 Hi, how are you nice to see you? Hello there. It's to see you Stay have you one there and two there I'm sorry to have kept you waiting here. Everything has kind of gotten behind schedule as the afternoon went on there We'll go exactly 15 minutes, and I'll kind of give you a one more signal as you get We brought you some jalapeño jelly beans from El Paso, Texas Well, pack it in the canner. I was going and I was going saying the right kind of a decanter Well, thank you very much. It's quite well. Well, as you can see we have a little of the other kind right there I Know they are rather hot rather hot jalapeño peppers are quite hot. Yes, that's right I should have gone by the name and realized that All right, thank you Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mr. President when you were running for president you said that America was in the worst economic mess since the Great Depression What has your administration done to alleviate our country's economic problems? Well, I think that When we came in to office here, we were in a recession that had started in 1979 was growing worse Interest rates were 21 and a half percent a prime rate Inflation had been double digit for two years in a row Running from 12 to 14 percent The with those high interest rates people couldn't buy automobiles couldn't pay the interest on their payments They couldn't buy or build homes because of the interest rates on mortgages and so forth Unemployment was increasing and as 1981 went on We finally reached the depths that we have been in But in the meantime during 1981 after we got an office we launched what we called a program for economic recovery And it was based basically on two things and that was controlling the size and cost of government and At the same time reducing the tax burden because in addition to the high inflation Our people for about two years The people of America were actually getting poorer even with cost of living pay raises their actual purchasing power was declining Well, we started our program many people were critical of it we started a program of reducing taxes and reducing the increase in government spending and Today we have interest rates at down less than half of what they were The inflation rate is not in double digits for the last 12 months. It's been 2.6 percent we reduced taxes sizably Across the board for all our people and then in addition Audit tax policies that were making it difficult for business and industry to survive and the result is a very solid recovery that's now in place with the the last figures on growth of the gross national product we're almost at 10% growth 8.7 percent and Unemployment is going down Slowly because that's always the last thing to recover in a recession, but I think that What as I've said a number of times to some people? I think the success of our economic program is proven by the fact that our opponents are no longer calling it Reaganomics Do you believe Hispanic Americans are better off today than when they were then when you were elected president and why I Think there's a risk in answering a question of that kind because there are bound to be people sitting out there Who have lost jobs or are a part of the unemployed and they're going to say I'm not better off I had a job then I don't know whatever it might be but generally Just as all other Americans the Americans of Hispanic descent have to have benefited from the fact that their dollars are not losing their value because of of Inflation they are not being taxed as heavily as they were Those who are working and have income can be again to think about Not only an automobile or a house or something because of the difference in interest rates So I would have to say yes generally we all are better off than we were How do you respond to your critics who charge that you've not appointed enough Hispanics to your administration? I Respond by saying I don't think they know what they're talking about because we we have and we have a regular policy of seeking and Trying to find Hispanics for appointment and government we have Americans of Hispanic descent serving on commissions in which they are the first To ever serve in those positions just today We had a personnel meeting and incidentally one of the staff in our personnel office where they recruit people for government appointments is an American of Hispanic descent and Today I nominated for three more positions in government Ranging from an ambassador to other important posts of three and two of them were women of Hispanic descent, so I Think if they check and count the numbers they'll find that we've been doing very well We would have had a cabinet member, but the person that we nominated declined to serve he He couldn't make the changes in order to To go into government service Hispanic Americans more than any other minority group recognize that the only way to succeed is through quality education What are you doing to ensure that every Hispanic child in the United States receives a quality education? Well, we're trying to do something to see that every child in the United States regardless of origin or background or ethnic heritage gets a better break I Have been for a number of years conscious that education in our public schools in America was declining Granted this doesn't cover all schools. There were some schools better than others, but there was a decline in the The discipline in the schools. There was a decline in in the courses that would better equip young people For life when they got out of school. We were making it too easy for them to choose courses rather than ordering them to take required courses and We appointed a commission called a commission on excellence in education and that commission a short time ago came in with its report And I have been traveling around the country meeting with parents and community leaders On this and it is begun to spread there are states now that are adopting the recommendations of this commission And these recommendations had to do with the problems that I just mentioned a little while ago In some areas they haven't even waited Beyond just all they did was read the commission's report and have started to implement it now. This requires Real implementation at the local level ours our public school system was the greatest in the world And it was built with the idea that the schools would be controlled at the local and state level With federal aid to education federal money the federal government began interfering more and more in education Far more than our money contribution warranted I have been going around the country because part of this report stresses get the parents get the community Back in charge of the education in their areas. And so to that extent. I think we're going to be helping all young people What would you say has been your greatest achievement as president to help Hispanic Americans? Well, I would have to say probably the thing I talked about earlier the whole change in the economic pattern But instead of government getting more costly and at the same time government Imposing itself more on the people's freedoms interfering in their own individual lives Of that program has done that. I also think there are some other things I I just have to say I Think as much as anyone and probably more Americans of Hispanic descent have a great feeling with regard to family to patriotism loyalty pride not only in themselves and their communities, but their heritage and themselves and I think That we have brought some changes about in that regard I think that we have stressed family values. There is a new feeling of pride in the country and I I would say that I believe that Americans of Hispanic descent could probably React to that Better than than many many people I'm going back to education. We were talking earlier. What is your position on bilingual education? My position is that we must have a good bilingual education program wherever it is needed. I Think that it started out with one idea in our schools and then changed direction It became one of preserving the language that Children with an ethnic background children with the sons and daughters of immigrants who came here speaking a foreign language and We're ill equipped to take their place then on the job market by understanding. What is our language here? We departed from the principle of having teachers and education aimed at helping Students who were used to speaking another language learn This language which they must have if they're going to take their place out in our workforce Now I know that people of Hispanic heritage have a great pride in their Historic culture their language and sometimes have been a little resistant thinking maybe they're being a little untrue to their heritage if they Change language we're not asking to give up their native language We're asking to learn ours just as if we crossed a border We would have to learn the language of that country in order to get a job and do business In in their society, so we want a good bilingual Education program coming from Los Angeles as I do I saw too many tragic evidences of where children were rated Carelessly by teachers as lacking intelligence when it was When the child's only problem was they did not Understand our language enough to Respond to the questions and the lessons that they were getting in school and there were many tragic cases That resulted from that and I want to see schoolrooms where there are teachers equipped To find out is the problem one just of language and do they know the answer to the question? If we recognize that What are you doing as president to increase the number of Hispanic owned businesses? We have a program first of all we have an overall program that is aimed at small business completely To help small business because I believe that independent small business in America is the very soul of capitalism It creates three-fourths of all the new jobs that are created in in our country Now we also within that framework. We have special programs aimed at communities such as Hispanic One program is probably located in a hundred different areas in this country in those areas to directly help Minority businesses get underway and get started now on top of that to make possible for them to have a Good crack at the opportunities. We have also directed government agencies and The Defense Department to direct much of their contracting and subcontracting to these minority owned smaller businesses Mr. President my colleagues have some questions that they would like to thank you for answering my Mr. President if we could just spend a few moments on Central America, would you please share with us your hopes and dreams for the future for that part of the world? Oh, yes, I would I Happened to have believed for a long time and long before I ever came into this job that back over the years Americans the American government has been insensitive Yes, we've had presidents that have presented plans to our neighbors in to the south central and South America and To the Latin country here in North America plans that were supposed to be geared at helping In a neighborly way, but where I say we were insensitive is we didn't realize we were viewed as the big colossus of the north And we sort of went and we impose we said here's the program here take it and this is what we'll do And we never followed up very well on those Well, when I made my trip down into South and Central America and when I met with The former president and the president president of Mexico. I told the leaders of all those countries What my dream was and that is that here in this Western Hemisphere We're all Americans we cross a border into someone else's country, but we're still surrounded by Americans North Central or South America. Mm-hmm. We have the same religion from South Pole to North Pole We all have the same Pioneer heritage that we came principally from a European background here to these undeveloped continents and we still haven't developed them to their full potential and I said that I wanted to hear their ideas of how we could as equal partners and allies Dedicated to democracy dedicated to individual freedom Same standards with regard to family and religion and moral principles why couldn't we work together for this kind of development to eliminate and reduce poverty to eliminate the social inequalities that existed and exist in so many countries and work together and what a Powerful force for good the more than six hundred million people in North Central and South America What a force we could be for good in the world How do you feel as far as your policies are concerned? Do you feel that your policies are working to help realize those goals and dreams? Well, we have a long way to go but the commission that I've disappointed with the chairmanship of Henry Fisher is to come back to us with a plan For starting with Central America the the area there I Think what we're doing now in the troubles that are in Central America here's Salvador after years and years of dictatorial rule Not democracy finally democracy an election the government that is there was chosen for the people and a much higher percentage of the people voted than vote here in our own country where we think we Have democracy already but at the same time These guerrilla forces backed by totalitarian governments such as Cuba and the Soviet Union are interfering with their ability to implement Democracy and economic reforms because they're getting their head shot off So you've got to help those countries provide a protective screen So that they can go forward with the democratic improvements they want to make Nicaragua we had a revolution it overthrew a dictatorial government But then what happened one element of the revolution Throughout and exiled or imprisoned the other leaders in that same revolution So that they could then have a totalitarian rule based on the Soviet communist pattern and Now those ousted revolutionaries are fighting back as the Contras simply asking for a restoration of the original democratic or goal of the revolution and With those two things we're trying to be of help because we know they cannot succeed with this with their economic and social reforms until they can end the killing and the shooting and the The dictatorial rule Have if may we may turn specifically to Mexico just in closing here You will shortly meet with the president of Mexico What do you expect can be accomplished with our relations with Mexico in that meeting? Well, I started with his predecessor Meetings before I even took office after I'd been elected. I met with president Lopez Portillo and I he came here then and we met here and He's the first head of state to ever ride a horse with an American president of Camp David But now I met with the president Delamadrid after he was elected but before he had taken office I'm Going to meet again with him because all of this Dream that I just told you about I think begins right here in North America We have never really established as fully as we should the neighborly relationship the Equal friends and allies and neighbors that we should be and I want to meet for further discussions on On that situation that the three great countries here in the North American continent, which are Mexico the United States and Canada we As without delaying what I said about Central and South America But it begins right here and we can move much faster if we have already achieved that kind of relationship here I'd like to see our borders meeting places rather than lines that separate us Thank You mr. President Oh, well listen give him mine All right Thank you Well, I am pleased very pleased to do it I don't know what I've done here There you are I'll let you do it