 Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you all very much It's it's an honor to be able to welcome you all to the White House You know when I came up here. I thought I heard Joe humming. I love Paris in the springtime But my friends Americans for responsible government has already done much to keep our nation politically vital and to make our government responsible once again Indeed you're taking part in an historic movement in American life a great shift away from Disillusionment with our political life to a renewed belief that our destiny is in our own hands and that yes the American voter Can make a difference as recently as 1978 Arthur Hadley wrote in his book the empty polling booth That voter turnout in our elections was declining because American voters were becoming alienated He suggested that voters believed they couldn't make any difference to an election and that no election could make much difference to them Well in a democracy no attitude could be more deadly or dispiriting but in recent years Poles have been picking up a new trend or rather a trend as old as America itself It's a trend towards self-reliance a return to the belief that when all said and done in America It's the people who rule the political side has believed that this is taking place because Well agree with what's happening or not in recent years the government in Washington has made a difference In foreign affairs, we've begun rebuilding our military We've boldly restated the fundamental moral difference between democracy and totalitarianism and We've reasserted America's world rule on behalf of human freedom I just had an experience of that. I have just come from a meeting with Shiranski and He was telling me What we mean to those who are in the prisons and the prison camps over there Believe it or not. They get enough word by remarks. They see in tasks and pravda and reading between the lines That they feel in those prisons that we are their hope That someday things have to be right because of America well the Now the Strategic Defense Initiative that I've been talking about to get back to the subject of our military armaments a measure so Revolutionary that it could well make strategic nuclear weapons obsolete The results are clear Because they know the United States is once again a vigorous and dependable ally Our friends are willing to work with us and you only have to witness the Tokyo summit It was the best one in six years We'd argue for a while about And as for our adversaries we've regained their respect including the respect of the Soviet Union and Permit me to add America's given all the terrorists of this world a very simple message in a word Don't even try But here at home we've turned our economy around Weeding out needless regulations Supporting a sound voluntary policy and enacting an across-the-board cut in personal income tax rates of nearly 25 percent Real income is up interest rates are down Inflation is at its lowest point in almost a decade and a half And if anyone wanted still more proof of the New to power of our ideas in our national wide life He could just look at what happened last week on tax reform In the midst of special interest efforts to save this loophole and retain that deduction the whole move toward tax reform has bogged down Then the Senate Finance Committee decided to get back to the central ideas more fairness greater simplicity and much lower marginal rates The members were even bold enough to propose a top individual rate of just 27 percent Down from the 70 percent top rate. We had only six years ago when we came here This boldness worked the power of ideas has been proven once again and tax reform on a sick bed just last month Seems to be marching double time toward final passage Strength and respect abroad growth and opportunity here at home all this adds up to a revolution As I say even those who disagree with what's been done. It's a big country and I guess there must be some people like that around Have to admit that recent elections have changed the course of history in other words the voters still matter and how And that's why a program like your vote America project is so important Through vote America your training recruiters to crisscross the country urging Americans to register to vote You're getting a message across by way of newsletters radio spots and television advertisements And you're working hard to promote the involvement of those who sadly enough sometimes take the political process for granted The members of our business communities Already I understand you're in the midst of 20 day-long seminars regarding voter education and registration Well, you know, you might want to use a little thing from a fellow named will Rogers Of some years ago who was quite a philosopher Will Rogers once commented on politics and he said the people who hold public office are no better and no worse Than the people who send them there But he said they're all better than those who don't vote at all Well All this of special importance in 1986 because voting traditionally dropped drops off in midterm elections But compared to many past midterm elections this year. There are far fewer reasons for apathy The economy is healthy and growing The record of the past few years shows beyond doubt that elections do indeed make a difference to the life of the nation And for the first time in years Roughly as many voters consider themselves Republicans as consider themselves Democrats So whichever side you're on you're likely to be in for a horse race I've been in politics myself a year or two now and I've had my own problems with voter apathy I think back to my first campaign in California for governor Jack Warner, I'd been under contract to him for 13 years Jack Warner of Warner Brothers heard I was running for governor and he said oh, no no Jimmy Stewart for governor Ronald Reagan for best friend I've been reminded also of a remark more than once that was made by Jack's older brother Harry Warner Who was running his end of the studio with the advent of sound movie tracks back in the 1920s? Harry Warner is supposed to have said who the heck wants to hear actors talk Well this year it's going to be different instead of apathy I'm convinced that we'll continue to see rising confidence in our ability to govern ourselves and Build a future of peace and opportunity and this room today holds many of those who are making the difference of you Joe Rogers who founded this organization and Of you my friends who have given so much to Americans for responsible government No finer thing can be said than this You are helping the greatest nation on earth to believe in itself again You know I have to tell you if you haven't caught this figure Last year 1985 the American people Gave and charitable giving in the United States 79.8 billion dollars in 74 it had been I mean in 1984 it had been 74 million dollars the increase since 1980 of that kind of volunteer giving in America has gone up 82 percent Business in the last three years tripled. It's giving Which shows that? Voluntarism is really alive in this country of ours and and Reflects what what this country is all about and you're all very much a part of that So I thank you and God bless you all and now I understand I'm going to make my way into the blue room And I'm going to get a chance to shake all your hands You never gonna tell them I want to run for governor of Carmel, California