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1252751
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3/20/76 - Remarks at Airport Rally, Avery County, N.C.
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1252751
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3/20/76 - Remarks at Airport Rally, Avery County, N.C.
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President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
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North Carolina
Federal budget
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Presidential campaign, 1976
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Agriculture
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1252751
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1976-03-20
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1976
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20
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1976-03-20
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3
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1976
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The original documents are located in Box 26, "3/20/76 - Remarks at Airport Rally, Avery
County, N.C." of the President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald
R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 26 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN ----
REMARKS AT AIRPORT RALLY
AVERY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
MARCH 20, 1976
-1-
FIRST LET ME SAY THAT IT'S A PLEASURE
TO BE BACK IN NORTH CAROLINA AGAIN AND IT'S A PARTICULAR
PLEASURE TO BE HERE IN THE TRI-COUNTY AREA WITH so MANY FRIENDS
THE FORD FAMILY HAS HAD A TWO GENERATION
LOVE AFFAIR WITH NORTH CAROLINA
-2-
A LONG TIME AGO I WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA LAW SCHOOL
AND IN THE EARLY DAYS OF
WORLD WAR 11, I WAS STATIONED AT THE PRE-FLIGHT SCHOOL AT
CHAPEL HILL
MORE RECENTLY, MY OLDEST SON MIKE, AND
HIS WIFE GAYLE, GRADUATED FROM WAKE FOREST
-3-
so IF YOU DON'T HAVE A NATIVE SON IN THE
WHITE HOUSE, YOU HAVE THE NEXT BEST THING, A MAN WHO LOVES
THIS STATE
ITS PEOPLE AND ITS BEAUTY
-4-
I DON'T HAVE TO DREAM UP NICE THINGS
TO SAY ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA -- I'VE LIVED THEM
AND CAMPAIGNING HERE IS LIKE CAMPAIGNING IN MY OWN
BACKYARD
-5-
AND I INTEND TO DO A GOOD DEAL MORE OF IT
IN THE FUTURE TO DO WHAT I CAN TO HELP OTHER REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATES CAMPAIGNING FOR THE STATE LEGISLATURE
THE CONGRESS AND THE STATE HOUSE
-6-
WE NEED MORE MEN OF THE CALIBRE AND QUALITY OF GOVERNOR
JIM HOLSHOUSER TO SERVE THIS STATE AND OUR NATION.
-7-
NOW LET ME GIVE YOU A LITTLE STRAIGHT TALK
ABOUT AMERICA'S ECONOMIC PICTURE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I KNOW
YOU'RE INTERESTED IN
-8-
SINCE I TOOK OFFICE SOME 19 MONTHS AGO
I HAVE NOT PROMISED MORE THAN WE COULD DELIVER AND I HAVE
DELIVERED EVERYTHING WE PROMISED -- AND THAT IS WHAT YOU
CAN EXPECT FROM ME IN THE FUTURE
FIRST I WANT YOU TO KNOW I AM FOR
BUDGETARY SANITY -- A BALANCED BUDGET
-9-
I HAVE BEEN WORKING TOWARD THIS GOAL
EVER SINCE I TOOK OFFICE, AND WITH YOUR HELP, WE WILL SEE
THIS ACCOMPLISHED IN 1979
AND WHEN WE DO BALANCE
THE BUDGET, AN ADDITIONAL MAJOR TAX CUT WILL BE POSSIBLE
-10-
WE HAVE TO GET AMERICA BACK ON THE RIGHT
FISCAL TRACK
WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD THE BIG SPENDERS
AND BUDGET BUSTERS
TO DO THIS I VETOED 46 BILLS IN
THE LAST 19 MONTHS, WHICH IS A RECORD
THIRTY-NINE
OF THOSE VETOES WERE SUSTAINED BY THE CONGRESS, AND IN THE
PROCESS
I
SAVED YOU, THE TAXPAYERS, 13 BILLION DOLLARS
-II-
AND IF THE CONGRESS KEEPS SENDING ME BILLS
WHICH I KNOW ARE ILL-CONSIDERED OR INFLATIONARY, I WILL
CONTINUE TO VETO THEM -- AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.
-12-
I KNOW ALL OF YOU RECOGNIZE THAT FOR THE
LAST 19 MONTHS THIS COUNTRY HAS GONE THROUGH A VERY DIFFICULT
TIME
WHEN I TOOK OFFICE, INFLATION WAS RUNNING AT A RATE
OF I2 PERCENT OR MORE PER YEAR
WE TOOK INFLATION OUT OF
THE DOUBLE DIGIT COLUMN -- ACTUALLY CUT IT IN HALF
AND WE
ARE CONTINUING TO REVERSE THE TREND OF THE PAST DECADE
-12a-
IN FACT, IN FEBRUARY, CONSUMER PRICES
INCREASED ONLY ONE-TENTH OF ONE PERCENT, THE SMALLEST MONTHLY
HIKE IN MORE THAN FOUR YEARS
-13-
I TOOK OFFICE ON THE BRINK OF THE WORST ECONOMIC
RECESSION THIS COUNTRY HAS HAD IN FORTY YEARS
UNEMPLOYMENT WAS CLIMBING UP AND UP AND UP
-14-
AS ALWAYS, SOME PEOPLE CAME UP WITH
QUICK-FIX SCHEMES, SCHEMES WHICH WOULD ADD MASSIVE NUMBERS
OF PEOPLE TO THE FEDERAL PAYROLL, SCHEMES WHICH WOULD
HAVE SENT THE BUDGET THROUGH THE CAPITOL DOME.
-15-
INSTEAD OF BUSTING THE BUDGET, I USED SOME
COMMON SENSE
I REJECTED BIGGER SPENDING, BIGGER DEFICITS,
BIGGER GOVERNMENT
INSTEAD I INITIATED TAX CUTS FOR
INDIVIDUALS, AND TAX INCENTIVES FOR BUSINESS EXPANSION
AND JOB CREATION
-16-
WE HELD THE LINE ON FEDERAL SPENDING
BECAUSE I WANT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO MAKE YOUR TAX DOLLARS
WORK AS HARD FOR YOU AS YOU DID FOR THEM
-17-
AND BECAUSE WE DIDN'T PANIC, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T
LOSE OUR COOL, WE HAVE COME OUT OF THAT RECESSION
WE HAVE ALREADY GAINED BACK ALL THE JOBS WE LOST TO THE
RECESSION, WITH OVER NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND AMERICANS
ADDED TO PAYROLLS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY ALONE
-18-
AND THESE ARE PERMANENT JOBS JOBS IN PRIVATE
INDUSTRY,
JOBS TO BUILD A FUTURE ON -- AND THESE JOBS HAVE
BOLSTERED THE AMERICAN ECONOMY INSTEAD OF DRAINING AWAY
YOUR TAX DOLLARS IN FEDERALLY SUBSIDIZED PROGRAMS
-19-
IN THE MONTHS AHEAD THE EMPLOYMENT PICTURE
IS GOING TO GET EVEN BETTER BECAUSE AMERICA'S ECONOMY
CONTINUES TO BRIGHTEN
BUT WE STILL HAVE TO GUARD AGAINST THOSE
WHO WOULD EXPAND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHILE TAKING
AUTHORITY FROM STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
-20-
BELIEVE ME,
NOTHING SANCTIFIES THE WISDOM OF
THE PEOPLE IN THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
I HAVE GREAT FAITH IN GREAT GOVERNORS LIKE
JIM HOLSHOUSER
I DON'T AGREE WITH THOSE WHO THINK THAT
EVERY PROGRAM
EVERY INITIATIVE,
AND EVERY DECISION HAS
TO COME FROM WASHINGTON
-21-
I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AND I KNOW YOU
DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN
IF THERE IS ONE THING WE MUST
NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF, IT'S THIS:
A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE US EVERYTHING
WE WANT, IS A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE FROM US
EVERYTHING WE HAVE
-22-
NOW, LET ME SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT OUR
STRENGTH AS A NATION
THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE ALLEGED
THAT WE ARE WEAK, THAT WE ARE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS
OF THE WORLD, THAT THE SUN HAS SET ON THIS REPUBLIC
-23-
LET ME SAY THIS AS FIRMLY AS I KNOW HOW:
THEY'RE DEAD WRONG
AMERICA REMAINS SECOND TO NONE
-24-
NO ONE HAS GREATER ARMS OR GREATER CAPABILITY
AND THAT'S THE WAY I INTEND TO KEEP US, SO THAT AMERICA CAN
MEET ANY CHALLENGE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
FRANKLY I AM PROUD OF AMERICA AND PROUD TO
BE AN AMERICAN, AND I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE TOO
-25-
WE REMAIN THE STRONGEST GUARDIAN OF FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD AND I SHALL CONTINUE TO PURSUE A POLICY OF PEACE
THROUGH STRENGTH
-26-
BUT AMERICA'S STRENGTH IS MEASURED BY MORE
THAN ARMAMENTS ALONE
AMERICA TODAY IS THE GREATEST
AGRICULTURAL POWER, THE MOST PROLIFIC PRODUCER OF FOOD
AND FIBER IN THE WORLD
-27-
THAT IS A CREDIT NOT ONLY TO THE MASS PRODUCTION
FARMERS IN THE MIDWEST BUT ALSO TO THE SMALL FAMILY FARMERS
RIGHT HERE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, AND I COMPLIMENT YOU
FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE, AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING
-28-
I WANT TO SEE THE FAMILY FARMS SURVIVE AND
THRIVE IN AMERICA
I WANT TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE
TO PASS ON THEIR FARMS, THE PRODUCT OF MANY YEARS OF HARD
WORK AND LOVE AND FAITH, TO THEIR SONS AND TO THEIR DAUGHTERS
I WANT TO MAKE IT EASIER TO KEEP THOSE FARMS IN THE FAMILY
RATHER THAN SACRIFICING THEM TO THE TAX COLLECTOR
-29-
I PROPOSE TWO MEASURES TO HELP PROMOTE
THAT RESULT
FIRST,
I
PROPOSED THAT THE CONGRESS ACT TO
STRETCH OUT THE ESTATE TAX PAYMENT AT GREATLY REDUCED INTEREST
RATES OVER A 25-YEAR PERIOD, AND SECONDLY, I HAVE PROPOSED
AN INCREASE IN THE ESTATE EXEMPTION FROM 60 THOUSAND DOLLARS
TO 150 THOUSAND DOLLARS
-30-
I LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR ADOPTION BY THE CONGRESS
AND I AM SURE YOU DO TOO
ANOTHER THING I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IS NEXT
TUESDAY, BECAUSE WITH YOUR SUPPORT I KNOW WE ARE GOING TO WIN
WE'VE GOT THE MOMENTUM NOW
-31-
WE WON IN NEW HAMPSHIRE -- WE WON IN
VERMONT -- WE WON IN MASSACHUSETTS -- WE WON IN FLORIDA --
WE WON IN ILLINOIS -- AND ON TUESDAY, MARCH 23rd,
WE ARE GOING TO WIN IN NORTH CAROLINA AS WELL
-32-
AND WHEN WE HAVE WON IN THE PRIMARIES --
WHEN THE NOMINATION IS OURS IN KANSAS CITY -- THEN WITH
YOUR HELP WE'RE GOING ON TO WIN THE BIG ONE IN NOVEMBER
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH
END OF TEXT