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    "label": "Remarks of the President to the US Jaycees Convention [Ford Speech or Statement]",
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    "title": "Remarks of the President to the US Jaycees Convention [Ford Speech or Statement]",
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    "ocrText": "Digitized from Box 27 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nJUNE 22, 1976\nOFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY\n(Indianapolis, Indiana)\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nREMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT\nTO THE\nU.S. JAYCEES CONVENTION\nINDIANAPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER\n10:24 A.M. CDT\nThank you very, very much, President Dick Robinson,\nGovernor Bowen, Mayor Hudnut, Mr. Simensen, members and\nguests of the United States Jaycees:\nI am overwhelmed and obviously deeply honored to\njoin you here this morning and to receive such a warm and\ngenerous welcome and I thank you from the bottom of my\nheart.\nI have been looking forward to this visit for a\nlong, long time because the Jaycees have always made me feel\nright at home. When I was just beginning a law career in\n1941 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I became a proud member of\nour local Jaycee chapter. In all of the years that have\nfollowed, as a Congressman, as Vice President and now\nas President, I have found the philosophy and the spirit\nof the Jaycees to be a great source of personal strength.\nSo it is great to be among friends on this occasion.\nI am especially proud that I can salute all of\nyou on the eve of our 200th anniversary as a Nation. If there\nis a single organization, if there is a single group of\noutstanding young Americans that has come to reflect the\nBicentennial spirit, it is the United States Jaycees, and I\ncongratulate you.\nFor over a half century the Jaycees have been fertile\nbreeding ground for America's most promising young leaders,\nthe kinds of leaders -- men in Philadelphia in 1776 that\nproclaimed a new age of freedom for mankind. For over half\na century the Jaycees have stood tall in their patriotism\nfor the United States -- the kind of patriotism that rode\nin the saddle with Paul Revere on the outskirts of Boston\nand inspired Patrick Henry down in Colonia Williamsburg for\nover half a century the Jaycees have been filled with rock\nhard determination to do what is best for America, the kind\nof determination that sailed with John Paul Jones when he\nwarned the enemy, \"I have not yet begun to fight.\"\nYouth, patriotism, determination, a love of liberty --\nthose are the qualities that I have always found in the\nJaycees and ''know this group and those that will follow will\ncarry forward this same determination, this same patriotism,\nthis same love of liberty in the years ahead, and if you don't,\nwho will?\nMORE\nPage 2\nAs an active member of this organization just\na few years ago -- (Laughter) -- I remember then that I\noften asked myself what sort of a future did I want for\nmy family and for my country? Many of you here today may\nask yourself the same questions: What do we want for our-\nselves over the next 20 or 30 years? What do we really\nwant for America's third century as a Nation?\nLet me respond to some of those questions for\njust a few moments by suggesting some of my own answers.\nFrom my readings of history I am persuaded that America's\nfirst two centuries can be split roughly in half. The\nhallmark of our first century was the establishment of a\nfree democratic Government in our land. Rising up from a\nweak, fledgling Nation our people sprawled across the\ncontinent, territories were acquired, States were formed,\nwars were fought, none more devastating than the one that\nturned American against American.\nBut the Union survived that terrible ordeal and\nby 1876, at the end of our first century, a responsive\nand responsible form of Government was firmly implanted in\nour soil.\nOur second century as a Nation, I would suggest,\nhas been marked by the growth and the development of a great\nindustrial system. The pioneer spirit of the early days\nbegan to conquer new frontiers, spanning the Nation with\nrails transforming our manufacturing and marketing, recasting\nour cities with concrete and steel, revolutionizing our\nscience and technology, so that at this very moment an\nAmerican spacecraft, for the first time in man's history,\nis preparing to land on the planet of Mars.\nThese have been great achievements - - the triumph\nof free Government in our first century, the triumph of\nfree enterprise in our second.\nNow, in our third century, I promise that we climb\nan even higher mountain. Let us fulfill the dreams of the\nearly fathers. Let us make these new 100 years the ultimate\ntriumph of people, the triumph of individual freedom in\nthe United States of America.\nWe made enormous progress in securing and expanding\nindividual freedoms in the past 200 years, and much of that\nprogress has come in our own lifetimes. But, we have not\nfinished the job. Full individual freedom in America must\nmean freedom from want. America has the compassion and the\nresources to meet this challenge.\nSo long as our Nation is burdened with heavy\ninflation and heavy unemployment, we shall not be free.\nOver the past 15 years, due in large measures to stop and\nstart economic policies in Washington, the United States'\neconomy has been on a long and dangerous roller coaster\nride -- up one year, down the next. The accompanying\ninflation has not only eroded personal income but it has\neaten away at public confidence in our economic institutions,\nthe very institutions that served to give us the highest\nstandard of living anywhere in the world.\nMORE\nPage 3\nThe first order of business in the Government of\nthe United States is to put the economy on a smooth, upward\ncourse and to keep it moving in that direction. The\nenormous surge in Government spending and Government deficits\nmust be ended. The only way to hold down the cost of\nliving is to hold down the cost of Government.\nIf I may be permitted to interject a word on a\nsubject that is before the Congress at this moment, I would\nurge that this organization join in the struggle to enact\nresponsible, new tax legislation in the next 10 days.\nOn July 1, the temporary tax enacted last year will\nexpire and, unless the Congress acts promptly, taxes will\nautomatically increase. The Congress should not only extend\nthe tax cut that was enacted last year but should increase\nit by $10 billion and make it permanent. There is no\nexcuse for the Government to take more and more of your\nearnings when it cannot fully justify their use, and\nespecially when those hard-earned tax dollars of yours can\ndo more good for you and for this country in your pocket,\nnot in the Government Treasury.\nLet me specify two specific provisions in the\nadditional $10 billion tax reduction that I proposed and\nCongress must approve, to help your family and our country.\nThe personal exemption must be increased from $750 to $1,000.\nThe estate tax exemption must be increased from $60,000\nto $150,000, so that small businesses and small farms can\nstay in one family from one generation to another and not\nin the pockets of the taxpayer.\nAnd there is one other provision that involves\nall of you -- estate tax transfers from husband to wife or\nwife to husband must be tax free. Full individual freedom\nin America also means freedom from intrusive, overbearing\nGovernment. This is a familiar theme in our American history.\nAs long ago as Thomas Jefferson, he sounded it\nin the Declaration of Independence himself, where he\ncomplained there His Majesty's Government has erected a\nmultitude of new offices and sent swarms of officers to\nharrass our people.\nMORE\nPage 4\nToday we see the intrusion of our own Federal Govern-\nment in many forms -- some old and some new. We see it\nin the many regulatory agencies that have sprouted up\nalong the Potomac and have imposed the massive regulatory\nburden upon American business. We see it in the way that\nsome of our other departments in Washington under requirements\nmainly imposed by the Congress have taken over many, many\nof the activities that were once left to the State and local\nunits of government.\nWe see it in the past records of some government\nagencies that exceeded their authority and spied upon and\notherwise violated the rights of individual American citizens.\nAnd we see it in the way that a few of our courts\nhave wandered so far into the school busing controversy that\nthey are practically running our local school boards.\nThe time has come to roll back the wave of big\ngovernment in America and we must never forget a government\nbig enough to give us everything we want is a government big\nenough to take from us everything we have.\nWe must bring order and restraint to the Federal\nregulatory process through sweeping reforms, in airline\ntransportation, in trucking and in many other areas.\nIn order to restore greater powers to local and State\nGovernments to put decisions back where they belong we must\nreenact general revenue sharing and collapse complicated\neducation and health programs into new block grants so that\nthe rights of our citizens may be protected while the\nessential intelligence functioning of our government\ncontinues.\nWe are undertaking reforms in the intelligence\ncommunity and we are putting into place new constructive\nguidelines for the FBI. In the next few days I plan to\nannounce action in still another area -- court-ordered\nforced busing. There is no good reason why we cannot wipe\nout the vestiges of discrimination in America, achieve\nquality education for our children and at the same time\nminimize the massive busing of our children.\nUnderlying actions in each of these areas is\nour fervent belief that individual liberty in this great\ncountry means liberty from oppressive, heavy-handed,\nbureaucratic government. That is a goal we can achieve.\nThat is a goal we must achieve in our third century.\nI firmly believe that Americans can do anything if other\nAmericans do not tie us down with red tape, tie us up with\npessimism or tie us into a knot of frustration and stagnation.\nMORE\nPage 5\nLet me reemphasize that my vision of the future\nmeans equal opportunity and equal rights for all of our\ncitizens. The principle. of racial equality is indelibly\nwritten into our Constitution and into our hearts, and in\nall that we do we must honor it.\nEarlier in this century the novelist, Thomas Wolfe,\nspoke about America in a way that is worth remembering.\nHe said, \"To every man his chance, to every man regardless\nof his birth his shining golden opportunity, to every man\nthe right to live, to work, to be himself and to become\nwhatever things his manhood and his vision can combine to\nmake him. This,\" he said, \"is the promise of America.\"\nThat is the promise we seek to fulfill in the next\n100 years. We must also recognize, as George Washington\ndid in his first inaugural address, that no nation on\nearth owes more to providence than does the United States of\nAmerica. Our greatness is because of our goodness. Should\nwe cease to be good, we would soon cease to be great.\nAmericans have seen too much abuse of the moral imperatives\nof honesty and decency, the foundations of our civilized\nsociety.\nAmericans, especially our young people, can take\nlittle pride in the system that is dishonored by misconduct\nwhether in the White House or in the halls of Congress.\nThe essential task of leadership in business, in education,\nin family life and in public life is to inspire, to teach,\nto act with courage --to live with honor and to show the way.\nPersonal integrity must not be a part of nostalgia, it must\nbe the living and life essence of the American character.\nThere are many freedoms that we must secure, that\nwe must expand in the United States, but let me mention only\none other, freedom from war. On too many occasions since\nthe Jaycees were founded America has sent her finest sons\nto the battlefields in faraway lands. The first and\nforemost objective of every President is to protect and\npreserve the security of the United States.\nToday that security is fully protected. Our\narmaments are unsurpassed, our alliances with Europe and Japan\nhave never been healthier. Our will in America is strong.\nYet we must also recognize that we live in a world\nthat is increasingly hostile to freedom. Only one nation\nin six in the world today is free and democratic. There are\nmany, many nations that oppose our interests and our belief\nand our dedication to freedom and to liberty. Through\nnegotiations and constructive diplomacy we are seeking to\nreduce the level of tensions with the Soviet Union. We\nshare with them an interest in preventing a nuclear\nincineration but we have no illusions that they have changed\ntheir political objectives or their essential world outlook.\nIt is, therefore, incumbent upon us to maintain a strong\nbalanced military posture. Military strength is the best\ninsurance for peace. We have that peace and we are going to\nkeep it.\nMORE\nPage 6\nOne of my greatest frustrations as a Congressman --\nand I think Mayor Bill Hudnut can vividly recall it because\nhe served in the Congress with me -- but that frustration\nwas to join with the occupant of the White House, Democrat\nor Republican, in the fight for large defense budgets and\nthen to see those budgets unmercifully cut by a Congressional\nmajority on the other side.\nIn just the past 10 years the Congress has cut\nsome $50 billion from the defense budget recommended by three\ndifferent Presidents, often to make room for new social\nprograms of questionable merit.\nThis year, I am pleased to report to you we are\nfinally reversing that trend and, for the first time in a\nlong, long while the Congress seems ready to agree with the\nPresident for a needed increase in the expenditures and\nprograms for the defense establishment. However, once\nagain, I ask the support of the Jaycees on a critical issue.\nThis country simply cannot afford anything less than the very\nbest for the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines.\nAmerica covets no one else's land. We seek no\none else's treasures. Indeed, we have given generously of\nour own when others needed help, but we must also never shirk\nfrom the responsibility of protecting our interests and\nour own security. If the promise of individual freedom is\nto be achieved in the coming century, it will take a full-\nhearted effort by all Americans.\nI know that as Jaycees you are devoted to humanity\nas the best work of life. You are neither weak nor timid\nin your devotion to America. You believe that citizens\nmust be actively involved in the affairs of the State\nand of the Nation.\nWe have an historic opportunity in America today.\nWe stand at the threshold of our third century. We can\neither let this time slip by with no clear vision of what\nwe wish to achieve as a people or we can seize this moment\nby resolving to fulfill the great promise of America -- to\nachieve full individual freedom for all Americans.\nA year ago, there was a special ceremony in the City\nof Boston at Old North Church. You may recall that was the\nchurch where two lanterns were hung on the night of Paul\nRevere's famous ride. Last April, they hung a third lantern\nin the Old North Church and as they did the rector spoke\nbriefly about it: \"The two lanterns which were shown from\nthis steeple,\" he said, \"led us to two centuries of some\nprogress in reason, liberty and in faith -- but not enough.\nTo some fulfillment in mind, body and spirit -- but not\nenough. To some gains in thinking, acting and trusting in\nfreedom -- but not enough.\n\"Now the steeple of the Old North Church will shine\nwith a third lantern tonight, a new signal that will call us\nto renewed effort and renewed hope in our third century.\nIt will say we will yet make the American promise a reality.\nWe will yet make it the truth every day, everywhere for\neveryone. We will go forward and we will stumble, but we\nwill try again and again and again.\"\nMORE\nPage 7\nMy fellow Jaycees in this Bicentennial year,\nlet us carry that message to every community across this\nland. Let us, through our own actions, become a beacon\nof hope and of promise, and let us working together light\nthe path to a new century of freedom for all Americans.\nThank you very, very much.\nEND\n(AT 10:49 A.M. CDT)"
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