 Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President When Dick Richards introduced me he inadvertently said that I was chairman of the inaugural committee last year And dick knows as you all do that I was only co-chairman of that event Last year just exactly a year ago tonight my co-chairman Charlie wick and I were having the time of our lives introducing our next speaker in The way that we all have been so found and proud to introduce him in the year since Ladies and gentlemen the president of the United States Thank you all very much. I was just reminiscing to myself and thinking that I spent 30 years in the wrong party If that needs explaining to anyone it wasn't the last 30 years George and Barbara Chairman of our party chairman of this dinner our finance chairman Nancy and I are Delighted to be here with you tonight Your efforts did much to bring this administration into being We thank you for what you've done in the past and for the dreams that you are unafraid to live today This is a very impressive gathering When I walked in I thought I was back in the studio on the set of high society I hope we've come here in our finest to recognize another turning point As George said it is a turning point To set this evening apart To unite behind a cause that we believe will bring prosperity to all Americans We have achieved a lot in this last year Including historic cuts that in the budget taxes and the size of government I would like to think that we're here to renew our commitment for the long road that's still ahead The days of sensational quick victories are mostly behind us And now we move from the glamour of initial commitment to the grit of the long haul A year has passed but our goal remains the same To restore incentive through individual tax cuts To reduce spending as a percentage of the gross national product And to return as much power and authority to the states and localities as is permitted by the constitution At the same time to do a better job of meeting basic federal responsibilities Such as keeping america strong enough to remain free Now no one has convinced me That these goals can't be achieved together In fact, I don't think any of them can be achieved alone Now if you're saying well, didn't we do that last year? Well, the answer is yes But we have to keep on doing it if we're to drain the swamp There are those who've resisted us in this from the very beginning And they'll not only keep on resisting they'll try to push us back The loudest cries of pain have come from the very people who for decades have led the raid on america's resources From those who've had a hand in creating our present problems And now with a cry of joy, they say today's recession is proof that our policies don't work Well, I've been kind of interested to note that every time they refer to one of the hardships of this present recession And of course we are in one I've noticed that they say why it's the worst since the Recession of the spring of 1980 now What this recession proves is that what they've been doing for the last few decades Hasn't worked and never will Yes, there is a recession But it didn't start a year ago tonight But it will go away If we get control of the budget monster our economy and our own lives and destinies If we do nothing else in this administration We're going to convince this city that the power the money and the responsibility of this country Begins and ends with the people and not in some puzzle palace here on the Potomac The american people haven't lost faith in our cause An independent poll recently asked them if the recession hurts And they said yes Is the economy under control? And they said no In light of this should the administration continue its economic policies based on faith incentive and growth And the answer was a resounding yes You know that I think the american people know what 49ers quarterback joe montana found out the hard way When he was making the transition from college to pro football There were those who thought he was too thin So joe ate pizzas and drank milkshakes at two o'clock in the morning Thinking the extra weight would be like extra padding Well as it turned out he got the padding, but it was all in the wrong places And being the bright fellow that he is He went back to doing what he had always what had always worked for him before and what had gotten him into pro ball to begin with And he found out that detours Are rarely the road to excellence and excess never leads to strength What the american people are calling for is a return to our first sound principles The system of self-government and free enterprise that made us great in the first place And what do you know? Inflation has dropped to single digits for the first time in three years But it isn't low enough yet Interest rates are below their once dizzying heights The kind we found a year ago tonight, but that's not low enough Regulations have been cut by more than a third. Thanks to a task force headed by george bush That has been going at those regulations. There are now 23 thousand fewer pages In the federal register that lists the regulations than there were last year And there's more there to be done Last year's tax and budget cuts were the largest in history But to give you some idea of how much remains to be done those largest cuts in history Only reduced The rate of increase In both taxes and spending Reducing inflation interest rates and unemployment by cutting taxes budgets and regulations Is part of our dream of restoring accountability to government Forcing americans to accept the dictates of a swollen government in washington instead of dealing with elected representatives in their city hall As to be one of the more serious mistakes of this century City halls county seats and state legislatures of the very laboratories of democracy And yet in past years, we've closed our eyes to their findings By removing the possibility of resolving our problems where they occur Too many of us have turned our backs on the genius of our system Too many of us have stopped believing in our ability to govern ourselves Through our program of block grants. We've returned much of the decision making to state and local governments And Again It's not enough We're going to return tax resources as well as responsibilities to the levels of government closest to the people The american people have sent the hand ringers in washington a message They believe in our program because they believe in themselves As woodrow wilson said america is not a mere body of traders It is a body of free men and women Our greatness is built upon our freedom. It is moral not material We have a great ardor for gain, but we have a deep passion for the rights of man Well, we'll suffer no more delusions that these sentiments are found only in the midst of the potomac It is the common bond of all who love freedom In the words of lec walesa There will always be a glow within us you know You know i There's one of the nice things about this job is is mail the letters that come in and i just happened to have brought one with me I think maybe you might be a little inspired as i was to hear this I am 81 years of age born in russia Twice in my lifetime. I had to run from the communist regime First in 1924 I left from poltava the ukraine and went to cuba Then again in 1961 i fled from cuba and arrived in miami in the usa During my life I have experienced so many disasters brought about by inflation Though i want to share my experiences with you and wish you victory and courage in your crusade I was present when in russia A hundred rubles was printed as a coupon almost the size of a postal stamp because the paper was worth more than the money itself I was present when in germany to buy a loaf of bread you had to carry a bag of money on your shoulder I was present when in cuba the peso was on a par with the dollar After castro, however, you couldn't exchange 20 pesos for one dollar I was present when my parents were using hundred and 500 rubles bills as wallpaper to decorate their new home in new york I was present when all the world considered the dollar bill The greatest treasure worth more than gold or diamonds Without saving and preserving the value of savings This blessed country of plenty cannot exist And thank god that we now have a government in washington who understands this On the outskirts of gadansk in poland this christmas There appeared a sign with letters eight feet tall Plastered on a wall near the lennon shipyards It read countryman save freedom Well, I think that's what you sent us here to do Thank you for all that you've done But do even more in this celebration tonight renew your commitment In this decade our country calls For our sack not alone for our sacrifice But for our resolve And in case you've wondered Nancy and I are happy in our work Thank you A lesson from her she's got a smile full of grace That's nancy with a laughing Mr president everyone in this room would be disappointed if he or she didn't have an opportunity To join an expression of salute to you To our beloved nancy To barbara and to the vice president I hope that since we include both the vice president and the president in our toast tonight That you and the vice president can join us in toasting each other while we toast the two of you Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll join in drinking a toast to the president And the vice president of the united states and the their ladies whom they love and of whom we're so proud George while there's still some left in there To all of them god bless them. We wouldn't be here without you