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1252867
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5/14/76 - Remarks at Ceremonies Dedicating the Commerce Square Fountain, Memphis, Tennessee
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1252867
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5/14/76 - Remarks at Ceremonies Dedicating the Commerce Square Fountain, Memphis, Tennessee
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President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
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Tennessee
Economics
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Speeches, addresses, etc.
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1252867
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14
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1976-05-14
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5
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1976
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14
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1976-05-14
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5
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1976
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The original documents are located in Box 32, "5/14/76 - Remarks at Ceremonies
Dedicating the Commerce Square Fountain, Memphis, Tennessee" of the President's
Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies 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. Gerald Ford 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.
Digitized from Box 32 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
MID AMERICA MALL
THANK YOU, SENATOR BAKER.
CONGRESSMAN JIMMY QUILLEN
GOVERNOR WINFIELD DUNN
MAYOR CHANDLER
MAYOR NIXON
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
FELLOW AMERICANS
-1-
IT IS GREAT TO BE BACK IN TENNESSEE AGAIN, AND I AM GLAD
TO SEE A FEW RAZORBACKS FROM ACROSS THE RIVER IN ARKANSAS, TOO
I'M PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO BE WITH ALL OF YOU THIS AFTERNOON HERE
AT THE BEAUTIFUL worderful NEW MID-AMERICA MALL
-2-
THE MALL IS A perfect FINE EXAMPLE OF WHAT CAN BE DONE
TO REVITALIZE AND BEAUTIFY OUR NATION'S CITIES
AND YOU DID
IT WITH LOCAL FUNDS, THROUGH LOCAL EFFORT AND WITHOUT THE
INVOLVEMENT OF FEDERAL MONEY OR FEDERAL BUREAUCRATS.
Congratulations Memphis
SALUTE MEMPHIS FOR H.
-3-
AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, WE ARE HEADED INTO THE
FINAL ROUNDS OF A FIGHT WHICH I BELIEVE WILL DETERMINE
THE DIRECTION OUR COUNTRY WILL TAKE IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS
-4-
I KNOW TENNESSEE WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT
YOU APPRECIATE STRAIGHT TALK AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE GIVEN YOU
SINCE I TOOK OFFICE AS PRESIDENT.
AND HERE'S SOME MORE:
-5-
THE DAY I WAS SWORN IN, I SAID OUR LONG
NATIONAL NIGHTMARE WAS OVER
AND IT IS.
WE HAVE
DISPELLED THE CLIMATE OF DARKNESS AND DESPAIR THAT HUNG
2 won't let you down m The not
OVER WASHINGTON AND LET THE SUN SHINE IN
4 years.
-6-
WE LEVELED WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
I SAID IT IN MY SECOND STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
AND I SAY IT AGAIN TODAY:
WE WILL PROMISE ONLY WHAT
WE CAN DELIVER , BUT WE WILL DELIVER EVERYTHING THAT
WE PROMISE
-7-
CONSIDER
,
[FOR A MOMENT]
WHERE WE WERE IN THE
FIRST MONTHS OF MY PRESIDENCY
-8-
THEN, SOME WELL KNOWN LABOR AND POLITICAL LEADERS
WERE PREDICTING THAT WE WERE HEADED INTO A DEPRESSION
AND THAT ONLY MASSIVE ACTION BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
COULD AVERT TRAGEDY
-9-
INFLATION WAS OVER TWELVE PERCENT
UNEMPLOYMENT WAS CLIMBING
WE WERE , IN FACT
HEADING INTO OUR WORST RECESSION IN FORTY YEARS
-10-
BUT, INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO THE PROPHETS OF DOOM
WITH THEIR QUICK-FIX SOLUTIONS INVOLVING MORE BIG GOVERNMENT,
WE PURSUED A CALM, STEADY POLICY OF RELYING UPON THE
AMERICAN PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
Indrugg and
-11-
AS A RESULT, WE MEET TODAY
NOT IN THE GLOOM
OF A RECESSION
t
BUT IN THE FULL SURGE OF A STEADY,
CONFIDENT ECONOMIC RECOVERY
-12-
WE HAVE TURNED THE COUNTRY AROUND
AND
WE ARE ON THE ROAD TO RENEWED PROSPERITY
,
MUTUAL TRUST AND A LASTING PEACE
-13-
WE CUT THE ANNUAL RATE OF INFLATION BY MORE THAN
ONE-HALF
WE HAVE INCREASED EMPLOYMENT BY THREE MILLION
300 THOUSAND JOBS SINCE THE LOW OF LAST YEAR
THE INDEX OF CONSUMER CONFIDENCE IS DOUBLE WHAT IT WAS
A YEAR AGO
-14-
OUR RECOVERY DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN
IT TOOK PLACE BECAUSE I REJECTED BIGGER SPENDING
BIGGER DEFICITS
AND BIGGER GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
-15-
I USED THE VETO POWER 49 TIMES, AND 42 OF
THOSE VETOES WERE SUSTAINED, SAVING AMERICAN TAXPAYERS
SOME 13 BILLION DOLLARS
THAT AVERAGES OUT TO ALMOST
26tho Comples
200 DOLLARS FOR EVERY HOUSEHOLD
AMD THERE ARE PLENTY
sends MORE more VETOES ofther WHERE buyet THOSE CAME briting FROM. spending bills to the
White Hond 2'll vets them again, again of again
No Card 16 included
-17-
I LEARNED THIS BASIC TRUTH A LONG TIME AGO:
THAT A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE US
EVERYTHING WE WANT IS A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE
FROM US EVERYTHING WE HAVE
-18-
2 hnow
HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT AS A NATION
,
OUR BEST HOPE FOR CONTINUED PEACE IS TO REMAIN STRONG ENOUGH
TO PRESERVE THE PEACE
-19-
THROUGHOUT MY 27 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE
IN THE CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE MY RECORD IS ONE
OF TOTAL COMMITMENT TO A NATIONAL DEFENSE EQUAL TO ANY
CHALLENGE -- AND A POLICY OF PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.
-20-
FOR TEN LONG YEARS THE CONGRESS HAS HACKED AWAY
- cuttory 50 bithondortans in The last
AT THE DEFENSE BUDGET TO PAY FOR THEIR FAVORITE SOCIAL
10 years.
PROGRAMS
LAST YEAR, THEY CUT ANOTHER SIX AND ONE HALF
BILLION DOLLARS FROM THE VERY FIRST DEFENSE BUDGET I SUBMITTED
AS PRESIDENT
-21-
NOW, AT LAST, IT LOOKS LIKE I HAVE TURNED THEM
AROUND
I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE CONGRESS WILL PASS
THE RECORD 113 BILLION DOLLAR DEFENSE BUDGET I SUBMITTED
IN JANUARY
-22-
I AM DETERMINED TO MAINTAIN THE PEACE WE NOW
ENJOY, AND MAKE CERTAIN THAT THIS LEGACY OF PEACE
CONTINUES FOR OUR CHILDREN AND FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME
-23-
WITH OUR NATION AT PEACE.
I AM CONTINUING
THE TASK I UNDERTOOK ON THE DAY I BECAME PRESIDENT,
WHICH IS THE RESTORATION OF CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN OUR
INSTITUTIONS
IN OURSELVES AND IN OUR FUTURE
-24-
THE RECORD OF MY FIRST TWO YEARS IN THE
WHITE HOUSE IS PEACE
PROSPERITY,
PERFORMANCE IN OFFICE
2
AND TRUST
IT IS A RECORD THAT I AM PROUD OF AND ASK
FOR YOUR MANDATE TO CONTINUE
-25-
THE COURSE WE TAKE IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS
WILL SHAPE AMERICA'S FUTURE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME
I WANT TO PURSUE THE STEADY COURSE THAT LEADS TO PEACE
THROUGH STRENGTH
FROM RECESSION TO RECOVERY
FROM FEAR
,
9
TO FAITH
WITH YOUR HELP WE WILL PURSUE THAT COURSE