 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States I present to you a special kind of recognition. I call your attention to the citation which is in your printed program. I will not take the time to read it, but it is a citation for the Alumnus Honoris Cause Award presented to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States. Mr. President, we look at you as both an idealist and a realist. As an idealist, you have helped us to once again understand that dream which is America. And for that we will always be eternally grateful to you. We thank you for that restoration of our confidence and for that love of country. As a realist, you have understood the complexities of the 20th century and the horrors of a possible nuclear holocaust. You have understood how important it is for our nation to be a strong nation because we have to have a strong military instrument of national security in order to be able to carry out effective negotiations on the international scene. So we thank you for the confidence and the strength which is given. To read the last paragraph of the citation, President Reagan has served the United States and the entire world with unusual dedication and Baylor University with its global vision and its strong commitment to excellence and all things is pleased to bestow upon this distinguished American and world citizen the designation Alumnus Honoris Causa. We are honored, sir. Thank you, Governor. Thank you, Dr. Reynolds, Congressman Bolton. And I thank all of you very much. And a special thanks for that great music to the Baylor University Golden Wave Band. It is great to be back in the Lone Star State. And it's great to come to the home of the unbeaten Baylor Bears and your big buddy, Zach. But after hearing that greeting you gave me, it just makes me want to say, Sick'em Bears. Now with this reception that you've given me, I have to say that once upon a time being a Republican in this area of the country found a little bit like being Gary Cooper in High Noon outnumbered in a big way. Well, all that as they say is history. Or should I say ancient history, which at my age is a subject that I'm regarded an expert in. Today, Texas has a team that it can depend on to defend our basic values and keep America strong. Bill Clements, Phil Graham, Kent Hans, and the next senator from the state of Texas, and a Baylor graduate, Bo Bolter. And let me take just a moment to talk about the positive achievements of the past eight years. We have a robust growing economy with low inflation. Young people starting out can look forward to jobs and opportunity, a secure future to start a family, and more people are at work today than ever before in the history of the United States of America. Now, you know, I hear that number being given, and then some people say, well, we've got a bigger population than we had before. No, that isn't the way it figures. Everybody in the United States, male and female, from age 16 on up, are considered to be the potential employment pool. So that means all of you. I doubt if there are any of you that are less than 16. But today, 62.7 percent, almost two-thirds of that entire pool, is employed in the United States, and it's the greatest percentage in the history of this country. We're beginning to turn around the decades-long decline in education by returning to basics and demanding nothing less than excellence. We're restoring our judicial system by appointing serious-minded judges who respect the Constitution and America's traditional values. We've rekindled in ancient pride a noble patriotism that loves America and would extend our blessings to the world. We've given our men and women in uniform the kind of pay, the kind of weapons, and the kind of respect they deserve. And it's a proud thing once again to wear the uniform of the United States. And because of all that, our nation is again respected in the world, our armed forces are strong, and America is at peace. What more can we say than that the parents of a child born today can look forward to the 21st century with hope and optimism that their child will know the brightest future the world has ever seen? And let me say something to each one of you here today. That bright future is also yours. It is your birthright as Americans, and what we've seen in the last eight years is only the beginning. America has traveled such a remarkable distance in the last eight years that the memory has faded of the economic and foreign policies that we faced when Vice President Bush and I took office. This year the liberals are singing the same old tune they were singing way back then. And it sure isn't, don't worry, be happy. If you want to remember how things really were just a few years back, think of the year 1979. Now I know you were quite young, 79. But in that one year, Iran, Nicaragua, and Grenada were all lost. Iran fell to the Ayatollah. Nicaraguan, Grenada were taken by the communists. In that one year, our embassy in Iran was seized not once but twice. Our ambassador to Afghanistan was assassinated by gunmen and that country invaded by Soviet troops. Add to that the economic crisis at home. That was just nine years ago, and we're still paying for it today. That was the year 1979. Don't we have the right to ask the American people if the liberals return to power what happens in 1989? That's how things were abroad, at home they were just as bad. Inflation and economic stagnation gave our economy a one-two punch that had America's families on the ropes. Between 1977 and 1981, the after inflation income of the typical American family fell by almost 7%. And then George Bush and I rode into town and locked up inflation. And since then, the American family's real income has risen by more than 10%. Of course, the liberals hope you'll forget why we were able to turn the economy around. Their message is, you can take prosperity for granted. It's time for a change, so take a chance on us. Well, that's sort of like someone telling you that you've stored up all the ice cream you could want, so now it's time to unplug the freezer. But whether it's a well-stocked freezer or our pro-growth economic policies, you can't unplug what's working and expect things to stay the same. And that's what they're trying to do. I don't think I have to tell you that these days some liberals are using our words and phrases, terms like community, family, and values. But while the words are the same, the meanings are different. For example, as part of their so-called pro-family agenda, they propose federal childcare assistance. Last week I told an audience in Washington that under this liberal proposal, if you want assistance and you also want to leave your child with his or her grandmother that day, the grandmother will have to be licensed by the federal government. After I spoke, a reporter called one of the liberal congressional staff members behind that bill and asked if it was true that grandmothers would have to get federal licenses to take care of their own grandchildren. And the reply came, yes, of course it's true. After all, and here's the quote, how else can you design a program that receives federal funds? Well, by the way, our party has proposed an innovative plan to help families in need of childcare assistance. For every child under four, a working family's taxes would go down by up to $1,000, plain and simple. This would allow parents to choose among a variety of options if they need childcare assistance, including what experts as well as common sense tells us is the best option of all, by making it easier for the mother to stay home. There's all the difference between us and them. When the liberals say family, they mean big brother in Washington. When we say family, we mean honor thy father and mother. I don't think I have to tell you that lowering taxes, rather than raising spending, is not something the liberals understand. One thing they hate to do is to let tax dollars out on furlough. When they get their paws on the budget, government guzzles tax money faster than Zach drinks his Dr. Pepper. I have an example of the difference between our two philosophies. I remember when I was governor of California. Now, I came into office and it was the first fiscal year and found that in violation of the Constitution, the state was already carrying a great deficit. And just before the end of that first fiscal year that I was there, my finance director came to me and said, we're going to have a surplus. And he thought and told me that he thought that since I hadn't been able to do anything in the nature of spending money, because of that deficit, that maybe now I had some pet program I was waiting to put into place and that I should announce that before the legislature found out. The legislature was dominated by the Democratic Party. And I said, I do have a plan. Let's give it back to the people. And he said, well, that's never been done. And I said, well, I never had an actor up here before either. Well, I went public and made the announcement that we had a plan by way of the state income tax to give this money, all of it, back to the taxpayers. And shortly thereafter, a liberal senator, the other party, stormed into my office, pounded my desk, and he said, I consider giving that money back to the people an unnecessary expenditure of public funds. Well, one day, well, there again is the difference, as I say, between our two philosophies. To them, everything belongs to the government. To us, everything belongs to the people. But as I said, in area after area this year, the liberals have tried to hide their philosophy behind our words. When they say opportunity, they mean subsidies. When they say closing the deficit, they mean raising taxes. When they say strong defense, they mean cut defense spending. No wonder their favorite machine is the snowblower. Not long ago, I vetoed a defense authorization bill that Congress sent to me and that embodied much of what the liberals want to do to our nation's defenses. But lately, some liberal leaders have seen what was happening to them in the polls and have had a deathbed conversion. They'd have you believe that they're born again General George Pattons. But if we go the way they want to go, our defenses will run out of gas in no time. For example, the liberals are proclaiming loudly that they are for the new Triton missile and the stealth bomber. But then they whisper that they're also for delaying deployment of both systems, pending the outcome of arms talks, which could drag on for years, while the Soviets could be deploying new systems of their own. They shout loudly that they're for maintaining the effectiveness of the land-based leg of our strategic triad. But they're against the only modern missile systems that will be available for years to come and would like to see an end to the flight testing needed to develop new systems. And they're against the B-1 bomber. They're against our strategic defense, against ballistic missiles, and they would wipe out two carrier battle groups. In fact, what they plan for the Navy is so bad that by the time they get through, Michael may have to roll the boat ashore. But at this time, when nightly television pictures of the destruction of U.S. and Soviet missiles under our INF Treaty tell us that our policy of peace through strength is truly working, you tell me, yes or no, is this any time to return to the liberal policies of the past? You didn't surprise me a bit. Well, the sad truth is that when the liberals refuse to even whisper the L word and insist that this election is not about ideology, it's about competence, they're just acknowledging that where they want to take America, America doesn't want to go. But the one issue, the only issue that will matter on inauguration day is the issue of direction. Will we reelect peace and prosperity or will we play truth or consequences with trench coat liberals? I have to tell you, I'm a former Democrat, but I think you know what I mean when I raise questions about the distinction between the rank and file Democrats, many of whom I hope are here, and the liberal leadership of that party in Washington, a liberal leadership that has turned a once-proud party of hope and affirmation into one dominated by strident liberalism and negativism. They have made the party of yes the party of no, no to the school prayer amendment, the pledge of allegiance and the right to life, no to the death penalty and to judges who care not just about criminals but about the victims of crime, no to our raid on Gaddafi's Libya and our rescue mission in Grenada, and no to the foreign policy of strength and purpose that has told the truth about communism and helped bring the first signs of change to the Soviet Union in decades. To my way of thinking, that's too many no's. Too many no's to you and me and the American people and what we want done in Washington. What 1988 is about is America's future. Yes, we're proud of our record of the longest peacetime economic expansion in American history and over 17.5 million new jobs. And when from the TV screen you see and hear somebody saying, well, but all of those jobs or most of them were wheeled down at the bottom jobs, low income and so forth and so on, no, almost two-thirds of the 17.5 million new jobs are in the pay scale above the median income. That's very good but it still isn't good enough for us. We want more, more growth, more opportunity, more jobs. And we intend to ensure this kind of economic prosperity right through the 90s and into the next century by guaranteeing the federal government can never again spend and tax the American people into another economic nightmare. Let me give you an example of what I mean. Some of you may remember that last January I went up to Capitol Hill for the State of the Union address. I talked about some of the problems caused by the liberal leadership in the Congress who were all there to hear it. I mentioned that in seven years of 91 appropriations bills scheduled to arrive on my desk by the beginning of the fiscal year, only nine made it on time. Last year of the 13 appropriations bills due by October 1st, none of them made it. Instead, we had four continuing resolutions lasting 41 days in the first time, then 36 more days, then two days and three days, respectively. And then along came that behemoth, the continuing resolution containing all the appropriations. You have to sign it or close down the government. It was 1,057 pages long. It weighed 14 pounds and was two months late. Even Congress didn't know what was in it. They passed it, sent it to me so late that I had just a few hours. Yes, a few hours, not days, hours to sign or shut down the government. Well, this time I did sign. But then, as I said in my State of the Union address, next time they do that, I won't. Well, today, Congress and our administration are working to keep that from happening again. I want to receive, by the beginning of the next fiscal year, October 1st, all the government's appropriation bills for the coming year, ones that I can sign. Our administration will put out all the stops on our end to see to it that this happens. And I happen to think there's a good chance it will happen. And if so, it'll be the first time that the nation's business has been finished on time since 1948. Well, the next president deserves better than this. The American people deserve better. The Liberals have been in control of both houses for 46 of the last 56 years. And this is what it's come to. My friends, it's time for a change. It's time to have a Congress that stands up and pays attention to the American people and their agenda, not to the agenda of the liberal special interests in Washington. And a great way to start is by sending more Republicans to the House of Representatives and Bo Bolter to the United States Senate. If there's one last issue, yes, it's more important than even all the other crucial matters we've already discussed. Ladies and gentlemen, just a few years ago, I wonder how many of us could really have believed then that so many of our fondest hopes and dreams for America could come true. And of all those things that have happened, how many of us could have imagined eight or even four years ago that one day a president of the United States would have an opportunity to stand as I did a few months ago there in the Lennon Hills at a podium at Moscow State University and tell the young people of the Soviet Union about the wonder and glory of human freedom. I was well received, but I was amazed later to discover not all the student body could fit into their auditorium. So they had seen that all who did were members of the Young Communist League. And yet, they seemed to respond pretty good to talking about individual freedom. But with the beginnings of change we've seen in the Eastern Bloc and with the development of concepts like the SDI that destroys weapons, not people. It's just possible that we have a chance now to end the two great nightmares of this century and give our children of future free of both totalitarianism and nuclear terror. We found out what works in foreign policy. We've demonstrated time and again that candid rhetoric, a strong defense, and tough diplomacy bring peace. But a great moment we have before us and oh how future generations will dishonor us if now in a moment of sudden folly we throw it all away. And this is what is now at stake. We must hold at this moment of hope and we must be allowed to complete that which we have begun. And when I say we, I mean you. You can determine the future of our nation and the world. That is what America means, a nation that is in your own hands. Think of how different you are and how much more privileged than so many of those Soviet college students that I addressed. Unless they get into and rise in the Communist Party and few ever do, they have little or no voice in how their nation is run. Not you. Not if you vote. There's no more precious right in the world. So take the world. Take history in your hands this November and join us in our crusade for a bright and shining future. For this bright and shining city on a hill we call America. I just want to point out to you one thing. All of you. Between the ages of 18 and 24 now constitute the biggest voting block in the country. But, surprisingly, you have the lowest voting percentage. Buttonhole others that may not have thought the same as you and tell them that you in that youthful age group can determine the future of the United States by how you cast your votes and the fact that you do cast votes. The late Will Rogers many years ago said the people in public office are no better or no worse than the people who send them there. But they're all better than those who don't vote at all. So get out there and register and vote. Yes, some say that it's time for a change. Well, let me just remind you we are the change. We started it eight years ago and we're going to continue it. If you do the right thing at the polls on November 8th and I think George Bush explained it correctly at the convention when he said people that tell you you should change horses in the middle of the stream will don't change to one that's going the opposite direction. I'm supposed to say a thank you and get off of here right now, but my people just are in terror of me because I have a new hobby. I collect stories that are told that I can prove are told by the Russian people among themselves and that kind of show the attitudes to their government. And I've been collecting them and so I'm going to leave you with one that I told to General Secretary Gorbachev. This story they have it is that an American and a Russian were arguing about their two countries and the Russian said I can pound the President's desk and say Mr. President I don't like the way you're running our country. And the Russian said I can do that. The American said you can. He said yes. I can go into the Kremlin to the General Secretary's office. I can pound his desk and say Mr. General Secretary I don't like the way President Reagan is running his country. Thank you all. God bless you all. President of our student body Mr. Phil Lakin and the President of our college Republicans Mr. Todd Sehe want to make you a presentation which will be a memento of your visit with us. Mr. Lakin Mr. Sehe Mr. President in appreciation of the leadership and guidance you provided not only for this great nation but also for this world I am honored to present this gift to you on behalf of the Baylor University student body. We want to say thank you for eight great years years that have been filled with peace, hope and prosperity. The back of this jacket says our Baylor Bear in the White House