 My fellow Americans, Nancy and I hope you and your family are enjoying this holiday season. This is a time of two religious observances which go to the heart of America's Judeo-Christian heritage, Christmas and Hanukkah. This is also a traditional time of merriment and good cheer, a time of family and home and of Christmas trees and gift-giving. That spirit of generosity that is so evident during the holiday season is something we've tried to foster during the past seven years of this administration. Here at the White House we call it the Private Sector Initiative Program. You probably think of it as good old-fashioned Americanism, neighbor helping neighbor. One of the opportunities my current job affords me is having the access to information that gives me a broad picture of what is happening throughout our country. There is always much to improve, but I can assure you that the spirit of good will and benevolence, an aspect of our national character, recognized since the early days of our republic remains a vibrant part of the American way of life. You may be surprised to learn, for example, that since 1980, charitable giving in the United States has increased 77% from 49.08 billion to 87.22 billion dollars in 1986. I don't think there's any better gauge for the soul of a nation or the essential goodness of a people than an accounting of their personal involvement in helping others, either through donations of money or time. And volunteerism is still a strong force in communities throughout our country. The stories are as numerous as they are heartwarming. One of them is about an engineer from Vicksburg, Mississippi named Bob Carver. For five years straight, Bob spent the holiday season driving a truck to raise money for the Salvation Army. To date, he has raised over $20,000, which has bought Christmas toys and food for the needy, sent children to summer camp, and helped pay the utility bills for the elderly. Bob uses his annual leave to haul cargo for his tractor-trailer rig, which is affectionately known as the Santa Express. The profits go to helping others. God bless you, Bob. Then there's Ruth Haywood of Casa Grande, Arizona, a single woman, 74 years old, living only on her pension benefits. Even though her own financial resources are limited, she overflows with love and is dedicated to helping others. Each year, she spearheads a local effort to provide the needy and the poor in spirit a festive thanksgiving and Christmas celebration. Ruth provides the energy and the inspiration. As the holiday season approaches, she visits grocers all over town to solicit donations of food, plates, and utensils. She coordinates transportation and arranges meals to be delivered to the homebound. She also hand writes hundreds of invitations and personally gives them to the less fortunate citizens of her community. Every year, people who thought they were unloved and forgotten are shown that people do care. The people of Casa Grande are proud of Ruth. We can all be proud of her. I recently received a letter from David Rale of Baldinab, Arkansas, telling me about how with hard work and private and corporate donations, he is able to place Santa to hundreds of needy families. His yearly project makes a lot of kids happy who otherwise might face a bleak holiday. David, who teaches at a local elementary school, added in his letter, perhaps you're not too interested in something this small, but small things add up to big things. Well, I happen to believe that it is the small things, the little acts of love and kindness happening every day across this country that make us a great nation. Yes, small things add up to big things. This country can be no greater than the goodness of its people. Most of us know someone like Bob Carver, Ruth Haywood, or David Rale, down deep who cannot but respect such heroes. I'd like to think there's a little of them in each and every American. Certainly from our earliest days, we weren't waiting for the government or depending on the bureaucracy before we helped each other. President Thomas Jefferson once wrote, I deem it the duty of every man to devote a certain portion of his income for charitable purposes and that it is his further duty to see it so applied as to do the most good of which it is capable. Helping others is just our way, part of our national character. Perhaps it reflects that we as a people not only enjoy this holiday every year as a time off from work, but also take to heart the spiritual meaning of Christmas and Hanukkah. Finally, Nancy and I want to wish each of you our very best wishes for the new year. Until next week, thanks for listening and God bless you. Cut. My fellow Americans, this is the first time I will have spoken to you in 1988. So let me begin by saying very simply what your friends and neighbors would have said to you already. Happy New Year. And as Americans, we do indeed have much to be happy about as this new year commences. Our nation is at peace. Our economy is growing with new jobs being created at the rate of more than 200,000 a month. But of course, there's still much to be done. Join me then in considering some of the issues that we'll be facing as 1988 gets underway. The first matter I want to mention is one already before the Congress, the confirmation of Judge Anthony Kennedy to a seat on the Supreme Court. The Senate hearings on Judge Kennedy have already taken place. You may have seen portions of the hearings on television. He made clear his belief that it's a judge's job to interpret the law, not make it. And on an issue that affects every American, crime, Judge Kennedy's testimony and record are clear. Judges must respect the rights of the accused, but they must also keep firmly in mind the rights of crime victims and of society itself. The Supreme Court has been one just a short for many months now. So I urge the Senate to confirm Judge Kennedy with all due speed. The next item I want to discuss with you is one that touches on my recent summit meeting with General Secretary Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. You'll remember that Mr. Gorbachev and I signed a treaty on the first day of that summit, and now our administration will forward that treaty to the Senate for its advice and consent. You'll hear me speak more about this treaty, the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, in the days ahead. For now, let me just say this. Under this treaty, for the first time in history, an entire class of US and Soviet nuclear missiles will be eliminated. The Soviets will be forced to destroy four times as many deployed warheads as will we. And the verification procedures in the treaty are the most stringent in the history of arms control negotiations. What does this add up to? A good deal for the United States and our allies, and a step toward a more secure peace for all the world. I welcome the hearings the Senate will hold on this treaty. Yet, here again, I urge the Senate to move forward on ratification. Next, the economy. I don't want to delve into ancient history as this new year begins, but it's important to keep in mind what the economy our administration inherited some seven years ago was like. Double digit inflation, the highest interest rates since the Civil War, rising unemployment. Our economic program changed all that and changed it so dramatically that today, America has completed its 61st month of economic growth with low inflation. And just what was our economic program? We cut the number of government regulations and slowed the rate of growth of government itself. But most important, we reformed the tax code and cut individual income tax rates, restoring incentives for hard work, risk taking, and innovation. In an hour, I'll be signing the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement, a truly historic pact that will create more jobs and lower prices for consumers on both sides of the border. It is a win-win situation for both countries. Even more importantly, the agreement is an example of the market opening steps the entire world should be pursuing and which the United States will push in the new Uruguay round of the GATT. Protectionist measures, some of which are in the trade bills passed by the House and Senate, are backward-looking, not forward-looking. Finally, of course, 1988 is an election year, a year in which we'll choose new officials at all levels, and yes, a new president. To tell you the truth, I've always loved election years, the rallies, the excitement, all of it so American. But more than the excitement, something of immense importance will be taking place. For this year, we'll be taking stock of ourselves as a nation and deciding in a free and peaceful democratic election that is still the marvel of much of the world, where our highest hopes and dreams will lead us. Yes, in 1988, the 212th year of our independence and the 201st of our Constitution, ours remains a free nation truly ruled by we the people. Until next week, thanks for listening and God bless you.