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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
2011-2184-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13484
Folder ID Number:
13484-006
Folder Title:
Texas State Legislature, 4/26/89
Stack:
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Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
15
6
7
4/25
FINAL
5:15pm
REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., 4:40 P.M.
((IT's A GOOD THING THIS ISN'T BILL CLEMENTS'
BIRTHDAY
FROM WHERE I'M STANDING, ANOTHER PLAID
DAY IN THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE COULD BLIND A FELLA.))
- 2 -
IN ALL SINCERITY, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY BILL
...
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BILL HoBBy, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU
AGAIN. SPEAKER GIB LEWIS, DISTINGUISHED LEGISLATORS,
FELLOW TEXANS, THANK YOU
...
I'M DELIGHTED TO BE BACK
IN AUSTIN, WITH SO MANY FRIENDS
I WILL WANT TO DISCUSS A FEW ISSUES FACING TEXAS
AND ALL OF AMERICA. [[AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER
HIGHTOWER'S VIEWS TO THE CONTRARY, ]] I AM A TEXAN.
- 3 -
So LET US SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A
TEXAN.
LIKE THE FORMER KINGDOM OF HAWAII, TEXAS IS A
NATION THAT HAD TO RECONCILE ITSELF TO BEING A STATE.
BUT, LIKE HAWAII, WE WILL NEVER RECONCILE OURSELVES TO
BEING ORDINARY. FROM THE PECOS TO THE PEDERNALES, FROM
THE RAPIDS OF THE RIO GRANDE TO THE BROAD EXPANSE OF
THE MUDDY RED RIVER, THERE IS NO PLACE ON EARTH LIKE
TEXAS
- 4 -
NOR IS THERE ANOTHER CAPITOL IN AMERICA QUITE LIKE
THIS ONE, BUILT OF A ROSE-TINGED GRANITE THAT BLUSHES
IN A LOW SUN. AND, THIS BEING TEXAS, WE HAD TO BUILD A
CAPITOL THAT IS EXACTLY ONE FOOT TALLER THAN THE ONE IN
WASHINGTON. TEXAS CERTAINLY STANDS TALL IN THE HEART
OF THIS PRESIDENT
PERHAPS FOR THIS REASON, LARRY MCMURTRY IS ONE OF
MY FAVORITE WRITERS.
- 5 -
IN LONESOME DOVE, HE DESCRIBES THE MYTHIC TEXAS, AND
CONJURES THAT SENSE OF PLACE WE ALL KNOW so WELL. I AM
INSPIRED BY A MAN OF LETTERS WHO CAN CONVINCINGLY ADOPT
THE VOICE OF COWBOYS AND OUTLAWS -- MEN WHOSE ONLY
SCHOOLING WAS IN DODGING BULLETS, WHOSE ONLY LESSONS
WERE IN HOW TO RUN OR RUSTLE CATTLE.
BUT, UNLIKE DAVY CROCKETT, I FIRST SET OUT FOR
TEXAS NOT ON HORSEBACK FROM TENNESSEE, BUT FROM
CONNECTICUT IN A RED STUDEBAKER IN JUNE, 1948.
- 6 -
MORE THAN FORTY YEARS LATER, THAT TRIP IS STILL A VIVID
MEMORY -- HIGHWAY 80, A NEON PEARL BEER SIGN APPEARING
IN THE DESERT TWILIGHT LIKE AN APPARITION. STOPPING AT
A CAFE, I DIDN'T KNOW IF A CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WAS A
CHICKEN FRIED LIKE A STEAK, OR A STEAK THAT TASTED LIKE
CHICKEN
STILL, BARBARA AND I SETTLED IN TEXAS, AS DID SO
MANY BEFORE US. WE RAISED FIVE CHILDREN, HELPED BUILD
A BUSINESS.
- 7 -
AND IN THAT SPAN OF FORTY YEARS, I WATCHED THIS STATE
GROW INTO EVEN GREATER GLORY. IN MY LIFETIME I HAVE
SEEN THE OIL WEALTH OF WEST TEXAS HELP FINANCE THE
BUILDING OF GREAT CITIES, AND THE EXPANSION OF FIRST-
CLASS LAND GRANT COLLEGES -- THE ORIGINS OF A TEXAS
RENAISSANCE, IF YOU WILL. THE ENERGY BUSINESS HELPED
MAKE TEXAS WHAT IT IS TODAY -- THE THIRD COAST OF THE
UNITED STATES
- 8 -
THIS TEXAS RENAISSANCE LASTED FOR YEARS, EVEN
DECADES. BUT YOU ALSO KNOW ANOTHER MORE RECENT CHAPTER
OF THE TEXAS STORY -- OIL CHEAPER THAN FANCY MINERAL
WATER, SKYLINES OF EMPTY BUILDINGS, EXPENSIVE HOMES TO
BE HAD FOR MONTHLY PAYMENTS, AND THOUSANDS OF LAID-OFF
WORKERS.
Now, I'M NO COWBOY. I PITCH HORSESHOES, BUT I
DON'T RIDE BRONCOS.
- 9 -
BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT COWBOYS HAVE A TERM FOR THE MOST
DANGEROUS AND CUNNING BRONCO OF ALL: THEY CALL IT A
"SUNFISHER." THESE BRONCOS WILL REBEL AGAINST A RIDER
BY ADOPTING A MOTION NOT UNLIKE THE SUNFISH OF THE GULF
-- A FULL-FORCE LEAP INTO THE AIR, BACK ARCHED HIGH,
FLANK TWISTING THE RIDER TO THE LEFT, HEAD AND UPPER
TORSO TWISTING THE RIDER TO THE RIGHT, IN AN ATTEMPT TO
TEAR HIM APART.
- 10 -
LET ME SUGGEST THAT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE WHOLE
STATE OF TEXAS FEELS LIKE IT HAS BEEN ON JUST SUCH A
RIDE
STRONG MEN AND WOMEN ARE CHALLENGED BY ADVERSITY.
I BELIEVE TEXANS HAVE PROVEN THAT
THERE MAY BE A
FEW MORE BUMPS AND BRUISES AHEAD. BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE,
TEXAS IS BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN.
- 11 -
STATE UNEMPLOYMENT HAS DIPPED TO ITS LOWEST LEVEL
IN FOUR YEARS, SIGNALING THE DIVERSIFICATION OF THE
TEXAS ECONOMY. IN 1970, THE ENERGY SECTOR ACCOUNTED
FOR NEARLY 25 PERCENT OF STATE OUTPUT. LAST YEAR, IT
ACCOUNTED FOR ONLY 11.4 PERCENT. AND YET TEXAS HAS
MORE THAN REGAINED THE 208,000 JOBS IT LOST FROM 1986
TO 1987, WITH EMPLOYMENT IN PLASTICS, AVIATION,
ELECTRONICS, SPACE AND COMPUTER PROGRAMMING LEADING THE
WAY.
- 12 -
MORE PEOPLE ARE AT WORK IN TEXAS TODAY THAN EVER
BEFORE. THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH "METROPLEX" LEADS IN
DEFENSE AND AVIATION TECHNOLOGY; HOUSTON IN SPACE AND
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH; AUSTIN, IN MICROELECTRONICS.
ANOTHER SIGN THAT TEXAS IS BECOMING A WORLD CENTER
OF TECHNOLOGY IS THE SELECTION OF ELLIS COUNTY AS THE
SITE OF THE SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER
- 13 -
WHEN BUILT, THE SSC WILL ENABLE US TO STUDY ELEMENTAL
PARTICLES WITH NAMES LIKE QUARKS, MESONS (MAY-SAHNS)
AND NEUTRINOS. ((SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE BREAKFAST
CEREAL THE BUSH GRANDKIDS HAVE BEEN EATING.))
WELL, AS ToM LUCE, CHAIRMAN OF THE TEXAS NATIONAL
RESEARCH LABORATORY COMMISSION SAID, WITH A LITTLE
IMAGINATION, YOU CAN: "CONCLUDE THAT FUTURE RESEARCH IN
THE FIELD OF HIGH ENERGY -COULD SOME DAY HELP US CONQUER
CANCER."
- 14 -
OR DISCOVER A WAY TO BOOST THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ON
A MICROCHIP. OR ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT ELUDED EINSTEIN,
GIVING US A GLIMPSE OF THE FORCES THAT BIND THE
UNIVERSE TOGETHER. THE SSC IS A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING
NATURE, AND TO DEVELOPING THE TECHNOLOGIES AND
INDUSTRIES OF THE 21st CENTURY. LET ME ASSURE YOU, I
WILL BACK THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SSC BECAUSE IT IS
GOOD FOR AMERICA
- 15 -
AND LET ME ALSO SALUTE YOU, THE MEMBERS OF THE
TEXAS HOUSE AND SENATE, AND THE VOTERS OF THIS STATE,
FOR HAVING THE VISION TO TAKE AN EARLY LEAD ON THIS
PROJECT
STILL, NO MATTER HOW DIVERSIFIED AND HIGH-TECH
TEXAS BECOMES, A STRONG DOMESTIC ENERGY INDUSTRY IS
IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF THIS STATE AND ALL OF
AMERICA. I FIND IT DISTURBING THAT NEARLY 50 PERCENT
OF AMERICA'S OIL IS IMPORTED.
- 16 -
THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR OUR NATIONAL SECURITY.
SOME ARE QUESTIONING THE FUTURE OF AMERICA'S ENERGY
PRODUCTION IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE WRECK OF THE Exxon
VALDEZ OFF ALASKA. I AM AS CONCERNED AS YOU -- AND ALL
AMERICANS -- ARE BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRAGEDY IN PRINCE
WILLIAM SOUND. WE ARE USING FEDERAL RESOURCES
INTELLIGENTLY IN THE CLEAN-UP EFFORT. WE ARE WORKING
WITH INDUSTRY TO DEVELOP AN IMPROVED PLAN IN EVENT OF A
FUTURE SPILL.
- 17 -
BUT SHUTTING DOWN OUR DOMESTIC ENERGY PRODUCTION IS NO
ANSWER, AND WOULD MERELY INCREASE OUR DEPENDENCE ON
FOREIGN OIL. WE MUST, AND WE WILL, MAINTAIN A STRONG,
DOMESTIC ENERGY INDUSTRY.
To REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL, WE MUST
RETURN TO HIGH LEVELS OF EXPLORATORY DRILLING. I
PROPOSE TO STIMULATE DOMESTIC DRILLING WITH TAX CREDITS
AND OTHER INCENTIVES. WE NEED MORE RESEARCH TO LEARN
HOW TO RECOVER MORE SECONDARY AND TERTIARY OIL.
- 18 -
AND I WANT TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. TEXAS HAS A 65-YEAR
SUPPLY OF ONE OF THE CLEANEST FORMS OF ENERGY KNOWN TO
MAN -- NATURAL GAS. I CALL ON CONGRESS, AT LONG LAST,
TO FULLY DECONTROL NATURAL GAS
I BELIEVE THAT
THIS WILL HAPPEN SOON.
WE NEED A NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY THAT RELIES NOT
ONLY ON OIL, BUT ON MANY OTHER SOURCES. I BELIEVE WE
CAN AND MUST USE MORE SAFE NUCLEAR POWER.
- 19 -
I BELIEVE THAT COAL HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE. You KNOW MY
CONFIDENCE IN NATURAL GAS.
As WE ALL BECOME INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
NEED FOR CLEAN AIR, WE MUST LOOK MORE TO NATURAL GAS
AND TO NUCLEAR POWER. WE MUST PRODUCE MORE OF OUR CORN
CROP TO PRODUCE ETHANOL, MORE OF OUR NATURAL GAS TO
PRODUCE METHANOL
GREATER USE OF THESE TWO WILL
RAPIDLY IMPROVE THE AIR QUALITY OF OUR MOST HEAVILY
POLLUTED CITIES.
- 20 - -
I KNOW THERE ARE STILL A FEW DARK CLOUDS REMAINING
ON OUR ECONOMIC HORIZON. I KNOW THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT THE CONTINUING CRISIS IN MANY SAVINGS AND LOAN
INSTITUTIONS. I HAVE ASKED FOR MEASURES TO RESTORE
THESE INSTITUTIONS TO FINANCIAL HEALTH. AND I HAVE
ASKED FOR $37 MILLION IN 1989 FUNDS FOR THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT, so THAT THOSE WHO WILLFULLY ABUSE THE TRUST
OF SMALL SAVERS CAN EXPECT TO BE PURSUED, AND PUT IN
PRISON
- 21 -
THE U.S. SENATE HAS ACTED EXPEDITIOUSLY ON THE S & L
BILL, WITH STRONG SUPPORT FROM DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS ALIKE. I CALL ON THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES TO PASS A RESPONSIBLE S & L BILL AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
TEXAS, LIKE ALL OF AMERICA, FACES MANY CHALLENGES.
BUT I BELIEVE THAT BY WORKING TOGETHER, AS REPUBLICANS
AND DEMOCRATS, AS FEDERAL AND AS STATE OFFICIALS, WE
CAN LICK ANY PROBLEMS DOWN THE PATH.
- 22 -
FEDERALISM WORKS BECAUSE OF YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR
INITIATIVE. THE OLD DICTUM OF THE BEST GOVERNMENT
BEING THAT WHICH IS CLOSEST TO THE PEOPLE APPLIES HERE,
IN AUSTIN. ((You KNOW, ANN RICHARDS WAS RIGHT ABOUT
THAT SILVER FOOT. I KEPT PUTTING IT IN MY MOUTH ALL
ALONG. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WHEN THEY ASK "WHERE'S
GEORGE?"
SAY HE'S IN AUSTIN, AND DAMNED PROUD TO
BE BACK ))
- 23 -
TRUE, SOME PROBLEMS OF THE RECENT PAST LINGER.
SOME AREAS OF THE STATE ARE RECOVERING MORE SLOWLY THAN
OTHERS. BUT THE WAY IS CLEAR TO A FUTURE AS BRIGHT AND
PROMISING AS THE BLUE TEXAS SKY -- A NEW RELIANCE ON A
DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY, AND THE TECHNOLOGIES OF THE NEXT
CENTURY. THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE TEXAS TURNAROUND,
AND ITS UNFOLDING IS A TRIBUTE TO THE LEADERSHIP OF
BILL CLEMENTS, SENATORS GRAMM AND BENTSEN, AND THE MEN
AND WOMEN OF THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE
- 24 -
TEXAS IS STARTING TO FEEL LIKE ITS OLD SELF AGAIN.
THERE IS AGAIN A FEELING AMONG TEXANS THAT ANYTHING IS
POSSIBLE -- WHO KNOWS, THE RANGERS OR THE ASTROS MIGHT
EVEN WIN THE WORLD SERIES
As WE FACE OUR FUTURE IN THE WHITE HOUSE, BARBARA
AND I TAKE WITH US MEMORIES OF PEOPLE AND PLACES FROM A
STATE THAT HAS BEEN HOME FOR MOST OF OUR LIVES.
- 25 -
WE REMEMBER DRIVING THE KIDS ACROSS TEXAS, AND
SLOWING DOWN so WE COULD TAKE IN THE FIELDS OF
BLUEBONNETS AND INDIAN PAINTBRUSH.
WE REMEMBER THE PEOPLE OF HOUSTON, MANY OF THEM
MATURE AND SKEPTICAL, BUT WHO NONETHELESS LISTENED TO A
GREEN YOUNG MAN AND SENT HIM TO CONGRESS.
- 26 -
AND I REMEMBER LYNDON JOHNSON AT HIS RANCH BACK IN
1969, AN ELDER DEMOCRAT GIVING NEIGHBORLY ADVICE TO A
YOUNG REPUBLICAN, WHILE HIS VERY SPECIAL LADY BIRD HELD
OUT HER HAND IN HOSPITALITY.
BARBARA AND I TREASURE THESE 41 YEARS AS TEXANS --
THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF HALF A LIFETIME, THE TRUST OF
MANY FRIENDS, AND THE LOVE OF A FAMILY. ALL THIS AND
MORE, WE REMEMBER WHENEVER WE THINK OF HOME
- 27 -
LET ME THANK YOU FOR INVITING US BACK TO AUSTIN.
GOD BLESS YOU. AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
WITH GB CHANGES
Davis/Wallace
April 21, 8 p.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., 4:40 p.m.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clements' birthday
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.))
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. Agriculture Commissioner Hightower to the contrary, I
am a Texan. So let us say a few words about what it means to be
a Texan.
Like the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is a nation that
had to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like Hawaii, we
will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary. From the Pecos
to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio Grande to the broad
2
expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no place on earth like
Texas
Nor is there another capitol in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capitol that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. Texas certainly stands
tall in the heart of this President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am inspired by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the
voice of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in
dodging bullets, whose only lessons were in how to run or rustle
cattle.
But, unlike Davy Crockett, I first set out for Texas not on
horseback from Tennessee, but from Connecticut in a red
Studebaker in June, 1948. More than forty years later, that trip
is still a vivid memory the lonesome road, a neon Pearl Beer
sign appearing in the desert twilight like an apparition.
Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know if a chicken fried steak was a
chicken fried like a steak, or a steak that tasted like chicken
3
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into even greater
glory. The Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary
in the fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as thick as jack
rabbits in the Permian Basin. It has been noted that the wealth
of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo. In my
lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance the
building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class land
grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business helped make Texas what it is today --
the Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
you also know another more recent chapter of the Texas story --
oil cheaper than fancy mineral water, skylines of empty
buildings, expensive homes to be had for monthly payments, and
thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't ride
broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the most
dangerous and cunning bronco of all: they call it a "sunfisher."
These broncos will rebel against a rider by adopting a motion not
unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-force leap into the air,
back arched high, flank twisting the rider to the left, head and
upper torso twisting the rider to the right, in an attempt to
4
tear him apart. Let me suggest that in the last few years, the
whole state of Texas feels like it has been on just such a ride
Strong men and women are challenged by adversity. I believe
Texans have proven that
There may be a few more bumps and
bruises ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle
again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has more than regained the 208,000 jobs it lost from 1986
to 1987, with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics,
space and computer programming leading the way. More people are
at work in Texas today than every before. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. ((Sounds to me like the
breakfast cereal the Bush grandkids have been eating. ))
5
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC because it is good for America
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. This is not
good for our national security.
Some are questioning the future of America's energy
production in the aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off
Alaska. I am as concerned as you -- and all Americans -- are by
the environmental tragedy in Prince William Sound. We are using
6
federal resources intelligently in the clean-up effort. We are
working with industry to develop an improved plan in event of a
future spill. But shutting down our domestic energy production
is no answer, and would merely increase our dependence on foreign
oil. We must, and we will, maintain a strong, domestic energy
industry.
To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to stimulate
domestic drilling with tax credits and other incentives. We need
more research to learn how to recover more secondary and tertiary
oil. And I want to do something else. Texas has a 65-year
supply of one of the cleanest forms of energy known to man --
natural gas. I call on Congress, at long last, to fully
decontrol natural gas
I believe that this will happen
soon.
We need a national energy policy that relies not only on
oil, but on many other sources. I believe we can and must use
more safe nuclear power. I believe that coal has a bright
future. You know my confidence in natural gas.
As we all become increasingly concerned about the need for
clean air, we must look more to natural gas and to nuclear power.
We must produce more of our corn crop to produce ethanol, more of
our natural gas to produce methanol
Greater use of these
7
two will rapidly improve the air quality of our most heavily
polluted cities.
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on our
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in many savings and loan institutions. I have
asked for measures to restore these institutions to financial
health. And I have asked for $37 million in 1989 funds for the
Justice Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust
of small savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The U.S. Senate has acted expeditiously on the S & L bill, with
strong support from Democrats and Republicans alike. I call on
the House of Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as
soon as possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Federalism works because of your leadership and your
initiative. The old dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin. ( (You
know, Ann Richards was right about that silver foot. I kept
putting it in my mouth all along. But the bottom line is, when
they ask "Where's George?"
say he's in Austin, and damned
proud to be back
))
8
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turnaround, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Rangers or the
Astros might even win the World Series
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch back in 1969, an
elder Democrat giving neighborly advice to a young Republican,
9
while his very special Lady Bird held out her hand in
hospitality.
Barbara and I treasure these 41 years as Texans -- the
sights and sounds of half a lifetime, the trust of many friends,
and the love of a family. All this and more, we remember
whenever we think of home
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
WITHOUT GB CHANGES.
Davis/Wallace
April 21, 8 p.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., 4:40 p.m.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clements' birthday
...
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) )
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
...
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
...
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
Like the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is a nation that
had to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like Hawaii, we
will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary. From the Pecos
to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio Grande to the broad
expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no place on earth like
Texas
2
Nor is there another capitol in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capitol that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. Texas certainly stands
tall in the heart of this President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am inspired by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the
voice of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in
dodging bullets, whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
But, unlike Davy Crockett, I first set out for Texas not on
horseback from Tennessee, but from Yale in a red Studebaker.
More than forty years later, that trip is still a vivid memory --
the lonesome road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert
twilight like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know
if a chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a
steak that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
3
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. It has been noted that the wealth of
merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo. In my
lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance the
building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class land
grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business helped make Texas what it is today --
the Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
you also know another more recent chapter of the Texas story --
oil cheaper than fancy mineral water, skylines of empty
buildings, expensive homes to be had for monthly payments, and
thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't ride
broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the most
dangerous and cunning bronco of all: they call it a "sunfisher."
These broncos will rebel against a rider by adopting a motion not
unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-force leap into the air,
back arched high, flank twisting the rider to the left, head and
upper torso twisting the rider to the right, in an attempt to
tear him apart. Let me suggest that in the 1980s, the whole
state of Texas feels like it has been on just such a ride
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that. It is also said that strong men and
women are challenged by adversity. I believe Texans have proven
that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has more than regained the 208,000 jobs it lost from 1986
to 1987, with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics,
space and computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort
Worth "Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology;
Houston in space and biomedical research; Austin, in
microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
5
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. ((Sounds to me like the
breakfast cereal the Bush grandkids have been eating. ))
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC because it is good for America
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem."
6
Some are questioning the future of America's energy
production in the aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off
Alaska. I am as concerned as you -- and all Americans -- are by
the environmental tragedy in Prince William Sound. I want to use
federal resources intelligently in the clean-up effort, and to
work with industry to try to prevent another such occurrence.
But shutting down our domestic energy production is no answer,
and would merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. We
must, and we will, maintain a strong, domestic energy industry.
To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol natural gas
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in many savings and loan institutions. I have
asked for measures to restore these institutions to financial
health. And I have asked for $37 million in 1989 funds for the
Justice Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust
of small savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
7
The U.S. Senate has acted expeditiously on the S & L bill. I
call on the House of Representatives to pass a responsible S & L
bill as soon as possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Jefferson's dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin.
Federalism works because of your leadership and your initiative.
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turnaround, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Rangers or the
Astros might even win the World Series
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
8
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, an elder
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his white hair --
longer in retirement -- blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze
like the mane of an old lion.
Bar and I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
family. All this and more, we remember whenever we think of
home. That is why we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 24, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
C. BOYDEN GRAY 849
SUBJECT: Presidential Remarks: Texas State Legislature
Per our discussion of this afternoon, I have drafted a
sentence to be inserted on page 6 of the above-referenced
speech after the sentence, "I call on Congress, at long last,
to fully decontrol natural gas." My suggested insert is
"Expanding use of natural gas and related alternative fuels
will do as much to reduce acid rain and improve our nation's
air quality as almost any other single step we can take".
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Document No. 028424
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
4/22/89
---
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
SUBJECT:
APRIL 26, WEDNESDAY
(4/21 - 8 p.m. draft three)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
\
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
P
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
BOSKIN
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Wallace
April 21, 8 p.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., 4:40 p.m.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clements' birthday
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) )
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
Like the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is a nation that
had to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like Hawaii, we
will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary. From the Pecos
to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio Grande to the broad
expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no place on earth like
Texas
.
2
Nor is there another capitol in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capitol that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. Texas certainly stands
tall in the heart of this President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am inspired by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the
voice of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in
dodging bullets, whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
But, unlike Davy Crockett, I first set out for Texas not on
horseback from Tennessee, but from Yale in a red Studebaker.
More than forty years later, that trip is still a vivid memory --
the lonesome road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert
twilight like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know
if a chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a
steak that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
3
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. It has been noted that the wealth of
merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo. In my
lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance the
building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class land
grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business helped make Texas what it is today --
the Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
you also know another more recent chapter of the Texas story --
oil cheaper than fancy mineral water, skylines of empty
buildings, expensive homes to be had for monthly payments, and
thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't ride
broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the most
dangerous and cunning bronco of all: they call it a "sunfisher."
These broncos will rebel against a rider by adopting a motion not
unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-force leap into the air,
back arched high, flank twisting the rider to the left, head and
upper torso twisting the rider to the right, in an attempt to
tear him apart. Let me suggest that in the 1980s, the whole
state of Texas feels like it has been on just such a ride
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that. It is also said that strong men and
women are challenged by adversity. I believe Texans have proven
that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has more than regained the 208,000 jobs it lost from 1986
to 1987, with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics,
space and computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort
Worth "Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology;
Houston in space and biomedical research; Austin, in
microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
5
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. ((Sounds to me like the
breakfast cereal the Bush grandkids have been eating. ))
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC because it is good for America
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem."
6
Some are questioning the future of America's energy
production in the aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off
Alaska. I am as concerned as you -- and all Americans -- are by
the environmental tragedy in Prince William Sound. I want to use
federal resources intelligently in the clean-up effort, and to
work with industry to try to prevent another such occurrence.
But shutting down our domestic energy production is no answer,
and would merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. We
must, and we will, maintain a strong, domestic energy industry.
To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol natural gas
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in many savings and loan institutions. I have
asked for measures to restore these institutions to financial
health. And I have asked for $37 million in 1989 funds for the
Justice Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust
of small savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
7
The U.S. Senate has acted expeditiously on the S & L bill. I
call on the House of Representatives to pass a responsible S & L
bill as soon as possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Jefferson's dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin.
Federalism works because of your leadership and your initiative.
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turnaround, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Rangers or the
Astros might even win the World Series
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
8
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, an elder
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his white hair --
longer in retirement -- blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze
like the mane of an old lion.
Bar and I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
family. All this and more, we remember whenever we think of
home. That is why we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Austin, Texas)
For Immediate Release
April 26, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO A JOINT SESSION OF THE TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
State Capitol Building
Austin, Texas
4:35 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very, very much for that warm
welcome. Mr. Speaker, thank you, sir, for presenting me to this
esteemed body. And, Governor Hobby, my respects and thanks to you
and to Bill Clements. It's a good thing it isn't his birthday.
(Laughter.) I'm not sure another Plaid Day in the Texas Legislature
is in order. But a belated happy birthday, anyway.
I'm delighted to be back in Austin with so many friends.
And I'll want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But let me just say a few words about what it means to be a
Texan. My credentials -- I have my driver's license here and I have
my Texas hunting license here and somewhere my voter registration
slip. And it is true, I like Kennebunkport, but I am a Texan. And
so I just want to clear the air and say a few words about that.
(Applause.)
You know, like the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is a
nation that had to reconcile itself to being a state. But like
Hawaii, we'll never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary. From the
Pecos to the Pedernales, from the Rio Grande to the Red River, there
is no place on Earth like Texas. (Applause.)
Nor is there another capitol in America quite like this
one, built of this rose-tinged granite that blushes in the low sun.
And this being Texas, we had to build a capitol that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. (Applause.) And so I hope
it's not too much of a cliche to say that Texas stands tall in the
heart of this President.
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry, who was at the
White House the other day -- he's one of my favorite writers. In
"Lonesome Dove" he describes the mythic Texas and conjures that sense
of the place we all know so well. And I'm inspired by a man of
letters who can convincingly adopt the voice of the cowboys and the
outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in dodging bullets, whose
only lessons were in how to run or rustle cattle.
But unlike Davy Crockett, I first set out for Texas not
on horseback from Tennessee, but from Connecticut in a red Studebaker
in June of 1948. And more than 40 years later, that trip is still a
vivid memory -- Highway 80, neon Pearl Beer signs appearing in the
desert twilight. And, see, I've got a note here -- and stopping at a
cafe, I'll admit it, I didn't know if chicken-fried steak was a
chicken fried like a steak or a steak that tasted like a chicken.
But I've learned. (Laughter.)
And still, Bar and I settled in Texas, as did many before
us. We raised five kids and get into the business world -- help
start a business. And in that span of 40 years, I've watched with
pride as this state has grown into even greater glory. And in my
lifetime, I've seen the oil wealth of West Texas help finance the
building of great cities, the expansion of great universities and
colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you will. The
energy business helped make Texas what it is today -- the Third Coast
MORE
- 2 -
of the United States.
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades.
But you also know another more recent chapter of the Texas story --
oil cheaper than some of this fancy mineral water, skylines of
sometimes empty buildings, expensive homes to be had just for the
monthly payments, and thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes for a living, but
I don't ride these broncos. I understand, though, that cowboys have
a term for the most dangerous and cunning bronco of all. They call
it a "sunfisher." And those broncos will rebel against a rider by
adopting a motion not unlike the sunfish -- a full-force leap into
the air, back arched high, flank twisting the rider to the left, head
and upper torso twisting the rider to the right in an attempt to tear
him apart. And let me suggest that not so many months ago, the whole
state of Texas, our state, felt like it had been on just such a ride.
But strong men and women are challenged by adversity.
And I believe Texas has proven that. And there may be a few more
bumps and bruises ahead, but make no mistake, Texas is back, back in
the saddle, strong in every way. (Applause.)
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling, I think, the diversification of the Texas economy.
In 1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output 25 percent. And last year, it accounted for only 11.4
percent. And yet Texas has more than regained the 208, jobs it
lost from 1986 to 1987, with employment in plastics and aviation,
electronics, space and computer programming leading the way. More
people are at work in Texas today than ever before in our history.
And the Dallas-Fort Worth "Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation
technology; Houston in space and biomedical research; Austin,
microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Supercollider. (Applause.) And when built, the SSC
will enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons and neutrinos. Sounds like a breakfast cereal that these
grandkids of ours are into these days.
But as Tome Luce, Chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can
conclude that future research in the field of high energy could some
day help us cancer conquer -- conquer cancer. or discover a way to
boost the amount of information on a microchip. or answer questions
that eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature and to
developing the technologies and industries of the 21st century. Let
me assure you, I will back the construction of the SSC because it is
good for the entire United States of America. (Applause.)
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas
House and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project. Texas got its act together
and made an outstanding presentation early on.
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech that we
become, a strong domestic energy industry is important, still
important, to the future of this state and, in my view, to the future
of all of America. I find it disturbing that nearly 50 percent of
America's oil is imported. This is not good for the national
security of the United States of America. (Applause.)
And now some are questioning the future of America's
energy production in the aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez
off Alaska. I am as concerned as anyone -- as all Americans are --
by the environmental tragedy in Prince William Sound. We're using
federal resources intelligently to clean it up. We're working with
MORE
- 3 -
industry to develop an improved plan in the event of a future spill.
But shutting down our domestic energy production is no answer and
would merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. We must and we
will maintain a strong, domestic energy industry. (Applause.)
To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must return
to high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to stimulate
domestic drilling with tax credits and other incentives. We need
more research - this isn't just a function of the government,
incidentally but we need more research to learn how to recover
more of our secondary and tertiary oil. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. And I call on the United States
Congress, at long last, to fully decontrol natural gas. And I
believe that's going to happen soon. (Applause.)
We need a national energy policy that relies not only on
oil, but on other sources as well. I believe we can and must use
safe nuclear power. I believe that coal has a bright future. And
you know my confidence in natural gas.
As we all become increasingly concerned about the need
for clean air, we must look more to natural gas and to nuclear power.
We must press forward with clean coal technology and we must produce
more of our corn crop to produce switch more of our corn crop to
produce ethanol, more of our natural gas to produce methanol. And
the greater use of these alternate fuels will rapidly improve the air
quality of our most heavily polluted cities. And I'm talking about
Los Angeles, Denver. I'm talking about Houston, Texas, and other
heavily impacted areas.
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on our
economic horizon. I know that you're concerned about the continuing
crisis in many of the savings and loan institutions. And I've asked
for measures to restore these institutions to financial health. And
I've asked for $37 million in 1989 funds for the Justice Department,
so that those who willfully abuse the trust of the small saver can
expect to be pursued, tried, and if guilty, put into prison. We must
go after the white-collar criminal in this country as well as the
others. (Applause.) The U.S. Senate has acted expeditiously on the
savings and loan bill that I put forward -- strong support on both
sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans alike. And I now call
on the House of Representatives to pass a responsible savings and
loan bill as soon as possible.
Texas, like all America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats, as
federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down the
path. Federalism works; federalism works because of your leadership
and your initiative. The old dictum of the best government being
that which is closest to the people applies here, right here in this
chamber, right here in Austin, Texas, right here at the Capitol.
True, some problems of the recent past linger on. Some
areas of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the
way is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy and the technologies
of the next century. This is the secret of the Texas turnaround, and
its unfolding is a tribute not just to the entrepreneurial spirit of
Texans themselves, but to the leadership of Governor Clements,
Senators Gramm and Bentsen, the congressional delegation and the men
and women of the Texas Legislature. Texas is starting to feel like
its old self again. And there's again a feeling now that anything is
possible. I'm not standing here trying to underestimate the problems
of education, or health, or urban blight. But there is a new feeling
abroad. Who knows, the Astros might win in the National League and,
yes, under enlightened new leadership -- (laughter) -- the Texas
Rangers might even win the American League. (Applause.) Good luck.
Seriously, as we face our future in the White House,
MORE
- 4 -
Barbara and I take with us memories of people and places from a state
that has been home for most of our lives -- all of my adult life, if
you will. We remember those 12 years in West Texas. It's a dry
heat; you don't feel it. (Laughter.) My eye, we were there for 12
years. But the people - I feel their strength and fierce
independence to this very day.
And I remember driving the kids across Texas -- we moved
down from West Texas down to the Gulf Coast - slowing down to take
in the fields of the blue bonnets and Indian paintbrush. I don't
think you can drive through that country without thinking of yourself
as a naturalist or an environmentalist, or at least counting your
blessings.
And I remember the people of Houston, many of them mature
and skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a very green young man
and sent him to Congress in 1966.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch back in 1969
when I went over there an elder Democrat, retired from the
presidency, giving neighborly advice to a young Republican, while his
very special Lady Bird held out her hand in hospitality.
Barbara and I treasure these 41 years as Texans -- the
sights and sounds of our adult lifetime, the trust of many friends,
and the love of a family. And all this and more, we remember when we
think of home.
You know, I've been thinking about it. Ann Richards was
right. (Laughter and applause.) Why do you think that I said we
could "cancer conquer"? (Laughter.) Look, I kept putting that
silver foot in my mouth -- (laughter) -- all along the way. But the
bottom line is, when they ask, "Where's George?" -- say he's in
Austin, among friends, and I'm very proud to be back. (Applause.)
Thank you all. God bless you. And God bless the United
States of America. (Applause.)
END
4:55 P.M. CDT
Nat
HAVE
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
$ is <<
April 21, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
MARK DAVIS ma
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON cul
SUBJECT:
Texas Legislature
You address the Texas legislature Wednesday afternoon. This
speech briefly discusses the energy sector, the Superconducting
Super Collider, and S & Ls.
This speech is also written on the premise that Texas needs a pep
talk.
THE WHITE HOUSE
$
to
WASHINGTON
?/
4.
April 21, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
MARK DAVIS ma
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
cul
SUBJECT:
Texas Legislature
You address the Texas legislature Wednesday afternoon. This
speech briefly discusses the energy sector, the Superconducting
Super Collider, and S & Ls.
This speech is also written on the premise that Texas needs a pep
talk.
KMG fire
Davis/Wallace
April 21, 8 p.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., 4:40 p.m.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clements' birthday
...
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) )
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends ...
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. Agriculture Commissioner Hightower to the contrary, I
am a Texan. So let us say a few words about what it means to be
a Texan.
Like the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is a nation that
had to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like Hawaii, we
will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary. From the Pecos
to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio Grande to the broad
2
expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no place on earth like
Texas
Nor is there another capitol in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capitol that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. Texas certainly stands
tall in the heart of this President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am inspired by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the
voice of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in
dodging bullets, whose only lessons were in how to run or rustle
cattle.
But, unlike Davy Crockett, I first set out for Texas not on
horseback from Tennessee, but from Connecticut in a red
Studebaker in June, 1948. More than forty years later, that trip
is still a vivid memory the lonesome road, a neon Pearl Beer
sign appearing in the desert twilight like an apparition.
Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know if a chicken fried steak was a
chicken fried like a steak, or a steak that tasted like chicken
.
3
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into even greater
glory. The Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary
in the fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as thick as jack
rabbits in the Permian Basin. It has been noted that the wealth
of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo. In my
lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance the
building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class land
grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business helped make Texas what it is today --
the Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
you also know another more recent chapter of the Texas story --
oil cheaper than fancy mineral water, skylines of empty
buildings, expensive homes to be had for monthly payments, and
thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't ride
broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the most
dangerous and cunning bronco of all: they call it a "sunfisher."
These broncos will rebel against a rider by adopting a motion not
unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-force leap into the air,
back arched high, flank twisting the rider to the left, head and
upper torso twisting the rider to the right, in an attempt to
4
tear him apart. Let me suggest that in the last few years, the
whole state of Texas feels like it has been on just such a ride
Strong men and women are challenged by adversity. I believe
Texans have proven that
There may be a few more bumps and
bruises ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle
again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has more than regained the 208,000 jobs it lost from 1986
to 1987, with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics,
space and computer programming leading the way. More people are
at work in Texas today than every before. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. ((Sounds to me like the
breakfast cereal the Bush grandkids have been eating.) ))
5
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC because it is good for America
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. This is not
good for our national security.
Some are questioning the future of America's energy
production in the aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off
Alaska. I am as concerned as you -- and all Americans -- are by
the environmental tragedy in Prince William Sound. We are using
6
federal resources intelligently in the clean-up effort. We are
working with industry to develop an improved plan in event of a
future spill. But shutting down our domestic energy production
is no answer, and would merely increase our dependence on foreign
oil. We must, and we will, maintain a strong, domestic energy
industry.
To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to stimulate
domestic drilling with tax credits and other incentives. We need
more research to learn how to recover more secondary and tertiary
oil. And I want to do something else. Texas has a 65-year
supply of one of the cleanest forms of energy known to man --
natural gas. I call on Congress, at long last, to fully
decontrol natural gas
I believe that this will happen
soon.
We need a national energy policy that relies not only on
oil, but on many other sources. I believe we can and must use
more safe nuclear power. I believe that coal has a bright
future. You know my confidence in natural gas.
As we all become increasingly concerned about the need for
clean air, we must look more to natural gas and to nuclear power.
We must produce more of our corn crop to produce ethanol, more of
our natural gas to produce methanol
Greater use of these
7
two will rapidly improve the air quality of our most heavily
polluted cities.
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on our
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in many savings and loan institutions. I have
asked for measures to restore these institutions to financial
health. And I have asked for $37 million in 1989 funds for the
Justice Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust
of small savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The U.S. Senate has acted expeditiously on the S & L bill, with
strong support from Democrats and Republicans alike. I call on
the House of Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as
soon as possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Federalism works because of your leadership and your
initiative. The old dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin. ( (You
know, Ann Richards was right about that silver foot. I kept
putting it in my mouth all along. But the bottom line is, when
they ask "Where's George?"
say he's in Austin, and damned
proud to be back
))
8
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turnaround, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Rangers or the
Astros might even win the World Series
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch back in 1969, an
elder Democrat giving neighborly advice to a young Republican,
9
while his very special Lady Bird held out her hand in
hospitality.
Barbara and I treasure these 41 years as Texans -- the
sights and sounds of half a lifetime, the trust of many friends,
and the love of a family. All this and more, we remember
whenever we think of home
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 028424
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3:00
DATE:
4/19/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
4/21/89
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN N/C
STUDDERTN/C
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
Baskin
via
DEMAREST
phone
FITZWATER
GRAY via phone
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please rpovide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by close of 3:00
business Friday, April 21. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Wallace
1939 APR is FII 7:
April 19, 11 a.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., TIME -- T.B.D.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clement's birthday
...
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.))
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
:
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends ...
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
a
Aside from the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is the only
nation to to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like
that have
Hawaii, we will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary.
From the Pecos to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio
Grande to the broad expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no
place on earth like Texas
2
Nor is there another capital in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capital that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. I find this appropriate.
(Porter)
Texas certainly stands a little taller in the heart of this
President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am awed inspired by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the voice
of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in dodging
bullets, whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
unlike Davi Crockett, when
(Prek)
But I first set out for Texas not on horseback from
Tennessee, but from Yale in a red Studebaker. More than forty
years later, that trip is still a vivid memory -- the lonesome
road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert twilight
like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know if a
chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a steak
that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
3
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. I'm no historian, but it has been noted that
the wealth of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo.
In my lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance
the building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class
land grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business made Texas what it is today -- the
Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
another more recent Chapter
you also know the rest of the sad story -- oil cheaper than fancy
mineral water, skylines of empty buildings, expensive homes to be
had for monthly payments, and thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm also no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't
ride broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the
most dangerous and cunning bronco of all: They call it a
"sunfisher." These broncos will rebel against a rider by
adopting a motion not unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-
force leap into the air, back arched high, flank twisting the
rider to the left, head and upper torso twisting the rider to the
right, in an attempt to tear him apart. Let me suggest that in
the 1980s, the whole state of Texas feels like it has been on
just such a ride
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that. It is also said that strong men and
women are challenged by adversity. I believe Texans have proven
that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has regained the 207,000 jobs it lost from 1986 to 1987,
with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics, space and
computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
5
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. I can understand how some
people just can't see a practical side for America to invest
billions of dollars in such an arcane field of study.
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
because its good for america.
SSC with all the powers of the presidency
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem."
6
A
Some are questioning)
being
The future of America's energy production is in doubt in the
aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off Alaska. I am as
disgusted concerned as you are by the reports from Prince William Sound. I
want to use federal resources intelligently in the clean-up
effort, and to work with industry to try to prevent another
oil exploration and production
tragedy. But shutting down Alaska is no answer.
Shutting down
Alaska would do nothing to prevent a foreign tanker from wrecking
off the coast of Louisiana or Texas. Shutting down Alaska would
merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. What a travesty
it would be if we did nothing to protect the environment, while
transferring our domestic oil industry to foreign producers and
foreign tankers
...
To reduce our dependency on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol the natural gas industry
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in mony savings and loan institutions. I have asked
for measures to restore these institutions to financial health.
(quality freforms)
reforms
7
And I have asked for a $50 million appropriation for the Justice
Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust of small
savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The
Senate has acted expeditiously. I call on the House of
Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as soon as
possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Jefferson's dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin.
Federalism works because of your leadership and your initiative.
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turn-around, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Texas Rangers
might even win the World Series
8
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, an elder
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his white hair --
longer in retirement -- blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze
like the mane of an old lion.
Bar and I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
family. All this and more, we remember whenever we think of
home. That is why we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 028424
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3:00
DATE:
4/19/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
4/21/89
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
Boskin
P
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please rpovide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by close of 3:00
business Friday, April 21. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
See changes page 4+ 7
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Wallace
1939
April 19, 11 a.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., TIME -- T.B.D.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clement's birthday
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) ))
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
Aside from the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is the only
nation to have to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like
Hawaii, we will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary.
From the Pecos to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio
Grande to the broad expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no
place on earth like Texas
2
Nor is there another capital in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capital that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. I find this appropriate.
Texas certainly stands a little taller in the heart of this
President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am awed by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the voice
of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in dodging
bullets, whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
But I first set out for Texas not on horseback from
Tennessee, but from Yale in a red Studebaker. More than forty
years later, that trip is still a vivid memory -- the lonesome
road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert twilight
like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know if a
chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a steak
that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
3
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. I'm no historian, but it has been noted that
the wealth of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo.
In my lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance
the building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class
land grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business made Texas what it is today -- the
Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
you also know the rest of the sad story -- oil cheaper than fancy
mineral water, skylines of empty buildings, expensive homes to be
had for monthly payments, and thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm also no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't
ride broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the
most dangerous and cunning bronco of all: They call it a
"sunfisher." These broncos will rebel against a rider by
adopting a motion not unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-
force leap into the air, back arched high, flank twisting the
rider to the left, head and upper torso twisting the rider to the
right, in an attempt to tear him apart. Let me suggest that in
the 1980s, the whole state of Texas feels like it has been on
just such a ride
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that. It is also said that strong men and
women are challenged by adversity. I believe Texans have proven
that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
Simpsor
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state X5873
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
more than
Texas has/regained the 207,000 jobs it lost from 1986 to 1987,
with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics, space and
computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
5
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. I can understand how some
people just can't see a practical side for America to invest
billions of dollars in such an arcane field of study.
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC with all the powers of the presidency
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem."
6
The future of America's energy production is in doubt in the
aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off Alaska. I am as
disgusted as you are by the reports from Prince William Sound. I
want to use federal resources intelligently in the clean-up
effort, and to work with industry to try to prevent another
tragedy. But shutting down Alaska is no answer. Shutting down
Alaska would do nothing to prevent a foreign tanker from wrecking
off the coast of Louisiana or Texas. Shutting down Alaska would
merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. What a travesty
it would be if we did nothing to protect the environment, while
transferring our domestic oil industry to foreign producers and
foreign tankers
To reduce our dependency on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol the natural gas industry
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in savings and loan institutions. I have asked
for measures to restore these institutions to financial health.
7
$37
in 1989 Funds
And I have asked for a $50 million appropriation for the Justice
Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust of small
note:
savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The
450m
Budget
the St L Bill
Senate
has
acted
on
$50
expeditiously
I call on the House of
amendment has not do
of
Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as soon as
possible. the BRN amendment package.
Stis gove is thowin
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Jefferson's dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin.
Federalism works because of your leadership and your initiative.
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turn-around, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Texas Rangers
might even win the World Series
8
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, an elder
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his white hair --
longer in retirement -- blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze
like the mane of an old lion.
Barband I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
family. All this and more, we remember whenever we think of
home. That is why we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 028424
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3:00
DATE:
4/19/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
4/21/89
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
Baskin
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please rpovide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by close of 3:00
business Friday, April 21. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Really needs good substantive work -- on but a pts (eop Alaska)
James W, Cicconi
few
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
8
Ext. 2702
Davis/Wallace
April 19, 11 a.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., TIME -- T.B.D.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clement's birthday
...
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) )
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
...
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends ...
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
Aside from the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is the only
nation to have to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like
Hawaii, we will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary.
From the Pecos to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio
Grande to the broad expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no
place on earth like Texas
...
2
Nor is there another capital in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capitol that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. I find this appropriate.
Texas certainly stands a little taller in the heart of this
President
But then Texas have always seemed to believe
in the virtues of standing tall,
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am awed by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the voice
of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in dodging
bullets, whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
But I first set out for Texas not on horseback from
Tennessee, but from Yale in a red Studebaker. More than forty
years later, that trip is still a vivid memory -- the lonesome
road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert twilight
like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know if a
chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a steak
that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
3
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. I'm no historian, but it has been noted that
the wealth of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo.
In my lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance
the building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class
land grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business made Texas what it is today -- the
Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
you also know the rest of the sad story -- oil cheaper than fancy
mineral water, skylines of empty buildings, expensive homes to be
had for monthly payments, and thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm also no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't
ride broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the
most dangerous and cunning bronco of all: They call it a
"sunfisher." These broncos will rebel against a rider by
adopting a motion not unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-
force leap into the air, back arched high, flank twisting the
rider to the left, head and upper torso twisting the rider to the
right, in an attempt to tear him apart. Let me suggest that in
the 1980s, the whole state of Texas feels like it has been on
just such a ride
.
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that. It is also said that strong men and
women are challenged by adversity. I believe Texans have proven
that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has regained the 207,000 jobs it lost from 1986 to 1987,
with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics, space and
computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
This is very strong stuff on the S.S.C. - are we
enable us
me that we 'll never cut its budget ? d don't
ks,
mesons (M
want this thrown back at us ?
e
people jus
also, why praise the Legislature ? Do
want
rep
encourage high-Makes high-pressome
check w/ OMB
t
billions C
Well,
rch
Laboratory
an
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
call cicconi
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
con
continue
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC with all the powers of the presidency
EXPLAINICCONI
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem."
6
The future of America's energy production is in doubt in the
aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off Alaska. I am as
concerned
and all Americans
the enviro tragedy in
disgusted as you are by the reports from Prince William Sound. I
want to use federal resources intelligently in the clean-up
effort, and to work with industry to try to prevent another such
occurrence.
donestic energy production
tragedy. But shutting down Alaska is no answer. Shutting down
Alaska would do nothing to prevent a foreign tanker from wrecking
off the coast of Louisiana or Texas Shutting down Alaska would
and would merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. What a travesty
it would be if we did nothing to protect the environment, while
and
will
transfer ng our domestic oil industry to foreign producers and
foreign tankers
we must and will maintain a
strong domestic energy industry,
To reduce our dependency on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol the natural gas. industry
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in savings and loan institutions. I have asked
for measures to restore these institutions to financial health.
7
And I have asked for a $50 million appropriation for the Justice
Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust of small
savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The U.S.
Senate has acted expeditiously. I call on the House of
Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as soon as
possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Jefferson's dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin.
Federalism works because of your leadership and your initiative.
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turn-around, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
or Astnos
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible. who knows, the Texas Rangers
might even win the World Series (And that sprint is not
Geras has
only soundly based, but is rooted 1 in The
finest tratitions of our state.
2 frams
Zip
Long *
8
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, an elder
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his white hair --
longer in retirement -- blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze
like the mane of an old lion.
Bar and I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
family. All this and more, we remember whenever we think of
home. That is why we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 20, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM
COOPER EVANS CE
SUBJECT
ADDRESS TO TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
I have been told that the President will address the Texas State
Legislature on April 26.
As you may know, I spent two days in Texas on April 5 and 6. I
talked with lots of "aggies", and a visit to the valley to observe
the drought conditions was included. The valley -- south Texas --
and the high plains -- Lubbock -- are extremely dry. There is much
concern.
I realize there is a reluctance among staff, both here and at USDA,
for the President to directly address this issue -- in order to
prevent rising expectations regarding disaster assistance.
I also do not consider it necessary or desirable for the President
to announce an assistance package at this time. However in my view,
he must show an awareness of the serious implications for individual
farm and ranch families and for the Texas economy. For many wheat
producers the winter crop is already a failure and the President's
remarks need to be based on the most current weather information --
what happens between now and next Wednesday.
USDA is closely monitoring the situation. It will be important to
determine if any decisions are made in the next few days regarding
administrative relief. (I don't expect this will be the case -- but
it's best to check.)
If I can be of assistance to you or your staff as you prepare a draft
for the address -- please call.
Cansel's
feel 15 tate
role
Davis/Wallace
*
April 19, 11 a.m.
Sup.5 5
Title: Texas
Draft: One
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
(Date -- T.B.D.)
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clement's birthday
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) )
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
...
Barbara and I are delighted to be back in
Austin, with so many of our friends
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
Aside from the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is the only
nation to have to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like
Hawaii, we will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary.
From the Pecos to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio
Grande to the broad expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no
place on earth like Texas
* ALSO BOSKIN COMMENTS
seeP.6. see P. 6.
2
Nor is there another capital in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capital that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. I find this appropriate.
Texas certainly stands a little taller in the heart of this
President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am awed by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the voice
andorthous
of cowboys / - men whose only schooling was in dodging bullets,
whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
7
But I first set out for Texas not on horseback from
Tennessee, but from Yale in a crimson red Studebaker. More than
forty years later, that trip is still a vivid memory -- the
lonesome road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert
twilight like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know
if a chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a
steak that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
3
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. I'm no historian, but it has been noted that
the wealth of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo.
In my lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance
the building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class
land, grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business made Texas what it is today -- the
Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
you also know the rest of the sad story -- oil cheaper than fancy
mineral water, skylines of empty buildings, expensive homes to be
had for monthly payments, and thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm also no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't
ride broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the
most dangerous and cunning bronco of all: They call it a
"sunfisher." These broncos will rebel against a rider by
adopting a motion not unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-
force leap into the air, back arched high, flank twisting the
rider to the left, head and upper torso twisting the rider to the
right, in an attempt to tear him apart. Let me suggest that in
the 1980s, the whole state of Texas feels like it has been on
just such a ride
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that.
It is also said that strong men and women are challenged by
adversity. I believe Texans have proven that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again .
m
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
(Darman)
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
morethan
208,000
Texas has regained the 207,000 jobs it lost from 1986 to 1987,
with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics, space and
computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
> called
In KG.
Counsels
5
Comments
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. I can understand how some
people just can't see a practical side for America to invest
billions of dollars in such an arcane field of study.
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of what the universe was
like at the instant of Creation. The SSC is a key to
understanding nature, and to developing the technologies and
industries of the 21st Century. Let me assure you, I will back Counsel's
Continue to support the construction of the SSC, with all the powers of the presidency Office
is this may be too much to use for
just one state, may beseen as favortism. Per- Steve Radamaker
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
BOSICIN
6
VIA PHONE 6:30 PM
future of this state and all of America.
I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem."
(Bostin)
Some have questioned the future of oil production in Alaska
The future of America's energy production is in doubt ^ in the
aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off Alaska. I am as
(Boskin)
distressed disgusted as you are by the reports from Prince William Sound. I
too strong
want to use federal resources intelligently in the clean-up
dontwant to
effort, and to work with industry to try to prevent another
blame"
tragedy. But shutting down Alaska is no answer. Shutting down
too anyone pajorative
Sp'. Alaska would do nothing to prevent a foreign tanker from wrecking
off the coast of Louisiana or Texas. Shutting down Alaska would
merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. What a travesty
it would be if we did nothing to protect the environment, while
transferring our domestic oil industry to foreign producers and
foreign tankers
To reduce our dependency on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol the natural gas industry
7
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in savings and loan institutions. I have asked
for measures to restore these institutions to financial health.
And I have asked for a $50 million appropriation for the Justice
Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust of small
savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The
Senate has acted expeditiously. I call on the House of
Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as soon as
possible.
Some the problems of the recent past linger. Some areas of
the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way is
clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas sky -
- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the technologies
of the next century. This is the secret of the Texas turn-
around, and its unfolding is a tribute to the leadership of Bill
Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the men and women of
the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting to feel like its
old self again. There is again a feeling among Texans that
anything is possible -- who knows, the Texas Rangers might even
win the World Series
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
8
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
white
longing
han
relevent
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, a retired elder
CORVEYING
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his long, white
hair, longswlute,
hair blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze like the mane of
an old lion.
Bar and I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
and more
ever of Terms
family. All this, we remember when we come back. And for this
and so much more, we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 028424
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3:00
DATE:
4/19/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
4/21/89
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
Baskin
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please rpovide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by close of 3:00
business Friday, April 21. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Je
1m
James W, Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 21, 1989
Memorandum to Chriss Winston
From:
Jim Pinkerton
P
Re:
Texas Legislature Speech Draft
1,4,1
"Aside from the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is the
only nation to have to reconcile itself to being a state."
Rather than get into the minutiae of other states that claim to
have been nations, e.g. Vermont, the California Bear Republic, we
could play it safe and say: "Like the former kingdom of Hawaii,
Texas is a nation that had to reconcile itself to being a state."
2,1
We would suggest deleting the reference to the state
capitol being one foot taller than the nation's capitol -- at
least, we should not have the President saying that he finds this
appropriate. The point is to avoid his appearing too parochial.
2,3,1
There are paintings of Davy Crockett and Sam Houston in
the chambers of the Legislature. It might be nice for the
President to be able to point to either one at this line about
setting out for Texas on horseback.
3,1,3
"The energy business made Texas what it is today "
Of course, most people in Texas have no connection with the
energy business, and it seems less sweeping to say "The energy
business helped make
"
6,2,2
Just FYI: The President's energy tax incentives phase
out when the price of oil reaches $21 per barrel. Yesterday's
spot market price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil was $24.
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 21, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Texas State Legislature
I have reviewed the draft of the President's remarks at
the Texas State Legislature. There is much wonderful prose
in this speech, fine phrases about the President's closeness
to Texas and her people, and a sense of the affection he has
for his adopted home.
My suggestions are few and I hope constructive:
1. In the first paragraph on page two, I don't think it
is appropriate that the President should state he believe it
appropriate that the capital in Texas should stand taller
than the Nation's capital. By omitting the sentence "I find
this appropriate," and modifying the next sentence to read
"Texas certainly stands tall in the heart of this President,"
he can preserve the thought.
2. I am a bit uncomfortable with the President saying
that he is awed by a writer. Perhaps saying that he is
inspired by Larry McMurty would work in the second paragraph
on page two.
3. On page three in the first full paragraph, I recom-
mend that we not call it a sad story -- it is a story that
as the speech goes on to say shows resilience and character.
There is nothing sad about adversity -- what is sad is when
peopler permit adversity to destroy them.
4. On page six in the first paragraph, rather than say
that our nation's energy production is in doubt, I recommend
the edits I have noted on the attached draft.
5. At the end of that paragraph, we should delete the
reference to the environment since in its present form it is
somewhat confusing, particularly when the thrust of the entire
paragraph is on energy policy. The concluding sentence, to
which the entire paragraph is building to should read: "What
a tragedy it would be if we transferred our domestic oil industry
to foreign producers and foreign tankers.
"
The remaining edits I have are marked on the attached copy.
Once again, congratulations on a solid draft.
CC: James W. Cicconi
exament NO.
/
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3:00
DATE:
4/19/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
4/21/89
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
Baskin
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please rpovide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by close of 3:00
business Friday, April 21. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Wallace
ISSS
April 19, 11 a.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., TIME -- T.B.D.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clement's birthday
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) ))
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
Aside from the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is the only
nation to have to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like
Hawaii, we will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary.
From the Pecos to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio
Grande to the broad expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no
place on earth like Texas
2
Nor is there another capital in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capital that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. find this appropriate ]
Texas certainly stands a little taller in the heart of this
President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
INSPIRED
am awed by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the voice
of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in dodging
bullets, whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
But I first set out for Texas not on horseback from
Tennessee, but from Yale in a red Studebaker. More than forty
years later, that trip is still a vivid memory -- the lonesome
road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert twilight
like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know if a
chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a steak
that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
3
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. I'm no historian, but it has been noted that
the wealth of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo.
In my lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance
the building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class
land grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business made Texas what it is today -- the
Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
FALLING OIL PRICES
you also know the rest of the [sad] story -- oil cheaper than fancy
mineral water, skylines of empty buildings, expensive homes to be
had for monthly payments, and thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm also no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't
ride broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the
most dangerous and cunning bronco of all: They call it a
"sunfisher." These broncos will rebel against a rider by
adopting a motion not unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-
force leap into the air, back arched high, flank twisting the
rider to the left, head and upper torso twisting the rider to
e
right, in an attempt to tear him apart. Let me suggest that in
the 1980s, the [whole state of Texas feels like it has been on
just such a ride
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that. It is also said that strong men and
women are challenged by adversity. I believe Texans have proven
that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has regained the 207,000 jobs it lost from 1986 to 1987,
with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics, space and
computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
5
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. I can understand how some
people just can't see a practical side for America to invest
billions of dollars in such an arcane field of study.
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC with all the powers of the presidency
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem.'
6
CENTER
HAS COME FRONT AND
The future of America's energy production is in doubt in the
aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off Alaska. I am as
CONCERNED
disgusted as you are by the reports from Prince William Sound. I
want to use federal resources intelligently in the clean-up
effort, and to work with industry / to try to prevent another
OIL EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION IN
tragedy. But shutting down Alaska is no answer. Shutting down
Alaska would do nothing to prevent a foreign tanker from wrecking
off the coast of Louisiana or Texas. Shutting down Alaska would
TRAGEDY
merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. What a travesty
it would be if we did nothing to protect the environment, while 1107
ed
transferring our domestic oil industry to foreign producers and
foreign tankers
To reduce our dependency on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol the natural gas industry
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
MANY
continuing crisis in/savings and loan institutions. I have asked
for measures to restore these institutions to financial health.
7
And I have asked for a $50 million appropriation for the Justice
Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust of small
savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The
Senate has acted expeditiously. I call on the House of
Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as soon as
possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
SOLVE
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Jefferson's dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin.
Federalism works because of your leadership and your initiative.
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turn Around, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Texas Rangers
might even win the World Series
8
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
SO we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, an elder
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his white hair --
longer in retirement -- blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze
like the mane of an old lion.
Bar and I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
family. All this and more, we remember whenever we think of
home. That is why we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 21, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROBERT J. PORTMAN
RJP
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Texas State Legislature
Pursuant to your staffing request of April 19, 1989, Counsel's
Office has reviewed the above referenced remarks. We have no
legal objection to the contents.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
CC: James W. Cicconi
Document NO.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3:00
4/19/89
4/21/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
Boskin
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please rpovide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by close of 3: 3:00
business Friday, April 21. Thank you.
no comments
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Document No. 028424
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3:00
DATE:
4/19/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
4/21/89
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
Boskin
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please rpovide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by close of 3:00
business Friday, April 21. Thank you.
All comments
RESPONSE:
James W, Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Wallace
1939 APR is TII 7:1
April 19, 11 a.m.
Title: Texas
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE
CAPITOL, AUSTIN
APRIL 26, WED., TIME -- T.B.D.
((It's a good thing this isn't Bill Clement's birthday
From where I'm standing, another Plaid Day in the Texas
Legislature could blind a fella.) )
In all sincerity, happy belated birthday Bill
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, it's great to see you again.
Speaker Gib Lewis, distinguished legislators, fellow Texans,
thank you
I'm delighted to be back in Austin, with so many
friends
I will want to discuss a few issues facing Texas and all of
America. But before I do, let me say a few words about what it
means to me to be a Texan.
Aside from the former kingdom of Hawaii, Texas is the only
nation to have to reconcile itself to being a state. But, like
Hawaii, we will never reconcile ourselves to being ordinary.
From the Pecos to the Pedernales, from the rapids of the Rio
Grande to the broad expanse of the muddy Red River, there is no
place on earth like Texas
2
Nor is there another capital in America quite like this one,
built of a rose-tinged granite that blushes in a low sun. And,
this being Texas, we had to build a capital that is exactly one
foot taller than the one in Washington. I find this appropriate.
Texas certainly stands a little taller in the heart of this
President
Perhaps for this reason, Larry McMurtry is one of my
favorite writers. In Lonesome Dove, he describes the mythic
Texas, and conjures that sense of place we all know so well. I
am awed by a man of letters who can convincingly adopt the voice
of cowboys and outlaws -- men whose only schooling was in dodging
bullets, whose only lessons were in how to rustle cattle.
But I first set out for Texas not on horseback from
Tennessee, but from Yale in a red Studebaker. More than forty
years later, that trip is still a vivid memory -- the lonesome
road, a neon Pearl Beer sign appearing in the desert twilight
like an apparition. Stopping at a cafe, I didn't know if a
chicken fried steak was a chicken fried like a steak, or a steak
that tasted like chicken
Still, Barbara and I settled in Texas, as did so many before
us. We raised five children, built a business. And in that span
of forty years, I watched this state grow into greatness. The
3
Texas of the epic movie Giant seemed almost ordinary in the
fifties, with bluejeaned millionaires as common as cactus in
Odessa and Midland. I'm no historian, but it has been noted that
the wealth of merchants preceded the Renaissance of Michelangelo.
In my lifetime I have seen the oil wealth of West Texas finance
the building of great cities, and the expansion of first-class
land grant colleges -- the origins of a Texas Renaissance, if you
will. The energy business made Texas what it is today -- the
Third Coast of the United States
This Texas Renaissance lasted for years, even decades. But
another more recent chapeter -
you also know the rest of the sad story -- oil cheaper than fancy
mineral water, skylines of empty buildings, expensive homes to be
had for monthly payments, and thousands of laid-off workers.
Now, I'm also no cowboy. I pitch horseshoes, but I don't
ride broncos. But I understand that cowboys have a term for the
most dangerous and cunning bronco of all: They call it a
"sunfisher." These broncos will rebel against a rider by
adopting a motion not unlike the sunfish of the Gulf -- a full-
force leap into the air, back arched high, flank twisting the
rider to the left, head and upper torso twisting the rider to the
right, in an attempt to tear him apart. Let me suggest that in
the 1980s, the whole state of Texas feels like it has been on
just such a ride
4
An old saying goes that there never was a horse that hasn't
been rode, and never was a man who hasn't been throwed. I guess
Texans have proven that. It is also said that strong men and
women are challenged by adversity. I believe Texans have proven
that, too
When a rider is thrown, he can do one of two things. He can
slink away and never again attempt another act of horsemanship.
Or, he can dust himself off, put one boot in the left stirrup,
throw the other boot over, and get firmly back into the saddle.
I won't kid you. There may be a few more bumps and bruises
ahead. But make no mistake, Texas is back in the saddle again.
State unemployment has dipped to its lowest level in four
years, signaling the diversification of the Texas economy. In
1970, the energy sector accounted for nearly 25 percent of state
output. Last year, it accounted for only 11.4 percent. And yet
Texas has regained the 207,000 jobs it lost from 1986 to 1987,
with employment in plastics, aviation, electronics, space and
computer programming leading the way. The Dallas-Fort Worth
"Metroplex" leads in defense and aviation technology; Houston in
space and biomedical research; Austin, in microelectronics.
Another sign that Texas is becoming a world center of
technology is the selection of Ellis County as the site of the
Superconducting Super Collider
When built, the SSC will
5
enable us to study elemental particles with names like quarks,
mesons (May-sahns) and neutrinos. I can understand how some
people just can't see a practical side for America to invest
billions of dollars in such an arcane field of study.
Well, as Tom Luce, chairman of the Texas National Research
Laboratory Commission said, with a little imagination, you can:
"conclude that future research in the field of high energy could
some day help us conquer cancer." Or discover a way to boost the
amount of information on a microchip. Or answer questions that
eluded Einstein, giving us a glimpse of the forces that bind the
universe together. The SSC is a key to understanding nature, and
to developing the technologies and industries of the 21st
Century. Let me assure you, I will back the construction of the
SSC with all the powers of the presidency
And let me also salute you, the members of the Texas House
and Senate, and the voters of this state, for having the vision
to take an early lead on this project
Still, no matter how diversified and high-tech Texas
becomes, a strong domestic energy industry is important to the
future of this state and all of America. I find it disturbing
that nearly 50 percent of America's oil is imported. As Bill
Clements says, this "cannot be safely shunted aside as merely a
Texas or a producing state problem."
withing
6
The future of America's energy production is in doubt in the
aftermath of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez off Alaska. I am as
disgusted as you are by the reports from Prince William Sound. I
want to use federal resources intelligently in the clean-up
effort, and to work with industry to try to prevent another
tragedy. But shutting down Alaska is no answer. Shutting down
Alaska would do nothing to prevent a foreign tanker from wrecking
off the coast of Louisiana or Texas. Shutting down Alaska would
merely increase our dependence on foreign oil. What a travesty
it would be if we did nothing to protect the environment, while
transferring our domestic oil industry to foreign producers and
foreign tankers
To reduce our dependency on foreign oil, we must return to
high levels of exploratory drilling. I propose to restore the
central role of small producers in U.S. energy exploration with
tax credits and other incentives. And I want to do something
else. Texas has a 65-year supply of one of the cleanest forms of
energy known to man -- natural gas. I call on Congress, at long
last, to fully decontrol the natural gas industry
I know there are still a few dark clouds remaining on your
economic horizon. I know that you are concerned about the
continuing crisis in savings and loan institutions. I have asked
for measures to restore these institutions to financial health.
7
And I have asked for a $50 million appropriation for the Justice
Department, so that those who willfully abuse the trust of small
savers can expect to be pursued, and put in prison
The
Senate has acted expeditiously. I call on the House of
Representatives to pass a responsible S & L bill as soon as
possible.
Texas, like all of America, faces many challenges. But I
believe that by working together, as Republicans and Democrats,
as federal and as state officials, we can lick any problems down
the path. Jefferson's dictum of the best government being that
which is closest to the people applies here, in Austin.
Federalism works because of your leadership and your initiative.
True, some problems of the recent past linger. Some areas
of the state are recovering more slowly than others. But the way
is clear to a future as bright and promising as the blue Texas
sky -- a new reliance on a diversified economy, and the
technologies of the next century. This is the secret of the
Texas turn-around, and its unfolding is a tribute to the
leadership of Bill Clements, Senators Gramm and Bentsen, and the
men and women of the Texas Legislature
Texas is starting
to feel like its old self again. There is again a feeling among
Texans that anything is possible -- who knows, the Texas Rangers
might even win the World Series
8
As we face our future in the White House, Barbara and I take
with us memories of people and places from a state that has been
home for most of our lives.
We remember driving the kids across Texas, and slowing down
so we could take in the fields of bluebonnets and Indian
paintbrush.
We remember the people of Houston, many of them mature and
skeptical, but who nonetheless listened to a green young man and
sent him to Congress.
And I remember Lyndon Johnson at his ranch, an elder
Democrat giving advice to a young Republican, his white hair --
longer in retirement -- blowing in the gentle Hill Country breeze
like the mane of an old lion.
Bar and I treasure all of this -- the sights and sounds of
half a lifetime, the trust of many friends, and the love of a
family. All this and more, we remember whenever we think of
home. That is why we thank God that we are Texans
Let me thank you for inviting us back to Austin. God bless
you. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#