 President of the United States. Kiwanians, ladies and guests, as a special speaker at our 72nd Annual Convention, he shares our belief in the need for private initiative and volunteerism to President of the United States. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you all very much. It's wonderful to be with the Kiwanis again. Beginning here, I was thinking back to the last time I addressed this gathering in person, and that was more than 20 years ago, back in 1964. So let's promise each other something. That in the future, we won't be such strangers. A lot has changed in the last two decades. I remember the first time I was introduced to the Kiwanis. I was described as an actor and spokesman for American business. Of course, that's how a lot of people still think of me. But I've never felt far from the Kiwanis. Since that day in 1964, I've watched Kiwanis international grow to include 315,000 members in 71 countries, bringing the Kiwanis' ideal of service and charity to over 8,200 communities. Now that's one kind of inflation I'm all for. I've watched as your organization led the nation in the fight against drugs back in 1969, even as others talked of tolerance and experimentation. And you've been a leader in that fight ever since. With your help, America is winning. We're getting the message across that drugs are an evil, pure, and simple. And we're convincing our children to say that magic word when it comes to drugs to just say no. I can't help but insert something here. I don't know whether you know where that phrase came from about just say no. Nancy was speaking to some school children in Oakland, California. And a little girl asked a question about what do you do if someone offers drugs. Nancy said just say no. And today there are over 12,000 just say no clubs in schools across the United States. But from the innumerable acts of personal caring and charity the Kiwanis perform to the clubs you sponsor in our nation's schools to instill the spirit of volunteerism in our youth Kiwanis exemplifies the American tradition of neighbor helping neighbor. And then of course there are the Kiwanis public service billboards that line highways across the country. If you'll forgive this old actor I just have to tell you it feels good to once again see my name up in lights. By the way speaking of the spirit of volunteerism and your great generosity reminds me of a story about a friend from my show business days who couldn't have been more the opposite the famously stingy Jack Benny. Jack was having lunch with another famous entertainer of the time Edgar Bergen. In those days Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy were the biggest things on radio. Well there was a group of show business types there after lunch when the check arrived Benny picked it up even though by that time his cheapness had become legend. Someone turned to him said Jack I'm surprised you asked for the check. Benny said so was I and it's and it's absolutely the last time I'll ever have lunch with a ventriloquist. Well after telling that though I have to make it plain that that was all part of the act Jack wasn't really that way indeed he was the soul of generosity and kindness the other was just part of the public performance his act. The great generosity of the Kiwanis is what's become legend. The service as you perform reach beyond the direct beneficiaries to embrace all of America in a community of carry. You represent America's heart good strong knowing you give generously and you give well often putting comparable government programs to shame. You know the difference between private charity and public programs that with personal giving there are two winners the person who gives as well as the person who receives and very often it's the giver who receives the most precious gift personal private charity humanize a society it makes us more aware of each other of our hopes needs of our sorrows and joys it makes us all more compassionate. The Kiwanians have demonstrated this compassion and caring over and over again in thousands of communities and for that reason I'm today proud to announce that you have been selected to receive my private sector initiative citation award for all that you've done to fight school age drug abuse. Nancy and I congratulate you all on a job well done and because you exemplify what is best about our private life I want to talk to you today about what we must do to protect that way of life. I want to enlist your support in the campaign I began on July 3rd on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial there I called on America to complete the work of the author of the Declaration of Independence with an economic bill of rights that will restore to Americans the freedoms our founding fathers assumed we would always have and protect us and future generations from the encroachments of big government in our lives. Make no mistake we face a clear and present danger in Congress the momentum of big government which we've managed to hold back these last few years has only been gathering steam getting ready to burst through all the restraints that we've imposed upon it. Let me give you just a few examples first the so-called budget process an article in the Washington Post recently described a part of that process the article was entitled a member's menu for airport pork and it described how one of the members of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee circulated a fill-in-the-blanks form among the members asking them to sign up for their favorite pork barrel project according to the post few could resist grabbing and I quote a piece of the action piece of the action that sounds more like a movie review of the untouchables a piece of the action like the UDAG program that will spend millions of your tax dollars to build luxury hotels restaurants and condominiums or the so-called demonstration projects in the highway bill that don't demonstrate anything but the ability of some in Congress to bring home the bacon a piece of the action sometimes the waste is absurd like the thousand acres of underwater property the federal government is planning on buying a shameful secret of the farm programs is that one of the biggest recipients of agricultural subsidies in America isn't even an American he's the prince of lichtenstein and he happens to own a few hundred thousand acres in texas it seems that everybody is getting a piece of the action and that's why when the house senate conference committee agreed on a budget recently it included 41 billion dollars in increased domestic spending with essential defense programs held captive to a 64 billion dollar tax hike it's always the american people who are expected to foot the bill with higher taxes now i promise this from now to the day i leave office i won't hesitate for one moment to use my veto power and if a tax hike makes it to my desk i'll veto it in less time that it takes vanna white to turn the letters v e t o but what happens in the years ahead can we always count on the occupant of the oval office to stand fast against this tide will the next president hold the line against tax hikes and big spending and even if he's determined the fact is the presidential veto power has been seriously weakened to the last 15 years the checks and balances our founding fathers designed into our constitution have been put awry by a congress unwilling to give up its spendthrift ways later in life when jefferson examined our constitution he found one glaring omission a failure to include an article in the constitution that would prohibit government borrowing what we've come to call deficit financing his concern ran deeper than his well-founded fears of profligate government from history and experience he knew that it was in the economic realm that the oppression of government was most often keenly felt he knew that a government with no limit on borrowing was a government with no limit on its power over the individual that this power to borrow was like a wedge that could be driven between the individual and his god-given rights of freedom and poverty property when i signed the tax reform bill i said that these last decades had seen an expansion and strengthening of our civil liberties but that our economic rights have been too often neglected even abused well as time that abuse stopped and that's why we're calling for an economic bill of rights that will complement and strengthen jefferson's political bill of rights oh congress sit up and take notice the people are entitled to the fruits of their labor and shall not be burdened by excessive taxation therefore more than a mere majority of the congress will be required to raise taxes under our plan let me just say something here on one of the talk shows over the weekend i heard someone complaining that to ask for more than a 50 percent plus one vote to raise taxes was somehow pulled out of the blue and unusual and it didn't make sense well it's not that unusual why should 50 percent of the of the representatives plus one be able to pass something as important as more money out of your pockets while there were 50 less one who didn't want that to happen and it isn't that unusual when i was governor of california he it took two-thirds of the legislature to approve the budget and in voting bond issues which is government borrowing it took 60 percent of the vote not 50 plus one we're a federation of sovereign states and sometimes i think the federal government should take more of a close look at how well some of the states are doing and improve itself accordingly but what we intend is that the future of succeeding generation shall not be mortgage to the national debt through deficit spending the congress shall be required under our plan to balance the budget each and every year now i grant you that can't happen in a single year to those who say well why don't you present a budget no when for 50 years or more we have been deficit spending and building that debt the deficit is the point that it cannot be undone in one year without causing great hardship to a number of people in the country so we have to set a pattern as the gram rudman hollings bill did of each year reducing that deficit to a designated date at which point then the budget must by constitution remain balanced special interest legislation shall not be hidden from the people the president shall have the right to veto individual appropriations in other words the president shall have the line item veto truth in federal spending congress shall specify how every single new program is to be paid for the people are entitled to pursue their own livelihood free from excessive regulation and tax subsidized competition and i will appoint a presidential commission to spearhead efforts to privatize public owned enterprises the burden of government shall not be hidden from view the congress shall require that a financial impact statement accompany each bill specifying the effect on economic growth employment and competition overseas educational development creativity and initiative will be fostered by diversity in our educational system welfare programs must not harm the structure of family and community through the use of incentives the congress will seek to lift the least fortunate to independence and full participation in american life and economy free and fair trade will be encouraged the congress shall pass no measure that slows growth shrinks markets or destroys jobs by a erecting high tariffs or other trade barriers we shall take seriously the fifth and 14th amendment guarantees to life liberty and property whenever government expropriates the use or value of private property whether outright or through government regulations owners will be justly compensated when i when i spoke before the kawanas those 23 years ago i said we had come to a time for choosing the choice was between freedom and increasing state control it is time i said to that we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the founding fathers and if we will pass on to these young people the freedoms we knew in our youth because freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction it has to be fought for and defended by each generation this is the recurrent challenge the one from which we cannot shrink today we have the chance to write into the structure of the law guarantees of our so much abused economic freedoms to ensure that this generation and the next will enjoy the fruits of their labor will continue to live in a land of hope and opportunity where big government no longer blocks the doors to progress we can proclaim this truth to be self-evident that the american dream is our sacred birthright that in this time for choosing with one voice we proudly choose freedom thank you all very much god bless you all thank you mr president for taking time to address our 72nd international convention we are most grateful and to show our appreciation i want to present to you two mementos first i understand that today is nancy's birthday so we want you to have a special portrait a replica of the 6000 billboard that kawanas clubs have posted during the past two years and please express happy birthday to nancy from all of us and to accompany that we have enrolled you as a hixon fellow in our kawanas international foundation this contribution of one thousand dollars to which kawanas the kawanas international foundation is adding ten thousand dollars is in your honor and will be used for kawanas programs to support the prevention of school age drug abuse