 until election day. I can hardly believe it, the campaign is about over, it's been long, it's been grueling, it's been tough, and yet traveling incessantly across this country, north to south, east to west, has simply reinforced the conviction that Barbara and I have, that we live in the greatest country in the world and I've never been more proud to be an American. I want to thank Governor Thompson who has headed our campaign in this state, given so much of himself to the cause, he's the best parade marcher, worker, getter, outer, campaigner I've ever seen and the best governor that this state's had to. I want to thank every single ward worker or precinct volunteer and those who, given of their time, day and night in the trenches, shaping events, registering voters and now getting out to vote and my, I'd only urge, don't let up, keep it going, take nothing for granted, we need you on election day. I'd urge you to do whatever you can to help send Chuck Percy back to the United States Senate, we need him badly there in Washington, the outstanding Republican members of Congress that we're sharing this dias with and to send us more people to Congress who will support our president as we work to keep this recovery going and to guarantee the peace. We need more congressmen that will stand with this president. And now, and now ladies and gentlemen, it is my high honor to introduce the person that's responsible for bringing America back, the person who will lead us to victory on Tuesday, the president of the United States. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, all right, that's what we came here to talk to you about. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, there's no one in this hall that agrees more with what Governor Jim Thompson said about this vice president than I do and he's been working tirelessly in this campaign all over the country and now I have to explain so you'll understand that he and Barbara, I'm going to let them go now because they've got a rally waiting for them down in Texas before this afternoon and evening is out so George and Barbara, God bless you and be on your way. While I'm also saying thank yous and it's a heartfelt thank you to Frankie, Frankie Avalon for what you've done in this change of schedule here. Governor Jim Thompson, Senator Charles Percy, Mayor Don Stevens, all our fine Republican representatives, John Porter, Henry Hyde, Lynn Martin and outstanding candidates. Thank you all very much. It's wonderful to be back in my home state, Nancy's home state, back in the back in the Land of Lincoln and it's great to be in Rosemont and to be here in the house that Ray Meyer made famous, the home of the DePaul Blue Demons. You know there there is a new winning spirit in Chicago led by Rick Sutcliffe, Ryan Sandberg and those wonderful Chicago Cubs and Walter Peyton and the Chicago Bears. Good to see that the Bears are back and roaring but Nancy and I want to thank all of you for your heartwarming reception and I want to thank you for your support or helping or support in helping us put America and our future back in the hands of the people and believe me we couldn't have accomplished all we have without strong Republican leaders like Chuck Percy. Chuck has defended the interest of your state with the same determination that he has protected the interests of our nation and if we're going to build on the gains that we've made we'll need Chuck Percy back there to help us do it. So now if by some chance if by some chance you intend to vote for me please don't please don't vote against me by voting for Chuck's opponent. A vote for the Mondale Simon ticket is a vote to go back to failed policies which gave us higher taxes, higher prices and a weaker America and a vote for Chuck Percy for our ticket is a vote for America's future so please help spread the word get out the vote. If you don't mind win this one for the Gipper. Abe Lincoln said we must disenthrall ourselves with the past and then we will save our country and four years ago that's what we did. We made a great turn. We got out from under the thrall of a government which we had hoped would make our lives better but which turned out to try to live our lives for us. Four years ago we began to navigate by certain fixed principles. Our North Star was freedom common sense our constellations. We knew that economic freedom meant paying less of the American family's earnings to the government and so we cut personal income taxes 25 percent across the board and in spite of some of the loose talk on the other side in this campaign that tax cut was even Stephen for everybody and not for one particular group or the other. We knew that inflation the quiet thief and record interest rates were stealing our future. We knew that our national military defense had been weakened so we decided to rebuild and be strong again to be prepared for peace. It was a second American revolution and it's only just begun but America is back a giant on the scene powerful in its renewed spirit powerful in its growing economy and powerful in its ability to defend itself and secure the peace and you know something that's not debatable. At four years after our efforts began small voices in the night are sounding the call to go back back to the days of drift the days of torpor timidity and taxes. My opponent's understanding of economics is well demonstrated by his predictions just before we took office he said our economic program is obviously murderously inflationary that was just before we lowered inflation from around 12 percent down to four just after we passed our tax cuts he said the most he could see was an anemic recovery well that was just before the United States economy created six million new jobs in 21 months. My opponent said the decontrol of oil prices would cost you more than 36 billion dollars a year. Well one of the first things we did was decontrol oil prices and the price of gasoline went down eight cents a gallon. Now you know I figured something out if we can persuade him well if we want an absolutely perfect economy all we have to do is persuade him to predict absolute disaster he says he cares about the middle class but then then he boasts I have consistently supported legislation time after time which increases taxes on my own constituents doesn't that make you want to be one of his constituents. He's no doubt proud of the fact that as a United States senator he voted 16 times to raise your taxes but this year he's outdone himself he's already promised of course to raise your taxes but if he's to keep all the promises that he has made in this campaign he will have to raise taxes by the equivalent of $1,890 per household every household in the United States. Now you know that's more than $150 a month that's like having a second mortgage a Mondale mortgage. His economic plan has two parts the first raise taxes the second do it again but I've got news for him the American people don't want his tax increases and they're not going to get his tax thought about it but you've talked me into it you know if my opponents campaign were a television show it would be let's make a deal you get to trade your prosperity for that surprise he's got hidden behind the curtain now if his campaign were a Broadway show it would be promises promises and if that administration of which he was a part had been a book you would have had to read it from the back to the front to get a happy ending he sees he sees in America in which every day is tax day April 15 well we see in America in which every day is independence day the 4th of July we want to lower your taxes and lower those for all the people in this country so that your families will be stronger America will be stronger this economy will be stronger I'm proud to say on another subject that during these last four years not one square inch of territory in the world has been lost to communist aggression and the United States the United States is more secure than we were four years ago yet my opponent my opponent sees a different world after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan he said it just baffles me why the Soviets these last few years have behaved as they have but then there's so much that baffles him one year ago one year ago we liberated Grenada from the communists who had taken over that my opponent my opponent called what we did a violation of international law that he roads that he roads our moral authority to criticize the Soviets well there is nothing immoral about rescuing American students whose lives were but you know this 1984 election isn't just a partisan contest I was a Democrat for a large part of my life more than half of it but in those days the Democratic Party leaders weren't members of the blame the America first crowd its leaders were men like Harry Truman Senator scoop Jackson John F. Kennedy men who understood the challenges of our times they didn't reserve all their indignation for the United States they knew the difference between freedom and tyranny and they stood up for one and damned the other to all the good Democrats who respect that tradition and I hope there are many present as there have been in meetings all over the country like this I hope you are present because I would like to tell you you're not alone we ask you to come and walk with us down the path of hope and opportunity and in the bipartisan tradition of this country between us and together we can keep this nation prosperous secure and at peace last month an American woman Catherine Sullivan walked in space and made history and then she returned to a space shuttle in which some of the great scientific and medical advances of the future will be made cures for diabetes and heart disease and I have seen the evidence of some of the experiments already to know that there is hope for that the developments of cures up there that we cannot develop here on earth there will be also advances that we will make in technology and communication but my opponent as a United States senator led the fight personally against having a shuttle program he said it was a horrible waste well we're for the shuttle program and we're going to meet a great challenge we're going to build a man to space station and do it within the decade what what America needs is high tech not high taxes I've probably been going on too long here for the time but the point is we were right when we made our turn in 1980 we were right to take command of the ship stop the drift and get moving again and we were right when we stopped sending out s.o.s. and started saying USA you know the United States of America was never meant to be a second best nation like our like our Olympic athletes this nation sets its sight on the stars and we go for the gold if America could bring down inflation from 12.4 percent to 4% then we can bring it down from 4 to 0.0 and we're going to do that if lowering your tax rates could create those 6 million jobs new jobs in 21 months then we can make it possible for every American or to America to keep growing right into the 21st century we'll reduce them again you know creating 6 million new jobs as I said in the 21 months can make it possible for every American young and old black and white everyone who wants a job to find a job in this land of ours and that is a goal that we will meet and if local and state governments can establish enterprise zones to create economic growth then we can elect people to the Congress those people I was talking about a little while ago who will free our enters price zone bill we have a national bill to use tax incentives all over the country in distressed areas to make it possible to have hope and jobs for millions of our people and that bill has been buried for more than two years in a committee of the House of Representatives under the direction of Tip O'Neill we're leading a revolution in technology pushing back the frontiers of space and if we give our workers the tools they need I've always believed this and I believe it now more than ever if you give American workers the tools they need they will outproduce out compete and outsell anyone anywhere in the world anytime drive to restore excellence in education reversed a 20-year decline in the scholastic aptitude test scores but we're going to keep raising those scores and restore American academic excellence second to none our crackdown on crime has produced the sharpest drop ever in the crime index and we're going to keep cracking down until your families and friends can walk the streets again without being afraid we've reversed the decline in our military defenses and restored respect all over the world for America and we're going to and we're going to keep this nation strong to protect freedom and peace for us for our children and for our children's children and if we make sure that America remains strong and prepared for peace then we can begin to reduce nuclear weapons and one day banish them entirely from the face of the earth my opponent talks of a nuclear freeze every once in a while I see banners trust at me nuclear freeze all right yes when we can reduce the nuclear weapons in the world on both sides down to an equal verifiable limit yes we'll have a nuclear free economy strengthen our security strengthen the values that bind us America will become a nation with a higher standard of living even greater in art and learning greater in the love and worship of the God who made us and who has blessed us as no other people on earth ever been blessed two weeks ago I didn't get to finish something I was saying on the debate I'm gonna finish it here to the young people of our country who are here with us today you are what this election is all about you and your future your generation I've seen you all across this country in schools on campuses in gatherings like this and your generation really sparkles your idealism and your love of country are unsurpassed and you know my generation and there's a few between mine and yours we grew up in an America where for so long a time we simply took it for granted and it was true that you could dream and make your dreams come true it was up to you fly as high and as far as your own ability and talent and strength and determination would take you then there came a time but then we came into a time for a while there where there were people telling us that there was an era of limits and the things couldn't ever be again as they once were well don't you believe me my my generation and those other generations I mentioned we have a sacred trust and it is to turn over to you when the time comes an America that is free in a world that is at peace together a part of a great revolution and it's only just begun America will never go up to give up will never go back we were born to be a special place between these two great oceans with a unique mission to carry freedoms torch to a tired and disillusioned world we've always been a light of hope where all things are possible throughout my life I have seen America do the impossible when I was a young man we survived a great worldwide depression that made anything we've seen since look like a picnic we survived that although governments in many parts of the world were toppled simply by the force of that recession we came back from Pearl Harbor and won the greatest military victory in world history we as a people have fought harder paid a higher price done more to advance the freedom and dignity of man than any other people who ever lived on this earth ours is the land of the free because it is the home of the brave America's future will always be great because our nation will be strong and our nation will be strong because our people will be free and our free people will be free because we're united one people under God with liberty and justice for all I am deeply honored that you've allowed me to serve you for these past four years but we must continue to build upon the new beginning we started four years ago so I have come here to ask for your vote to ask for your support in doing that and just as you were told earlier I'll repeat don't read those polls anymore just don't get complacent the last time I looked up at Mount Rushmore president Dewey's face wasn't there please get out and vote and get your neighbors out to vote and don't anyone decide and if if you're going to if you're gonna vote for me don't send me there alone you send these other candidates and office holders that I have already spoken best days are yet to come and I'm gonna say something I know it drives my opponent up the wall but I enjoy saying it you ain't seen nothing yet