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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.
Collection: Roberts, John G.: Files
Folder Title: JGR/Presidential Remarks,
[Statements, & Addresses] (06/10/1985-06/19/1985)
Box: 41
To see more digitized collections visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library
To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection
Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected]
Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing
National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 11, 1985
MEMORANDUM FOR BEN ELLIOTT
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR, PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHWRITING
FROM:
ASSOCIATE JOHN G. ROBERTS COUNSEL JJJ THE
PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Remarks: Flag Day Event
Counsel's Office has reviewed the above-referenced remarks,
and finds no objection to them from a legal perspective.
CC: David L. Chew
ID #
CU
WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET
0 * OUTGOING
H . INTERNAL
I . INCOMING
Date Correspondence
Received (YY/MM/DD)
/
/
Name of Correspondent:
Dave Chew
MI Mail Report
User Codes: (A)
(B)
(C)
Subject: Flag Day Event Remarks
ROUTE TO:
ACTION
DISPOSITION
Tracking
Type
Completion
Action
Date
of
Date
Office/Agency
(Staff Name)
Code
YY/MM/DD
Response
Code
YY/MM/DD
CUHOLL
ORIGINATOR 85,06,11
/
/
Referral Note:
CUAT 18
R
85,06,11
S 85,06,12
Referral Note:
10 am
/
/
/
/
-
Referral Note:
/ /
/
/
-
Referral Note:
/ /
/
/
-
Referral Note:
ACTION CODES:
DISPOSITION CODES:
A Appropriate Action
I Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary
A Answered
C Completed
C Comment/Recommendation
R - Direct Reply w/Copy
B - Non-Special Referral
S Suspended
D Draft Response
S For Signature
F Furnish Fact Sheet
X Interim Reply
to be used as Enclosure
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE
Type of Response = Initials of Signer
Code = "A"
Completion Date = Date of Outgoing
Comments:
Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.
Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).
Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files.
Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.
5/81
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 6/11/85
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 a.m. 6/12/85
SUBJECT: REMARKS: Flag Day Event at Fort McHenry
Baltimore, Maryland
(6/11/85 2:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
LACY
REGAN
McFARLANE
STOCKMAN
A
OGLESBY
BUCHANAN
ROLLINS
CHAVEZ
RYAN
CHEW
P
SS SPEAKES
DANIELS
SPRINKEL
FIELDING
SVAHN
FRIEDERSDORF
TUTTLE
HENKEL
ROSEBUSH
HICKEY
ELLIOTT
HICKS
KINGON
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/changes directly to Ben Elliott,
with an info copy to my office by 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 12th.
thanks.
RESPONSE:
David L. Chew
1995 JEM FII 3:16
Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
activedes 1"
(Gilder/BE)
June 11, 1985
2:00 p.m.
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: FLAG DAY EVENT AT FORT MCHENRY
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1985
That's one of the biggest flags and one of the most
beautiful sights I've ever seen -- it sure is a Grand Old Flag.
This flag is a replica of one that flew through the night
171 years ago during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, signaling
defiance to the British and hope and inspiration to Francis Scott
Key.
Some historians have called the War of 1812 the Second War
of Independence, the crucial test of our young Republic as it
fought for its life against what was then the strongest nation on
Earth. By the end of the summer of 1814, the British had already
taken our capital and burned the White House. Baltimore was the
next target in their grand design to divide our forces and crush
this newly independent Nation of upstart colonies. All that
stood between the British and Baltimore -- all that stood between
America and defeat -- was this fort and its guns, blocking their
entry into Baltimore Harbor.
The British fleet of war ships moved within 2 miles of the
fort and began a bombardment that was to last for 25 hours.
Through the dark hours of the night, the rockets fired and the
bombs exploded, and a young American naval officer, held captive
aboard a British ship, watched anxiously for some sign, some
proof that liberty would prevail.
You can imagine his joy when the next morning -- in the
dawn's early light -- he looked out and saw the banner still
Page 2
flying -- a little tattered and torn and worse for wear -- but
still flying proudly above the ramparts. Fort McHenry and the
brave men manning it had withstood the assault. Baltimore was
saved. The United States, this great "experiment" in human
freedom, as George Washington described it, would endure.
Thinking back to those times, one realizes that our
democracy is so strong because it was forged in the fires of
adversity. In those dark days of the war it must have been easy
to give into despair. It truly was a perilous night for our new
Nation. But our forefathers were motivated by something bigger
than themselves. From the harsh winter of Valley Forge to the
blazing night above Fort McHenry, those patriot soldiers were
sustained by the ideal of human freedom.
Through the hardships and the setbacks, they kept their eye
on that ideal and that purpose, just as, through the smoke of
battle, they kept a lookout for the flag. For with the birth of
our Nation, the cause of human freedom had become forever tied to
that flag and its survival.
As the American Republic grew and prospered, and new stars
were added to the constellation of States, the ideal of freedom
grew and prospered. As our country spread across the American
continent, millions of the dispossessed, the persecuted, the
tired, hungry, and poor, flocked to our shores, and the human
energies unleashed in this land of liberty were like those never
before seen in this world.
From the mountains of Kentucky to the shores of California,
to the sea of tranquility on the Moon, our pioneers carried our
Page 3
flag before them, a symbol of the indomitable spirit of a free
people.
Today we mark the 100th anniversary of the first flag day
ceremony. It was a small and modest ceremony, honoring the
anniversary of the creation of our flag; a Flag Birth Day, " as
they called it, conducted by a young schoolteacher and his
students at the Stony Brook School in Wisconsin. That teacher's
name was Bernard Cigrand, and through his subsequent efforts he
helped establish the national observance of Flag Day. His
granddaughter, Mrs. Elroya Cigrand Brown, is with us today to
help us celebrate. Congratulations, Mrs. Brown.
As we mark this 100th "Flag Birth Day," the ideals for which
our flag stands still challenge our Nation. Today, as before, we
strive to reach the full potential of freedom. But for too long
there has been one thing that has locked in that potential and
hindered our development. That is a tax system that has grown
too complicated, too unfair, and too inefficient, and has dogged
the heels of our progress.
Our present tax system has not only slowed and distorted our
economic development, it has begun to erode the faith and trust
on which free institutions depend. It is a basic belief in
America that everyone deserves a fair break, and the American
people are naturally losing patience with a system that they see
as unfairly rewarding a few at the expense of the many. And most
don't understand why we put up with a tax system that works at
such cross purposes with the American Dream, a system whose high
personal rates punish success, and whose complex rules and
Page 4
regulations governing business seem designed to stifle the spirit
of enterprise.
Well, today we have the chance to put things right, to
create a system that is fairer, simpler, and that opens wide the
door of the American opportunity society so that all of our
citizens can walk through. We can create a Second American
Revolution of hope and progress to match the great aspirations of
our first revolution - and this we are determined to do.
One of the most vital elements of our tax proposal is its
reduction, for the great majority of Americans, of marginal tax
rates. With lower tax rates, America's Tax Plan will give people
more confidence in the future. They will know that they can keep
more of what they earn, that their labor will bring a just
reward. They will be able to plan ahead; with more security
today, they will be able to work and save more for tomorrow.
With America's Tax Plan, our Nation will be able to expand its
horizons, to test its limits as never before.
As always, there are the voices of defeat that counsel
surrender even while the battle is hardly begun, but they are few
and far between. America is united on this issue as one that
transcends partisanship -- an issue on which both parties can
come together and do what is self-evidently right for America.
The great American "experiment" in freedom and democracy has
really just begun. Celebrations such as these remind us of the
terrible hardships our forefathers willingly endured for their
beliefs, and they challenge us to match that greatness of spirit
in our own time. These anniversaries remind us that freedom is
Page 5
not a resting place, but a constant goal, and a constant goad,
spurring us on to ever greater achievements.
America has always recognized our historic responsibility to
lead the march of freedom. Since our Revolution -- the first
democratic revolution -- and the founding of our Republic,
America has been a hope and inspiration to the oppressed and
tyrannized the world over. In the storm-tossed history of our
globe, the United States has been a strong and steady rudder,
holding the world fast to the course of democratic progress.
That progress has not always been easy, and there have been
many setbacks along the way. In my lifetime, the world has
suffered the agony of the twin, inhuman ideologies of nazism and
communism. But today, freedom is rising. Today, around the
globe freedom is taking root and growing strong. Today, over
90 percent of the people in the countries to our South live in
democracies or countries that are confidently moving in that
direction. El Salvador, beset by terrorists and a hostile
Communist neighbor, has come securely through its own perilous
night, and its democratic flag is still at full mast. Costa Rica
and Guatemala, too, have recently suffered threats and attacks
from Nicaragua, but the Communists' bullying tactics have only
bolstered their determination to protect their democracies.
Freedom is the wave of the future. In those countries
around the world where the tyrants still hold sway, new
resistance movements are gaining momentum. In Nicaragua, Angola,
Afghanistan, and Cambodia, the guerrillas now fight for freedom
and human rights. They fight for the same ideals that inspired
Page 6
our forefathers, though the tyrants they battle are incomparably
more ruthless. Still, the power and justice of their cause is
such that, even despite sometimes overwhelming odds, many of
these rebel movements continue to gain recruits and grow in
strength.
So today, freedom's story is still being written. The brave
defense of Fort McHenry by our patriot Army was one of its first
chapters, but the story will continue as long as there are
tyrants and dictators who would deny their people their
unalienable rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness." Every time we place our hand over our heart and
pledge allegiance to the flag, we will be reminded that our most
precious inheritance is freedom, and that history has bestowed on
our Nation the unique responsibility for its protection.
When the commanding officer of Fort McHenry commissioned the
original "Star Spangled Banner," the one that was later to bring
so much hope to Francis Scott Key, he ordered one that would be,
in his words, so large that "the British will have no difficulty
in seeing it from a distance." Today, the flag we so proudly
hail still sends a message to any distance that the spirit of a
free people is unconquerable, and that our democratic Nation will
always remain, "the land of the free and the home of the brave. "
Thank you all. God bless you and God bless America.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 12, 1985
MEMORANDUM FOR BEN ELLIOTT
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR, PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHWRITING
FROM:
JOHN G. ROBERTS Job
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Remarks: "C Flag" Award Ceremony
Counsel's Office has reviewed the above-referenced remarks,
and finds no objection to them from a legal perspective.
CC: David L. Chew
ID #
CU
WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET
O - OUTGOING
H - INTERNAL
I . INCOMING
Date Correspondence
Received (YY/MM/DD)
/
/
Name of Correspondent: Dave Chew
MI Mail Report
User Codes: (A)
(B)
(C)
Subject: Remarks: "C slag" auard ceremony
ROUTE TO:
ACTION
DISPOSITION
Tracking
Type
Completion
Action
Date
of
Date
Office/Agency
(Staff Name)
Code
YY/MM/DD
Response
Code
YY/MM/DD
CUHOLL
ORIGINATOR 85,06,11
/ /
-
Referral Note:
CUAT 12
85,06,11
5 85,06,12
I
Referral Note:
11am
/
/
/ /
-
Referral Note:
/
/
/ /
-
Referral Note:
/
/
/ /
I
Referral Note:
ACTION CODES:
DISPOSITION CODES:
A Appropriate Action
I Into Copy Only/No Action Necessary
A. Answered
C Completed
C Comment/Recommendation
R. Direct Reply w/Copy
B - Non-Special Referral
S Suspended
D Draft Response
S For Signature
F Furnish Fact Sheet
X Interim Reply
to be used as Enclosure
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:
Type of Response = Initials of Signer
Code = "A"
Completion Date = Date of Outgoing
Comments:
Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.
Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).
Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files.
Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
6/11/85
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
11:00 A.M. TOMORROW, 6/1:
SUBJECT: REMARKS: "C FLAG" AWARD CEREMONY
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
LACY
REGAN
McFARLANE
STOCKMAN
OGLESBY
BUCHANAN
ROLLINS
CHAVEZ
RYAN
CHEW
P
S
SPEAKES
DANIELS
SPRINKEL
FIELDING
SVAHN
FRIEDERSDORF
TUTTLE
HENKEL
ELLIOTT
HICKEY
HICKS
KINGON
REMARKS:
Please provide any edits directly to Ben Elliott by 11:00 a.m. tomorrow,
June 12th, with an information copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
1225 3:49 3:
David L. Chew
Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Dolan/BE)
June 11, 1985
2:30 p.m.
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: "C FLAG" AWARD CEREMONY
FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1985
We're delighted to have all of you here today. Because this
is the last formal event held by the Advisory Council On Private
Sector Initiatives, I want to begin by expressing my deep
personal gratitude to you for being a part of this tremendously
important, history-making effort. And a special word of thanks
is in order to Bob Galvin and his council members, to Bill Taylor
and the Citation Program sponsors, and to John Phelan and the New
York Stock Exchange.
I know words like "history-making" or "historic" get thrown
around a lot in this city, but let me assure you that in this
case those words are more than just Washington puffery. Some of
you have heard me talk about de Tocqueville's reflections on
19th century America and his astonishment at the extent to which
Americans made their society work -- not by relying on
Government, but by helping each other.
You all know that this tradition, one of the driving engines
of social progress in our country, was in serious jeopardy some
years ago when the idea took hold that the only way to handle a
social problem was a huge, new Federal spending program and an
army of functionaries and consultants to administer it.
Government bureaucracy reached gargantuan size, and because
nothing stifles initiative and imagination like bureaucracy,
America's self-help tradition lost much of its force and energy.
Page 2
But any modern-day de Tocqueville looking over America today
would see a return to that tradition and a revival of the idea
which all of you embody: that compassion with ingenuity works:-
that the American people are anxious and ready to help each
other, they just need to be asked.
I hope you'll forgive me if I tell a little story that I
think has special pertinence. Back in my early days in radio, we
had a sound-effects man in the studio and he had a wheeled cart,
and on it he had every kind of device in the world for radio
dramas - from coconut shells that he beat on his chest to be a
galloping horse, to cellophane he could crumple for a fire, and
so on. One day we had a play that called for the sound of water
falling on a board. Well, this poor fellow, during all the
rehearsals he was working -- he tried rice on a drum, he tried
dried peas on a piece of cardboard, he tried everything, and
nothing would give him the sound of water on a board. And
finally one day he tried water on a board. And it sounded just
like water on a board.
In a way, then, that's what all of you have done: the
simple and obvious thing that had somehow been forgotten. You
just went to people, you asked them to lend a hand, and you
discovered that's just the question they needed to hear.
And because you did, you've helped change America. Your
projects have ranged from developing the Caribbean Basin to child
safety awareness to food banks, job training, neighborhood
revitalization, and scores of other programs in art, ecology, and
education, and services for the elderly.
Page 3
Because of your efforts the New York Stock Exchange has
identified private sector initiatives as an issue of great
importance to corporate America and co-hosted this morning's
symposium on excellence in Private Sector Initiatives.
And this awards program today of the C-Flags -- "C" for "we
Can and we Care" -- is a tribute to the hundreds of private
sector organizations that lent a hand and made our country
better.
I want to thank each of the winners for their enormous
commitment, dedication, and patriotism. I think you all know I
could go on at some length about your achievements. The first
week Safeway Stores put pictures of missing children on their
shopping bags, two of the eight children were found. Last year,
over 5,600 hours of instruction time were donated to the schools
that ARCO employees have adopted. B. Dalton Bookseller has
launched a 4-year National Literacy Initiative involving
105 communities and 16,000 volunteers. Through LISC, the Local
Initiatives Support Corporation, the Bank of America foundation
has financed 27 different rehabilitation projects in distressed
areas. Last year, the members of the South Shore Chamber of
Commerce provided for over 1,000 juvenile offenders that earned
over $350,000 that was paid back to victims in restitution. And
through its Youth Leadership Program, Westinghouse Broadcasting
and Cable, Inc. recognize outstanding high school seniors who
exemplify the innate will to win.
Well, the list goes on. I wish there were time to mention
the contributions of everyone. I couldn't possibly do that. But
Page 4
what I can do is thank you -- not just for myself but -- as
President -- for the millions of Americans who, if they had the
chance, would want to personally express their gratitude to you.
You've made a difference for your country and for millions of
your countrymen. You've helped renew and enrich America by
awakening one of her oldest and most noble traditions. For that,
today I thank you, and all of America salutes you.
God bless you all.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 17, 1985
MEMORANDUM FOR BENTLY T. ELLIOTT
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR OF SPEECHWRITING
FROM:
JOHN G. ROBERTS, JR. JJR
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
National Jaycees Convention
Indianapolis, Indiana
Counsel's office has reviewed the above-referenced proposed
address, and finds no objection to it from a legal perspective.
CC: David Chew
ID #
CU
WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET
o a OUTGOING
H . INTERNAL
I . INCOMING
Date Correspondence
Received (YY/MM/DD)
/
/
Name of Correspondent: Dave Chew
MI Mail Report
User Codes: (A)
(B)
(C)
Subject: address: national Jaycees convention,
Indianapolis Indiana
ROUTE TO:
ACTION
DISPOSITION
Tracking
Type
Completion
Action
Date
of
Date
Office/Agency
(Staff Name)
Code
YY/MM/DD
Response
Code
YY/MM/DD
CUHOLL
ORIGINATOR 85,06,14
/ /
Referral Note:
CUAT 18
R 85,06,14
$ 85,06,17
Referral Note:
COB
/
1
/ /
-
Referral Note:
/
/
/ /
-
Referral Note:
/ /
/ /
DATE
Referral Note:
ACTION CODES:
DISPOSITION CODES:
A Appropriate Action
I. . Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary
A . Answered
c Completed
C . Comment/Recommendation
R Direct Reply w/Copy
B - Non-Special Referral
S Suspended
D Draft Response
S For Signature
F - Furnish Fact Sheet
X . Interim Reply
to be used as Enclosure
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:
Type of Response = Initials of Signer
Code = "A"
Completion Date = Date of Outgoing
Comments:
Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.
Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).
Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files.
Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.
5/81
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 6/14/85
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 9:00 a.m. 6/17/85
SUBJECT: ADDRESS: National Jaycees Convention
Indianapolis, Indiana
(6/17/85 2:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
LACY
REGAN
McFARLANE
STOCKMAN
OGLESBY
BUCHANAN
ROLLINS
CHAVEZ
RYAN
CHEW
P
5S SPEAKES
DANIELS
SPRINKEL
FIELDING
SVAHN
FRIEDERSDORF
TUTTLE
HENKEL
ELLIOTT
HICKEY
HICKS
KINGON
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/changes directly to Ben Elliott,
with an info copy to my office by 9:00 a.m. Monday, June 17th.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
1985 JUN 14 Pil 3: 07
David L. Chew
Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Elliott)
Rd of Mill
June 14, 1985
2:00 p.m.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL JAYCEES CONVENTION
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1985
Thank you very much -- thank you President Tommy Todd, Doris
Gosnell, Mayor Hudnut of Indianapolis, Victor [Chee-Chose]
Luciano, and all of you members of this great, growing
organization. Listening to that warm introduction, feeling your
enthusiasm shake this hall, I could only think -- I've found it,
I'm in Hoosier heaven.
You know, I grew up hearing the sound of Indiana's Wabash
Cannonball. But today I'm hearing the sound of an All-American
Cannonball. Well, I'm happy to be with you today, for my heart
is with you every day of the year. We have much in common, you
know. Like a lot of small businesses, I also work out of my
house.
I remember addressing a group just about 4 years ago at this
time -- down in San Antonio, Texas -- and I asked for their help
to put the pieces of a broken economy back together. They were
and are a very special group of people. They are heroes who live
on the frontiers of American life. They are people who behold in
the dawn each day a dream far away to strive for and win. They
are men and women who laugh at folly and fear, who see setbacks
not as excuses to quit, but as spurs to struggle and sweat even
harder to carry on -- they are the Jaycees; they stand for
opportunity, and they are leading the great comeback of the
United States of America.
Page 2
In 65 chapters, 270,000 strong, the heart of the Jaycees is
strong, good, and true. You are leaders in your communities,
movers and shakers in "get-out-the-vote" drives, in raising funds
for muscular distrophy, helping to locate missing children, and
problem-solving of every sort. An organization once reserved for
men only, you have opened your doors to more than 30,000 women
members, and today we salute all of your new Jaycee members.
Four years ago, I came before you and said: If you think
you're better off with the high taxes and runaway monster
Government of the past, then go ahead and oppose our new program.
But if you're ready to try something new, if you're ready to tell
Washington, D.C., "No more business as usual, because we're going
to make America great again," then lend us your help and commit
your lives.
You did that. You joined us and gave your all because we
believe in America. We believe America was not meant for the
special interests, the bureaucrats, or the elite, powerful and
well-connected. The America we believe in, that we united to
save, is the America of hardworking families who sustain their
communities, who abide by the law, who not only pay their own
bills, but every cent spent by Government as well.
Jefferson was right, and we get into trouble every time we
lose sight of his vision -- all men are created equal; they are
endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights of life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and it is Washington's
responsibility not to grow for its own sake, but to provide the
Page 3
ultimate in individual freedom -- and that is the commitment of
this Administration.
So we set out together to give the words freedom,
incentives, and growth new life. And what have we accomplished?
Not all that we want. By no means at all. But while the
sourpusses were predicting failure, we cut inflation from
12.4 percent to under 4 percent; cut the prime rate from
20 percent to 10 percent -- the lowest level in 6 years; stopped
Government from engorging itself with the people's earnings;
created 8 million new jobs -- more jobs per month than Europe
created in the last 10 years; 600,000 new business incorporations
last year; and we turned zero-growth into 30 straight months of
economic expansion and boosted consumer confidence to its highest
levels since 1966.
My friends, thanks to you, a no-run, no-hit, no-win team is
working its way back to championship form. And you know
something? Winning is just the beginning, because momentum
creates more momentum. We're not turning back to that failed,
unhappy past. This is the moment to push forward together, to
get the job done right, to change our lives for the better and
change America forever.
So like in 1981, I have come to ask a simple but crucial
question for our future: Are you with us, can we count on your
support again?
Well, thank you very much. You just made my day. I hope
you agree that a Congress truly serious about cutting deficits
will pass the budget savings we have asked for; and will give
Page 4
this President the same authority 43 Governors already have --
authority to line-item veto budget-busting items in
appropriations bills.
And if we're ever going to handcuff the big-spenders, we
can't stop with a line-item veto; we must go all the way and pass
a constitutional amendment mandating Government may spend no more
than Government takes in.
Now I have come today to speak to you on another subject --
I've come to speak about our tax system. I pray that this won't
send shudders through the hall. But then I wouldn't be
surprised. A system with 14 different tax brackets that stifle
hard work and success, a system that has singled out families for
cruel and unusual punishment, a system that caters to the
powerful few with loopholes galore, but lets working people take
it on the chin -- that system is unfair at its core; it has
become public enemy number one; it has earned a revolt and it is
time we tore it down.
Trying to tackle the great challenges of our future with
today's outdated tax system -- well, that's a little like trying
to win the Indianapolis 500 on a bicycle. We're proposing a plan
that will say, if I may paraphrase the start of that race --
America, start your engines. We are proposing a plan that will
tell 230 million Americans -- let's go for it.
We would get rid of the current 14-bracket system and
replace it with a simple 3-bracket system of 15, 25, and
35 percent. Those brackets would apply to your taxable income,
not to your gross income, and these lower rates would mean you
Page 5
could keep more of each additional dollar you earn or save. We
call it America's Tax Plan because it will mean fairness and tax
relief for the majority of families, individuals, and businesses
in every region of the country.
Families are the bedrock of our society and they are going
to receive long-overdue relief. It is a national scandal that
Washington sat back for three decades and let the value of the
personal exemption collapse. Well, we're putting an end to
benign neglect. We would nearly double -- to $2,000 -- the
personal exemption for every taxpayer and dependent. The
exemption would be indexed to inflation to prevent any erosion.
We would raise the standard deduction for joint returns to
$4,000. And to end unjust discrimination against homemakers, we
would nearly double -- to $4,000 -- the amount every couple can
put into Individual Retirement Accounts and deduct from their
Federal income taxes. We're not promoting one kind of family
over another; we just want all families treated the same.
I think you know who gets the lion's share of the credit for
creating 8 million new jobs in the last 2-1/2 years. When it
comes to producing jobs, American small business is king. And we
want to keep it that way with the biggest jobs creation bill in
history. Reducing personal tax rates will give a shot in the arm
to small businesses which aren't incorporated. So will reducing
the maximum corporate tax rate -- now 46 percent -- to
33 percent, with most small corporations paying lower rates.
And reducing the top tax rate on capital gains will fuel the
high-risk ventures that can pay off with great leaps in
Page 6
productivity and new jobs and technologies. We want every man
and woman to have their chance to stand among the new heroes of
our age -- the American entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur -- you know,
that's such a nice word; it's a French word meaning Jaycee.
As we open the windows of opportunity for all, we're going
to start shutting the doors of special privileges that enable
some to avoid paying their fair share. I don't think we need to
keep subsidizing $100 lunches to stay competitive in world
markets. I don't think the great majority of taxpayers should
have to subsidize the State and local deduction for the wealthy
few in a handful of high-tax States. And I don't think tax
loopholes like "[ho-ho-bah] Bean Shelters," "Windmills," "Race
Horse Write-Offs," and "Caymen Island Trusts" are the foundation
for a lean and mean America in the eighties, nineties, and
21st century.
These shelters aren't justified; they cheat the great
majority of unsheltered taxpayers who must make up the difference
with higher tax rates; and it's about time that we pulled our
investment money out of unfair subsidies, out of shelters, out of
foreign tax havens, and invested that money in America's future.
It's time that we all pulled on the same oar so all can go
forward together and nobody gets left behind.
I know the special interests and their lobbyists are
regrouping; they're already invading every nook and cranny in
Congress. But the American people have a lobbyist, too -- you're
looking at him.
Page 7
And what this lobbyist knows is that with America's Tax Plan
every group will be better off -- every one. It is pro-fairness,
pro-family, pro-growth, and most important, it is pro-future.
What the pundits don't know, or haven't calculated, is what
America's Tax Plan will mean for our future. In a word, lower
tax rates mean opportunity, a whole new world of opportunity for
people.
If you earn more, if you're promoted to a better job, if
you're able to save some money and invest it -- then fewer of
those dollars will go to line Uncle Sam's pockets and more will
end up in your wallets -- where they belong. That's the key
difference from the tax system we have now.
And when you see that bright green light telling you -- go
ahead, take a risk, shoot for your dreams and do more with your
lives -- it will be America that gains the most; America that
becomes more competitive; and yes, America that lights up the sky
with economic fireworks that spell -- U.S.A. Number One. I've
often said and believe it must always remain our goal: we cannot
be satisfied until the United States can out-produce,
out-compete, and out-sell anybody, anywhere in the world.
America's Tax Plan will enable us to do just that. Because
think about this for a moment. Tax rates are like prices for
producing, saving, and investing. And by bringing down those
prices, by making them cheaper than virtually anywhere in the
world, we are going to create powerful incentives for people to
invest and produce and save here in America. We are going to
Page 8
create powerful incentives for people all over the world to do
their shopping in America's store ahead of any other store.
We are going to contribute to another surge of
entrepreneurial activity. We are going to contribute to a rush
of venture capital. We are going to make it possible for
tomorrow's industrial giants to be born in America -- born in a
small business that may begin in the dream of one Jaycee.
This is the future we can invent and create together. And
we shouldn't settle for less; our dreams can be real. I'm
convinced that getting this program passed would be the best
thing we could do for ourselves. And if you help us get it
passed this year, we'll give America the best Christmas present
we've ever had.
Now some people, and I don't question their intentions, are
already fixing to pick our plan apart. For example, some say
that, to make it even fairer, we must raise the top tax rate
higher than 35 percent so the rich pay more. But that argument
misses the central point of what we're doing. We are not
lowering the top tax rate to 35 percent so the rich will do
better. We are lowering the top rate to 35 percent so that every
working American will have a better chance to get rich.
There's something else they forget. Over 13 million small
businesses pay their taxes by the personal rates. So raising the
top tax rate is a Tax-Increase-in-Waiting for every one of them.
I want the Congress to hear what you think about this. Now
they're 608 miles away, so you're going to have to speak up.
Page 9
A planned tax increase on 13 million American small
businesses -- is that your idea of fairness? I'm sorry, your
answer didn't quite reach D.C.; you said what? Is a tax increase
on small business your idea of strengthening growth and our
future? Well then, maybe you'd like to tell Congress: you
support our plan, you want it passed, America should unite --
America should go for it.
There is no limit to the good we can do, for there's no
limit to the goodness in America's heart and spirit. You know
this; you're the ones who show us every day -- in places like
Anderson, South Carolina, where Jaycees built a Vietnam War
Memorial to the 28 young men who gave their last full measure of
devotion in that war; in Stephen's Point, Wisconsin, where
they've bought a computer that is helping cerebral palsey victim
Don Zivney to speak after 22 years of silence.
You remind us what I recently told a talented group of
students in Atlanta, Georgia: as important as the creation of
wealth is to generate jobs and a bright future, we don't want our
children to grow up believing wealth and material comforts should
be their main goals in life.
It isn't looking out for number one that counts most; it is
loving our neighbor -- and we have that on pretty good authority.
This is America's tradition from our first days when the pioneers
would get together and build each other's houses. They called it
house-raising. That was long ago. But it's still going on.
Every time someone helps a friend down and out, helps a
lonely stranger hungry and cold, that's a house-raising. Every
Page 10
time someone gives time or money to support their local police,
help the handicapped, or improve their library or school --
that's a house-raising, too. And every time a group of people
get together and vow, don't tell us how big the problem is, the
Jaycees can solve it -- that's a house-raising.
I thank you for this wonderful time we've spent together. I
wish you an America rich in success, and rich in our kindness and
love for each other. And if I must say good bye -- cause saying
good bye to the Jaycees is pretty hard to do -- then I'll do it
by leaving you some words I almost feel were written for you.
"Carry on! Carry on!
Fight the good fight and true;
Believe in your mission, greet life with a cheer;
There's big work to do, and that's why you are here
Let the world be better for you;
And at last, when you die, let this be your cry:
Carry on, my soul! Carry on!"
Thank you for the miracles you do every day. God bless you
all and God bless America.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 19, 1985
MEMORANDUM FOR BEN ELLIOTT
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR OF SPEECHWRITING
FROM:
JOHN G. ROBERTS, JR.
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Presidential Address: International
Lions Club Convention
Counsel's office has reviewed the above-referenced proposed
address, and finds no objection to it from a legal perspective.
CC: David Chew
ID #
CU
WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET
0 . OUTGOING
H INTERNAL
I . INCOMING
Date Correspondence
Received (YY/MM/DD)
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Name of Correspondent: Dave cnew
MI Mail Report
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(B)
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Subject: Presidential address: International Lrons club
Convention
ROUTE TO:
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DISPOSITION
Tracking
Type
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Action
Date
of
Date
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YY/MM/DD
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CUNTOLL
ORIGINATOR 85,06,19
/
/
Referral Note:
CUAT 18
R
85,06,19
S $ 85,06,19
Referral Note:
2 pm
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ACTION CODES:
DISPOSITION CODES:
A Appropriate Action
1. Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary
A - Answered
C Completed
C Comment/Recommendation
R. Direct Reply w/Copy
B - Non-Special Referral
S Suspended
D Draft Response
S. For Signature
F Furnish Fact Sheet
X. Interim Reply
to be used as Enclosure
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:
Type of Response = Initials of Signer
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Completion Date it Date of Outgoing
Comments:
Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.
Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).
Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files.
Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.
5/81
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 6/18/85
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 pm, Wed., 6/19/85
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: INTERNATIONAL LIONS CLUB CONVENTION
(June 18, 7:30 pm draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
LACY
REGAN
McFARLANE
STOCKMAN
OGLESBY
BUCHANAN
ROLLINS
CHAVEZ
RYAN
CHEW
P
$S SPEAKES
DANIELS
SPRINKEL
FIELDING
SVAHN
FRIEDERSDORF
TUTTLE
HENKEL
ELLIOTT
HICKEY
HICKS
KINGON
REMARKS:
Please submit your comments directly to Ben Elliott with an information
copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
7036
David L. Chew
Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Rohrabacher/BE)
June 18, 1985
7:30 p.m.
Recrived'S
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: INTERNATIONAL LIONS CLUB CONVENTION
DALLAS, TEXAS
FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 1985
Thank you. I always enjoy visiting Texas, a big state with
a big heart. A member of my staff was down here not long ago and
asked a cabbie about the scoop shaped top on the Astro dome. The
Cabbie, in keeping with the Texas modesty simply replied, "that's
so God can watch."
Well, it's a pleasure to be with you today. I know that
every Lion, wherever you are from, has a Texas size heart. I'd
like to especially welcome those many Lions who are here from
other countries. All I can tell you is that as Lions, you are
associated with some of the best darn Americans this country has
to offer.
There are few citizens that so well reflect the heart and
soul of our country as do the Lions. Our forefathers and mothers
were fiercely independent and proud of their freedom. Yet the
spirit of neighbor helping neighbor is an essential part of the
legacy they left us.
The idea of a humanitarian service organization Melvin Jones
set in motion in 1917 was totally consistent with the American
character. His dream quickly spread throughout this country, was
carried to distant lands and you are now the largest service club
organization on the face of the Earth. Who says that one
individual can't make a difference?
Melvin Jones knew that good deeds benefit the giver and the
receiver, that one who gives of himself is spiritually enriched.
Page 2
Today, we also understand that Government cannot assume the
responsibility for all good works without destroying the spirit
of benevolence and sense of community so important to a
well-being of any free society.
Government, even with the best of intentions, sometimes does
more harm than good. This brings to mind a story about good
intentions gone astray. It seems a motorcyclist on a chilly day
stopped and put his jacket on backwards, so the collar was in
front to protect his neck from the cold. Well, with his jacket
on backwards his arms weren't as flexible and a little ways down
the road he lost control and the cycle skidded and tipped over.
By the time the police got to the scene of the accident a
crowd had gathered. A policeman asked a big fellow standing next
to the cyclist on the ground what had happened. He said he
wasn't sure. "He was alive when we got here," the bystander
said, "but by the time we got his head turned around the right
way he was dead."
Excessive government spending, taxing and regulating, no
matter how well intended, is a formula for disaster. And that is
exactly where this country was headed and why we changed course
4-1/2 years ago. The American people decided once again, to give
freedom a chance -- it was time to put this country back on the
path to lower taxes, individual responsibility, and economic
growth. I'm proud of what we accomplished during our first term.
We started rebuilding our defensive strength, beat down
inflation, and got our economy moving again.
Page 3
The foundation was laid during the first term. Now it is
time to finish the job. The first order of business is a
complete overhaul of America's antiquated, unfair, and overly
complicated tax system. The current tax code is the Federal
Government's version of Rubik's cube. It's a game that nobody
wins.
We call our proposal America's Tax Plan. It will, when
enacted, cut out complications and bring down the rates. It will
reduce the number of rates from 14 to 3: 15, 25, and 35 percent.
The mind boggling system of itemized deductions, special credits
and exclusions will go through a major simplification and reform.
The result will be a simpler and more understandable system -- a
fairer system, a system that will enable our economy to grow more
competitive and our people to prosper.
Today the tax code is SO voluminous and complex, even the
I.R.S. has trouble understanding it. Fairly enforcing such a
mish-mash of ever-changing rules and regulations is a Herculean
effort. And if you have the feeling that some people aren't
paying their fair share while others are getting soaked, you're
right.
The simpler system we are proposing will be easier to
enforce. It also will be demonstrably more difficult for special
interests, without the cover of an incomprehensible tax code, to
have tailor-made tax breaks written into the system. It is about
time a tax code is written for the general interest instead of
the special interests.
Page 4
As for the amount of taxes paid, the fact is, average
Americans will end up with lower tax burdens when our plan is
adopted. Taxes for the poor and elderly will be less. Some
people, generally those who've legally manipulated the current
system, will pay more. But in the end, everyone will benefit
because our tax program is designed to keep our economy vigorous
and growing, the key to a better tomorrow.
The old system has been a drag on the most productive
members of our society. America's Tax Plan is future oriented, a
blueprint for progress and better times. Today the Government
taxes away 1 of every 2 dollars of those in the top brackets.
Our plan will take only 1 in 3. Today, those who want to take
more money home, spend their time trying to find tax dodges and
shelters. Our system encourages them to be more efficient, to
increase their investments, and to work harder, which benefits
everyone.
Our plan encourages entrepreneurs to get new businesses off
the ground. These small businesses are the source of most new
jobs and the mainspring of innovation and creativity in the
business world.
Just as for individuals, by bringing down the rates and
reducing the number of deductions and complications, we will
ensure that American business remains a shining light of
enterprise and productivity which can and will lead the world to
better times.
Two years ago, by lowering the tax rates, cutting
regulation, and getting control of Government spending, we broke
Page 5
out of the quagmire of inflation and recession. The growth we've
enjoyed has astounded our friends and confounded our adversaries.
I'll never forget sitting down with our allies at economic
summits and being asked about how our economy was producing so
many new jobs. Just between 1982 and 1985, over seven million
new jobs were created in America.
And the American people aren't the only ones who've
benefitted. As our economy has picked up, Americans began
spending and investing money in other countries. Our own
prosperity has been, and continues to be, a mighty engine for
economic progress, pulling along even stagnant over-regulated and
over-taxed economies.
I hope those of you who are here from other countries will
carry this message back to your people. Americans want you to
succeed and to prosper. We have no desire to live as an island
of plenty. We don't want jobs and higher standards of living
just for our people. We don't want prosperity just at home. We
will be satisfied with nothing less than a world recovery.
We fully recognize that all free people, with their diverse
cultures and customs, must choose their own course, their own
way. Nevertheless, we hope that our friends will learn from our
experience.
Free men, free minds, and free markets can and will make
this a better world. It is only when people are free to
challenge what exists and offer something new that mankind is
able to step forward; only when people are free to dream and
discuss untried ideas that a society remains vibrant; only when
Page 6
people are free in the marketplace to meet the needs of others as
best they can, that innovation and opportunity become the order
of the day. Such freedom serves as a ladder of social and
economic advancement for all people, step by step improving the
lot of every individual from top to bottom. Ingenuity,
imagination, and creativity, these are the forces unleashed by
human freedom. These are the forces that bui America. And if
given a chance, they can reshape the face of this planet.
Critics of freedom would have us believe that liberty is at
odds with the spirit of brotherhood. Well, you are living proof
of the good will and humane values generated by freedom. Today
there is a new recognition of the principles advocated by Melvin
Jones. Individual commitment is alive and well. The latest
statistics on Private Sector Initiatives show that 92 million
people in the United States volunteer a portion of their time.
This is an increase of 8 million between 1981 and 1983. Most
volunteers donate 1 to 3 hours a week. The next largest
percentage donate more than 5 hours weekly.
And in 1984, there was a record rise in giving to charitable
causes, up 11.1 percent over 1983. The amount given voluntarily
by Americans is greater than the entire national budgets of
two-thirds of the Nations of the world, $74.2 billion last year.
That is just the money donated. Time and in-kind contributions,
if calculated in dollars, would double or triple that amount.
These are the kind of statistics that underscore the true
strength of our country. And much of this philanthropy, in
keeping with our traditions, is aimed at helping the less
Page 7
fortunate in other countries. When famine struck in Ethiopia,
Americans rushed to aid those in need. In grain alone,
110 million tons were donated. This compared to a paltry
10 million tons donated by Communist Ethiopia's closest ally, the
Soviet Union. It seems with all their sloganeering, about the
only things Communist countries produce in quantity are misery
and weapons. The record of humanitarian assistance provided by
Communist governments, even to their own allies, is a disgrace
and the world, especially the developing world, should know about
it.
Of course, Communist countries have trouble producing even
enough food for their own people. There is a story about a
commissar who is visiting a collective farm. He grabs a farmer
and asks what life is like on the collective. "Perfect," the
farmer replies. "I've never heard anyone complain." The
commissar is a bit skeptical about the answer, but he continues,
"Well, how is the potato harvest?"
The nervous farmer says, "It is incredible. We've harvested
so many potatoes that if they were in one pile, it would reach so
high it would touch the foot of God." The commissar interrupted.
"Wait a minute. This is the Soviet Union. There is no God."
"That's OK," said the farmer, "there are no potatoes either."
Seriously though, the outpouring of love and support by the
free people of the world to the hungry of the world is something
we all can be proud of. Even before the public fully realized of
the magnitude of the tragedy, for example, the Lions were flying
supplies into remote areas in Ethiopia. I also am aware of your
Page 8
campaign against blindness in the developing countries. You have
my deepest admiration for these projects and your many other
humanitarian endeavors.
On the domestic front, I'd like to take this opportunity to
thank the Lions here at home for all you're doing to fight drug
abuse. Nancy informed me all about your convention last year.
She was gratified to be honored by you, but when she got home she
told me she felt like she should have been giving you the award
and not the other way around.
Your efforts, and those of other concerned Americans outside
the structure of Government, are absolutely vital to the success
of this all-important campaign. With Bill Cosby's help, you're
teaching kids to say no to drugs. We're trying to deter young
people from getting involved and to help those using drugs to
stop. We will be satisfied with nothing less than a drug-free
America. Together, we're going to cut the legs out from under
the drug dealers by eliminating the demand for drugs. It's the
Lions versus the drug dealers and I'm betting on the Lions.
The other half of the war is a strong law
enforcement/interdiction campaign in order to stop the flow of
illegal drugs before it reaches the customers. This is a
complicated and frustrating job, but it lets every kid in this
country know we're serious. It sends the message that drug use
is a threat, an ugly life destroying vice. And that IT IS WRONG.
I'm pleased to report that the message is getting through.
Young people are turning away from drugs. Today fewer young
people are smoking marijuana. Cocaine use is down. A new sense
Page 9
of responsibility is emerging in the entertainment industry. The
trends are in the right direction and this is a cause for
rejoicing. But please don't let up.
Illegal drugs, of course, are only one part of a crime
epidemic that spread across our country in the sixties and
seventies. Well-intentioned liberals cut the muscle out of our
judicial system and then acted surprised when the criminal
element took the offensive. Law enforcers have been operating
under bizarre rules that serve as roadblocks to the conviction of
the guilty, but do little to protect the innocent.
Last year we passed a Comprehensive Crime Act, a first step
toward re-establishing a balance to the criminal justice system.
Let me assure you, Attorney General Meese is going to keep
pushing for further reforms until every American neighborhood is
safe. I hope we can count on your support, because we're taking
the streets back for the good and decent people of this country.
Like our forefathers we are proud of our freedom. We are
working hard to improve our own lot, to contribute to the less
fortunate and to improve our communities and neighborhoods. The
truth is, it is only under freedom that a true fellowship of the
spirit can exist. Love is not something that can be mandated by
law or enforced by bureaucracy. It is when people voluntarily
help one another, giving of themselves freely, that they receive
the blessings of the soul which God has promised. This is an
important part of freedom, the shining light which is a beacon to
all who live in the darkness of tyranny -- the fundamental truth
that free people do indeed love and care for one another.
Page 10
Thank you Lions for holding the torch for all the world to
see. God Bless you.