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Kent County Republican Picnic, Johnson Park, Grand Rapids, MI, August 1, 1970
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Kent County Republican Picnic, Johnson Park, Grand Rapids, MI, August 1, 1970
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
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Department of Defense. 9/18/1947-
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The original documents are located in Box D30, folder "Kent County Republican Picnic,
Johnson Park, Grand Rapids, MI, August 1, 1970" of the Ford Congressional Papers:
Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Fifth
District
news
Media
10 copies u/m. m. Frd
7/29/70
Office Copy
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY--
Saturday, August 1, 1970
Excerpts from a speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at the Kent County Republican Picnic,
1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, August 1, 1970, at Johnson Park, Interstate 196 at Wilson Ave.
This is an election year, and we have got to get the facts across to the
American people. We have got to get the facts across on three basic issues --
inflation, the Vietnam War, and misplaced priorities.
The facts on these three issues favor the Republican Party. The facts favor
the Republican Party because these three issues are the products of the mess the
Democrats made in national office during the Sixties. The facts favor the Republican
Party because the Democrats are obstructing the efforts of the GOP to deal with
these problems. The facts favor the Republican Party because we are making progress
in spite of political mischief-making by the Democrats.
Let's take a look at inflation. It was the Democrats who brought it on --
brought it on by expanding the economy at the same time that they led us into a
massive land war in Asia -- brought it on by telling the Nation we could have both
guns and butter.
Now we are fighting this Democrat inflation and unwinding the war. The
economic side-effects are painful -- an increase in unemployment and a period of
tight money. But the fact remains that we are succeeding in slowing inflation
without the kind of recession that usually follows the sort of wild spending spree
our Nation engaged in under the Democrats in the Sixties.
And although unemployment has been up, it is considerably less nationwide
than the 6.7 per cent unemployment under the Democts in 1961, and the 5.1 per cent
average under the Democrats from 1961 through 1968.
It is a fact, too, that total employment hit an all-time high this year.
More than 79 million Americans are employed. Total employment is now nearly
1.5 million higher than it was one year ago.
It is also a fact that real per capita disposable income -- what individuals
have available to spend after allowing for taxes and inflation -- real per capita
disposable income was at the highest rate in our history during the first half of
1970.
(more)
GERALD
Digitized from Box D30 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
-2-
We are now passing through the first phase of a successful campaign against
inflation in which the rate of inflation has ceased to rise. This is no thanks
to the Democrats, who have been working against us in Washington. As part of this
campaign, the Administration has slowed the expansion rate of Federal spending
drastically -- from an average increase of 15 per cent a year from 1966 to 1969 to
7.5 per cent in 1970 and a projected 4 per cent in 1971. This has enabled us to
keep the Federal budget close to balance while recognizing important national
priorities in the fields of environment, welfare and transportation. We have
exercised firm control over defense spending. We have cut back less urgent
non-defense programs. And we have employed greater efficiency throughout the
Federal government.
The Democratic Party is still running against Herbert Hoover -- a great
American, according to Harry Truman and other Democrats. The facts are that they
did not bring about prosperity after the Great Depression. It was the boom con-
ditions of World War II that erased depression era unemployment. And the facts
are that the Democrats did not produce prosperity in the Sixties. They generated
a false prosperity, an inflationary boom, by taking us into the Vietnam War.
Now some Democrats are talking about the Vietnam War as though it is
President Nixon's and not Lyndon Johnson's war. That is ridiculous, and a completely
phony issue.
When President Nixon took office he inherited a full-scale war in Southeast
Asia to which Lyndon Johnson had committed nearly 550,000 U.S. military personnel.
Whether this was a moral or illegal war was irrelevant. President Nixon had to
deal with it. And he has dealt with it most intelligently and sensibly. He has
completely changed the direction of the war. He has reduced by 125,000 the number
of Americans committed in Southeast Asia, and he will be bringing 150,000 more
of our men home by next spring. This means that half of the men committed to the
Vietnam War during the eight years of the two previous Democratic administrations
will have been brought home in the first two years of the present Administration.
By next July 1 our troops in Vietnam will no longer have a combat role. Our
forces still there will be primarily supply and logistics units. That means we
will have disengaged from the fighting in Vietnam and will have turned the combat
over to a well-trained million-man South Vietnamese Army.
What do the President's critics want? To turn South Vietnam over to the
Communists? I say we're on the right course -- a course that will keep South Vietnam
(more)
-3-
in the hands of the South Vietnamese and will help keep all of Southeast Asia from
falling into the Communist camp. We're on the course that will prevent future
Vietnams -- helping our Asian friends to help themselves.
You hear a lot of talk today about misplaced priorities. You would think
it was the Democrats' issue. Not at all. This is a Republican issue. It is
because the two previous Democratic administrations got us SO deeply involved in
Vietnam that we have been unable to concentrate our energies on solving domestic
problems. It is because the two previous Democratic administrations got us SO
deeply involved in Vietnam that we are in the inflationary mess we are in.
Yet, despite the mess we are turning our national priorities around. And it
is a Republican administration that is doing it -- turning our national priorities
around without destroying our national defense, as my opponent would have us do.
The Nixon Administration has trimmed defense spending by $12 billion and
another $7 billion cutback is planned. That's something for the priority
propagandists to talk about. But they won't.
President Nixon's 1971 budget calls for spending 41 per cent of our Federal
dollars on human resource programs and 37 per cent on national defense. This is
the first time in 20 years that an Administration has programmed defense spending
at a lower figure than human resource spending.
In 1961 we spent 48 per cent of our Federal budget for defense and only
30 per cent for human resources. By 1969 we were still spending 44 per cent for
defense and only 34 per cent for human resources.
What do the priority propagandists want? To dismantle our defenses, as
we did after World War II?
The Nixon Administration has cut our active military forces by 16 per cent
since 1969 and has cut direct civilian employment by the Defense Department by
10 per cent.
In the first six months of 1970, the Defense Department announced 422
actions to reduce, alter or close military installations and activities -- actions
which will result in a saving of nearly $1 billion. You didn't see this happen
under either of the two previous Democratic administrations.
Turn our national priorities around? You bet. That is exactly what we are
doing. And it isn't necessary to completely distort our Federal spending to do
it, as some in the opposition would have us do.
Are we starving social welfare programs to take care of the military?
(more)
-4-
Since the Korean War, defense spending has risen 49 per cent, an amount
roughly equal to the increase in prices over that period. In real dollars, the
U.S. is spending about the same amount for defense now as in 1953.
At the same time, spending for health, education, welfare and labor
increased 944 per cent and for all other functions by 182 per cent. More than
half of the $129 billion increase in Federal expenditures between 1953 and fiscal
year 1971 was applied to social purposes and less than one-fifth to defense. Like
I said, the facts are on our side. Let's get the facts across. We've got a story
to tell.
###
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY-
Saturday, August 1, 1970
Excerpts from a speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at the Kent County Republican Picnic,
1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, August 1, 1970, at Johnson Park, Interstate 196 at Wilson Ave.
This is an election year, and we have got to get the facts across to the
American people. We have got to get the facts across on three basic issues -
inflation, the Vietnam War, and misplaced priorities.
The facts on these three issues favor the Republican Party. The facts favor
the Republican Party because these three issues are the products of the mess the
Democrats made in national office during the Sixties. The facts favor the Republican
Party because the Democrats are obstructing the efforts of the GOP to deal with
these problems. The facts favor the Republican Party because we are making progress
in spite of political mischief-making by the Democrats.
Let's take a look at inflation. It was the Democrats who brought it on --
brought it on by expanding the economy at the same time that they led us into a
massive land war in Asia -- brought it on by telling the Nation we could have both
guns and butter.
Now we are fighting this Democrat inflation and unwinding the war. The
economic side-effects are painful -- an increase in unemployment and a period of
tight money. But the fact remains that we are succeeding in slowing inflation
without the kind of recession that usually follows the sort of wild spending spree
our Nation engaged in under the Democrats in the Sixties.
And although unemployment has been up, it is considerably less nationwide
than the 6.7 per cent unemployment under the Democts in 1961, and the 5.1 per cent
average under the Democrats from 1961 through 1968.
It is a fact, too, that total employment hit an all-time high this year.
More than 79 million Americans are employed. Total employment is now nearly
1.5 million higher than it was one year ago.
It is also a fact that real per capita disposable income -- what individuals
have available to spend after allowing for taxes and inflation -- real per capita
disposable income was at the highest rate in our history during the first half of
1970.
(more)
-2-
We are now passing through the first phase of a successful campaign against
inflation in which the rate of inflation has ceased to rise. This is no thanks
to the Democrats, who have been working against us in Washington. As part of this
campaign, the Administration has slowed the expansion rate of Federal spending
drastically -- from an average increase of 15 per cent a year from 1966 to 1969 to
7.5 per cent in 1970 and a projected 4 per cent in 1971. This has enabled us to
keep the Federal budget close to balance while recognizing important national
priorities in the fields of environment, welfare and transportation. We have
exercised firm control over defense spending. We have cut back less urgent
non-defense programs. And we have employed greater efficiency throughout the
Federal government.
The Democratic Party is still running against Herbert Hoover -- a great
American, according to Harry Truman and other Democrats. The facts are that they
did not bring about prosperity after the Great Depression. It was the boom con-
ditions of World War II that erased depression era unemployment. And the facts
are that the Democrats did not produce prosperity in the Sixties. They generated
a false prosperity, an inflationary boom, by taking us into the Vietnam War.
Now some Democrats are talking about the Vietnam War as though it is
President Nixon's and not Lyndon Johnson's war. That is ridiculous, and a completely
phony issue.
When President Nixon took office he inherited a full-scale war in Southeast
Asia to which Lyndon Johnson had committed nearly 550,000 U.S. military personnel.
Whether this was a moral or illegal war was irrelevant. President Nixon had to
deal with it. And he has dealt with it most intelligently and sensibly. He has
completely changed the direction of the war. He has reduced by 125,000 the number
of Americans committed in Southeast Asia, and he will be bringing 150,000 more
of our men home by next spring. This means that half of the men committed to the
Vietnam War during the eight years of the two previous Democratic administrations
will have been brought home in the first two years of the present Administration.
By next July 1 our troops in Vietnam will no longer have a combat role. Our
forces still there will be primarily supply and logistics units. That means we
will have disengaged from the fighting in Vietnam and will have turned the combat
over to a well-trained million-man South Vietnamese Army.
What do the President's critics want? To turn South Vietnam over to the
Communists? I say we're on the right course -- a course that will keep South Vietnam
(more)
-3-
in the hands of the South Vietnamese and will help keep all of Southeast Asia from
falling into the Communist camp. We're on the course that will prevent future
Vietnams -- helping our Asian friends to help themselves.
You hear a lot of talk today about misplaced priorities. You would think
it was the Democrats' issue. Not at all. This is a Republican issue. It is
because the two previous Democratic administrations got us SO deeply involved in
Vietnam that we have been unable to concentrate our energies on solving domestic
problems. It is because the two previous Democratic administrations got us so
deeply involved in Vietnam that we are in the inflationary mess we are in.
Yet, despite the mess we are turning our national priorities around. And it
is a Republican administration that is doing it -- turning our national priorities
around without destroying our national defense, as my opponent would have us do.
The Nixon Administration has trimmed defense spending by $12 billion and
another $7 billion cutback is planned. That's something for the priority
propagandists to talk about. But they won't.
President Nixon's 1971 budget calls for spending 41 per cent of our Federal
dollars on human resource programs and 37 per cent on national defense. This is
the first time in 20 years that an Administration has programmed defense spending
at a lower figure than human resource spending.
In 1961 we spent 48 per cent of our Federal budget for defense and only
30 per cent for human resources. By 1969 we were still spending 44 per cent for
defense and only 34 per cent for human resources.
What do the priority propagandists want? To dismantle our defenses, as
we did after World War II?
The Nixon Administration has cut our active military forces by 16 per cent
since 1969 and has cut direct civilian employment by the Defense Department by
10 per cent.
In the first six months of 1970, the Defense Department announced 422
actions to reduce, alter or close military installations and activities -- actions
which will result in a saving of nearly $1 billion. You didn't see this happen
under either of the two previous Democratic administrations.
Turn our national priorities around? You bet. That is exactly what we are
doing. And it isn't necessary to completely distort our Federal spending to do
it, as some in the opposition would have us do.
Are we starving social welfare programs to take care of the military?
(more)
-4-
Since the Korean War, defense spending has risen 49 per cent, an amount
roughly equal to the increase in prices over that period. In real dollars, the
U.S. is spending about the same amount for defense now as in 1953.
At the same time, spending for health, education, welfare and labor
increased 944 per cent and for all other functions by 182 per cent. More than
half of the $129 billion increase in Federal expenditures between 1953 and fiscal
year 1971 was applied to social purposes and less than one-fifth to defense. Like
I said, the facts are on our side. Let's get the facts across. We've got a story
to tell.
###