 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Thank you. Please, please remain standing. We will have the presentation of the colors. Please be seated. Mr. President, welcome to the American GI Forum. Welcome to our home. It is indeed an honor, Mr. President, to have you come into our home and break bread with us. With that, we are very grateful. I would like to introduce a young woman who is a singer virtuoso and a friend of many of us who will treat us with her version of a spine-tingling song which I'm sure all of you will recognize, and senior Irwin Dursak, who will lead us in the benediction. We bow our heads and pray, kind Father, we thank you for our homes, for our loved ones dwell, to which our fondest memories now turn. We praise you for the family love and peace and cheer, which follow us and comfort us in strange and distant places, even El Paso. We are grateful for all things we share in common that of our commander in chief and all families of the Americas grant an abundance of grace to them so that in doing your will they may merit the joys on the history of the American GI Forum, 1948 to 1972. It's titled, People Forgotten, A Dream Pursued, The History of the American GI Forum, 1948-1972, Volume 1 by Henry A.J. Ramos. Senator, I'm proud to present this to you. Please read it. And at this time, I give you a cap designating you as honorary member of the American GI Forum, Senator. I had the distinct honor of reason indicated that the Department of State would be getting in touch with me, and the next thing I knew I was being sworn in as Ambassador to Uruguay. The important thing about this story is not that I am deluding myself with the idea that the ambassadorship in Uruguay is so important, or that Tamara and the person is so important, that it requires a personal call from the President of the United States. What I am trying to establish is that this President made that phone call, not because of the importance of the individual or the position, but simply because this President cares for the little guy. And that, to me, was very important, and for that, I am very grateful. Jullo is presently, or rather formerly, a Mayor of Midland for four terms, and is presently the National Committeeman from Texas. Welcome, please, Mr. Ernest Angelo. Mr. Ambassador, Mr. President, Senator Tower, Bishop Pena, Chaplain Jurishek, Senator and National Chairman Conno, State Chairman Ed Bernaldes, honored guests at the head table, and ladies and gentlemen, it is a real honor for me to be with you today to introduce the first President of the United States ever while holding office to address this great organization, the American GI Forum. And I might add that it's very appropriate that this first President should be Ronald Reagan. Here for me now to say to you, ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Thank you. Thank you very much. You did that. Thank you very much, Ernie. Those kind words. Our Chairman, Mr. Ambassador, Reverend Clergy, your National Head Jose Cano, Senator Tower, the very distinguished guest here at the head table, and you ladies and gentlemen. Let me say right off that our administration knows how responsive the man you've honored here, John Tower, is to the concerns of the GI Forum. John is easily one of the most experienced and powerful members of the Senate. He's been a great friend to you. He's one of the major reasons America is moving towards strength and prosperity, and I join you in saluting Senator John Tower today. But seeing John and all of you is a great pleasure. You know, it's an odd thing, but the farther we get from Washington, the better I feel. As a Westerner, of course, I do feel at home here in Texas. For one thing, there's the food. You know about my inclinations in this area. After all, we served enchiladas to the Queen of England. And sometimes when a cabinet meeting starts to drag, I wonder what would happen if the jelly bean jar there on the cabinet table was filled with jalapeno jelly beans, thinking of trying it one of these days. But I relish every stop we make while we're on the road. But I have to tell you that this gathering today is one I've especially looked forward to. Speaking to the GI Forum gives me a chance to do something that not many American presidents have done. To say something important to all Americans of Hispanic descent. Something that should have been said a long time ago. The GI Forum was founded by Hispanic Americans who wore our country's uniform, who fought in our wars, who account for some of the most astonishing acts of valor and personal sacrifice in the great and long history of our nation's armed forces. I don't think I have to recount those deeds to you. I know you're proud of them and I know they're part of the proud heritage that you pass on to your children. And that's why I thought you might like to know about something that happened recently in Washington. Something that says a lot about the courage and contributions of Hispanic Americans to our freedom. The Pentagon has a wonderful tradition of dedicating their hallways to some of our greatest military figures. Now, like myself, most of you who were in the military probably didn't spend much time in the Pentagon during your careers. But as president I've had a chance to see some of the exhibits and the memorabilia in those corridors dedicated to great men like Generals McArthur and Eisenhower. Every citizen should know Americans of Hispanic descent have an impressively high, if not the highest, honor recipients for their presentation, representation in the military. There is a permanent exhibit at the Pentagon, not to a single person, but to these 37 men of valor. Names like Lucian Adams, Jose Lopez, Cleto Rodriguez, Rodolfo Hernandez, Joseph Rodriguez, Louis Rocco, and Roy Benavides. And I'm proud to tell you today that just last week, Secretary Weinberger opened a new exhibit near the Hall of Heroes with a portrait depicting each of these American heroes of Hispanic descent. It is a real crowd-pleaser. I hope many of you have a chance to visit it. But whether you get there or not, remember one thing. That exhibit, your exhibit, is an inspiration to all the American people. The exhibit is only a small sign of what I see when I visit our military installations or ships throughout the world. Hispanic names and faces everywhere. For me those names are a sign of all you've given and continue to give to America. America has always been blessed by the diversity of our people and the rich heritages they brought to our shores. But the contribution of Hispanic Americans, your devotion to country, your belief in the values of family, work, neighborhood, and religion, these are among our most precious gifts. And so today perhaps the first president, the first president who's had the chance to say it, and on behalf of every American, I want to thank Hispanic Americans who have served so valiantly in our armed forces and who serve today. Yours is a record of honor and devotion that makes not just you but every American proud. And maybe we should be reminded that these gentlemen up here, holders of the Congressional Medal of Honor, it is given for service above and beyond the call of duty. Do you know better than most that Hispanic Americans have not always been remembered for their service or valor, have not always been treated with the dignity, respect, and fairness they deserve? This was particularly true at the end of World War II when those who had fought for their country returned home to confront discrimination in education, health care, housing, employment, and other areas. But true to your tradition, you responded with character and courage. One of your number, Dr. Hector Perez Garcia, a physician and surgeon in Corpus Christi, founded this forum. And under his leadership, veterans gathered to fight for the rights of Americans of Mexican descent. Within a year's time, there were over 100 chapters in Texas alone. Word of your courage and success spread throughout neighboring states and then the entire nation. And today you have 500 chapters in approximately 200 cities in 33 states, upholding the rights of Hispanic Americans. As you fought for your rights everywhere, you helped preserve the dream that began this country, the dream of government that worked for the people and not the other way around, the dream of equal justice under the law, of the right of every man, woman, and child to enjoy the blessings of liberty, not as a function of their class or background, but only because they bore the simple title, that proudest of all boasts, I am an American. Your fight against discrimination was every American's fight. Your efforts made America better for all of us. And today, on behalf of all your countrymen, I thank you for that too. As Americans of Hispanic descent take their rightful place in the front ranks of our nation's leadership, I know you will always remember those who began so much in Texas 35 years ago. Dr. Garcia, all of us pay tribute to you today. I speak for everyone here when I say to you, sir, and I hope I can get this right, usted es un gran líder de su pueblo. With my inability at languages, you may not have to translate that for the Anglos, you may have to translate it for the Hispanics. Now, I don't need to tell you, the struggle against discrimination is never over. And this administration will stand beside you as you continue the struggle. We have appointed more than 125 Hispanics to key positions in this administration. And our Justice Department is ever alert to safeguard your civil rights and those of all Americans. Let me just say a word about our excellent relations with the GI Forum. They begin with the efforts of one outstanding individual, your chairman, Jose Cano. Now, he and I may not always agree, but we have worked well together to accomplish a great deal. And my pledge to him is my pledge to you. You have a friend in Washington. As long as I am there, the Oval Office will be a place of warmth and hospitality for Hispanic Americans. Ladies and gentlemen, the concern that you have shown for justice for your own people is the best tradition of America. You should be especially proud that even in the 70s, when the demands of special interest politicians were in full cry, you always advanced your own cause within the framework of advancing your country's interest first. Now, we have just emerged from the era of special interests, a sad time when coalitions were built with an eye toward the next election, not what is good for the country. Some would have us forget what that kind of politics did to us, especially to those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. It was those Americans, many of them of Hispanic descent, who suffered most from the economic mess that was left to us in 1980. It was they who were deprived of the only chance they ever really wanted, the chance to show how far their faith, dreams, and talents could take them in a free society. Today, many who still practice the politics of the past would take you back to the days of lost opportunities, special interest politics, tax and tax spend and spend. Well, let me remind you what those days were like. In the 1970s, it was special interest politics that tripled federal spending and special interest politics that doubled federal taxes in just five years between 1976 and 1981. All that big spending and taxing drained life and energy from the economy. Opportunities dried up and lower income Americans found it harder to make ends meet. Think back to those desperate days when paychecks grew smaller and the grocery bills grew higher and higher. In 1980, we had the worst inflation since the Second World War. The highest prime interest rate, 21.5% in more than a century. Soaring taxes and rising unemployment. But what did you heard from those in Washington? That you suffered from a malaise, that it was your fault, that you wanted too much, that you had to give up your hopes and tell your children not to dream as you once dreamed. The bureaucratic profiteers were in full control. Even as the economy was collapsing around them, they could only come up with more and more schemes to superintend their disasters and run our lives even down to restricting credit cards and supervising thermostats. But there's a strain of pride, independence, and common sense that runs through this country which no fast-talking chicken-in-every pot politician has ever really escaped for long. From the very beginning of this country, our people have had an uncanny knack for reminding politicians who's really in charge here, who it is under the American Constitution that has the final say. And so the people spoke. They spoke for the future and their children's future. They spoke for change. And that's when we went to work, even as the special interest politicians predicted doom and disaster. They said we couldn't do it. Indeed, they fought us all the way. But we cut the growth in federal spending by 40%. They said we couldn't do it. They fought us all the way. But we cut every American's tax rates by 25%. They said we couldn't do it. They fought us all the way. But we came up with the most important reform of them all. In 1985, your income tax rates will be indexed so that never again will you be pushed into higher tax brackets just by inflation by which government profits. Look at the results coming in. The prime rate is down by nearly half. Inflation is down by 80%. The economy grew last quarter at an annual rate of 8.7%. Purchasing power is going up and more Americans are now working than ever before in the history of the United States. But you know there's an easier way that you can tell that our program is working. Our critics don't call it Reaganomics anymore. Let me touch on one more important area where we're moving forward trying to make things better. When I visited San Antonio in May, I expressed my concern about the impact of the peso devaluation on the people of southern Texas and the border areas of other states. I said this is not just your problem, it's our problem, and we'll meet it together. Well, that's exactly what we're doing. I designated a southwestern border states working group to study the problems and give me recommendations. They have done that just a few days ago. And I am pleased to announce that today we are ready to move. I have just asked the vice president to oversee the establishment of an interagency action group. We are determined to coordinate every government program we can tap to mitigate economic hardship in your border regions. We will work with your state and local leaders to help stimulate jobs and diversify your economies, and we'll start doing it not next year or next week, today. I believe that we're beginning to restore hope and confidence in America. And it doesn't stop with the economy. Remember a few years ago when American prestige seemed to decline with every new crisis? When Soviet intervention on four continents was going unchecked, even unnoticed? Remember when American embassies were sacked? When our hostages were taken? When our governments seemed to be intimidated by every two-bit dictator in this hemisphere and elsewhere? Remember how our national defenses were crumbling? Well, today our defenses are being rebuilt. The Soviet Union's attempts to dominate the world are being checked, and we have begun hard bargaining that can result in realistic and verifiable arms-controlled treaties. Let me say something here about a foreign policy area I know you have a special interest in. Our policy in Central America can be very simply put and clearly understood. We want to see the peoples of those nations escape the poverty and oppression of their pasts. We want to see them move towards societies where democratic and human rights are protected and where a decent standard of living is assured. We will bend every effort through economic and technical assistance to help them accomplish this goal. But I know that you'll agree with me that they'll never have a chance to build their future of freedom and prosperity if they're surrendered to the tender mercies of Fidel Castro, Colonel Gaddafi, and their superintendents in Moscow. We can't let that happen. We won't let it happen. The goal of our policy south of the border is plain. The Americas belong to the peoples of the Americas and nobody else, and we are all Americans. From the South Pole to the North Pole, and no other place on earth can say this, all of us in the more than 30 countries of this Western Hemisphere are Americans. Yes, we respect and we honor our national sovereignty and we're loyal each to our own countries. But where else in the world do you cross a border as you can hear into another nation and still be among Americans? Now, I realize the naysayers and doomcriers are not tripping over each other to give us credit for a stronger foreign policy, updated defenses or economic recovery, and I can sympathize with them. Just think of all those campaign speeches that would have to be rewritten. The special interest politicians may forget, but the record is clear. Because Americans didn't take no for an answer, they believed in their future, rejected councils of retreat and supported this administration's efforts to get our measures through the Congress, America is growing in pride and strength at home and abroad. It seems to me that those naysayers have some explaining to do. They're the ones who said we couldn't do it, and we did it. They're the ones who said it wouldn't work, but it's working. And always remember, they are the ones who fought us all away and are still fighting us today. The theme of your convention is the Hispanic American Renaissance. During your meetings, I hope you'll keep in mind the real message I have goes far beyond the statistics I've recited or the economic growth that we're enjoying. The fundamental question before us today is not just the Hispanic American Renaissance, it is our country's Renaissance. Do we keep our country upward bounded on the move again? Or do we go back to big government and economic decline? Will we hold fast to the values of work and family? Or will we return to never ending government intrusions into how we spend our paychecks and how we raise our children? There isn't time to outline all that we're trying to do to give back to you, the people, the American people, control over your own lives and destinies. Even as we fight to restore prosperity at home and our prestige abroad, we're dealing firmly and imaginatively with a menace of crime and drugs that has crossed us so dearly, especially here in Texas. We've expanded the success of the South Florida Task Force by establishing 12 similar task forces throughout the nation, including one in Houston. That means more than 1,200 new investigators and prosecutors will be cracking down on the drug racketeers. We're launching a frontal assault on organized crime with a recent appointment of a key Fauver-style commission headed by a distinguished jurist that will hold regional hearings throughout the country. And we're moving in another area to end the politicizing of education, bring excellence back to our schools, better opportunity for our school children, including effective bilingual programs so important for Hispanic children. And I hope you'll join me in persuading to the Congress to accede to the overwhelming desire of the American people for a constitutional amendment permitting prayer in our schools. Here, then, are the questions before you and before every American in the years ahead. Will we be better off with a future aimed at growth and opportunity, or one bogged down in lowered expectations and economic decline? Will we choose a future with a sparkling economy where young men and women can climb as far as their talents take them, or will Americans of Hispanic descent face a future with more government, more taxes, and more bureaucracy which suffocate enterprise and initiative? Will we be better off relying on our pride, respect, and accomplishments as a people, or must we sink into dependency through government busing and quotas and all the other elaborate social schemes dreamed up in Washington during the past 40 years? And what about our national security? Which road will we take there? Will we be better off with a future where America's interests are firmly protected and defended? Or will we choose a future where the only clear goal seems to be a deal cut at almost any price with America's adversaries in the world? Hispanic Americans are at the threshold. I think you can sense your own power, your ability to influence America in the future. The decisions you make in the next few years will have an enormous impact on our society. As we move toward the 21st century, you will be increasingly in positions of power, and your fellow citizens will look up to you for leadership and guidance. I urge you today remain true to the values, the devotion to God, family, and country that have made you the proud people you are today. Hold fast to the dreams you've always had for your children. Reject those who say that your dreams cannot fashion your future, that your destiny is in the hands of unelected bureaucrats and social engineers in Washington. Cherish your dreams, cherish them because they're what brought you, or your fathers, or their fathers to this country, and have contributed so much to America's growth and vitality. America is a willingness of the heart, if Scott Fitzgerald once said. Well, the hearts of Hispanic Americans have always been willing. You've defended America on countless battlefields. You've strengthened our economy, enriched our culture, broadened our perspectives. A man wouldn't sell his life to you, William Manchester wrote of his days as a Marine in the South Pacific, but he will give it to you for a piece of colored ribbon. You have always understood this better than most. You've known that the values, faith, and dreams of a people mean far more than a thousand promises of an easy life or a comfortable existence. You have reminded us that independence, honor, and devotion to country and family are more than just words. You have stood by those values, you've lived them, and you've been an inspiration to your children and your countrymen. As I said when I began, I've come here today to thank you for all that, but I came here today too to speak of the future and to challenge you to the role that you must play in it, because the people have spoken for change. America is better off because of that than she was a few years ago. Now it is in your hands to continue that progress. Through this century and the next, don't let America sink back into the boredom and mediocrity of collectivism, into the politics of envy, protest, and special interests. Keep America upward bound on the move. Keeper always that shining city, that inspiration, that last best hope to all the oppressed and helpless of the world. God bless you and God bless America. Thank you. President Reagan's remarks need no interpretation for this group. President Reagan is truly bilingual. He is also bilingual. He speaks to us from his heart and from his mind. Now please welcome Jose Cano, who will be making a special presentation. Mr. President, we welcome your remarks. We're extremely proud and honored that you chose the American GI Forum as a forum for a first president to address a Hispanic advocacy group. But as you can see, we're an emerging group. We have research scientists and we have physicists and attorneys and very, very capable people out there. But we have a lot of unemployed and we have a lot of our folks that still hold substandard jobs. We're proud people, Mr. President, and we do not condone cancerous bureaucracies, so we are with you on that. However, we still feel that the responsibility or that there is some responsibility of government and I hope that government accepts that responsibility. Because as you say, we as Hispanics now feel that we are the future. We do not ask for dependency programs but opportunity-creating programs, developing our skills, our educational level, equitable protection of civil rights and employment. So we meet your challenge, Mr. President. But equally, I feel proud that our people, as an example of the Medal of Honor winners, have exemplified patriotism and chaired the blood and foreign lands. So we've chaired equally in death. We're asking that today we recognize that we should chaired equally in the benefits of this society. So we meet your challenge, Mr. President. Mr. President, if you would join me along with Dr. Garcia, please. I also present to you a book on the history of the American GI Forum and I hope that you read it because it's rich in tradition, struggles, frustrations and successes of this man and also a cap making you an honorary member of the American GI Forum. We are proud that we can. Please be seated. We will now hear from the 49th Armored Division Band as our distinguished guest and his group leave us. Again, Mr. President, thank you for being with us. Thank you for coming into our house.