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1252861
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5/12/76 - Remarks at a Public Rally of Macomb Mall, Roseville, Michigan
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1252861
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document
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5/12/76 - Remarks at a Public Rally of Macomb Mall, Roseville, Michigan
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President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
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Michigan
Presidential campaign, 1976
Economics
Speeches, addresses, etc.
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1252861
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12
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1976-05-12
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5
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1976
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12
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1976-05-12
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5
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1976
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The original documents are located in Box 32, "5/12/76 - Remarks at a Public Rally of
Macomb Mall, Roseville, Michigan" 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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 32 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
THE PRESIDENT HAS SPEN
.M
PUBLIC RALLY AT MACOMB MALL
ROSEVILLE, MICHIGAN
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1976
-1-
ALL I CAN SAY IS -- IT'S GOOD -- REAL GOOD
TO BE HOME AGAIN
AND MY MESSAGE TODAY TO ALL MY FELLOW MICHIGANDERS
CAN BE SUMMED UP IN JUST A FEW WORDS:
AS MUCH AS I BELIEVE IN A STRONG AND PROSPEROUS
AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY, I AM HERE TO SAY THAT THIS YEAR THERE
IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO TRADE IN YOUR FORD ON A NEW MODEL
-2-
I HOLD THE HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST SON OF MICHIGAN
TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
I'M PROUD OF THAT
I WAS RAISED HERE
I WENT TO SCHOOL HERE AND I HAVE DEVOTED MOST OF MY ADULT LIFE
TO REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE OF MICHIGAN
-3-
IN THE FOUR YEARS AHEAD, MY GOAL IS TO CONTINUE
TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF ALL 50 STATES --
BUT I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT IT ALL BEGAN RIGHT HERE
WITH THE VOTERS OF MICHIGAN
I KNOW MY HOME STATE WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW
THAT YOU APPRECIATE STRAIGHT TALK, AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE GIVEN
YOU SINCE I TOOK OFFICE AS PRESIDENT
AND HERE'S SOME MORE:
-4-
THE DAY I WAS SWORN IN, I SAID OUR LONG NATIONAL
NIGHTMARE WAS OVER
AND IT IS
WE HAVE DISPELLED
THE CLIMATE OF DARKNESS AND DESPAIR THAT HUNG OVER WASHINGTON
AND HAVE LET THE SUN SHINE IN
WE LEVELED WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
-5-
WE ADOPTED A POLICY OF PROMISING ONLY WHAT
WE COULD DELIVER, AND DELIVERING EVERYTHING THAT WE PROMISED
I'M GOING TO STAND BY THAT COMMITMENT AS LONG AS
I AM YOUR PRESIDENT
WHEN I TOOK OFFICE, INFLATION WAS RUNNING AS HIGH
AS 12 PERCENT
UNEMPLOYMENT WAS CLIMBING
PESSIMISTS SAID OUR FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM WAS WASHED UP
-6-
THEY WERE WRONG
WE HAVE BROKEN THE BACK OF THAT RECESSION
WE HAVE TURNED OUR COUNTRY AROUND, AND WE ARE ON THE ROAD
TO RENEWED PROSPERITY, MUTUAL TRUST AND A LASTING PEACE
-7-
WE REDUCED THE ANNUAL RATE OF INFLATION
BY MORE THAN ONE-HALF
WE HAVE INCREASED NATIONAL
EMPLOYMENT BY THREE MILLION, 300 THOUSAND JOBS
SINCE THE LOW OF LAST YEAR
-8-
UNEMPLOYMENT IS STILL TOO HIGH, ESPECIALLY HERE
IN MICHIGAN, BUT THE SITUATION IS GETTING BETTER --
MUCH BETTER
THE MOST RECENT STATE UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE FIGURES SHOW THAT UNEMPLOYMENT IN MICHIGAN
IS DROPPING FASTER THAN IT IS IN THE REST OF THE NATION
IT HAS DROPPED 57 PERCENT SINCE FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR
-9-
AND I'M GOING TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON UNTIL EVERY AMERICAN
WHO WANTS A JOB HAS A JOB -- NOT JUST MAKE-WORK JOBS,
BUT REWARDING, PERMANENT JOBS WITH A FUTURE
SOME CYNICS SAY THAT OUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY
WAS SHEER LUCK
I HAVE FOUND THAT THE HARDER
I WORK THE LUCKIER I GET, AND I KNOW YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY
-10-
OUR RECOVERY DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN
IT TOOK PLACE BECAUSE I REJECTED BIGGER SPENDING,
BIGGER DEFICITS, AND BIGGER GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
-11-
I USED MY VETO POWER 49 TIMES,
AND 42 OF THOSE VETOES WERE SUSTAINED,
SAVING AMERICAN TAXPAYERS SOME 13 BILLION DOLLARS
THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF ALMOST 200 DOLLARS FOR EVERY
AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD
AND THERE ARE MORE VETOES
WHERE THOSE CAME FROM
-12-
WHEREVER POSSIBLE, I WANT THE GOVERNMENT
TO SPEND LESS AND TAX LESS
I'M AIMING FOR A BALANCED FEDERAL BUDGET BY 1979
THERE'S NO REASON WHY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONTINUE
TO GROW AND GROW
THE LARGER IT GETS, THE MORE REMOTE IT IS
FROM THE CITIZENS THAT GOVERNMENT IS SUPPOSED TO SERVE
-13-
WELL, THE BEST WAY TO STOP UNNECESSARY GROWTH
IS TO TIGHTEN THE PURSE STRINGS, AND THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT I'M DOING
I LEARNED THIS BASIC TRUTH A LONG TIME AGO:
THAT A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE US EVERYTHING WE WANT
IS A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE FROM US EVERYTHING WE HAVE
-14-
I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT AS A NATION, OUR BEST HOPE
FOR CONTINUED PEACE IS TO REMAIN STRONG ENOUGH TO PRESERVE
THE PEACE
THROUGHOUT MY 27 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE
IN THE CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE, MY RECORD IS ONE
OF TOTAL COMMITMENT TO A NATIONAL DEFENSE EQUAL
TO ANY CHALLENGE -- AND A POLICY OF PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.
-15-
WITH OUR NATION AT PEACE, I AM CONTINUING THE
TASK I UNDERTOOK ON THE DAY I BECAME PRESIDENT, WHICH IS
THE RESTORATION OF CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN OUR INSTITUTIONS,
IN OURSELVES AND IN OUR FUTURE.
BECAUSE OF THE SCANDALS AND CORRUPTION IN HIGH
PLACES IN THE PAST, THE FAITH AMERICANS TRADITIONALLY PLACED
IN THEIR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN DIMINISHED.
-16-
WE'VE MADE A FRESH START IN REBUILDING THAT FAITH
WE ARE
TURNING AWAY FROM A PREOCCUPATION WITH WHAT'S WRONG WITH
AMERICA TO GET ON WITH THE JOB OF MAKING THINGS RIGHT IN
AMERICA.
I AM DETERMINED TO RESTORE UNITY TO OUR NATION
AND TO REBUILD OUR SOCIETY UPON A FOUNDATION OF THE
SIMPLE BUT ENDURING VALUES OF TRUTH, DECENCY AND INTEGRITY
-17-
THESE ARE WORTHY GOALS FOR A GREAT NATION, AND
WITH YOUR HELP AND TRUST, WE WILL SUCCEED IN MAKING THE
AMERICAN DREAM AN EVEN GREATER REALITY
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
END OF TEXT