 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States and Mayor George Israel. Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for just a second please, to sing our national anthem, the fabulous Gatlin Brothers. He lied, what's so proud of me, whose broad stripes and bright stars. It's really a great day for us here in Macon and Middle Georgia to be able to welcome a special friend to Macon, all the surrounding counties in our state. This is a man who has articulately and forcefully spoken out for democracy and for freedom and with consistency for 20 years. He has much in common with us. He was a Democrat like most of us original Georgians, but he made a courageous and a difficult decision. Not to leave the Democratic Party, because the Democratic Party, I present the leader of the free world, the President of the United States. Thank you, thank you very much, thank you very much, and thank you Mayor Israel, the great Gatlin Brothers band and my good friend Congressman Jack Kemp and all of you who are here today. You remind me that only one thing can surpass the warmth of southern sunshine, and that's the warmth of a southern welcome. And now that I'm here, I don't mind letting you in and a little something to you mind if I say I got Georgia on my mind. But every time I return here I'm struck anew by the quiet beauty of this good land and the courage of her people. You who pledge your loyalty and stand by the eternal values, who during those dark days when so many were burning our flag, you never stop waving it. You make it so easy to say it's good to be back in the heart of Dixie. The South is a never-ending spring of American spirit, a living devotion to those good things that bind us as a people. Family, neighborhood, hard work, love of country, freedom, and yes, faith in a just and merciful God. It's a great privilege to celebrate with you the opening of the Georgia State Fair, to see again the Macon City Auditorium, which I'm told is the single largest copper domed building in the world, and to be with your fine mayor George Israel. Speaking of celebrations, this isn't a giant matter that I'm going to suggest, but maybe just a little celebration. If you haven't heard the news, the mayor told you that the interest rates when we started were 21.5%. And just recently, they came down a little bit to 12 and 3 quarters since the prime rate. Well, just today, wait a minute, just today, one of the major banks has started to slide again, it's down to 12 and a quarter. Fair Israel, a city where the local property tax has been cut by almost 25%, where crime rates have dropped dramatically, where for decades, citizens have worked shoulder to shoulder with the fine personnel of Robbins Air Force Base, where growth is strong and employment is up by 6,500, where graduation requirements in schools have been raised and students' test scores are climbing, a town that accomplishes all this must have some pretty special people, and they must have a mayor who's one of America's best. I'm so happy looking out today, and the first thing I saw when I came in here was so many young people. I hope you're not too upset about having to miss some school, but it's good to see you here and to be here with you. Your generation, you young people, have really touched my heart. You're a very big part of the great renewal of spirit that's putting America back on top. And I just want you to know that working to create a future filled with hope and opportunity is what I happen to think this job of mine is all about. I've come today to talk to all of you about a choice we'll be making for our future on November 6th. I think it's the clearest, most important choice we've faced in 50 years on the direction our country should take, and indeed, the kind of future we're trying to build together. We've made a new beginning. We've said goodbye to that philosophy of government, or that philosophy I should say of government knows best, that was dragging America down, and we've restored the one driving idea that made America great. Here, the people rule. Here in America, we're a government of, by, and for the people, and not the other way around. I know you're proud of a long, excellent tradition in this state, Georgia football, and I hope you're as proud as I am of the change that we've been seeing across this nation. Four years ago, when Washington was calling the plays, all they did was fumble. Today, you're back in charge, and America's scoring touchdowns again. In 1979 and 1980, when prices were out of control, my opponent said, and for once, he was accurate. He said inflation is killing everyone. But when he was asked what was the solution, he said there is no solution. Well, in 1981, while he was still wringing his hands, we were already moving to get spending under control. We've reduced its growth, as you've been told with the mayor, by two-thirds. And today, inflation is no longer 12.4 percent, it's down to 4.2. But you young people must be confident that prices will be stable, and older Americans must never again live through the nightmare of seeing their savings wiped out. And that's why I support a constitutional amendment, mandating the federal government to stop spending more than it takes in. And that's why I support the line item veto. Do you know that that was favored by a leader named Jefferson Davis? To permit a president to veto items of wasteful spending within an appropriations bill. When I had that as a governor of California, I used it more than 900 times, and they never overrode the veto once. And that's why we'll continue to claw and struggle until we get inflation down to 0.0 and keep it there. But what about my opponent? Do you think he's learned one thing from the terrible mistakes of the past? You're right. Has he learned yet that frugality begins in Washington, D.C., and not in the homes and neighborhoods of Georgia? Do you think he supports the balanced budget amendment? Or the line item veto? You're absolutely right. Only a few months ago, his principal primary opponent, Senator Hart, called Mr. Mondale's program, quote, a collection of old and tired ideas held together by paralyzing commitments to special interests and constituent groups. Well, let me ask you who will do a better job of keeping prices down. The people who twiddled their thumbs while inflation soared, and it would now take us back to the old and failed ways, or we who brought those towering inflation rates down and who will fight to bring them down more and keep them down for good. We'll keep inflation locked in its cage, and we'll go forward with economic growth to create new technologies, new jobs, and new opportunities for your future. We want to see America reach for the stars, not reach for excuses why we shouldn't. So we pass the first tax rate reduction for everybody since John F. Kennedy's program. Today, one nation in the world can say that its jobs, investment, and productivity are up, that it's reaching new frontiers of science, technology, and space, and that it's leading the world out of recession with the strongest economic expansion in 35 years. And you know the name of that nation. Its initials are USA. And as you all might say, how about them dogs? But let me just add one thing. You ain't seen nothing yet. And we're doing this not only for some special groups, not for whites or blacks or men or women or old or young. We're doing it together, and we're doing it for everybody. And we won't rest until everybody who wants a job can find a job from the coast of Georgia to San Francisco Bay. Today, Americans are working again, and America is working again. And to make sure that good things keep leading to better things, investment, jobs, and growth all going up, and the deficit continuing to come down, we want to simplify the entire tax structure so we can bring yours and everybody's personal income tax rates further down, not up. Now, my opponent's been working for a much different philosophy, bigger government. And I must say in doing this, he's been a real leader. No question about that. Sixteen times as a senator, he helped lead the way and voted for new tax increases. And as vice president, he helped push through the biggest tax increase in our peacetime history in 1977. You know something? I think he's more ready to be our problem than our president. But I must say there was one thing that was fair about his policies of compassion. They didn't discriminate. They made everybody miserable. But I don't want to be unfair. Maybe he's learned from his mistakes. You suppose that given a second chance, he'd do anything differently than he's done all his political career? No, I think you're right. He'd go right back to his knee jerk yen for tax increases. And you know every time his knee jerks, we get kicked. Actually, to pay for all his campaign promises, and this isn't a guess. We cost this out on the computers. He'd have to raise taxes the equivalent of $1,890 per household. That's more than $150 each and every month. I call that the Mondale Mortgage. Now he claims his tax increases would only hurt a certain group of people. Well, he's right about that. They would only hurt Americans who want to buy something or save something or invest in something. They wouldn't hurt anybody else. He wants to impose higher taxes on working people. But with his policies, there wouldn't be many of those. He would send students from the graduation line to the unemployment line. You know, we deserve better than that. But hold on. Hold on. He's got more. He started to expose more of his tax plans the other night. He said he would repeal indexing. Now that's the reform we passed to keep Washington politicians from using inflation to pull you into higher and higher tax brackets. And for the younger people who might not have thought about this at first, what it means is that when you get a cost of living pay raise that's only supposed to make you keep even with inflation so that you don't lose any purchasing power, they push you into a higher tax bracket so you pay a higher percentage of tax and you're worse off. Not keeping even. But then in the last few days, he said he goofed. He said he didn't really mean to say that, that he was going to repeal indexing. Well, the only thing we know for sure is he has a basic two-part plan. Raise your taxes and then raise them again. But I got news for him. The American people don't want his tax increase. And the rest of the news is he isn't going to get his tax increase. There are many differences between us. He sees an America in which every day is April 15th, tax day. We see an America in which every day is the 4th of July, Independence Day. He sat by while scholastic aptitude tests went down and crime rates went up. But we've worked with you to strengthen our schools and neighborhoods and now test scores are going back up and crime rates are coming down. And while he spent four years watching inflation get strong and our defenses grow weak, we've made inflation weaker and defenses stronger. And I am so proud to be able to say that during these last four years, not one inch of territory has been lost to communist aggression. The United States is more secure today than we were. And all of us are truly blessed to have the finest group of young men and women in military uniform that America has ever had. For the sake of all who risk their lives to keep us free, we must not fail to provide them the moral support, the weapons, and the equipment they need. My opponent had one of the weakest records in the United States Congress for supporting a strong national defense. In 1968, he blissfully announced that the days of Soviet suppression by force were over. That was just before the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia. Shortly after the invasion of Afghanistan, he said, I can't understand, it just baffles me why the Soviets these last few years have behaved as they have. Why did they have to build up all those arms? Well, probably because we were busy cancelling ours. But I'm afraid he's still baffled. Even Senator Fritz Hollings said, Walter Mondale thinks the Soviet Union would never violate an arms control agreement. I think he's naive. And you heard that I used to be a Democrat. You'll note that I'm quoting Democrats. Senator John Glenn said my opponent would cut our defense establishment beyond all reality, cut the B-1, the Nimitz carrier, the Trident, the cruise missile, our foreign-based troops, would cut the M-1 tank, funds for the volunteer army, kill the shuttle, oppose procurement of the F-14, the Harrier, and the AWACS. Now, the only thing I don't know whether he would outlaw slingshots, but he would jeopardize the security of this nation and we're not going to let him. I believe, okay, I'll go for the four more years, but right now I'm trying to get four more minutes in before it really starts to rain. And if it does, I'll stay here if you will. You know, I believe that the Democratic leadership today has abandoned the good and decent and responsible Democrats who believe in the principles that made our country great. I know there are many of you here who are Democrats or who were Democrats and did as I did. And I know that you're here because I've met them all across this country, millions of patriotic Democrats who find they can no longer follow the leadership of their party down the path it's taking. Whenever I talk about FDR or Harry Truman or John F. Kennedy, my opponents start tearing their hair out. They just can't stand it. And of course they can't, because it highlights how far they themselves have strayed from the strength of the Democratic political tradition. The good and decent Democrats of the rank and file haven't changed. Like their former leaders, they're clear-eyed about the world. They have few illusions, and they consider themselves to be Americans first and not members of some special interest group. When John F. Kennedy was president, he understood the Soviets. He understood Castro. He won passage of a law calling on the United States to prevent Cuba from extending its aggressive or subversive activities to any part of this hemisphere. Were he alive today, I believe he would be ashamed of those in the liberal Democratic leadership who would weaken our defenses, endanger our security, and sell out the cause of freedom in Latin America. Nor would Kennedy's support, as my opponent does today, a vision of such dreary mediocrity. Endless tax increases on those who dream of better days. President Kennedy challenged Americans to make America grow, to make America great by pushing for lower personal tax rates for all the working people of this country. That's what we did before. And together with people like you, that's what we want to do again. We want to reach a future where the American eagle soars he would take us back to the days of the sore eagle. The leaders of the Democratic Party today have gone so far left. They've left the mainstream. But come November 6th, I believe they're going to get the shock of their lives. The South will rise again, and you will help lead this nation to a new golden age of growth and opportunity. We're not going back to a failed past. We're going forward to a glorious future, and we're going to build it together. And we're going to make it possible for you wonderful young people to reach for the stars. And when that day arrives, when you become tomorrow's leaders, we want to hand you a nation so strong, so united, that your America will be a great shining light for progress and peace for generations to come. Thank you all for always remembering what Faulkner called the old living verities and truths of the heart. Love and honor, pity and pride, and compassion and sacrifice. I thank you for remembering what America is and must always be. A willingness of the heart. And again, just one last word to these young people here, and young people all over America, my generation, and a few generations in between mine and yours, we knew in America and grew up in America when we were your age, in which we just took it for granted that there was no ceiling on the opportunity for us, that it was up to us how far and how high we would fly, and we wouldn't be penalized for our effort. And then we went into a period in which some of that seemed to disappear, and people thought that we could regulate and regiment things and order society around. Well, our job, those few other generations I mentioned in my own, our job is to see that we turn over to you the same kind of country that our parents turned over to us, in which the sky is the limit. America's best days are yet to come. Thank you, and God bless all of you, and we beat the rain. Thank you. What I'd like to do is present the President with something that I think is coming from each of us here that turned out to show him that we support him, we're behind him, and we're going to put him back in for four more years. Mr. President, on behalf of the people of not only Macon, but Middle George, I'd like to present you a key to the city of Macon. I assure you that this is a key that will enable you to unlock the doors of our hearts anytime, anywhere, and we're going to be with you on November 6th. And now the Gatlin brothers to sing, America the Beautiful. For space, the skies, For mountains, Bacchus trees. Gentlemen, the President of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to be here today to share just a few minutes. You, of course, have heard from one of the greatest South Carolinians and greatest Americans of all time, Senator Strom Thurmond. You know, four years ago, four years ago, there was something known as a misery index in America. That was a combination of inflation and unemployment, and it was at 20%. Today, that's been reduced to 11.4%, cut almost in half. And so, the leaders of this country said that there was a malaise across the land. Today I tell you there's been an American renaissance, the President of the United States. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. You taught me into it. Well, thank you, Carol Campbell. I know how much you think about him down here, but would you mind kind of letting him live in Washington for years? We'd like that very much. And Dr. Thomas Barton, a Clemson Tiger, Mayor Bill Workman, and Senator Strom Thurmond. I, I appreciate this chance to be with you today and to see firsthand your innovative and creative method of building a better future. I've just been in there and been treated to some of the wonders that would be found in these buildings here. President, yes, President Dwight Eisenhower once wrote, the future will not belong, or will belong not to the faint hearted, but to those who believe in it and prepare for it. And that's what this campus is all about. All over America, people like you are making investments in new technology and precision training. And as Americans, working together as never before, we are seeing to it that the United States will not come in second. I, I think our competitors in the world are in for an unpleasant surprise. Given the proper training, the tools and equipment, we can out-produce, out-compete, and out-sell the pants off anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world. I'm impressed with what I've seen here, especially the Advanced Machine Tool Resource Center. I'm aware of the extraordinary cooperation among the various levels of government in between the public and private sectors. What you're doing is part of the new spirit of enterprise that's sweeping this country. And it's in stark contrast to the pessimism and stagflation of just four years ago. The American people rejected the politics of doom and gloom. In 1980, they voted for a fundamental change of direction. And that's exactly what we've given them. Instead of centralizing more and more power in Washington and taking an increasingly bigger tax bite out of working people's paychecks, we've returned to the people control of their own destinies. We've reversed the power flow, and the difference between us and our opponents is a very basic one. When it comes down to a choice between expanding the power of government or keeping that power in the hands of the people and you haven't let us down, you built an economic recovery that's astounded the experts, especially those so-called experts quoted by my opponent, all we did was get the government out of your way. They were wrong when they said it wouldn't work. We have high growth and low inflation now. Over six million new jobs have been created in the last 21 months and even more important than the good economic news of today. We're laying the foundation of a happier and more prosperous tomorrow. Productivity after being in the doldrums for years has come on strong for two years straight. Capital investment and new machinery and equipment has outpaced all expectations. These are omens for even brighter days ahead for long-term economic expansion. Now, my opponent wants to save us from prosperity. He'd do that by increasing your tax load, the equivalent of $1,890 per household in the United States. We worked it out on a computer. His insistence on higher tax rates is like playing Russian roulette with our economic security. Only in the game the way he plays it, every chamber in the gun would be loaded. His program of high taxes, sugar-coated with compassionate rhetoric, is a disaster in disguise that will destroy our economic expansion, increase unemployment, and reignite inflation. We don't need a policy of higher taxes. We need a policy of higher growth. And we don't need more power for government. We need more opportunity for people. Now, he talked about me and taxes and what he says I'm going to do. Well, I'll tell you what we want to do. We want to simplify the tax system, make it more fair and easier to understand. When you hear that Albert Einstein said that he couldn't understand the Form 1040, you know our tax system is a little complicated. So we want to do this to bring down yours and everybody's income tax rates further down, not up. But my opponent even wants to eliminate indexing. That means that he wants you to be pushed by inflation into higher and higher tax brackets to have less and less take-home pay. Now, we passed indexing. It goes into effect on January 1st. And the idea of it, of course, was to prevent a cost of living pay raise in the days of inflation that's supposed to make you keep even with inflation, to keep that from pushing you into a higher tax bracket where you pay a higher percentage of tax and thus you're worse off. You haven't kept even at all. And it's a nice way, of course, in which the Congress can have a continuing tax increase without having to go through the unhappiness of introducing one for legislation and voting on it. Supporters of economy-killing tax increases claim they're necessary to decrease the deficit. But at the same time, they're poised and ready to turn on the federal spending spigot, which we've spent so much time turning off. With the strong support of individuals like your own congressman, Carol Campbell, we have cut the rate of growth in federal spending by over 60%. When we came here, it was 17% a year. That was the increase. It's now down to 6.1%. But Carol is a strong voice for responsible government. And I hope you're doing everything you can to send him back to Washington. And while we're talking about responsible government, let's make certain that South Carolina reelects a man who's a giant in that cause, Senator Strom Thurmond. We need elected officials like Congressman Campbell, Hartnett and Spence, who have the vision and leadership to offer better options to the American people than simply raising taxes. There are those so entangled in their promises to special interest groups they can't see a better future much less planned for it. Well, this was never more clear than when my opponent strenuously opposed the space shuttle program. He led the opposition in the Senate in trying to kill us from having such a program. And then, just up until Saturday, we had those young people, men and women, those heroes up there going around this country of ours. While I was going across Ohio on a train, they were going around the world about six or seven times. And the things that are coming out of that have made it worth every penny that it has cost. The additions, the improvements for our health, the medicines, the materials that are being developed. Well, he opposed that when it was first proposed. He would have spent the money beefing up some bureaucratic programs in Washington, D.C. How many of you have seen one of those shuttles blast off into space or glide in for a smooth landing? I'm sure on television you've seen it, not in reality. It is a magnificent sight and it's a tribute to America's technological greatness. It's been worth, as I say, every cent. Now today, today there's a phenomenon that many of the pollsters can't understand it and I see it everywhere I go and I see it here today. Young people from every background have rejected the politics of pessimism and are four-square behind a strong, vibrant and growing America. I want to thank all of you young people who are here with us today. We're working to see that when you get out of school you have the same opportunity that Americans have always had in this country. You know, a few years ago, a few years ago there were people around that were telling you, you know, to accept limits that we weren't ever going to have things as good as they had been in the past. Well, they were blowing smoke. That's... I have told wherever I've gone because all over the country today, gatherings like this, I have seen so many young people and I'm so proud and happy to see them there because I like telling you that my generation and a few generations between mine and yours, there were those of us that knew, just took for granted when we were your age that there was no limit to how high we could go, no limit on what we could do if we were willing to reach for it and go for it. And what I'm determined this election is all about is to make sure that we hand you when it comes your turn, the same kind of America that our parents have. We want you to have the same opportunity. We want you to have a real job when you finish your schooling, not just make work or some temporary government job, but solid employment. We want to make certain that you have enough take-home pay and the prices and interest rates are reasonable enough so that someday, when you're ready, you'll be able to buy or build your own home. Due to runaway inflation and the dramatic jump in interest rates under the last administration, millions of Americans found home ownership beyond their reach. And other millions found that the installment paying, the interest in buying a car was too high, and so two great industries, housing and the automobile industry, ground to a halt. Well, inflation is under control and the record-high 21.5% prime rate that we inherited has come down until today it had come down to 12.75% and I don't know whether you've heard the news, but today one of the major banks in our country has just dropped it down another half point to 12.25% and we expect even more progress on this front. The average monthly mortgage rate payment has come down $143, putting 5 million more Americans in reach of buying their own homes. Now, I don't think it's selfish of you to want a good job or to own a home or to have a standard, decent standard of living. We deserve that kind of future and we aren't going to let our opponents tax it away. All right, thank you. Thank you very much. And while I'm doing that, let me just interject something here in this particular locale that I want to say. I know the great importance of one particular industry to this area, textiles. And we have been working and we are going to continue to work with your elected representatives, your senator, your members of the House in Washington. We've done some things. We'll continue to do more to see that we help you resolve the problems that have beset that industry. I'm proud of the steps. I'll tell Nancy to unpack. Well, I'm proud of the steps that we've taken to keep our country free and secure. During the last decade and during the previous administrations, our military strength was permitted to erode. But I think you here in South Carolina understand what too many in Washington have forgotten. Strength is the only true path to peace. We've got an air base out on the West Coast there and at the entrance to that air base above it. It tells the whole story. And it says our profession is peace. We've begun rebuilding America's defenses and as long as I'm president, I will never shortchange the national security needs of the United States. But now we're on a two-track course. And the other track is we've gone the extra mile to reach arms reduction agreements with the Soviet Union. And we'll continue to do so. But from now on, the United States will be negotiating from a position of strength. The commanders of our military forces tell me that we have the finest and most dedicated group of young men and women serving in uniform in our armed forces than we've ever had in our history. You know, during the last administration, morale sank to a new low point. And many of those serving our country got the feeling that their sacrifice was being taken for granted. I can promise you this. Those brave people in our armed forces will never doubt our unending gratitude for the job that they're doing. And you know, could I just... I like to suggest this. I hope with you and especially you students, if you see your counterparts, those young people that are in uniform down in the street sometime, that you'll maybe just go up and stick out your hand and tell them how proud we are and how thankful we are for their service to America. You'll feel real great after you've done it, and I know how they'll feel. They'll be walking about three or four inches taller than they were. But looking out here today and thinking about all the young people I've met around the country, I think America has great days ahead. Charles Lindbergh wrote, short-time survival may depend on the knowledge of nuclear physicists and the performance of supersonic aircraft. But long-term survival depends alone on the character of man. As America heads into a new age of technology, we have every reason to be confident that it will be an era of opportunity and freedom. The heart of America still burns bright with those values that made this a blessed land of liberty, the greatest and freest nation in our history. And with all of us together, we're going to keep it that way. Today, the United States is the leader of the world in so many ways. A great cleric, Pope Paul, or Pius XII, after World War II, made a statement when so much of the world was devastated and the future looked so bleak for everyone. And then he said a profound truth. He said, the American people have a great genius for great and unselfish deeds. Into the hands of America, God has placed an afflicted mankind. And I don't think there's anyone in America that would turn their backs on that challenge and that opportunity to serve mankind. I just want to thank you all very much and tell you that if you don't mind, I'd like to stick around for four more years. God bless you. Okay, Tiger, are you ready? Remember the first verse twice of the things Dr. Tom Barton, you understand that state funding is based on headcount. There are registration booths at every exit point, so if you'll sign, it'll help his budget next year. But he would like to say, tell our president how much he appreciates for being here. Dr. Tom Barton. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Thank you very much. Let me first tell you how much we appreciate this group being here. All of you beautiful people out there for coming. We thank you very much for coming today. We're honored, Mr. President, by your presence. We're honored by the presence of the president on the platform. It's a beautiful day for us. We thank you very much for coming. We hope you will come back during your next term. You're more than welcome. I'm going to present the president a jacket with Greenville Tech's name on it. I'm going to give it to him a little later. But I do want to ask him to wear it at Kansas City. If I can get him to do that, we'd appreciate it very much. Again, thank all of you very much. And Mr. President, we are honored again by your presence here today. Ladies and gentlemen, I want the tiger to get you cranked up one more time as the president leaves. If you'll stand fast and let him get out of the way and he's got a rush schedule to go to. But sir, on behalf of the people of Greenville and the upstate of South Carolina, thank you for the bottom of our hearts. Tiger, show them how to do it.