 30 parents brothers and sisters who are so happy to be here and they come I noticed the list Birthplace and there's the Chicago people and the Mobile people, but they go from a little town in Poland to American Samoa to Shanghai I think that's wonderful and I'm Delighted to welcome you to Washington and the White House, and I guess you know you're in the cabinet room I Didn't leave any blood on the floor Here as you've probably discovered already You've come to a unique and fascinating city Washington is the capital of the world's greatest democracy The city where the people's representatives assemble And the seat of our highest court and the site of this historic house the home of every president since John Adams back that treasure a little Fairly well-kept secret that I like to tell people that in the far end of the White House Some of the sandstone there the white sandstone in the building still shows the smudge from when the British tried to burn it in 1812 I Told Margaret Thatcher about it I But it was here 19 years ago that president lot Johnson launched the the It's the first of the fellowship programs Calling it a program for a select number of young people who have demonstrated high moral character exceptional ability marked leadership qualities and unusual promise of future development so That's you all are qualified you all fit and that's your challenge Much has changed in the intervening years, but the White House fellowships program I think I stood the test of time and I'm the fifth president to preside over this program and like my predecessors I value it highly as a vehicle for developing new leadership for the nation as a source for Fresh talent for the executive branch and as a symbol of the kind of achievement We want to encourage and reward I've been familiar with the White House fellowships program for many years I met with several classes of fellows when I was governor and you're my fourth class as president You come from a multitude of regions as the Admiral said Professions as well and you bring talents and creativity and enthusiasm that we need in the federal government as you begin your fellowship year I Commend to you Jim Stockdale's example of character and service Because it exemplifies the qualities that we expect in White House fellows much as asked of those to whom much is given a Great opportunity is being given to you through this program and I hope that you will Respond by resolving to devote part of your time this year and beyond to helping those less fortunate than yourselves The motto of the fellowship program is with widest horizons, and I hope your horizons are indeed widened this year I hope your experience working at a high level in the federal government gives you both a healthy skepticism about the limits of government and A new appreciation of the good that can result from sound government programs and policies You remember our founding fathers warned us That it was very healthy, and we would stay healthy if we always kept a close eye and suspicious eye on government And never let it get too big for its britches so While you're here you can Develop that habit as well as finding out the necessary and the fine things that government does do When government sticks with what is its proper function? As you begin your year as a White House fellow I I challenge you to stretch your abilities to the utmost and I'm counting on you and your creativity enthusiasm your energy and intelligence to make this experience Productive one both for yourselves and for the government you serve once again congratulations on your selection as White House fellows and once again I Welcome you to Washington. We're all proud to have you in this administration This noon. I Told a group of America's business women Amplify my words about caution about government We've been trying to find those things that government shouldn't do and have got trying to do them And one of the classic examples I ever discovered was place in Washington where it was a man sitting desk Documents came to him He read them to see which department they should go to where they should go and then he initialed them and sent them on their way one day a classified document came and Sent to him so he read it and he initialed it and sent it on to what he thought was the property department the next day Memorandum with the document came back to him and said this was classified. You weren't supposed to read it And erase your initials and initial the erasure I'll call the names of the new fellows David beret Elaine chow Oh, we got one on each side Thank you very much, thank you Craig Koy Muley Ufi Hanuman American Samoa And Harvard Stephen Hardy James Curle I'm getting used to it. They alternate Joseph Lupica James Muller David Newman would Parker Thank you very much George seldom sir, it's my honor to serve you as my commander in chief Kenneth Simon Thank you for Oren Weitschie Thank you, sir. I know you've got a date across the way in a couple of minutes any Thing you could say that these parents would be appreciated But I was just going to say I know that the group that didn't come forward here have a proud families of these people And God bless you all and you take care