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Remarks of the President from the Presidential Express, Kalamazoo Amtrak Station [Ford Speech or Statement]
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7344050
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Remarks of the President from the Presidential Express, Kalamazoo Amtrak Station [Ford Speech or Statement]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
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1976-05-15
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1976
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Digitized from Box 26 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 15, 1976
OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
(Kalamazoo, Michigan)
THE WHITE HOUSE
REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT
FROM THE
PRESIDENTIAL EXPRESS
KALAMAZOO AMTRAK STATION
2:48 P.M. EDT
As soon as First Mama gets here, we will say a
few words. Here she is. You can see who gets all the
cheers in the Ford family. (Laughter)
Let me say that Betty and I are very grateful
for the wonderful reception we have had in the State of
Michigan, starting in Flint and here in Kalamazoo. Of
course, the further West we get in the State, the closer
to home we get, so we know many, many people here in
Kalamazoo. It is just great to be back in Michigan
and have an opportunity on this train. ride to see as
many of our friends as we have.
You know, that train started in Flint. It is
going to end down in Niles, Michigan. It is a train that
is going to go from here to Kansas City. We are going to
win in Kansas City and we are going to win in November
just as well.
I would like to take just a few minutes, if I
might, to first ask for your support and tell you why I
want you to vote for Jerry Ford. You ought to have some
good reasons, and let me tell you what they are.
When I took the oath of office in August of
1974, this country was having all kinds of trouble.
There had been a loss of confidence in the American
people as far as their national Government was concerned.
There had been scandals in high places. The American
people were uncertain as to the leadership of this great
country.
At the same time, we were on the brink of an
economic recession that was the worst in 40 years. This
country was suffering in August of 1974 inflation at a
rate of 12 percent or more. In August of that year,
our allies abroad, whether it was in Western Eúrope
or in the Pacific, were uncertain as to the leadership in
the White House, and they were uncertain of the will and
the resolve of the American people. And our adversaries
abroad could have, if they were so disposed, might have
taken advantage of this uncertainty.
MORE
Page 2
In the last 21 months I have tried to correct
those problems. And if you look at the record, Jerry
Ford has done a good job and he wants the job for another
four years to do even a better job for all of you Americans.
My program for the last 21 months has been one of peace,
prosperity and trust. We have the peace, we achieved it.
We have the military capability, we have the diplomatic
skill to keep the peace that we have now, and I pledge to
you we will make a maximum effort and we will be successful
in keeping the peace in the future for this country and
for the world as a whole.
Let me say a word about the progress we have
made in tackling effectively the economic problems that
I inherited. I told you about 12 percent inflation. For
the first three months of 1976 the rate of inflation on
an annual basis has been under 3 percent. That is a 75
percent reduction in the rate of inflation. That is a
darn good record, and we ought to be proud of it.
But, as I said, shortly after I took office we
were hit with the worst economic recession in 40 years.
Unemployment went up, employment went down but let's
talk about what has happened in the last year. A year
ago this recession had hit us very badly, but since last
April and May we made tremendous progress.
In this 12-month period that we have added
3,300,000 more jobs in America, and in the month of April
of this year 710,000 more people got employment, got
jobs in America. That is a good record. We ought to be
proud of it.
According to the Department of Labor that
reported to all of us a couple of weeks ago, 87,400,000
American people are gainfully employed in America today.
It is the highest number in the history of the United
States. That is good, but in the next four years we will
do better every year. I pledge that to you as the
President of the United States.
So, Betty and I are here as your President and
First Lady -- some of you call her First Mama. We would
like to serve you for the next four years, and we would
like to do it on the basis of a successful record.
The election next Tuesday is a very important
election. It would give us the momentum that is needed
and necessary to win in Kansas City. It would give us the
momentum to win the November election. One pledge that
Gerald Ford has always made when I had the privilege of
serving the Fifth Congressional District -- Kent County,
Ottawa County, Iona County and parts of several other
counties -- was that I was open, I was forthright, I had
an integrity I think was unmatched by anybody in public
office, and as President of the United States I have followed
those same basic characteristics.
MORE
Page 3
The net result is that I can say to you that
the American people have good reason to feel that the
person in the White House has restored public confidence.
I am honored and privileged to have with me on
this trip your great Senator Bob Griffin and your fine
Congressman Garry Brown, who both support me.
One thing that I always believed in public
life -- you should promise only that which you can
deliver and you should always deliver what you promise.
So, I promise you in the next four years peace,
prosperity and trust.
I want vour vote on the basis of the record on
Tuesday so we can keep that momentum going.
Thank you very, very much.
We also have your great University of Michigan
basketball coach here, who is a good friend of mine and
supporting me, Johnny Orr. I hope my record is as good
as his.
Betty and I will come down and shake hands with
as many as we can, and I don't have the time to shake hands
with everybody, but I do want to thank each and every one
of you.
Eddie Hutchinson, nice to see you. Eddie
Hutchinson who has been one of the fine, fine Congressmen
from the Fourth Congressional District. Eddie, I appre-
ciate your endorsement and your support.
(AT 2:58 P.M. EDT)
3:20 P.M. EDT
Let me just add a note as we leave Kalamazoo.
When I first ran for the Congress back in 1948, a great
American, a Democrat by the name of Harry S. Truman,
whistle stopped across the United States, and he won. A
couple of years later another great American, another
President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, better known as Ike,
whistle stopped across the country. Those were good
ideas, one for a Democrat and one for a Republican. I
think it is a good idea for President Ford, and we are
going to win in 1976.
Thank you all very, very much.
END
(AT 3:21 P.M. EDT)