 Mitch, Mr. Jack Hume, founder, Citizens for America. You know, I've had the good fortune to know the president and his charming wife, Nancy, for over 20 years. And through that period, my admiration for his mental acuity, his judgment, his physical stamina, and his integrity have grown steadily. And I'm sure you all agree with me in that. This is a wonderful man that we have leading our country, and we're so fortunate that we have someone in this position who has been able to lead the United States in five years to the point where it is again the leader in world economic and political affairs, and also where our country has been brought back to a feeling of self-confidence and pride and optimism about our future. Thank you. Well, thank you very much. We'll run out of time. Thank you all very much. And I think I have to confess something here, although I did kind of almost get away with it a moment ago when I stood up, and then I tried to make it look like I was just coming over to say something to him. When you sit in here for as many state dinners as I have, and it's just automatic that when they shove this thing out and turn on the light, I get up and start talking. And I started to stop right here and then fortunately saw blue and said, wait a minute, there's something else that happens besides my getting up here. But I thank you all for being here, and I appreciate this opportunity to break bread and talk with you. I can't help but remember when in August of 1983, Jack Hume came to me with the idea of a grassroots organization which would champion our ideals. Out of that conversation came Citizens for America. And Jack, no one will ever accuse you of not following up. You did. And under Lou Lairman's dynamic leadership, CFA has been an inspiration to the entire conservative movement. I learned one thing very quickly after becoming governor of California. When it comes to the major issues, elected officials don't have to see the light. I have said this a number of occasions. You just have to make them feel the heat. But with activists working in many congressional districts, CFA is making our opponents particularly feel the heat. CFA is getting the facts out to people in their communities and towns across this land. We've had to counteract the negative tactics and scare campaigns of the opposition. Every time we've acted to remove or reform failed liberal policies, the American people have been barraged by predictions of gloom and doom. How many can remember when oil prices were decontrolled early in our administration? Liberals predicted gas prices at the pump would quickly jump to over $2 a gallon, and that heating bills would go up as much as 33% in the first year. The mental picture of stranded people freezing to death in their homes was injected into the debate about decontrol. Well, contrary to the naysayers' predictions, gasoline is cheaper now than when we decontrolled it, and so is heating oil. Incidentally, when I said that was earlier in our administration, it couldn't have been any earlier. Maybe you don't know this, but it was so much in my mind that after I stood out there on the west steps of the Capitol and was sworn in as President of the United States, we went back into the Capitol building at the end of that ceremony, and virtually the first room we came to, I sat down and signed the executive order that decontrolled oil. Couldn't have done it any sooner. It had such a sense of power. But you know, this same reasoned hysteria I was talking about was heard when we proposed an across-the-board tax rate reduction. Our opponents played on the fear of inflation they called it foolhardy. Well, I don't have to remind you that during our administration, inflation has gone from 12.4% to 3.6%. At the same time, we've reinvigorated our economy and put America back in the path to growth. Over 9 million new jobs have been created since the recovery began, and I think we can all be proud of what has been accomplished. And then there was Radio Marti. Opponents warned if we tried to broadcast the truth to Cuba, Castro would retaliate by jamming American broadcast signals of our commercial stations. Well, the fear mongers were wrong about that one as well. Those who opposed helping our friends in Central America claimed America would be bogged down in a Vietnam like conflict. Well, when we got to Washington, the question was, will El Salvador fall to the communists? Well, after standing firm and doing what was necessary to thwart communists' aversion, El Salvador has had three democratic elections. And now the question in Central America is, will Nicaragua fall and be free? Here again the fear mongers were wrong. Being wrong has inquired of them, however. Some of them remind me of the fellow who was asked which was worse, ignorance or apathy. And he simply said, I don't know and I don't care. The lesson of these last five years is that we Americans must not be deterred by the cynics among us. We must not be afraid to change that which is not working. We must not be afraid to protect our national interests. The future is in our hands and we must have the courage, ingenuity and commitment to make a better tomorrow. I think we have every reason to be optimistic. We have a philosophy that offers economic growth, expanding opportunity and most of all, freedom for each and every individual. And this is why young people are supporting our cause in greater and greater numbers. It's my fondest hope that the CFA and other organizations will mobilize these young people for the cause of human liberty. We need their help and energy and enthusiasm. And you can't imagine what it is a thrill to me. Back when I was governor, if I got close to a campus, I'd start a riot. Today I've been on a number of campuses during the 84 campaign and it is just magnificent to see these young people and how they are patriotic, dedicated to the very things that we've been trying to do. And did you ever stop to think that pretty soon we may not be a minority anymore? As they all come out and join the ranks, we've never had anything like this in our party. But many challenges lie ahead. By meeting our responsibilities, we can make Graham Rudman Hollings an historic turning point. The budget battles we face will require more from all of us than ever before. We can't afford to have our military strength gutted or to see the economy pushed back into recession by raising taxes. And the only thing that will make Graham Rudman Hollings work is if we work. And that's where you all come in. Again, you've got to get the word out to the American people. This is the year of decision in tackling wasteful federal spending. This year, under this new law, it's our great opportunity to cut out the dead wood in the federal budget. And it's there. Finally, after seeking this goal for so long, we have the tools to take on this toughest fight of all. And I need your help now more than ever so as to fend off the predictable cries from special interests and get the job done. There's been some trepidation about keeping control of the Senate, coming to grips with budget realities in the same year. Well, I believe that doing what is right for our country is good politics. And again, we've got to make certain that people are informed. I want to thank each of you for what you've done and will do to keep the country free, prosperous, and at peace. This is the kind of America that we want for these young people who are flocking to our ranks. And let me just, if you haven't thought about it, point something out. I had the pleasure of saying this in one of our private meetings with Mr. Gorbachev in Geneva a few weeks ago. I cited Jefferson's remark. The Jefferson had said, the people will never make a mistake if the people have all the facts. And Mr. Gorbachev, without most sincerity, said, that is very profound. Well, it is. And one of the great problems we have here inside the Beltway. First of all, it's keeping a great many of the people here inside the Beltway reminded about the rest of the country. But the second thing is making them hear from you. And it is true that in America, this nation that is governed by the people, the people tend to go their way. They have their own affairs and their business. They don't have to kowtow and bow to the east of government or anything. And yet this leads them very often to not being quite aware of what's going on here. And you'd be amazed what happens when up on the hill they hear from the people, when the mail comes pouring in. And not the form letters and so forth. There can be 50,000 of those. They don't count as much as one even postcard or letter that says, hey, what are you doing about this or that? Then they listen. So believe me, what you're doing is one of the most important things that we can have done in this country. Now, I've talked too long all by myself. And what I think I should do is take a few minutes before I have to go in the other room and wait for you to come by and see if you have some questions that you'd like to ask. Yes. We've got two related questions. In the 1980 campaign, four points, one of which was to kind of slow study money growth. One was to shrink the size of government. You've had five appointments in Southern Reserve board and not one of those people believe in the concept of slow study money growth. But why wouldn't you appoint somebody who really believes in it? Second question. Shrinking the size of the government, why not appoint something like a grace commission to see which federal laws or agencies or departments could be abolished? Are all out of data? Not a mystic? Out of full axolot? One of the very old water moving mills? Our woman? Et cetera, et cetera. Just abolish a bunch of laws. This is something that, believe me, we do have under study. And we are working on. You have to have a menu when you go up there. And sometimes you have to wait until the plate isn't quite as full as it is to get some things done. Other times I have to tell you, frankly, you're just unable to get it through the Congress. And here again is where every once in a while I have turned to all of you, the people, and have gone to the people with something that we want to get done and try to get the people aroused to do it. For example, two departments that we came here determined to eliminate absolutely found it impossible to get through Congress. And that included even our own people that they just were not going to do it. Now, in both of those departments, I must say, though, we at least, we did some fine work. We eliminated a lot of the things they were doing that we didn't like. And we have them doing some chores that we do like. And so some progress has been made, even though the departments still exist. But you're right. Right now, one of the things that we think has to be done, and we haven't been able to get it done so far, is the elimination of a lot of federal properties. The federal government is the biggest landowner and the landlord, biggest landlord in the nation, has any number of office buildings that aren't needed anymore, properties, and yet each department jealously guards what it holds and has its defenders in Congress. It's the same thing of some of the same congressmen scream the loudest about Cap Weinberg and the Defense Department. And then when Cap suggests eliminating some military bases that are no longer necessary in their congressional districts, they come together like the most unified team you've ever seen and you don't get them eliminated. I've said repeatedly that anytime they try when we think to unnecessarily cut defense spending, let's just say here's the list of our priorities and it'll be those installations that we want to cancel. Incidentally, you haven't asked about it, but let me tell you something. There is one where you can be of great help pretty soon when the Packard Committee comes back with its report. It isn't true the constant horror stories about defense spending. If there's one thing I'm more proud of than anything else in this job, it's those young men and women who are in uniform today in our country. The highest percentage of high school graduates that we have ever had in the military in wartime or in peace, even with the draft, over 90 percent. The highest percentage, we have three intelligence brackets that we grade military in as to future assignments and so forth. Highest percentage in the history of the nation in the top intelligence bracket, but the morale of them. I wish you could see the letters I get sometimes from some GI out there, like a kid in a submarine who writes me a letter to tell me we don't have the biggest Navy in the world, but we got the best. And the things like the $400 hammer, we never bought a $400 hammer. An invoice came in from somebody and in the invoice was a hammer listed for $400, but a bright-eyed fellow in the Navy saw that instantly and that was taken out of there and the invoice was changed and so we never bought the hammer. We'd buy about 20,000 of them for about $6 a piece, but not that. The thing of the great big thing about the coffee pot that was supposed to cost several thousand dollars, it wasn't a coffee pot, that was for our plane that carries 365 people and it was really 3,000 something. And that same instrument when bought with the airlines, they pay about $150 more than the military was going to pay for it because they have to have something too that for hour after hour after hour can provide whatever is needed for several hundred people on board an airplane. But we've got a good military now. As a matter of fact, there wouldn't have been a summit if we didn't. That's why we met in Geneva and that's why they're willing to meet again next year and the year following. So you can be proud of what's been done over there. I shouldn't have made another speech here and I was going to take command. We've got a little time here for another question or two. Yes. Mr. President, we were just having a little chat here at the table about some of the concerns we have with dealing internationally and it has to do with some of these foreign countries that are starting to confiscate our products. Is there anything that your administration is currently doing to try to forward that sort of thing? Because we find that our patents by themselves don't seem to want to hold up. Yes, this is what we meant when we said that we were going to oppose protectionist legislation. We don't want any more smooth hallways in our economy here. In the meantime, we were going to set out to tighten all the things that are unfairly being used against us and things just such as you've named. I saw a quite elaborate watch one day and it even said Rolex on it. It was made in Hong Kong and all kinds of things like that. One of the speakers even got caught with a cap that he was wearing out for golf. It was found out that it was made in China, but this is true. There are great violations of the patent laws and of copyrights and so forth and things in business and we have been striving with our allies for a couple of years and now finally are going to have this year the GATT meeting to go over. That's the tariff organization that we all have among us trading partners and that, but yes, we are working as hard as we can now to eliminate all of these things that have crept in these violations of ethics and unfair trade practices and what we seek is we believe in fair and free and open trade, but it's got to be fair on both sides. It's a two-way street and we're taking action wherever we find violations now. Someone else? Well, I wish the press would do this sometime. Well, all right, I'm going to go into the blue room here and I'm going to have a chance, which I'm looking forward to saying hello to each one of you individually. But again, God bless you all and thank you for what you're doing out there. We just need a good election.