Well, I urge all peace-loving peoples to  join together on those days, to raise their voices, to speak and pray for  freedom.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":66,"text":"Meanwhile, we're working for reduction of arms and military activities, as  I announced in my address to the Nation last November 18th. We have  proposed to the Soviet Union a far-reaching agenda for mutual reduction of  military forces and have already initiated negotiations with them in Geneva  on intermediate-range nuclear forces. In those talks it is essential that  we negotiate from a position of strength. There must be a real incentive  for the Soviets to take these talks seriously. This requires that we  rebuild our defenses.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":67,"text":"In the last decade, while we sought the moderation of Soviet power through  a process of restraint and accommodation, the Soviets engaged in an  unrelenting buildup of their military forces. The protection of our  national security has required that we undertake a substantial program to  enhance our military forces.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":68,"text":"We have not neglected to strengthen our traditional alliances in Europe and  Asia, or to develop key relationships with our partners in the Middle East  and other countries. Building a more peaceful world requires a sound  strategy and the national resolve to back it up. When radical forces  threaten our friends, when economic misfortune creates conditions of  instability, when strategically vital parts of the world fall under the  shadow of Soviet power, our response can make the difference between  peaceful change or disorder and violence. That's why we've laid such stress  not only on our own defense but on our vital foreign assistance program.  Your recent passage of the Foreign Assistance Act sent a signal to the  world that America will not shrink from making the investments necessary  for both peace and security. Our foreign policy must be rooted in realism,  not naivete or self-delusion.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":69,"text":"A recognition of what the Soviet empire is about is the starting point.  Winston Churchill, in negotiating with the Soviets, observed that they  respect only strength and resolve in their dealings with other nations.  That's why we've moved to reconstruct our national defenses. We intend to  keep the peace. We will also keep our freedom.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":70,"text":"We have made pledges of a new frankness in our public statements and  worldwide broadcasts. In the face of a climate of falsehood and  misinformation, we've promised the world a season of truth--the truth of  our great civilized ideas: individual liberty, representative government,  the rule of law under God. We've never needed walls or minefields or barbed  wire to keep our people in. Nor do we declare martial law to keep our  people from voting for the kind of government they want.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":71,"text":"Yes, we have our problems; yes, we're in a time of recession. And it's  true, there's no quick fix, as I said, to instantly end the tragic pain of  unemployment. But we will end it. The process has already begun, and we'll  see its effect as the year goes on.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":72,"text":"We speak with pride and admiration of that little band of Americans who  overcame insuperable odds to set this nation on course 200 years ago. But  our glory didn't end with them. Americans ever since have emulated their  deeds.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":73,"text":"We don't have to turn to our history books for heroes. They're all around  us. One who sits among you here tonight epitomized that heroism at the end  of the longest imprisonment ever inflicted on men of our Armed Forces. Who  will ever forget that night when we waited for television to bring us the  scene of that first plane landing at Clark Field in the Philippines,  bringing our POW's home? The plane door opened and Jeremiah Denton came  slowly down the ramp. He caught sight of our flag, saluted it, said, \"God  bless America,\" and then thanked us for bringing him home.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":74,"text":"Just 2 weeks ago, in the midst of a terrible tragedy on the Potomac, we saw  again the spirit of American heroism at its finest--the heroism of  dedicated rescue workers saving crash victims from icy waters. And we saw  the heroism of one of our young government employees, Lenny Skutnik, who,  when he saw a woman lose her grip on the helicopter line, dived into the  water and dragged her to safety.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":75,"text":"And then there are countless, quiet, everyday heroes of American who  sacrifice long and hard so their children will know a better life than  they've known; church and civic volunteers who help to feed, clothe, nurse,  and teach the needy; millions who've made our nation and our nation's  destiny so very special--unsung heroes who may not have realized their own  dreams themselves but then who reinvest those dreams in their children.  Don't let anyone tell you that America's best days are behind her, that the  American spirit has been vanquished. We've seen it triumph too often in our  lives to stop believing in it now.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":76,"text":"A hundred and twenty years ago, the greatest of all our Presidents  delivered his second State of the Union message in this Chamber. \"We cannot  escape history,\" Abraham Lincoln warned. \"We of this Congress and this  administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves.\" The \"trial  through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the  latest (last) generation.\"  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":77,"text":"Well, that President and that Congress did not fail the American people.  Together they weathered the storm and preserved the Union. Let it be said  of us that we, too, did not fail; that we, too, worked together to bring  America through difficult times. Let us so conduct ourselves that two  centuries from now, another Congress and another President, meeting in this  Chamber as we are meeting, will speak of us with pride, saying that we met  the test and preserved for them in their day the sacred flame of  liberty--this last, best hope of man on Earth.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":78,"text":"God bless you, and thank you.  "}
{"year":"1982","paragraph":79,"text":"NOTE: The President spoke at 9 p.m. in the House Chamber at the Capitol.  He was introduced by Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of  Representatives. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio  and television.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honored  guests, and fellow citizens:  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":2,"text":"This solemn occasion marks the 196th time that a President of the United  States has reported on the State of the Union since George Washington first  did so in 1790. That's a lot of reports, but there's no shortage of new  things to say about the State of the Union. The very key to our success has  been our ability, foremost among nations, to preserve our lasting values by  making change work for us rather than against us.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":3,"text":"I would like to talk with you this evening about what we can do  together--not as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans--to make  tomorrow's America happy and prosperous at home, strong and respected  abroad, and at peace in the world.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":4,"text":"As we gather here tonight, the state of our Union is strong, but our  economy is troubled. For too many of our fellow citizens--farmers, steel and  auto workers, lumbermen, black teenagers, working mothers--this is a painful  period. We must all do everything in our power to bring their ordeal to an  end. It has fallen to us, in our time, to undo damage that was a long time  in the making, and to begin the hard but necessary task of building a  better future for ourselves and our children.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":5,"text":"We have a long way to go, but thanks to the courage, patience, and strength  of our people, America is on the mend.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":6,"text":"But let me give you just one important reason why I believe this--it  involves many members of this body.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":7,"text":"Just 10 days ago, after months of debate and deadlock, the bipartisan  Commission on Social Security accomplished the seemingly impossible. Social  security, as some of us had warned for so long, faced disaster. I, myself,  have been talking about this problem for almost 30 years. As 1983 began,  the system stood on the brink of bankruptcy, a double victim of our  economic ills. First, a decade of rampant inflation drained its reserves as  we tried to protect beneficiaries from the spiraling cost of living. Then  the recession and the sudden end of inflation withered the expanding wage  base and increasing revenues the system needs to support the 36 million  Americans who depend on it.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":8,"text":"When the Speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader, and I performed  the bipartisan--or formed the bipartisan Commission on Social Security,  pundits and experts predicted that party divisions and conflicting  interests would prevent the Commission from agreeing on a plan to save  social security. Well, sometimes, even here in Washington, the cynics are  wrong. Through compromise and cooperation, the members of the Commission  overcame their differences and achieved a fair, workable plan. They proved  that, when it comes to the national welfare, Americans can still pull  together for the common good.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":9,"text":"Tonight, I'm especially pleased to join with the Speaker and the Senate  majority leader in urging the Congress to enact this plan by Easter.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":10,"text":"There are elements in it, of course, that none of us prefers, but taken  together it performs a package that all of us can support. It asks for some  sacrifice by all--the self-employed, beneficiaries, workers, government  employees, and the better-off among the retired--but it imposes an undue  burden on none. And, in supporting it, we keep an important pledge to the  American people: The integrity of the social security system will be  preserved, and no one's payments will be reduced.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":11,"text":"The Commission's plan will do the job; indeed, it must do the job. We owe  it to today's older Americans and today's younger workers. So, before we go  any further, I ask you to join with me in saluting the members of the  Commission who are here tonight and Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker and  Speaker Tip O'Neill for a job well done. I hope and pray the bipartisan  spirit that guided you in this endeavor will inspire all of us as we face  the challenges of the year ahead.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":12,"text":"Nearly half a century ago, in this Chamber, another American President,  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his second State of the Union message, urged  America to look to the future, to meet the challenge of change and the need  for leadership that looks forward, not backward.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":13,"text":"\"Throughout the world,\" he said, \"change is the order of the day. In every  nation economic problems long in the making have brought crises to (of)  many kinds for which the masters of old practice and theory were  unprepared.\" He also reminded us that \"the future lies with those wise  political leaders who realize that the great public is interested more in  Government than in politics.\"  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":14,"text":"So, let us, in these next 2 years--men and women of both parties, every  political shade--concentrate on the long-range, bipartisan responsibilities  of government, not the short-range or short-term temptations of partisan  politics.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":15,"text":"The problems we inherited were far worse than most inside and out of  government had expected; the recession was deeper than most inside and out  of government had predicted. Curing those problems has taken more time and  a higher toll than any of us wanted. Unemployment is far too high.  Projected Federal spending--if government refuses to tighten its own  belt--will also be far too high and could weaken and shorten the economic  recovery now underway.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":16,"text":"This recovery will bring with it a revival of economic confidence and  spending for consumer items and capital goods--the stimulus we need to  restart our stalled economic engines. The American people have already  stepped up their rate of saving, assuring that the funds needed to  modernize our factories and improve our technology will once again flow to  business and industry.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":17,"text":"The inflationary expectations that led to a 21 1/2-percent interest prime  rate and soaring mortgage rates 2 years ago are now reduced by almost half.  Leaders have started to realize that double-digit inflation is no longer a  way of life. I misspoke there. I should have said \"lenders.\"  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":18,"text":"So, interest rates have tumbled, paving the way for recovery in vital  industries like housing and autos.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":19,"text":"The early evidence of that recovery has started coming in. Housing starts  for the fourth quarter of 1982 were up 45 percent from a year ago, and  housing permits, a sure indicator of future growth, were up a whopping 60  percent.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":20,"text":"We're witnessing an upsurge of productivity and impressive evidence that  American industry will once again become competitive in markets at home and  abroad, ensuring more jobs and better incomes for the Nation's work force.  But our confidence must also be tempered by realism and patience. Quick  fixes and artificial stimulants repeatedly applied over decades are what  brought us the inflationary disorders that we've now paid such a heavy  price to cure.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":21,"text":"The permanent recovery in employment, production, and investment we seek  won't come in a sharp, short spurt. It'll build carefully and steadily in  the months and years ahead. In the meantime, the challenge of government is  to identify the things that we can do now to ease the massive economic  transition for the American people.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":22,"text":"The Federal budget is both a symptom and a cause of our economic problems.  Unless we reduce the dangerous growth rate in government spending, we could  face the prospect of sluggish economic growth into the indefinite future.  Failure to cope with this problem now could mean as much as a trillion  dollars more in national debt in the next 4 years alone. That would average  $4,300 in additional debt for every man, woman, child, and baby in our  nation.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":23,"text":"To assure a sustained recovery, we must continue getting runaway spending  under control to bring those deficits down. If we don't, the recovery will  be too short, unemployment will remain too high, and we will leave an  unconscionable burden of national debt for our children. That we must not  do.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":24,"text":"Let's be clear about where the deficit problem comes from. Contrary to the  drumbeat we've been hearing for the last few months, the deficits we face  are not rooted in defense spending. Taken as a percentage of the gross  national product, our defense spending happens to be only about four-fifths  of what it was in 1970. Nor is the deficit, as some would have it, rooted  in tax cuts. Even with our tax cuts, taxes as a fraction of gross national  product remain about the same as they were in 1970. The fact is, our  deficits come from the uncontrolled growth of the budget for domestic  spending.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":25,"text":"During the 1970's, the share of our national income devoted to this  domestic spending increased by more than 60 percent, from 10 cents out of  every dollar produced by the American people to 16 cents. In spite of all  our economies and efficiencies, and without adding any new programs, basic,  necessary domestic spending provided for in this year's budget will grow to  almost a trillion dollars over the next 5 years.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":26,"text":"The deficit problem is a clear and present danger to the basic health of  our Republic. We need a plan to overcome this danger--a plan based on these  principles. It must be bipartisan. Conquering the deficits and putting the  Government's house in order will require the best effort of all of us. It  must be fair. Just as all will share in the benefits that will come from  recovery, all would share fairly in the burden of transition. It must be  prudent. The strength of our national defense must be restored so that we  can pursue prosperity and peace and freedom while maintaining our  commitment to the truly needy. And finally, it must be realistic. We can't  rely on hope alone.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":27,"text":"With these guiding principles in mind, let me outline a four-part plan to  increase economic growth and reduce deficits.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":28,"text":"First, in my budget message, I will recommend a Federal spending freeze. I  know this is strong medicine, but so far, we have only cut the rate of  increase in Federal spending. The Government has continued to spend more  money each year, though not as much more as it did in the past. Taken as a  whole, the budget I'm proposing for the fiscal year will increase no more  than the rate of inflation. In other words, the Federal Government will  hold the line on real spending. Now, that's far less than many American  families have had to do in these difficult times.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":29,"text":"I will request that the proposed 6-month freeze in cost-of-living  adjustments recommended by the bipartisan Social Security Commission be  applied to other government-related retirement programs. I will, also,  propose a 1-year freeze on a broad range of domestic spending programs, and  for Federal civilian and military pay and pension programs. And let me say  right here, I'm sorry, with regard to the military, in asking that of them,  because for so many years they have been so far behind and so low in reward  for what the men and women in uniform are doing. But I'm sure they will  understand that this must be across the board and fair.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":30,"text":"Second, I will ask the Congress to adopt specific measures to control the  growth of the so-called uncontrollable spending programs. These are the  automatic spending programs, such as food stamps, that cannot be simply  frozen and that have grown by over 400 percent since 1970. They are the  largest single cause of the built-in or structural deficit problem. Our  standard here will be fairness, ensuring that the taxpayers' hard-earned  dollars go only to the truly needy; that none of them are turned away, but  that fraud and waste are stamped out. And I'm sorry to say, there's a lot  of it out there. In the food stamp program alone, last year, we identified  almost $1.1 billion in overpayments. The taxpayers aren't the only victims  of this kind of abuse. The truly needy suffer as funds intended for them  are taken not by the needy, but by the greedy. For everyone's sake, we must  put an end to such waste and corruption.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":31,"text":"Third, I will adjust our program to restore America's defenses by proposing  $55 billion in defense savings over the next 5 years. These are savings  recommended to me by the Secretary of Defense, who has assured me they can  be safely achieved and will not diminish our ability to negotiate arms  reductions or endanger America's security. We will not gamble with our  national survival.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":32,"text":"And fourth, because we must ensure reduction and eventual elimination of  deficits over the next several years, I will propose a standby tax, limited  to no more than 1 percent of the gross national product, to start in fiscal  1986. It would last no more than 3 years, and it would start only if the  Congress has first approved our spending freeze and budget control program.  And there are several other conditions also that must be met, all of them  in order for this program to be triggered.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":33,"text":"Now, you could say that this is an insurance policy for the future, a  remedy that will be at hand if needed but only resorted to if absolutely  necessary. In the meantime, we'll continue to study ways to simplify the  tax code and make it more fair for all Americans. This is a goal that every  American who's ever struggled with a tax form can understand.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":34,"text":"At the same time, however, I will oppose any efforts to undo the basic tax  reforms that we've already enacted, including the 10-percent tax break  coming to taxpayers this July and the tax indexing which will protect all  Americans from inflationary bracket creep in the years ahead.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":35,"text":"Now, I realize that this four-part plan is easier to describe than it will  be to enact. But the looming deficits that hang over us and over America's  future must be reduced. The path I've outlined is fair, balanced, and  realistic. If enacted, it will ensure a steady decline in deficits, aiming  toward a balanced budget by the end of the decade. It's the only path that  will lead to a strong, sustained recovery. Let us follow that path  together.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":36,"text":"No domestic challenge is more crucial than providing stable, permanent jobs  for all Americans who want to work. The recovery program will provide jobs  for most, but others will need special help and training for new skills.  Shortly, I will submit to the Congress the Employment Act of 1983, designed  to get at the special problems of the long-term unemployed, as well as  young people trying to enter the job market. I'll propose extending  unemployment benefits, including special incentives to employers who hire  the long-term unemployed, providing programs for displaced workers, and  helping federally funded and State-administered unemployment insurance  programs provide workers with training and relocation assistance. Finally,  our proposal will include new incentives for summer youth employment to  help young people get a start in the job market.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":37,"text":"We must offer both short-term help and long-term hope for our unemployed. I  hope we can work together on this. I hope we can work together as we did  last year in enacting the landmark Job Training Partnership Act. Regulatory  reform legislation, a responsible clean air act, and passage of enterprise  zone legislation will also create new incentives for jobs and opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":38,"text":"One of out of every five jobs in our country depends on trade. So, I will  propose a broader strategy in the field of international trade--one that  increases the openness of our trading system and is fairer to America's  farmers and workers in the world marketplace. We must have adequate export  financing to sell American products overseas. I will ask for new  negotiating authority to remove barriers and to get more of our products  into foreign markets. We must strengthen the organization of our trade  agencies and make changes in our domestic laws and international trade  policy to promote free trade and the increased flow of American goods,  services, and investments.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":39,"text":"Our trade position can also be improved by making our port system more  efficient. Better, more active harbors translate into stable jobs in our  coalfields, railroads, trucking industry, and ports. After 2 years of  debate, it's time for us to get together and enact a port modernization  bill.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":40,"text":"Education, training, and retraining are fundamental to our success as are  research and development and productivity. Labor, management, and  government at all levels can and must participate in improving these tools  of growth. Tax policy, regulatory practices, and government programs all  need constant reevaluation in terms of our competitiveness. Every American  has a role and a stake in international trade.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":41,"text":"We Americans are still the technological leaders in most fields. We must  keep that edge, and to do so we need to begin renewing the basics--starting  with our educational system. While we grew complacent, others have acted.  Japan, with a population only about half the size of ours, graduates from  its universities more engineers than we do. If a child doesn't receive  adequate math and science teaching by the age of 16, he or she has lost the  chance to be a scientist or an engineer. We must join together--parents,  teachers, grass roots groups, organized labor, and the business  community--to revitalize American education by setting a standard of  excellence.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":42,"text":"In 1983 we seek four major education goals: a quality education initiative  to encourage a substantial upgrading of math and science instruction  through block grants to the States; establishment of education savings  accounts that will give middle and lower-income families an incentive to  save for their children's college education and, at the same time,  encourage a real increase in savings for economic growth; passage of  tuition tax credits for parents who want to send their children to private  or religiously affiliated schools; a constitutional amendment to permit  voluntary school prayer. God should never have been expelled from America's  classrooms in the first place.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":43,"text":"Our commitment to fairness means that we must assure legal and economic  equity for women, and eliminate, once and for all, all traces of unjust  discrimination against women from the United States Code. We will not  tolerate wage discrimination based on sex, and we intend to strengthen  enforcement of child support laws to ensure that single parents, most of  whom are women, do not suffer unfair financial hardship. We will also take  action to remedy inequities in pensions. These initiatives will be joined  by others to continue our efforts to promote equity for women.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":44,"text":"Also in the area of fairness and equity, we will ask for extension of the  Civil Rights Commission, which is due to expire this year. The Commission  is an important part of the ongoing struggle for justice in America, and we  strongly support its reauthorization. Effective enforcement of our nation's  fair housing laws is also essential to ensuring equal opportunity. In the  year ahead, we'll work to strengthen enforcement of fair housing laws for  all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":45,"text":"The time has also come for major reform of our criminal justice statutes  and acceleration of the drive against organized crime and drug trafficking.  It's high time that we make our cities safe again. This administration  hereby declares an all-out war on big-time organized crime and the drug  racketeers who are poisoning our young people. We will also implement  recommendations of our Task Force on Victims of Crime, which will report to  me this week.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":46,"text":"American agriculture, the envy of the world, has become the victim of its  own successes. With one farmer now producing enough food to feed himself  and 77 other people, America is confronted with record surplus crops and  commodity prices below the cost of production. We must strive, through  innovations like the payment-in-kind crop swap approach and an aggressive  export policy, to restore health and vitality to rural America. Meanwhile,  I have instructed the Department of Agriculture to work individually with  farmers with debt problems to help them through these tough times.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":47,"text":"Over the past year, our Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives has  successfully forged a working partnership involving leaders of business,  labor, education, and government to address the training needs of American  workers. Thanks to the Task Force, private sector initiatives are now  underway in all 50 States of the Union, and thousands of working people  have been helped in making the shift from dead-end jobs and low-demand  skills to the growth areas of high technology and the service economy.  Additionally, a major effort will be focused on encouraging the expansion  of private community child care. The new advisory council on private sector  initiatives will carry on and extend this vital work of encouraging private  initiative in 1983.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":48,"text":"In the coming year, we will also act to improve the quality of life for  Americans by curbing the skyrocketing cost of health care that is becoming  an unbearable financial burden for so many. And we will submit legislation  to provide catastrophic illness insurance coverage for older Americans.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":49,"text":"I will also shortly submit a comprehensive federalism proposal that will  continue our efforts to restore to States and local governments their roles  as dynamic laboratories of change in a creative society.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":50,"text":"During the next several weeks, I will send to the Congress a series of  detailed proposals on these and other topics and look forward to working  with you on the development of these initiatives.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":51,"text":"So far, now, I've concentrated mainly on the problems posed by the future.  But in almost every home and workplace in America, we're already witnessing  reason for great hope--the first flowering of the manmade miracles of high  technology, a field pioneered and still led by our country.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":52,"text":"To many of us now, computers, silicon chips, data processing, cybernetics,  and all the other innovations of the dawning high technology age are as  mystifying as the workings of the combustion engine must have been when  that first Model T rattled down Main Street, U.S.A. But as surely as  America's pioneer spirit made us the industrial giant of the 20th century,  the same pioneer spirit today is opening up on another vast front of  opportunity, the frontier of high technology.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":53,"text":"In conquering the frontier we cannot write off our traditional industries,  but we must develop the skills and industries that will make us a pioneer  of tomorrow. This administration is committed to keeping America the  technological leader of the world now and into the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":54,"text":"But let us turn briefly to the international arena. America's leadership in  the world came to us because of our own strength and because of the values  which guide us as a society: free elections, a free press, freedom of  religious choice, free trade unions, and above all, freedom for the  individual and rejection of the arbitrary power of the state. These values  are the bedrock of our strength. They unite us in a stewardship of peace  and freedom with our allies and friends in NATO, in Asia, in Latin America,  and elsewhere. They are also the values which in the recent past some among  us had begun to doubt and view with a cynical eye.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":55,"text":"Fortunately, we and our allies have rediscovered the strength of our common  democratic values, and we're applying them as a cornerstone of a  comprehensive strategy for peace with freedom. In London last year, I  announced the commitment of the United States to developing the  infrastructure of democracy throughout the world. We intend to pursue this  democratic initiative vigorously. The future belongs not to governments and  ideologies which oppress their peoples, but to democratic systems of  self-government which encourage individual initiative and guarantee  personal freedom.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":56,"text":"But our strategy for peace with freedom must also be based on  strength--economic strength and military strength. A strong American  economy is essential to the well-being and security of our friends and  allies. The restoration of a strong, healthy American economy has been and  remains one of the central pillars of our foreign policy. The progress I've  been able to report to you tonight will, I know, be as warmly welcomed by  the rest of the world as it is by the American people.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":57,"text":"We must also recognize that our own economic well-being is inextricably  linked to the world economy. We export over 20 percent of our industrial  production, and 40 percent of our farmland produces for export. We will  continue to work closely with the industrialized democracies of Europe and  Japan and with the International Monetary Fund to ensure it has adequate  resources to help bring the world economy back to strong, noninflationary  growth.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":58,"text":"As the leader of the West and as a country that has become great and rich  because of economic freedom, America must be an unrelenting advocate of  free trade. As some nations are tempted to turn to protectionism, our  strategy cannot be to follow them, but to lead the way toward freer trade.  To this end, in May of this year America will host an economic summit  meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":59,"text":"As we begin our third year, we have put in place a defense program that  redeems the neglect of the past decade. We have developed a realistic  military strategy to deter threats to peace and to protect freedom if  deterrence fails. Our Armed Forces are finally properly paid; after years  of neglect are well trained and becoming better equipped and supplied. And  the American uniform is once again worn with pride. Most of the major  systems needed for modernizing our defenses are already underway, and we  will be addressing one key system, the MX missile, in consultation with the  Congress in a few months.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":60,"text":"America's foreign policy is once again based on bipartisanship, on realism,  strength, full partnership, in consultation with our allies, and  constructive negotiation with potential adversaries. From the Middle East  to southern Africa to Geneva, American diplomats are taking the initiative  to make peace and lower arms levels. We should be proud of our role as  peacemakers.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":61,"text":"In the Middle East last year, the United States played the major role in  ending the tragic fighting in Lebanon and negotiated the withdrawal of the  PLO from Beirut.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":62,"text":"Last September, I outlined principles to carry on the peace process begun  so promisingly at Camp David. All the people of the Middle East should know  that in the year ahead we will not flag in our efforts to build on that  foundation to bring them the blessings of peace.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":63,"text":"In Central America and the Caribbean Basin, we are likewise engaged in a  partnership for peace, prosperity, and democracy. Final passage of the  remaining portions of our Caribbean Basin Initiative, which passed the  House last year, is one of this administration's top legislative priorities  for 1983.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":64,"text":"The security and economic assistance policies of this administration in  Latin America and elsewhere are based on realism and represent a critical  investment in the future of the human race. This undertaking is a joint  responsibility of the executive and legislative branches, and I'm counting  on the cooperation and statesmanship of the Congress to help us meet this  essential foreign policy goal.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":65,"text":"At the heart of our strategy for peace is our relationship with the Soviet  Union. The past year saw a change in Soviet leadership. We're prepared for  a positive change in Soviet-American relations. But the Soviet Union must  show by deeds as well as words a sincere commitment to respect the rights  and sovereignty of the family of nations. Responsible members of the world  community do not threaten or invade their neighbors. And they restrain  their allies from aggression.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":66,"text":"For our part, we're vigorously pursuing arms reduction negotiations with  the Soviet Union. Supported by our allies, we've put forward draft  agreements proposing significant weapon reductions to equal and verifiable  lower levels. We insist on an equal balance of forces. And given the  overwhelming evidence of Soviet violations of international treaties  concerning chemical and biological weapons, we also insist that any  agreement we sign can and will be verifiable.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":67,"text":"In the case of intermediate-range nuclear forces, we have proposed the  complete elimination of the entire class of land-based missiles. We're also  prepared to carefully explore serious Soviet proposals. At the same time,  let me emphasize that allied steadfastness remains a key to achieving arms  reductions.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":68,"text":"With firmness and dedication, we'll continue to negotiate. Deep down, the  Soviets must know it's in their interest as well as ours to prevent a  wasteful arms race. And once they recognize our unshakable resolve to  maintain adequate deterrence, they will have every reason to join us in the  search for greater security and major arms reductions. When that moment  comes--and I'm confident that it will--we will have taken an important step  toward a more peaceful future for all the world's people.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":69,"text":"A very wise man, Bernard Baruch, once said that America has never forgotten  the nobler things that brought her into being and that light her path. Our  country is a special place, because we Americans have always been  sustained, through good times and bad, by a noble vision--a vision not only  of what the world around us is today but what we as a free people can make  it be tomorrow.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":70,"text":"We're realists; we solve our problems instead of ignoring them, no matter  how loud the chorus of despair around us. But we're also idealists, for it  was an ideal that brought our ancestors to these shores from every corner  of the world.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":71,"text":"Right now we need both realism and idealism. Millions of our neighbors are  without work. It is up to us to see they aren't without hope. This is a  task for all of us. And may I say, Americans have rallied to this cause,  proving once again that we are the most generous people on Earth.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":72,"text":"We who are in government must take the lead in restoring the economy. And  here all that time, I thought you were reading the paper.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":73,"text":"The single thing--the single thing that can start the wheels of industry  turning again is further reduction of interest rates. Just another 1 or 2  points can mean tens of thousands of jobs.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":74,"text":"Right now, with inflation as low as it is, 3.9 percent, there is room for  interest rates to come down. Only fear prevents their reduction. A lender,  as we know, must charge an interest rate that recovers the depreciated  value of the dollars loaned. And that depreciation is, of course, the  amount of inflation. Today, interest rates are based on fear--fear that  government will resort to measures, as it has in the past, that will send  inflation zooming again.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":75,"text":"We who serve here in this Capital must erase that fear by making it  absolutely clear that we will not stop fighting inflation; that, together,  we will do only those things that will lead to lasting economic growth.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":76,"text":"Yes, the problems confronting us are large and forbidding. And, certainly,  no one can or should minimize the plight of millions of our friends and  neighbors who are living in the bleak emptiness of unemployment. But we  must and can give them good reason to be hopeful.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":77,"text":"Back over the years, citizens like ourselves have gathered within these  walls when our nation was threatened; sometimes when its very existence was  at stake. Always with courage and common sense, they met the crises of  their time and lived to see a stronger, better, and more prosperous  country. The present situation is no worse and, in fact, is not as bad as  some of those they faced. Time and again, they proved that there is nothing  we Americans cannot achieve as free men and women.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":78,"text":"Yes, we still have problems--plenty of them. But it's just plain  wrong--unjust to our country and unjust to our people--to let those  problems stand in the way of the most important truth of all: America is on  the mend.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":79,"text":"We owe it to the unfortunate to be aware of their plight and to help them  in every way we can. No one can quarrel with that. We must and do have  compassion for all the victims of this economic crisis. But the big story  about America today is the way that millions of confident, caring  people--those extraordinary \"ordinary\" Americans who never make the  headlines and will never be interviewed--are laying the foundation, not  just for recovery from our present problems but for a better tomorrow for  all our people.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":80,"text":"From coast to coast, on the job and in classrooms and laboratories, at new  construction sites and in churches and community groups, neighbors are  helping neighbors. And they've already begun the building, the research,  the work, and the giving that will make our country great again.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":81,"text":"I believe this, because I believe in them--in the strength of their hearts  and minds, in the commitment that each one of them brings to their daily  lives, be they high or humble. The challenge for us in government is to be  worthy of them--to make government a help, not a hindrance to our people in  the challenging but promising days ahead.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":82,"text":"If we do that, if we care what our children and our children's children  will say of us, if we want them one day to be thankful for what we did here  in these temples of freedom, we will work together to make America better  for our having been here--not just in this year or this decade but in the  next century and beyond.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":83,"text":"Thank you, and God bless you.  "}
{"year":"1983","paragraph":84,"text":"NOTE: The President spoke at 9:03 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Capitol.  He was introduced by Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of  Representatives. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio  and television.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honored  guests, and fellow citizens:  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":2,"text":"Once again, in keeping with time-honored tradition, I have come to report  to you on the state of the Union, and I'm pleased to report that America is  much improved, and there's good reason to believe that improvement will  continue through the days to come.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":3,"text":"You and I have had some honest and open differences in the year past. But  they didn't keep us from joining hands in bipartisan cooperation to stop a  long decline that had drained this nation's spirit and eroded its health.  There is renewed energy and optimism throughout the land. America is back,  standing tall, looking to the eighties with courage, confidence, and hope.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":4,"text":"The problems we're overcoming are not the heritage of one person, party, or  even one generation. It's just the tendency of government to grow, for  practices and programs to become the nearest thing to eternal life we'll  ever see on this Earth. And there's always that well-intentioned chorus of  voices saying, \"With a little more power and a little more money, we could  do so much for the people.\" For a time we forgot the American dream isn't  one of making government bigger; it's keeping faith with the mighty spirit  of free people under God.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":5,"text":"As we came to the decade of the eighties, we faced the worst crisis in our  postwar history. In the seventies were years of rising problems and falling  confidence. There was a feeling government had grown beyond the consent of  the governed. Families felt helpless in the face of mounting inflation and  the indignity of taxes that reduced reward for hard work, thrift, and  risktaking. All this was overlaid by an evergrowing web of rules and  regulations.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":6,"text":"On the international scene, we had an uncomfortable feeling that we'd lost  the respect of friend and foe. Some questioned whether we had the will to  defend peace and freedom. But America is too great for small dreams. There  was a hunger in the land for a spiritual revival; if you will, a crusade  for renewal. The American people said: Let us look to the future with  confidence, both at home and abroad. Let us give freedom a chance.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":7,"text":"Americans were ready to make a new beginning, and together we have done it.  We're confronting our problems one by one. Hope is alive tonight for  millions of young families and senior citizens set free from unfair tax  increases and crushing inflation. Inflation has been beaten down from 12.4  to 3.2 percent, and that's a great victory for all the people. The prime  rate has been cut almost in half, and we must work together to bring it  down even more.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":8,"text":"Together, we passed the first across-the-board tax reduction for everyone  since the Kennedy tax cuts. Next year, tax rates will be indexed so  inflation can't push people into higher brackets when they get  cost-of-living pay raises. Government must never again use inflation to  profit at the people's expense.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":9,"text":"Today a working family earning $25,000 has $1,100 more in purchasing power  than if tax and inflation rates were still at the 1980 levels. Real  after-tax income increased 5 percent last year. And economic deregulation  of key industries like transportation has offered more chances--or  choices, I should say, to consumers and new changes--or chances for  entrepreneurs and protecting safety. Tonight, we can report and be proud of  one of the best recoveries in decades. Send away the handwringers and the  doubting Thomases. Hope is reborn for couples dreaming of owning homes and  for risktakers with vision to create tomorrow's opportunities.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":10,"text":"The spirit of enterprise is sparked by the sunrise industries of high-tech  and by small business people with big ideas--people like Barbara Proctor,  who rose from a ghetto to build a multimillion-dollar advertising agency in  Chicago; Carlos Perez, a Cuban refugee, who turned $27 and a dream into a  successful importing business in Coral Gables, Florida.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":11,"text":"People like these are heroes for the eighties. They helped 4 million  Americans find jobs in 1983. More people are drawing paychecks tonight than  ever before. And Congress helps--or progress helps everyone--well, Congress  does too----everyone. In 1983 women filled 73 percent of all the new jobs  in managerial, professional, and technical fields.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":12,"text":"But we know that many of our fellow countrymen are still out of work,  wondering what will come of their hopes and dreams. Can we love America and  not reach out to tell them: You are not forgotten; we will not rest until  each of you can reach as high as your God-given talents will take you.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":13,"text":"The heart of America is strong; it's good and true. The cynics were wrong;  America never was a sick society. We're seeing rededication to bedrock  values of faith, family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom--values  that help bring us together as one people, from the youngest child to the  most senior citizen.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":14,"text":"The Congress deserves America's thanks for helping us restore pride and  credibility to our military. And I hope that you're as proud as I am of the  young men and women in uniform who have volunteered to man the ramparts in  defense of freedom and whose dedication, valor, and skill increases so much  our chance of living in a world at peace.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":15,"text":"People everywhere hunger for peace and a better life. The tide of the  future is a freedom tide, and our struggle for democracy cannot and will  not be denied. This nation champions peace that enshrines liberty,  democratic rights, and dignity for every individual. America's new  strength, confidence, and purpose are carrying hope and opportunity far  from our shores. A world economic recovery is underway. It began here.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":16,"text":"We've journeyed far, but we have much farther to go. Franklin Roosevelt  told us 50 years ago this month: \"Civilization can not go back;  civilization must not stand still. We have undertaken new methods. It is  our task to perfect, to improve, to alter when necessary, but in all cases  to go forward.\"  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":17,"text":"It's time to move forward again, time for America to take freedom's next  step. Let us unite tonight behind four great goals to keep America free,  secure, and at peace in the eighties together.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":18,"text":"We can ensure steady economic growth. We can develop America's next  frontier. We can strengthen our traditional values. And we can build a  meaningful peace to protect our loved ones and this shining star of faith  that has guided millions from tyranny to the safe harbor of freedom,  progress, and hope.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":19,"text":"Doing these things will open wider the gates of opportunity, provide  greater security for all, with no barriers of bigotry or discrimination.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":20,"text":"The key to a dynamic decade is vigorous economic growth, our first great  goal. We might well begin with common sense in Federal budgeting:  government spending no more than government takes in.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":21,"text":"We must bring Federal deficits down. But how we do that makes all the  difference.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":22,"text":"We can begin by limiting the size and scope of government. Under the  leadership of Vice President Bush, we have reduced the growth of Federal  regulations by more than 25 percent and cut well over 300 million hours of  government-required paperwork each year. This will save the public more  than $150 billion over the next 10 years.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":23,"text":"The Grace commission has given us some 2,500 recommendations for reducing  wasteful spending, and they're being examined throughout the  administration. Federal spending growth has been cut from 17.4 percent in  1980 to less than half of that today, and we have already achieved over  $300 billion in budget savings for the period of 1982 to '86. But that's  only a little more than half of what we sought. Government is still  spending too large a percentage of the total economy.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":24,"text":"Now, some insist that any further budget savings must be obtained by  reducing the portion spent on defense. This ignores the fact that national  defense is solely the responsibility of the Federal Government; indeed, it  is its prime responsibility. And yet defense spending is less than a third  of the total budget. During the years of President Kennedy and of the years  before that, defense was almost half the total budget. And then came  several years in which our military capability was allowed to deteriorate  to a very dangerous degree. We are just now restoring, through the  essential modernization of our conventional and strategic forces, our  capability to meet our present and future security needs. We dare not shirk  our responsibility to keep America free, secure, and at peace.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":25,"text":"The last decade saw domestic spending surge literally out of control. But  the basis for such spending had been laid in previous years. A pattern of  overspending has been in place for half a century. As the national debt  grew, we were told not to worry, that we owed it to ourselves.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":26,"text":"Now we know that deficits are a cause for worry. But there's a difference  of opinion as to whether taxes should be increased, spending cut, or some  of both. Fear is expressed that government borrowing to fund the deficit  could inhibit the economic recovery by taking capital needed for business  and industrial expansion. Well, I think that debate is missing an important  point. Whether government borrows or increases taxes, it will be taking the  same amount of money from the private sector, and, either way, that's too  much. Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on  families struggling to pay their bills. The root of the problem is that  government's share is more than we can afford if we're to have a sound  economy.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":27,"text":"We must bring down the deficits to ensure continued economic growth. In the  budget that I will submit on February 1st, I will recommend measures that  will reduce the deficit over the next 5 years. Many of these will be  unfinished business from last year's budget.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":28,"text":"Some could be enacted quickly if we could join in a serious effort to  address this problem. I spoke today with Speaker of the House O'Neill,  Senate Majority Leader Baker, Senate Minority Leader Byrd, and House  Minority Leader Michel. I asked them if they would designate congressional  representatives to meet with representatives of the administration to try  to reach prompt agreement on a bipartisan deficit reduction plan. I know it  would take a long, hard struggle to agree on a full-scale plan. So, what I  have proposed is that we first see if we can agree on a down payment.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":29,"text":"Now, I believe there is basis for such an agreement, one that could reduce  the deficits by about a hundred billion dollars over the next 3 years. We  could focus on some of the less contentious spending cuts that are still  pending before the Congress. These could be combined with measures to close  certain tax loopholes, measures that the Treasury Department has previously  said to be worthy of support. In addition, we could examine the possibility  of achieving further outlay savings based on the work of the Grace  commission.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":30,"text":"If the congressional leadership is willing, my representatives will be  prepared to meet with theirs at the earliest possible time. I would hope  the leadership might agree on an expedited timetable in which to develop  and enact that down payment.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":31,"text":"But a down payment alone is not enough to break us out of the deficit  problem. It could help us start on the right path. Yet, we must do more.  So, I propose that we begin exploring how together we can make structural  reforms to curb the built-in growth of spending.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":32,"text":"I also propose improvements in the budgeting process. Some 43 of our 50  States grant their Governors the right to veto individual items in  appropriation bills without having to veto the entire bill. California is  one of those 43 States. As Governor, I found this line-item veto was a  powerful tool against wasteful or extravagant spending. It works in 43  States. Let's put it to work in Washington for all the people.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":33,"text":"It would be most effective if done by constitutional amendment. The  majority of Americans approve of such an amendment, just as they and I  approve of an amendment mandating a balanced Federal budget. Many States  also have this protection in their constitutions.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":34,"text":"To talk of meeting the present situation by increasing taxes is a Band-Aid  solution which does nothing to cure an illness that's been coming on for  half a century--to say nothing of the fact that it poses a real threat to  economic recovery. Let's remember that a substantial amount of income tax  is presently owed and not paid by people in the underground economy. It  would be immoral to make those who are paying taxes pay more to compensate  for those who aren't paying their share.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":35,"text":"There's a better way. Let us go forward with an historic reform for  fairness, simplicity, and incentives for growth. I am asking Secretary Don  Regan for a plan for action to simplify the entire tax code, so all  taxpayers, big and small, are treated more fairly. And I believe such a  plan could result in that underground economy being brought into the  sunlight of honest tax compliance. And it could make the tax base broader,  so personal tax rates could come down, not go up. I've asked that specific  recommendations, consistent with those objectives, be presented to me by  December 1984.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":36,"text":"Our second great goal is to build on America's pioneer spirit--I said  something funny? I said America's next frontier--and that's to develop that  frontier. A sparkling economy spurs initiatives, sunrise industries, and  makes older ones more competitive.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":37,"text":"Nowhere is this more important than our next frontier: space. Nowhere do we  so effectively demonstrate our technological leadership and ability to make  life better on Earth. The Space Age is barely a quarter of a century old.  But already we've pushed civilization forward with our advances in science  and technology. Opportunities and jobs will multiply as we cross new  thresholds of knowledge and reach deeper into the unknown.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":38,"text":"Our progress in space--taking giant steps for all mankind--is a tribute to  American teamwork and excellence. Our finest minds in government, industry,  and academia have all pulled together. And we can be proud to say: We are  first; we are the best; and we are so because we're free.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":39,"text":"America has always been greatest when we dared to be great. We can reach  for greatness again. We can follow our dreams to distant stars, living and  working in space for peaceful, economic, and scientific gain. Tonight, I am  directing NASA to develop a permanently manned space station and to do it  within a decade.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":40,"text":"A space station will permit quantum leaps in our research in science,  communications, in metals, and in lifesaving medicines which could be  manufactured only in space. We want our friends to help us meet these  challenges and share in their benefits. NASA will invite other countries to  participate so we can strengthen peace, build prosperity, and expand  freedom for all who share our goals.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":41,"text":"Just as the oceans opened up a new world for clipper ships and Yankee  traders, space holds enormous potential for commerce today. The market for  space transportation could surpass our capacity to develop it. Companies  interested in putting payloads into space must have ready access to private  sector launch services. The Department of Transportation will help an  expendable launch services industry to get off the ground. We'll soon  implement a number of executive initiatives, develop proposals to ease  regulatory constraints, and, with NASA's help, promote private sector  investment in space.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":42,"text":"And as we develop the frontier of space, let us remember our responsibility  to preserve our older resources here on Earth. Preservation of our  environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge, it's common sense.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":43,"text":"Though this is a time of budget constraints, I have requested for EPA one  of the largest percentage budget increases of any agency. We will begin the  long, necessary effort to clean up a productive recreational area and a  special national resource--the Chesapeake Bay.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":44,"text":"To reduce the threat posed by abandoned hazardous waste dumps, EPA will  spend $410 million. And I will request a supplemental increase of 50  million. And because the Superfund law expires in 1985, I've asked Bill  Ruckelshaus to develop a proposal for its extension so there'll be  additional time to complete this important task.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":45,"text":"On the question of acid rain, which concerns people in many areas of the  United States and Canada, I'm proposing a research program that doubles our  current funding. And we'll take additional action to restore our lakes and  develop new technology to reduce pollution that causes acid rain.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":46,"text":"We have greatly improved the conditions of our natural resources. We'll ask  the Congress for $157 million beginning in 1985 to acquire new park and  conservation lands. The Department of the Interior will encourage careful,  selective exploration and production on our vital resources in an Exclusive  Economic Zone within the 200-mile limit off our coasts--but with strict  adherence to environmental laws and with fuller State and public  participation.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":47,"text":"But our most precious resources, our greatest hope for the future, are the  minds and hearts of our people, especially our children. We can help them  build tomorrow by strengthening our community of shared values. This must  be our third great goal. For us, faith, work, family, neighborhood,  freedom, and peace are not just words; they're expressions of what America  means, definitions of what makes us a good and loving people.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":48,"text":"Families stand at the center of our society. And every family has a  personal stake in promoting excellence in education. Excellence does not  begin in Washington. A 600-percent increase in Federal spending on  education between 1960 and 1980 was accompanied by a steady decline in  Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. Excellence must begin in our homes and  neighborhood schools, where it's the responsibility of every parent and  teacher and the right of every child.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":49,"text":"Our children come first, and that's why I established a bipartisan National  Commission on Excellence in Education, to help us chart a commonsense  course for better education. And already, communities are implementing the  Commission's recommendations. Schools are reporting progress in math and  reading skills. But we must do more to restore discipline to schools; and  we must encourage the teaching of new basics, reward teachers of merit,  enforce tougher standards, and put our parents back in charge.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":50,"text":"I will continue to press for tuition tax credits to expand opportunities  for families and to soften the double payment for those paying public  school taxes and private school tuition. Our proposal would target  assistance to low- and middle-income families. Just as more incentives are  needed within our schools, greater competition is needed among our schools.  Without standards and competition, there can be no champions, no records  broken, no excellence in education or any other walk of life.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":51,"text":"And while I'm on this subject, each day your Members observe a 200-year-old  tradition meant to signify America is one nation under God. I must ask: If  you can begin your day with a member of the clergy standing right here  leading you in prayer, then why can't freedom to acknowledge God be enjoyed  again by children in every schoolroom across this land?  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":52,"text":"America was founded by people who believed that God was their rock of  safety. He is ours. I recognize we must be cautious in claiming that God is  on our side, but I think it's all right to keep asking if we're on His  side.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":53,"text":"During our first 3 years, we have joined bipartisan efforts to restore  protection of the law to unborn children. Now, I know this issue is very  controversial. But unless and until it can be proven that an unborn child  is not a living human being, can we justify assuming without proof that it  isn't? No one has yet offered such proof; indeed, all the evidence is to  the contrary. We should rise above bitterness and reproach, and if  Americans could come together in a spirit of understanding and helping,  then we could find positive solutions to the tragedy of abortion.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":54,"text":"Economic recovery, better education, rededication to values, all show the  spirit of renewal gaining the upper hand. And all will improve family life  in the eighties. But families need more. They need assurance that they and  their loved ones can walk the streets of America without being afraid.  Parents need to know their children will not be victims of child  pornography and abduction. This year we will intensify our drive against  these and other horrible crimes like sexual abuse and family violence.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":55,"text":"Already our efforts to crack down on career criminals, organized crime,  drugpushers, and to enforce tougher sentences and paroles are having  effect. In 1982 the crime rate dropped by 4.3 percent, the biggest decline  since 1972. Protecting victims is just as important as safeguarding the  rights of defendants.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":56,"text":"Opportunities for all Americans will increase if we move forward in fair  housing and work to ensure women's rights, provide for equitable treatment  in pension benefits and Individual Retirement Accounts, facilitate child  care, and enforce delinquent parent support payments.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":57,"text":"It's not just the home but the workplace and community that sustain our  values and shape our future. So, I ask your help in assisting more  communities to break the bondage of dependency. Help us to free enterprise  by permitting debate and voting \"yes\" on our proposal for enterprise zones  in America. This has been before you for 2 years. Its passage can help  high-unemployment areas by creating jobs and restoring neighborhoods.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":58,"text":"A society bursting with opportunities, reaching for its future with  confidence, sustained by faith, fair play, and a conviction that good and  courageous people will flourish when they're free--these are the secrets of  a strong and prosperous America at peace with itself and the world.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":59,"text":"A lasting and meaningful peace is our fourth great goal. It is our highest  aspiration. And our record is clear: Americans resort to force only when we  must. We have never been aggressors. We have always struggled to defend  freedom and democracy.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":60,"text":"We have no territorial ambitions. We occupy no countries. We build no walls  to lock people in. Americans build the future. And our vision of a better  life for farmers, merchants, and working people, from the Americas to Asia,  begins with a simple premise: The future is best decided by ballots, not  bullets.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":61,"text":"Governments which rest upon the consent of the governed do not wage war on  their neighbors. Only when people are given a personal stake in deciding  their own destiny, benefiting from their own risks, do they create  societies that are prosperous, progressive, and free. Tonight, it is  democracies that offer hope by feeding the hungry, prolonging life, and  eliminating drudgery.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":62,"text":"When it comes to keeping America strong, free, and at peace, there should  be no Republicans or Democrats, just patriotic Americans. We can decide the  tough issues not by who is right, but by what is right.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":63,"text":"Together, we can continue to advance our agenda for peace. We can establish  a more stable basis for peaceful relations with the Soviet Union;  strengthen allied relations across the board; achieve real and equitable  reductions in the levels of nuclear arms; reinforce our peacemaking efforts  in the Middle East, Central America, and southern Africa; or assist  developing countries, particularly our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere;  and assist in the development of democratic institutions throughout the  world.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":64,"text":"The wisdom of our bipartisan cooperation was seen in the work of the  Scowcroft commission, which strengthened our ability to deter war and  protect peace. In that same spirit, I urge you to move forward with the  Henry Jackson plan to implement the recommendations of the Bipartisan  Commission on Central America.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":65,"text":"Your joint resolution on the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon is  also serving the cause of peace. We are making progress in Lebanon. For  nearly 10 years, the Lebanese have lived from tragedy to tragedy with no  hope for their future. Now the multinational peacekeeping force and our  marines are helping them break their cycle of despair. There is hope for a  free, independent, and sovereign Lebanon. We must have the courage to give  peace a chance. And we must not be driven from our objectives for peace in  Lebanon by state-sponsored terrorism. We have seen this ugly specter in  Beirut, Kuwait, and Rangoon. It demands international attention. I will  forward shortly legislative proposals to help combat terrorism. And I will  be seeking support from our allies for concerted action.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":66,"text":"Our NATO alliance is strong. 1983 was a banner year for political courage.  And we have strengthened our partnerships and our friendships in the Far  East. We're committed to dialog, deterrence, and promoting prosperity.  We'll work with our trading partners for a new round of negotiations in  support of freer world trade, greater competition, and more open markets.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":67,"text":"A rebirth of bipartisan cooperation, of economic growth, and military  deterrence, and a growing spirit of unity among our people at home and our  allies abroad underline a fundamental and far-reaching change: The United  States is safer, stronger, and more secure in 1984 than before. We can now  move with confidence to seize the opportunities for peace, and we will.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":68,"text":"Tonight, I want to speak to the people of the Soviet Union, to tell them  it's true that our governments have had serious differences, but our sons  and daughters have never fought each other in war. And if we Americans have  our way, they never will.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":69,"text":"People of the Soviet Union, there is only one sane policy, for your country  and mine, to preserve our civilization in this modern age: A nuclear war  cannot be won and must never be fought. The only value in our two nations  possessing nuclear weapons is to make sure they will never be used. But  then would it not be better to do away with them entirely?  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":70,"text":"People of the Soviet, President Dwight Eisenhower, who fought by your side  in World War II, said the essential struggle \"is not merely man against man  or nation against nation. It is man against war.\" Americans are people of  peace. If your government wants peace, there will be peace. We can come  together in faith and friendship to build a safer and far better world for  our children and our children's children. And the whole world will rejoice.  That is my message to you.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":71,"text":"Some days when life seems hard and we reach out for values to sustain us or  a friend to help us, we find a person who reminds us what it means to be  Americans.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":72,"text":"Sergeant Stephen Trujillo, a medic in the 2d Ranger Battalion, 75th  Infantry, was in the first helicopter to land at the compound held by Cuban  forces in Grenada. He saw three other helicopters crash. Despite the  imminent explosion of the burning aircraft, he never hesitated. He ran  across 25 yards of open terrain through enemy fire to rescue wounded  soldiers. He directed two other medics, administered first aid, and  returned again and again to the crash site to carry his wounded friends to  safety.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":73,"text":"Sergeant Trujillo, you and your fellow service men and women not only saved  innocent lives; you set a nation free. You inspire us as a force for  freedom, not for despotism; and, yes, for peace, not conquest. God bless  you.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":74,"text":"And then there are unsung heroes: single parents, couples, church and civic  volunteers. Their hearts carry without complaint the pains of family and  community problems. They soothe our sorrow, heal our wounds, calm our  fears, and share our joy.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":75,"text":"A person like Father Ritter is always there. His Covenant House programs in  New York and Houston provide shelter and help to thousands of frightened  and abused children each year. The same is true of Dr. Charles Carson.  Paralyzed in a plane crash, he still believed nothing is impossible. Today  in Minnesota, he works 80 hours a week without pay, helping pioneer the  field of computer-controlled walking. He has given hope to 500,000  paralyzed Americans that some day they may walk again.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":76,"text":"How can we not believe in the greatness of America? How can we not do what  is right and needed to preserve this last best hope of man on Earth? After  all our struggles to restore America, to revive confidence in our country,  hope for our future, after all our hard-won victories earned through the  patience and courage of every citizen, we cannot, must not, and will not  turn back. We will finish our job. How could we do less? We're Americans.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":77,"text":"Carl Sandburg said, \"I see America not in the setting sun of a black night  of despair... I see America in the crimson light of a rising sun fresh  from the burning, creative hand of God... I see great days ahead for men  and women of will and vision.\"  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":78,"text":"I've never felt more strongly that America's best days and democracy's best  days lie ahead. We're a powerful force for good. With faith and courage, we  can perform great deeds and take freedom's next step. And we will. We will  carry on the tradition of a good and worthy people who have brought light  where there was darkness, warmth where there was cold, medicine where there  was disease, food where there was hunger, and peace where there was only  bloodshed.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":79,"text":"Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that  in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we  kept them free; we kept the faith.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":80,"text":"Thank you very much. God bless you, and God bless America.  "}
{"year":"1984","paragraph":81,"text":"NOTE: The President spoke at 9:02 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Capitol.  He was introduced by Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of  Representatives. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and  television.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honored  guests, and fellow citizens:  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":2,"text":"I come before you to report on the state of our Union, and I'm pleased to  report that after 4 years of united effort, the American people have  brought forth a nation renewed, stronger, freer, and more secure than  before.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":3,"text":"Four years ago we began to change, forever I hope, our assumptions about  government and its place in our lives. Out of that change has come great  and robust growth--in our confidence, our economy, and our role in the  world.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":4,"text":"Tonight America is stronger because of the values that we hold dear. We  believe faith and freedom must be our guiding stars, for they show us  truth, they make us brave, give us hope, and leave us wiser than we were.  Our progress began not in Washington, DC, but in the hearts of our  families, communities, workplaces, and voluntary groups which, together,  are unleashing the invincible spirit of one great nation under God.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":5,"text":"Four years ago we said we would invigorate our economy by giving people  greater freedom and incentives to take risks and letting them keep more of  what they earned. We did what we promised, and a great industrial giant is  reborn.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":6,"text":"Tonight we can take pride in 25 straight months of economic growth, the  strongest in 34 years; a 3-year inflation average of 3.9 percent, the  lowest in 17 years; and 7.3 million new jobs in 2 years, with more of our  citizens working than ever before.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":7,"text":"New freedom in our lives has planted the rich seeds for future success:  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":8,"text":"For an America of wisdom that honors the family, knowing that if (as) the  family goes, so goes our civilization;  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":9,"text":"For an America of vision that sees tomorrow's dreams in the learning and  hard work we do today;  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":10,"text":"For an America of courage whose service men and women, even as we meet,  proudly stand watch on the frontiers of freedom;  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":11,"text":"For an America of compassion that opens its heart to those who cry out for  help.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":12,"text":"We have begun well. But it's only a beginning. We're not here to  congratulate ourselves on what we have done but to challenge ourselves to  finish what has not yet been done.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":13,"text":"We're here to speak for millions in our inner cities who long for real  jobs, safe neighborhoods, and schools that truly teach. We're here to speak  for the American farmer, the entrepreneur, and every worker in industries  fighting to modernize and compete. And, yes, we're here to stand, and  proudly so, for all who struggle to break free from totalitarianism, for  all who know in their hearts that freedom is the one true path to peace and  human happiness.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":14,"text":"Proverbs tell us, without a vision the people perish. When asked what great  principle holds our Union together, Abraham Lincoln said: \"Something in  (the) Declaration giving liberty, not alone to the people of this country,  but hope to the world for all future time.\"  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":15,"text":"We honor the giants of our history not by going back but forward to the  dreams their vision foresaw. My fellow citizens, this nation is poised for  greatness. The time has come to proceed toward a great new challenge--a  second American Revolution of hope and opportunity; a revolution carrying  us to new heights of progress by pushing back frontiers of knowledge and  space; a revolution of spirit that taps the soul of America, enabling us to  summon greater strength than we've ever known; and a revolution that  carries beyond our shores the golden promise of human freedom in a world of  peace.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":16,"text":"Let us begin by challenging our conventional wisdom. There are no  constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no  barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect. Already, pushing  down tax rates has freed our economy to vault forward to record growth.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":17,"text":"In Europe, they're calling it \"the American Miracle.\" Day by day, we're  shattering accepted notions of what is possible. When I was growing up, we  failed to see how a new thing called radio would transform our marketplace.  Well, today, many have not yet seen how advances in technology are  transforming our lives.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":18,"text":"In the late 1950's workers at the AT&T semiconductor plant in Pennsylvania  produced five transistors a day for $7.50 apiece. They now produce over a  million for less than a penny apiece.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":19,"text":"New laser techniques could revolutionize heart bypass surgery, cut  diagnosis time for viruses linked to cancer from weeks to minutes, reduce  hospital costs dramatically, and hold out new promise for saving human  lives.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":20,"text":"Our automobile industry has overhauled assembly lines, increased worker  productivity, and is competitive once again.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":21,"text":"We stand on the threshold of a great ability to produce more, do more, be  more. Our economy is not getting older and weaker; it's getting younger and  stronger. It doesn't need rest and supervision; it needs new challenge,  greater freedom. And that word \"freedom\" is the key to the second American  revolution that we need to bring about.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":22,"text":"Let us move together with an historic reform of tax simplification for  fairness and growth. Last year I asked Treasury Secretary-then-Regan to  develop a plan to simplify the tax code, so all taxpayers would be treated  more fairly and personal tax rates could come further down.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":23,"text":"We have cut tax rates by almost 25 percent, yet the tax system remains  unfair and limits our potential for growth. Exclusions and exemptions cause  similar incomes to be taxed at different levels. Low-income families face  steep tax barriers that make hard lives even harder. The Treasury  Department has produced an excellent reform plan, whose principles will  guide the final proposal that we will ask you to enact.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":24,"text":"One thing that tax reform will not be is a tax increase in disguise. We  will not jeopardize the mortgage interest deduction that families need. We  will reduce personal tax rates as low as possible by removing many tax  preferences. We will propose a top rate of no more than 35 percent, and  possibly lower. And we will propose reducing corporate rates, while  maintaining incentives for capital formation.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":25,"text":"To encourage opportunity and jobs rather than dependency and welfare, we  will propose that individuals living at or near the poverty line be totally  exempt from Federal income tax. To restore fairness to families, we will  propose increasing significantly the personal exemption.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":26,"text":"And tonight, I am instructing Treasury Secretary James Baker--I have to get  used to saying that--to begin working with congressional authors and  committees for bipartisan legislation conforming to these principles. We  will call upon the American people for support and upon every man and woman  in this Chamber. Together, we can pass, this year, a tax bill for fairness,  simplicity, and growth, making this economy the engine of our dreams and  America the investment capital of the world. So let us begin.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":27,"text":"Tax simplification will be a giant step toward unleashing the tremendous  pent-up power of our economy. But a second American revolution must carry  the promise of opportunity for all. It is time to liberate the spirit of  enterprise in the most distressed areas of our country.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":28,"text":"This government will meet its responsibility to help those in need. But  policies that increase dependency, break up families, and destroy  self-respect are not progressive; they're reactionary. Despite our strides  in civil rights, blacks, Hispanics, and all minorities will not have full  and equal power until they have full economic power.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":29,"text":"We have repeatedly sought passage of enterprise zones to help those in the  abandoned corners of our land find jobs, learn skills, and build better  lives. This legislation is supported by a majority of you.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":30,"text":"Mr. Speaker, I know we agree that there must be no forgotten Americans.  Let us place new dreams in a million hearts and create a new generation of  entrepreneurs by passing enterprise zones this year. And, Tip, you could  make that a birthday present.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":31,"text":"Nor must we lose the chance to pass our youth employment opportunity wage  proposal. We can help teenagers, who have the highest unemployment rate,  find summer jobs, so they can know the pride of work and have confidence in  their futures.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":32,"text":"We'll continue to support the Job Training Partnership Act, which has a  nearly two-thirds job placement rate. Credits in education and health care  vouchers will help working families shop for services that they need.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":33,"text":"Our administration is already encouraging certain low-income public housing  residents to own and manage their own dwellings. It's time that all public  housing residents have that opportunity of ownership.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":34,"text":"The Federal Government can help create a new atmosphere of freedom. But  States and localities, many of which enjoy surpluses from the recovery,  must not permit their tax and regulatory policies to stand as barriers to  growth.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":35,"text":"Let us resolve that we will stop spreading dependency and start spreading  opportunity; that we will stop spreading bondage and start spreading  freedom.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":36,"text":"There are some who say that growth initiatives must await final action on  deficit reductions. Well, the best way to reduce deficits is through  economic growth. More businesses will be started, more investments made,  more jobs created, and more people will be on payrolls paying taxes. The  best way to reduce government spending is to reduce the need for spending  by increasing prosperity. Each added percentage point per year of real GNP  growth will lead to cumulative reduction in deficits of nearly $200 billion  over 5 years.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":37,"text":"To move steadily toward a balanced budget, we must also lighten  government's claim on our total economy. We will not do this by raising  taxes. We must make sure that our economy grows faster than the growth in  spending by the Federal Government. In our fiscal year 1986 budget, overall  government program spending will be frozen at the current level. It must  not be one dime higher than fiscal year 1985, and three points are key.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":38,"text":"First, the social safety net for the elderly, the needy, the disabled, and  unemployed will be left intact. Growth of our major health care programs,  Medicare and Medicaid, will be slowed, but protections for the elderly and  needy will be preserved.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":39,"text":"Second, we must not relax our efforts to restore military strength just as  we near our goal of a fully equipped, trained, and ready professional  corps. National security is government's first responsibility; so in past  years defense spending took about half the Federal budget. Today it takes  less than a third. We've already reduced our planned defense expenditures  by nearly a hundred billion dollars over the past 4 years and reduced  projected spending again this year.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":40,"text":"You know, we only have a military-industrial complex until a time of  danger, and then it becomes the arsenal of democracy. Spending for defense  is investing in things that are priceless--peace and freedom.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":41,"text":"Third, we must reduce or eliminate costly government subsidies. For  example, deregulation of the airline industry has led to cheaper airfares,  but on Amtrak taxpayers pay about $35 per passenger every time an Amtrak  train leaves the station, It's time we ended this huge Federal subsidy.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":42,"text":"Our farm program costs have quadrupled in recent years. Yet I know from  visiting farmers, many in great financial distress, that we need an orderly  transition to a market-oriented farm economy. We can help farmers best not  by expanding Federal payments but by making fundamental reforms, keeping  interest rates heading down, and knocking down foreign trade barriers to  American farm exports.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":43,"text":"We're moving ahead with Grace commission reforms to eliminate waste and  improve government's management practices. In the long run, we must protect  the taxpayers from government. And I ask again that you pass, as 32 States  have now called for, an amendment mandating the Federal Government spend no  more than it takes in. And I ask for the authority, used responsibly by 43  Governors, to veto individual items in appropriation bills. Senator  Mattingly has introduced a bill permitting a 2-year trial run of the  line-item veto. I hope you'll pass and send that legislation to my desk.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":44,"text":"Nearly 50 years of government living beyond its means has brought us to a  time of reckoning. Ours is but a moment in history. But one moment of  courage, idealism, and bipartisan unity can change American history  forever.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":45,"text":"Sound monetary policy is key to long-running economic strength and  stability. We will continue to cooperate with the Federal Reserve Board,  seeking a steady policy that ensures price stability without keeping  interest rates artificially high or needlessly holding down growth.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":46,"text":"Reducing unneeded red tape and regulations, and deregulating the energy,  transportation, and financial industries have unleashed new competition,  giving consumers more choices, better services, and lower prices. In just  one set of grant programs we have reduced 905 pages of regulations to 31.  We seek to fully deregulate natural gas to bring on new supplies and bring  us closer to energy independence. Consistent with safety standards, we will  continue removing restraints on the bus and railroad industries, we will  soon end up legislation--or send up legislation, I should say--to return  Conrail to the private sector where it belongs, and we will support further  deregulation of the trucking industry.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":47,"text":"Every dollar the Federal Government does not take from us, every decision  it does not make for us will make our economy stronger, our lives more  abundant, our future more free.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":48,"text":"Our second American revolution will push on to new possibilities not only  on Earth but in the next frontier of space. Despite budget restraints, we  will seek record funding for research and development.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":49,"text":"We've seen the success of the space shuttle. Now we're going to develop a  permanently manned space station and new opportunities for free enterprise,  because in the next decade Americans and our friends around the world will  be living and working together in space.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":50,"text":"In the zero gravity of space, we could manufacture in 30 days lifesaving  medicines it would take 30 years to make on Earth. We can make crystals of  exceptional purity to produce super computers, creating jobs, technologies,  and medical breakthroughs beyond anything we ever dreamed possible.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":51,"text":"As we do all this, we'll continue to protect our natural resources. We will  seek reauthorization and expanded funding for the Superfund program to  continue cleaning up hazardous waste sites which threaten human health and  the environment.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":52,"text":"Now, there's another great heritage to speak of this evening. Of all the  changes that have swept America the past 4 years, none brings greater  promise than our rediscovery of the values of faith, freedom, family, work,  and neighborhood.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":53,"text":"We see signs of renewal in increased attendance in places of worship;  renewed optimism and faith in our future; love of country rediscovered by  our young, who are leading the way. We've rediscovered that work is good in  and of itself, that it ennobles us to create and contribute no matter how  seemingly humble our jobs. We've seen a powerful new current from an old  and honorable tradition--American generosity.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":54,"text":"From thousands answering Peace Corps appeals to help boost food production  in Africa, to millions volunteering time, corporations adopting schools,  and communities pulling together to help the neediest among us at home, we  have refound our values. Private sector initiatives are crucial to our  future.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":55,"text":"I thank the Congress for passing equal access legislation giving religious  groups the same right to use classrooms after school that other groups  enjoy. But no citizen need tremble, nor the world shudder, if a child  stands in a classroom and breathes a prayer. We ask you again, give  children back a right they had for a century and a half or more in this  country.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":56,"text":"The question of abortion grips our nation. Abortion is either the taking of  a human life or it isn't. And if it is--and medical technology is  increasingly showing it is--it must be stopped. It is a terrible irony that  while some turn to abortion, so many others who cannot become parents cry  out for children to adopt. We have room for these children. We can fill the  cradles of those who want a child to love. And tonight I ask you in the  Congress to move this year on legislation to protect the unborn.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":57,"text":"In the area of education, we're returning to excellence, and again, the  heroes are our people, not government. We're stressing basics of  discipline, rigorous testing, and homework, while helping children become  computer-smart as well. For 20 years scholastic aptitude test scores of our  high school students went down, but now they have gone up 2 of the last 3  years. We must go forward in our commitment to the new basics, giving  parents greater authority and making sure good teachers are rewarded for  hard work and achievement through merit pay.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":58,"text":"Of all the changes in the past 20 years, none has more threatened our sense  of national well-being than the explosion of violent crime. One does not  have to be attacked to be a victim. The woman who must run to her car after  shopping at night is a victim. The couple draping their door with locks and  chains are victims; as is the tired, decent cleaning woman who can't ride a  subway home without being afraid.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":59,"text":"We do not seek to violate the rights of defendants. But shouldn't we feel  more compassion for the victims of crime than for those who commit crime?  For the first time in 20 years, the crime index has fallen 2 years in a  row. We've convicted over 7,400 drug offenders and put them, as well as  leaders of organized crime, behind bars in record numbers.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":60,"text":"But we must do more. I urge the House to follow the Senate and enact  proposals permitting use of all reliable evidence that police officers  acquire in good faith. These proposals would also reform the habeas corpus  laws and allow, in keeping with the will of the overwhelming majority of  Americans, the use of the death penalty where necessary.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":61,"text":"There can be no economic revival in ghettos when the most violent among us  are allowed to roam free. It's time we restored domestic tranquility. And  we mean to do just that.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":62,"text":"Just as we're positioned as never before to secure justice in our economy,  we're poised as never before to create a safer, freer, more peaceful world.  Our alliances are stronger than ever. Our economy is stronger than ever. We  have resumed our historic role as a leader of the free world. And all of  these together are a great force for peace.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":63,"text":"Since 1981 we've been committed to seeking fair and verifiable arms  agreements that would lower the risk of war and reduce the size of nuclear  arsenals. Now our determination to maintain a strong defense has influenced  the Soviet Union to return to the bargaining table. Our negotiators must be  able to go to that table with the united support of the American people.  All of us have no greater dream than to see the day when nuclear weapons  are banned from this Earth forever.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":64,"text":"Each Member of the Congress has a role to play in modernizing our defenses,  thus supporting our chances for a meaningful arms agreement. Your vote this  spring on the Peacekeeper missile will be a critical test of our resolve to  maintain the strength we need and move toward mutual and verifiable arms  reductions.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":65,"text":"For the past 20 years we've believed that no war will be launched as long  as each side knows it can retaliate with a deadly counterstrike. Well, I  believe there's a better way of eliminating the threat of nuclear war. It  is a Strategic Defense Initiative aimed ultimately at finding a nonnuclear  defense against ballistic missiles. It's the most hopeful possibility of  the nuclear age. But it's not very well understood.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":66,"text":"Some say it will bring war to the heavens, but its purpose is to deter war  in the heavens and on Earth. Now, some say the research would be expensive.  Perhaps, but it could save millions of lives, indeed humanity itself. And  some say if we build such a system, the Soviets will build a defense system  of their own. Well, they already have strategic defenses that surpass ours;  a civil defense system, where we have almost none; and a research program  covering roughly the same areas of technology that we're now exploring. And  finally some say the research will take a long time. Well, the answer to  that is: Let's get started.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":67,"text":"Harry Truman once said that, ultimately, our security and the world's hopes  for peace and human progress \"lie not in measures of defense or in the  control of weapons, but in the growth and expansion of freedom and  self-government.\"  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":68,"text":"And tonight, we declare anew to our fellow citizens of the world: Freedom  is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few; it is the universal right of  all God's children. Look to where peace and prosperity flourish today. It  is in homes that freedom built. Victories against poverty are greatest and  peace most secure where people live by laws that ensure free press, free  speech, and freedom to worship, vote, and create wealth.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":69,"text":"Our mission is to nourish and defend freedom and democracy, and to  communicate these ideals everywhere we can. America's economic success is  freedom's success; it can be repeated a hundred times in a hundred  different nations. Many countries in east Asia and the Pacific have few  resources other than the enterprise of their own people. But through low  tax rates and free markets they've soared ahead of centralized economies.  And now China is opening up its economy to meet its needs.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":70,"text":"We need a stronger and simpler approach to the process of making and  implementing trade policy, and we'll be studying potential changes in that  process in the next few weeks. We've seen the benefits of free trade and  lived through the disasters of protectionism. Tonight I ask all our trading  partners, developed and developing alike, to join us in a new round of  trade negotiations to expand trade and competition and strengthen the  global economy--and to begin it in this next year.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":71,"text":"There are more than 3 billion human beings living in Third World countries  with an average per capita income of $650 a year. Many are victims of  dictatorships that impoverished them with taxation and corruption. Let us  ask our allies to join us in a practical program of trade and assistance  that fosters economic development through personal incentives to help these  people climb from poverty on their own.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":72,"text":"We cannot play innocents abroad in a world that's not innocent; nor can we  be passive when freedom is under siege. Without resources, diplomacy cannot  succeed. Our security assistance programs help friendly governments defend  themselves and give them confidence to work for peace. And I hope that you  in the Congress will understand that, dollar for dollar, security  assistance contributes as much to global security as our own defense  budget.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":73,"text":"We must stand by all our democratic allies. And we must not break faith  with those who are risking their lives--on every continent, from  Afghanistan to Nicaragua--to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure  rights which have been ours from birth.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":74,"text":"The Sandinista dictatorship of Nicaragua, with full Cuban-Soviet bloc  support, not only persecutes its people, the church, and denies a free  press, but arms and provides bases for Communist terrorists attacking  neighboring states. Support for freedom fighters is self-defense and  totally consistent with the OAS and U.N. Charters. It is essential that the  Congress continue all facets of our assistance to Central America. I want  to work with you to support the democratic forces whose struggle is tied to  our own security.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":75,"text":"And tonight, I've spoken of great plans and great dreams. They're dreams we  can make come true. Two hundred years of American history should have  taught us that nothing is impossible.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":76,"text":"Ten years ago a young girl left Vietnam with her family, part of the exodus  that followed the fall of Saigon. They came to the United States with no  possessions and not knowing a word of English. Ten years ago--the young  girl studied hard, learned English, and finished high school in the top of  her class. And this May, May 22d to be exact, is a big date on her  calendar. Just 10 years from the time she left Vietnam, she will graduate  from the United States Military Academy at West Point. I thought you might  like to meet an American hero named Jean Nguyen.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":77,"text":"Now, there's someone else here tonight, born 79 years ago. She lives in the  inner city, where she cares for infants born of mothers who are heroin  addicts. The children, born in withdrawal, are sometimes even dropped on  her doorstep. She helps them with love. Go to her house some night, and  maybe you'll see her silhouette against the window as she walks the floor  talking softly, soothing a child in her arms--Mother Hale of Harlem, and  she, too, is an American hero.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":78,"text":"Jean, Mother Hale, your lives tell us that the oldest American saying is  new again: Anything is possible in America if we have the faith, the will,  and the heart. History is asking us once again to be a force for good in  the world. Let us begin in unity, with justice, and love.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":79,"text":"Thank you, and God bless you.  "}
{"year":"1985","paragraph":80,"text":"NOTE: The President spoke at 9:05 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Capitol.  He was introduced by Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of  Representatives. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio  and television.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honored  guests, and fellow citizens:  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":2,"text":"Thank you for allowing me to delay my address until this evening. We paused  together to mourn and honor the valor of our seven Challenger heroes. And I  hope that we are now ready to do what they would want us to do: Go forward,  America, and reach for the stars. We will never forget those brave seven,  but we shall go forward.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":3,"text":"Mr. Speaker, before I begin my prepared remarks, may I point out that  tonight marks the 10th and last State of the Union Message that you've  presided over. And on behalf of the American people, I want to salute you  for your service to Congress and country. Here's to you!  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":4,"text":"I have come to review with you the progress of our nation, to speak of  unfinished work, and to set our sights on the future. I am pleased to  report the state of our Union is stronger than a year ago and growing  stronger each day. Tonight we look out on a rising America, firm of heart,  united in spirit, powerful in pride and patriotism. America is on the move!  But it wasn't long ago that we looked out on a different land: locked  factory gates, long gasoline lines, intolerable prices, and interest rates  turning the greatest country on Earth into a land of broken dreams.  Government growing beyond our consent had become a lumbering giant,  slamming shut the gates of opportunity, threatening to crush the very roots  of our freedom. What brought America back? The American people brought us  back with quiet courage and common sense, with undying faith that in this  nation under God the future will be ours; for the future belongs to the  free.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":5,"text":"Tonight the American people deserve our thanks for 37 straight months of  economic growth, for sunrise firms and modernized industries creating 9  million new jobs in 3 years, interest rates cut in half, inflation falling  over from 12 percent in 1980 to under 4 today, and a mighty river of good  works--a record $74 billion in voluntary giving just last year alone. And  despite the pressures of our modern world, family and community remain the  moral core of our society, guardians of our values and hopes for the  future. Family and community are the costars of this great American  comeback. They are why we say tonight: Private values must be at the heart  of public policies.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":6,"text":"What is true for families in America is true for America in the family of  free nations. History is no captive of some inevitable force. History is  made by men and women of vision and courage. Tonight freedom is on the  march. The United States is the economic miracle, the model to which the  world once again turns. We stand for an idea whose time is now: Only by  lifting the weights from the shoulders of all can people truly prosper and  can peace among all nations be secure. Teddy Roosevelt said that a nation  that does great work lives forever. We have done well, but we cannot stop  at the foothills when Everest beckons. It's time for America to be all that  we can be.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":7,"text":"We speak tonight of an agenda for the future, an agenda for a safer, more  secure world. And we speak about the necessity for actions to steel us for  the challenges of growth, trade, and security in the next decade and the  year 2000. And we will do it--not by breaking faith with bedrock principles  but by breaking free from failed policies. Let us begin where storm clouds  loom darkest--right here in Washington, DC. This week I will send you our  detailed proposals; tonight let us speak of our responsibility to redefine  government's role: not to control, not to demand or command, not to contain  us, but to help in times of need and, above all, to create a ladder of  opportunity to full employment so that all Americans can climb toward  economic power and justice on their own.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":8,"text":"But we cannot win the race to the future shackled to a system that can't  even pass a Federal budget. We cannot win that race held back by  horse-and-buggy programs that waste tax dollars and squander human  potential. We cannot win that race if we're swamped in a sea of red ink.  Now, Mr. Speaker, you know, I know, and the American people know the  Federal budget system is broken. It doesn't work. Before we leave this  city, let's you and I work together to fix it, and then we can finally give  the American people a balanced budget.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":9,"text":"Members of Congress, passage of Gramm-Rudman-Hollings gives us an historic  opportunity to achieve what has eluded our national leadership for decades:  forcing the Federal Government to live within its means. Your schedule now  requires that the budget resolution be passed by April 15th, the very day  America's families have to foot the bill for the budgets that you produce.  How often we read of a husband and wife both working, struggling from  paycheck to paycheck to raise a family, meet a mortgage, pay their taxes  and bills. And yet some in Congress say taxes must be raised. Well, I'm  sorry; they're asking the wrong people to tighten their belts. It's time we  reduce the Federal budget and left the family budget alone. We do not face  large deficits because American families are undertaxed; we face those  deficits because the Federal Government overspends.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":10,"text":"The detailed budget that we will submit will meet the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings  target for deficit reductions, meet our commitment to ensure a strong  national defense, meet our commitment to protect Social Security and the  truly less fortunate, and, yes, meet our commitment to not raise taxes. How  should we accomplish this? Well, not by taking from those in need. As  families take care of their own, government must provide shelter and  nourishment for those who cannot provide for themselves. But we must revise  or replace programs enacted in the name of compassion that degrade the  moral worth of work, encourage family breakups, and drive entire  communities into a bleak and heartless dependency. Gramm-Rudman-Hollings  can mark a dramatic improvement. But experience shows that simply setting  deficit targets does not assure they'll be met. We must proceed with Grace  commission reforms against waste.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":11,"text":"And tonight I ask you to give me what 43 Governors have: Give me a  line-item veto this year. Give me the authority to veto waste, and I'll  take the responsibility, I'll make the cuts, I'll take the heat. This  authority would not give me any monopoly power, but simply prevent spending  measures from sneaking through that could not pass on their own merit. And  you can sustain or override my veto; that's the way the system should work.  Once we've made the hard choices, we should lock in our gains with a  balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":12,"text":"I mentioned that we will meet our commitment to national defense. We must  meet it. Defense is not just another budget expense. Keeping America  strong, free, and at peace is solely the responsibility of the Federal  Government; it is government's prime responsibility. We have devoted 5  years trying to narrow a dangerous gap born of illusion and neglect, and  we've made important gains. Yet the threat from Soviet forces, conventional  and strategic, from the Soviet drive for domination, from the increase in  espionage and state terror remains great. This is reality. Closing our eyes  will not make reality disappear. We pledged together to hold real growth in  defense spending to the bare minimum. My budget honors that pledge, and I'm  now asking you, the Congress, to keep its end of the bargain. The Soviets  must know that if America reduces her defenses, it will be because of a  reduced threat, not a reduced resolve.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":13,"text":"Keeping America strong is as vital to the national security as controlling  Federal spending is to our economic security. But, as I have said before,  the most powerful force we can enlist against the Federal deficit is an  ever-expanding American economy, unfettered and free. The magic of  opportunity--unreserved, unfailing, unrestrained--isn't this the calling  that unites us? I believe our tax rate cuts for the people have done more  to spur a spirit of risk-taking and help America's economy break free than  any program since John Kennedy's tax cut almost a quarter century ago.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":14,"text":"Now history calls us to press on, to complete efforts for an historic tax  reform providing new opportunity for all and ensuring that all pay their  fair share, but no more. We've come this far. Will you join me now, and  we'll walk this last mile together? You know my views on this. We cannot  and we will not accept tax reform that is a tax increase in disguise. True  reform must be an engine of productivity and growth, and that means a top  personal rate no higher than 35 percent. True reform must be truly fair,  and that means raising personal exemptions to $2,000. True reform means a  tax system that at long last is profamily, projobs, profuture, and  pro-America.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":15,"text":"As we knock down the barriers to growth, we must redouble our efforts for  freer and fairer trade. We have already taken actions to counter unfair  trading practices and to pry open closed foreign markets. We will continue  to do so. We will also oppose legislation touted as providing protection  that in reality pits one American worker against another, one industry  against another, one community against another, and that raises prices for  us all. If the United States can trade with other nations on a level  playing field, we can outproduce, outcompete, and outsell anybody, anywhere  in the world.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":16,"text":"The constant expansion of our economy and exports requires a sound and  stable dollar at home and reliable exchange rates around the world. We must  never again permit wild currency swings to cripple our farmers and other  exporters. Farmers, in particular, have suffered from past unwise  government policies. They must not be abandoned with problems they did not  create and cannot control. We've begun coordinating economic and monetary  policy among our major trading partners. But there's more to do, and  tonight I am directing Treasury Secretary Jim Baker to determine if the  nations of the world should convene to discuss the role and relationship of  our currencies.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":17,"text":"Confident in our future and secure in our values, Americans are striving  forward to embrace the future. We see it not only in our recovery but in 3  straight years of falling crime rates, as families and communities band  together to fight pornography, drugs, and lawlessness and to give back to  their children the safe and, yes, innocent childhood they deserve. We see  it in the renaissance in education, the rising SAT scores for 3 years--last  year's increase, the greatest since 1963. It wasn't government and  Washington lobbies that turned education around; it was the American people  who, in reaching for excellence, knew to reach back to basics. We must  continue the advance by supporting discipline in our schools, vouchers that  give parents freedom of choice; and we must give back to our children their  lost right to acknowledge God in their classrooms.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":18,"text":"We are a nation of idealists, yet today there is a wound in our national  conscience. America will never be whole as long as the right to life  granted by our Creator is denied to the unborn. For the rest of my time, I  shall do what I can to see that this wound is one day healed.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":19,"text":"As we work to make the American dream real for all, we must also look to  the condition of America's families. Struggling parents today worry how  they will provide their children the advantages that their parents gave  them. In the welfare culture, the breakdown of the family, the most basic  support system, has reached crisis proportions--in female and child  poverty, child abandonment, horrible crimes, and deteriorating schools.  After hundreds of billions of dollars in poverty programs, the plight of  the poor grows more painful. But the waste in dollars and cents pales  before the most tragic loss: the sinful waste of human spirit and  potential. We can ignore this terrible truth no longer. As Franklin  Roosevelt warned 51 years ago, standing before this Chamber, he said,  \"Welfare is a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit.\" And we  must now escape the spider's web of dependency.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":20,"text":"Tonight I am charging the White House Domestic Council to present me by  December 1, 1986, an evaluation of programs and a strategy for immediate  action to meet the financial, educational, social, and safety concerns of  poor families. I'm talking about real and lasting emancipation, because the  success of welfare should be judged by how many of its recipients become  independent of welfare. Further, after seeing how devastating illness can  destroy the financial security of the family, I am directing the Secretary  of Health and Human Services, Dr. Otis Bowen, to report to me by year end  with recommendations on how the private sector and government can work  together to address the problems of affordable insurance for those whose  life savings would otherwise be threatened when catastrophic illness  strikes.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":21,"text":"And tonight I want to speak directly to America's younger generation,  because you hold the destiny of our nation in your hands. With all the  temptations young people face, it sometimes seems the allure of the  permissive society requires superhuman feats of self-control. But the call  of the future is too strong, the challenge too great to get lost in the  blind alleyways of dissolution, drugs, and despair. Never has there been a  more exciting time to be alive, a time of rousing wonder and heroic  achievement. As they said in the film \"Back to the Future,\" \"Where we're  going, we don't need roads.\"  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":22,"text":"Well, today physicists peering into the infinitely small realms of  subatomic particles find reaffirmations of religious faith. Astronomers  build a space telescope that can see to the edge of the universe and  possibly back to the moment of creation. So, yes, this nation remains fully  committed to America's space program. We're going forward with our shuttle  flights. We're going forward to build our space station. And we are going  forward with research on a new Orient Express that could, by the end of the  next decade, take off from Dulles Airport, accelerate up to 25 times the  speed of sound, attaining low Earth orbit or flying to Tokyo within 2  hours. And the same technology transforming our lives can solve the  greatest problem of the 20th century. A security shield can one day render  nuclear weapons obsolete and free mankind from the prison of nuclear  terror. America met one historic challenge and went to the Moon. Now  America must meet another: to make our strategic defense real for all the  citizens of planet Earth.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":23,"text":"Let us speak of our deepest longing for the future: to leave our children a  land that is free and just and a world at peace. It is my hope that our  fireside summit in Geneva and Mr. Gorbachev's upcoming visit to America can  lead to a more stable relationship. Surely no people on Earth hate war or  love peace more than we Americans. But we cannot stroll into the future  with childlike faith. Our differences with a system that openly proclaims  and practices an alleged right to command people's lives and to export its  ideology by force are deep and abiding. Logic and history compel us to  accept that our relationship be guided by realism--rock-hard, cleareyed,  steady, and sure. Our negotiators in Geneva have proposed a radical cut in  offensive forces by each side with no cheating. They have made clear that  Soviet compliance with the letter and spirit of agreements is essential. If  the Soviet Government wants an agreement that truly reduces nuclear arms,  there will be such an agreement.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":24,"text":"But arms control is no substitute for peace. We know that peace follows in  freedom's path and conflicts erupt when the will of the people is denied.  So, we must prepare for peace not only by reducing weapons but by  bolstering prosperity, liberty, and democracy however and wherever we can.  We advance the promise of opportunity every time we speak out on behalf of  lower tax rates, freer markets, sound currencies around the world. We  strengthen the family of freedom every time we work with allies and come to  the aid of friends under siege. And we can enlarge the family of free  nations if we will defend the unalienable rights of all God's children to  follow their dreams.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":25,"text":"To those imprisoned in regimes held captive, to those beaten for daring to  fight for freedom and democracy--for their right to worship, to speak, to  live, and to prosper in the family of free nations--we say to you tonight:  You are not alone, freedom fighters. America will support with moral and  material assistance your right not just to fight and die for freedom but to  fight and win freedom--to win freedom in Afghanistan, in Angola, in  Cambodia, and in Nicaragua. This is a great moral challenge for the entire  free world.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":26,"text":"Surely no issue is more important for peace in our own hemisphere, for the  security of our frontiers, for the protection of our vital interests, than  to achieve democracy in Nicaragua and to protect Nicaragua's democratic  neighbors. This year I will be asking Congress for the means to do what  must be done for that great and good cause. As (former Senator Henry  M.)Scoop Jackson, the inspiration for our Bipartisan Commission on Central  America, once said, \"In matters of national security, the best politics is  no politics.\"  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":27,"text":"What we accomplish this year, in each challenge we face, will set our  course for the balance of the decade, indeed, for the remainder of the  century. After all we've done so far, let no one say that this nation  cannot reach the destiny of our dreams. America believes, America is ready,  America can win the race to the future--and we shall. The American dream is  a song of hope that rings through night winter air; vivid, tender music  that warms our hearts when the least among us aspire to the greatest  things: to venture a daring enterprise; to unearth new beauty in music,  literature, and art; to discover a new universe inside a tiny silicon chip  or a single human cell.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":28,"text":"We see the dream coming true in the spirit of discovery of Richard Cavoli.  All his life he's been enthralled by the mysteries of medicine. And,  Richard, we know that the experiment that you began in high school was  launched and lost last week, yet your dream lives. And as long as it's  real, work of noble note will yet be done, work that could reduce the  harmful effects of x rays on patients and enable astronomers to view the  golden gateways of the farthest stars.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":29,"text":"We see the dream glow in the towering talent of a 12-year-old, Tyrone Ford.  A child prodigy of gospel music, he has surmounted personal adversity to  become an accomplished pianist and singer. He also directs the choirs of  three churches and has performed at the Kennedy Center. With God as your  composer, Tyrone, your music will be the music of angels.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":30,"text":"We see the dream being saved by the courage of the 13-year-old Shelby  Butler, honor student and member of her school's safety patrol. Seeing  another girl freeze in terror before an out-of-control school bus, she  risked her life and pulled her to safety. With bravery like yours, Shelby,  America need never fear for our future.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":31,"text":"And we see the dream born again in the joyful compassion of a 13 year old,  Trevor Ferrell. Two years ago, age 11, watching men and women bedding down  in abandoned doorways--on television he was watching--Trevor left his  suburban Philadelphia home to bring blankets and food to the helpless and  homeless. And now 250 people help him fulfill his nightly vigil. Trevor,  yours is the living spirit of brotherly love.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":32,"text":"Would you four stand up for a moment? Thank you, thank you. You are heroes  of our hearts. We look at you and know it's true: In this land of dreams  fulfilled, where greater dreams may be imagined, nothing is impossible, no  victory is beyond our reach, no glory will ever be too great.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":33,"text":"So, now it's up to us, all of us, to prepare America for that day when our  work will pale before the greatness of America's champions in the 21st  century. The world's hopes rest with America's future; America's hopes rest  with us. So, let us go forward to create our world of tomorrow in faith, in  unity, and in love.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":34,"text":"God bless you, and God bless America.  "}
{"year":"1986","paragraph":35,"text":"NOTE: The President spoke at 8:04 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Capitol.  He was introduced by Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of  Representatives. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio  and television.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of Congress, honored  guests, and fellow citizens:  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":2,"text":"May I congratulate all of you who are Members of this historic 100th  Congress of the United States of America. In this 200th anniversary year of  our Constitution, you and I stand on the shoulders of giants--men whose  words and deeds put wind in the sails of freedom. However, we must always  remember that our Constitution is to be celebrated not for being old, but  for being young--young with the same energy, spirit, and promise that  filled each eventful day in Philadelphia's statehouse. We will be guided  tonight by their acts, and we will be guided forever by their words.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":3,"text":"Now, forgive me, but I can't resist sharing a story from those historic  days. Philadelphia was bursting with civic pride in the spring of 1787, and  its newspapers began embellishing the arrival of the Convention delegates  with elaborate social classifications. Governors of States were called  Excellency. Justices and Chancellors had reserved for them honorable with a  capital \"H.\" For Congressmen, it was honorable with a small \"h.\" And all  others were referred to as \"the following respectable characters.\" Well,  for this 100th Congress, I invoke special executive powers to declare that  each of you must never be titled less than honorable with a capital \"H.\"  Incidentally, I'm delighted you are celebrating the 100th birthday of the  Congress. It's always a pleasure to congratulate someone with more  birthdays than I've had.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":4,"text":"Now, there's a new face at this place of honor tonight. And please join me  in warm congratulations to the Speaker of the House, Jim Wright. Mr.  Speaker, you might recall a similar situation in your very first session of  Congress 32 years ago. Then, as now, the speakership had changed hands and  another great son of Texas, Sam Rayburn--\"Mr. Sam\"--sat in your chair. I  cannot find better words than those used by President Eisenhower that  evening. He said, \"We shall have much to do together; I am sure that we  will get it done and that we shall do it in harmony and good will.\" Tonight  I renew that pledge. To you, Mr. Speaker, and to Senate Majority Leader  Robert Byrd, who brings 34 years of distinguished service to the Congress,  may I say: Though there are changes in the Congress, America's interests  remain the same. And I am confident that, along with Republican leaders Bob  Michel and Bob Dole, this Congress can make history.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":5,"text":"Six years ago I was here to ask the Congress to join me in America's new  beginning. Well, the results are something of which we can all be proud.  Our inflation rate is now the lowest in a quarter of a century. The prime  interest rate has fallen from the 21 1/2 percent the month before we took  office to 7 1/2 percent today. And those rates have triggered the most  housing starts in 8 years. The unemployment rate--still too high--is the  lowest in nearly 7 years, and our people have created nearly 13 million new  jobs. Over 61 percent of everyone over the age of 16, male and female, is  employed--the highest percentage on record. Let's roll up our sleeves and  go to work and put America's economic engine at full throttle. We can also  be heartened by our progress across the world. Most important, America is  at peace tonight, and freedom is on the march. And we've done much these  past years to restore our defenses, our alliances, and our leadership in  the world. Our sons and daughters in the services once again wear their  uniforms with pride.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":6,"text":"But though we've made much progress, I have one major regret: I took a risk  with regard to our action in Iran. It did not work, and for that I assume  full responsibility. The goals were worthy. I do not believe it was wrong  to try to establish contacts with a country of strategic importance or to  try to save lives. And certainly it was not wrong to try to secure freedom  for our citizens held in barbaric captivity. But we did not achieve what we  wished, and serious mistakes were made in trying to do so. We will get to  the bottom of this, and I will take whatever action is called for. But in  debating the past, we must not deny ourselves the successes of the future.  Let it never be said of this generation of Americans that we became so  obsessed with failure that we refused to take risks that could further the  cause of peace and freedom in the world. Much is at stake here, and the  Nation and the world are watching to see if we go forward together in the  national interest or if we let partisanship weaken us. And let there be no  mistake about American policy: We will not sit idly by if our interests or  our friends in the Middle East are threatened, nor will we yield to  terrorist blackmail.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":7,"text":"And now, ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, why don't we get to work? I  am pleased to report that because of our efforts to rebuild the strength of  America, the world is a safer place. Earlier this month I submitted a  budget to defend America and maintain our momentum to make up for neglect  in the last decade. Well, I ask you to vote out a defense and foreign  affairs budget that says yes to protecting our country. While the world is  safer, it is not safe.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":8,"text":"Since 1970 the Soviets have invested $500 billion more on their military  forces than we have. Even today, though nearly 1 in 3 Soviet families is  without running hot water and the average family spends 2 hours a day  shopping for the basic necessities of life, their government still found  the resources to transfer $75 billion in weapons to client states in the  past 5 years--clients like Syria, Vietnam, Cuba, Libya, Angola, Ethiopia,  Afghanistan, and Nicaragua. With 120,000 Soviet combat and military  personnel and 15,000 military advisers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America,  can anyone still doubt their single-minded determination to expand their  power? Despite this, the Congress cut my request for critical U.S. security  assistance to free nations by 21 percent this year, and cut defense  requests by $85 billion in the last 3 years.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":9,"text":"These assistance programs serve our national interests as well as mutual  interests. And when the programs are devastated, American interests are  harmed. My friends, it's my duty as President to say to you again tonight  that there is no surer way to lose freedom than to lose our resolve. Today  the brave people of Afghanistan are showing that resolve. The Soviet Union  says it wants a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, yet it continues a  brutal war and props up a regime whose days are clearly numbered. We are  ready to support a political solution that guarantees the rapid withdrawal  of all Soviet troops and genuine self-determination for the Afghan people.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":10,"text":"In Central America, too, the cause of freedom is being tested. And our  resolve is being tested there as well. Here, especially, the world is  watching to see how this nation responds. Today over 90 percent of the  people of Latin America live in democracy. Democracy is on the march in  Central and South America. Communist Nicaragua is the odd man  out--suppressing the church, the press, and democratic dissent and  promoting subversion in the region. We support diplomatic efforts, but  these efforts can never succeed if the Sandinistas win their war against  the Nicaraguan people.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":11,"text":"Our commitment to a Western Hemisphere safe from aggression did not occur  by spontaneous generation on the day that we took office. It began with the  Monroe Doctrine in 1823 and continues our historic bipartisan American  policy. Franklin Roosevelt said we \"are determined to do everything  possible to maintain peace on this hemisphere.\" President Truman was very  blunt: \"International communism seeks to crush and undermine and destroy  the independence of the Americas. We cannot let that happen here.\" And John  F. Kennedy made clear that \"Communist domination in this hemisphere can  never be negotiated.\" Some in this Congress may choose to depart from this  historic commitment, but I will not.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":12,"text":"This year we celebrate the second century of our Constitution. The  Sandinistas just signed theirs 2 weeks ago, and then suspended it. We won't  know how my words tonight will be reported there for one simple reason:  There is no free press in Nicaragua. Nicaraguan freedom fighters have never  asked us to wage their battle, but I will fight any effort to shut off  their lifeblood and consign them to death, defeat, or a life without  freedom. There must be no Soviet beachhead in Central America.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":13,"text":"You know, we Americans have always preferred dialog to conflict, and so, we  always remain open to more constructive relations with the Soviet Union.  But more responsible Soviet conduct around the world is a key element of  the U.S.-Soviet agenda. Progress is also required on the other items of our  agenda as well--real respect for human rights and more open contacts  between our societies and, of course, arms reduction.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":14,"text":"In Iceland, last October, we had one moment of opportunity that the Soviets  dashed because they sought to cripple our Strategic Defense Initiative,  SDI. I wouldn't let them do it then; I won't let them do it now or in the  future. This is the most positive and promising defense program we have  undertaken. It's the path, for both sides, to a safer future--a system that  defends human life instead of threatening it. SDI will go forward. The  United States has made serious, fair, and far-reaching proposals to the  Soviet Union, and this is a moment of rare opportunity for arms reduction.  But I will need, and American negotiators in Geneva will need, Congress'  support. Enacting the Soviet negotiating position into American law would  not be the way to win a good agreement. So, I must tell you in this  Congress I will veto any effort that undercuts our national security and  our negotiating leverage.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":15,"text":"Now, today, we also find ourselves engaged in expanding peaceful commerce  across the world. We will work to expand our opportunities in international  markets through the Uruguay round of trade negotiations and to complete an  historic free trade arrangement between the world's two largest trading  partners, Canada and the United States. Our basic trade policy remains the  same: We remain opposed as ever to protectionism, because America's growth  and future depend on trade. But we would insist on trade that is fair and  free. We are always willing to be trade partners but never trade patsies.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":16,"text":"Now, from foreign borders let us return to our own, because America in the  world is only as strong as America at home. This 100th Congress has high  responsibilities. I begin with a gentle reminder that many of these are  simply the incomplete obligations of the past. The American people deserve  to be impatient, because we do not yet have the public house in order.  We've had great success in restoring our economic integrity, and we've  rescued our nation from the worst economic mess since the Depression. But  there's more to do. For starters, the Federal deficit is outrageous. For  years I've asked that we stop pushing onto our children the excesses of our  government. And what the Congress finally needs to do is pass a  constitutional amendment that mandates a balanced budget and forces  government to live within its means. States, cities, and the families of  America balance their budgets. Why can't we?  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":17,"text":"Next, the budget process is a sorry spectacle. The missing of deadlines and  the nightmare of monstrous continuing resolutions packing hundreds of  billions of dollars of spending into one bill must be stopped. We ask the  Congress once again: Give us the same tool that 43 Governors have--a  lineitem veto so we can carve out the boondoggles and pork, those items  that would never survive on their own. I will send the Congress broad  recommendations on the budget, but first I'd like to see yours. Let's go to  work and get this done together.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":18,"text":"But now let's talk about this year's budget. Even though I have submitted  it within the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction target, I have seen  suggestions that we might postpone that timetable. Well, I think the  American people are tired of hearing the same old excuses. Together we made  a commitment to balance the budget. Now let's keep it. As for those  suggestions that the answer is higher taxes, the American people have  repeatedly rejected that shop-worn advice. They know that we don't have  deficits because people are taxed too little. We have deficits because big  government spends too much.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":19,"text":"Now, next month I'll place two additional reforms before the Congress.  We've created a welfare monster that is a shocking indictment of our sense  of priorities. Our national welfare system consists of some 59 major  programs and over 6,000 pages of Federal laws and regulations on which more  than $132 billion was spent in 1985. I will propose a new national welfare  strategy, a program of welfare reform through State-sponsored,  community-based demonstration projects. This is the time to reform this  outmoded social dinosaur and finally break the poverty trap. Now, we will  never abandon those who, through no fault of their own, must have our help.  But let us work to see how many can be freed from the dependency of welfare  and made self-supporting, which the great majority of welfare recipients  want more than anything else. Next, let us remove a financial specter  facing our older Americans: the fear of an illness so expensive that it can  result in having to make an intolerable choice between bankruptcy and  death. I will submit legislation shortly to help free the elderly from the  fear of catastrophic illness.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":20,"text":"Now let's turn to the future. It's widely said that America is losing her  competitive edge. Well, that won't happen if we act now. How well prepared  are we to enter the 21st century? In my lifetime, America set the standard  for the world. It is now time to determine that we should enter the next  century having achieved a level of excellence unsurpassed in history. We  will achieve this, first, by guaranteeing that government does everything  possible to promote America's ability to compete. Second, we must act as  individuals in a quest for excellence that will not be measured by new  proposals or billions in new funding. Rather, it involves an expenditure of  American spirit and just plain American grit. The Congress will soon  receive my comprehensive proposals to enhance our competitiveness,  including new science and technology centers and strong new funding for  basic research. The bill will include legal and regulatory reforms and  weapons to fight unfair trade practices. Competitiveness also means giving  our farmers a shot at participating fairly and fully in a changing world  market.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":21,"text":"Preparing for the future must begin, as always, with our children. We need  to set for them new and more rigorous goals. We must demand more of  ourselves and our children by raising literacy levels dramatically by the  year 2000. Our children should master the basic concepts of math and  science, and let's insist that students not leave high school until they  have studied and understood the basic documents of our national heritage.  There's one more thing we can't let up on: Let's redouble our personal  efforts to provide for every child a safe and drug-free learning  environment. If our crusade against drugs succeeds with our children, we  will defeat that scourge all over the country.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":22,"text":"Finally, let's stop suppressing the spiritual core of our national being.  Our nation could not have been conceived without divine help. Why is it  that we can build a nation with our prayers, but we can't use a schoolroom  for voluntary prayer? The 100th Congress of the United States should be  remembered as the one that ended the expulsion of God from America's  classrooms.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":23,"text":"The quest for excellence into the 21st century begins in the schoolroom but  must go next to the workplace. More than 20 million new jobs will be  created before the new century unfolds, and by then, our economy should be  able to provide a job for everyone who wants to work. We must also enable  our workers to adapt to the rapidly changing nature of the workplace. And I  will propose substantial, new Federal commitments keyed to retraining and  job mobility.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":24,"text":"Over the next few weeks, I'll be sending the Congress a complete series of  these special messages--on budget reform, welfare reform, competitiveness,  including education, trade, worker training and assistance, agriculture,  and other subjects. The Congress can give us these tools, but to make these  tools work, it really comes down to just being our best. And that is the  core of American greatness. The responsibility of freedom presses us  towards higher knowledge and, I believe, moral and spiritual greatness.  Through lower taxes and smaller government, government has its ways of  freeing people's spirits. But only we, each of us, can let the spirit soar  against our own individual standards. Excellence is what makes freedom  ring. And isn't that what we do best?  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":25,"text":"We're entering our third century now, but it's wrong to judge our nation by  its years. The calendar can't measure America because we were meant to be  an endless experiment in freedom--with no limit to our reaches, no  boundaries to what we can do, no end point to our hopes. The United States  Constitution is the impassioned and inspired vehicle by which we travel  through history. It grew out of the most fundamental inspiration of our  existence: that we are here to serve Him by living free--that living free  releases in us the noblest of impulses and the best of our abilities; that  we would use these gifts for good and generous purposes and would secure  them not just for ourselves and for our children but for all mankind.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":26,"text":"Over the years--I won't count if you don't--nothing has been so  heartwarming to me as speaking to America's young, and the little ones  especially, so fresh-faced and so eager to know. Well, from time to time  I've been with them--they will ask about our Constitution. And I hope you  Members of Congress will not deem this a breach of protocol if you'll  permit me to share these thoughts again with the young people who might be  listening or watching this evening. I've read the constitutions of a number  of countries, including the Soviet Union's. Now, some people are surprised  to hear that they have a constitution, and it even supposedly grants a  number of freedoms to its people. Many countries have written into their  constitution provisions for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.  Well, if this is true, why is the Constitution of the United States so  exceptional?  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":27,"text":"Well, the difference is so small that it almost escapes you, but it's so  great it tells you the whole story in just three words: We the people. In  those other constitutions, the Government tells the people of those  countries what they're allowed to do. In our Constitution, we the people  tell the Government what it can do, and it can do only those things listed  in that document and no others. Virtually every other revolution in history  has just exchanged one set of rulers for another set of rulers. Our  revolution is the first to say the people are the masters and government is  their servant. And you young people out there, don't ever forget that.  Someday you could be in this room, but wherever you are, America is  depending on you to reach your highest and be your best--because here in  America, we the people are in charge.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":28,"text":"Just three words: We the people--those are the kids on Christmas Day  looking out from a frozen sentry post on the 38th parallel in Korea or  aboard an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. A million miles from home,  but doing their duty.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":29,"text":"We the people--those are the warmhearted whose numbers we can't begin to  count, who'll begin the day with a little prayer for hostages they will  never know and MIA families they will never meet. Why? Because that's the  way we are, this unique breed we call Americans.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":30,"text":"We the people--they're farmers on tough times, but who never stop feeding a  hungry world. They're the volunteers at the hospital choking back their  tears for the hundredth time, caring for a baby struggling for life because  of a mother who used drugs. And you'll forgive me a special memory--it's a  million mothers like Nelle Reagan who never knew a stranger or turned a  hungry person away from her kitchen door.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":31,"text":"We the people--they refute last week's television commentary downgrading  our optimism and our idealism. They are the entrepreneurs, the builders,  the pioneers, and a lot of regular folks--the true heroes of our land who  make up the most uncommon nation of doers in history. You know they're  Americans because their spirit is as big as the universe and their hearts  are bigger than their spirits.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":32,"text":"We the people--starting the third century of a dream and standing up to  some cynic who's trying to tell us we're not going to get any better. Are  we at the end? Well, I can't tell it any better than the real thing--a  story recorded by James Madison from the final moments of the  Constitutional Convention, September 17th, 1787. As the last few members  signed the document, Benjamin Franklin--the oldest delegate at 81 years and  in frail health--looked over toward the chair where George Washington daily  presided. At the back of the chair was painted the picture of a Sun on the  horizon. And turning to those sitting next to him, Franklin observed that  artists found it difficult in their painting to distinguish between a  rising and a setting Sun.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":33,"text":"Well, I know if we were there, we could see those delegates sitting around  Franklin--leaning in to listen more closely to him. And then Dr. Franklin  began to share his deepest hopes and fears about the outcome of their  efforts, and this is what he said: \"I have often looked at that picture  behind the President without being able to tell whether it was a rising or  setting Sun: But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a  rising and not a setting Sun.\" Well, you can bet it's rising because, my  fellow citizens, America isn't finished. Her best days have just begun.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":34,"text":"Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.  "}
{"year":"1987","paragraph":35,"text":"NOTE: The President spoke at 9:03 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Capitol.  He was introduced by Jim Wright, Speaker of the House of Representatives.  The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, and distinguished Members of the House and  Senate: When we first met here 7 years ago--many of us for the first  time--it was with the hope of beginning something new for America. We meet  here tonight in this historic Chamber to continue that work. If anyone  expects just a proud recitation of the accomplishments of my  administration, I say let's leave that to history; we're not finished yet.  So, my message to you tonight is put on your work shoes; we're still on the  job.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":2,"text":"History records the power of the ideas that brought us here those 7 years  ago--ideas like the individual's right to reach as far and as high as his or  her talents will permit; the free market as an engine of economic progress.  And as an ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu, said: \"Govern a great  nation as you would cook a small fish; do not overdo it.\" Well, these ideas  were part of a larger notion, a vision, if you will, of America  herself--an America not only rich in opportunity for the individual but an  America, too, of strong families and vibrant neighborhoods; an America  whose divergent but harmonizing communities were a reflection of a deeper  community of values: the value of work, of family, of religion, and of the  love of freedom that God places in each of us and whose defense He has  entrusted in a special way to this nation.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":3,"text":"All of this was made possible by an idea I spoke of when Mr. Gorbachev was  here--the belief that the most exciting revolution ever known to humankind  began with three simple words: \"We the People,\" the revolutionary notion  that the people grant government its rights, and not the other way around.  And there's one lesson that has come home powerfully to me, which I would  offer to you now. Just as those who created this Republic pledged to each  other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, so, too,  America's leaders today must pledge to each other that we will keep  foremost in our hearts and minds not what is best for ourselves or for our  party but what is best for America.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":4,"text":"In the spirit of Jefferson, let us affirm that in this Chamber tonight  there are no Republicans, no Democrats--just Americans. Yes, we will have  our differences, but let us always remember what unites us far outweighs  whatever divides us. Those who sent us here to serve them--the millions of  Americans watching and listening tonight--expect this of us. Let's prove to  them and to ourselves that democracy works even in an election year. We've  done this before. And as we have worked together to bring down spending,  tax rates, and inflation, employment has climbed to record heights; America  has created more jobs and better, higher paying jobs; family income has  risen for 4 straight years, and America's poor climbed out of poverty at  the fastest rate in more than 10 years.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":5,"text":"Our record is not just the longest peacetime expansion in history but an  economic and social revolution of hope based on work, incentives, growth,  and opportunity; a revolution of compassion that led to private sector  initiatives and a 77-percent increase in charitable giving; a revolution  that at a critical moment in world history reclaimed and restored the  American dream.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":6,"text":"In international relations, too, there's only one description for what,  together, we have achieved: a complete turnabout, a revolution. Seven years  ago, America was weak, and freedom everywhere was under siege. Today  America is strong, and democracy is everywhere on the move. From Central  America to East Asia, ideas like free markets and democratic reforms and  human rights are taking hold. We've replaced \"Blame America\" with \"Look up  to America.\" We've rebuilt our defenses. And of all our accomplishments,  none can give us more satisfaction than knowing that our young people are  again proud to wear our country's uniform.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":7,"text":"And in a few moments, I'm going to talk about three developments--arms  reduction, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the global democratic  revolution--that, when taken together, offer a chance none of us would have  dared imagine 7 years ago, a chance to rid the world of the two great  nightmares of the postwar era. I speak of the startling hope of giving our  children a future free of both totalitarianism and nuclear terror.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":8,"text":"Tonight, then, we're strong, prosperous, at peace, and we are free. This is  the state of our Union. And if we will work together this year, I believe  we can give a future President and a future Congress the chance to make  that prosperity, that peace, that freedom not just the state of our Union  but the state of our world.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":9,"text":"Toward this end, we have four basic objectives tonight. First, steps we can  take this year to keep our economy strong and growing, to give our children  a future of low inflation and full employment. Second, let's check our  progress in attacking social problems, where important gains have been  made, but which still need critical attention. I mean schools that work,  economic independence for the poor, restoring respect for family life and  family values. Our third objective tonight is global: continuing the  exciting economic and democratic revolutions we've seen around the world.  Fourth and finally, our nation has remained at peace for nearly a decade  and a half, as we move toward our goals of world prosperity and world  freedom. We must protect that peace and deter war by making sure the next  President inherits what you and I have a moral obligation to give that  President: a national security that is unassailable and a national defense  that takes full advantage of new technology and is fully funded.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":10,"text":"This is a full agenda. It's meant to be. You see, my thinking on the next  year is quite simple: Let's make this the best of 8. And that means it's  all out--right to the finish line. I don't buy the idea that this is the  last year of anything, because we're not talking here tonight about  registering temporary gains but ways of making permanent our successes. And  that's why our focus is the values, the principles, and ideas that made  America great. Let's be clear on this point. We're for limited government,  because we understand, as the Founding Fathers did, that it is the best way  of ensuring personal liberty and empowering the individual so that every  American of every race and region shares fully in the flowering of American  prosperity and freedom.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":11,"text":"One other thing we Americans like--the future--like the sound of it, the  idea of it, the hope of it. Where others fear trade and economic growth, we  see opportunities for creating new wealth and undreamed-of opportunities  for millions in our own land and beyond. Where others seek to throw up  barriers, we seek to bring them down. Where others take counsel of their  fears, we follow our hopes. Yes, we Americans like the future and like  making the most of it. Let's do that now.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":12,"text":"And let's begin by discussing how to maintain economic growth by  controlling and eventually eliminating the problem of Federal deficits. We  have had a balanced budget only eight times in the last 57 years. For the  first time in 14 years, the Federal Government spent less in real terms  last year than the year before. We took $73 billion off last year's deficit  compared to the year before. The deficit itself has moved from 6.3 percent  of the gross national product to only 3.4 percent. And perhaps the most  important sign of progress has been the change in our view of deficits. You  know, a few of us can remember when, not too many years ago, those who  created the deficits said they would make us prosperous and not to worry  about the debt, because we owe it to ourselves. Well, at last there is  agreement that we can't spend ourselves rich.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":13,"text":"Our recent budget agreement, designed to reduce Federal deficits by $76  billion over the next 2 years, builds on this consensus. But this agreement  must be adhered to without slipping into the errors of the past: more  broken promises and more unchecked spending. As I indicated in my first  State of the Union, what ails us can be simply put: The Federal Government  is too big, and it spends too much money. I can assure you, the bipartisan  leadership of Congress, of my help in fighting off any attempt to bust our  budget agreement. And this includes the swift and certain use of the veto  power.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":14,"text":"Now, it's also time for some plain talk about the most immediate obstacle  to controlling Federal deficits. The simple but frustrating problem of  making expenses match revenues--something American families do and the  Federal Government can't--has caused crisis after crisis in this city. Mr.  Speaker, Mr. President, I will say to you tonight what I have said before  and will continue to say: The budget process has broken down; it needs a  drastic overhaul. With each ensuing year, the spectacle before the American  people is the same as it was this Christmas: budget deadlines delayed or  missed completely, monstrous continuing resolutions that pack hundreds of  billions of dollars worth of spending into one bill, and a Federal  Government on the brink of default.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":15,"text":"I know I'm echoing what you here in the Congress have said, because you  suffered so directly. But let's recall that in 7 years, of 91  appropriations bills scheduled to arrive on my desk by a certain date, only  10 made it on time. Last year, of the 13 appropriations bills due by  October 1st, none of them made it. Instead, we had four continuing  resolutions lasting 41 days, then 36 days, and 2 days, and 3 days,  respectively.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":16,"text":"And then, along came these behemoths. This is the conference report--1,053  pages, report weighing 14 pounds. Then this--a reconciliation bill 6 months  late that was 1,186 pages long, weighing 15 pounds. And the long-term  continuing resolution--this one was 2 months late, and it's 1,057 pages  long, weighing 14 pounds. That was a total of 43 pounds of paper and ink.  You had 3 hours--yes, 3 hours--to consider each, and it took 300 people at  my Office of Management and Budget just to read the bill so the Government  wouldn't shut down. Congress shouldn't send another one of these. No, and  if you do, I will not sign it.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":17,"text":"Let's change all this. Instead of a Presidential budget that gets discarded  and a congressional budget resolution that is not enforced, why not a  simple partnership, a joint agreement that sets out the spending priorities  within the available revenues? And let's remember our deadline is October  1st, not Christmas. Let's get the people's work done in time to avoid a  footrace with Santa Claus. And, yes, this year--to coin a phrase--a new  beginning: 13 individual bills, on time and fully reviewed by Congress.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":18,"text":"I'm also certain you join me in saying: Let's help ensure our future of  prosperity by giving the President a tool that, though I will not get to  use it, is one I know future Presidents of either party must have. Give the  President the same authority that 43 Governors use in their States: the  right to reach into massive appropriation bills, pare away the waste, and  enforce budget discipline. Let's approve the line-item veto.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":19,"text":"And let's take a partial step in this direction. Most of you in this  Chamber didn't know what was in this catchall bill and report. Over the  past few weeks, we've all learned what was tucked away behind a little  comma here and there. For example, there's millions for items such as  cranberry research, blueberry research, the study of crawfish, and the  commercialization of wildflowers. And that's not to mention the five or so  million ($.5 million) that--so that people from developing nations could  come here to watch Congress at work. I won't even touch that. So, tonight I  offer you this challenge. In 30 days I will send back to you those items as  rescissions, which if I had the authority to line them out I would do so.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":20,"text":"Now, review this multibillion-dollar package that will not undercut our  bipartisan budget agreement. As a matter of fact, if adopted, it will  improve our deficit reduction goals. And what an example we can set, that  we're serious about getting our financial accounts in order. By acting and  approving this plan, you have the opportunity to override a congressional  process that is out of control.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":21,"text":"There is another vital reform. Yes, Gramm-Rudman-Hollings has been  profoundly helpful, but let us take its goal of a balanced budget and make  it permanent. Let us do now what so many States do to hold down spending  and what 32 State legislatures have asked us to do. Let us heed the wishes  of an overwhelming plurality of Americans and pass a constitutional  amendment that mandates a balanced budget and forces the Federal Government  to live within its means. Reform of the budget process--including the  line-item veto and balanced budget amendment--will, together with real  restraint on government spending, prevent the Federal budget from ever  again ravaging the family budget.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":22,"text":"Let's ensure that the Federal Government never again legislates against the  family and the home. Last September 1 signed an Executive order on the  family requiring that every department and agency review its activities in  light of seven standards designed to promote and not harm the family. But  let us make certain that the family is always at the center of the public  policy process not just in this administration but in all future  administrations. It's time for Congress to consider, at the beginning, a  statement of the impact that legislation will have on the basic unit of  American society, the family.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":23,"text":"And speaking of the family, let's turn to a matter on the mind of every  American parent tonight: education. We all know the sorry story of the  sixties and seventies--soaring spending, plummeting test scores--and that  hopeful trend of the eighties, when we replaced an obsession with dollars  with a commitment to quality, and test scores started back up. There's a  lesson here that we all should write on the blackboard a hundred times: In  a child's education, money can never take the place of basics like  discipline, hard work, and, yes, homework.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":24,"text":"As a nation we do, of course, spend heavily on education--more than we  spend on defense. Yet across our country, Governors like New Jersey's Tom  Kean are giving classroom demonstrations that how we spend is as important  as how much we spend. Opening up the teaching profession to all qualified  candidates, merit pay--so that good teachers get A's as well as apples--and  stronger curriculum, as Secretary Bennett has proposed for high  schools--these imaginative reforms are making common sense the most popular  new kid in America's schools. How can we help? Well, we can talk about and  push for these reforms. But the most important thing we can do is to  reaffirm that control of our schools belongs to the States, local  communities and, most of all, to the parents and teachers.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":25,"text":"My friends, some years ago, the Federal Government declared war on poverty,  and poverty won. Today the Federal Government has 59 major welfare programs  and spends more than $100 billion a year on them. What has all this money  done? Well, too often it has only made poverty harder to escape. Federal  welfare programs have created a massive social problem. With the best of  intentions, government created a poverty trap that wreaks havoc on the very  support system the poor need most to lift themselves out of poverty: the  family. Dependency has become the one enduring heirloom, passed from one  generation to the next, of too many fragmented families.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":26,"text":"It is time--this may be the most radical thing I've said in 7 years in this  office--it's time for Washington to show a little humility. There are a  thousand sparks of genius in 50 States and a thousand communities around  the Nation. It is time to nurture them and see which ones can catch fire  and become guiding lights. States have begun to show us the way. They've  demonstrated that successful welfare programs can be built around more  effective child support enforcement practices and innovative programs  requiring welfare recipients to work or prepare for work. Let us give the  States more flexibility and encourage more reforms. Let's start making our  welfare system the first rung on America's ladder of opportunity, a boost  up from dependency, not a graveyard but a birthplace of hope.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":27,"text":"And now let me turn to three other matters vital to family values and the  quality of family life. The first is an untold American success story.  Recently, we released our annual survey of what graduating high school  seniors have to say about drugs. Cocaine use is declining, and marijuana  use was the lowest since surveying began. We can be proud that our students  are just saying no to drugs. But let us remember what this menace requires:  commitment from every part of America and every single American, a  commitment to a drugfree America. The war against drugs is a war of  individual battles, a crusade with many heroes, including America's young  people and also someone very special to me. She has helped so many of our  young people to say no to drugs. Nancy, much credit belongs to you, and I  want to express to you your husband's pride and your country's thanks.'.  Surprised you, didn't I?  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":28,"text":"Well, now we come to a family issue that we must have the courage to  confront. Tonight, I call America--a good nation, a moral people--to  charitable but realistic consideration of the terrible cost of abortion on  demand. To those who say this violates a woman's right to control of her  own body: Can they deny that now medical evidence confirms the unborn child  is a living human being entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of  happiness? Let us unite as a nation and protect the unborn with legislation  that would stop all Federal funding for abortion and with a human life  amendment making, of course, an exception where the unborn child threatens  the life of the mother. Our Judeo-Christian tradition recognizes the right  of taking a life in self-defense. But with that one exception, let us look  to those others in our land who cry out for children to adopt. I pledge to  you tonight I will work to remove barriers to adoption and extend full  sharing in family life to millions of Americans so that children who need  homes can be welcomed to families who want them and love them.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":29,"text":"And let me add here: So many of our greatest statesmen have reminded us  that spiritual values alone are essential to our nation's health and vigor.  The Congress opens its proceedings each day, as does the Supreme Court,  with an acknowledgment of the Supreme Being. Yet we are denied the right to  set aside in our schools a moment each day for those who wish to pray. I  believe Congress should pass our school prayer amendment.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":30,"text":"Now, to make sure there is a full nine member Supreme Court to interpret  the law, to protect the rights of all Americans, I urge the Senate to move  quickly and decisively in confirming Judge Anthony Kennedy to the highest  Court in the land and to also confirm 27 nominees now waiting to fill  vacancies in the Federal judiciary.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":31,"text":"Here then are our domestic priorities. Yet if the Congress and the  administration work together, even greater opportunities lie ahead to  expand a growing world economy, to continue to reduce the threat of nuclear  arms, and to extend the frontiers of freedom and the growth of democratic  institutions.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":32,"text":"Our policies consistently received the strongest support of the late  Congressman Dan Daniel of Virginia. I'm sure all of you join me in  expressing heartfelt condolences on his passing.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":33,"text":"One of the greatest contributions the United States can make to the world  is to promote freedom as the key to economic growth. A creative,  competitive America is the answer to a changing world, not trade wars that  would close doors, create greater barriers, and destroy millions of jobs.  We should always remember: Protectionism is destructionism. America's jobs,  America's growth, America's future depend on trade--trade that is free,  open, and fair.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":34,"text":"This year, we have it within our power to take a major step toward a  growing global economy and an expanding cycle of prosperity that reaches to  all the free nations of this Earth. I'm speaking of the historic free trade  agreement negotiated between our country and Canada. And I can also tell  you that we're determined to expand this concept, south as well as north.  Next month I will be traveling to Mexico, where trade matters will be of  foremost concern. And over the next several months, our Congress and the  Canadian Parliament can make the start of such a North American accord a  reality. Our goal must be a day when the free flow of trade, from the tip  of Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic Circle, unites the people of the Western  Hemisphere in a bond of mutually beneficial exchange, when all borders  become what the U.S.-Canadian border so long has been: a meeting place  rather than a dividing line.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":35,"text":"This movement we see in so many places toward economic freedom is  indivisible from the worldwide movement toward political freedom and  against totalitarian rule. This global democratic revolution has removed  the specter, so frightening a decade ago, of democracy doomed to permanent  minority status in the world. In South and Central America, only a third of  the people enjoyed democratic rule in 1976. Today over 90 percent of Latin  Americans live in nations committed to democratic principles. And the  resurgence of democracy is owed to these courageous people on almost every  continent who have struggled to take control of their own destiny.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":36,"text":"In Nicaragua the struggle has extra meaning, because that nation is so near  our own borders. The recent revelations of a former high-level Sandinista  major, Roger Miranda, show us that, even as they talk peace, the Communist  Sandinista government of Nicaragua has established plans for a large  600,000-man army. Yet even as these plans are made, the Sandinista regime  knows the tide is turning, and the cause of Nicaraguan freedom is riding at  its crest. Because of the freedom fighters, who are resisting Communist  rule, the Sandinistas have been forced to extend some democratic rights,  negotiate with church authorities, and release a few political prisoners.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":37,"text":"The focus is on the Sandinistas, their promises and their actions. There is  a consensus among the four Central American democratic Presidents that the  Sandinistas have not complied with the plan to bring peace and democracy to  all of Central America. The Sandinistas again have promised reforms. Their  challenge is to take irreversible steps toward democracy. On Wednesday my  request to sustain the freedom fighters will be submitted, which reflects  our mutual desire for peace, freedom, and democracy in Nicaragua. I ask  Congress to pass this request. Let us be for the people of Nicaragua what  Lafayette, Pulaski, and Von Steuben were for our forefathers and the cause  of American independence.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":38,"text":"So, too, in Afghanistan, the freedom fighters are the key to peace. We  support the Mujahidin. There can be no settlement unless all Soviet troops  are removed and the Afghan people are allowed genuine self-determination. I  have made my views on this matter known to Mr. Gorbachev. But not just  Nicaragua or Afghanistan--yes, everywhere we see a swelling freedom tide  across the world: freedom fighters rising up in Cambodia and Angola,  fighting and dying for the same democratic liberties we hold sacred. Their  cause is our cause: freedom.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":39,"text":"Yet even as we work to expand world freedom, we must build a safer peace  and reduce the danger of nuclear war. But let's have no illusions. Three  years of steady decline in the value of our annual defense investment have  increased the risk of our most basic security interests, jeopardizing  earlier hard-won goals. We must face squarely the implications of this  negative trend and make adequate, stable defense spending a top goal both  this year and in the future.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":40,"text":"This same concern applies to economic and security assistance programs as  well. But the resolve of America and its NATO allies has opened the way for  unprecedented achievement in arms reduction. Our recently signed INF treaty  is historic, because it reduces nuclear arms and establishes the most  stringent verification regime in arms control history, including several  forms of short-notice, on-site inspection. I submitted the treaty today,  and I urge the Senate to give its advice and consent to ratification of  this landmark agreement. Thank you very much.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":41,"text":"In addition to the INF treaty, we're within reach of an even more  significant START agreement that will reduce U.S. and Soviet long-range  missile--or strategic arsenals by half. But let me be clear. Our approach  is not to seek agreement for agreement's sake but to settle only for  agreements that truly enhance our national security and that of our allies.  We will never put our security at risk--or that of our allies--just to reach  an agreement with the Soviets. No agreement is better than a bad  agreement.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":42,"text":"As I mentioned earlier, our efforts are to give future generations what we  never had--a future free of nuclear terror. Reduction of strategic  offensive arms is one step, SDI another. Our funding request for our  Strategic Defense Initiative is less than 2 percent of the total defense  budget. SDI funding is money wisely appropriated and money well spent. SDI  has the same purpose and supports the same goals of arms reduction. It  reduces the risk of war and the threat of nuclear weapons to all mankind.  Strategic defenses that threaten no one could offer the world a safer, more  stable basis for deterrence. We must also remember that SDI is our  insurance policy against a nuclear accident, a Chernobyl of the sky, or an  accidental launch or some madman who might come along.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":43,"text":"We've seen such changes in the world in 7 years. As totalitarianism  struggles to avoid being overwhelmed by the forces of economic advance and  the aspiration for human freedom, it is the free nations that are resilient  and resurgent. As the global democratic revolution has put totalitarianism  on the defensive, we have left behind the days of retreat. America is again  a vigorous leader of the free world, a nation that acts decisively and  firmly in the furtherance of her principles and vital interests. No legacy  would make me more proud than leaving in place a bipartisan consensus for  the cause of world freedom, a consensus that prevents a paralysis of  American power from ever occurring again.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":44,"text":"But my thoughts tonight go beyond this, and I hope you'll let me end this  evening with a personal reflection. You know, the world could never be  quite the same again after Jacob Shallus, a trustworthy and dependable  clerk of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, took his pen and engrossed  those words about representative government in the preamble of our  Constitution. And in a quiet but final way, the course of human events was  forever altered when, on a ridge overlooking the Emmitsburg Pike in an  obscure Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg, Lincoln spoke of our duty to  government of and by the people and never letting it perish from the  Earth.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":45,"text":"At the start of this decade, I suggested that we live in equally momentous  times, that it is up to us now to decide whether our form of government  would endure and whether history still had a place of greatness for a  quiet, pleasant, greening land called America. Not everything has been made  perfect in 7 years, nor will it be made perfect in seven times 70 years,  but before us, this year and beyond, are great prospects for the cause of  peace and world freedom.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":46,"text":"It means, too, that the young Americans I spoke of 7 years ago, as well as  those who might be coming along the Virginia or Maryland shores this night  and seeing for the first time the lights of this Capital City--the lights  that cast their glow on our great halls of government and the monuments to  the memory of our great men--it means those young Americans will find a  city of hope in a land that is free.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":47,"text":"We can be proud that for them and for us, as those lights along the Potomac  are still seen this night signaling as they have for nearly two centuries  and as we pray God they always will, that another generation of Americans  has protected and passed on lovingly this place called America, this  shining city on a hill, this government of, by, and for the people.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":48,"text":"Thank you, and God bless you.  "}
{"year":"1988","paragraph":49,"text":"NOTE: The President spoke at 9:07 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Capitol.  He was introduced by Jim Wright, Speaker of the House of Representatives.  The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":1,"text":"Tonight, I come not to speak about the \"State of the Government\", not to  detail every new initiative we plan for the coming year, nor describe every  line in the budget. I'm here to speak to you and to the American people  about the State of the Union about our world, the changes we've seen, the  challenges we face. And what that means for America.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":2,"text":"There are singular moments in history, dates that divide all that goes  before from all that comes after. And many of us in this chamber have lived  much of our lives in a world whose fundamental features were defined in  1945. And the events of that year decreed the shape of nations, the pace of  progress, freedom or oppression for millions of people around the world.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":3,"text":"Nineteen Forty-Five provided the common frame of reference the compass  points of the postwar era we've relied upon to understand ourselves. And  that was our world until now. The events of the year just ended, the  Revolution of '89, have been a chain reaction, changes so striking that it  marks the beginning of a new era in the world's affairs.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":4,"text":"Think back think back just twelve short months ago to the world we knew as  1989 began.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":5,"text":"One year, one year ago the people of Panama lived in fear under the thumb  of a dictator. Today democracy is restored. Panama is free.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":6,"text":"\"Operation Just Cause\" has achieved its objective. And the number of  military personel in Panama is now very close to what it was before the  operation began. And tonight I am announcing that before the end of  February the additional numbers of American troops, the brave men and women  of our armed forces who made this mission a success, will be back home.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":7,"text":"A year ago in Poland, Lech Walesa declared he was ready to open a dialogue  with the Communist rulers of that country. And today, with the future of a  free Poland in their own hands, members of Solidarity lead the Polish  government.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":8,"text":"And a year ago, freedom's playwright, Vaclav Havel, languished as a  prisoner in Prague. And today it's Vaclav Havel, President of  Czechoslovakia.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":9,"text":"And one year ago Erich Honecker of East Germany claimed history as his  guide. He predicted the Berlin Wall would last another hundred years. And  today, less than one year later, it's the wall that's history.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":10,"text":"Remarkable events, remarkable events, events that fulfill the long-held  hopes of the American people. Events that validate the longstanding goals  of American policy, a policy based upon a single shining principle: the  cause of freedom.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":11,"text":"America, not just the nation, but an idea alive in the minds of the people,  everywhere. As this new world takes shape, America stands at the center of  a widening circle of freedom, today, tomorrow and into the next century.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":12,"text":"Our nation is the enduring dream of every immigrant who ever set foot on  these shores, and the millions still struggling to be free. This nation,  this idea called America was and always will be a new world, our new  world.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":13,"text":"At a workers' rally in a place called Branik on the outskirts of Prague the  idea called America is alive. A worker, dressed in grimy overalls, rises to  speak at the factory gates. And he begins his speech to his fellow citizens  with these words, words of a distant revolution: \"We hold these truths to  be self-evident. That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by  their creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are  life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.\" It's no secret here at home  freedom's door opened long ago. The cornerstones of this free society have  already been set in place: democracy, competition, opportunity, private  investment, stewardship, and of course, leadership.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":14,"text":"And our challenge today is to take this democratic system of ours, a system  second to none, and make it better:  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":15,"text":"A better America where there's a job for whoever wants one;  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":16,"text":"Where women working outside the home can be confident their children are  in safe and loving care, and where Government works to expand child  alternatives for parents.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":17,"text":"Where we reconcile the needs of a clean environment and a strong economy.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":18,"text":"Where \"Made in the USA\" is recognized around the world as the symbol of  quality and progress,  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":19,"text":"And where every one of us enjoys the same opportunities to live, to work  and to contribute to society. And where, for the first time, the American  mainstream includes all of our disabled citizens.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":20,"text":"Where everyone has a roof over his head, and where the homeless get the  help they need to live in dignity.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":21,"text":"Where our schools challenge and support our kids and our teachers, and  every one of them makes the grade,  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":22,"text":"Where every street, every city, every school and every child is drug-free.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":23,"text":"And finally, and finally, where no American is forgotten. Our hearts go out  to our hostages, our hostages who are ceaselessly in our minds and in our  efforts. That's part of the future we want to see, the future we can make  for ourselves. But dreams alone won't get us there. We need to extend our  horizon, to commit to the long view. And our mission for the future starts  today.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":24,"text":"In the tough competitive markets around the world, America faces the great  challenges and great opportunities. And we know that we can succeed in the  global economic arena of the 90's. But to meet that challenge we must make  some fundamental changes, some crucial investments in ourselves.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":25,"text":"Yes, we are going to invest in America. This Administration is determined  to encourage the creation of capital, capital of all kinds. Physical  capital: everything from our farms and factories to our workshops and  production lines, all that is needed to produce and deliver quality goods  and quality services. Intellectual, intellectual capital: the source of  ideas that spark tomorrow's products. And of course human capital: the  talented work force that we'll need to compete in the global market.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":26,"text":"And let me tell you, if we ignore human capital, if we lose the spirit of  American ingenuity, the sprit that is the hallmark of the AMERICAN worker,  that would be bad. The American worker is the most productive worker in the  world.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":27,"text":"We need to save more. We need to expand the pool of capital for new  investments that mean more jobs and more growth. And that's the idea behind  the new initiative I call the Family Savings Plan, which I will send to  Congress tomorrow.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":28,"text":"We need to cut the tax on capital gains, encourage, encourage risk-takers,  especially those in small businesses, to take those steps that translate  into economic reward, jobs, and a better life for all of us.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":29,"text":"We'll do what it takes to invest in America's future. The budget commitment  is there. The money is there. It's there for research and development, R  and D, a record high. It's there for our housing initiative, hope, H-O-P-E,  to help everyone from first-time homebuyers to the homeless. The money's  there to keep our kids drug-free, 70 percent more than when I took office  in 1989. It's there for space exploration, and its there for education,  another record high.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":30,"text":"And one more, and one more thing. Last fall at the education summit, the  governors and I agreed to look for ways to help make sure that our kids are  ready to learn the very first day they walk into the classroom. And I've  made good on that commitment by proposing a record increase in funds, an  extra half billion dollars, for something near and dear to all of us: Head  Start.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":31,"text":"Education is the one investment that means more for our future, because it  means the most for our children. Real improvement in our schools is not  simply a matter of spending more. It's a matter of asking more, expecting  more, of our schools, our teachers, of our kids, of our parents and of  ourselves. And that's why tonight, and that's why tonight, I am announcing  America's education goals, goals developed with enormous cooperation from  the nation's governors. And if I might I'd like to say I'm very pleased  that Governor Gardner and Governor Clinton, Governor Branstad, Governor  Campbell, all of whom were very key in these discussion, these  deliberations, are with us here tonight.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":32,"text":"By the, by the year 2000, every child must start school ready to learn. The  United States must increase the high school graduation rate to no less than  90 percent. And we are going to make sure our schools' diplomas mean  something. In critical subjects, at the fourth, eighth, and 12th grades, we  must assess our students' performance.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":33,"text":"By the, by the year 2000 U.S. students must be the first in the world in  math and science achievement. Every American adult must be a skilled,  literate worker and citizen. Every school must offer the kind of  disciplined environment that makes it possible for our kids to learn. And  every school in America must be drug-free.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":34,"text":"Ambitious aims? Of course. Easy to do? Far from it. But the future's at  stake. The nation will not accept anything less than excellence in  education.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":35,"text":"These investments will help keep America competitive. And I know this about  the American people: we welcome competition. We'll match our ingenuity, our  energy, our experience, and technology our spirit and enterprise against  anyone. But let the competition be free, but let it also be fair. America  is ready.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":36,"text":"Since we really mean it, and since we're serious about being ready to meet  our challenge, we're getting our own house in order. We have made real  progress. Seven years ago, the Federal deficit was 6 percent of our gross  national product, 6 percent. In the new budget I sent up two days ago the  deficit is down to 1 percent of GNP.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":37,"text":"That budget brings Federal spending under control. It meets the  Gramm-Rudman target. It brings the deficit down further. And balances the  budget by 1993, with no new taxes.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":38,"text":"And let me tell you, there's still more than enough Federal spending. For  most of us, $1.2 trillion is still a lot of money.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":39,"text":"And once the budget is balanced, we can operate the way every family must  when it has bills to pay. We won't leave it to our children and  grandchildren. Once it's balanced, we will start paying off the national  debt.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":40,"text":"And there's something more, and there's something more we owe the  generations of the future: stewardship, the safekeeping of America's  precious environmental inheritance.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":41,"text":"As just one sign of how serious we are, we will elevate the Environmental  Protection Agency to Cabinet rank. Not, not more bureaucracy, not more red  tape, but the certainty that here at home, and especially in our dealings  with other nations, environmental issues have the status they deserve.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":42,"text":"This year's budget provides over $2 billion in new spending to protect our  environment, with over $1 billion for global change research, and a new  initiative I call America the Beautiful to expand our national parks and  wildlife preserves and improve recreational facilities on public lands.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":43,"text":"And something else, something that will help keep this country clean, from  our forest land to the inner cities, and keep America beautiful for  generations to come, the money to plant a billion trees a year.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":44,"text":"And tonight, and tonight let me say again to all the members of the  Congress, the American people did not send us here to bicker. There is work  to do, and they sent us here to get it done. And once again, in the spirit  of cooperation I offer my hand to all of you. And let's work together to do  the will of the people--clean air, child care, the educational excellence  act, crime and drugs. It's time to act. The farm bill, transportation  policy, product liability reform, enterprise zones. It's time to act  together.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":45,"text":"And there's one thing I hope we can agree on. It's about our commitments.  And I'm talking about Social Security.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":46,"text":"To every American out there on Social Security, to every, every American  supporting that system today, and to everyone counting on it when they  retire, we made a promise to you, and we are going to keep it.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":47,"text":"We, we rescued the system in 1983 and it's sound again, bipartisan  arrangement. Our budget fully funds today's benefits and it assures that  future benefits will be funded as well. And the last thing we need to do is  mess around with Social Security.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":48,"text":"There's one more problem we need to address. We must give careful  consideration to the recommendations of the health care studies under way  now. And that's why tonight, I am asking Dr. Sullivan, Lou Sullivan,  Secretary of Health and Human Services, to lead a Domestic Policy Council  review of recommendations on the quality, accessibility and cost of our  nation's health care system. I am committed to bring the staggering costs  of health care under control.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":49,"text":"The State of the Government does indeed depend on many of us in this very  chamber. But the State of the Union depends on all Americans. We must  maintain the democratic decency that makes a nation out of millions of  individuals. And I've been appalled at the recent mail bombings across this  country. Every one of us must confront and condemn racism, anti-Semitism,  bigotry and hate. Not next week, not tomorrow, but right now. Every single  one of us.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":50,"text":"The State of the Union depends on whether we help our neighbor, claim the  problems of our community as our own. We've got to step forward when  there's trouble, lend a hand, be what I call a point of light to a stranger  in need. We've got to take the time after a busy day to sit down and read  with our kids, help them with their homework, pass along the values we had  as children. And that's how we sustain the State of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":51,"text":"Every effort is important. It all adds up. It's doing the things that give  democracy meaning. It all adds up to who we are and who we will be.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":52,"text":"And let me say, that so long as we remember the American idea, so long as  we live up to the American ideal, the State of the Union will remain sound  and strong.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":53,"text":"And to those who worry that we've lost our way, well, I want you to listen  to parts of a letter written by James Markwell, Pvt. 1st Class James  Markwell, a 20-year-old Army medic to the First Battalion, 75th Rangers.  It's dated Dec. 18, the day before our armed forces went into action in  Panama. It's a letter servicemen write--and hope will never, ever be sent.  And sadly, Private Markwell's mother did receive this letter. She passed it  on to me out there in Cincinnati.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":54,"text":"And here is some of what he wrote: \"I've never been afraid of death, but I  know he is waiting at the corner...I've been trained to kill and to save,  and so has everyone else. I am frightened of what lays beyond the fog, and  yet... do not mourn for me. Revel in the life that I have died to give  you... But most of all, don't forget that the Army was my choice. Something  that I wanted to do. Remember I joined the Army to serve my country and  inure that you are free to do what you want and to live your lives  freely.\"  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":55,"text":"Let me add that Private Markwell was among the first to see battle in  Panama, and among the first to fall. But he knew what he believed in. He  carried the idea we call America in his heart.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":56,"text":"I began tonight speaking about the changes we've seen this past year. There  is a new world of challenges and opportunities before us. And there is a  need for leadership that only America can provide.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":57,"text":"Nearly 40 years ago, in his last address to the Congress, President Harry  Truman predicted such a time would come. He said, \"As our world grows  stronger, more united, more attractive to men on both sides of the Iron  Curtain, then inevitably there will come a time of change within the  Communist world.\" Today, that change is taking place.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":58,"text":"For more than 40 years, America and its allies held Communism in check and  insured that democracy would continue to exist. And today, with Communism  crumbling, our aim must be to insure democracy's advance, to take the lead  in forging peace and freedom's best hope, a great and growing commonwealth  of free nations.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":59,"text":"And to the Congress and to all Americans, I say it is time to acclaim a new  consensus at home and abroad, a common vision of the peaceful world we want  to see.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":60,"text":"Here in our own hemisphere it is time for all the people of the Americas,  North and South, to live in freedom.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":61,"text":"In the Far East and Africa, it's time for the full flowering of free  governments and free markets that have served the engine of progress.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":62,"text":"It is time to offer our hand to the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe  so that continent, for too long a continent divided, can see a future whole  and free.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":63,"text":"It's time to build on our new relationship with the Soviet Union, to  endorse and encourage a peaceful process of internal change toward  democracy and economic opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":64,"text":"We are in a period of great transition, great hope, and yet great  uncertainty. We recognize that the Soviet military threat in Europe is  diminishing, but we see little change in Soviet strategic modernization.  And, therefore, we must sustain our own strategic offense modernization and  the Strategic Defense Initiative.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":65,"text":"But the time is right to move forward on a conventional arms control  agreement to move us to more appropriate levels of military forces in  Europe, a coherent defense program that insures the U.S. will continue to  be a catalyst for peaceful change in Europe. And I've consulted with  leaders of NATO. In fact I spoke by phone with President Gorbachev just  today.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":66,"text":"And I agree with our European allies that an American military presence in  Europe is essential and that it should not be solely tied to the Soviet  military presence in Eastern Europe.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":67,"text":"But our troop levels can still be lower. And so tonight I am announcing a  major new step for a further reduction in U.S. and Soviet manpower in  Central and Eastern Europe to 195,000 on each side.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":68,"text":"This number, this number, this level, reflects the advice of our senior  military advisers. It's designed to protect American and European interests  and sustain NATO's defense strategy. A swift conclusion to our arms control  talks--conventional, chemical and strategic--must now be our goal. And  that time has come.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":69,"text":"Still, we must recognize an unfortunate fact: in many regions of the world  tonight the reality is conflict, not peace. Enduring animosities and  opposing interests remain. And thus the cause of peace must be served by an  America strong enough and sure enough to defend our interests and our  ideals. It's this American idea that for the past four decades helped  inspire the Revolution of '89.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":70,"text":"And here at home, and in the world, there is history in the making, and  history to be made. Six months ago, early in this season of change, I stood  at the gates of the Gdansk shipyard in Poland at the monument to the fallen  workers of Solidarity. It's a monument of simple majesty. Three tall  crosses rise up from the stones, and atop each cross, an anchor, an ancient  symbol of hope.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":71,"text":"The anchor in our world today is freedom. Holding us steady in times of  change, a symbol of hope to all the world. And freedom is at the very heart  of the idea that is America. Giving life to the idea depends on every one  of us. Our anchor has always been faith and family.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":72,"text":"In the last few days of this past monumentous year, our family was blessed  once more, celebrating the joy of life when a little boy became our 12th  grandchild. When I held the little guy for the first time, the troubles at  home and abroad seemed manageable, and totally in perspective.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":73,"text":"And now I know, I know you're probably thinking, Well, that's just a  grandfather talking.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":74,"text":"Well, maybe you're right. But I've met a lot of children this past year  across this country, as all of you have. Everywhere from the Far East to  Eastern Europe. All kids are unique. Yet, all kids are alike. The budding  young environmentalist I met this month, who joined me in exploring the  Florida Everglades. The Little Leaguers I played catch with in Poland,  ready to go from Warsaw to the World Series. And even the kids who are ill  or alone--and God bless those boarder babies, born addicted to drugs and  AIDS--coping with problems no child should have to face. But, you know,  when it comes to hope and the future, every kid is the same: full of  dreams, ready to take on the world, all special because they are the very  future of freedom. And to them belongs this new world I've been speaking  about.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":75,"text":"And so tonight, I'm going to ask something of every one of you. Now let me  start with my generation, with the grandparents out there. You are our  living link with the past. Tell your grandchildren the story of struggles  waged at home and abroad, of sacrifices freely made for freedom's sake. And  tell them your own story as well, because every American has a story to  tell.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":76,"text":"And parents, your children look to you for direction and guidance. Tell  them of faith and family. Tell them we are one nation under God. Teach them  that of all the many gifts they can receive, liberty is their most precious  legacy. And of all the gifts they can give, the greatest, the greatest is  helping others.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":77,"text":"And to the children and young people out there tonight, with you rests our  hope, all that America will mean in the years and decades ahead. Fix your  vision on a new century, your century, on dreams we cannot see, on the  destiny that is yours and yours alone.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":78,"text":"And finally, let all Americans, all of us here in this chamber, the  symbolic center of democracy, affirm our allegiance to this idea we call  America. And let us remember that the State of the Union depends upon each  and every one of us.  "}
{"year":"1990","paragraph":79,"text":"God bless all of you. And may God bless this great nation, the United  States of America.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, members of the United States Congress.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":2,"text":"I come to this house of the people to speak to you and all Americans,  certain we stand at a defining hour.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":3,"text":"Halfway around the world, we are engaged in a great struggle in the skies  and on the seas and sands. We know why we're there. We are Americans--part  of something larger than ourselves.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":4,"text":"For two centuries we've done the hard work of freedom. And tonight we lead  the world in facing down a threat to decency and humanity.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":5,"text":"What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea--a new  world order, where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to  achieve the universal aspirations of mankind: peace and security, freedom,  and the rule of law. Such is a world worthy of our struggle, and worthy of  our children's future.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":6,"text":"The community of nations has resolutely gathered to condemn and repel  lawless aggression. Saddam Hussein's unprovoked invasion--his ruthless,  systematic rape of a peaceful neighbor--violated everything the community  of nations holds dear. The world has said this aggression would not stand,  and it will not stand.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":7,"text":"Together, we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism and isolation  that gives temptation to tyrants. The world has answered Saddam's invasion  with 12 United Nations resolutions, starting with a demand for Iraq's  immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and backed up by forces from 28  countries of six continents. With few exceptions, the world now stands as  one.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":8,"text":"The end of the cold war has been a victory for all humanity. A year and a  half ago, in Germany, I said our goal was a Europe whole and free. Tonight,  Germany is united. Europe has become whole and free, and America's  leadership was instrumental in making it possible.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":9,"text":"The principle that has guided us is simple: our objective is to help the  Baltic peoples achieve their aspirations, not to punish the Soviet Union.  In our recent discussions with the Soviet leadership we have been given  representations, which, if fulfilled, would result in the withdrawal of  some Soviet forces, a re-opening of dialogue with the republics, and a move  away from violence.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":10,"text":"We will watch carefully as the situation develops. And we will maintain our  contact with the Soviet leadership to encourage continued commitment to  democratization and reform.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":11,"text":"If it is possible, I want to continue to build a lasting basis for  U.S.-Soviet cooperation, for a more peaceful future for all mankind.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":12,"text":"The triumph of democratic ideas in Eastern Europe and Latin America, and  the continuing struggle for freedom elsewhere around the world all confirm  the wisdom of our nation's founders.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":13,"text":"Tonight, we work to achieve another victory, a victory over tyranny and  savage aggression.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":14,"text":"We in this Union enter the last decade of the 20th Century thankful for all  our blessings, steadfast in our purpose, aware of our difficulties and  responsive to our duties at home and around the world.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":15,"text":"For two centuries, America has served the world as an inspiring example of  freedom and democracy. For generations, America has led the struggle to  preserve and extend the blessings of liberty. And today, in a rapidly  changing world, American leadership is indispensable. Americans know that  leadership brings burdens, and requires sacrifice.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":16,"text":"But we also know why the hopes of humanity turn to us. We are Americans; we  have a unique responsibility to do the hard work of freedom. And when we  do, freedom works.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":17,"text":"The conviction and courage we see in the Persian Gulf today is simply the  American character in action. The indomitable spirit that is contributing  to this victory for world peace and justice is the same spirit that gives  us the power and the potential to meet our challenges at home.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":18,"text":"We are resolute and resourceful. If we can selflessly confront evil for the  sake of good in a land so far away, then surely we can make this land all  it should be.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":19,"text":"If anyone tells you America's best days are behind her, they're looking the  wrong way.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":20,"text":"Tonight, I come before this house, and the American people, with an appeal  for renewal. This is not merely a call for new government initiatives, it  is a call for new initiative in government, in our communities, and from  every American--to prepare for the next American century.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":21,"text":"America has always led by example. So who among us will set this example?  Which of our citizens will lead us in this next American century? Everyone  who steps forward today, to get one addict off drugs; to convince one  troubled teen-ager not to give up on life; to comfort one AIDS patient; to  help one hungry child.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":22,"text":"We have within our reach the promise of renewed America. We can find  meaning and reward by serving some purpose higher than ourselves--a  shining purpose, the illumination of a thousand points of light. It is  expressed by all who know the irresistible force of a child's hand, of a  friend who stands by you and stays there--a volunteer's generous gesture,  an idea that is simply right.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":23,"text":"The problems before us may be different, but the key to solving them  remains the same: it is the individual--the individual who steps forward.  And the state of our Union is the union of each of us, one to the other:  the sum of our friendships, marriages, families and communities.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":24,"text":"We all have something to give. So if you know how to read, find someone who  can't. If you've got a hammer, find a nail. If you're not hungry, not  lonely, not in trouble--seek out someone who is.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":25,"text":"Join the community of conscience. Do the hard work of freedom. That will  define the state of our Union.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":26,"text":"Since the birth of our nation, \"we the people\" has been the source of our  strength. What government can do alone is limited, but the potential of the  American people knows no limits.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":27,"text":"We are a nation of rock-solid realism and clear-eyed idealism. We are  Americans. We are the nation that believes in the future. We are the nation  that can shape the future.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":28,"text":"And we've begun to do just that, by strengthening the power and choice of  individuals and families.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":29,"text":"Together, these last two years, we've put dollars for child care directly  in the hands of patients instead of bureaucracies, unshackled the potential  of Americans with disabilities, applied the creativity of the marketplace in  the service of the environment, for clean air, and made homeownership  possible for more Americans.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":30,"text":"The strength of a democracy is not in bureaucracy, it is in the people and  their communities. In everything we do, let us unleash the potential of our  most precious resource--our citizens. We must return to families,  communities, counties, cities, states and institutions of every kind, the  power to chart their own destiny, and the freedom and opportunity provided  by strong economic growth. That's what America is all about.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":31,"text":"I know, tonight, in some regions of our country, people are in genuine  economic distress. I hear them.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":32,"text":"Earlier this month Kathy Blackwell of Massachusetts wrote me about what can  happen when the economy slows down, saying, \"My heart is aching, and I  think that you should know--your people out here are hurting badly.\"  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":33,"text":"I understand. And I'm not unrealistic about the future. But there are  reasons to be optimistic about our economy.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":34,"text":"First, we don't have to fight double-digit inflation. Second, most  industries won't have to make big cuts in production because they don't  have big inventories piled up. And third, our exports are running solid and  strong. In fact, American businesses are exporting at a record rate.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":35,"text":"So let's put these times in perspective. Together, since 1981, we've  created almost 20 million jobs, cut inflation in half and cut interest  rates in half.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":36,"text":"Yes, the largest peacetime economic expansion in history has been  temporarily interrupted. But our economy is still over twice as large as  our closest competitor.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":37,"text":"We will get this recession behind us and return to growth soon. We will get  on our way to a new record of expansion, and achieve the competitive  strength that will carry us into the next American century.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":38,"text":"We should focus our efforts today on encouraging economic growth, investing  in the future and giving power and opportunity to the individual.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":39,"text":"We must begin with control of Federal spending. That's why I'm submitting a  budget that holds the growth in spending to less than the rate of  inflation. And that's why, amid all the sound and fury of last year's  budget debate, we put into law new, enforceable spending caps so that  future spending debates will mean a battle of ideas, not a bidding war.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":40,"text":"Though controversial, the budget agreement finally put the Federal  Government on a pay-as-you-go basis, and cut the growth of debt by nearly  $500 billion. And that frees funds for saving and job-creating investment.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":41,"text":"Now, let's do more. My budget again includes tax-free family savings  accounts; penalty-free withdrawals from I. R. A.'s for first-time  homebuyers; and, to increase jobs and growth, a reduced tax for long-term  capital gains.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":42,"text":"I know their are differences among us about the impact and the effects of a  capital gains incentive. So tonight I am asking the Congressional leaders  and the Federal Reserve to cooperate with us in a study, led by Chairman  Alan Greenspan, to sort out our technical differences so that we can avoid  a return to unproductive partisan bickering.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":43,"text":"But just as our efforts will bring economic growth now and in the future,  they must also be matched by long-term investments for the next American  century.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":44,"text":"That requires a forward-looking plan of action, and that's exactly what we  will be sending to the Congress. We have prepared a detailed series of  proposals, that include: A budget that promotes investment in America's  future--in children, education, infrastructure, space and high technology.  Legislation to achieve excellence in education, building on the partnership  forged with the 50 governors at the education summit, enabling parents to  choose their children's schools and helping to make America No. 1 in math  and science. A blueprint for a new national highway system, a critical  investment in our transportation infrastructure. A research and development  agenda that includes record levels of Federal investment and a permanent  tax credit to strengthen private R and D and create jobs. A comprehensive  national energy strategy that calls for energy conservation and efficiency,  increased development and greater use of alternative fuels. A banking  reform plan to bring America's financial system into the 21st Century, so  that our banks remain safe and secure and can continue to make job-creating  loans for our factories, businesses, and homebuyers. I do think there has  been too much pessimism. Sound banks should be making more sound loans,  now. And interest rates should be lower, now. In addition to these  proposals, we must recognize that our economic strength depends upon being  competitive in world markets. We must continue to expand America's exports.  A successful Uruguay Round of world trade negotiations will create more  real jobs, and more real growth, for all nations. You and I know that if  the playing field is level, America's workers and farmers can outwork and  outproduce anyone, anytime, anywhere.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":45,"text":"And with the Mexican free trade agreement and our Enterprise for the  Americas Initiative we can help our partners strengthen their economies and  move toward a free trade zone throughout this entire hemisphere.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":46,"text":"The budget also includes a plan of action right here at home to put more  power and opportunity in the hands of the individual. That means new  incentives to create jobs in our inner cities by encouraging investment  through enterprise zones. It also means tenant control and ownership of  public housing. Freedom and the power to choose should not be the privilege  of wealth. They are the birthright of every American.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":47,"text":"Civil rights are also crucial to protecting equal opportunity. Every one of  us has a responsibility to speak out against racism, bigotry, and hate. We  will continue our vigorous enforcement of existing statutes, and I will once  again press the Congress to strengthen the laws against employment  discrimination without resorting to the use of unfair preferences.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":48,"text":"We're determined to protect another fundamental civil right: freedom from  crime and the fear that stalks our cities. The Attorney General will soon  convene a crime summit of the nation's law-enforcement officials. And to  help us support them we need a tough crime control legislation, and we need  it now.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":49,"text":"As we fight crime, we will fully implement our nation strategy for  combatting drug abuse. Recent data show we are making progress, but much  remains to be done. We will not rest until the day of the dealer is over,  forever.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":50,"text":"Good health care is every American's right and every American's  responsibility. So we are proposing an aggression program of new prevention  initiatives--for infants, for children, for adults, and for the elderly--  to promote a healthier America and to help keep costs from spiraling.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":51,"text":"It's time to give people more choice in government by reviving the ideal of  the citizen politician who comes not to stay, but to serve. One of the  reasons there is so much support for term limitations is that the American  people are increasingly concerned about big-money influence in politics.  We must look beyond the next election, to the next generation. The time has  come to put the national interest ahead of the special interest--and  totally eliminate political action committees.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":52,"text":"That would truly put more competition in elections and more power in the  hands of individuals. And where power cannot be put directly into the hands  of the individual, it should be moved closer to the people--away from  Washington.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":53,"text":"The federal government too often treats government programs as if they are  of Washington, by Washington, and for Washington. Once established, federal  programs seem to become immortal.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":54,"text":"It's time for a more dynamic program life cycle. Some programs should  increase. Some should decrease. Some should be terminated. And some should  be consolidated and turned over to the states.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":55,"text":"My budget includes a list of programs for potential turnover totaling more  than $20 billion. Working with Congress and the governors, I propose we  select at least $15 billion in such programs and turn them over to the  states in a single consolidated grant, fully funded, for flexible  management by the states.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":56,"text":"The value of this turnover approach is straightforward. It allows the  Federal Government to reduce overhead. It allows states to manage more  flexibly and more efficiently. It moves power and decision-making closer to  the people. And it re-enforces a theme of this Administration: appreciation  and encouragement of the innovative power of \"states as laboratories.\"  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":57,"text":"This nation was founded by leaders who understood that power belongs in the  hands of the people. They planned for the future. And so must we--here and  around the world.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":58,"text":"As Americans, we know there are times when we must step forward and accept  our responsibility to lead the world away from the dark chaos of dictators,  toward the bright promise of a better day.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":59,"text":"Almost 50 years ago, we began a long struggle against aggressive  totalitarianism. Now we face another defining hour for America and the  world.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":60,"text":"There is no one more devoted, more committed to the hard work of freedom,  than every soldier and sailor, every marine, airman and coastguardsman--  every man and every woman now serving in the Persian Gulf.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":61,"text":"Each of them has volunteered to provide for this nation's defense. And now  they bravely struggle to earn for America and for the world and for future  generations, a just and lasting peace.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":62,"text":"Our commitment to them must be equal of their commitment to our country.  They are truly America's finest.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":63,"text":"The war in the gulf is not a war we wanted. We worked hard to avoid war.  For more than five months we, along with the Arab League, the European  Community and the United Nations, tried every diplomatic avenue. U.N.  Secretary General Perez de Cuellar; Presidents Gorbachev, Mitterand, Ozal,  Mubarak, and Bendjedid; Kings Fahd and Hassan; Prime Ministers Major and  Andreotti--just to name a few--all worked for a solution. But time and  again Saddam Hussein flatly rejected the path of diplomacy and peace.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":64,"text":"The world well knows how this conflict began, and when: it began on August  2nd, when Saddam invaded and sacked a small, defenseless neighbor. And I am  certain of how it will end. So that peace can prevail, we will prevail.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":65,"text":"Tonight I'm pleased to report that we are on course. Iraq's capacity to  sustain war is being destroyed. Our investment, our training, our planning  --all are paying off. Time will not be Saddam's salvation.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":66,"text":"Our purpose in the Persian Gulf remains constant: to drive Iraq out from  Kuwait, to restore Kuwait's legitimate government, and to insure the  stability and security of this critical region.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":67,"text":"Let me make clear what I mean by the region's stability and security. We do  not seek the destruction of Iraq, its culture or its people. Rather, we  seek an Iraq that uses its great resources not to destroy, not to serve the  ambitions of a tyrant, but to build a better life for itself and its  neighbors. We seek a Persian Gulf where conflict is no longer the rule,  where the strong are neither tempted nor able to intimidate the weak.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":68,"text":"Most Americans know instinctively why we are in the Gulf. They know we had  to stop Saddam now, not later. They know this brutal dictator will do  anything, will use any weapon, will commit any outrage, no matter how many  innocents must suffer.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":69,"text":"They know we must make sure that control of the world's oil resources does  not fall into his hands only to finance further aggression. They know that  we need to build a new, enduring peace--based not on arms races and  confrontation, but on shared principles and the rule of law.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":70,"text":"And we all realize that our responsibility to be the catalyst for peace in  the region does not end with the successful conclusion of this war.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":71,"text":"Democracy brings the undeniable value of thoughtful dissent, and we have  heard some dissenting voices here at home, some reckless, most responsible.  But the fact the all the voices have the right to speak out is one of the  reasons we've been united in principle and purpose for 200 years.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":72,"text":"Our progress in this great struggle is the result of years of vigilance and  a steadfast commitment to a strong defense. Now, with remarkable  technological advances like the Patriot missile, we can defend the  ballistic missile attacks aimed at innocent civilians.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":73,"text":"Looking forward, I have directed that the S.D.I. program be refocused on  providing protection from limited ballistic missile strikes, whatever their  source. Let us pursue an S.D.I. program that can deal with any future  threat to the United States, to our forces overseas and to our friends and  allies.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":74,"text":"The quality of American technology, thanks to the American worker, has  enabled us to successfully deal with difficult military conditions, and  help minimize the loss of life. We have given our men and women the very  best. And they deserve it.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":75,"text":"We all have a special place in our hearts for the families of men and women  serving in the Gulf. They are represented here tonight, by Mrs. Norman  Schwarzkopf, and to all those serving with him. And to the families, let me  say, our forces in the gulf will not stay there one day longer than is  necessary to complete their mission.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":76,"text":"The courage and success of the R.A.F. pilots--of the Kuwaiti, Saudi,  French, Canadians, Italians, the pilots of Qatar and Bahrain--all are  proof that for the first time since World War II, the international  community is united. The leadership of the United Nations, once only a  hoped-for ideal, is now confirming its founders' vision.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":77,"text":"I am heartened that we are not being asked to bear alone the financial  burden of this struggle. Last year, our friends and allies provided the  bulk of the economic costs of Desert Shield, and having now received  commitments of over $40 billion for the first three months of 1991, I am  confident they will do no less as we move through Desert Storm.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":78,"text":"But the world has to wonder what the dictator of Iraq is thinking. If he  thinks that by targeting innocent civilians in Israel and Saudi Arabia,  that he will gain an advantage--he is dead wrong. If he thinks that he  will advance his cause through tragic and despicable environmental  terrorism--he is dead wrong. And if he thinks that by abusing coalition  P.O.W.s, he will benefit--he is dead wrong.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":79,"text":"We will succeed in the Gulf. And when we do, the world community will have  sent an enduring warning to any dictator or despot, present or future, who  contemplates outlaw aggression.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":80,"text":"The world can therefore seize this opportunity to fulfill the long-held  promise of a new world order--where brutality will go unrewarded, and  aggression will meet collective resistance.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":81,"text":"Yes, the United States bears a major share of leadership in this effort.  Among the nations of the world, only the United States of America has had  both the moral standing, and the means to back it up. We are the only  nation on this earth that could assemble the forces of peace.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":82,"text":"This is the burden of leadership--and the strength that has made America  the beacon of freedom in a searching world.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":83,"text":"This nation has never found glory in war. Our people have never wanted to  abandon the blessings of home and work, for distant lands and deadly  conflict. If we fight in anger, it is only because we have to fight at all.  And all of us yearn for a world where we will never have to fight again.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":84,"text":"Each of us will measure, within ourselves, the value of this great  struggle. Any cost in lives is beyond our power to measure. But the cost of  closing our eyes to aggression is beyond mankind's power to imagine.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":85,"text":"This we do know: Our cause is just. Our cause is moral. Our cause is  right.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":86,"text":"Let future generations understand the burden and the blessings of freedom.  Let them say, we stood where duty required us to stand.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":87,"text":"Let them know that together, we affirmed America, and the world, as a  community of conscience.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":88,"text":"The winds of change are with us now. The forces of freedom are united. We  move toward the next century, more confident than ever, that we have the  will at home and abroad, to do what must be done--the hard work of  freedom.  "}
{"year":"1991","paragraph":89,"text":"May God bless the United States of America.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished members of Congress, honored  guests and fellow citizens:  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":2,"text":"I mean to speak tonight of big things, of big changes and the promises they  hold and of some big problems and how together we can solve them and move  our country forward as the undisputed leader of the age.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":3,"text":"We gather tonight at a dramatic and deeply promising time in our history,  and in the history of man on earth. For in the past 12 months, the world  has known changes of almost biblical proportions. And even now, months  after the failed coup that doomed a failed system, I am not sure we have  absorbed the full impact, the full import of what happened.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":4,"text":"But Communism died this year. Even as President, with the most fascinating  possible vantage point, there were times when I was so busy helping to  manage progress and lead change that I didn't always show the joy that was  in my heart But the biggest thing that has happened in the world in my  life, in our lives, is this: By the grace of God, America won the Cold War.  And there's another to be singled out, though it may seem inelegant. I mean  a mass of people called the American taxpayer. No ever thinks to thank the  people who pay country's bill or an alliance's bill. But for a half Century  now, the American people have shouldered the burden and paid taxes that  were higher than they would have been to support a defense that was bigger  than it would have been if imperial communism had never existed. But it  did. But it doesn't anymore. And here is a fact I wouldn't mind the world  acknowledging: The American taxpayer bore the brunt of the burden, and  deserves a hunk of the glory.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":5,"text":"And so, now, for the first time in 35 years, our strategic bombers stand  down. No longer are they on round-the-clock alert. Tomorrow our children  will go to school and study history and how plants grow. And they won't  have, as my children did, air-raid drills in which they crawl under their  desks and cover their heads in case of nuclear war. My grandchildren don't  have to do that, and won't have the bad dreams children once had in decades  past. There are still threats. But the long drawn-out dread is over.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":6,"text":"A year ago tonight I spoke to you at a moment of high peril. American  forces had just unleashed Operation Desert Storm. And after 40 days in the  desert skies and 4 days on the ground, the men and women of America's armed  forces and our allies accomplished the goals that I declared, and that you  endorsed: we liberated Kuwait.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":7,"text":"Soon after, the Arab world and Israel sat down to talk seriously, and  comprehensively, about peace, an historic first. And soon after that, at  Christmas, the last American hostages came home. Our policies were  vindicated.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":8,"text":"Much good can come from the prudent use of power. And much good can come  from this: A world once divided into two armed camps now recognizes one  sole and pre-eminent power, the United States of America. And this they  regard with no dread. For the world trusts us with power, and the world is  right. They trust us to be fair, and restrained. They trust us to be on the  side of decency. They trust us to do what's right.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":9,"text":"I use those words advisedly. A few days after the war began, I received a  telegram from Joanne Speicher, the wife of the first pilot killed in the  gulf, Lieutenant Commander Scott Speicher. Even in her grief, she wanted me  to know that some day, when her children were old enough, she would tell  them \"that their father went away to war because it was the right thing to  do\". She said it all. It was the right thing to do.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":10,"text":"And we did it together. There were honest differences here, in this  chamber. But when the war began, you put your partisanship aside and  supported our troops. This is still a time for pride, but this is no time  to boast. For problems face us, and we must stand together once again and  solve them--and not let our country down.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":11,"text":"Two years ago, I began planning cuts in military spending that reflected  the changes of the new era. But now, this year, with Imperial Communism  gone, that process can be accelerated. Tonight I can tell you of dramatic  changes in our strategic nuclear force. These are actions we are taking on  our own, because they are the right thing to do.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":12,"text":"After completing 20 planes for which we have begun procurement, we will  shut down production of the B-2 bomber. We will cancel the ICBM program. We  will cease production of new warheads for our sea-based missiles. We will  stop all production of the peacekeeper missile. And we will not purchase  any more advanced cruise missiles.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":13,"text":"This weekend I will meet at Camp David with Boris Yeltsin of the Russian  Federation. I have informed President Yeltsin that if the commonwealth, the  former Soviet Union, will eliminate all land-based multiple-warhead  ballistic missiles, I will do the following: We will eliminate all  Peacekeeper missiles. We will reduce the number of warheads on Minuteman  missiles to one and reduce the number of warheads on our sea-based missiles  by about one-third. And we will convert a substantial portion of our  strategic to primarily conventional use.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":14,"text":"President Yeltsin's early response has been very positive, and I expect our  talks at Camp David to be fruitful. I want you to know that for half a  century, American presidents have longed to make such decisions and say  such words. But even in the midst of celebration, we must keep caution as a  friend. For the world is still a dangerous place. Only the dead have seen  the end of conflict. And though yesterday's challenges are behind us,  tomorrow's are being born.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":15,"text":"The Secretary of defense recommended these cuts after consultation with the  joint chiefs of staff. And I make them with confidence. But do not  misunderstand me: The reductions I have approved will save us an additional  $50 billion over the next five years. By 1997 we will have cut defense by  30 percent since I took office. These cuts are deep, and you must know my  resolve: this deep, and no deeper. To do less would be insensible to  progress, but to do more would be ignorant of history. We must not go back  to the days of \"the hollow army\". We cannot repeat the mistakes made twice  in this century when armistice was followed by recklessness and defense was  purged as if the world was permanently safe.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":16,"text":"I remind you this evening that I have asked for your support in funding a  program to protect our country from limited nuclear missile attack. We must  have this protection because too many people in too many countries have  access to nuclear arms. There are those who say that now we can turn away  from the world, that we have no special role, no special place. But we are  the United States of America, the leader of the West that has become the  leader of the world.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":17,"text":"As long as I am President we will continue to lead in support of freedom  everywhere, not out of arrogance and not out of altruism, but for the  safety and security of our children. This is a fact: Strength in the  pursuit of peace is no vice; isolationism in the pursuit of security is no  virtue.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":18,"text":"Now to our troubles at home. They are not all economic, but the primary  problem is our economy. There are some good signs. Inflation, that thief,  is down, and interest rates are down. But unemployment is too high, some  industries are in trouble and growth is not what it should be. Let me tell  you right from the start and right from the heart: I know we're in hard  times, but I know something else: This will not stand.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":19,"text":"My friends in this chamber, we can bring the same courage and sense of  common purpose to the economy that we brought to Desert Storm. And we can  defeat hard times together. I believe you will help. One reason is that  you're patriots, and you want the best for your country. And I believe that  in your hearts you want to put partisanship aside and get the job done,  because it's the right thing to do.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":20,"text":"The power of America rests in a stirring but simple idea: that people will  do great things if only you set them free. Well, we're going to have to set  the economy free, for if this age of miracles and wonders has taught us  anything, it's that if we can change the world, we can change America.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":21,"text":"We must encourage investment. We must make it easier for people to invest  money and make new products, new industries, and new jobs. We must clear  away obstacles to new growth: high taxes, high regulation, red tape, and  yes, wasteful government spending. None of this will happen with a snap of  the fingers, but it will happen. And the test of a plan isn't whether it's  called new or dazzling. The American people aren't impressed by gimmicks.  They're smarter on this score than all of us in this room. The only test of  a plan is, It is sound and will it work? We must have a short-term plan to  address our immediate needs and heat up the economy. And then we need a  long-term plan to keep the combustion going and to guarantee our place in  the world economy.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":22,"text":"There are certain things that a president can do without Congress, and I am  going to do them. I have this evening asked major cabinet departments and  federal agencies to institute a 90-day moratorium on any new federal  regulations that could hinder growth. In those 90 days, major departments  and agencies will carry out a top-to-bottom review of all regulations, old  and new, to stop the ones that will hurt growth and speed up those that  will help growth.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":23,"text":"Further, for the untold number of hard-working, responsible American  workers and businessmen and women who've been forced to go without needed  bank loans, the banking credit crunch must end. I won't neglect my  responsibility for sound regulations that serve the public good, but  regulatory overkill must be stopped. And I have instructed our government  regulators to stop it.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":24,"text":"I have directed Cabinet departments and federal agencies to speed up  pro-growth expenditures as quickly as possible. This should put an extra  $10 billion into the economy in the next six months. And our new  transportation bill provides more than $150 billion for construction and  maintenance projects that are vital to our growth and well-being. That  means jobs building roads, jobs building bridges and jobs building  railways. And I have this evening directed the secretary of the Treasury to  change the federal tax withholding tables. With this change, millions of  Americans from whom the government withholds more than necessary can now  choose to have the government withhold less from their paychecks. Something  tells me a number of taxpayers may take us up on this one. This initiative  could return about $25 billion back into the economy over the next 12  months, money people can use to help pay for clothing, college or a new  car. And finally, working with the Federal Reserve, we will continue to  support monetary policy that keeps both interest rates and inflation down.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":25,"text":"Now these are the things that I can do. And now, members of Congress, let  me tell you what you can do for your country. You must, you must pass the  other elements of my plan to meet our economic needs. Everyone knows  investment speeds recovery. And I am proposing this evening a change in the  alternative minimum tax, and the creation of a new 15% investment tax  allowance. This will encourage businesses to accelerate investment and  bring people back to work. Real estate has led our economy out of almost  all the tough times we've ever had. Once building starts, carpenters and  plumbers work, people buy homes and take out mortgages.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":26,"text":"My plan would modify the passive-loss rule for active real-estate  developers. And it would make it easier for pension plans to purchase real  estate. For those Americans who dream of buying a first home but who can't  quite afford it, my plan would allow first-time home buyers to withdraw  savings from IRAs without penalty and provide a $5000 tax credit for the  first purchase of that home.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":27,"text":"And finally, my immediate plan calls on Congress to give crucial help to  people who own a home, to every one who has a business, a farm or a single  investment.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":28,"text":"This time, at this hour, I cannot take \"No\" for an answer. You must cut the  capital gains tax on the people of this country. Never has an issue been so  demagogued by its opponents. But the demagogues are wrong. They are wrong,  and they know it. Sixty percent of people who benefit from lower capital  gains have incomes under $50,000. A cut in the capital gains tax increases  jobs and helps just about everyone in our country. And so I'm asking you to  cut the capital gains tax to a maximum of 15.4%. And I'll tell you, I'll  tell you, those of you who say, \"Oh no, someone who's comfortable may  benefit from this\" you kind of remind me of the old definition of the  Puritan, who couldn't sleep at night worrying that somehow someone  somewhere was out having a good time.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":29,"text":"The opponents of this measure and those who've authored various so-called  soak-the-rich bills that are floating around this chamber should be  reminded of something: When they aim at the big guy, they usually hit the  little guy. And maybe it's time that stopped.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":30,"text":"This then is my short-term plan. Your part, members of Congress, requires  enactment of these common-sense proposals that will have a strong effect on  the economy, without breaking the budget agreement and without raising tax  rates. And while my plan is being passed and kicking in, we've got to care  for those in trouble today. I have provided for up to $4.4 billion in my  budget to extend federal unemployment benefits, and I ask for Congressional  action right away. And I thank the committee--well, at last. And let's be  frank. Let's be frank; let me level with you.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":31,"text":"I know, and you know, that my plan is unveiled in a political season. I  know, and you know, that everything I propose will be viewed by some in  merely partisan terms. But I ask you to know what is in my heart. And my  aim is to increase our nation's good. And I'm doing what I think is right;  I'm proposing what I know will help. I pride myself that I'm a prudent man,  and I believe that patience is a virtue, but I understand politics is, for  some, a game and that sometimes the game is to stop all progress and then  decry the lack of improvement. But let me tell you, let me tell you, far  more important than my political future--and far more important than  yours--is the well-being of our country. And members of this chamber,  members of this chamber, are practical people, and I know you won't resent  some practical advice: When people put their party's fortunes, whatever the  party, whatever the side of this aisle, before the public good, they court  defeat not only for their country, but for themselves. And they will  certainly deserve it.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":32,"text":"And I submit my plan tomorrow. And I am asking you to pass it by March 20.  From the day after that--if it must be--the battle is joined. And you  know, when principle is at stake, I relish a good fair fight.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":33,"text":"I said my plan has two parts, and it does. And it's the second part that is  the heart of the matter. For it's not enough to get an immediate burst. We  need long-term improvement in our economic position. We all know that the  key to our economic future is to insure that America continues as the  economic leader of the world. We have that in our power. Here, then, is my  long-term plan to guarantee our future.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":34,"text":"First, trade: We will work to break down the walls that stop world trade.  We will work to open markets everywhere. And in our major trade  negotiations, I will continue pushing to eliminate tariffs and subsidies  that damage America's farmers and workers. And we'll get more good American  jobs within our own hemisphere through the North American Free Trade  Agreement, and through the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative. But  changes are here, and more are coming. The work place of the future will  demand more highly skilled workers than ever, people who are computer  literate, highly educated.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":35,"text":"And we must be the world's leader in education. And we must revolutionize  America's schools. My America 2000 strategy will help us reach that goal.  My plan will give parents more choice, give teachers more flexibility and  help communities create new American schools. Thirty states across the  nation have established America 2000 programs. Hundreds of cities and towns  have joined. Now Congress must join this great movement. Pass my proposals  for new American schools.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":36,"text":"That was my second long-term proposal. And here's my third: We must make  common-sense investments that will help us compete, long-term, in the  marketplace. We must encourage research and development. My plan is to make  the R and D tax credit permanent, and to provide record levels of support,  over $76 billion this year alone for people who explore the promise of  emerging technologies.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":37,"text":"And fourth, we must do something about crime and drugs. And it is time for  a major renewed investment in fighting violent street crime. Its saps our  strength and hurts our faith in our society, and in our future together.  Surely a tired woman on her way to work at six in the morning on a subway  deserves the right to get there safely. And surely, it's true that everyone  who changes his or her way of life because of crime--from those afraid to  go our at night to those afraid to walk in the parks they pay for--surely  those people have been denied a basic civil right. It is time to restore  it. Congress, pass my comprehensive crime bill. It is tough on criminals  and supportive of police, and it has been languishing in these hallowed  halls for years now. Pass it. Help your country.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":38,"text":"And fifth, I ask you tonight to fund our HOPE housing proposal and to pass  my enterprise-zone legislation, which will get businesses into the inner  city. We must empower the poor with the pride that comes from owning a  home, getting a job, becoming part of things. My plan would encourage real  estate construction by extending tax incentives for mortgage-revenue bonds  and low-income housing. And I ask tonight for record expenditures for the  program that helps children born into want move into excellence: Head  Start.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":39,"text":"Step six: We must reform our health care system for this too, bears on  whether or not we can compete in the world. American health costs have been  exploding. This year America will spend over $800 billion on health, and  that is expected to grow to $1.6 trillion by the end of the decade. We  simply cannot afford this. The cost of health care shows up not only in  your family budget, but in the price of everything we buy and everything we  sell. When health coverage for a fellow on the assembly line costs  thousands of dollars, the cost goes into the product he makes. And you pay  the bill. Now we must make a choice.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":40,"text":"Now some pretend we can have it both ways: they call it play or pay. But  that expensive approach is unstable. It will mean higher taxes, fewer jobs,  and eventually, a system under complete government control. Really, there  are only two options. And we can move toward a nationalized system, a  system which will restrict patient choice in picking a doctor and force the  government to ration services arbitrarily. And what we'll get is patients  in long lines, indifferent service and a huge new tax burden. Or we can  reform our own private health-care system, which still gives us, for all  its flaws, the best quality health care in the world. Well, let's build on  our strengths.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":41,"text":"My plan provides insurance security for all Americans while preserving and  increasing the idea of choice. We make basic health insurance affordable  for all low-income people not now covered. We do it by providing a  health-insurance tax credit of up to $3750 for each low-income family. The  middle class gets help, too. And by reforming the health insurance market,  my plan assures that Americans will have access to basic health insurance  even if they change jobs or develop serious health problem We must bring  costs under control, preserve quality, preserve choice and reduce people's  nagging daily worry about health insurance. My plan, the details of which I  will announce shortly, does just that.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":42,"text":"And seventh, we must get the federal deficit under control. We now have in  law, enforcable spending caps, and a requirement that we pay for the  programs we create. There are those in Congress who would ease that  discipline now. But I cannot let them do it. And I won't. My plan would  freeze all domestic discretionary budget authority which means \"No more  next year than this year\". I will not tamper with Social Security but I  would put real caps on the growth of uncontrolled spending. And I would  also freeze federal domestic government employment. And with the help of  Congress, my plan will get rid of 246 programs that don't deserve federal  funding. Some of them have noble titles, but none of them is indispensible.  We can get rid of each and every one of them.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":43,"text":"You know, it's time we rediscovered a home truth the American people have  never forgotten: the government is too big and spends too much. And I call  on Congress to adopt a measure that will help put an end to the annual  ritual of filling the budget with pork-barrel appropriations. Every year,  the press has a field day making fun of outrageous examples, a Lawrence  Welk Museum, a research grant for Belgian Endive. We all know how these  things get into the budget, and maybe you need someone to help you say no.  I know how to say it. And you know what I need to make it stick. Give me  the same thing 43 governors have--the line-item veto--and let me help  you control spending.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":44,"text":"We must put an end to unfinanced government mandates. These are the  requirements Congress puts on our cities, counties and states without  supplying the money. And if Congress passes a mandate, it should be forced  to pay for it and balance the cost with savings elsewhere. After all, a  mandate just increases someone else's tax burden, and that means higher  taxes at the state and local level.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":45,"text":"Step Eight: Congress should enact the bold reform proposals that are still  awaiting congressional action: bank reform, civil justice reform, tort  reform, and my national energy strategy.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":46,"text":"And finally, we must strengthen the family, because it is the family that  has the greatest bearing on our future. When Barbara holds an AIDS baby in  her arms and reads to children, she's saying to every person in this  country, \"Family Matters\".  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":47,"text":"And I am announcing tonight a new commission on America's urban families.  I've asked Missouri's governor, John Ashcroft, to be chairman, former  Dallas Mayor Annetter Strauss to be co-chair. You know, I had Mayors, the  leading mayors from the League of Cities, in the other day at the White  House, and they told me something striking. They said that every one of  them, Republican and Democrat, agreed on one thing: That the major cause of  the problems of the cities is the dissolution of the family. And they asked  for this commission, and they were right to ask, because it's time to  determine what we can do to keep families together, strong and sound.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":48,"text":"There's one thing we can do right away: Ease the burden of rearing a child.  I ask you tonight to raise the personal exemption by $500 per child for  every family. For a family with four kids, that's an increase of $2000.  This is a good start in the right direction, and it's what we can afford.  It's time to allow families to deduct the interest they pay on student  loans. And I'm asking you to do just that. And I'm asking you to allow  people to use money from their IRAs to pay medical and educational  expenses, all without penalties. And I'm asking for more. Ask American  parents what they dislike about how things are going in our country, and  chances are good that pretty soon they'll get to welfare.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":49,"text":"Americans are the most generous people on Earth. But we have to go back to  the insight of Franklin Roosevelt who, when he spoke of what became the  welfare program, want that it must not become a narcotic and a subtle  destroyer of the spirit. Welfare was never meant to be a life style. It was  never meant to be a habit. It was never supposed to be passed on from  generation to generation like a legacy. It's time to replace the  assumptions of the welfare state and help reform the welfare system.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":50,"text":"States throughout the country are beginning to operate with new  assumptions: that when able-bodied people receive government assistance  they have responsibilities to the taxpayer. A responsibility to seek work,  education, or job training. A responsibility to get their lives in order. A  responsibility to hold their families together and refrain from having  children out of wedlock. And a responsibility to obey the law. We are going  to help this movement. Often, state reform requires waiving certain federal  regulations. I will act to make that process easier and quicker for every  state that asks our help. And I want to add, as we make these changes, we  work together to improve this system, that our intention is not  scapegoating and finger-pointing. If you read the papers or watch TV you  know there's been a rise these days in a certain kind of ugliness: racist  comments, anti-Semitism, an increased sense of division. Really, this is  not us. This is not who we are. And this is not acceptable.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":51,"text":"And so you have my plan for America. And I am asking for big things, but I  believe in my heart you will do what's right.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":52,"text":"And you know, it's kind of an American tradition to show a certain  skepticism toward our democratic institutions. I myself have sometimes  thought the aging process could be delayed if it had to make its way  through Congress. But you will deliberate, and you will discuss, and that  is fine. But my friends the people cannot wait. They need help now. And  there's a mood among us. People are worried. There has been talk of  decline. Someone even said our workers are lazy and uninspired. And I  thought, \"Really? Go tell Neil Armstrong standing on the moon. Tell the  American farmer who feeds his country and the world. Tell the men and women  of Desert Storm.\" Moods come and go, but greatness endures. Our does.  "}
{"year":"1992","paragraph":53,"text":"And maybe for a moment it's good to remember what, in the dailyness of our  lives, we forget. We are still and ever the freest nation on Earth, the  kindest nation on Earth, the strongest nation on Earth. And we have always  risen to the occasion. And we are going to lift this nation out of hard  times inch by inch and day by day, and those who would stop us better step  aside. Because I look at hard times and I make this vow: This will not  stand. And so we move on, together, a rising nation, the once and future  miracle that is still, this night, the hope of the world.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, members of the 103rd Congress, my fellow  Americans:  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":2,"text":"I am not sure what speech is in the TelePrompTer tonight, but I hope we can  talk about the State of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":3,"text":"I ask you to begin by recalling the memory of the giant who presided over  this chamber with such force and grace. Tip O'Neill liked to call himself  \"A Man of the House\" and he surely was that. But even more, he was a man of  the people, a bricklayer's son who helped to build the great American  middle class. Tip O'Neill never forgot who he was, where he came from, or  who sent him here. Tonight he's smiling down on us for the first time from  the Lord's gallery. But in his honor, may we too also remember who we are,  where we come from, and who sent us here.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":4,"text":"If we do that we will return over and over again to the principle that if  we simply give ordinary people equal opportunity, quality education, and a  fair shot at the American dream, they will do extraordinary things.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":5,"text":"We gather tonight in a world of changes so profound and rapid that all  nations are tested. Our American heritage has always been to master such  change, to use it to expand opportunity at home, and our leadership abroad.  But for too long and in too many ways, that heritage was abandoned, and our  country drifted.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":6,"text":"For 30 years family life in America has been breaking down. For 20 years  the wages of working people have been stagnant or declining. For the 12  years of trickle down economics we built a false prosperity on a hollow  base as our national debt quadrupled. From 1989 to 1992 we experienced the  slowest growth in a half century. For too many families, even when both  parents were working, the American dream has been slipping away.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":7,"text":"In 1992 the American people demanded that we change. I year ago I asked all  of you to join me in accepting responsibility for the future of our  country.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":8,"text":"Well, we did. We replaced drift and deadlock with renewal and reform. And I  want to thank every one of you here who heard the American people, who  broke gridlock, who gave them the most successful teamwork between a  president and a Congress in 30 years.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":9,"text":"Accomplishments  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":10,"text":"This Congress produced a budget that cut the deficit by half a trillion  dollars, cut spending and raised income taxes on only the wealthiest  Americans. This Congress produced tax relief for millions of low-income  workers to reward work over welfare. It produced NAFTA. It produced the  Brady bill, now the Brady law.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":11,"text":"And thank you, Jim Brady, for being here, and God bless you, Sarah. This  Congress produced tax cuts to reduce the taxes of nine out of 10 small  businesses who use the money to invest more and create more jobs. It  produced more research and treatment for AIDS, more childhood  immunizations, more support for women's health research, more affordable  college loans for the middle class, a new national service program for  those who want to give something back to their country and their  communities for higher education, a dramatic increase in high-tech  investments to move us from a defense to a domestic high-tech economy. This  Congress produced a new law--the motor voter bill--to help millions of  people register to vote. It produced family and medical leave--all passed,  all signed into law, with not one single veto.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":12,"text":"These accomplishments were all commitments I made when I sought this  office, and in fairness, they all had to be passed by you in this Congress.  But I am persuaded that the real credit belongs to the people who sent us  here, who pay our salaries, who hold our feet to the fire. But what we do  here is really beginning to change lives. Let me just give you one  example.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":13,"text":"Family And Medical Leave  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":14,"text":"I will never forget what the family and medical leave law meant to just one  father I met early one Sunday morning in the White House. It was unusual to  see a family there touring early Sunday morning, but he had his wife and  his three children there, one of them in a wheelchair. And I came up, and  after we had our picture taken and had a little visit, I was walking off,  and that man grabbed me by the arm and he said, \"Mr. President, let me tell  you something. My little girl here is desperately ill. She's probably not  going to make it. But because of the family leave law, I was able to take  time off to spend with her, the most important I ever spent in my life,  without losing my job and hurting the rest of my family. It means more to  me than I will ever be able to say. Don't you people up here ever think  what you do doesn't make a difference. It does.\"  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":15,"text":"Though we are making a difference, our work has just begun. Many Americans  still haven't felt the impact of what we've done. The recovery still hasn't  touched every community or created enough jobs. Incomes are still stagnant.  There's still too much violence and not enough hope in too many places.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":16,"text":"Abroad, the young democracies we are strongly supporting still face very  difficult times and look to us for leadership.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":17,"text":"And so tonight, let us resolve to continue the journey of renewal, to  create more and better jobs, to guarantee health security for all, to  reward welfare--work over welfare, to promote democracy abroad and to  begin to reclaim our streets from violent crime and drugs and gangs to  renew our own American community.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":18,"text":"Deficit Reduction  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":19,"text":"Last year, we began to put our house in order by tackling the budget  deficit that was driving us toward bankruptcy. We cut $255 billion in  spending, including entitlements, in over 340 separate budget items. We  froze domestic spending and used honest budget numbers.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":20,"text":"Led by the vice president, we've launched a campaign to reinvent  government. We've cut staff, cut perks, even trimmed the fleet of federal  limousines. After years of leaders whose rhetoric attacked bureaucracy but  whose actions expanded it, we will actually reduce it by 252,000 people  over the next five years. By the time we have finished, the federal  bureaucracy will be at its lowest point in 30 years.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":21,"text":"Because the deficit was so large and because they benefited from tax cuts  in the 1980s, we did ask the wealthiest Americans to pay more to reduce the  deficit. So on April the 15th, the American people will discover the truth  about what we did last year on taxes. Only the top one--the top 1.2  percent of Americans, as I said all along, will face higher income tax  rates--let me repeat, only the wealthiest 1.2 percent of Americans will  face higher income tax rates and no one else will, and that is the truth.  Of course, there were, as there always are in politics, naysayers who said  this plan wouldn't work, but they were wrong. When I became president, the  experts predicted that next year's deficit would be $300 billion, but  because we acted, those same people now say the deficit's going to be under  $180 billion, 40 percent lower than was previously predicted.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":22,"text":"The Economy  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":23,"text":"Our economic program has helped to produce the lowest core inflation rate  and the lowest interest rates in 20 years, and because those interest rates  are down, business investment and equipment is growing at seven times the  rate of the previous four years. Auto sales are way up, home sales at a  record high. Millions of Americans have refinanced their homes and our  economy has produced 1.6 million private-sector jobs in 1993, more than  were created in the previous four years combined.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":24,"text":"The people who supported this economic plan should be proud of its early  results--proud. But everyone in this chamber should know and acknowledge  that there is more to do. Next month I will send you one of the toughest  budgets ever presented to Congress. It will cut spending in more than 300  programs, eliminate 100 domestic programs, and reforms the way in which  governments buy goods and services.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":25,"text":"This year we must again make the hard choices to live within the hard  spending ceilings we have set. We must do it. We have proved we can bring  the deficit down without choking off recovery, without punishing seniors or  the middle class, and without putting our national security at risk. If you  will stick with this plan, we will post three consecutive years of  declining deficits for the first time since Harry Truman lived in the White  House. And once again, the buck stops here.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":26,"text":"Trade  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":27,"text":"Our economic plan also bolsters our strength and our credibility around the  world. Once we reduced the deficit and put the steel back into our  competitive edge, the world echoed with the sound of falling trade  barriers. In one year, with NAFTA, with GATT, with our efforts in Asia and  the national export strategy, we did more to open world markets to American  products than at any time in the last two generations. That means more jobs  and rising living standards for the American people, low deficits, low  inflation, low interest rates, low trade barriers and high investments.  These are the building blocks of our recovery. But if we want to take full  advantage of the opportunities before us in the global economy, you all  know we must do more.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":28,"text":"As we reduce defense spending, I ask Congress to invest more in the  technologies of tomorrow. Defense conversion will keep us strong militarily  and create jobs for our people here at home.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":29,"text":"As we protect our environment, we must invest in the environmental  technologies of the future which will create jobs. This year we will fight  for a revitalized Clean Water Act and a Safe Drinking Water Act and a  reformed Superfund program.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":30,"text":"And the vice president is right; we must also work with the private sector  to connect every classroom, every clinic, every library, every hospital in  America into a national information superhighway by the year 2000. Think of  it. Instant access to information will increase productivity. It will help  to educate our children. It will provide better medical care. It will  create jobs. And I call on the Congress to pass legislation to establish  that information superhighway this year.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":31,"text":"As we expand opportunity and create jobs, no one can be left out. We must  continue to enforce fair lending and fair housing and all civil rights  laws, because America will never be complete in its renewal until everyone  shares in its bounty. But we all know, too, we can do all these things--  put our economic house in order, expand world trade, target the jobs of the  future, guarantee equal opportunity.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":32,"text":"But if we're honest, we'll all admit that this strategy still cannot work  unless we also give our people the education, training and skills they need  to seize the opportunities of tomorrow. We must set tough, world-class  academic and occupational standards for all our children and give our  teachers and students the tools they need to meet them.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":33,"text":"Education  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":34,"text":"Our Goals 2000 proposal will empower individual school districts to  experiment with ideas like chartering their schools to be run by private  corporations or having more public school choice, to do whatever they wish  to do as long as we measure every school by one high standard: Are our  children learning what they need to know to compete and win in the global  economy?  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":35,"text":"Goals 2000 links world-class standards to grassroots reforms and I hope  Congress will pass it without delay. Our school to work initiative will for  the first time link school to the world of work, providing at least one  year of apprenticeship beyond high school. After all, most of the people  we're counting on to build our economic future won't graduate from college.  It's time to stop ignoring them and start empowering them. We must  literally transform our outdated unemployment system into a new  reemployment system. The old unemployment system just sort of kept you  going while you waited for your old job to come back. We've got to have a  new system to move people into new and better jobs because most of those  old jobs just don't come back. And we know that the only way to have real  job security in the future, to get a good job with a growing income, is to  have real skills and the ability to learn new ones. So we've got to  streamline today's patchwork of training programs and make them a source of  new skill for our people who lose their jobs. Reemployment, not  unemployment, must become the centerpiece of our economic renewal. I urge  you to pass it in this session of Congress.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":36,"text":"Welfare  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":37,"text":"And just as we must transform our unemployment system, so must we also  revolutionize our welfare system. It doesn't work; it defies our values as  a nation. If we value work, we can't justify a system that makes welfare  more attractive than work if people are worried about losing their health  care.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":38,"text":"If we value responsibility, we can't ignore the $34 billion in child  support absent parents out to be paying to millions of parents who are  taking care of their children--. If we value strong families, we can't  perpetuate a system that actually penalizes those who stay together. Can  you believe that a child who has a child gets more money from the  government for leaving home than for staying home with a parent or a  grandparent? That's not just bad policy, it's wrong and we ought to change  it.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":39,"text":"I worked on this problem for years before I became president, with other  governors and with members of Congress in both parties and with the  previous administration of another party. I worked on it with people who  were on welfare, lots of them. And I want to say something to everybody  here who cares about this issue. The people who most want to change this  system are the people who are dependent on it. They want to get off  welfare; they want to go back to work; they want to do right by their  kids.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":40,"text":"I once had a hearing when I was a governor and I brought in people on  welfare from all over America who had found their way to work and a woman  from my state who testified was asked this question. What's the best thing  about being off welfare and in a job. And without blinking an eye, she  looked at 40 governors and she said, when my boy goes to school and they  say \"What does your mother do for a living?\" he can give an answer. These  people want a better system and we ought to give it to them.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":41,"text":"Last year, we began this. We gave the states more power to innovate because  we know that a lot of great ideas come from outside Washington and many  states are already using it. Then this Congress took a dramatic step.  Instead of taxing people with modest incomes into poverty, we helped them  to work their way out of poverty by dramatically increasing the earned  income tax credit. It will lift 15 million working families out of poverty,  rewarding work over welfare, making it possible for people to be successful  workers and successful parents. Now that's real welfare reform.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":42,"text":"But there is more to be done. This spring I will send you a comprehensive  welfare reform bill that builds on the Family Support Act of 1988 and  restores the basic values of work and responsibility. We will say to  teenagers if you have a child out of wedlock, we'll no longer give you a  check to set up a separate household, we want families to stay together;  say to absent parents who aren't paying their child support if you're not  providing for your children we'll garnish your wages, suspend your license,  track you across state lines, and if necessary make some of you work off  what you owe.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":43,"text":"People who bring children into this world cannot and must not walk away  from them.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":44,"text":"But to all those who depend on welfare, we should offer ultimately a simple  compact. We will provide the support, the job training, the child care you  need for up to two years, but after that anyone who can work, must, in the  private sector wherever possible, in community service if necessary. That's  the only way we'll ever make welfare what it ought to be, a second chance,  not a way of life.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":45,"text":"I know it will be difficult to tackle welfare reform in 1994 at the same  time we tackle health care. But let me point out, I think it is inevitable  and imperative. It is estimated that one million people are on welfare  today because it's the only way they can get health care coverage for their  children. Those who choose to leave welfare for jobs without health  benefits, and many entry level jobs don't have health benefits, find  themselves in the incredible position of paying taxes that help to pay for  health care coverage for those who made the other choice, to stay on  welfare. No wonder people leave work and go back to welfare, to get health  care coverage. We've got to solve the health care problem to have real  welfare reform.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":46,"text":"Health Care Reform  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":47,"text":"So this year we will make history by reforming the health care system. And  I would say to you, all of you my fellow public servants, this is another  issue where the people are way ahead of the politicians.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":48,"text":"That may not be popular with either party, but it happens to be the truth.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":49,"text":"You know, the first lady has received now almost a million letters from  people all across America and from all walks of life. I'd like to share  just one of them with you. Richard Anderson of Reno, Nevada, lost his job  and, with it, his health insurance. Two weeks later, his wife, Judy,  suffered a cerebral aneurysm. He rushed her to the hospital, where she  stayed in intensive care for 21 days. The Anderson's bills were over  $120,000. Although Judy recovered and Richard went back to work at $8 an  hour, the bills were too much for them and they were literally forced into  bankruptcy.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":50,"text":"\"Mrs. Clinton,\" he wrote to Hillary, \"no one in the United States of  America should have to lose everything they've worked for all their lives  because they were unfortunate enough to become ill.\" It was to help the  Richard and Judy Andersons of America that the first lady and so many  others have worked so hard and so long on this health care reform issue. We  owe them our thanks and our action.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":51,"text":"I know there are people here who say there's no health care crisis. Tell it  to Richard and Judy Anderson. Tell it to the 58 million Americans who have  no coverage at all for some time each year. Tell it to the 81 million  Americans with those preexisting conditions; those folks are paying more or  they can't get insurance at all or they can't ever change their jobs  because they or someone in their family has one of those preexisting  conditions. Tell it to the small businesses burdened by skyrocketing costs  of insurance. Most small businesses cover their employers, and they pay on  average 35 percent more in premiums than big businesses or government. Or  tell it to the 76 percent of insured Americans, three out of four whose  policies have lifetime limits, and that means they can find themselves  without any coverage at all just when they need it the most.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":52,"text":"So, if any of you believe there's no crisis, you tell it to those people,  because I can't.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":53,"text":"There are some people who literally do not understand the impact of this  problem on people's lives, but all you have to do is go out and listen to  them. Just go talk to them anywhere, in any congressional district in this  country. They're Republicans and Democrats and independents. It doesn't  have a lick to do with party. They think we don't get it, and it's time we  show that we do get it.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":54,"text":"From the day we began, our health care initiative has been designed to  strengthen what is good about our health care system--the world's best  health care professionals, cutting edge research, and wonderful research  institutions, Medicare for older Americans. None of this--none of it  should be put at risk. But we're paying more and more money for less and  less care. Every year, fewer and fewer Americans even get to choose their  doctors. Every year, doctors and nurses spend more time on paperwork and  less time with patients because of the absolute bureaucratic nightmare the  present system has become.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":55,"text":"This system is riddled with inefficiency, with abuse, with fraud, and  everybody knows it. In today's health care system, insurance companies call  the shots. They pick whom they cover and how they cover them. They can cut  off your benefits when you need your coverage the most. They are in  charge.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":56,"text":"What does it mean? It means every night millions of well-insured Americans  go to bed just an illness, an accident, or a pink slip away from having no  coverage or financial ruin. It means every morning millions of Americans go  to work without any health insurance at all--something the workers in no  other advanced country in the world do. It means that every year more and  more hard working people are told to pick a new doctor because their boss  has had to pick a new plan. And countless others turndown better jobs  because they know, if they take the better job, they'll lose their health  insurance.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":57,"text":"If we just let the health care system continue to drift, our country will  have people with less care, fewer choices, and higher bill.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":58,"text":"Now, our approach protects the quality of care and people's choices. It  builds on what works today in the private sector, to expand employer based  coverage, to guarantee private insurance for every American. And I might  say, employer based private insurance for every American was proposed 20  years ago by President Richard Nixon to the United States Congress. It was  a good idea then, and it's a better idea today.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":59,"text":"Why do we want guaranteed private insurance? Because right now, nine out of  ten people who have insurance get it through their employers--and that  should continue. And if your employer is providing good benefits at  reasonable prices, that should continue too. And that ought to make the  Congress and the president feel better. Our goal is health insurance  everybody can depend on--comprehensive benefits that cover preventive care  and prescription drugs, health premiums that don't just explode when you  get sick or you get older, the power--no matter how small your business is  --to choose dependable insurance at the same competitive rates that  governments and big business get today, one simple form for people who are  sick, and most of all, the freedom to choose a plan and the right to choose  your own doctor.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":60,"text":"Our approach protects older Americans. Every plan before the Congress  proposes to slow the growth of Medicare. The difference is this. We believe  those savings should be used to improve health care for senior citizens.  Medicare must be protected, and it should cover prescription drugs, and we  should take the first steps in covering long-term care.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":61,"text":"To those who would cut Medicare without protecting seniors, I say the  solution to today's squeeze on middle class working people's health care is  not to put the squeeze on middle class retired people's health care. We can  do better than that. When it's all said and done, it's pretty simple to me.  Insurance ought to mean what it used to mean. You pay a fair price for  security, and when you get sick, health care is always there--no matter  what.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":62,"text":"Along with the guarantee of health security, we all have to admit, too,  there must be more responsibility on the part of all of us in how we use  this system. People have to take their kids to get immunized. We should all  take advantage of preventive care. We must all work together to stop the  violence that explodes our emergency rooms. We have to practice better  health habits, and we can't abuse the system. And those who don't have  insurance under our approach will get coverage, but they will have to pay  something for it, too. The minority of businesses that provide no insurance  at all, and in so doing, shift the cost of the care of their employees to  others, should contribute something. People who smoke should pay more for a  pack of cigarettes. Everybody can contribute something if we want to solve  the health care crisis. There can't be anymore something for nothing. It  will not be easy, but it can be done. Now in the coming months I hope very  much to work with both Democrats and Republicans to reform a health care  system by using the market to bring down costs and to achieve lasting  health security. But if you look at history, we see that for 60 years this  country has tried to reform health care. President Roosevelt tried,  President Truman tried, President Nixon tried, President Carter tried.  Every time the special interests were powerful enough to defeat them, but  not this time.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":63,"text":"Campaign Finance Reform  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":64,"text":"I know that facing up to these interests will require courage. It will  raise critical questions about the way we finance our campaigns and how  lobbyists yield their influence. The work of change, frankly, will never  get any easier until we limit the influence of well financed interests who  profit from this current system. So I also must now call on you to finish  the job both houses began last year, by passing tough and meaningful  campaign finance reform and lobby reform legislation this year.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":65,"text":"You know, my fellow Americans, this is really a test for all of us. The  American people provide those of us in government service with terrific  health care benefits at reasonable costs. We have health care that's always  there. I think we need to give every hard working, taxpaying American the  same health care security they have already given to us.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":66,"text":"I want to make this very clear: I am open, as I have said repeatedly, to  the best ideas of concerned members of both parties. I have no special  brief for any specific approach, even in our own bill, except this: if you  send me legislation that does not guarantee every American private health  insurance that can never be taken away, you will force me to take this pen,  veto the legislation, and we'll come right back here and start all over  again.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":67,"text":"But I don't think that's going to happen. I think we're ready to act now. I  believe that you're ready to act now. And if you're ready to guarantee  every American the same health care that you have, health care that can  never be taken away--now, not next year or the year after, now is the time  to stand with the people who sent us here. Now.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":68,"text":"Foreign Policy  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":69,"text":"As we take these steps together to renew our strength at home, we cannot  turn away from our obligations to renew our leadership abroad. This is a  promising moment. Because of the agreements we have reached this year, last  year, Russia's strategic nuclear missiles soon will no longer be pointed at  the United States. Nor will we point ours at them.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":70,"text":"Instead of building weapons in space, Russian scientists will help us to  build the international space station.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":71,"text":"And of course there are still dangers in the world: rampant arms  proliferation, bitter regional conflicts, ethnic and nationalist tensions  in many new democracies, severe environmental degradation the world over,  and fanatics who seek to cripple the world's cities with terror. As the  world's greatest power, we must therefore maintain our defenses and our  responsibilities. This year we secured indictments against terrorists and  sanctions against those harbor them. We worked to promote  environmentally-sustainable economic growth. We achieved agreements with  Ukraine, with Belarus, with Kazakhstan, to eliminate completely their  nuclear arsenals. We are working to achieve a Korean Peninsula free of  nuclear weapons. We will seek early ratification of the treaty to ban  chemical weapons worldwide. And earlier today we joined with over 30  nations to begin negotiations on a comprehensive ban to stop all nuclear  testing.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":72,"text":"But nothing--nothing--is more important to our security than our nation's  armed forces. We honor their contributions, including those who are  carrying out the longest humanitarian airlift in history in Bosnia----  those who will complete their mission in Somalia this year and their brave  comrades who gave their lives there. Our forces are the finest military our  nation has ever had, and I have pledged that as long as I am president they  will remain the best-equipped, the best-trained and the best-prepared  fighting force on the face of the earth.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":73,"text":"Defense  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":74,"text":"Last year, I proposed a defense plan that maintains our post-Cold War  security at a lower cost. This year, many people urged me to cut our  defense spending further to pay for other government programs. I said no.  The budget I send to Congress draws the line against further defense cuts.  It protects the readiness and quality of our forces. Ultimately, the best  strategy is to do that. We must not cut defense further. I hope the  Congress without regard to party will support that position.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":75,"text":"Ultimately, the best strategy to ensure our security and to build a durable  peace is to support the advance of democracy elsewhere. Democracies don't  attack each other. They make better trading partners and partners in  diplomacy. That is why we have supported, you and I, the democratic  reformers in Russia and in the other states of the former Soviet bloc. I  applaud the bipartisan support this Congress provided last year for our  initiatives to help Russia, Ukraine and the other states through their epic  transformations.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":76,"text":"Our support of reform must combine patience for the enormity of the task  and vigilance for our fundamental interest and values. We will continue to  urge Russia and the other states to press ahead with economic reforms, and  we will seek to cooperate with Russia to solve regional problems while  insisting that, if Russian troops operate in neighboring states, they do so  only when those states agree to their presence and in strict accord with  international standards.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":77,"text":"But we must also remember as these nations chart their own futures, and  they must chart their own futures, how much more secure and more prosperous  our own people will be if democratic and market reform succeed all across  the former communist bloc. Our policy has been to support that move and  that has been the policy of the Congress. We should continue it.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":78,"text":"Europe  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":79,"text":"That is why I went to Europe earlier this month, to work with our European  partners to help to integrate all the former communist countries into a  Europe that has the possibility of becoming unified for the first time in  its entire history, it's entire history, based on the simple commitments of  all nations in Europe to democracy, to free markets, and to respect for  existing borders.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":80,"text":"With our allies, we have created a partnership for peace that invites  states from the former Soviet bloc and other non-NATO members to work with  NATO in military cooperation. When I met with Central Europe's leaders,  including Lech Walesa and Vaclav Havel, men who put their lives on the line  for freedom, I told them that the security of their region is important to  our country's security.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":81,"text":"This year, we must also do more to support democratic renewal and human  rights and sustainable development all around the world. We will ask  Congress to ratify the new GATT accord, we will continue standing by South  Africa as it works its way through its bold and hopeful and difficult  transition to democracy. We will convene a summit of the Western  hemisphere's democratic leaders from Canada to the tip of South America.  And we will continue to press for the restoration of true democracy in  Haiti.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":82,"text":"And as we build a more constructive relationship with China, we must  continue to insist on clear signs of improvement in that nation's human  rights record.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":83,"text":"Middle East  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":84,"text":"We will also work for new progress toward the Middle East peace. Last year  the world watched Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat at the White House when  they had their historic handshake of reconciliation. But there is a long,  hard road ahead. And on that road I am determined that I and our  administration will do all we can to achieve a comprehensive and lasting  peace for all the peoples of the region.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":85,"text":"Now, there are some in our country who argue that with the Cold War,  America should turn its back on the rest of the world. Many around the  world were afraid we would do just that. But I took this office on a pledge  that had no partisan tinge to keep our nation secure by remaining engaged  in the rest of the world. And this year, because of our work together,  enacting NAFTA, keeping our military strong and prepared, supporting  democracy abroad, we have reaffirmed America's leadership, America's  engagement, and as a result, the American people are more secure than they  were before.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":86,"text":"Crime  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":87,"text":"But while Americans are more secure from threats abroad, I think we all now  that in many ways we are less secure from threats here at home. Everyday  the national peace is shattered by crime.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":88,"text":"In Petaluma, California, an innocent slumber party gives way to agonizing  tragedy for the family of Polly Klaas. An ordinary train ride on Long  Island ends in a hail of nine millimeter rounds. A tourist in Florida is  nearly burned alive by bigots simply because he is black. Right here in our  nation's capital, a brave young man named Jason White, a policeman, the son  and grandson of policemen, is ruthlessly gunned down.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":89,"text":"Violent crime and the fear it provokes are crippling our society, limiting  personal freedom, and fraying the ties that bind us.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":90,"text":"The crime bill before Congress gives you a chance to do something about it,  a chance to be tough and smart. What does that mean? Let me begin by saying  I care a lot about this issue. Many years ago, when I started out in public  life, I was the attorney general of my state. I served as a governor for a  dozen years. I know what it's like to sign laws increasing penalties, to  build more prison cells, to carry out the death penalty. I understand this  issue and it is not a simple thing.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":91,"text":"First, we must recognize that most violent crimes are committed by a small  percentage of criminals who too often break the laws even when they are on  parole. Now those who commit crimes should be punished, and those who  commit repeated violent crimes should be told when you commit a third  violent crime, you will be put away and put away for good, three strikes  and you are out.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":92,"text":"Second, we must take serious steps to reduce violence and prevent crime,  beginning with more police officers and more community policing. We know  right now that police who work the streets, know the folks, have the  respect of the neighborhood kids, focus on high crime areas, we know that  they are more likely to prevent crime as well as catch criminals. Look at  the experience of Houston, where the crime rate dropped 17 percent in one  year when that approach was taken. Here tonight is one of those community  policemen, a brave, young detective, Kevin Jett, whose beat is eight square  blocks in one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York. Every day he  restores some sanity and safety, and a sense of values and connection to  the people whose lives he protects. I'd like to ask him to stand up and be  recognized tonight.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":93,"text":"You will be given a chance to give the children of this country, the law  abiding working people of this country, and don't forget, in the toughest  neighborhoods in this country, in the highest crime neighborhoods in this  country the vast majority of people get up every day and obey the law, pay  their taxes, do their best to raise their kids. They deserve people like  Kevin Jett, and you're going to be given the chance to give the American  people another 100,000 of them, well trained, and I urge you to do it.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":94,"text":"You have before you crime legislation which also establishes a police corps  to encourage young people to get an education, and pay it off by serving as  police officers, which encourages retiring military personnel to move into  police forces--and enormous resources for our country, one which has a  safe schools provisions which will give our young people the chance to walk  to school in safety and to be in school in safety instead of dodging  bullets. These are important things.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":95,"text":"The third thing we have to do is to build on the Brady Bill--the Brady Law  to take further steps----to take further steps to keep guns out of the  hands of criminals.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":96,"text":"Now, I want to say something about this issue. Hunters must always be free  to hunt, law abiding adults should always be free to own guns and protect  their homes. I respect that part of our culture. I grew up in it. But I  want to ask the sportsmen and others who lawfully own guns to join us in  this campaign to reduce gun violence. I say to you, I know you didn't  create this problem, but we need your help to solve it. There is no  sporting purpose on earth that should stop the United States Congress from  banishing assault weapons that outgun police and cut down children.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":97,"text":"Fourth, we must remember that drugs are a factor in an enormous percentage  of crimes. Recent studies indicate, sadly, that drug use is on the rise  again among our young people. The Crime Bill contains--all the crime bills  contain--more money for drug treatment, for criminal addicts, and boot  camps for youthful offenders that include incentives to get off drugs and  to stay off drugs. Our administration's budget, with all its cuts, contains  a large increase in funding for drug treatment and drug education. You must  pass them both. We need then desperately.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":98,"text":"My fellow Americans, the problem of violence is an un-American problem. It  has no partisan or philosophical element. Therefore, I urge you find ways  as quickly as possible to set aside partisan differences and pass a strong,  smart, tough crime bill.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":99,"text":"But further, I urge you to consider this: As you demand tougher penalties  for those who choose violence, let us also remember how we came to this sad  point. In our toughest neighborhoods, on our meanest streets, in our  poorest rural areas, we have seen a stunning and simultaneous breakdown of  community, family, and work, the heart and soul of civilized society. This  has created a vast vacuum which has been filled by violence and drugs and  gangs. So I ask you to remember that even as we say no to crime, we must  give people, especially our young people something to say yes to. Many of  our initiatives, from job training to welfare reform to health care to  national service will help to rebuild distressed communities, to strengthen  families, to provide work, but more needs to be done. That's what our  community empowerment agenda is all about--challenging businesses to  provide more investment through empowerment zones, ensuring banks will make  loans in the same communities their deposits come from, passing legislation  to unleash the power of capital through community development banks to  create jobs, opportunity, and hope where they're needed most.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":100,"text":"But I think you know that to really solve this problem, we'll all have to  put our heads together, leave our ideological armor aside, and find some  new ideas to do even more.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":101,"text":"The Role Of Government  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":102,"text":"And let's be honest, we all know something else, too. Our problems go way  beyond the reach of government. They're rooted in the loss of values and  the disappearance of work and the breakdown of our families and our  communities. My fellow Americans, we can cut the deficit, create jobs,  promote democracy around the world, pass welfare reform and health care,  pass the toughest crime bill in history and still leave too many of our  people behind.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":103,"text":"The American people have got to want to change from within if we're going  to bring back work and family and community. We cannot renew our country  when, within a decade, more than half of the children will be born into  families where there has been no marriage. We cannot renew this country  when 13-year-old boys get semi-automatic weapons to shoot 9 year olds for  kicks. We can't renew our country when children are having children and the  fathers walk away as if the kids don't amount to anything. We can't renew  the country when our businesses eagerly look for new investments and new  customers abroad but ignore those people right here at home who'd give  anything to have their jobs and would gladly buy their products if they had  the money to do it.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":104,"text":"We can't renew our country unless more of us--I mean all of us--are  willing to join the churches and the other good citizens, people like all  the black ministers I've worked with over the years or the priests and the  nuns I met at Our Lady of Help in East Los Angeles or my good friend Tony  Campolo in Philadelphia, unless we're willing to work with people like  that, people who are saving kids, adopting schools, making streets safer.  All of us can do that.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":105,"text":"We can't renew our country until we realize that governments don't raise  children; parents do. Parents who know their children's teachers and turn  off the television and help with the homework and teach their kids right  from wrong--those kind of parents can make all the difference. I know. I  had one. And I'm telling you we have got to stop pointing our fingers at  these kids who have no future and reach our hands out to them. Our country  needs it. We need it. And they deserve it.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":106,"text":"And so I say to you tonight let's give our children a future. Let us take  away their guns and give them books. Let us overcome their despair and  replace it with hope. Let us, by our example, teach them to obey the law,  respect our neighbors, and cherish our values. Let us weave these sturdy  threads into a new American community that once more stand strong against  the forces of despair and evil because everybody has a chance to walk into  a better tomorrow.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":107,"text":"Oh, there will be naysayers who fear that we won't be equal to the  challenges of this time, but they misread our history, our heritage, even  today's headlines. All those things tell us we can and we will overcome any  challenge.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":108,"text":"When the earth shook and fires raged in California; when I saw the  Mississippi deluge the farmlands of the Midwest in a 500 year flood; when  the century's bitterest cold swept from North Dakota to Newport News it  seemed as though the world itself was coming apart at the seams. But the  American people, they just came together. They rose to the occasion,  neighbor helping neighbor, strangers risking life and limb to stay total  strangers, showing the better angels of our nature.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":109,"text":"Let us not reserve the better angels only for natural disasters, leaving  our deepest and most profound problems to petty political fighting.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":110,"text":"Let us instead by true to our spirit, facing facts, coming together,  bringing hope and moving forward.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":111,"text":"Tonight, my fellow Americans, we are summoned to answer a question as old  as the republic itself, what is the state of our union?  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":112,"text":"It is growing stronger but it must be stronger still. With your help and  God's help it will be.  "}
{"year":"1994","paragraph":113,"text":"Thank you and God Bless America.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, members of the 104th Congress, my fellow  Americans:  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":2,"text":"Again we are here in the sanctuary of democracy. And once again, our  democracy has spoken.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":3,"text":"So let me begin by congratulating all of you here in the 104th Congress,  and congratulating you, Mr. Speaker.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":4,"text":"If we agree on nothing else tonight, we must agree that the American people  certainly voted for change in 1992 and in 1994.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":5,"text":"And as I look out at you, I know how some of you must have felt in 1992.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":6,"text":"I must say that in both years we didn't hear America singing, we heard  America shouting. And now all of us, Republicans and Democrats alike, must  say: We hear you. We will work together to earn the jobs you have given us.  For we are the keepers of the sacred trust and we must be faithful to it in  this new and very demanding era.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":7,"text":"Over 200 years ago, our founders changed the entire course of human history  by joining together to create a new country based on a single, powerful  idea. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created  equal, endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among  these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":8,"text":"It has fallen to every generation since then to preserve that idea--the  American idea--and to deepen and expand its meaning in new and different  times. To Lincoln and to his Congress, to preserve the Union and to end  slavery. To Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, to restrain the abuses  and excesses of the Industrial Revolution and to assert our leadership in  the world. To Franklin Roosevelt, to fight the failure and pain of the  Great Depression and to win our country's great struggle against fascism.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":9,"text":"And to all our Presidents since, to fight the cold war. Especially, I  recall two who struggled to fight that cold war in partnership with  Congresses where the majority was of a different party. To Harry Truman,  who summoned us to unparalleled prosperity at home and who built the  architecture of the cold war. And to Ronald Reagan, whom we wish well  tonight, and who exhorted us to carry on until the twilight struggle  against Communism was won.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":10,"text":"In another time of change and challenge, I had the honor to be the first  President to be elected in the post-cold-war era, an era marked by the  global economy, the information revolution, unparalleled change in  opportunity and in security for the American people.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":11,"text":"I came to this hallowed chamber two years ago on a mission: To restore the  American dream for all our people and to make sure that we move into the  21st century still the strongest force for freedom and democracy in the  entire world.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":12,"text":"I was determined then to tackle the tough problems too long ignored. In  this effort I am frank to say that I have made my mistakes. And I have  learned again the importance of humility in all human endeavor.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":13,"text":"But I am also proud to say tonight that our country is stronger than it was  two years ago.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":14,"text":"Accomplishments  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":15,"text":"Record numbers, record numbers of Americans are succeeding in the new  global economy. We are at peace, and we are a force for peace and freedom  throughout the world. We have almost six million new jobs since I became  President, and we have the lowest combined rate of unemployment and  inflation in 25 years.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":16,"text":"Our businesses are more productive and here we have worked to bring the  deficit down, to expand trade, to put more police on our streets, to give  our citizens more of the tools they need to get an education and to rebuild  their own communities. But the rising tide is not lifting all the boats.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":17,"text":"While our nation is enjoying peace and prosperity, too many of our people  are still working harder and harder for less and less. While our businesses  are restructuring and growing more productive and competitive, too many of  our people still can't be sure of having a job next year or even next  month. And far more than our material riches are threatened, things far  more precious to us: our children, our families, our values.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":18,"text":"Our civil life is suffering in America today. Citizens are working together  less and shouting at each other more. The common bonds of community which  have been the great strength of our country from its very beginning are  badly frayed.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":19,"text":"What are we to do about it?  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":20,"text":"More than 60 years ago at the dawn of another new era, President Roosevelt  told our nation new conditions impose new requirements on Government and  those who conduct Government. And from that simple proposition he shaped  the New Deal, which helped to restore our nation to prosperity and defined  the relationship between our people and their Government for half a  century.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":21,"text":"That approach worked in its time but today we face a very different time  and very different conditions. We are moving from an industrial age built  on gears and sweat to an information age demanding skills and learning and  flexibility.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":22,"text":"Our Government, once a champion of national purpose, is now seen by many as  simply a captive of narrow interests putting more burdens on our citizens  rather than equipping them to get ahead. The values that used to hold us  all together seem to be coming apart.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":23,"text":"So tonight we must forge a new social compact to meet the challenges of  this time. As we enter a new era, we need a new set of understandings not  just with Government but, even more important, with one another as  Americans.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":24,"text":"New Covenant  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":25,"text":"That's what I want to talk with you about tonight. I call it the New  Covenant but it's grounded in a very, very old idea that all Americans have  not just a right but a solemn responsibility to rise as far as their  God-given talents and determination can take them. And to give something  back to their communities and their country in return.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":26,"text":"Opportunity and responsibility--they go hand in hand; we can't have one  without the other, and our national community can't hold together without  both.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":27,"text":"Our New Covenant is a new set of understandings for how we can equip our  people to meet the challenges of the new economy, how we can change the way  our Government works to fit a different time and, above all, how we can  repair the damaged bonds in our society and come together behind our common  purpose. We must have dramatic change in our economy, our Government and  ourselves.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":28,"text":"My fellow Americans, without regard to party, let us rise to the occasion.  Let us put aside partisanship and pettiness and pride. As we embark on this  course, let us put our country first, remembering that regardless of party  label we are all Americans. And let the final test of everything we do be a  simple one: Is it good for the American people?  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":29,"text":"Let me begin by saying that we cannot ask Americans to be better citizens  if we are not better servants. You made a good start by passing that law  which applies to Congress all the laws you put on the private sector--and  I was proud to sign it yesterday.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":30,"text":"But we have a lot more to do before people really trust the way things work  around here. Three times as many lobbyists are in the streets and corridors  of Washington as were here 20 years ago. The American people look at their  capital and they see a city where the well-connected and the well-protected  can work the system, but the interests of ordinary citizens are often left  out.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":31,"text":"As the new Congress opened its doors, lobbyists were still doing business  as usual--the gifts, the trips--all the things that people are concerned  about haven't stopped.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":32,"text":"Twice this month you missed opportunities to stop these practices. I know  there were other considerations in those votes, but I want to use something  that I've heard my Republican friends say from time to time: There doesn't  have to be a law for everything.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":33,"text":"So tonight I ask you to just stop taking the lobbyists' perks, just stop.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":34,"text":"We don't have to wait for legislation to pass to send a strong signal to  the American people that things are really changing. But I also hope you  will send me the strongest possible lobby reform bill, and I'll sign that,  too. We should require lobbyists to tell the people for whom they work what  they're spending, what they want. We should also curb the role of big money  in elections by capping the cost of campaigns and limiting the influence of  PAC's.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":35,"text":"And as I have said for three years, we should work to open the air waves so  that they can be an instrument of democracy not a weapon of destruction by  giving free TV time to candidates for public office.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":36,"text":"When the last Congress killed political reform last year, it was reported  in the press that the lobbyists actually stood in the halls of this sacred  building and cheered. This year, let's give the folks at home something to  cheer about.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":37,"text":"More important, I think we all agree that we have to change the way the  Government works. Let's make it smaller, less costly and smarter. Leaner  not meaner.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":38,"text":"I just told the Speaker the equal time doctrine's alive and well.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":39,"text":"The Role Of Government  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":40,"text":"The New Covenant approach to governing is as different from the old  bureaucratic way as the computer is from the manual typewriter. The old way  of governing around here protected organized interests; we should look out  for the interests of ordinary people. The old way divided us by interests,  constituency or class; the New Covenant way should unite us behind a common  vision of what's best for our country.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":41,"text":"The old way dispensed services through large, top-down, inflexible  bureaucracies. The New Covenant way should shift these resources and  decision making from bureaucrats to citizens, injecting choice and  competition and individual responsibility into national policy.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":42,"text":"The old way of governing around here actually seemed to reward failure. The  New Covenant way should have built-in incentives to reward success.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":43,"text":"The old way was centralized here in Washington. The New Covenant way must  take hold in the communities all across America, and we should help them to  do that.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":44,"text":"Our job here is to expand opportunity, not bureaucracy, to empower people  to make the most of their own lives and to enhance our security here at  home and abroad.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":45,"text":"We must not ask Government to do what we should do for ourselves. We should  rely on Government as a partner to help us to do more for ourselves and for  each other.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":46,"text":"I hope very much that as we debate these specific and exciting matters, we  can go beyond the sterile discussion between the illusion that there is  somehow a program for every problem, on the one hand, and the other  illusion that the Government is the source of every problem that we have.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":47,"text":"Our job is to get rid of yesterday's Government so that our own people can  meet today's and tomorrow's needs.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":48,"text":"And we ought to do it together.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":49,"text":"You know, for years before I became President, I heard others say they  would cut Government and how bad it was. But not much happened.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":50,"text":"We actually did it. We cut over a quarter of a trillion dollars in  spending, more than 300 domestic programs, more than 100,000 positions from  the Federal bureaucracy in the last two years alone.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":51,"text":"Based on decisions already made, we will have cut a total of more than a  quarter of a million positions from the Federal Government, making it the  smallest it has been since John Kennedy was president, by the time I come  here again next year.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":52,"text":"Under the leadership of Vice President Gore, our initiatives have already  saved taxpayers $ 63 billion. The age of the $ 500 hammer and the ashtray  you can break on David Letterman is gone. Deadwood programs like mohair  subsidies are gone. We've streamlined the Agriculture Department by  reducing it by more than 1,200 offices. We've slashed the small-business  loan form from an inch thick to a single page. We've thrown away the  Government's 10,000-page personnel manual.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":53,"text":"And the Government is working better in important ways. FEMA, the Federal  Emergency Management Agency, has gone from being a disaster to helping  people in disaster.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":54,"text":"You can ask the farmers in the Middle West who fought the flood there or  the people in California who've dealt with floods and earthquakes and fires  and they'll tell you that.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":55,"text":"Government workers, working hand-in-hand with private business, rebuilt  Southern California's fractured freeways in record time and under budget.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":56,"text":"And because the Federal Government moved fast, all but one of the 5,600  schools damaged in the earthquake are back in business.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":57,"text":"Now, there are a lot of other things that I could talk about. I want to  just mention one because it'll be discussed here in the next few weeks.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":58,"text":"University administrators all over the country have told me that they are  saving weeks and weeks of bureaucratic time now because of our direct  college loan program, which makes college loans cheaper and more affordable  with better repayment terms for students, costs the Government less and  cuts out paperwork and bureaucracy for the Government and for the  universities.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":59,"text":"We shouldn't cap that program, we should give every college in America the  opportunity to be a part of it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":60,"text":"Previous Government programs gather dust; the reinventing Government report  is getting results. And we're not through--there's going to be a second  round of reinventing Government.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":61,"text":"We propose to cut $ 130 billion in spending by shrinking departments,  extending our freeze on domestic spending, cutting 60 public housing  programs down to 3, getting rid of over a hundred programs we do not need  like the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Helium Reserve Program.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":62,"text":"And we're working on getting rid of unnecessary regulations and making them  more sensible. The programs and regulations that have outlived their  usefulness should go. We have to cut yesterday's Government to help solve  tomorrow's problems.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":63,"text":"And we need to get Government closer to the people it's meant to serve. We  need to help move programs down to the point where states and communities  and private citizens in the private sector can do a better job. If they can  do it, we ought to let them do it. We should get out of the way and let  them do what they can do better.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":64,"text":"Community Empowerment  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":65,"text":"Taking power away from Federal bureaucracies and giving it back to  communities and individuals is something everyone should be able to be for.  It's time for Congress to stop passing onto the states the cost of  decisions we make here in Washington.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":66,"text":"I know there are still serious differences over the details of the unfunded  mandates legislation but I want to work with you to make sure we pass a  reasonable bill which will protect the national interest and give justified  relief where we need to give it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":67,"text":"For years, Congress concealed in the budget scores of pet spending  projects. Last year was no different. There was a million dollars to study  stress in plants and $ 12 million for a tick removal program that didn't  work. It's hard to remove ticks; those of us who've had them know.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":68,"text":"But I'll tell you something, if you'll give me the line-item veto, I'll  remove some of that unnecessary spending.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":69,"text":"But, I think we should all remember, and almost all of us would agree, that  Government still has important responsibilities.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":70,"text":"Our young people--we should think of this when we cut--our young people  hold our future in their hands. We still owe a debt to our veterans. And  our senior citizens have made us what we are.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":71,"text":"Budget  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":72,"text":"Now, my budget cuts a lot. But it protects education, veterans, Social  Security and Medicare, and I hope you will do the same thing. You should,  and I hope you will.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":73,"text":"And when we give more flexibility to the states, let us remember that there  are certain fundamental national needs that should be addressed in every  state, north and south, east and west.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":74,"text":"Immunization against childhood disease, school lunches in all our schools,  Head Start, medical care and nutrition for pregnant women and infants--all  these things are in the national interest.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":75,"text":"I applaud your desire to get rid of costly and unnecessary regulations, but  when we deregulate let's remember what national action in the national  interest has given us: safer food for our families, safer toys for our  children, safer nursing homes for our parents, safer cars and highways and  safer workplaces, cleaner air and cleaner water. Do we need common sense  and fairness in our regulations? You bet we do. But we can have common  sense and still provide for safe drinking water. We can have fairness and  still clean up toxic dumps and we ought to do it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":76,"text":"Should we cut the deficit more? Well of course we should. Of course we  should. But we can bring it down in a way that still protects our economic  recovery and does not unduly punish people who should not be punished, but  instead should be helped.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":77,"text":"I know many of you in this chamber support the balanced-budget amendment. I  certainly want to balance the budget. Our Administration has done more to  bring the budget down and to save money than any in a very, very long  time.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":78,"text":"If you believe passing this amendment is the right thing to do, then you  have to be straight with the American people. They have a right to know  what you're going to cut, what taxes you're going to raise, how it's going  to affect them.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":79,"text":"And we should be doing things in the open around here. For example,  everybody ought to know if this proposal is going to endanger Social  Security. I would oppose that, and I think most Americans would.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":80,"text":"Welfare  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":81,"text":"Nothing is done more to undermine our sense of common responsibility than  our failed welfare system. This is one of the problems we have to face here  in Washington in our New Covenant. It rewards welfare over work, it  undermines family values, it lets millions of parents get away without  paying their child support, it keeps a minority--but a significant  minority--of the people on welfare trapped on it for a very long time.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":82,"text":"I worked on this problem for a long time--nearly 15 years now. As a  Governor I had the honor of working with the Reagan Administration to write  the last welfare reform bill back in 1988.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":83,"text":"In the last two years we made a good start in continuing the work of  welfare reform. Our Administration gave two dozen states the right to slash  through Federal rules and regulations to reform their own welfare systems  and to try to promote work and responsibility over welfare and dependency.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":84,"text":"Last year, I introduced the most sweeping welfare reform plan ever  presented by an Administration. We have to make welfare what it was meant  to be--a second chance, not a way of life.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":85,"text":"We have to help those on welfare move to work as quickly as possible, to  provide child care and teach them skills, if that's what they need, for up  to two years. But after that, there ought to be a simple, hard rule. Anyone  who can work must go to work.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":86,"text":"If a parent isn't paying child support, they should be forced to pay.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":87,"text":"We should suspend driver's licenses, track them across state lines, make  them work off what they owe. That is what we should do. Governments do not  raise children, people do. And the parents must take responsibility for the  children they bring into this world.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":88,"text":"I want to work with you, with all of you, to pass welfare reform. But our  goal must be to liberate people and lift them from dependence to  independence, from welfare to work, from mere childbearing to responsible  parenting. Our goal should not be to punish them because they happen to be  poor.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":89,"text":"We should--we should require work and mutual responsibility. But we  shouldn't cut people off just because they're poor, they're young or even  because they're unmarried. We should promote responsibility by requiring  young mothers to live at home with their parents or in other supervised  settings, by requiring them to finish school. But we shouldn't put them and  their children out on the street.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":90,"text":"And I know all the arguments pro and con and I have read and thought about  this for a long time: I still don't think we can, in good conscience,  punish poor children for the mistakes of their parents.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":91,"text":"My fellow Americans, every single survey shows that all the American people  care about this, without regard to party or race or region. So let this be  the year we end welfare as we know it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":92,"text":"But also let this be the year that we are all able to stop using this issue  to divide America.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":93,"text":"No one is more eager to end welfare.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":94,"text":"I may be the only President who's actually had the opportunity to sit in  the welfare office, who's actually spent hours and hours talking to people  on welfare, and I am telling you the people who are trapped on it know it  doesn't work. They also want to get off.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":95,"text":"So we can promote, together, education and work and good parenting. I have  no problem with punishing bad behavior or the refusal to be a worker or a  student or a responsible parent. I just don't want to punish poverty and  past mistakes. All of us have made our mistakes and none of us can change  our yesterdays, but every one of us can change our tomorrows.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":96,"text":"And America's best example of that may be Lynn Woolsey, who worked her way  off welfare to become a Congresswoman from the state of California.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":97,"text":"Crime  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":98,"text":"I know the members of this Congress are concerned about crime, as are all  the citizens of our country. But I remind you that last year we passed a  very tough crime bill--longer sentences, three strikes and you're out,  almost 60 new capital punishment offenses, more prisons, more prevention,  100,000 more police--and we paid for it all by reducing the size of the  Federal bureaucracy and giving the money back to local communities to lower  the crime rate.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":99,"text":"There may be other things we can do to be tougher on crime, to be smarter  with crime, to help to lower that rate first. Well if there are, let's talk  about them and let's do them. But let's not go back on the things that we  did last year that we know work--that we know work because the local  law-enforcement officers tell us that we did the right thing. Because local  community leaders, who've worked for years and years to lower the crime  rate, tell us that they work.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":100,"text":"Let's look at the experience of our cities and our rural areas where the  crime rate has gone down and ask the people who did it how they did it and  if what we did last year supports the decline in the crime rate, and I am  convinced that it does, let us not go back on it, let's stick with it,  implement it--we've got four more hard years of work to do to do that.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":101,"text":"I don't want to destroy the good atmosphere in the room or in the country  tonight, but I have to mention one issue that divided this body greatly  last year. The last Congress also passed the Brady bill and in the crime  bill the ban on 19 assault weapons.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":102,"text":"I don't think it's a secret to anybody in this room that several members of  the last Congress who voted for that aren't here tonight because they voted  for it. And I know, therefore, that some of you that are here because they  voted for it are under enormous pressure to repeal it. I just have to tell  you how I feel about it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":103,"text":"The members who voted for that bill and I would never do anything to  infringe on the right to keep and bear arms to hunt and to engage in other  appropriate sporting activities. I've done it since I was a boy, and I'm  going to keep right on doing it until I can't do it anymore.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":104,"text":"But a lot of people laid down their seats in Congress so that police  officers and kids wouldn't have to lay down their lives under a hail of  assault-weapon attacks, and I will not let that be repealed. I will not let  it be repealed.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":105,"text":"I'd like to talk about a couple of other issues we have to deal with. I  want us to cut more spending, but I hope we won't cut Government programs  that help to prepare us for the new economy, promote responsibility and are  organized from the grass roots up, not by Federal bureaucracy.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":106,"text":"The very best example of this is the National Service Corps--AmeriCorps.  It passed with strong bipartisan support and now there are 20,000 Americans  --more than ever served in one year in the Peace Corps--working all over  this country, helping person to person in local grass-roots volunteer  groups, solving problems and in the process earning some money for their  education.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":107,"text":"This is citizenship at its best. It's good for the AmeriCorps members, but  it's good for the rest of us, too. It's the essence of the New Covenant and  we shouldn't stop it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":108,"text":"Illegal Immigration  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":109,"text":"All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected, but in every  place in this country are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal  aliens entering our country.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":110,"text":"The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants.  The public services they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why  our Administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more, by  hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many  criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by  barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":111,"text":"In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the  deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better  identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission  headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":112,"text":"We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. It is  wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit  the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and  we must do more to stop it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":113,"text":"The most important job of our Government in this new era is to empower the  American people to succeed in the global economy. America has always been a  land of opportunity, a land where, if you work hard, you can get ahead.  We've become a great middle-class country; middle-class values sustain us.  We must expand that middle class and shrink the underclass even as we do  everything we can to support the millions of Americans who are already  successful in the new economy.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":114,"text":"America is once again the world's strongest economic power: almost six  million new jobs in the last two years, exports booming, inflation down,  high-wage jobs are coming back. A record number of American entrepreneurs  are living the American dream.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":115,"text":"If we want it to stay that way, those who work and lift our nation must  have more of its benefits.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":116,"text":"Today, too many of those people are being left out. They're working harder  for less. They have less security, less income, less certainty that they  can even afford a vacation, much less college for their kids or retirement  for themselves.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":117,"text":"We cannot let this continue. If we don't act, our economy will probably  keep doing what it's been doing since about 1978, when the income growth  began to go to those at the very top of our economic scale. And the people  in the vast middle got very little growth and people who worked like crazy  but were on the bottom then, fell even further and further behind in the  years afterward, no matter how hard they worked.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":118,"text":"We've got to have a Government that can be a real partner in making this  new economy work for all of our people, a Government that helps each and  every one of us to get an education and to have the opportunity to renew  our skills.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":119,"text":"Education  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":120,"text":"That's why we worked so hard to increase educational opportunities in the  last two years from Head Start to public schools to apprenticeships for  young people who don't go to college, to making college loans more  available and more affordable.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":121,"text":"That's the first thing we have to do: We've got to do something to empower  people to improve their skills.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":122,"text":"Taxes  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":123,"text":"Second thing we ought to do is to help people raise their incomes  immediately by lowering their taxes.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":124,"text":"We took the first step in 1993 with a working family tax cut for 15 million  families with incomes under $ 27,000, a tax cut that this year will average  about $ 1,000 a family.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":125,"text":"And we also gave tax reductions to most small and new businesses. Before we  could do more than that, we first had to bring down the deficit we  inherited and we had to get economic growth up. Now we've done both, and  now we can cut taxes in a more comprehensive way.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":126,"text":"But tax cuts should reinforce and promote our first obligation: to empower  our citizens through education and training to make the most of their own  lives. The spotlight should shine on those who make the right choices for  themselves, their families and their communities.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":127,"text":"Middle Class Bill Of Rights  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":128,"text":"I have proposed a middle-class bill of rights, which should properly be  called the bill of rights and responsibilities, because its provisions only  benefit those who are working to educate and raise their children and to  educate themselves. It will, therefore, give needed tax relief and raise  incomes, in both the short run and the long run, in a way that benefits all  of us.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":129,"text":"There are four provisions:  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":130,"text":"First, a tax deduction for all education and training after high school. If  you think about it, we permit businesses to deduct their investment, we  permit individuals to deduct interest on their home mortgages, but today an  education is even more important to the economic well-being of our whole  country than even those things are. We should do everything we can to  encourage it, and I hope you will support it.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":131,"text":"Second, we ought to cut taxes $ 500 for families with children under 13.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":132,"text":"Third, we ought to foster more savings and personal responsibility by  permitting people to establish an individual retirement account and  withdraw from it tax free for the cost of education, health care,  first-time home buying or the care of a parent.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":133,"text":"And fourth, we should pass a G.I. bill for America's workers. We propose to  collapse nearly 70 Federal programs and not give the money to the states  but give the money directly to the American people, offer vouchers to them  so that they--if they're laid off or if they're working for a very low  wage--can get a voucher worth $ 2,600 a year for up to two years to go to  their local community colleges or wherever else they want to get the skills  they need to improve their lives. Let's empower people in this way. Move it  from the Government directly to the workers of America.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":134,"text":"Cutting The Deficit Now  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":135,"text":"Any one of us can call for a tax cut, but I won't accept one that explodes  the deficit or puts our recovery at risk. We ought to pay for our tax cuts  fully and honestly. Just two years ago it was an open question whether we  would find the strength to cut the deficit.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":136,"text":"Thanks to the courage of the people who were here then, many of whom didn't  return, we did cut the deficit. We began to do what others said would not  be done: We cut the deficit by over $ 600 billion, about $ 10,000 for every  family in this country. It's coming down three years in a row for the first  time since Mr. Truman was President and I don't think anybody in America  wants us to let it explode again.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":137,"text":"In the budget I will send you, the middle-class bill of rights is fully  paid for by budget cuts in bureaucracy, cuts in programs, cuts in special  interest subsidies. And the spending cuts will more than double the tax  cuts. My budget pays for the middle-class bill of rights without any cuts  in Medicare, and I will oppose any attempts to pay for tax cuts with  Medicare cuts. That's not the right thing to do.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":138,"text":"I know that a lot of you have your own ideas about tax relief. And some of  them, I find quite interesting. I really want to work with all of you.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":139,"text":"My tests for our proposals will be: Will it create jobs and raise incomes?  Will it strengthen our families and support our children? Is it paid for?  Will it build the middle class and shrink the underclass?  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":140,"text":"If it does, I'll support it. But if it doesn't, I won't.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":141,"text":"Minimum Wage  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":142,"text":"The goal of building the middle class and shrinking the underclass is also  why I believe that you should raise the minimum wage.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":143,"text":"It rewards work--two and a half million Americans, often women with  children, are working out there today for four-and-a-quarter an hour. In  terms of real buying power, by next year, that minimum wage will be at a  40-year low. That's not my idea of how the new economy ought to work.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":144,"text":"Now I studied the arguments and the evidence for and against a minimum-wage  increase. I believe the weight of the evidence is that a modest increase  does not cost jobs and may even lure people back into the job market. But  the most important thing is you can't make a living on $ 4.25 an hour. Now  --especially if you have children, even with the working families tax cut  we passed last year.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":145,"text":"In the past, the minimum wage has been a bipartisan issue and I think it  should be again. So I want to challenge you to have honest hearings on  this, to get together to find a way to make the minimum wage a living  wage.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":146,"text":"Members of Congress have been here less than a month but by the end of the  week--28 days into the new year--every member of Congress will have  earned as much in congressional salary as a minimum-wage worker makes all  year long.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":147,"text":"Everybody else here, including the President, has something else that too  many Americans do without and that's health care.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":148,"text":"Health Care  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":149,"text":"Now, last year we almost came to blows over health care, but we didn't do  anything. And the cold, hard fact is that since last year--since I was  here--another 1.1 million Americans in working families have lost their  health care. And the cold, hard fact is that many millions more--most of  them farmers and small business people and self-employed people--have  seen their premiums skyrocket, their co-pays and deductibles go up.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":150,"text":"There's a whole bunch of people in this country that in the statistics have  health insurance but really what they've got is a piece of paper that says  they won't lose their home if they get sick.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":151,"text":"Now I still believe our country has got to move toward providing health  security for every American family, but--but I know that last year, as the  evidence indicates, we bit off more than we could chew.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":152,"text":"So I'm asking you that we work together. Let's do it step by step. Let's do  whatever we have to do to get something done. Let's at least pass  meaningful insurance reform so that no American risks losing coverage for  facing skyrocketing prices but that nobody loses their coverage because  they face high prices or unavailable insurance when they change jobs or  lose a job or a family member gets sick.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":153,"text":"I want to work together with all of you who have an interest in this: with  the Democrats who worked on it last time, with the Republican leaders like  Senator Dole who has a longtime commitment to health care reform and made  some constructive proposals in this area last year. We ought to make sure  that self-employed people in small businesses can buy insurance at more  affordable rates through voluntary purchasing pools. We ought to help  families provide long-term care for a sick parent to a disabled child. We  can work to help workers who lose their jobs at least keep their health  insurance coverage for a year while they look for work, and we can find a  way--it may take some time, but we can find a way--to make sure that our  children have health care.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":154,"text":"You know, I think everybody in this room, without regard to party, can be  proud of the fact that our country was rated as having the world's most  productive economy for the first time in nearly a decade, but we can't be  proud of the fact that we're the only wealthy country in the world that has  a smaller percentage of the work force and their children with health  insurance today than we did 10 years ago--the last time we were the most  productive economy in the world.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":155,"text":"So let's work together on this. It is too important for politics as usual.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":156,"text":"Much of what the American people are thinking about tonight is what we've  already talked about. A lot of people think that the security concerns of  America today are entirely internal to our borders, they relate to the  security of our jobs and our homes and our incomes and our children, our  streets, our health and protecting those borders.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":157,"text":"Foreign Policy  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":158,"text":"Now that the Cold War has passed, it's tempting to believe that all the  security issues, with the possible exception of trade, reside here at home.  But it's not so. Our security still depends on our continued world  leadership for peace and freedom and democracy. We still can't be strong at  home unless we're strong abroad.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":159,"text":"Mexico  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":160,"text":"The financial crisis in Mexico is a case in point. I know it's not popular  to say it tonight but we have to act, not for the Mexican people but for  the sake of the millions of Americans whose livelihoods are tied to  Mexico's well-being. If we want to secure American jobs, preserve American  exports, safeguard America's borders then we must pass the stabilization  program and help to put Mexico back on track.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":161,"text":"Now let me repeat: it's not a loan, it's not foreign aid, it's not a  bail-out. We'll be given a guarantee like co-signing a note with good  collateral that will cover our risk.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":162,"text":"This legislation is the right thing for America. That's why the bipartisan  leadership has supported it. And I hope you in Congress will pass it  quickly. It is in our interest and we can explain it to the American  people, because we're going to do it in the right way.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":163,"text":"Russia  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":164,"text":"You know, tonight this is the first State of the Union address ever  delivered since the beginning of the cold war when not a single Russian  missile is pointed at the children of America.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":165,"text":"And along with the Russians, we're on our way to destroying the missiles  and the bombers that carry 9,000 nuclear warheads. We've come so far so  fast in this post-cold-war world that it's easy to take the decline of the  nuclear threat for granted. But it's still there, and we aren't finished  yet.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":166,"text":"This year, I'll ask the Senate to approve START II to eliminate weapons  that carry 5,000 more warheads. The United States will lead the charge to  extend indefinitely the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, to enact a  comprehensive nuclear test ban, and to eliminate chemical weapons.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":167,"text":"North Korea  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":168,"text":"To stop and roll back North Korea's potentially deadly nuclear program,  we'll continue to implement the agreement we have reached with that nation.  It's smart, it's tough, it's a deal based on continuing inspection with  safeguards for our allies and ourselves.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":169,"text":"This year, I'll submit to Congress comprehensive legislation to strengthen  our hand in combating terrorists, whether they strike at home or abroad. As  the cowards who bombed the World Trade Center found out, this country will  hunt down terrorists and bring them to justice.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":170,"text":"Middle East  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":171,"text":"Just this week, another horrendous terrorist act in Israel killed 19 and  injured scores more. On behalf of the American people and all of you, I  send our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims. I know that in  the face of such evil, it is hard for the people in the Middle East to go  forward. But the terrorists represent the past, not the future. We must and  we will pursue a comprehensive peace between Israel and all her neighbors  in the Middle East.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":172,"text":"Accordingly, last night I signed an executive order that will block the  assets in the United States of terrorist organizations that threaten to  disrupt the peace process. It prohibits financial transactions with these  groups.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":173,"text":"And tonight I call on all our allies in peace-loving nations throughout the  world to join us with renewed fervor in a global effort to combat  terrorism, we cannot permit the future to be marred by terror and fear and  paralysis.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":174,"text":"Defense  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":175,"text":"From the day I took the oath of office, I pledged that our nation would  maintain the best-equipped, best-trained and best-prepared military on  earth. We have and they are. They have managed the dramatic downsizing of  our forces after the cold war with remarkable skill and spirit. But to make  sure our military is ready for action and to provide the pay and the  quality of life the military and their families deserve, I'm asking the  Congress to add $ 25 billion in defense spending over the next six years.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":176,"text":"I have visited many bases at home and around the world since I became  President. Tonight I repeat that request with renewed conviction. We ask a  very great deal of our armed forces. Now that they are smaller in number,  we ask more of them. They go out more often to more different places and  stay longer. They are called to service in many, many ways, and we must  give them and their families what the times demand and what they have  earned.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":177,"text":"Just think about what our troops have done in the last year, showing  America at its best, helping to save hundreds of thousands of people in  Rwanda, moving with lightning speed to head off another threat to Kuwait,  giving freedom and democracy back to the people of Haiti.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":178,"text":"We have proudly supported peace and prosperity and freedom from South  Africa to Northern Ireland, from Central and Eastern Europe to Asia, from  Latin America to the Middle East. All these endeavors are good in those  places but they make our future more confident and more secure.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":179,"text":"Well, my fellow Americans, that's my agenda for America's future: expanding  opportunity not bureaucracy, enhancing security at home and abroad,  empowering our people to make the most of their own lives.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":180,"text":"It's ambitious and achievable. But it's not enough.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":181,"text":"We even need more than new ideas for changing the world or equipping  Americans to compete in the new economy, more than a Government that's  smaller, smarter and wiser, more than all the changes we can make in  Government and in the private sector from the outside in.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":182,"text":"Values And Voices  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":183,"text":"Our fortunes and our prosperity also depend upon our ability to answer some  questions from within--from the values and voices that speak to our hearts  as well as our heads, voices that tell us we have to do more to accept  responsibility for ourselves and our families, for our communities, and  yes, for our fellow citizens.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":184,"text":"We see our families and our communities all over this country coming apart.  And we feel the common ground shifting from under us. The PTA, the town  hall meeting, the ball park--it's hard for a lot of overworked parents to  find the time and space for those things that strengthen the bonds of trust  and cooperation.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":185,"text":"Too many of our children don't even have parents and grandparents who can  give them those experiences that they need to build their own character and  their sense of identity. We all know that while we here in this chamber can  make a difference on those things, that the real differences will be made  by our fellow citizens where they work and where they live.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":186,"text":"And it'll be made almost without regard to party. When I used to go to the  softball park in Little Rock to watch my daughter's league and people would  come up to me--fathers and mothers--and talk to me, I can honestly say I  had no idea whether 90 percent of them were Republicans or Democrats.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":187,"text":"When I visited the relief centers after the floods in California, Northern  California, last week, a woman came up to me and did something that very  few of you would do. She hugged me and said, \"Mr. President, I'm a  Republican, but I'm glad you're here.\"  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":188,"text":"Now, why? We can't wait for disasters to act the way we used to act every  day. Because as we move into this next century, everybody matters. We don't  have a person to waste. And a lot of people are losing a lot of chances to  do better.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":189,"text":"That means that we need a New Covenant for everybody--for our corporate  and business leaders, we're going to work here to keep bringing the deficit  down, to expand markets, to support their success in every possible way.  But they have an obligation: when they're doing well, to keep jobs in our  communities and give their workers a fair share of the prosperity they  generate.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":190,"text":"For people in the entertainment industry in this country, we applaud your  creativity and your worldwide success and we support your freedom of  expression but you do have a responsibility to assess the impact of your  work and to understand the damage that comes from the incessant,  repetitive, mindless violence and irresponsible conduct that permeates our  media all the time.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":191,"text":"We've got to ask our community leaders and all kinds of organizations to  help us stop our most serious social problem: the epidemic of teen  pregnancies and births where there is no marriage. I have sent to Congress  a plan to target schools all over this country with anti-pregnancy programs  that work. But government can only do so much. Tonight, I call on parents  and leaders all across this country to join together in a national campaign  against teen pregnancy to make a difference. We can do this and we must.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":192,"text":"And I would like to say a special word to our religious leaders. You know,  I'm proud of the fact that the United States has more house of worship per  capita than any country in the world. These people, who lead our houses of  worship, can ignite their congregations to carry their faith into action,  can reach out to all of our children, to all of the people in distress, to  those who have been savaged by the breakdown of all we hold dear, because  so much of what must be done must come from the inside out. And our  religious leaders and their congregations can make all the difference. They  have a role in the New Covenant as well.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":193,"text":"There must be more responsibility for all of our citizens. You know it  takes a lot of people to help all the kids in trouble stay off the streets  and in school. It takes a lot of people to build the Habitat for Humanity  houses that the Speaker celebrates on his lapel pin. It takes a lot of  people to provide the people power for all the civic organizations in this  country that made our communities mean so much to most of us when we were  kids. It takes every parent to teach the children the difference between  right and wrong and to encourage them to learn and grow and to say no to  the wrong things but also to believe that they can be whatever they want to  be.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":194,"text":"I know it's hard when you're working harder for less, when you're under  great stress, to do these things. A lot of our people don't have the time  or the emotional stress they think to do the work of citizenship. Most of  us in politics haven't helped very much. For years, we've mostly treated  citizens like they were consumers or spectators, sort of political couch  potatoes who were supposed to watch the TV ads--either promise them  something for nothing or play on their fears and frustrations. And more and  more of our citizens now get most of their information in very negative and  aggressive ways that is hardly conducive to honest and open conversations.  But the truth is we have got to stop seeing each other as enemies just  because we have different views.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":195,"text":"If you go back to the beginning of this country, the great strength of  America, as de Tocqueville pointed out when he came here a long time ago,  has always been our ability to associate with people who were different  from ourselves and to work together to find common ground. And in this day  everybody has a responsibility to do more of that. We simply cannot wait  for a tornado, a fire or a flood to behave like Americans ought to behave  in dealing with one another.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":196,"text":"I want to finish up here by pointing out some folks that are up with the  First Lady that represent what I'm trying to talk about. Citizens. I have  no idea what their party affiliation is or who they voted for in the last  election, but they represent what we ought to be doing.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":197,"text":"Cindy Perry teaches second-graders to read in AmeriCorps in rural Kentucky.  She gains when she gives. She's a mother of four.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":198,"text":"She says that her service inspired her to get her high school equivalency  last year. She was married when she was a teen-ager. Stand up, Cindy. She  married when she was a teen-ager. She had four children, but she had time  to serve other people, to get her high school equivalency and she's going  to use her AmeriCorps money to go back to college.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":199,"text":"Steven Bishop is the police chief of Kansas City. He's been a national  leader--stand up Steve. He's been a national leader in using more police  in community policing and he's worked with AmeriCorps to do it, and the  crime rate in Kansas City has gone down as a result of what he did.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":200,"text":"Cpl. Gregory Depestre went to Haiti as part of his adopted country's force  to help secure democracy in his native land. And I might add we must be the  only country in the world that could have gone to Haiti and taken  Haitian-Americans there who could speak the language and talk to the  people, and he was one of them and we're proud of him.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":201,"text":"The next two folks I've had the honor of meeting and getting to know a  little bit. The Rev. John and the Rev. Diana Cherry of the A.M.E. Zion  Church in Temple Hills, Md. I'd like to ask them to stand. I want to tell  you about them. In the early 80's they left Government service and formed a  church in a small living room in a small house in the early 80's. Today  that church has 17,000 members. It is one of the three or four biggest  churches in the entire United States. It grows by 200 a month.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":202,"text":"They do it together. And the special focus of their ministry is keeping  families together. They are--Two things they did make a big impression on  me. I visited their church once and I learned they were building a new  sanctuary closer to the Washington, D.C., line, in a higher-crime,  higher-drug-rate area because they thought it was part of their ministry to  change the lives of the people who needed them. Second thing I want to say  is that once Reverend Cherry was at a meeting at the White House with some  other religious leaders and he left early to go back to his church to  minister to 150 couples that he had brought back to his church from all  over America to convince them to come back together to save their marriages  and to raise their kids. This is the kind of work that citizens are doing  in America. We need more of it and it ought to be lifted up and supported.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":203,"text":"The last person I want to introduce is Jack Lucas from Hattiesburg,  Mississippi. Jack, would you stand up. Fifty years ago in the sands of Iwo  Jima, Jack Lucas taught and learned the lessons of citizenship. On February  the 20th, 1945, he and three of his buddies encountered the enemy and two  grenades at their feet. Jack Lucas threw himself on both of them. In that  moment he saved the lives of his companions and miraculously in the next  instant a medic saved his life. He gained a foothold for freedom and at the  age of 17, just a year older than his grandson, who's up there with him  today, and his son, who is a West Point graduate and a veteran, at 17, Jack  Lucas became the youngest marine in history and the youngest soldier in  this century to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. All these years  later, yesterday, here's what he said about that day: Didn't matter where  you were from or who you were. You relied on one another. You did it for  your country. We all gain when we give and we reap what we sow. That's at  the heart of this New Covenant. Responsibility, opportunity and  citizenship.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":204,"text":"More than stale chapters in some remote civic book they're still the virtue  by which we can fulfill ourselves and reach our God-given potential and be  like them. And also to fulfill the eternal promise of this country, the  enduring dream from that first and most-sacred covenant. I believe every  person in this country still believes that we are created equal and given  by our creator the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  "}
{"year":"1995","paragraph":205,"text":"This is a very, very great country and our best days are still to come.  Thank you and God bless you all.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of the 104th Congress,  distinguished guests, my fellow Americans all across our land:  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":2,"text":"Let me begin tonight by saying to our men and women in uniform around the  world, and especially those helping peace take root in Bosnia and to their  families, I thank you. America is very, very proud of you.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":3,"text":"My duty tonight is to report on the state of the Union--not the state of  our government, but of our American community; and to set forth our  responsibilities, in the words of our Founders, to form a more perfect  union.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":4,"text":"The state of the Union is strong. Our economy is the healthiest it has been  in three decades. We have the lowest combined rates of unemployment and  inflation in 27 years. We have created nearly 8 million new jobs, over a  million of them in basic industries, like construction and automobiles.  America is selling more cars than Japan for the first time since the 1970s.  And for three years in a row, we have had a record number of new businesses  started in our country.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":5,"text":"Our leadership in the world is also strong, bringing hope for new peace.  And perhaps most important, we are gaining ground in restoring our  fundamental values. The crime rate, the welfare and food stamp rolls, the  poverty rate and the teen pregnancy rate are all down. And as they go down,  prospects for America's future go up.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":6,"text":"We live in an age of possibility. A hundred years ago we moved from farm to  factory. Now we move to an age of technology, information, and global  competition. These changes have opened vast new opportunities for our  people, but they have also presented them with stiff challenges. While more  Americans are living better, too many of our fellow citizens are working  harder just to keep up, and they are rightly concerned about the security  of their families.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":7,"text":"The Role Of Government  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":8,"text":"We must answer here three fundamental questions: First, how do we make the  American Dream of opportunity for all a reality for all Americans who are  willing to work for it? Second, how do we preserve our old and enduring  values as we move into the future? And, third, how do we meet these  challenges together, as one America?  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":9,"text":"We know big government does not have all the answers. We know there's not a  program for every problem. We have worked to give the American people a  smaller, less bureaucratic government in Washington. And we have to give  the American people one that lives within its means.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":10,"text":"The era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when  our citizens were left to fend for themselves. Instead, we must go forward  as one America, one nation working together to meet the challenges we face  together. Self-reliance and teamwork are not opposing virtues; we must have  both.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":11,"text":"I believe our new, smaller government must work in an old-fashioned  American way, together with all of our citizens through state and local  governments, in the workplace, in religious, charitable and civic  associations. Our goal must be to enable all our people to make the most of  their own lives--with stronger families, more educational opportunity,  economic security, safer streets, a cleaner environment in a safer world.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":12,"text":"To improve the state of our Union, we must ask more of ourselves, we must  expect more of each other, and we must face our challenges together.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":13,"text":"Here, in this place, our responsibility begins with balancing the budget in  a way that is fair to all Americans. There is now broad bipartisan  agreement that permanent deficit spending must come to an end.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":14,"text":"I compliment the Republican leadership and the membership for the energy  and determination you have brought to this task of balancing the budget.  And I thank the Democrats for passing the largest deficit reduction plan in  history in 1993, which has already cut the deficit nearly in half in three  years.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":15,"text":"Deficit  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":16,"text":"Since 1993, we have all begun to see the benefits of deficit reduction.  Lower interest rates have made it easier for businesses to borrow and to  invest and to create new jobs. Lower interest rates have brought down the  cost of home mortgages, car payments and credit card rates to ordinary  citizens. Now, it is time to finish the job and balance the budget.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":17,"text":"Though differences remain among us which are significant, the combined  total of the proposed savings that are common to both plans is more than  enough, using the numbers from your Congressional Budget Office to balance  the budget in seven years and to provide a modest tax cut.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":18,"text":"These cuts are real. They will require sacrifice from everyone. But these  cuts do not undermine our fundamental obligations to our parents, our  children, and our future, by endangering Medicare, or Medicaid, or  education, or the environment, or by raising taxes on working families.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":19,"text":"I have said before, and let me say again, many good ideas have come out of  our negotiations. I have learned a lot about the way both Republicans and  Democrats view the debate before us. I have learned a lot about the good  ideas that we could all embrace.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":20,"text":"We ought to resolve our remaining differences. I am willing to work to  resolve them. I am ready to meet tomorrow. But I ask you to consider that  we should at least enact these savings that both plans have in common and  give the American people their balanced budget, a tax cut, lower interest  rates, and a brighter future. We should do that now, and make permanent  deficits yesterday's legacy.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":21,"text":"Now it is time for us to look also to the challenges of today and tomorrow,  beyond the burdens of yesterday. The challenges are significant. But  America was built on challenges, not promises. And when we work together to  meet them, we never fail. That is the key to a more perfect Union. Our  individual dreams must be realized by our common efforts.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":22,"text":"Tonight I want to speak to you about the challenges we all face as a  people.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":23,"text":"Strengthening Families  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":24,"text":"Our first challenge is to cherish our children and strengthen America's  families. Family is the foundation of American life. If we have stronger  families, we will have a stronger America.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":25,"text":"Before I go on, I would like to take just a moment to thank my own family,  and to thank the person who has taught me more than anyone else over 25  years about the importance of families and children--a wonderful wife, a  magnificent mother and a great First Lady. Thank you, Hillary.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":26,"text":"All strong families begin with taking more responsibility for our children.  I have heard Mrs. Gore say that it's hard to be a parent today, but it's  even harder to be a child. So all of us, not just as parents, but all of us  in our other roles--our media, our schools, our teachers, our communities,  our churches and synagogues, our businesses, our governments--all of us  have a responsibility to help our children to make it and to make the most  of their lives and their God-given capacities.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":27,"text":"To the media, I say you should create movies and CDs and television shows  you'd want your own children and grandchildren to enjoy.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":28,"text":"I call on Congress to pass the requirement for a V-chip in TV sets so that  parents can screen out programs they believe are inappropriate for their  children. When parents control what their young children see, that is not  censorship; that is enabling parents to assume more personal responsibility  for their children's upbringing. And I urge them to do it. The V-chip  requirement is part of the important telecommunications bill now pending in  this Congress. It has bipartisan support, and I urge you to pass it now.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":29,"text":"To make the V-chip work, I challenge the broadcast industry to do what  movies have done--to identify your programming in ways that help parents  to protect their children. And I invite the leaders of major media  corporations in the entertainment industry to come to the White House next  month to work with us in a positive way on concrete ways to improve what  our children see on television. I am ready to work with you.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":30,"text":"I say to those who make and market cigarettes: every year a million  children take up smoking, even though it is against the law. Three hundred  thousand of them will have their lives shortened as a result. Our  administration has taken steps to stop the massive marketing campaigns that  appeal to our children. We are simply saying: Market your products to  adults, if you wish, but draw the line on children.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":31,"text":"I say to those who are on welfare, and especially to those who have been  trapped on welfare for a long time: For too long our welfare system has  undermined the values of family and work, instead of supporting them. The  Congress and I are near agreement on sweeping welfare reform. We agree on  time limits, tough work requirements, and the toughest possible child  support enforcement. But I believe we must also provide child care so that  mothers who are required to go to work can do so without worrying about  what is happening to their children.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":32,"text":"I challenge this Congress to send me a bipartisan welfare reform bill that  will really move people from welfare to work and do the right thing by our  children. I will sign it immediately.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":33,"text":"Let us be candid about this difficult problem. Passing a law, even the best  possible law, is only a first step. The next step is to make it work. I  challenge people on welfare to make the most of this opportunity for  independence. I challenge American businesses to give people on welfare the  chance to move into the work force. I applaud the work of religious groups  and others who care for the poor. More than anyone else in our society,  they know the true difficulty of the task before us, and they are in a  position to help. Every one of us should join them. That is the only way we  can make real welfare reform a reality in the lives of the American  people.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":34,"text":"To strengthen the family we must do everything we can to keep the teen  pregnancy rate going down. I am gratified, as I'm sure all Americans are,  that it has dropped for two years in a row. But we all know it is still far  too high.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":35,"text":"Tonight I am pleased to announce that a group of prominent Americans is  responding to that challenge by forming an organization that will support  grass-roots community efforts all across our country in a national campaign  against teen pregnancy. And I challenge all of us and every American to  join their efforts.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":36,"text":"I call on American men and women in families to give greater respect to one  another. We must end the deadly scourge of domestic violence in our  country. And I challenge America's families to work harder to stay  together. For families who stay together not only do better economically,  their children do better as well.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":37,"text":"In particular, I challenge the fathers of this country to love and care for  their children. If your family has separated, you must pay your child  support. We're doing more than ever to make sure you do, and we're going to  do more, but let's all admit something about that, too: A check will not  substitute for a parent's love and guidance. And only you--only you can  make the decision to help raise your children. No matter who you are, how  low or high your station in life, it is the most basic human duty of every  American to do that job to the best of his or her ability.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":38,"text":"Education  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":39,"text":"Our second challenge is to provide Americans with the educational  opportunities we will all need for this new century. In our schools, every  classroom in America must be connected to the information superhighway,  with computers and good software, and well-trained teachers. We are working  with the telecommunications industry, educators and parents to connect 20  percent of California's classrooms by this spring, and every classroom and  every library in the entire United States by the year 2000. I ask Congress  to support this education technology initiative so that we can make sure  this national partnership succeeds.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":40,"text":"Every diploma ought to mean something. I challenge every community, every  school and every state to adopt national standards of excellence; to  measure whether schools are meeting those standards; to cut bureaucratic  red tape so that schools and teachers have more flexibility for grass-roots  reform; and to hold them accountable for results. That's what our Goals  2000 initiative is all about.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":41,"text":"I challenge every state to give all parents the right to choose which  public school their children will attend; and to let teachers form new  schools with a charter they can keep only if they do a good job.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":42,"text":"I challenge all our schools to teach character education, to teach good  values and good citizenship. And if it means that teenagers will stop  killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be  able to require their students to wear school uniforms.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":43,"text":"I challenge our parents to become their children's first teachers. Turn off  the TV. See that the homework is done. And visit your children's classroom.  No program, no teacher, no one else can do that for you.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":44,"text":"My fellow Americans, higher education is more important today than ever  before. We've created a new student loan program that's made it easier to  borrow and repay those loans, and we have dramatically cut the student loan  default rate. That's something we should all be proud of, because it was  unconscionably high just a few years ago. Through AmeriCorps, our national  service program, this year 25,000 young people will earn college money by  serving their local communities to improve the lives of their friends and  neighbors. These initiatives are right for America and we should keep them  going.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":45,"text":"And we should also work hard to open the doors of college even wider. I  challenge Congress to expand work-study and help one million young  Americans work their way through college by the year 2000; to provide a  $1000 merit scholarship for the top five percent of graduates in every high  school in the United States; to expand Pell Grant scholarships for  deserving and needy students; and to make up to $10,000 a year of college  tuition tax deductible. It's a good idea for America.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":46,"text":"Our third challenge is to help every American who is willing to work for  it, achieve economic security in this new age. People who work hard still  need support to get ahead in the new economy. They need education and  training for a lifetime. They need more support for families raising  children. They need retirement security. They need access to health care.  More and more Americans are finding that the education of their childhood  simply doesn't last a lifetime.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":47,"text":"G.I. Bill For Workers  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":48,"text":"So I challenge Congress to consolidate 70 overlapping, antiquated  job-training programs into a simple voucher worth $2,600 for unemployed or  underemployed workers to use as they please for community college tuition  or other training. This is a G.I. Bill for America's workers we should all  be able to agree on.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":49,"text":"More and more Americans are working hard without a raise. Congress sets the  minimum wage. Within a year, the minimum wage will fall to a 40-year low in  purchasing power. Four dollars and 25 cents an hour is no longer a living  wage, but millions of Americans and their children are trying to live on  it. I challenge you to raise their minimum wage.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":50,"text":"In 1993, Congress cut the taxes of 15 million hard-pressed working families  to make sure that no parents who work full-time would have to raise their  children in poverty, and to encourage people to move from welfare to work.  This expanded earned income tax credit is now worth about $1,800 a year to  a family of four living on $20,000. The budget bill I vetoed would have  reversed this achievement and raised taxes on nearly 8 million of these  people. We should not do that.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":51,"text":"I also agree that the people who are helped under this initiative are not  all those in our country who are working hard to do a good job raising  their children and at work. I agree that we need a tax credit for working  families with children. That's one of the things most of us in this  Chamber, I hope, can agree on. I know it is strongly supported by the  Republican majority. And it should be part of any final budget agreement.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":52,"text":"I want to challenge every business that can possibly afford it to provide  pensions for your employees. And I challenge Congress to pass a proposal  recommended by the White House Conference on Small Business that would make  it easier for small businesses and farmers to establish their own pension  plans. That is something we should all agree on.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":53,"text":"We should also protect existing pension plans. Two years ago, with  bipartisan support that was almost unanimous on both sides of the aisle, we  moved to protect the pensions of 8 million working people and to stabilize  the pensions of 32 million more. Congress should not now let companies  endanger those workers' pension funds. I know the proposal to liberalize  the ability of employers to take money out of pension funds for other  purposes would raise money for the treasury. But I believe it is false  economy. I vetoed that proposal last year, and I would have to do so  again.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":54,"text":"Health Care  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":55,"text":"Finally, if our working families are going to succeed in the new economy,  they must be able to buy health insurance policies that they do not lose  when they change jobs or when someone in their family gets sick. Over the  past two years, over one million Americans in working families have lost  their health insurance. We have to do more to make health care available to  every American. And Congress should start by passing the bipartisan bill  sponsored by Senator Kennedy and Senator Kassebaum that would require  insurance companies to stop dropping people when they switch jobs, and stop  denying coverage for preexisting conditions. Let's all do that.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":56,"text":"And even as we enact savings in these programs, we must have a common  commitment to preserve the basic protections of Medicare and Medicaid--not  just to the poor, but to people in working families, including children,  people with disabilities, people with AIDS, and senior citizens in nursing  homes.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":57,"text":"In the past three years, we've saved $15 billion just by fighting health  care fraud and abuse. We have all agreed to save much more. We have all  agreed to stabilize the Medicare Trust Fund. But we must not abandon our  fundamental obligations to the people who need Medicare and Medicaid.  America cannot become stronger if they become weaker.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":58,"text":"The G.I. Bill for workers, tax relief for education and child rearing,  pension availability and protection, access to health care, preservation of  Medicare and Medicaid--these things, along with the Family and Medical  Leave Act passed in 1993--these things will help responsible, hard-working  American families to make the most of their own lives.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":59,"text":"But employers and employees must do their part, as well, as they are doing  in so many of our finest companies--working together, putting the  long-term prosperity ahead of the short-term gain. As workers increase  their hours and their productivity, employers should make sure they get the  skills they need and share the benefits of the good years, as well as the  burdens of the bad ones. When companies and workers work as a team they do  better, and so does America.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":60,"text":"Crime  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":61,"text":"Our fourth great challenge is to take our streets back from crime and gangs  and drugs. At last we have begun to find a way to reduce crime, forming  community partnerships with local police forces to catch criminals and  prevent crime. This strategy, called community policing, is clearly  working. Violent crime is coming down all across America. In New York City  murders are down 25 percent; in St. Louis, 18 percent; in Seattle, 32  percent. But we still have a long way to go before our streets are safe and  our people are free from fear.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":62,"text":"The Crime Bill of 1994 is critical to the success of community policing. It  provides funds for 100,000 new police in communities of all sizes. We're  already a third of the way there. And I challenge the Congress to finish  the job. Let us stick with a strategy that's working and keep the crime  rate coming down.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":63,"text":"Community policing also requires bonds of trust between citizens and  police. I ask all Americans to respect and support our law enforcement  officers. And to our police, I say, our children need you as role models  and heroes. Don't let them down.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":64,"text":"The Brady Bill has already stopped 44,000 people with criminal records from  buying guns. The assault weapons ban is keeping 19 kinds of assault weapons  out of the hands of violent gangs. I challenge the Congress to keep those  laws on the books.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":65,"text":"Our next step in the fight against crime is to take on gangs the way we  once took on the mob. I'm directing the FBI and other investigative  agencies to target gangs that involve juveniles in violent crime, and to  seek authority to prosecute as adults teenagers who maim and kill like  adults.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":66,"text":"And I challenge local housing authorities and tenant associations: Criminal  gang members and drug dealers are destroying the lives of decent tenants.  From now on, the rule for residents who commit crime and peddle drugs  should be one strike and you're out.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":67,"text":"I challenge every state to match federal policy to assure that serious  violent criminals serve at least 85 percent of their sentence.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":68,"text":"More police and punishment are important, but they're not enough. We have  got to keep more of our young people out of trouble, with prevention  strategies not dictated by Washington, but developed in communities. I  challenge all of our communities, all of our adults, to give our children  futures to say yes to. And I challenge Congress not to abandon the Crime  Bill's support of these grass-roots prevention efforts.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":69,"text":"Finally, to reduce crime and violence we have to reduce the drug problem.  The challenge begins in our homes, with parents talking to their children  openly and firmly. It embraces our churches and synagogues, our youth  groups and our schools.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":70,"text":"I challenge Congress not to cut our support for drug-free schools. People  like the D.A.R.E. officers are making a real impression on grade  schoolchildren that will give them the strength to say no when the time  comes.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":71,"text":"Meanwhile, we continue our efforts to cut the flow of drugs into America.  For the last two years, one man in particular has been on the front lines  of that effort. Tonight I am nominating him--a hero of the Persian Gulf  War and the Commander in Chief of the United States Military Southern  Command--General Barry McCaffrey, as America's new Drug Czar.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":72,"text":"General McCaffrey has earned three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars  fighting for this country. Tonight I ask that he lead our nation's battle  against drugs at home and abroad. To succeed, he needs a force far larger  than he has ever commanded before. He needs all of us. Every one of us has  a role to play on this team.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":73,"text":"Thank you, General McCaffrey, for agreeing to serve your country one more  time.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":74,"text":"Environment  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":75,"text":"Our fifth challenge: to leave our environment safe and clean for the next  generation. Because of a generation of bipartisan effort we do have cleaner  water and air, lead levels in children's blood has been cut by 70 percent,  toxic emissions from factories cut in half. Lake Erie was dead, and now  it's a thriving resource. But 10 million children under 12 still live  within four miles of a toxic waste dump. A third of us breathe air that  endangers our health. And in too many communities, the water is not safe to  drink. We still have much to do.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":76,"text":"Yet Congress has voted to cut environmental enforcement by 25 percent. That  means more toxic chemicals in our water, more smog in our air, more  pesticides in our food. Lobbyists for polluters have been allowed to write  their own loopholes into bills to weaken laws that protect the health and  safety of our children. Some say that the taxpayer should pick up the tab  for toxic waste and let polluters who can afford to fix it off the hook. I  challenge Congress to reexamine those policies and to reverse them.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":77,"text":"This issue has not been a partisan issue. The most significant  environmental gains in the last 30 years were made under a Democratic  Congress and President Richard Nixon. We can work together. We have to  believe some basic things. Do you believe we can expand the economy without  hurting the environment? I do. Do you believe we can create more jobs over  the long run by cleaning the environment up? I know we can. That should be  our commitment.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":78,"text":"We must challenge businesses and communities to take more initiative in  protecting the environment, and we have to make it easier for them to do  it. To businesses this administration is saying: If you can find a cheaper,  more efficient way than government regulations require to meet tough  pollution standards, do it--as long as you do it right. To communities we  say: We must strengthen community right-to-know laws requiring polluters to  disclose their emissions, but you have to use the information to work with  business to cut pollution. People do have a right to know that their air  and their water are safe.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":79,"text":"Foreign Policy  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":80,"text":"Our sixth challenge is to maintain America's leadership in the fight for  freedom and peace throughout the world. Because of American leadership,  more people than ever before live free and at peace. And Americans have  known 50 years of prosperity and security.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":81,"text":"We owe thanks especially to our veterans of World War II. I would like to  say to Senator Bob Dole and to all others in this Chamber who fought in  World War II, and to all others on both sides of the aisle who have fought  bravely in all our conflicts since: I salute your service, and so do the  American people.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":82,"text":"All over the world, even after the Cold War, people still look to us and  trust us to help them seek the blessings of peace and freedom. But as the  Cold War fades into memory, voices of isolation say America should retreat  from its responsibilities. I say they are wrong.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":83,"text":"The threats we face today as Americans respect no nation's borders. Think  of them: terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, organized  crime, drug trafficking, ethnic and religious hatred, aggression by rogue  states, environmental degradation. If we fail to address these threats  today, we will suffer the consequences in all our tomorrows.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":84,"text":"Of course, we can't be everywhere. Of course, we can't do everything. But  where our interests and our values are at stake, and where we can make a  difference, America must lead. We must not be isolationist.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":85,"text":"We must not be the world's policeman. But we can and should be the world's  very best peacemaker. By keeping our military strong, by using diplomacy  where we can and force where we must, by working with others to share the  risk and the cost of our efforts, America is making a difference for people  here and around the world. For the first time since the dawn of the nuclear  age, there is not a single Russian missile pointed at America's children.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":86,"text":"North Korea  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":87,"text":"North Korea has now frozen its dangerous nuclear weapons program. In Haiti,  the dictators are gone, democracy has a new day, the flow of desperate  refugees to our shores has subsided. Through tougher trade deals for  America--over 80 of them--we have opened markets abroad, and now exports  are at an all-time high, growing faster than imports and creating good  American jobs.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":88,"text":"Northern Ireland  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":89,"text":"We stood with those taking risks for peace: In Northern Ireland, where  Catholic and Protestant children now tell their parents, violence must  never return. In the Middle East, where Arabs and Jews who once seemed  destined to fight forever now share knowledge and resources, and even  dreams.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":90,"text":"Bosnia  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":91,"text":"And we stood up for peace in Bosnia. Remember the skeletal prisoners, the  mass graves, the campaign to rape and torture, the endless lines of  refugees, the threat of a spreading war. All these threats, all these  horrors have now begun to give way to the promise of peace. Now, our troops  and a strong NATO, together with our new partners from Central Europe and  elsewhere, are helping that peace to take hold.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":92,"text":"As all of you know, I was just there with a bipartisan congressional group,  and I was so proud not only of what our troops were doing, but of the pride  they evidenced in what they were doing. They knew what America's mission in  this world is, and they were proud to be carrying it out.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":93,"text":"Through these efforts, we have enhanced the security of the American  people. But make no mistake about it: important challenges remain.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":94,"text":"Russia  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":95,"text":"The START II Treaty with Russia will cut our nuclear stockpiles by another  25 percent. I urge the Senate to ratify it--now. We must end the race to  create new nuclear weapons by signing a truly comprehensive nuclear test  ban treaty--this year.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":96,"text":"As we remember what happened in the Japanese subway, we can outlaw poison  gas forever if the Senate ratifies the Chemical Weapons Convention--this  year. We can intensify the fight against terrorists and organized criminals  at home and abroad if Congress passes the anti-terrorism legislation I  proposed after the Oklahoma City bombing--now. We can help more people  move from hatred to hope all across the world in our own interest if  Congress gives us the means to remain the world's leader for peace.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":97,"text":"My fellow Americans, the six challenges I have just discussed are for all  of us. Our seventh challenge is really America's challenge to those of us  in this hallowed hall tonight: to reinvent our government and make our  democracy work for them.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":98,"text":"Reform  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":99,"text":"Last year this Congress applied to itself the laws it applies to everyone  else. This Congress banned gifts and meals from lobbyists. This Congress  forced lobbyists to disclose who pays them and what legislation they are  trying to pass or kill. This Congress did that, and I applaud you for it.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":100,"text":"Now I challenge Congress to go further--to curb special interest influence  in politics by passing the first truly bipartisan campaign reform bill in a  generation. You, Republicans and Democrats alike, can show the American  people that we can limit spending and open the airwaves to all candidates.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":101,"text":"I also appeal to Congress to pass the line-item veto you promised the  American people.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":102,"text":"Our administration is working hard to give the American people a government  that works better and costs less. Thanks to the work of Vice President  Gore, we are eliminating 16,000 pages of unnecessary rules and regulations,  shifting more decision-making out of Washington, back to states and local  communities.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":103,"text":"As we move into the era of balanced budgets and smaller government, we must  work in new ways to enable people to make the most of their own lives. We  are helping America's communities, not with more bureaucracy, but with more  opportunities. Through our successful Empowerment Zones and Community  Development Banks, we are helping people to find jobs, to start businesses.  And with tax incentives for companies that clean up abandoned industrial  property, we can bring jobs back to places that desperately, desperately  need them.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":104,"text":"But there are some areas that the federal government should not leave and  should address and address strongly. One of these areas is the problem of  illegal immigration. After years of neglect, this administration has taken  a strong stand to stiffen the protection of our borders. We are increasing  border controls by 50 percent. We are increasing inspections to prevent the  hiring of illegal immigrants. And tonight, I announce I will sign an  executive order to deny federal contracts to businesses that hire illegal  immigrants.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":105,"text":"Let me be very clear about this: We are still a nation of immigrants; we  should be proud of it. We should honor every legal immigrant here, working  hard to become a new citizen. But we are also a nation of laws.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":106,"text":"I want to say a special word now to those who work for our federal  government. Today our federal government is 200,000 employees smaller than  it was the day I took office as President.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":107,"text":"Our federal government today is the smallest it has been in 30 years, and  it's getting smaller every day. Most of our fellow Americans probably don't  know that. And there is a good reason: The remaining federal work force is  composed of Americans who are now working harder and working smarter than  ever before, to make sure the quality of our services does not decline.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":108,"text":"I'd like to give you one example. His name is Richard Dean. He is a 49  year-old Vietnam veteran who's worked for the Social Security  Administration for 22 years now. Last year he was hard at work in the  Federal Building in Oklahoma City when the blast killed 169 people and  brought the rubble down all around him. He reentered that building four  times. He saved the lives of three women. He's here with us this evening,  and I want to recognize Richard and applaud both his public service and his  extraordinary personal heroism.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":109,"text":"But Richard Dean's story doesn't end there. This last November, he was  forced out of his office when the government shut down. And the second time  the government shut down he continued helping Social Security recipients,  but he was working without pay.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":110,"text":"On behalf of Richard Dean and his family, and all the other people who are  out there working every day doing a good job for the American people, I  challenge all of you in this Chamber: Never, ever shut the federal  government down again.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":111,"text":"On behalf of all Americans, especially those who need their Social Security  payments at the beginning of March, I also challenge the Congress to  preserve the full faith and credit of the United States--to honor the  obligations of this great nation as we have for 220 years; to rise above  partisanship and pass a straightforward extension of the debt limit and  show people America keeps its word.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":112,"text":"I know that this evening I have asked a lot of Congress, and even more from  America. But I am confident: When Americans work together in their homes,  their schools, their churches, their synagogues, their civic groups, their  workplace, they can meet any challenge.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":113,"text":"I say again, the era of big government is over. But we can't go back to the  era of fending for yourself. We have to go forward to the era of working  together as a community, as a team, as one America, with all of us reaching  across these lines that divide us--the division, the discrimination, the  rancor--we have to reach across it to find common ground. We have got to  work together if we want America to work.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":114,"text":"I want you to meet two more people tonight who do just that. Lucius Wright  is a teacher in the Jackson, Mississippi, public school system. A Vietnam  veteran, he has created groups to help inner-city children turn away from  gangs and build futures they can believe in. Sergeant Jennifer Rodgers is a  police officer in Oklahoma City. Like Richard Dean, she helped to pull her  fellow citizens out of the rubble and deal with that awful tragedy. She  reminds us that in their response to that atrocity the people of Oklahoma  City lifted all of us with their basic sense of decency and community.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":115,"text":"Lucius Wright and Jennifer Rodgers are special Americans. And I have the  honor to announce tonight that they are the very first of several thousand  Americans who will be chosen to carry the Olympic torch on its long journey  from Los Angeles to the centennial of the modern Olympics in Atlanta this  summer--not because they are star athletes, but because they are star  citizens, community heroes meeting America's challenges. They are our real  champions.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":116,"text":"Now, each of us must hold high the torch of citizenship in our own lives.  None of us can finish the race alone. We can only achieve our destiny  together--one hand, one generation, one American connecting to another.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":117,"text":"There have always been things we could do together--dreams we could make  real--which we could never have done on our own. We Americans have forged  our identity, our very union, from every point of view and every point on  the planet, every different opinion. But we must be bound together by a  faith more powerful than any doctrine that divides us--by our belief in  progress, our love of liberty, and our relentless search for common  ground.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":118,"text":"America has always sought and always risen to every challenge. Who would  say that, having come so far together, we will not go forward from here?  Who would say that this age of possibility is not for all Americans?  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":119,"text":"Our country is and always has been a great and good nation. But the best is  yet to come, if we all do our part.  "}
{"year":"1996","paragraph":120,"text":"Thank you, God bless you and God bless the United States of America. Thank  you.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of the 105th Congress,  distinguished guests, my fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":2,"text":"I think I should start by saying thanks for inviting me back.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":3,"text":"I come before you tonight with a challenge as great as any in our peacetime  history--and a plan of action to meet that challenge, to prepare our  people for the bold new world of the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":4,"text":"We have much to be thankful for. With four years of growth, we have won  back the basic strength of our economy. With crime and welfare rolls  declining, we are winning back our optimism, the enduring faith that we can  master any difficulty. With the Cold War receding and global commerce at  record levels, we are helping to win an unrivaled peace and prosperity all  across the world.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":5,"text":"My fellow Americans, the state of our union is strong, but now we must rise  to the decisive moment, to make a nation and a world better than any we  have ever known.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":6,"text":"The new promise of the global economy, the Information Age, unimagined new  work, life-enhancing technology--all these are ours to seize. That is our  honor and our challenge. We must be shapers of events, not observers, for  if we do not act, the moment will pass and we will lose the best  possibilities of our future.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":7,"text":"We face no imminent threat, but we do have an enemy. The enemy of our time  is inaction.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":8,"text":"So tonight I issue a call to action--action by this Congress, action by  our states, by our people to prepare America for the 21st century; action  to keep our economy and our democracy strong and working for all our  people; action to strengthen education and harness the forces of technology  and science; action to build stronger families and stronger communities and  a safer environment; action to keep America the world's strongest force for  peace, freedom and prosperity; and above all, action to build a more  perfect union here at home.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":9,"text":"The spirit we bring to our work will make all the difference.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":10,"text":"We must be committed to the pursuit of opportunity for all Americans,  responsibility from all Americans in a community of all Americans. And we  must be committed to a new kind of government: not to solve all our  problems for us, but to give our people--all our people--the tools they  need to make the most of their own lives. And we must work together.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":11,"text":"The people of this nation elected us all. They want us to be partners, not  partisans. They put us all right here in the same boat. They gave us all  oars, and they told us to row. Now, here is the direction I believe we  should take.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":12,"text":"First, we must move quickly to complete the unfinished business of our  country: to balance the budget, renew our democracy, and finish the job of  welfare reform.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":13,"text":"Over the last four years we have brought new economic growth by investing  in our people, expanding our exports, cutting our deficits, creating over  11 million new jobs, a four-year record.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":14,"text":"Now we must keep our economy the strongest in the world. We here tonight  have an historic opportunity. Let this Congress be the Congress that  finally balances the budget. Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":15,"text":"In two days I will propose a detailed plan to balance the budget by 2002.  This plan will balance the budget and invest in our people while protecting  Medicare, Medicaid, education and the environment. It will balance the  budget and build on the vice president's efforts to make our government  work better--even as it costs less.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":16,"text":"It will balance the budget and provide middle-class tax relief to pay for  education and health care, to help to raise a child, to buy and sell a  home.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":17,"text":"Balancing the budget requires only your vote and my signature. It does not  require us to rewrite our Constitution. I believe, I believe it is both  unnecessary, unwise to adopt a balanced budget amendment that could cripple  our country in time of economic crisis and force unwanted results such as  judges halting Social Security checks or increasing taxes.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":18,"text":"Let us at least agree we should not pass any measure, no measure should be  passed that threatens Social Security. We don't need, whatever your view on  that, we all must concede we don't need a constitutional amendment, we need  action. Whatever our differences, we should balance the budget now, and  then, for the long-term health of our society, we must agree to a  bipartisan process to preserve Social Security and reform Medicare for the  long run, so that these fundamental programs will be as strong for our  children as they are for our parents.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":19,"text":"And let me say something that's not in my script tonight. I know this is  not going to be easy. But I really believe one of the reasons the American  people gave me a second term was to take the tough decisions in the next  four years that will carry our country through the next 50 years. I know it  is easier for me than for you to say or do. But another reason I was  elected is to support all of you, without regard to party, to give you what  is necessary to join in these decisions. We owe it to our country and to  our future.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":20,"text":"Our second piece of unfinished business requires us to commit ourselves  tonight, before the eyes of America, to finally enacting bipartisan  campaign finance reform.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":21,"text":"Now, Senators McCain and Feingold, Representatives Shays and Meehan have  reached across party lines here to craft tough and fair reform. Their  proposal would curb spending, reduce the role of special interests, create  a level playing field between challengers and incumbents, and ban  contributions from non-citizens, all corporate sources, and the other large  soft-money contributions that both parties receive.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":22,"text":"You know and I know that this can be delayed, and you know and I know that  delay will mean the death of reform.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":23,"text":"So let's set our own deadline. Let's work together to write bipartisan  campaign finance reform into law and pass McCain-Feingold by the day we  celebrate the birth of our democracy, July the 4th.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":24,"text":"There is a third piece of unfinished business. Over the last four years we  moved a record two and a quarter million people off the welfare roles. Then  last year Congress enacted landmark welfare reform legislation demanding  that all able-bodied recipients assume the responsibility of moving from  welfare to work. Now each and every one of us has to fulfill our  responsibility, indeed our moral obligation, to make sure that people who  now must work can work. And now we must act to meet a new goal: two million  more people off the welfare rolls by the year 2000.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":25,"text":"Here is my plan: Tax credits and other incentives for businesses that hire  people off welfare; Incentives for job placement firms in states to create  more jobs for welfare recipients; Training, transportation and child care  to help people go to work. Now I challenge every state--turn those welfare  checks into private sector paychecks. I challenge every religious  congregation, every community nonprofit, every business to hire someone off  welfare. And I'd like to say especially to every employer in our country  who ever criticized the old welfare system, you can't blame that old system  anymore; we have torn it down. Now, do your part. Give someone on welfare  the chance to go to work.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":26,"text":"Tonight I am pleased to announce that five major corporations--Sprint,  Monsanto, UPS, Burger King and United Airlines--will be the first to join  in a new national effort to marshal America's businesses large and small to  create jobs so that people can move from welfare to work.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":27,"text":"We passed welfare reform. All of you know I believe we were right to do it.  But no one can walk out of this chamber with a clear conscience unless you  are prepared to finish the job.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":28,"text":"And we must join together to do something else, too, something both  Republican and Democratic governors have asked us to do: to restore basic  health and disability benefits when misfortune strikes immigrants who came  to this country legally, who work hard, pay taxes, and obey the law. To do  otherwise is simply unworthy of a great nation of immigrants.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":29,"text":"Now, looking ahead, the greatest step of all, the high threshold to the  future we must now cross, and my number one priority for the next four  years, is to ensure that all Americans have the best education in the  world. Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":30,"text":"Let's work together to meet these three goals: every eight-year-old must be  able to read, every 12-year-old must be able to log on to the Internet,  every 18-year-old must be able to go to college, and every adult American  must be able to keep on learning for a lifetime.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":31,"text":"My balanced budget makes an unprecedented commitment to these goals--$51  billion next year--but far more than money is required. I have a plan, a  call to action for American education based on these 10 principles:  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":32,"text":"First, a national crusade for education standards--not federal government  standards, but national standards, representing what all our students must  know to succeed in the knowledge economy of the 21st century. Every state  and school must shape the curriculum to reflect these standards and train  teachers to lift students up to them. To help schools meet the standards  and measure their progress, we will lead an effort over the next two years  to develop national tests of student achievement in reading and math.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":33,"text":"Tonight I issue a challenge to the nation. Every state should adopt high  national standards, and by 1999, every state should test every 4th grader  in reading and every 8th grader in math to make sure these standards are  met.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":34,"text":"Raising standards will not be easy, and some of our children will not be  able to meet them at first. The point is not to put our children down, but  to lift them up. Good tests will show us who needs help, what changes in  teaching to make, and which schools need to improve. They can help us end  social promotion, for no child should move from grade school to junior high  or junior high to high school until he or she is ready.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":35,"text":"Last month our secretary of education, Dick Riley, and I visited northern  Illinois, where 8th grade students from 20 school districts, in a project  aptly called First in the World, took the third International Math and  Science Study.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":36,"text":"That's a test that reflects the world-class standards our children must  meet for the new era. And those students in Illinois tied for first in the  world in science and came in second in math. Two of them, Kristen Tanner  and Chris Getsla, are here tonight along with their teacher, Sue Winski.  They're up there with the first lady, and they prove that when we aim high  and challenge our students, they will be the best in the world. Let's give  them a hand. Stand up, please.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":37,"text":"Second, to have the best schools, we must have the best teachers. Most of  us in this chamber would not be here tonight without the help of those  teachers. I know that I wouldn't be here.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":38,"text":"For years many of our educators, led by North Carolina's governor, Jim  Hunt, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, have  worked very hard to establish nationally accepted credentials for  excellence in teaching.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":39,"text":"Just 500 of these teachers have been certified since 1995. My budget will  enable 100,000 more to seek national certification as master teachers. We  should reward and recognize our best teachers. And as we reward them, we  should quickly and fairly remove those few who don't measure up, and we  should challenge more of our finest young people to consider teaching as a  career.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":40,"text":"Third, we must do more to help all our children read. Forty percent--40  percent--of our 8-year-olds cannot read on their own. That's why we have  just launched the America Reads initiative, to build a citizen army of one  million volunteer tutors to make sure every child can read independently by  the end of the 3rd grade. We will use thousands of AmeriCorps volunteers to  mobilize this citizen army. We want at least 100,000 college students to  help.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":41,"text":"And tonight I'm pleased that 60 college presidents have answered my call,  pledging that thousands of their work-study students will serve for one  year as reading tutors.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":42,"text":"This is also a challenge to every teacher and every principal.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":43,"text":"You must use these tutors to help your students read. And it is especially  a challenge to our parents. You must read with your children every night.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":44,"text":"This leads to the fourth principle: Learning begins in the first days of  life. Scientists are now discovering how young children develop emotionally  and intellectually from their very first days and how important it is for  parents to begin immediately talking, singing, even reading to their  infants. The first lady has spent years writing about this issue, studying  it. And she and I are going to convene a White House conference on early  learning and the brain this spring to explore how parents and educators can  best use these startling new findings.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":45,"text":"We already know we should start teaching children before they start school.  That's why this balanced budget expands Head Start to one million children  by 2002. And that is why the vice president and Mrs. Gore will host their  annual family conference this June on what we can do to make sure that  parents are an active part of their children's learning all the way through  school.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":46,"text":"They've done a great deal to highlight the importance of family in our  life, and now they're turning their attention to getting more parents  involved in their children's learning all the way through school. I thank  you, Mr. Vice President, and I thank you especially, Tipper, for what  you're doing.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":47,"text":"Fifth, every state should give parents the power to choose the right public  school for their children. Their right to choose will foster competition  and innovation that can make public schools better. We should also make it  possible for more parents and teachers to start charter schools, schools  that set and meet the highest standards and exist only as long as they do.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":48,"text":"Our plan will help America to create 3,000 of these charter schools by the  next century, nearly seven times as there are in the country today, so that  parents will have even more choices in sending their children to the best  schools.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":49,"text":"Sixth, character education must be taught in our schools. We must teach our  children to be good citizens. And we must continue to promote order and  discipline; supporting communities that introduce school uniforms, impose  curfews, enforce truancy laws, remove disruptive students from the  classroom, and have zero tolerance for guns and drugs in schools.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":50,"text":"Seventh, we cannot expect our children to raise themselves up in schools  that are literally falling down. With the student population at an all-time  high, and record numbers of school buildings falling into disrepair, this  has now become a serious national concern. Therefore, my budget includes a  new initiative: $5 billion to help communities finance $20 billion in  school construction over the next four years.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":51,"text":"Eighth, we must make the 13th and 14th years of education--at least two  years of college--just as universal in America by the 21st century as a  high school education is today, and we must open the doors of college to  all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":52,"text":"To do that, I propose America's Hope Scholarship, based on Georgia's  pioneering program--two years of a $1,500 tax credit for college tuition,  enough to pay for the typical community college. I also propose a tax  deduction of up to $10,000 a year for all tuition after high school, an  expanded IRA you can withdraw from tax free for education, and the largest  increase in Pell Grant scholarship in 20 years.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":53,"text":"Now this plan will give most families the ability to pay no taxes on money  they save for college tuition. I ask you to pass it and give every American  who works hard the chance to go to college.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":54,"text":"Ninth, in the 21st century we must expand the frontiers of learning across  a lifetime. All our people, of whatever age, must have the chance to learn  new skills.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":55,"text":"Most Americans live near a community college. The roads that take them  there can be paths to a better future. My GI bill for America's workers  will transform the confusing tangle of federal training programs into a  simple skill grant to go directly into eligible workers' hands.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":56,"text":"For too long this bill has been sitting on that desk there, without action.  I ask you to pass it now. Let's give more of our workers the ability to  learn and to earn for a lifetime.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":57,"text":"Tenth, we must bring the power of the Information Age into all our  schools.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":58,"text":"Last year I challenged America to connect every classroom and library to  the Internet by the year 2000, so that for the first time in our history,  children in the most isolated rural town, the most comfortable suburbs, the  poorest inner-city schools will have the same access to the same universe  of knowledge.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":59,"text":"That is my plan--a call to action for American education. Some may say  that it is unusual for a president to pay this kind of attention to  education. Some may say it is simply because the president and his  wonderful wife have been obsessed with this subject for more years than  they can recall. That is not what is driving these proposals. We must  understand the significance of this endeavor.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":60,"text":"One of the greatest sources of our strength throughout the Cold War was a  bipartisan foreign policy. Because our future was at stake, politics  stopped at the water's edge. Now I ask you, and I ask all our nation's  governors, I ask parents, teachers and citizens all across America, for a  new nonpartisan commitment to education, because education is a critical  national security issue for our future and politics must stop at the  schoolhouse door.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":61,"text":"To prepare America for the 21st century, we must harness the powerful  forces of science and technology to benefit all Americans. This is the  first State of the Union carried live in video over the Internet, but we've  only begun to spread the benefits of a technology revolution that should  become the modern birthright of every citizen.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":62,"text":"Our effort to connect every classroom is just the beginning. Now we should  connect every hospital to the Internet so that doctors can instantly share  data about their patients with the best specialists in the field.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":63,"text":"And I challenge the private sector tonight to start by connecting every  children's hospital as soon as possible so that a child in bed can stay in  touch with school, family and friends. A sick child need no longer be a  child alone.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":64,"text":"We must build the second generation of the Internet so that our leading  universities and national laboratories can communicate in speeds a thousand  times faster than today to develop new medical treatments, new sources of  energy, new ways of working together. But we cannot stop there.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":65,"text":"As the Internet becomes our new town square, a computer in every home: a  teacher of all subjects, a connection to all cultures. This will no longer  be a dream, but a necessity. And over the next decade, that must be our  goal.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":66,"text":"We must continue to explore the heavens, pressing on with the Mars probes  and the International Space Station, both of which will have practical  applications for our everyday living.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":67,"text":"We must speed the remarkable advances in medical science. The human genome  project is now decoding the genetic mysteries of life. American scientists  have discovered genes linked to breast cancer and ovarian cancer and  medication that stops a stroke in progress and begins to reverse its  effects, and treatments that dramatically lengthen the lives of people with  HIV and AIDS.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":68,"text":"Since I took office, funding for AIDS research at the National Institutes  of Health has increased dramatically to $1.5 billion. With new resources,  NIH will now become the most powerful discovery engine for an AIDS vaccine,  working with other scientists, to finally end the threat of AIDS. Thank  you. Remember that every year, every year we move up the discovery of an  AIDS vaccine we'll save millions of lives around the world. We must  reinforce our commitment to medical science.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":69,"text":"To prepare America for the 21st century we must build stronger families.  Over the past four years the Family and Medical Leave Law has helped  millions of Americans to take time off to be with their families.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":70,"text":"With new pressures on people and the way they work and live, I believe we  must expand family leave so that workers can take time off for teacher  conferences and a child's medical checkup. We should pass flex time so  workers can choose to be paid for overtime in income or trade it in for  time off to be with their families.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":71,"text":"We must continue--we must continue, step by step, to give more families  access to affordable quality health care. Forty million Americans still  lack health insurance. Ten million children still lack health insurance.  Eighty percent of them have working parents who pay taxes. That is wrong.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":72,"text":"My--my balanced budget will extend health coverage to up to 5 million of  those children. Since nearly half of all children who lose their insurance  do so because their parents lose or change a job, my budget will also  ensure that people who temporarily lose their jobs can still afford to keep  their health insurance. No child should be without a doctor just because a  parent is without a job.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":73,"text":"My Medicare plan modernizes Medicare, increases the life of the trust fund  to 10 years, provides support for respite care for the many families with  loved ones afflicted with Alzheimer's, and, for the first time, it would  fully pay for annual mammograms.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":74,"text":"Just as we ended drive-through deliveries of babies last year, we must now  end the dangerous and demeaning practice of forcing women home from the  hospital only hours after a mastectomy.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":75,"text":"I ask your support for bipartisan legislation to guarantee that a woman can  stay in the hospital for 48 hours after a mastectomy. With us tonight is  Dr. Kristen Zarfos, a Connecticut surgeon whose outrage at this practice  spurred a national movement and inspired this legislation. I'd like her to  stand so we can thank her for her efforts. Dr. Zarfos, thank you.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":76,"text":"In the last four years, we have increased child support collections by 50  percent. Now we should go further and do better by making it a felony for  any parent to cross a state line in an attempt to flee from this, his or  her most sacred obligation.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":77,"text":"Finally, we must also protect our children by standing firm in our  determination to ban the advertising and marketing of cigarettes that  endanger their lives.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":78,"text":"To prepare America for the 21st century, we must build stronger  communities. We should start with safe streets. Serious crime has dropped  five years in a row. The key has been community policing. We must finish  the job of putting 100,000 community police on the streets of the United  States.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":79,"text":"We should pass the Victims' Rights Amendment to the Constitution, and I ask  you to mount a full-scale assault on juvenile crime, with legislation that  declares war on gangs with new prosecutors and tougher penalties, extends  the Brady bill so violent teen criminals will not be able to buy handguns,  requires child safety locks on handguns to prevent unauthorized use, and  helps to keep our schools open after hours, on weekends and in the summer  so our young people will have someplace to go and something to say yes to.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":80,"text":"This balanced budget includes the largest anti-drug effort ever--to stop  drugs at their source; punish those who push them; and teach our young  people that drugs are wrong, drugs are illegal, and drugs will kill them. I  hope you will support it.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":81,"text":"Our growing economy has helped to revive poor urban and rural  neighborhoods, but we must do more to empower them to create the conditions  in which all families can flourish and to create jobs through investment by  business and loans by banks.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":82,"text":"We should double the number of empowerment zones. They've already brought  so much hope to communities like Detroit, where the unemployment rate has  been cut in half in four years. We should restore contaminated urban land  and buildings to constructive use. We should expand the network of  community development banks.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":83,"text":"And together, we must pledge tonight that we will use this empowerment  approach, including private sector tax incentives, to renew our capital  city so that Washington is a great place to work and live--and once again  the proud face America shows the world!  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":84,"text":"We must protect our environment in every community. In the last four years,  we cleaned up 250 toxic waste sites, as many as in the previous 12. Now we  should clean up 500 more so that our children grow up next to parks, not  poison. I urge to pass my proposal to make big polluters live by a simple  rule: If you pollute our environment, you should pay to clean it up.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":85,"text":"In the last four years, we strengthened our nation's safe food and clean  drinking water laws; we protected some of America's rarest, most beautiful  land in Utah's Red Rocks region; created three new national parks in the  California desert; and began to restore the Florida Everglades.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":86,"text":"Now we must be as vigilant with our rivers as we are with our lands.  Tonight I announce that this year I will designate 10 American Heritage  Rivers to help communities alongside them revitalize their waterfronts and  clean up pollution in the rivers, proving once again that we can grow the  economy as we protect the environment.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":87,"text":"We must also protect our global environment, working to ban the worst toxic  chemicals and to reduce the greenhouse gases that challenge our health even  as they change our climate.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":88,"text":"Now, we all know that in all of our communities some of our children simply  don't have what they need to grow and learn in their own homes or schools  or neighborhoods. And that means the rest of us must do more, for they are  our children, too. That's why President Bush, General Colin Powell, former  Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros will join the vice president and me to  lead the President's Summit of Service in Philadelphia in April.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":89,"text":"Our national service program, AmeriCorps, has already helped 70,000 young  people to work their way through college as they serve America. Now we  intend to mobilize millions of Americans to serve in thousands of ways.  Citizen service is an American responsibility which all Americans should  embrace. And I ask your support for that endeavor.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":90,"text":"I'd like to make just one last point about our national community. Our  economy is measured in numbers and statistics. And it's very important. But  the enduring worth of our nation lies in our shared values and our soaring  spirit. So instead of cutting back on our modest efforts to support the  arts and humanities I believe we should stand by them and challenge our  artists, musicians, and writers, challenge our museums, libraries, and  theaters.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":91,"text":"We should challenge all Americans in the arts and humanities to join with  their fellow citizens to make the year 2000 a national celebration of the  American spirit in every community, a celebration of our common culture in  the century that is past and in the new one to come in a new millennium so  that we can remain the world's beacon not only of liberty but of creativity  long after the fireworks have faded.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":92,"text":"To prepare America for the 21st century we must master the forces of change  in the world and keep American leadership strong and sure for an uncharted  time.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":93,"text":"Fifty years ago, a farsighted America led in creating the institutions that  secured victory in the Cold War and built a growing world economy. As a  result, today more people than ever embrace our ideals and share our  interests. Already we have dismantled many of the blocks and barriers that  divided our parents' world. For the first time, more people live under  democracy than dictatorship including every nation in our own hemisphere  but one, and its day, too, will come.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":94,"text":"Now we stand at another moment of change and choice, and another time to be  farsighted, to bring America 50 more years of security and prosperity.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":95,"text":"In this endeavor, our first task is to help to build for the very first  time an undivided, democratic Europe. When Europe is stable, prosperous,  and at peace, America is more secure.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":96,"text":"To that end, we must expand NATO by 1999, so that countries that were once  our adversaries can become our allies. At the special NATO summit this  summer, that is what we will begin to do. We must strengthen NATO's  Partnership for Peace with non-member allies. And we must build a stable  partnership between NATO and a democratic Russia.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":97,"text":"An expanded NATO is good for America, and a Europe in which all democracies  define their future not in terms of what they can do to each other, but in  terms of what they can do together for the good of all--that kind of  Europe is good for America.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":98,"text":"Second, America must look to the East no less than to the West.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":99,"text":"Our security demands it. Americans fought three wars in Asia in this  century.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":100,"text":"Our prosperity requires it. More than 2 million American jobs depend upon  trade with Asia. There, too, we are helping to shape an Asia Pacific  community of cooperation, not conflict.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":101,"text":"Let our--let our progress there not mask the peril that remains. Together  with South Korea, we must advance peace talks with North Korea and bridge  the Cold War's last divide. And I call on Congress to fund our share of the  agreement under which North Korea must continue to freeze and then  dismantle its nuclear weapons program.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":102,"text":"We must pursue a deeper dialogue with China for the sake of our interests  and our ideals. An isolated China is not good for America. A China playing  its proper role in the world is. I will go to China, and I have invited  China's president to come here, not because we agree on everything, but  because engaging China is the best way to work on our common challenges,  like ending nuclear testing, and to deal frankly with our fundamental  differences, like human rights.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":103,"text":"The American people must prosper in the global economy. We've worked hard  to tear down trade barriers abroad so that we can create good jobs at home.  I'm proud to say that today America is once again the most competitive  nation and the No. 1 exporter in the world.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":104,"text":"Now we must act to expand our exports, especially to Asia and Latin  America, two of the fastest-growing regions on earth, or be left behind as  these emerging economies forge new ties with other nations. That is why we  need the authority now to conclude new trade agreements that open markets  to our goods and services even as we preserve our values.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":105,"text":"We need not shrink from the challenge of the global economy. After all, we  have the best workers and the best products. In a truly open market, we can  out-compete anyone, anywhere on earth.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":106,"text":"But this is about more than economics. By expanding trade, we can advance  the cause of freedom and democracy around the world. There is no better  example of this truth than Latin America where democracy and open markets  are on the march together. That is why I will visit there in the spring to  reinforce our important ties.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":107,"text":"We should all be proud that America led the effort to rescue our neighbor,  Mexico, from its economic crisis. And we should all be proud that last  month Mexico repaid the United States, three full years ahead of schedule,  with half a billion dollar profit to us.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":108,"text":"America must continue to be an unrelenting force for peace. From the Middle  East to Haiti, from Northern Ireland to Africa, taking reasonable risks for  peace keeps us from being drawn into far more costly conflicts later. With  American leadership, the killing has stopped in Bosnia. Now the habits of  peace must take hold.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":109,"text":"The new NATO force will allow reconstruction and reconciliation to  accelerate. Tonight I ask Congress to continue its strong support of our  troops. They are doing a remarkable job there for America, and America must  do right by them.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":110,"text":"Fifth, we must move strongly against new threats to our security. In the  past four years, we agreed to ban--we led the way to a worldwide agreement  to ban nuclear testing.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":111,"text":"With Russia, we dramatically cut nuclear arsenals and we stopped targeting  each other's citizens. We are acting to prevent nuclear materials from  falling into the wrong hands, and to rid the world of land mines.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":112,"text":"We are working with other nations with renewed intensity to fight drug  traffickers and to stop terrorists before they act and hold them fully  accountable if they do.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":113,"text":"Now we must rise to a new test of leadership--ratifying the Chemical  Weapons Convention. Make no mistake about it, it will make our troops safer  from chemical attack. It will help us to fight terrorism. We have no more  important obligations, especially in the wake of what we now know about the  Gulf War.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":114,"text":"This treaty has been bipartisan from the beginning, supported by Republican  and Democratic administrations, and Republican and Democratic members of  Congress, and already approved by 68 nations. But if we do not act by April  the 29th, when this convention goes into force--with or without us--we  will lose the chance to have Americans leading and enforcing this effort.  Together we must make the Chemical Weapons Convention law so that at last  we can begin to outlaw poisoned gas from the earth.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":115,"text":"Finally, we must have the tools to meet all these challenges. We must  maintain a strong and ready military. We must increase funding for weapons  modernization by the year 2000. And we must take good care of our men and  women in uniform. They are the world's finest.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":116,"text":"We must also renew our commitment to America's diplomacy and pay our debts  and dues to international financial institutions like the World Bank--and  to a reforming United Nations. Every dollar--every dollar we devote to  preventing conflicts, to promoting democracy, to stopping the spread of  disease and starvation brings a sure return in security and savings. Yet  international affairs spending today is just 1 percent of the federal  budget, a small fraction of what America invested in diplomacy to choose  leadership over escapism at the start of the cold war.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":117,"text":"If America is to continue to lead the world, we here who lead America  simply must find the will to pay our way. A farsighted America moved the  world to a better place over these last 50 years. And so it can be for  another 50 years. But a shortsighted America will soon find its words  falling on deaf ears all around the world.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":118,"text":"Almost exactly 50 years ago in the first winter of the Cold War President  Truman stood before a Republican Congress and called upon our country to  meet its responsibilities of leadership. This was his warning. He said, \"If  we falter, we may endanger the peace of the world, and we shall surely  endanger the welfare of this nation.\"  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":119,"text":"That Congress, led by Republicans like Senator Arthur Vandenburg, answered  President Truman's call. Together, they made the commitments that  strengthened our country for 50 years. Now let us do the same. Let us do  what it takes to remain the indispensable nation, to keep America strong,  secure and prosperous for another 50 years.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":120,"text":"In the end, more than anything else, our world leadership grows out of the  power of our example here at home, out of our ability to remain strong as  one America.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":121,"text":"All over the world people are being torn asunder by racial, ethnic and  religious conflicts that fuel fanaticism and terror. We are the world's  most diverse democracy, and the world looks to us to show that it is  possible to live and advance together across those kinds of differences.  America has always been a nation of immigrants.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":122,"text":"From the start, a steady stream of people in search of freedom and  opportunity have left their own lands to make this land their home. We  started as an experiment in democracy fueled by Europeans. We have grown  into an experiment in democratic diversity fueled by openness and promise.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":123,"text":"My fellow Americans, we must never, ever believe that our diversity is a  weakness; it is our greatest strength.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":124,"text":"Americans speak every language, know every country. People on every  continent can look to us and see the reflection of their own great  potential, and they always will, as long as we strive to give all our  citizens, whatever their background, an opportunity to achieve their own  greatness.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":125,"text":"We're not there yet. We still see evidence of a biting bigotry and  intolerance in ugly words and awful violence, in burned churches and bombed  buildings. We must fight against this in our country and in our hearts.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":126,"text":"Just a few days before my second inauguration, one of our country's  best-known pastors, Reverend Robert Schuller, suggested that I read Isaiah  58:12. Here's what it says: \"Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many  generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the  restorer of paths to dwell in.\"  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":127,"text":"I placed my hand on that verse when I took the oath of office, on behalf of  all Americans, for no matter what our differences in our faiths, our  backgrounds, our politics, we must all be repairers of the breach.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":128,"text":"I want to say a word about two other Americans who show us how. Congressman  Frank Tejeda was buried yesterday, a proud American whose family came from  Mexico. He was only 51 years old. He was awarded the Silver Star, the  Bronze Star and the Purple Heart fighting for his country in Vietnam. And  he went on to serve Texas and America fighting for our future here in this  chamber.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":129,"text":"We are grateful for his service and honored that his mother, Lillie Tejeda,  and his sister, Mary Alice, have come from Texas to be with us here  tonight. And we welcome you. Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":130,"text":"Gary Locke, the newly-elected governor of Washington state, is the first  Chinese-American governor in the history of our country. He's the proud son  of two of the millions of Asian American immigrants who strengthened  America with their hard work, family values and good citizenship.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":131,"text":"He represents the future we can all achieve. Thank you, governor, for being  here. Please stand up.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":132,"text":"Reverend Schuller, Congressman Tejeda, Governor Locke, along with Kristen  Tanner and Chris Getsla, Sue Winski and Dr. Kristen Zarfos--they're all  Americans from different roots whose lives reflect the best of what we can  become when we are one America.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":133,"text":"We may not share a common past, but we surely do share a common future.  Building one America is our most important mission, the foundation for many  generations of every other strength we must build for this new century.  Money cannot buy it, power cannot compel it, technology cannot create it.  It can only come from the human spirit.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":134,"text":"America is far more than a place; it is an idea--the most powerful idea in  the history of nations, and all of us in this chamber, we are now the  bearers of that idea, leading a great people into a new world.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":135,"text":"A child born tonight will have almost no memory of the 20th century.  Everything that child will know about America will be because of what we do  now to build a new century. We don't have a moment to waste.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":136,"text":"Tomorrow there will be just over 1,000 days until the year 2000. One  thousand days to prepare our people. One thousand days to work together.  One thousand days to build a bridge to a land of new promise.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":137,"text":"My fellow Americans, we have work to do. Let us seize those days and the  century.  "}
{"year":"1997","paragraph":138,"text":"Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of the 105th Congress,  distinguished guests, my fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":2,"text":"Since the last time we met in this chamber, America has lost two patriots  and fine public servants. Though they sat on opposite sides of the aisle,  Representatives Walter Capps and Sonny Bono shared a deep love for this  House and an unshakable commitment to improving the lives of all our  people.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":3,"text":"In the past few weeks, they have both been eulogized. Tonight, I think we  should begin by sending a message to their families and their friends that  we celebrate their lives, and give thanks for their service to our nation.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":4,"text":"For 209 years, it has been the president's duty to report to you on the  state of the union. Because of the hard work and high purpose of the  American people, these are good times for America. We have more than 14  million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 24 years, the lowest core  inflation in 30 years, incomes are rising and we have the highest home  ownership in history. Crime has dropped for a record five years in a row,  and the welfare rolls are at their lowest levels in 27 years. Our  leadership in the world is unrivaled. Ladies and gentlemen, the state of  our union is strong.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":5,"text":"But with barely 700 days left in the 20th century, this is not a time to  rest. It is a time to build--to build the America within reach, an America  where everybody has a chance to get ahead, with hard work; where every  citizen can live in a safe community; where families are strong, schools  are good, and all our young people can go on to college; an America where  scientists find cures for diseases from diabetes to Alzheimer's to AIDS; an  America where every child can stretch a hand across a keyboard and reach  every book ever written, every painting ever painted, every symphony ever  composed; where government provides opportunity and citizens honor the  responsibility to give something back to their communities; an America  which leads the world to new heights of peace and prosperity.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":6,"text":"This is the America we have begun to build. This is the America we can  leave to our children--if we join together to finish the work at hand. Let  us strengthen our nation for the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":7,"text":"Rarely have Americans lived through so much change in so many ways in so  short a time. Quietly, but with gathering force, the ground has shifted  beneath our feet as we have moved into an information age, a global  economy, a truly new world.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":8,"text":"For five years now, we have met the challenge of these changes as Americans  have at every turning point in our history, by renewing the very idea of  America, widening the circle of opportunity, deepening the meaning of our  freedom, forging a more perfect union. We shaped a new kind of government  for the information age. I thank the vice president for his leadership, and  the Congress for its support, in building a government that is leaner, more  flexible, a catalyst for new ideas, and most of all, a government that  gives the American people the tools they need to make the most of their own  lives.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":9,"text":"We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say government is  the enemy and those who say government is the answer. My fellow Americans,  we have found a third way. We have the smallest government in 35 years, but  a more progressive one. We have a smaller government but a stronger  nation.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":10,"text":"We are moving steadily toward a an even stronger America in the 21st  century--an economy that offers opportunity, a society rooted in  responsibility, and a nation that lives as a community.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":11,"text":"First, Americans in this chamber and across this nation have pursued a new  strategy for prosperity: fiscal discipline to cut interest rates and spur  growth; investments in education and skills, in science and technology and  transportation, to prepare our people for the new economy; new markets for  American products and American workers.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":12,"text":"When I took office, the deficit for 1998 was projected to be $357 billion,  and heading higher. This year, our deficit is projected to be $10 billion,  and heading lower.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":13,"text":"For three decades, six presidents have come before you to warn of the  damage deficits pose to our nation. Tonight, I come before you to announce  that the federal deficit, once so incomprehensively large that it had 11  zeros, will be simply zero.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":14,"text":"I will submit to Congress, for 1999, the first balanced budget in 30  years.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":15,"text":"And if we hold fast to fiscal discipline, we may balance the budget this  year--four years ahead of schedule.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":16,"text":"You can all be proud of that, because turning a sea of red ink into black  is no miracle. It is the product of hard work by the American people, and  of two visionary actions in Congress: The courageous vote in 1993 that led  to a cut in the deficit of 90 percent and the truly historic bipartisan  balanced budget agreement passed by this Congress.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":17,"text":"Here's the really good news: If we maintain our resolve, we will produce  balanced budgets as far as the eye can see.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":18,"text":"We must not go back to unwise spending or untargeted tax cuts that risk  reopening the deficit. Last year, together, we enacted targeted tax cuts so  that the typical middle class family will now have the lowest tax rates in  20 years.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":19,"text":"My plan to balance the budget next year includes both new investments and  new tax cuts targeted to the needs of working families: for education, for  child care, for the environment.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":20,"text":"But whether the issue is tax cuts or spending, I ask all of you to meet  this test: approve only those priorities that can actually be accomplished  without adding a dime to the deficit.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":21,"text":"Now, if we balance the budget for next year, it is projected that we'll  then have a sizeable surplus in the years that immediately follow. What  should we do with this projected surplus?  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":22,"text":"I have a simple four-word answer: Save Social Security first.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":23,"text":"Tonight, I propose that we reserve 100 percent of the surplus--that's  every penny of any surplus--until we have taken all the necessary measures  to strengthen the Social Security system for the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":24,"text":"Let us say--let us say to all Americans watching tonight, whether you're  70 or 50, or whether you just started paying into the system, Social  Security will be there when you need it. Let us make this commitment:  Social Security first. Let's do that--together.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":25,"text":"I also want to say that all the American people who are watching us tonight  should be invited to join in this discussion, in facing these issues  squarely and forming a true consensus on how we should proceed. We'll start  by conducting nonpartisan forums in every region of the country, and I hope  that lawmakers of both parties will participate. We'll hold a White House  conference on Social Security in December. And one year from now, I will  convene the leaders of Congress to craft historic bipartisan legislation to  achieve a landmark for our generation, a Social Security system that is  strong in the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":26,"text":"In an economy that honors opportunity, all Americans must be able to reap  the rewards of prosperity. Because these times are good, we can afford to  take one simple, sensible step to help millions of workers struggling to  provide for their families. We should raise the minimum wage.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":27,"text":"The information age is first and foremost an education age, in which  education will start at birth and continue throughout a lifetime. Last  year, from this podium, I said that education has to be our highest  priority. I laid out a 10-point plan to move us forward, and urged all of  us to let politics stop at the schoolhouse door.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":28,"text":"Since then, this Congress--across party lines--and the American people  have responded, in the most important year for education in a generation--  expanding public school choice, opening the way to 3,000 charter schools,  working to connect every classroom in the country to the information  superhighway, committing to expand Head Start to a million children,  launching America Reads, sending literally thousands of college students  into our elementary schools to make sure all our 8-year-olds can read.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":29,"text":"Last year I proposed--and you passed--220,000 new Pell Grant scholarships  for deserving students. Student loans, already less expensive and easier to  repay--now you get to deduct the interest. Families all over America now can  put their savings into new, tax-free education IRAs.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":30,"text":"And this year, for the first two years of college, families will get a  $1500 tax credit--a Hope Scholarship that will cover the cost of most  community college tuition. And for junior and senior year, graduate school,  and job training, there is a lifetime learning credit. You did that, and  you should be very proud of it.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":31,"text":"And because of these actions, I have something to say to every family  listening to us tonight: your children can go on to college. If you know a  child from a poor family, tell her not to give up, she can go on to  college. If you know a young couple struggling with bills, worried they  won't be able to send their children to college, tell them not to give up,  their children can go on to college. If you know somebody who's caught in a  dead-end job and afraid he can't afford the classes necessary to get better  jobs for the rest of his life, tell him not to give up, he can go on to  college.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":32,"text":"Because of the things that have been done, we can make college as universal  in the 21st century as high school is today. And, my friends, that will  change the face and future of America.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":33,"text":"We have opened wide the doors of the world's best system of higher  education. Now we must make our public elementary and secondary schools the  world's best as well--by raising standards, raising expectations and raising  accountability.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":34,"text":"Thanks to the actions of this Congress last year, we will soon have, for  the very first time, a voluntary national test based on national standards  in fourth grade reading and eighth grade math.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":35,"text":"Parents have a right to know whether their children are mastering the  basics. And every parent already knows the key; good teachers and small  classes.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":36,"text":"Tonight, I propose the first ever national effort to reduce class size in  the early grades. My balanced budget will help to hire a hundred thousand  new teachers who have passed the state competency tests. Now with these  teachers--listen--with these teachers, we will actually be able to reduce  class size in the first, second and third grades to an average of 18  students a class all across America.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":37,"text":"Now, if I've got the math right, more teachers teaching smaller classes  requires more classrooms. So I also propose a school construction tax cut  to help communities modernize or build 5,000 schools.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":38,"text":"We must also demand greater accountability. When we promote a child from  grade to grade who hasn't mastered the work, we don't do that child any  favors. It is time to end social promotion in America's schools.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":39,"text":"Last year, in Chicago, they made that decision--not to hold our children  back, but to lift them up. Chicago stopped social promotion and started  mandatory summer school to help students who are behind to catch up.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":40,"text":"I propose to help other communities follow Chicago's lead. Let's say to  them stop promoting children who don't learn, and we will give you the  tools to make sure they do.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":41,"text":"I also ask this Congress to support our efforts to enlist colleges and  universities to reach out to disadvantaged children starting in the sixth  grade so that they can get the guidance and hope they need so they can know  that they, too, will be able to go on to college.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":42,"text":"As we enter the 21st century, the global economy requires us to seek  opportunity not just at home, but in all the markets of the world. We must  shape this global economy, not shrink from it.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":43,"text":"In the last five years, we have led the way in opening new markets, with  240 trade agreements that remove foreign barriers to products bearing the  proud stamp, \"Made in the USA.\" Today, record high exports account for  fully one-third of our economic growth. I want to keep them going, because  that's the way to keep America growing and to advance a safer, more stable  world.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":44,"text":"Now, all of you know, whatever your views are, that I think this is a great  opportunity for America. I know there is opposition to more comprehensive  trade agreements. I have listened carefully, and I believe that the  opposition is rooted in two fears: first, that our trading partners will  have lower environmental and labor standards, which will give them an  unfair advantage in our market and do their own people no favors, even if  there's more business; and second, that if we have more trade, more of our  workers will lose their jobs and have to start over.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":45,"text":"I think we should seek to advance worker and environmental standards around  the world. It should--I have made it abundantly clear that it should be a  part of our trade agenda, but we cannot influence other countries'  decisions if we send them a message that we're backing away from trade with  them.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":46,"text":"This year I will send legislation to Congress, and ask other nations to  join us, to fight the most intolerable labor practice of all-abusive child  labor.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":47,"text":"We should also offer help and hope to those Americans temporarily left  behind with the global marketplace or by the march of technology, which may  have nothing to do with trade. That's why we have more than doubled funding  for training dislocated workers since 1993. And if my new budget is  adopted, we will triple funding. That's why we must do more, and more  quickly, to help workers who lose their jobs for whatever reason.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":48,"text":"You know, we help communities in a special way when their military base  closes. We ought to help them in the same way if their factory closes.  Again, I ask the Congress to continue its bipartisan work to consolidate  the tangle of training programs we have today into one single GI Bill for  Workers, a simple skills grant so people can, on their own, move quickly to  new jobs, to higher incomes and brighter futures.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":49,"text":"Now, we all know in every way in life change is not always easy, but we  have to decide whether we're going to try to hold it back and hide from it,  or reap its benefits. And remember the big picture here: while we've been  entering into hundreds of new trade agreements, we've been creating  millions of new jobs. So this year we will forge new partnerships with  Latin America, Asia and Europe, and we should pass the new African Trade  Act. It has bipartisan support.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":50,"text":"I will also renew my request for the fast-track negotiating authority  necessary to open more new markets, created more new jobs, which every  president has had for two decades.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":51,"text":"You know, whether we like it or not, in ways that are mostly positive, the  world's economies are more and more interconnected and interdependent.  Today, an economic crisis anywhere can affect economies everywhere. Recent  months have brought serious financial problems to Thailand, Indonesia,  South Korea and beyond.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":52,"text":"Now why should Americans be concerned about this?  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":53,"text":"First, these countries are our customers. If they sink into recession, they  won't be able to buy the goods we'd like to sell them.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":54,"text":"Second, they're also our competitors, so if their currencies lose their  value and go down, then the price of their goods will drop, flooding our  market and others with much cheaper goods, which makes it a lot tougher for  our people to compete.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":55,"text":"And finally, they are our strategic partners. Their stability bolsters our  security.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":56,"text":"The American economy remains sound and strong, and I want to keep it that  way. But because the turmoil in Asia will have an impact on all the world's  economies, including ours, making that negative impact as small as possible  is the right thing to do for America, and the right thing to do for a safer  world.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":57,"text":"Our policy is clear: no nation can recover if it does not reform itself,  but when nations are willing to undertake serious economic reform, we  should help them do it. So I call on Congress to renew America's commitment  to the International Monetary Fund.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":58,"text":"And I think we should say to all the people we're trying to represent here,  that preparing for a far off storm that may reach our shores is far wiser  than ignoring the thunder 'til the clouds are just overhead.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":59,"text":"A strong nation rests on the rock of responsibility. A society rooted in  responsibility must first promote the value of work, not welfare. We could  be proud that after decades of finger-pointing and failure, together we  ended the old welfare system. And we're now replacing welfare checks with  paychecks.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":60,"text":"Last year, after a record four-year decline in welfare rolls I challenged  our nation to move two million more Americans off welfare by the year 2000.  I'm pleased to report we have also met that goal two full years ahead of  schedule.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":61,"text":"This is a grand achievement, the sum of many acts of individual courage,  persistence and hope.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":62,"text":"For 13 years, Elaine Kinslow of Indianapolis, Indiana was on and off  welfare. Today she's a dispatcher with a van company. She's saved enough  money to move her family into a good neighborhood. And she's helping other  welfare recipients go to work.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":63,"text":"Elaine Kinslow and all those like her are the real heroes of the welfare  revolution. There are millions like her all across America, and I am happy  she could join the first lady tonight. Elaine, we're very proud of you.  Please stand up.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":64,"text":"We still have a lot more to do, all of us, to make welfare reform a  success; providing child care, helping families move closer to available  jobs, challenging more companies to join our Welfare to Work Partnership,  increasing child-support collections from deadbeat parents who have a duty  to support their own children. I also want to thank Congress for restoring  some of the benefits to immigrants who are here legally and working hard.  And I hope you will finish that job this year.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":65,"text":"We have to make it possible for all hard-working families to meet their  most important responsibilities. Two years ago, we helped guarantee that  Americans can keep their health insurance when they changed jobs. Last  year, we extended health care to up to 5 million children. This year, I  challenge Congress to take the next historic steps. A hundred and sixty  million of our fellow citizens are in managed care plans. These plans save  money, and they can improve care. But medical decisions ought to be made by  medical doctors, not insurance company accountants.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":66,"text":"I urge this Congress to reach across the aisle and write into law a  consumer bill of rights that says this: You have the right to know all your  medical options, not just the cheapest. You have the right to choose the  doctor you want for the care you need. You have the right to emergency room  care wherever and whenever you need it. You have the right to keep your  medical records confidential.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":67,"text":"Now, traditional care or managed care, every American deserves quality  care. Millions of Americans between the ages of 55 and 65 have lost their  health insurance. Some are retired. Some are laid off. Some lose their  coverage when their spouses retire. After a lifetime of work, they're left  with nowhere to turn.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":68,"text":"So I ask the Congress, let these hard-working Americans buy into the  Medicare system. It won't add a dime to the deficit, but the peace of mind  it will provide will be priceless.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":69,"text":"Next, we must help parents protect their children from the gravest health  threat that they face: an epidemic of teen smoking spread by multimillion  dollar marketing campaigns. I challenge Congress. Let's pass bipartisan,  comprehensive legislation that will improve public health, protect our  tobacco farmers, and change the way tobacco companies do business forever.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":70,"text":"Let's do what it takes to bring teen smoking down. Let's raise the price of  cigarettes by up to $1.50 a pack over the next 10 years, with penalties on  the tobacco industry if it keeps marketing to our children.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":71,"text":"Now tomorrow, like every day, 3,000 children will start smoking, and a  thousand will die early as a result. Let this Congress be remembered as the  Congress that saved their lives.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":72,"text":"In the new economy, most parents work harder than ever. They face a  constant struggle to balance their obligations to be good workers, and  their even more important obligations to be good parents.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":73,"text":"The Family and Medical Leave Act was the very first bill I was privileged  to sign into law as president in 1993. Since then, about 15 million people  have taken advantage of it, and I've met a lot of them all across this  country. I ask you to extend the law to cover 10 million more workers, and  to give parents time off when they have to go see their children's teachers  or take them to the doctor.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":74,"text":"Child care is the next frontier we must face to enable people to succeed at  home and at work. Last year, I co-hosted the very first White House  conference on child care with one of our foremost experts, America's first  lady. From all corners of America, we heard the same message--without regard  to region or income or political affiliation--we've got to raise the quality  of child care, we've got to make it safer, we've got to make it more  affordable.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":75,"text":"So here's my plan: Help families to pay for child care for a million more  children; scholarships and background checks for child-care workers, and a  new emphasis on early learning; tax credits for businesses that provide  child care for their employees; and a larger child-care tax credit for  working families.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":76,"text":"Now, if you pass my plan, what this means is that a family of four with an  income of $35,000 and high child-care costs will no longer pay a single  penny of federal income tax.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":77,"text":"You know, I think this is such a big issue with me because of my own  personal experience. I have often wondered how my mother, when she was a  young widow, would have been able to go away to school and get an education  and come back and support me, if my grandparents hadn't been able to take  care of me. She and I were really very lucky.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":78,"text":"How many other families have never had that same opportunity? The truth is,  we don't know the answer to that question, but we do know what the answer  should be. Not a single American family should ever have to choose between  the job they need and the child they love.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":79,"text":"A society rooted in responsibility must provide safe streets, safe schools,  and safe neighborhoods. We pursued a strategy of more police, tougher  punishment, smarter prevention with crime-fighting partnerships, with local  law enforcement and citizen groups, where the rubber hits the road.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":80,"text":"I can report to you tonight that it's working. Violent crime is down,  robbery is down, assault is down, burglary is down for five years in a row  all across America. Now, we need to finish the job of putting 100,000 more  police on our streets.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":81,"text":"Again, I ask Congress to pass a juvenile crime bill that provides more  prosecutors and probation officers to crack down on gangs and guns and  drugs and bar violent juveniles from buying guns for life. And I ask you to  dramatically expand our support for after-school programs. I think every  American should know that most juvenile crime is committed between the  hours of 3:00 in the afternoon and 8:00 at night. We can keep so many of  our children out of trouble in the first place if we give them some place  to go other than the streets, and we ought to do it.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":82,"text":"Drug use is on the decline. I thank General McCaffrey for his leadership,  and I thank this Congress for passing the largest anti-drug budget in  history. Now I ask you to join me in a ground-breaking effort to hire a  thousand new Border Patrol agents and to deploy the most sophisticated  available new technologies to help close the door on drugs at our borders.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":83,"text":"Police, prosecutors, and prevention programs, good as they are, they can't  work if our court system doesn't work. Today, there are large numbers of  vacancies in our federal courts. Here is what the chief justice of the  United States wrote: \"Judicial vacancies cannot remain at such high levels  indefinitely without eroding the quality of justice.\"  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":84,"text":"I simply ask the United States Senate to heed this plea and vote on the  highly qualified nominees before you, up or down.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":85,"text":"We must exercise responsibility not just at home but around the world. On  the eve of a new century, we have the power and the duty to build a new era  of peace and security. But make no mistake about it; today's possibilities  are not tomorrow's guarantees. America must stand against the poisoned  appeals of extreme nationalism. We must combat an unholy access of new  threats from terrorists, international criminals and drug traffickers.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":86,"text":"These 21st century predators feed on technology and the free flow of  information and ideas and people, and they will be all the more lethal if  weapons of mass destruction fall into their hands. To meet these  challenges, we are helping to write international rules of the road for the  21st century, protecting those who join the family of nations and isolating  those who do not.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":87,"text":"Within days, I will ask the Senate for its advice and consent to make  Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic the newest members of NATO. For 50  years, NATO contained communism and kept America and Europe secure. Now  these three formerly communist countries have said yes to democracy. I ask  the Senate to say yes to them, our new allies.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":88,"text":"By taking in new members and working closely with new partners, including  Russia and Ukraine, NATO can help to assure that Europe is a stronghold for  peace in the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":89,"text":"Next, I will ask Congress to continue its support for our troops and their  mission in Bosnia. This Christmas, Hillary and I traveled to Sarajevo with  Senator and Mrs. Dole and a bipartisan congressional delegation. We saw  children playing in the streets where, two years ago, they were hiding from  snipers and shells. The shops were filled with food. The cafes were alive  with conversation. The progress there is unmistakable; but it is not yet  irreversible.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":90,"text":"To take firm root, Bosnia's fragile peace still needs the support of  American and allied troops when the current NATO mission ends in June. I  think Senator Dole actually said it best. He said: \"This is like being  ahead in the fourth quarter of a football game; now is not the time to walk  off the field and forfeit the victory.\"  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":91,"text":"I wish all of you could have seen our troops in Tuzla. They're very proud  of what they are doing in Bosnia, and we're all very proud of them. One of  those--one of those brave soldiers is sitting with the first lady tonight:  Army Sergeant Michael Tolbert. His father was a decorated Vietnam vet.  After college in Colorado, he joined the Army. Last year he led an infantry  unit that stopped a mob of extremists from taking over a radio station that  is a voice of democracy and tolerance in Bosnia. Thank you very much,  Sergeant, for what you represent.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":92,"text":"In Bosnia and around the world, our men and women in uniform always do  their mission well. Our mission must be to keep them well-trained and  ready, to improve their quality of life, and to provide the 21st century  weapons they need to defeat any enemy.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":93,"text":"I ask Congress to join me in pursuing an ambitious agenda to reduce the  serious threat of weapons of mass destruction. This year, four decades  after it was first proposed by President Eisenhower, a Comprehensive  Nuclear Test Ban is within reach. By ending nuclear testing, we can help to  prevent the development of new and more dangerous weapons, and make it more  difficult for non-nuclear states to build them.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":94,"text":"I am pleased to announce that four former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of  Staff--Generals John Shalikashvili, Colin Powell and David Jones, and  Admiral William Crowe--have endorsed this treaty, and I ask the Senate to  approve it this year.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":95,"text":"Together we must also confront the new hazards of chemical and biological  weapons, and the outlaw states, terrorists and organized criminals seeking  to acquire them.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":96,"text":"Saddam Hussein has spent the better part of this decade, and much of his  nation's wealth, not on providing for the Iraqi people, but on developing  nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and the missiles to deliver them.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":97,"text":"The United Nations weapons inspectors have done a truly remarkable job,  finding and destroying more of Iraq's arsenal than was destroyed during the  entire gulf war. Now, Saddam Hussein wants to stop them from completing  their mission.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":98,"text":"I know I speak for everyone in this chamber, Republicans and Democrats,  when I say to Saddam Hussein, \"You cannot defy the will of the world,\" and  when I say to him, \"You have used weapons of mass destruction before; we  are determined to deny you the capacity to use them again.\"  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":99,"text":"Last year, the Senate ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention to protect  our soldiers and citizens from poison gas. Now we must act to prevent the  use of disease as a weapon of war and terror. The Biological Weapons  Convention has been in effect for 23 years now. The rules are good, but the  enforcement is weak. We must strengthen it with a new international  inspection system to detect and deter cheating. In the months ahead, I will  pursue our security strategy with old allies in Asia and Europe, and new  partners from Africa to India and Pakistan, from South America to China.  And from Belfast to Korea to the Middle East, America will continue to  stand with those who stand for peace.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":100,"text":"Finally, it's long past time to make good on our debt to the United  Nations.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":101,"text":"More and more we are working with other nations to achieve common goals. If  we want America to lead, we've got to set a good example. As we see--as we  see so clearly in Bosnia, allies who share our goals can also share our  burdens. In this new era, our freedom and independence are actually  enriched, not weakened, by our increasing interdependence with other  nations. But we have to do our part.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":102,"text":"Our founders set America on a permanent course toward a more perfect union.  To all of you, I say, it is a journey we can only make together, living as  one community.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":103,"text":"First, we have to continue to reform our government, the instrument of our  national community. Everyone knows elections have become too expensive,  fueling a fund-raising arms race.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":104,"text":"This year, by March the 6th, at long last the Senate will actually vote on  bipartisan campaign finance reform proposed by senators McCain and  Feingold. Let's be clear; a vote against McCain-Feingold is a vote for soft  money and for the status quo. I ask you to strengthen our democracy and  pass campaign finance reform this year.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":105,"text":"But at least equally important, we have to address the real reason for the  explosion in campaign costs: the high cost of media advertising. I will--  for the folks watching at home, those were the groans of pain in the  audience--I will formally request that the Federal Communications  Commission act to provide free or reduced-cost television time--for  candidates who observe spending limits voluntarily. The airwaves are a  public trust, and broadcasters also have to help us in this effort to  strengthen our democracy.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":106,"text":"Under the leadership of Vice President Gore, we have reduced the federal  payroll by 300,000 workers, cut 16,000 pages of regulation, eliminated  hundreds of programs and improved the operations of virtually every  government agency. But we can do more.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":107,"text":"Like every taxpayer, I'm outraged by the reports of abuses by the IRS. We  need some changes there: new citizen advocacy panels, a stronger taxpayer  advocate, phone lines open 24 hours a day, relief for innocent taxpayers.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":108,"text":"Last year, by an overwhelming bipartisan margin, the House of  Representatives passed sweeping IRS reforms. This bill must not now  languish in the Senate. Tonight, I ask the Senate: Follow the House; pass  the bipartisan package as your first order of business. I hope to goodness  before I finish I can think of something to say 'Follow the Senate' on so  I'll be out of trouble!  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":109,"text":"A nation that lives as a community must value all its communities. For the  past five years, we have worked to bring the spark of private enterprise to  inner city and poor rural areas with community development banks, more  commercial loans into poor neighborhoods, cleanup of polluted sites for  development.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":110,"text":"Under the continued leadership of the vice president, we propose to triple  the number of empowerment zones to give business incentives to invest in  those areas. We should. We should also give poor families more help to move  into homes of their own, and we should use tax cuts to spur the  construction of more low-income housing.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":111,"text":"Last year, this Congress took strong action to help the District of  Columbia. Let us renew our resolve to make our capital city a great city  for all who live and visit here.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":112,"text":"Our cities are the vibrant hubs of great metropolitan areas. They are still  the gateway for new immigrants from every continent who come here to work  for their own American dreams. Let's keep our cities going strong into the  21st Century. They're a very important part of our future.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":113,"text":"Our communities are only as healthy as the air our children breathe, the  water they drink, the Earth they will inherit. Last year we put in place  the toughest-ever controls on smog and soot. We moved to protect  Yellowstone, the Everglades, Lake Tahoe. We expanded every community's  right to know about toxics that threaten their children.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":114,"text":"Just yesterday, our food safety plan took effect, using new science to  protect consumers from dangers like e. coli and salmonella.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":115,"text":"Tonight, I ask you to join me in launching a new Clean Water initiative, a  far-reaching effort to clean our rivers, our lakes and our coastal waters  for our children.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":116,"text":"Our overriding environmental challenge tonight is the worldwide problem of  climate change, global warming, the gathering crisis that requires  worldwide action. The vast majority of scientists have concluded  unequivocally that if we don't reduce the emission of greenhouse gases at  some point in the next century, we'll disrupt our climate and put our  children and grandchildren at risk.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":117,"text":"This past December, America led the world to reach a historic agreement  committing our nation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through market  forces, new technologies, energy efficiency.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":118,"text":"We have it in our power to act right here, right now. I propose $6 billion  in tax cuts, in research and development, to encourage innovation,  renewable energy, fuel-efficient cars, energy-efficient homes. Every time  we have acted to heal our environment, pessimists have told us it would  hurt the economy. Well, today our economy is the strongest in a generation,  and our environment is the cleanest in a generation. We have always found a  way to clean the environment and grow the economy at the same time. And  when it comes to global warming, we'll do it again.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":119,"text":"Finally, community means living by the defining American value, the ideal  heard 'round the world: that we're all created equal. Throughout our  history, we haven't always honored that ideal, and we've never fully lived  up to it. Often it's easier to believe that our differences matter more  than what we have in common. It may be easier, but it's wrong.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":120,"text":"What we have to do in our day and generation to make sure that America  truly becomes one nation, what do we have to do? We're becoming more and  more and more diverse. Do you believe we can become one nation? The answer  cannot be to dwell on our differences, but to build on our shared values.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":121,"text":"And we all cherish family and faith, freedom and responsibility. We all  want our children to grow up in the world where their talents are matched  by their opportunities.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":122,"text":"I've launched this national initiative on race to help us recognize our  common interests and to bridge the opportunity gaps that are keeping us  from becoming one America. Let us begin by recognizing what we still must  overcome.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":123,"text":"Discrimination against any American is un-American. We must vigorously  enforce the laws that make it illegal. I ask your help to end the backlog  at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Sixty thousand of our  fellow citizens are waiting in line for justice, and we should act now to  end their wait.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":124,"text":"We should also recognize that the greatest progress we can make toward  building one America lies in the progress we make for all Americans,  without regard to race. When we open the doors of college to all Americans,  when we rid all our streets of crime, when there are jobs available to  people from all our neighborhoods, when we make sure all parents have the  child care they need, we're helping to build one nation.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":125,"text":"We in this chamber and in this government must do all we can to address the  continuing American challenge to build one America. But we'll only move  forward if all our fellow citizens, including every one of you at home  watching tonight, is also committed to this cause.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":126,"text":"We must work together, learn together, live together, serve together. On  the forge of common enterprise, Americans of all backgrounds can hammer out  a common identity.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":127,"text":"We see it today in the United States military, in the Peace Corps, in  AmeriCorps. Wherever people of all races and backgrounds come together in a  shared endeavor and get a fair chance, we do just fine. With shared values  and meaningful opportunities and honest communications and citizen service,  we can unite a diverse people in freedom and mutual respect. We are many.  We must be one.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":128,"text":"In that spirit, let us lift our eyes to the new millennium. How will we  mark that passage? It just happens once every thousand years. This year,  Hillary and I launched the White House Millennium Program to promote  America's creativity and innovation and to preserve our heritage and  culture into the 21st century. Our culture lives in every community, and  every community has places of historic value that tell our stories as  Americans. We should protect them.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":129,"text":"I am proposing a public-private partnership to advance our arts and  humanities and to celebrate the millennium by saving America's treasures  great and small. And while we honor the past, let us imagine the future.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":130,"text":"Now, think about this. The entire store of human knowledge now doubles  every five years. In the 1980s, scientists identified the gene causing  cystic fibrosis; it took nine years. Last year, scientists located the gene  that causes Parkinson's disease--in only nine days! Within a decade, gene  chips will offer a road map for prevention of illnesses throughout a  lifetime. Soon, we'll be able to carry all the phone calls on Mother's Day  on a single strand of fiber the width of a human hair. A child born in 1998  may well live to see the 22nd century.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":131,"text":"Tonight, as part of our gift to the millennium, I propose a 21st Century  research fund for pathbreaking scientific inquiry, the largest funding  increase in history for the National Institutes of Health, the National  Science Foundation, and the National Cancer Institute. We have already  discovered we have already discovered genes for breast cancer and diabetes.  I ask you to support this initiative so ours will be the generation that  finally wins the war against cancer and begins a revolution in our fight  against all deadly diseases.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":132,"text":"As important as all this scientific progress is, we must continue to see  that science serves humanity, not the other way around. We must prevent the  misuse of genetic tests to discriminate against any American, and we must  ratify the ethical consensus of the scientific and religious communities,  and ban the cloning of human beings.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":133,"text":"We should enable all the world's people to explore the far reaches of  cyberspace. Think of this: the first time I made a State of the Union  speech to you, only a handful of physicists used the World Wide Web--  literally just a handful of people.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":134,"text":"Now in schools and libraries, homes and businesses, millions and millions  of Americans surf the Net every day.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":135,"text":"We must give parents the tools they need to help protect their children  from inappropriate material on the Net, but we also must make sure that we  protect the exploding, global commercial potential of the Internet. We can  do the kinds of things that we need to do and still protect our kids. For  one thing, I ask Congress to step up support for building the next  generation Internet. It's getting kind of clogged, you know. And the next  generation Internet will operate at speeds up to a thousand times faster  than today.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":136,"text":"Even as we explore this inner space, in the new millennium we're going to  open new frontiers in outer space.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":137,"text":"Throughout all history, human kind has had only one place to call home: our  planet Earth. Beginning this year, 1998, men and women from 16 countries  will build a foothold in the heavens--the International Space Station. With  its vast expanses, scientists and engineers will actually set sail on an  uncharted sea of limitless mystery and unlimited potential.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":138,"text":"And this October, a true American hero, a veteran pilot of 149 combat  missions and one five-hour space flight that changed the world, will return  to the heavens. Godspeed, John Glenn!  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":139,"text":"John, you will carry with you America's hopes, and on your uniform once  again you will carry America's flag, marking the unbroken connection  between the deeds of America's past and the daring of America's future.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":140,"text":"Nearly 200 years ago, a tattered flag, its broad stripes and bright stars  still gleaming through the smoke of a fierce battle, moved Francis Scott  Key to scribble a few words on the back of an envelope, the words that  became our National Anthem. Today, that Star-Spangled Banner, along with  the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,  are on display just a short walk from here. They are America's treasures.  And we must also save them for the ages.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":141,"text":"I ask all Americans to support our project to restore all our treasures so  that the generations of the 21st century can see for themselves the images  and the words that are the old and continuing glory of America, an America  that has continued to rise through every age against every challenge, a  people of great works and greater possibilities, who have always, always  found the wisdom and strength to come together as one nation, to widen the  circle of opportunity, to deepen the meaning of our freedom, to form that  more perfect union.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":142,"text":"Let that be our gift to the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1998","paragraph":143,"text":"God bless you, and God bless the United States.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, honored guests, my  fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":2,"text":"Tonight I have the honor of reporting to you on the State of the Union.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":3,"text":"Let me begin by saluting the new speaker of the House and thanking him  especially tonight for extending an invitation to two guests sitting in the  gallery with Mrs. Hastert. Lyn Gibson and Wei Ling Chestnut are the widows  of the two brave Capitol Hill police officers who gave their lives to  defend freedom's house.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":4,"text":"Mr. Speaker, at your swearing in you asked us all to work together in a  spirit of civility and bipartisanship. Mr. Speaker, let's do exactly that.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":5,"text":"Tonight, I stand before you to report that America has created the longest  peacetime economic expansion in our history. With nearly 18 million new  jobs, wages rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, the highest  homeownership in history, the smallest welfare roles in 30 years, and the  lowest peacetime unemployment since 1957.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":6,"text":"For the first time in three decades, the budget is balanced. From a deficit  of $290 billion in 1992, we had a surplus of $70 billion last year. And  now, we are on course for budget surpluses for the next 25 years.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":7,"text":"Thanks to the pioneering leadership of all of you, we have the lowest  violent crime rate in a quarter century and the cleanest environment in a  quarter century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":8,"text":"America is a strong force for peace--from Northern Ireland to Bosnia to  the Middle East.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":9,"text":"Thanks to the leadership of Vice President Gore, we have a government for  the Information Age, once again a government that is a progressive  instrument of the common good, rooted in our oldest values of opportunity,  responsibility and community, devoted to fiscal responsibility, determined  to give our people the tools they need to make the most of their own lives  in the 21st century, a 21st century government for 21st century America.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":10,"text":"My fellow Americans, I stand before you tonight to report that the state of  our union is strong. Now, America is working again. The promise of our  future is limitless. But we cannot realize that promise if we allow the hum  of our prosperity to lull us into complacency. How we fare as a nation far  into the 21st century depends upon what we do as a nation today.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":11,"text":"So, with our budget surplus growing, our economy expanding, our confidence  rising, now is the moment for this generation to meet our historic  responsibility to the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":12,"text":"Our fiscal discipline gives us an unsurpassed opportunity to address a  remarkable new challenge, the aging of America. With the number of elderly  Americans set to double by 2030, the baby boom will become a senior boom.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":13,"text":"So first and above all, we must save Social Security for the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":14,"text":"Early in this century, being old meant being poor. When President Roosevelt  created Social Security, thousands wrote to thank him for eliminating what  one woman called \"the stark terror of penniless, helpless old age.\" Even  today, without Social Security, half our nation's elderly would be forced  into poverty.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":15,"text":"Today, Social Security is strong, but by 2013, payroll taxes will no longer  be sufficient to cover monthly payments. By 2032, the trust fund will be  exhausted and Social Security will be unable to pay the full benefits older  Americans have been promised.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":16,"text":"The best way to keep Social Security a rock solid guarantee is not to make  drastic cuts in benefits; not to raise payroll tax rates; not to drain  resources from Social Security in the name of saving it. Instead, I propose  that we make the historic decision to invest the surplus to save Social  Security.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":17,"text":"Specifically, I propose that we commit 60 percent of the budget surplus for  the next 15 years to Social Security, investing a small portion in the  private sector just as any private or state government pension would do.  This will earn a higher return and keep Social Security sound for 55  years.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":18,"text":"But we must aim higher. We should put Social Security on a sound footing  for the next 75 years. We should reduce poverty among elderly women, who  are nearly twice as likely to be poor as are other seniors. And we should  eliminate the limits on what seniors on Social Security can earn.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":19,"text":"Now, these changes will require difficult, but fully achievable choices  over and above the dedication of the surplus. They must be made on a  bipartisan basis. They should be made this year. So let me say to you  tonight, I reach out my hand to all of you in both houses in both parties  and ask that we join together in saying to the American people, we will  save Social Security now.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":20,"text":"Now, last year, we wisely reserved all of the surplus until we knew what it  would take to save Social Security. Again, I say, we shouldn't spend any of  it, not any of it, until after Social Security is truly saved. First  thing's first.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":21,"text":"Second, once we have saved Social Security, we must fulfill our obligation  to save and improve Medicare. Already we have extended the life of the  Medicare trust fund by 10 years, but we should extend it for at least  another decade. Tonight, I propose that we use one out of every six dollars  in the surplus for the next 15 years to guarantee the soundness of Medicare  until the year 2020.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":22,"text":"But, again--but, again, we should aim higher. We must be willing to work  in a bipartisan way and look at new ideas, including the upcoming report of  the Bipartisan Medicare Commission. If we work together, we can secure  Medicare for the next two decades and cover the greatest growing need of  seniors--affordable prescription drugs.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":23,"text":"Third, we must help all Americans from their first day on the job to save,  to invest, to create wealth.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":24,"text":"From its beginnings, Americans have supplemented Social Security with  private pensions and savings. Yet today millions of people retire with  little to live on other than Social Security. Americans living longer than  ever simply must save more than ever.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":25,"text":"Therefore, in addition to saving Social Security and Medicare, I propose a  new pension initiative for retirement security in the 21st century. I  propose that we use a little over 11 percent of the surplus to establish  universal savings accounts--USA accounts--to give all Americans the means  to save.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":26,"text":"With these new accounts, Americans can invest as they choose and receive  funds to match a portion of their savings with extra help for those least  able to save. USA accounts will help all Americans to share in our nation's  wealth and to enjoy a more secure retirement. I ask you to support them.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":27,"text":"Fourth, we must invest in long-term care.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":28,"text":"I propose a tax credit of $1,000 for the aged, ailing or disabled and the  families who care for them. Long-term care will become a bigger and bigger  challenge with the aging of America--and we must do more to help our  families deal with it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":29,"text":"I was born in 1946, the first year of the baby boom. I can tell you that  one of the greatest concerns of our generation is our absolute  determination not to let our growing old place an intolerable burden on our  children and their ability to raise our grandchildren.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":30,"text":"Our economic success and our fiscal discipline now give us the opportunity  to lift that burden from their shoulders, and we should take it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":31,"text":"Saving Social Security, Medicare, creating U.S. accounts, this is the right  way to use the surplus. If we do so, if we do so, we will still have  resources to meet critical needs and education and defense.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":32,"text":"And I want to point out that this proposal is fiscally sound. Listen to  this, if we set aside 60 percent of the surplus for Social Security and 16  percent for Medicare over the next 15 years, that savings will achieve the  lowest level of publicly-held debt since right before World War I in 1917.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":33,"text":"So with these four measures; saving Social Security, strengthening  Medicare, establishing the USA accounts, supporting long-term care, we can  begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to establish true  security for 21st century seniors.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":34,"text":"Now, there are more children, from more diverse backgrounds, in our public  schools that any time in our history. Their education must provide the  knowledge and nurture the creativity that will allow our entire nation to  thrive in the new economy.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":35,"text":"Today we can say something we couldn't say six years ago. With tax credits  and more affordable student loans, with more work-study grants and more  Pell Grants, with education IRAs, the new HOPE Scholarship tax cut that  more than five million Americans will receive this year, we have finally  opened the doors of college to all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":36,"text":"With our support, nearly every state has set higher academic standards for  public schools and a voluntary national test is being developed to measure  the progress of our students. With over $1 billion in discounts available  this year, we are well on our way to our goal of connecting every classroom  and library to the Internet.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":37,"text":"Last fall, you passed our proposal to start hiring 100,000 new teachers to  reduce class size in the early grades. Now I ask you to finish the job.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":38,"text":"You know our children are doing better. SAT scores are up. Math scores have  risen in nearly all grades. But there's a problem. While our fourth-graders  out performed their peers in other countries in math and science, our  eighth-graders are around average, and our 12th-graders rank near the  bottom. We must do better.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":39,"text":"Now each year the national government invests more than $15 billion in our  public schools. I believe we must change the way we invest that money to  support what works and to stop supporting what does not work.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":40,"text":"First, later this year I will send to Congress a plan that for the first  time holds states and school districts accountable for progress and rewards  them for results. My Education Accountability Act will require every school  district receiving federal help to take the following five steps:  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":41,"text":"First, all schools must end social promotion.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":42,"text":"Now, no child, no child should graduate from high school with a diploma he  or she can't read. We do our children no favors when we allow them to pass  from grade to grade without mastering the material. But we can't just hold  students back because the system fails them.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":43,"text":"So my balanced budget triples the funding for summer school and  after-school programs to keep a million children learning. Now, if--if you  doubt this will work, just look at Chicago, which ended social promotion  and made summer school mandatory for those who don't master the basics.  Math and reading scores are up three years running with some of the biggest  gains in some of the poorest neighborhoods. It will work, and we should do  it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":44,"text":"Second, all states and school districts must turn around their worst  performing schools or shut them down. That's the policy established in  North Carolina by Governor Jim Hunt. North Carolina made the biggest gains  in test scores in the nation last year. Our budget includes $200 million to  help states turn around their own failing schools.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":45,"text":"Third, all states and school districts must be held responsible for the  quality of their teachers. The great majority of our teachers do a fine  job, but in too many schools teachers don't have college majors or even  minors in the subjects they teach. New teachers should be required to pass  performance exams, and all teachers should know the subject their  teaching.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":46,"text":"This year's balanced budget contains resources to help them reach higher  standards. And to attract talented young teachers to the toughest  assignments, I recommend a six-fold increase in our program for college  scholarships for students who commit to teach in the inner-cities and  isolated rural areas and in Indian communities. Let us bring excellence to  every part of America.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":47,"text":"Fourth, we must empower parents with more information and more choices. In  too many communities it's easier to get information on the quality of the  local restaurants than on the quality of the local schools.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":48,"text":"Every school district should issue report cards on every school. And  parents should be given more choices in selecting their public schools.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":49,"text":"When I became president, there was just one independent public charter  school in all America. With our support on a bipartisan basis, today there  are 1,100. My budget assures that early in the next century, there will be  3,000.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":50,"text":"Fifth, to assure that our classrooms are truly places of learning, and to  respond to what teachers have been asking us to do for years, we should say  that all states and school districts must both adopt and implement sensible  discipline policies.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":51,"text":"Now let's do one more thing for our children. Today, too many schools are  so old they're falling apart, or so overcrowded students are learning in  trailers. Last fall, Congress missed the opportunity to change that. This  year, with 53 million children in our schools, Congress must not miss that  opportunity again. I ask you to help our communities build or modernize  5,000 schools.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":52,"text":"If we do these things--end social promotion, turn around failing schools,  build modern ones, support qualified teachers, promote innovation,  competition and discipline--then we will begin to meet our generation's  historic responsibility to create to 21st century schools.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":53,"text":"Now, we also have to do more to support the millions of parents who give  their all every day at home and at work.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":54,"text":"The most basic tool of all is a decent income. So let's raise the minimum  wage by a dollar an hour over the next two years.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":55,"text":"And let's make sure that women and men get equal pay for equal work by  strengthening enforcement of the equal pay laws.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":56,"text":"That was encouraging, you know? There was more balance on the seesaw. I  like that. Let's give them a hand. That's great.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":57,"text":"Working parents also need quality child care. So, again this year, I ask  Congress to support our plan for tax credits and subsidies for working  families, for improved safety and quality, for expanded after-school  program. And our plan also includes a new tax credit for stay-at-home  parents, too. They need support as well.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":58,"text":"Parents should never have to worry about choosing between their children  and their work. Now, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the very first bill  I signed into law, has now, since 1993, helped millions and millions of  Americans to care for a newborn baby or an ailing relative without risking  their jobs. I think it's time, with all of the evidence that it has been so  little burdensome to employers, to extend family leave to 10 million more  Americans working for smaller companies, and I hope you will support it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":59,"text":"Finally, on the matter of work, parents should never have to face  discrimination in the workplace. So I want to ask Congress to prohibit  companies from refusing to hire or promote workers simply because they have  children. That is not right.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":60,"text":"America's families deserve the world's best medical care. Thanks to  bipartisan federal support for medical research, we are not on the verge of  new treatments to prevent or delay diseases from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's  to arthritis to cancer. But as we continue our advances in medical science,  we can't let our medical system lag behind.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":61,"text":"Managed care has literally transformed medicine in America, driving down  costs, but threatening to drive down quality as well.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":62,"text":"I think we ought to say to every American, you should have the right to  know all you medical options, not just the cheapest. If you need a  specialist, you should have a right to see one. You have a right to the  nearest emergency care if you're in an accident. These are things that we  ought to say. And I think we ought to say you should have a right to keep  your doctor during a period of treatment whether it's a pregnancy or a  chemotherapy treatment or anything else. I believe this.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":63,"text":"Now I've ordered these rights to be extended to the 85 million Americans  served by Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs. But only  Congress can pass a Patients' Bill of Rights for all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":64,"text":"Last year, Congress missed that opportunity, and we must not miss that  opportunity again. For the sake of our families, I ask us to join together  across party lines and pass a strong enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":65,"text":"As more of our medical records are stored electronically, the threats to  all of our privacy increase. Because Congress has given me the authority to  act if it does not do so by August, one way or another, we can all say to  the American people, we will protect the privacy of medical records this  year.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":66,"text":"Now, two years ago, we acted to extend health coverage to up to five  million children. Now we should go beyond that. We should make it easier  for small businesses to offer health insurance. We should give people  between the ages of 55 and 65 who lose their health insurance the chance to  buy into Medicare.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":67,"text":"And we should continue to ensure access to family planning. No one should  have to choose between keeping health care and taking a job. And therefore,  I especially ask you tonight to join hands to pass the landmark bipartisan  legislation proposed by Sens. Kennedy and Jeffords, Roth and Moynihan, to  allow people with disabilities to keep their health insurance when they go  to work.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":68,"text":"We need to enable our public hospitals, our community, our university  health centers to provide basic, affordable care for all the millions of  working families who don't have any insurance. They do a lot of that today,  but much more can be done. And my balanced budget makes a good down payment  toward that goal. I hope you will think about them and support that  provision.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":69,"text":"Let me say we must step up our efforts to treat and prevent mental illness.  No American should ever be able--afraid ever to address this disease. This  year we will host a White House Conference on Mental Health. With  sensitivity, commitment and passion, Tipper Gore is leading our efforts  here, and I'd like to thank her for what she's done. Thank you. Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":70,"text":"As everyone knows, our children are targets of a massive media campaign to  hook them on cigarettes. Now, I ask this Congress to resist the tobacco  lobby, to reaffirm the FDA's authority to protect our children from tobacco  and to hold tobacco companies accountable, while protecting tobacco  farmers.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":71,"text":"Smoking has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars under Medicare  and other programs. You know, the states have been right about this.  Taxpayers shouldn't pay for the cost of lung cancer, emphysema, and other  smoking-related illnesses, the tobacco companies should.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":72,"text":"So tonight I announce that the Justice Department is preparing a litigation  plan to take the tobacco companies to court and with the funds we recover  to strengthen Medicare.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":73,"text":"Now, if we act in these areas--minimum wage, family leave, child care,  health care, the safety of our children--then we will begin to meet our  generation's historic responsibilities to strengthen our families for the  21st century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":74,"text":"Today, America is the most dynamic, competitive, job-creating economy in  history, but we can do even better in building a 21st century economy that  embraces all Americans.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":75,"text":"Today's income gap is largely a skills gap. Last year, the Congress passed  a law enabling workers to get a skills grant to choose the training they  need. And I applaud all of you here who were part of that.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":76,"text":"This year, I recommend a five-year commitment to the new system, so that we  can provide over the next five years appropriate training opportunities for  all Americans who lose their jobs and expand rapid response teams to help  all towns which have been really hurt when businesses close. I hope you  will support this.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":77,"text":"Also, I ask your support for a dramatic increase in federal support for  adult literacy to mount a national campaign aimed at helping the millions  and millions of working people who still read at less than a fifth-grade  level. We need to do this.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":78,"text":"Here's some good news. In the past six years, we have cut the welfare rolls  nearly in half.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":79,"text":"Two years ago, from this podium, I asked five companies to lead a national  effort to hire people off welfare. Tonight our welfare-to-work partnership  includes 10,000 companies who have hired hundreds of thousands of people,  and our balanced budget will help another 200,000 people move to the  dignity and pride of work. I hope you will support it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":80,"text":"We must bring the spark of private enterprise to every corner of America,  to build a bridge from Wall Street to Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta,  to our Native American communities, with more support for community  development banks for empowerment zones, for 100,000 more vouchers for  affordable housing.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":81,"text":"And I ask Congress to support our bold new plan to help businesses raise up  to $15 billion in private sector capital, to bring jobs and opportunities  and inner cities, rural areas, with tax credits, loan guarantees, including  the new American Private Investment Companies, modeled on the Overseas  Private Investment Companies.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":82,"text":"Now, for years and years we've had this OPIC, this Overseas Private  Investment Corporation, because we knew we had untapped markets overseas.  But our greatest untapped markets are not overseas--they are right here at  home. And we should go after them.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":83,"text":"We must work hard to help bring prosperity back to the family farm.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":84,"text":"As this Congress knows very well, dropping prices and the loss of foreign  markets have devastated too many family farmers. Last year, the Congress  provided substantial assistance to help stave off a disaster in American  agriculture, and I am ready to work with lawmakers of both parties to  create a farm safety net that will include crop insurance reform and farm  income assistance.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":85,"text":"I ask you to join with me and do this. This should not be a political  issue. Everyone knows what an economic problem is going on out there in  rural America today, and we need an appropriate means to address it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":86,"text":"We must strengthen our lead in technology. It was government investment  that led to the creation of the Internet. I propose a 28-percent increase  in long-term computing research.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":87,"text":"We also must be ready for the 21st century from its very first moment by  solving the so-called Y2K computer problem. We had one member of Congress  stand up and applaud. And we may have about that ration out there  applauding at home in front of their television sets. But remember, this is  a big, big problem, and we've been working hard on it. Already we've made  sure that the Social Security checks will come on time.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":88,"text":"But I want all the folks at home listening to this to know that we need  every state and local government, every business large and small to work  with us to make sure that this Y2K computer bug will be remembered as the  last headache of the 20th century, not the first crisis of the 21st.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":89,"text":"For our own prosperity, we must support economic growth abroad. You know,  until recently a third of our economic growth came from exports. But over  the past year and a half, financial turmoil has put that growth at risk.  Today, much of the world is in recession, with Asia hit especially hard.  This is the most serious financial crisis in half a century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":90,"text":"To meet it, the U.S. and other nations have reduced interest rates and  strengthened the International Monetary Fund and while the turmoil is not  over, we have worked very hard with other nations to contain it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":91,"text":"At the same time, we will continue to work on the long-term project:  building a global financial system for the 21st century that promotes  prosperity and tames the cycle of boom and bust that has engulfed so much  of Asia. This June, I will meet with other world leaders to advance this  historic purpose and I ask all of you to support our endeavors. I also ask  you to support creating a freer and fairer trading system for 21st century  America.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":92,"text":"You know, I'd like to say something really serious to everyone in this  chamber in both parties. I think trade has divided us and divided Americans  outside this chamber for too long. Somehow, we have to find a common ground  on which business and workers and environmentalists and farmers and  government can stand together. I believe these are the things we ought to  all agree on. So, let me try.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":93,"text":"First, we ought to tear down barriers, open markets and expand trade, but  at the same time, we must ensure that ordinary citizens in all countries  actually benefit from trade; a trade that promotes the dignity of work and  the rights of workers and protects the environment.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":94,"text":"We must insist that international trade organizations be open to public  scrutiny instead of mysterious, secret things subject to wild criticism.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":95,"text":"When you come right down to it, now that the world economy is becoming more  and more integrated, we have to do in the world what we spent the better  part of this century doing here at home. We have got to put a human face on  the global economy.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":96,"text":"Now, we must enforce our trade laws when imports unlawfully flood our  nation. I have already informed the government of Japan if that nation's  sudden surge of steel imports into our country is not reversed, America  will respond.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":97,"text":"We must help all manufacturers hit hard by the present crisis with loan  guarantees, and other incentives to increase American exports by nearly $2  billion. I'd like to believe we can achieve a new consensus on trade based  on these principles. And I ask the Congress to join me again in this common  approach and to give the president the trade authority long used and now  overdue and necessary to advance our prosperity in the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":98,"text":"Tonight, I issue a call to the nations of the world to join the United  States in a new round of global trade negotiation to expand exports of  services, manufactures and farm products.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":99,"text":"Tonight, I say, we will work with the International Labor Organization on a  new initiative to raise labor standards around the world. And this year, we  will lead the international community to conclude a treaty to ban abusive  child labor everywhere in the world.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":100,"text":"If we do these things--invest in our people, our communities, our  technology--and lead in the global economy, then we will begin to meet our  historic responsibility to build a 21st century prosperity for America.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":101,"text":"You know, no nation in history has had the opportunity and the  responsibility we now have to shape a world that is more peaceful, more  secure, more free.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":102,"text":"All Americans can be proud that our leadership helped to bring peace in  Northern Ireland.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":103,"text":"All Americans can be proud that our leadership has put Bosnia on the path  to peace. And with our NATO allies we are pressing the Serbian government  to stop its brutal repression in Kosovo--to bring those responsible to  justice and to give the people of Kosovo the self-government they deserve.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":104,"text":"All Americans can be proud that our leadership renewed hope for lasting  peace in the Middle East. Some of you were with me last December as we  watched the Palestinian National Council completely renounce its call for  the destruction of Israel.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":105,"text":"Now, I ask Congress to provide resources so that all parties can implement  the Wye Agreement, to protect Israel's security, to stimulate the  Palestinian economy, to support our friends in Jordan. We must not, we dare  not, let them down. I hope you will help me.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":106,"text":"As we work for peace, we must also meet threats to our nation's security,  including increased danger from outlaw nations and terrorism.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":107,"text":"We will defend our security wherever we are threatened, as we did this  summer when we struck at Osama bin Laden's network of terror. The bombing  of our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania reminds us again of the risks faced  every day by those who represent America to the world. So let's give them  the support they need, the safest possible workplaces, and the resources  they must have so America can continue to lead.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":108,"text":"We must work to keep terrorists from disrupting computer networks. We must  work to prepare local communities for biological and chemical emergencies,  to support research into vaccines and treatments. We must increase our  efforts to restrain the spread of nuclear weapons and missiles, from Korea  to India and Pakistan. We must expand our work with Russia, Ukraine and  other former Soviet nations to safeguard nuclear materials and technology  so they never fall into the wrong hands. Our balanced budget will increase  funding for these critical efforts by almost two-thirds over the next five  years.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":109,"text":"With Russia we must continue to reduce our nuclear arsenals. The START II  Treaty and the framework we have already agreed to for START III could cut  them by 80 percent from their Cold War height.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":110,"text":"It's been two years since I signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. If we  don't do the right thing, other nations won't either. I ask the Senate to  take this vital step, approve the treaty now to make it harder for other  nations to develop nuclear arms, and to make sure we can end nuclear  testing for ever.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":111,"text":"For nearly a decade, Iraq has defied its obligations to destroy its weapons  of terror and the missiles to deliver them.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":112,"text":"America will continue to contain [Iraqi President] Saddam [Hussein] and we  will work for the day when Iraq has a government worthy of its people. Now,  last month, in our action over Iraq, our troops were superb. Their mission  was so flawlessly executed, that we risk taking for granted the bravery and  skill it required. Captain Jeff Taliaferro, a 10-year Air Force veteran of  the Air Force, flew a B-1B bomber over Iraq as we attacked Saddam's war  machine. He is here with us tonight. I would like to ask you to honor him  and all the 33,000 men and women of Operation Desert Fox.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":113,"text":"It is time to reverse the decline in defense spending that began in 1985.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":114,"text":"Since April, together we have added nearly $6 billion to maintain our  military readiness. My balanced budget calls for a sustained increase over  the next six years for readiness, for modernization, and for pay and  benefits for our troops and their families.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":115,"text":"You know, we are the heirs of a legacy of bravery represented in every  community in America by millions of our veterans. America's defenders today  still stand ready at a moments notice to go where comforts are few and  dangers are many, to do what needs to be done as no one else can. They  always come through for America. We must come through for them.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":116,"text":"The new century demands new partnerships for peace and security. The United  Nations plays a crucial role, with allies sharing burdens America might  otherwise bear alone. America needs a strong and effective U.N. I want to  work with this new Congress to pay our dues and our debts.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":117,"text":"We must continue to support security and stability in Europe and Asia--  expanding NATO and defining its new missions, maintaining our alliance with  Japan, with Korea, with our other Asian allies, and engaging China.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":118,"text":"In China last year, I said to the leaders and the people what I'd like to  say again tonight: Stability can no longer be bought at the expense of  liberty.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":119,"text":"But I'd also like to say again to the American people, it's important not  to isolate China. The more we bring China into the world, the more the  world will bring change and freedom to China.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":120,"text":"Last spring, with some of you, I traveled to Africa, where I saw democracy  and reform rising, but still held back by violence and disease. We must  fortify African democracy and peace by launching radio democracy for  Africa, supporting the transition to democracy now beginning to take place  in Nigeria, and passing the African Trade and Development Act.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":121,"text":"We must continue to deepen our ties to the Americas and the Caribbean, our  common work to educate children, fight drugs, strengthen democracy and  increase trade. In this hemisphere, every government but one is freely  chosen by its people. We are determined that Cuba, too, will know the  blessings of liberty.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":122,"text":"The American people have opened their arms and their hearts and their arms  to our Central American and Caribbean neighbors who have been so devastated  by the recent hurricanes. Working with Congress, I am committed to help  them rebuild.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":123,"text":"When the first lady and Tipper Gore visited the region, they saw thousands  of our troops and thousands of American volunteers. In the Dominican  Republic, Hillary helped to rededicate a hospital that had been rebuilt by  Dominicans and Americans working side by side. With her was some one else  who has been very important to the relief efforts. You know sports records  are made and sooner or later, they're broken. But making other people's  lives better and showing our children the true meaning of brotherhood, that  lasts forever. So for far more than baseball, Sammy Sosa, you're a hero in  two countries tonight. Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":124,"text":"So I say to all of you, if we do these things, if we pursue peace, fight  terrorism, increase our strength, renew our alliances, we will begin to  meet our generation's historic responsibility to build a stronger 21st  century America in a freer, more peaceful world.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":125,"text":"As the world has changed, so have our own communities. We must make the  safer, more livable, and more united. This year, we will reach our goal of  100,000 community police officers ahead of schedule and under budget.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":126,"text":"The Brady Bill has stopped a quarter million felons, fugitives, and  stalkers from buying handguns and now, the murder rate is the lowest in 30  years, and the crime rate has dropped for six straight years.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":127,"text":"Tonight, I propose a 21st Century Crime Bill to deploy the latest  technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer. Our balanced  budget will help put up to 50,000 more police on the street in the areas  hardest hit by crime, and then to equip them with new tools from  crime-mapping computers to digital mug shots. We must break the deadly  cycle of drugs and crime.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":128,"text":"Our budget expands support for drug testing and treatment, saying to  prisoners, \"If you stay on drugs, you have to stay behind bars.\" And to  those on parole, \"If you want to keep your freedom, you must stay free of  drugs.\"  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":129,"text":"I ask Congress to restore the five-day waiting period for buying a handgun  and extend the Brady Bill to prevent juveniles who commit violent crimes  from buying a gun.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":130,"text":"We must do more to keep our schools the safest places in our communities.  Last year, every American was horrified and heartbroken by the tragic  killings in Jonesboro, Paducah, Pearl, Edinboro, Springfield. We were  deeply moved by the courageous parents now working to keep guns out of the  hands of children and to make other efforts so that other parents don't  have to live through their loss.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":131,"text":"After she lost her daughter, Suzann Wilson of Jonesboro, Arkansas, came  here to the White House with a powerful plea. She said \"Please, please for  the sake of your children, lock up your guns. Don't let what happened in  Jonesboro, happen in your town.\"  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":132,"text":"It's a message she is passionately advocating every day. Suzann is here  with us tonight, with the first lady. I would like to thank her for her  courage and her commitment.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":133,"text":"In memory of all the children who lost their lives to school violence, I  ask you to strengthen the Safe And Drug Free School Act, to pass  legislation to require child trigger locks, to do everything possible to  keep our children safe.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":134,"text":"Today, we're--excuse me--a century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt  defined our great central task as leaving this land even a better land for  our descendants than it is for us. Today, we're restoring the Florida  Everglades, saving Yellowstone, preserving the red rock canyons of Utah,  protecting California's redwoods, and our precious coasts.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":135,"text":"But our most fateful new challenge is the threat of global warming.  Nineteen ninety-eight was the warmest year ever recorded. Last year's heat  waves, floods and storm are but a hint of what future generations may  endure if we do not act now.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":136,"text":"Tonight, I propose a new clean air fund to help communities reduce  greenhouse and other pollutions, and tax incentives and investment to spur  clean energy technologies. And I want to work with members of Congress in  both parties to reward companies that take early, voluntary action to  reduce greenhouse gases.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":137,"text":"Now, all our communities face a preservation challenge as they grow, and  green space shrinks. Seven thousand acres of farmland and open space are  lost every day. In response, I propose two major initiatives. First, a $1  billion livability agenda to help communities save open space, ease traffic  congestion, and grow in ways that enhance every citizen's quality of life.  And second, a $1 billion lands legacy initiative to preserve places of  natural beauty all across America, from the most remote wilderness to the  nearest city park.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":138,"text":"These are truly landmark initiatives, which could not have been developed  without the visionary leadership of the vice president and I want to thank  him very much for his commitment here. Thank you.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":139,"text":"Now, to get the most out of your community, you have to give something  back. That's why we created AmeriCorps, our national service program that  gives today's generation a chance to serve their communities and earn money  for college.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":140,"text":"So far, in just four years, 100,000 young Americans have built low-income  homes with Habitat for Humanity, helped tutor children with churches, work  with FEMA to ease the burden of natural disasters and performed countless  other acts of service that has made America better. I ask Congress to give  more young Americans the chance to follow their lead and serve America in  AmeriCorps.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":141,"text":"Now, we must work to renew our national community as well for the 21st  century. Last year, the House passed the bipartisan campaign finance reform  legislation sponsored by Representatives [Christopher] Shays (R-Conn.) and  [Martin T.] Meehan (D-Mass.) and Sens. [John] McCain (R-Ariz.) and  [Russell] Feingold (D-Wis.). But a partisan minority in the Senate blocked  reform. So I would like to say to the House, pass it again--quickly.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":142,"text":"And I'd like to say to the Senate, I hope you will say yes to a stronger  American democracy in the year 2000.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":143,"text":"Since 1997, our Initiative on Race has sought to bridge the divides between  and among our people. In its report last fall, the Initiatives Advisory  Board found that Americans really do want to bring our people together  across racial lines.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":144,"text":"We know it's been a long journey. For some it goes back to before the  beginning of our republic. For others, back since the Civil War; for  others, throughout the 21st century. But for most of us alive today, in a  very real sense this journey began 43 years ago, when a woman named Rosa  Parks sat down on a bus in Alabama and wouldn't get up.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":145,"text":"She's sitting down with the first lady tonight, and she may get up or not  as she chooses.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":146,"text":"We know that our continuing racial problems are aggravated, as the  presidential initiative said, by opportunity gaps.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":147,"text":"The initiative I've outlined tonight will help to close them. But we know  that the discrimination gap has not been fully closed either.  Discrimination or violence because of race or religion, ancestry or gender,  disability or sexual orientation, is wrong and it ought to be illegal.  Therefore, I ask Congress to make the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and  the Hate Crimes Prevention Act the law of the land.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":148,"text":"You know, now since every person in America counts, every American ought to  be counted. We need a census that uses modern scientific methods to do  that.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":149,"text":"Our new immigrants must be part of our one America. After all, they're  revitalizing our cities, they're energizing our culture, they're building  up our economy. We have a responsibility to make them welcome here, and  they have a responsibility to enter the mainstream of American life.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":150,"text":"That means learning English and learning about our democratic system of  government. There are now long waiting lines of immigrants that are trying  to do just that.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":151,"text":"Therefore, our budget significantly expands our efforts to help them meet  their responsibility. I hope you will support it.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":152,"text":"Whether our ancestors came here on the Mayflower, on slave ships; whether  they came to Ellis Island or LAX in Los Angeles; whether they came  yesterday or walked this land 1,000 years ago, our great challenge for the  21st century is to find a way to be one America. We can meet all the other  challenges if we can go forward as one America.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":153,"text":"You know, barely more than 300 days from now we will cross that bridge into  the new millennium. This is a moment, as the first lady has said, to honor  the past and imagine the future.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":154,"text":"I'd like to take just a minute to honor her, for leading our Millennium  Project, for all she's done for our children. For all she has done in her  historic role to serve our nation and our best ideals at home and abroad, I  honor her.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":155,"text":"Last year--last year I called on Congress and every citizen to mark the  millennium by saving America's treasures. Hillary's traveled all across the  country to inspire recognition and support for saving places like Thomas  Edison's invention factory or Harriet Tubman's home.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":156,"text":"Now we have to preserve our treasures in every community. And tonight,  before I close, I want to invite every town, every city, every community to  become a nationally recognized millennium community by launching projects  that save our history, promote our arts and humanities, prepare our  children for the 21st century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":157,"text":"Already the response has been remarkable. And I want to say a special word  of thanks to our private sector partners and to members in Congress of both  parties for their support. Just one example. Because of you, the Star  Spangled Banner will be preserved for the ages.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":158,"text":"In ways large and small, as we look to the millennium, we are keeping alive  what George Washington called the \"sacred fire of liberty.\"  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":159,"text":"Six years ago, I came to office in a time of doubt for America, with our  economy troubled, our deficit high, our people divided. Some even wondered  whether our best days were behind us. But across this nation, in a thousand  neighborhoods, I have seen, even amidst the pain and uncertainty of  recession, the real heart and character of America.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":160,"text":"I knew then we Americans could renew this country.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":161,"text":"Tonight, as I deliver the last State of the Union Address for the 20th  century, no one anywhere in the world can doubt the enduring resolve and  boundless capacity of the American people to work toward that \"more perfect  union\" of our founders' dreams.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":162,"text":"We are now, at the end of a century, when generation after generation of  Americans answered the call to greatness, overcoming Depression, lifting up  the dispossessed, bringing down barriers to racial prejudice, building the  largest middle class in history, winning two world wars and the \"long  twilight struggle\" of the Cold War.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":163,"text":"We must all be profoundly grateful for the magnificent achievements of our  forbearers in this century.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":164,"text":"Yet perhaps in the daily press of events, in the clash of controversy, we  don't see our own time for what it truly is--a new dawn for America.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":165,"text":"A hundred years from tonight, another American president will stand in this  place and report on the State of the Union. He--or she--will look back on  the 21st century shaped in so many ways by the decisions we make here and  now.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":166,"text":"So let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our time,  but of their time; that we reached as high as our ideals; that we put aside  our divisions and found a new hour of healing and hopefulness; that we  joined together to serve and strengthen the land we love.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":167,"text":"My fellow Americans, this is our moment. Let us lift our eyes as one  nation, and from the mountaintop of this American century, look ahead to  the next one--asking God's blessing on our endeavors and on our beloved  country.  "}
{"year":"1999","paragraph":168,"text":"Thank you, and good evening.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":1,"text":"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, honored guests, my  fellow Americans:  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":2,"text":"We are fortunate to be alive at this moment in history. Never before has  our nation enjoyed, at once, so much prosperity and social progress with so  little internal crisis or so few external threats. Never before have we had  such a blessed opportunity--and, therefore, such a profound obligation--  to build the more perfect union of our founders' dreams.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":3,"text":"We begin the new century with over 20 million new jobs. The fastest  economic growth in more than 30 years; the lowest unemployment rates in 30  years; the lowest poverty rates in 20 years; the lowest African-American  and Hispanic unemployment rates on record; the first back-to-back budget  surpluses in 42 years.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":4,"text":"Next month, America will achieve the longest period of economic growth in  our entire history.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":5,"text":"We have built a new economy.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":6,"text":"Our economic revolution has been matched by a revival of the American  spirit: Crime down by 20 percent, to its lowest level in 25 years. Teen  births down seven years in a row and adoptions up by 30 percent. Welfare  rolls cut in half to their lowest levels in 30 years.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":7,"text":"My fellow Americans, the state of our union is the strongest it has ever  been.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":8,"text":"As always, the credit belongs to the American people.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":9,"text":"My gratitude also goes to those of you in this chamber who have worked with  us to put progress above partisanship.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":10,"text":"Eight years ago, it was not so clear to most Americans there would be much  to celebrate in the year 2000. Then our nation was gripped by economic  distress, social decline, political gridlock. The title of a best-selling  book asked: \"America: What went wrong?\"  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":11,"text":"In the best traditions of our nation, Americans determined to set things  right. We restored the vital center, replacing outdated ideologies with a  new vision anchored in basic, enduring values: opportunity for all,  responsibility from all, and a community of all Americans.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":12,"text":"We reinvented government, transforming it into a catalyst for new ideas  that stress both opportunity and responsibility, and give our people the  tools to solve their own problems.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":13,"text":"With the smallest federal workforce in 40 years, we turned record deficits  into record surpluses, and doubled our investment in education. We cut  crime: with 100,000 community police and the Brady Law, which has kept guns  out of the hands of half a million criminals.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":14,"text":"We ended welfare as we knew it--requiring work while protecting health  care and nutrition for children, and investing more in child care,  transportation, and housing to help their parents go to work. We have  helped parents to succeed at work and at home--with family leave, which 20  million Americans have used to care for a newborn child or a sick loved  one. We have engaged 150,000 young Americans in citizen service through  AmeriCorps--while also helping them earn their way through college.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":15,"text":"In 1992, we had a roadmap. Today, we have results. More important, America  again has the confidence to dream big dreams. But we must not let our  renewed confidence grow into complacency. We will be judged by the dreams  and deeds we pass on to our children. And on that score, we will be held to  a high standard, indeed. Because our chance to do good is so great.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":16,"text":"My fellow Americans, we have crossed the bridge we built to the 21st  Century. Now, we must shape a 21st-Century American revolution--of  opportunity, responsibility, and community. We must be, as we were in the  beginning, a new nation.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":17,"text":"At the dawn of the last century, Theodore Roosevelt said, \"the one  characteristic more essential than any other is foresight. . . It should be  the growing nation with a future which takes the long look ahead.\"  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":18,"text":"Tonight let us take our look long ahead--and set great goals for our  nation.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":19,"text":"To 21st Century America, let us pledge that:  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":20,"text":"Every child will begin school ready to learn and graduate ready to succeed.  Every family will be able to succeed at home and at work--and no child  will be raised in poverty. We will meet the challenge of the aging of  America. We will assure quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans.  We will make America the safest big country on earth. We will bring  prosperity to every American community. We will reverse the course of  climate change and leave a cleaner, safer planet. America will lead the  world toward shared peace and prosperity, and the far frontiers of science  and technology. And we will become at last what our founders pledged us to  be so long ago--one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and  justice for all.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":21,"text":"These are great goals, worthy of a great nation. We will not reach them all  this year. Not even in this decade. But we will reach them. Let us remember  that the first American revolution was not won with a single shot. The  continent was not settled in a single year. The lesson of our history--and  the lesson of the last seven years--is that great goals are reached step  by step: always building on our progress, always gaining ground.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":22,"text":"Of course, you can't gain ground if you're standing still. For too long  this Congress has been standing still on some of our most pressing national  priorities. Let's begin with them.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":23,"text":"I ask you again to pass a real patient's bill of rights. Pass common-sense  gun-safety legislation. Pass campaign finance reform. Vote on long overdue  judicial nominations and other important appointees. And, again, I ask you  to raise the minimum wage.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":24,"text":"Two years ago, as we reached our first balanced budget, I asked that we  meet our responsibility to the next generation by maintaining our fiscal  discipline. Because we refused to stray from that path, we are doing  something that would have seemed unimaginable seven years ago: We are  actually paying down the national debt. If we stay on this path, we can pay  down the debt entirely in 13 years and make America debt-free for the first  time since Andrew Jackson was president in 1835.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":25,"text":"In 1993, we began to put our fiscal house in order with the Deficit  Reduction Act, winning passage in both houses by just one vote. Your former  colleague, my first Secretary of the Treasury, led that effort. He is here  tonight. Lloyd Bentsen, you have served America well.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":26,"text":"Beyond paying off the debt, we must ensure that the benefits of debt  reduction go to preserving two of the most important guarantees we make to  every American--Social Security and Medicare. I ask you tonight to work  with me to make a bipartisan down payment on Social Security reform by  crediting the interest savings from debt reduction to the Social Security  Trust Fund to ensure that it is strong and sound for the next 50 years.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":27,"text":"But this is just the start of our journey. Now we must take the right steps  toward reaching our great goals.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":28,"text":"Opportunity and Responsibility in Education  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":29,"text":"First and foremost, we need a 21st Century revolution in education, guided  by our faith that every child can learn. Because education is more than  ever the key to our children's future, we must make sure all our children  have that key. That means quality preschool and afterschool, the best  trained teachers in every classroom, and college opportunities for all our  children.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":30,"text":"For seven years, we have worked hard to improve our schools, with  opportunity and responsibility: Investing more, but demanding more in  return.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":31,"text":"Reading, math, and college entrance scores are up. And some of the most  impressive gains are in schools in poor neighborhoods.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":32,"text":"All successful schools have followed the same proven formula: higher  standards, more accountability, so all children can reach those standards.  I have sent Congress a reform plan based on that formula. It holds states  and school districts accountable for progress, and rewards them for  results. Each year, the national government invests more than $15 billion  in our schools. It's time to support what works and stop supporting what  doesn't.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":33,"text":"As we demand more than ever from our schools, we should invest more than  ever in our schools.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":34,"text":"Let's double our investment to help states and districts turn around their  worst-performing schools--or shut them down.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":35,"text":"Let's double our investment in afterschool and summer school programs--  boosting achievement, and keeping children off the street and out of  trouble. If we do, we can give every child in every failing school in  America the chance to meet high standards.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":36,"text":"Since 1993, we've nearly doubled our investment in Head Start and improved  its quality. Tonight, I ask for another $1 billion to Head Start, the  largest increase in the program's history.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":37,"text":"We know that children learn best in smaller classes with good teachers. For  two years in a row, Congress has supported my plan to hire 100,000 new,  qualified teachers, to lower class sizes in the early grades. This year, I  ask you to make it three in a row.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":38,"text":"And to make sure all teachers know the subjects they teach, tonight I  propose a new teacher quality initiative--to recruit more talented people  into the classroom, reward good teachers for staying there, and give all  teachers the training they need.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":39,"text":"We know charter schools provide real public school choice. When I became  President, there was just one independent public charter school in all  America. Today there are 1,700. I ask you to help us meet our goal of 3,000  by next year.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":40,"text":"We know we must connect all our classrooms to the Internet. We're getting  there. In 1994, only three percent of our classrooms were connected. Today,  with the help of the Vice President's E-rate program, more than half of  them are; and 90 percent of our schools have at least one connection to the  Internet.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":41,"text":"But we can't finish the job when a third of all schools are in serious  disrepair, many with walls and wires too old for the Internet. Tonight, I  propose to help 5,000 schools a year make immediate, urgent repairs. And  again, to help build or modernize 6,000 schools, to get students out of  trailers and into high-tech classrooms.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":42,"text":"We should double our bipartisan GEAR UP program to mentor 1.4 million  disadvantaged young people for college. And let's offer these students a  chance to take the same college test-prep courses wealthier students use to  boost their test scores.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":43,"text":"To make the American Dream achievable for all, we must make college  affordable for all. For seven years, on a bipartisan basis, we have taken  action toward that goal: larger Pell grants, more-affordable student loans,  education IRAs, and our HOPE scholarships, which have already benefited 5  million young people. 67 percent of high school graduates now go on to  college, up almost 10 percent since 1993. Yet millions of families still  strain to pay college tuition. They need help.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":44,"text":"I propose a landmark $30-billion college opportunity tax cut--a  middle-class tax deduction for up to $10,000 in college tuition costs.  We've already made two years of college affordable for all. Now let's make  four years of college affordable for all.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":45,"text":"If we take all these steps, we will move a long way toward making sure  every child starts school ready to learn and graduates ready to succeed.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":46,"text":"Rewarding Work and Strengthening Families  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":47,"text":"We need a 21st Century revolution to reward work and strengthen families--  by giving every parent the tools to succeed at work and at the most  important work of all--raising their children. That means making sure that  every family has health care and the support to care for aging parents, the  tools to bring their children up right, and that no child grows up in  poverty.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":48,"text":"From my first days as President, we have worked to give families better  access to better health care. In 1997, we passed the Children's Health  Insurance Program--CHIP--so that workers who don't have health care  coverage through their employers at least can get it for their children. So  far, we've enrolled 2 million children, and we're well on our way to our  goal of 5 million.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":49,"text":"But there are still more than 40 million Americans without health  insurance, more than there were in 1993. Tonight I propose that we follow  Vice President Gore's suggestion to make low income parents eligible for  the insurance that covers their kids. Together with our children's  initiative, we can cover nearly one quarter of the uninsured in America.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":50,"text":"Again, I ask you to let people between 55 and 65--the fastest growing  group of uninsured--buy into Medicare. And let's give them a tax credit to  make that choice an affordable one.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":51,"text":"When the Baby Boomers retire, Medicare will be faced with caring for twice  as many of our citizens--and yet it is far from ready to do so. My  generation must not ask our children's generation to shoulder our burden.  We must strengthen and modernize Medicare now.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":52,"text":"My budget includes a comprehensive plan to reform Medicare, to make it more  efficient and competitive. And it dedicates nearly $400 billion of our  budget surplus to keep Medicare solvent past 2025; and, at long last, to  give every senior a voluntary choice of affordable coverage for  prescription drugs.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":53,"text":"Lifesaving drugs are an indispensable part of modern medicine. No one  creating a Medicare program today would even consider excluding coverage  for prescription drugs. Yet more than three in five seniors now lack  dependable drug coverage which can lengthen and enrich their lives.  Millions of older Americans who need prescription drugs the most pay the  highest prices for them.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":54,"text":"In good conscience, we cannot let another year pass without extending to  all seniors the lifeline of affordable prescription drugs.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":55,"text":"Record numbers of Americans are providing for aging or ailing loved ones at  home. Last year, I proposed a $1,000 tax credit for long-term care.  Frankly, that wasn't enough. This year, let's triple it to $3,000--and  this year, let's pass it.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":56,"text":"And we must make needed investments to expand access to mental health care.  I want to thank the person who has led our efforts to break down the  barriers to the decent treatment of mental illness: Tipper Gore.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":57,"text":"Taken together, these proposals would mark the largest investment in health  care in the 35 years since the creation of Medicare--a big step toward  assuring health care for all Americans, young and old.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":58,"text":"We must also make investments that reward work and support families.  Nothing does that better than the Earned Income Tax Credit, the EITC. The  \"E\" in \"EITC\" is about earning; working; taking responsibility and being  rewarded for it. In my first Address to you, I asked Congress to greatly  expand this tax credit; and you did. As a result, in 1998 alone, the EITC  helped more than 4.3 million Americans work their way out of poverty and  toward the middle class--double the number in 1993.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":59,"text":"Tonight, I propose another major expansion. We should reduce the marriage  penalty for the EITC, making sure it rewards marriage just as it rewards  work. And we should expand the tax credit for families with more than two  children to provide up to $1,100 more in tax relief.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":60,"text":"We can't reward work and family unless men and women get equal pay for  equal work. The female unemployment rate is the lowest in 46 years. Yet  women still earn only about 75 cents for every dollar men earn. We must do  better by providing the resources to enforce present equal pay laws,  training more women for high-paying, high-tech jobs, and passing the  Paycheck Fairness Act.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":61,"text":"Two-thirds of new jobs are in the suburbs, far away from many low-income  families. In the past two years, I have proposed and Congress has approved  110,000 new housing vouchers--rent subsidies to help working families live  closer to the workplace. This year, let us more than double that number. If  we want people to go to work, they have to be able to get to work.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":62,"text":"Many working parents spend up to a quarter of their income on child care.  Last year, we helped parents provide child care for about two million  children. My child care initiative, along with funds already secured in  welfare reform, would make child care better, safer, and more affordable  for another 400,000 children.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":63,"text":"For hard-pressed middle-income families, we should also expand the child  care tax credit. And we should take the next big step. We should make that  tax credit refundable for low-income families. For those making under  $30,000 a year, that could mean up to $2,400 for child-care costs. We all  say we're pro-work and pro-family. Passing this proposal would prove it.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":64,"text":"Tens of millions of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck. As hard as  they work, they still don't have the opportunity to save. Too few can make  use of IRAs and 401-K retirement plans. We should do more to help working  families save and accumulate wealth. That's the idea behind so-called  Individual Development Accounts. Let's take that idea to a new level, with  Retirement Savings Accounts that enable every low- and moderate-income  family in America to save for retirement, a first home, a medical  emergency, or a college education. I propose to match their contributions,  however small, dollar for dollar, every year they save. And to give a major  new tax credit for any small business that provides a meaningful pension to  its workers.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":65,"text":"Nearly one in three American children grows up in a home without a father.  These children are five times more likely to live in poverty than children  with both parents at home. Clearly, demanding and supporting responsible  fatherhood is critical to lifting all children out of poverty.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":66,"text":"We have doubled child support collections since 1992, and I am proposing  tough new measures to hold still more fathers responsible. But we should  recognize that a lot of fathers want to do right by their children--and  need help to do it. Carlos Rosas of St. Paul, Minnesota, got that help. Now  he has a good job and he supports his son Ricardo. My budget will help  40,000 fathers make the choices Carlos did. And I thank him for being  here.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":67,"text":"If there is any issue on which we can reach across party lines it is in our  common commitment to reward work and strengthen families. Thanks to  overwhelming bipartisan support from this Congress, we have improved foster  care, supported those who leave it when they turn eighteen, and  dramatically increased the number of foster children going to adoptive  homes. I thank you for that. Of course, I am especially grateful to the  person who has led our efforts from the beginning, and who has worked  tirelessly for children and families for thirty years now: my wife,  Hillary.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":68,"text":"If we take all these steps, we will move a long way toward empowering  parents to succeed at home and at work and ensuring that no child is raised  in poverty. We can make these vital investments in health care, education  and support for working families--and still offer tax cuts to help pay for  college, for retirement, to care for aging parents and reduce the marriage  penalty--without forsaking the path of fiscal discipline that got us here.  Indeed, we must make these investments and tax cuts in the context of a  balanced budget that strengthens and extends the life of Social Security  and Medicare and pays down the national debt.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":69,"text":"Responsibility and Crime  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":70,"text":"Crime in America has dropped for the past seven years--the longest decline  on record, thanks to a national consensus we helped to forge on community  police, sensible gun safety laws, and effective prevention. But nobody  believes America is safe enough. So let's set a higher goal: let's make  America the safest big country in the world.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":71,"text":"Last fall, Congress supported my plan to hire--in addition to the 100,000  community police we have already funded--50,000 more, concentrated in  high-crime neighborhoods. I ask your continued support.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":72,"text":"Soon after the Columbine tragedy, Congress considered common-sense gun  safety legislation to require Brady background checks at gun shows, child  safety locks for all new handguns, and a ban on the importation of  large-capacity ammunition clips. With courage--and a tie-breaking vote by  the Vice President--the Senate faced down the gun lobby, stood up for the  American people, and passed this legislation. But the House failed to  follow suit.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":73,"text":"We've all seen what happens when guns fall into the wrong hands. Daniel  Mauser was only 15 years old when he was gunned down at Columbine. He was  an amazing kid, a straight-A student, a good skier. Like all parents who  lose their children, his father Tom has borne unimaginable grief. Somehow  Tom has found the strength to honor his son by transforming his grief into  action. Earlier this month, he took a leave of absence from his job to  fight for tougher gun safety laws. I pray that his courage and wisdom will  move this Congress to make common-sense gun safety legislation the very  next order of business. Tom, thank you for being here tonight.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":74,"text":"We must strengthen gun laws and better enforce laws already on the books.  Federal gun crime prosecutions are up 16 percent since I took office. But  again, we must do more. I propose to hire more federal and local gun  prosecutors, and more ATF agents to crack down on illegal gun traffickers  and bad-apple dealers. And we must give law enforcement the tools to trace  every gun--and every bullet--used in a crime in America.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":75,"text":"Listen to this: the accidental gun death rate of children under 15 in the  United States is nine times higher than in the other 25 industrialized  nations--combined. Technologies now exist that could lead to guns that can  only be fired by the adults who own them. I ask Congress to fund research  in Smart Gun technology. I also call on responsible leaders in the gun  industry to work with us on smart guns and other steps to keep guns out of  the wrong hands and keep our children safe.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":76,"text":"Every parent I know worries about the impact of violence in the media on  their children. I thank the entertainment industry for accepting my  challenge to put voluntary ratings on TV programs and video and Internet  games. But the ratings are too numerous, diverse, and confusing to be  really useful to parents. Therefore, I now ask the industry to accept the  First Lady's challenge--to develop a single, voluntary rating system for  all children's entertainment, one that is easier for parents to understand  and enforce.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":77,"text":"If we take all these steps, we will be well on our way to making America  the safest big country in the world.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":78,"text":"Opening New Markets  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":79,"text":"To keep our historic economic expansion going, we need a 21st Century  revolution to open new markets, start new businesses, and hire new workers  right here in America--in our inner cities, poor rural areas, and on  Indian reservations.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":80,"text":"Our nation's prosperity has not yet reached these places. Over the last six  months, I have traveled to many of them--joined by many of you, and many  far-sighted business people--to shine a spotlight on the enormous  potential in communities from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta, from  Watts to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Everywhere I've gone, I've met  talented people eager for opportunity, and able to work. Let's put them to  work.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":81,"text":"For business, it's the smart thing to do. For America, it's the right thing  to do. And if we don't do it now, when will we ever get around to it?  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":82,"text":"I ask Congress to give businesses the same incentives to invest in  America's new markets that they now have to invest in foreign markets.  Tonight, I propose a large New Markets Tax Credit and other incentives to  spur $22 billion in private-sector capital--to create new businesses and  new investments in inner cities and rural areas.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":83,"text":"Empowerment Zones have been creating these opportunities for five years  now. We should also increase incentives to invest in them and create more  of them.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":84,"text":"This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. It is an American issue.  Mr. Speaker, it was a powerful moment last November when you joined me and  the Reverend Jesse Jackson in your home state of Illinois, and committed to  working toward our common goal, by combining the best ideas from both sides  of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with you.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":85,"text":"We must maintain our commitment to community development banks and keep the  community reinvestment act strong so all Americans have access to the  capital they need to buy homes and build businesses.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":86,"text":"We need to make special efforts to address the areas with the highest rates  of poverty. My budget includes a special $110 million initiative to promote  economic development in the Mississippi Delta; and $1 billion to increase  economic opportunity, health care, education and law enforcement for Native  American communities. In this new century, we should honor our historic  responsibility to empower the first Americans. I thank leaders and members  from both parties who have already expressed an interest in working with us  on these efforts.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":87,"text":"There's another part of our American community in trouble today--our  family farmers. When I signed the Farm Bill in 1996, I said there was a  great danger it would work well in good times but not in bad. Well,  droughts, floods, and historically low prices have made times very bad for  our farmers. We must work together to strengthen the farm safety net,  invest in land conservation, and create new markets by expanding our  program for bio-based fuels and products.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":88,"text":"Today, opportunity for all requires something new: having access to a  computer and knowing how to use it. That means we must close the digital  divide between those who have these tools and those who don't.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":89,"text":"Connecting classrooms and libraries to the Internet is crucial, but it's  just a start. My budget ensures that all new teachers are trained to teach  21st Century skills and creates technology centers in 1,000 communities to  serve adults. This spring, I will invite high-tech leaders to join me on  another New Markets tour--to close the digital divide and open opportunity  for all our people. I thank the high-tech companies that are already doing  so much in this area--and I hope the new tax incentives I have proposed  will encourage others to join us.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":90,"text":"If we take these steps, we will go a long way toward our goal of bringing  opportunity to every community.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":91,"text":"Global Change and American Leadership  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":92,"text":"To realize the full possibilities of the new economy, we must reach beyond  our own borders, to shape the revolution that is tearing down barriers and  building new networks among nations and individuals, economies and  cultures: globalization.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":93,"text":"It is the central reality of our time. Change this profound is both  liberating and threatening. But there is no turning back. And our open,  creative society stands to benefit more than any other--if we understand,  and act on, the new realities of interdependence. We must be at the center  of every vital global network, as a good neighbor and partner. We cannot  build our future without helping others to build theirs.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":94,"text":"First, we must forge a new consensus on trade. Those of us who believe  passionately in the power of open trade must ensure that it lifts both our  living standards and our values, never tolerating abusive child labor or a  race to the bottom on the environment and worker protection. Still, open  markets and rules-based trade are the best engines we know for raising  living standards, reducing global poverty and environmental destruction,  and assuring the free flow of ideas. There is only one direction for  America on trade: we must go forward.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":95,"text":"And we must make developing economies our partners in prosperity--which is  why I ask Congress to finalize our groundbreaking African and Caribbean  Basin trade initiatives.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":96,"text":"Globalization is about more than economics. Our purpose must be to bring  the world together around democracy, freedom, and peace, and to oppose  those who would tear it apart.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":97,"text":"Here are the fundamental challenges I believe America must meet to shape  the 21st Century world.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":98,"text":"First, we must continue to encourage our former adversaries, Russia and  China, to emerge as stable, prosperous, democratic nations. Both are being  held back from reaching their full potential: Russia by the legacy of  communism, economic turmoil, a cruel and self-defeating war in Chechnya;  China by the illusion that it can buy stability at the expense of freedom.  But think how much has changed in the past decade: thousands of former  Soviet nuclear weapons eliminated; Russian soldiers serving with ours in  the Balkans; Russian people electing their leaders for the first time in a  thousand years. And in China, an economy more open to the world than ever  before. No one can know for sure what direction these great countries will  choose. But we must do everything in our power to increase the chance they  will choose wisely, to be constructive members of the global community.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":99,"text":"That is why we must support those Russians struggling for a democratic,  prosperous future; continue to reduce both our nuclear arsenals; and help  Russia safeguard weapons and materials that remain.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":100,"text":"That is why Congress should support the agreement we negotiated to bring  China into the WTO, by passing Permanent Normal Trade Relations as soon as  possible this year. Our markets are already open to China. This agreement  will open China's markets to us. And it will advance the cause of peace in  Asia and promote the cause of change in China.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":101,"text":"A second challenge is to protect our security from conflicts that pose the  risk of wider war and threaten our common humanity. America cannot prevent  every conflict or stop every outrage. But where our interests are at stake  and we can make a difference, we must be peacemakers.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":102,"text":"We should be proud of America's role in bringing the Middle East closer  than ever to a comprehensive peace; building peace in Northern Ireland;  working for peace in East Timor and Africa; promoting reconciliation  between Greece and Turkey and in Cyprus; working to defuse crises between  India and Pakistan; defending human rights and religious freedom.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":103,"text":"And we should be proud of the men and women of our armed forces and those  of our allies who stopped the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo--enabling a  million innocent people to return to their homes.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":104,"text":"When Slobodan Milosevic unleashed his terror on Kosovo, Captain John  Cherrey was one of the brave airmen who turned the tide. And when another  American plane went down over Serbia, he flew into the teeth of enemy air  defenses to bring his fellow pilot home. Thanks to our armed forces' skill  and bravery, we prevailed without losing a single American in combat.  Captain Cherrey, we honor you, and promise to finish the job you began.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":105,"text":"A third challenge is to keep the inexorable march of technology from giving  terrorists and potentially hostile nations the means to undermine our  defenses. The same advances that have shrunk cell phones to fit in the  palms of our hands can also make weapons of terror easier to conceal and  easier to use.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":106,"text":"We must meet this threat: by making effective agreements to restrain  nuclear and missile programs in North Korea, curbing the flow of lethal  technology to Iran; preventing Iraq from threatening its neighbors;  increasing our preparedness against chemical and biological attack;  protecting our vital computer systems from hackers and criminals; and  developing a system to defend against new missile threats--while working  to preserve our Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":107,"text":"I hope we can have a constructive bipartisan dialogue this year to build a  consensus which will lead eventually to the ratification of the  Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":108,"text":"A fourth challenge is to ensure that the stability of our planet is not  threatened by the huge gulf between rich and poor. We cannot accept a world  in which part of humanity lives on the cutting edge of a new economy, while  the rest live on the bare edge of survival. We must do our part, with  expanded trade, expanded aid, and the expansion of freedom.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":109,"text":"From Nigeria to Indonesia, more people won the right to choose their  leaders in 1999 than in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell. We must stand  by democracies--like Colombia, fighting narco-traffickers for its people's  lives, and our children's lives. I have proposed a strong two-year package  to help Colombia win this fight; and I ask for your support. And I will  propose tough new legislation to go after what drug barons value most--  their money.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":110,"text":"In a world where 1.2 billion people live on less than a dollar a day, we  must do our part in the global endeavor to reduce the debts of the poorest  countries so they can invest in education, health and economic growth--as  the Pope and other religious leaders have urged. Last year, Congress made a  down payment on America's share. And I ask for your continued support.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":111,"text":"And America must help more nations break the bonds of disease. Last year in  Africa, AIDS killed ten times as many people as war did. My budget invests  $150 million more in the fight against this and other infectious killers.  Today, I propose a tax credit to speed the development of vaccines for  diseases like malaria, TB and AIDS. I ask the private sector and our  partners around the world to join us in embracing this cause. Together, we  can save millions of lives.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":112,"text":"Our final challenge is the most important: to pass a national security  budget that keeps our military the best trained and best equipped in the  world, with heightened readiness and 21st Century weapons; raises salaries  for our service men and women; protects our veterans; fully funds the  diplomacy that keeps our soldiers out of war; and makes good on our  commitment to pay our UN dues and arrears. I ask you to pass this budget  and I thank you for the extraordinary support you have given--Republicans  and Democrats alike--to our men and women in uniform. I especially want to  thank Secretary Cohen for symbolizing our bipartisan commitment to our  national security--and Janet Cohen, I thank you for tirelessly traveling  the world to show our support for the troops.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":113,"text":"If we meet all these challenges, America can lead the world toward peace  and freedom in an era of globalization.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":114,"text":"Responsibility, Opportunity, and the Environment  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":115,"text":"I am grateful for the opportunities the Vice President and I have had to  work hard to protect the environment and finally to put to rest the notion  that you can't expand the economy while protecting the environment. As our  economy has grown, we have rid more than 500 neighborhoods of toxic waste  and ensured cleaner air and water for millions of families. In the past  three months alone, we have acted to preserve more than 40 million acres of  roadless lands in our National Forests and created three new National  Monuments.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":116,"text":"But as our communities grow, our commitment to conservation must grow as  well. Tonight, I propose creating a permanent conservation fund to restore  wildlife, protect coastlines, and save natural treasures from California  redwoods to the Everglades. This Lands Legacy endowment represents by far  the most enduring investment in land preservation ever proposed.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":117,"text":"Last year, the Vice President launched a new effort to help make  communities more livable--so children will grow up next to parks, not  parking lots, and parents can be home with their children instead of stuck  in traffic. Tonight, we propose new funding for advanced transit systems--  for saving precious open spaces--for helping major cities around the Great  Lakes protect their waterways and enhance their quality of life.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":118,"text":"The greatest environmental challenge of the new century is global warming.  Scientists tell us that the 1990s were the hottest decade of the entire  millennium. If we fail to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, deadly heat  waves and droughts will become more frequent, coastal areas will be  flooded, economies disrupted.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":119,"text":"Many people in the United States and around the world still believe we  can't cut greenhouse gas pollution without slowing economic growth. In the  Industrial Age that may have been true. In the digital economy, it isn't.  New technologies make it possible to cut harmful emissions and provide even  more growth. For example, just last week, automakers unveiled cars that get  70 to 80 miles a gallon--the fruits of a unique research partnership  between government and industry. Before you know it, efficient production  of biofuels will give us the equivalent of hundreds of miles from a gallon  of gas.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":120,"text":"To speed innovations in environmental technologies, I propose giving major  tax incentives to businesses for the production of clean energy--and to  families for buying energy-saving homes and appliances and the next  generation of super-efficient cars when they hit the showroom floor. I also  call on the auto industry to use available technologies to make all new  cars more fuel efficient right away. And on Congress to make more of our  clean-energy technologies available to the developing world--creating  cleaner growth abroad and new jobs at home.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":121,"text":"The Opportunity and Responsibility of Science and Technology  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":122,"text":"In the new century, innovations in science and technology will be the key  not only to the health of the environment but to miraculous improvements in  the quality of our lives and advances in the economy.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":123,"text":"Later this year, researchers will complete the first draft of the entire  human genome--the very blueprint of life. It is important for all  Americans to recognize that your tax dollars have fueled this research--  and that this and other wise investments in science are leading to a  revolution in our ability to detect, treat, and prevent disease.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":124,"text":"For example, researchers have identified genes that cause Parkinson's  Disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer--and they are designing  precision therapies that will block the harmful effects of these faulty  genes for good. Researchers are already using this new technique to target  and destroy cells that cause breast cancer. Soon, we may be able to use it  to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. Scientists are also working on  an artificial retina to help many blind people to see and microchips that  would directly stimulate damaged spinal cords and allow people who are now  paralyzed to stand up and walk.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":125,"text":"Science and engineering innovations are also propelling our remarkable  prosperity. Information technology alone now accounts for a third of our  economic growth, with jobs that pay almost 80 percent above the private  sector average. Again, we should keep in mind: government-funded research  brought supercomputers, the Internet, and communications satellites into  being. Soon researchers will bring us devices that can translate foreign  languages as fast as you can speak; materials 10 times stronger than steel  at a fraction of the weight; and molecular computers the size of a teardrop  with the power of today's fastest supercomputers.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":126,"text":"To accelerate the march of discovery across all disciplines of science and  technology, my budget includes an unprecedented $3 billion increase in the  21st Century Research Fund, the largest increase in civilian research in a  generation.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":127,"text":"These new breakthroughs must be used in ways that reflect our most  cherished values. First and foremost, we must safeguard our citizens'  privacy. Last year, we proposed rules to protect every citizen's medical  records. This year, we will finalize those rules. We have also taken the  first steps to protect the privacy of bank and credit card statements and  other financial records. Soon I will send legislation to the Congress to  finish that job. We must also act to prevent any genetic discrimination by  employers or insurers.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":128,"text":"These steps will allow America to lead toward the far frontiers of science  and technology--enhancing our health, environment, and economy in ways we  cannot even imagine today.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":129,"text":"Community  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":130,"text":"At a time when science, technology and the forces of globalization are  bringing so many changes into our lives, it is more important than ever  that we strengthen the bonds that root us in our local communities and in  our national communities.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":131,"text":"No tie binds different people together like citizen service. There is a new  spirit of service in America--a movement we have supported with  AmeriCorps, an expanded Peace Corps, and unprecedented new partnerships  with businesses, foundations, and community groups. Partnerships to enlist  12,000 companies in moving 650,000 of our fellow citizens from welfare to  work. To battle drug abuse and AIDS. To teach young people to read. To Save  America's Treasures. To strengthen the arts. To fight teen pregnancy. To  prevent youth violence. To promote racial healing.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":132,"text":"We can do even more to help Americans help each other. We should help  faith-based organizations do more to fight poverty and drug abuse and help  young people get back on the right track with initiatives like Second  Chance Homes to help unwed teen mothers. We should support Americans who  tithe and contribute to charities, but don't earn enough to claim a tax  deduction for it. Tonight, I propose new tax incentives to allow low- and  middle-income citizens to get that deduction.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":133,"text":"We should do more to help new immigrants fully participate in the American  community--investing more to teach them civics and English. And since  everyone in our community counts, we must make sure everyone is counted in  this year's census.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":134,"text":"Within ten years there will be no majority race in our largest state,  California. In a little more than 50 years, there will be no majority race  in America. In a more interconnected world, this diversity can be our  greatest strength. Just look around this chamber. We have members from  virtually every racial, ethnic, and religious background. And America is  stronger for it. But as we have seen, these differences all too often spark  hatred and division, even here at home.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":135,"text":"We have seen a man dragged to death in Texas simply because he was black. A  young man murdered in Wyoming simply because he was gay. In the last year  alone, we've seen the shootings of African Americans, Asian Americans, and  Jewish children simply because of who they were. This is not the American  way. We must draw the line. Without delay, we must pass the Hate Crimes  Prevention Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And we should  reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":136,"text":"No American should be subjected to discrimination in finding a home,  getting a job, going to school, or securing a loan. Tonight, I propose the  largest ever investment to enforce America's civil rights laws. Protections  in law must be protections in fact.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":137,"text":"Last February, I created the White House Office of One America to promote  racial reconciliation. That's what Hank Aaron, has done all his life. From  his days as baseball's all-time homerun king to his recent acts of healing,  he has always brought Americans together. We're pleased he's with us  tonight.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":138,"text":"This fall, at the White House, one of America's leading scientists said  something we should all remember. He said all human beings, genetically,  are 99.9 percent the same. So modern science affirms what ancient faith has  always taught: the most important fact of life is our common humanity.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":139,"text":"Therefore, we must do more than tolerate diversity--we must honor it and  celebrate it.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":140,"text":"My fellow Americans, each time I prepare for the State of the Union, I  approach it with great hope and expectations for our nation. But tonight is  special--because we stand on the mountaintop of a new millennium. Behind  us we see the great expanse of American achievement; before us, even  grander frontiers of possibility.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":141,"text":"We should be filled with gratitude and humility for our prosperity and  progress; with awe and joy at what lies ahead; and with absolute  determination to make the most of it.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":142,"text":"When the framers finished crafting our Constitution, Benjamin Franklin  stood in Independence Hall and reflected on a painting of the sun, low on  the horizon. He said, \"I have often wondered whether that sun was rising or  setting. Today,\" Franklin said, \"I have the happiness to know it is a  rising sun.\" Well, today, because each generation of Americans has kept the  fire of freedom burning brightly, lighting those frontiers of possibility,  we still bask in the warmth of Mr. Franklin's rising sun.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":143,"text":"After 224 years, the American Revolution continues. We remain a new nation.  As long as our dreams outweigh our memories, America will be forever young.  That is our destiny. And this is our moment.  "}
{"year":"2000","paragraph":144,"text":"Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.  "}