 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Mr. President, honored guests and ladies and gentlemen, once again welcome to the University of Portland. We ask everyone to please join in welcoming and recognizing our very special guests who have arrived with the President. We ask that each stand be recognized. A warm welcome for the United States Congressman Denny Smith. I am proud to present to you the man who has walked with us and restored our faith in ourselves and our nation, the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. Thank you very much. Thank you. I hadn't thought about it, but you've taught me into it. Thank you very much. Governor, thank you for a very kind introduction and all of you for a warm welcome. You know what? You know what? I may just let Mondale raise his taxes. It's wonderful to be in Oregon, and it's wonderful to be in the city of Roses. And it's especially good to be at the University of Portland home of the mighty pilots. This unique new center is a tribute to the great spirit of volunteerism that's exemplified by the Child's Foundation. I want to thank you right off for sending such fine representatives to Washington. Senators Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood, Congressman Bob Smith and Denny Smith, who is with us here. They've all helped us so much, and we're hoping that they'll stay in Washington for a long time, and they need company, so we hope that you will send your fine candidates there to be with them. May I say you have one of the best governors in the country, in Vicatea. I feel very much at home here, partly because during the Republican Convention, one of your state officials offered to change the name of your state to Oregon. But I'm told that your city has had an interesting history with regard to names, that when the first settlers came, or here from the east, they saw its possibilities as a beautiful port. They cleared the area around here, cut down the trees, and made a Tomahawk claim of the area. And then they chose to call it their own, and one of the main settlers insisted the city be called Boston. Another insisted it be called Portland after Portland, Maine. And they settled it in a very gentlemanly manner. They flipped a coin. And so Portland was born. I'm involved as you probably have heard in kind of a contest now. It won't be settled by the toss of a coin. It'll be settled by the wisdom of good people like yourselves. As your governor told you, and I've been thinking too of what has been accomplished in these past four years and what we had to overcome to get where we are. And it reminded me that in 1862, Abe Lincoln gave us some enduring advice. Abe Lincoln said we must disenthrall ourselves with the past, and then we will save our country. Well, four years ago that's what we did. We made a great turn. We got out from under the thrall of a government which we had hoped would make our lives better, but which wound up living our lives for us. The power of the federal government had over the decades created great chaos, economic chaos, social chaos, international chaos. Our leaders were adrift, rudderless without a compass. And four years ago, we began to navigate by certain fixed principles. Our North Star was freedom and common sense with our constellation. We knew, we knew that economic freedom meant paying less than families' earnings to the government. And so we cut personal income tax rates by 25%. We knew that inflation, the quiet thief, was stealing our savings and the highest interest rate since the Civil War were making it impossible for people to own a home or start an enterprise. We knew that our national military defense had been weakened, so we decided to rebuild and be strong again. And this, we knew, would enhance the prospects for peace in the world. It was a second American revolution and it's only just begun. But what already has come of our efforts? A great renewal. America is back, a giant reemergent on the scene, powerful in its renewed spirits, powerful in its economy, powerful in the world economy and powerful in its ability to defend itself and secure the peace. But now, four years after our efforts began, small voices in the night are sounding the call to go back, go backward to the days of confusion and drift, the days of torpor, timidity and taxes. My opponent this year is known to you, but perhaps we can gain a greater insight into his leadership abilities and his philosophy if we take a look at his record. To begin with, his grasp of economics is well demonstrated by his economic predictions. Just before we took office, my opponent said our economic program is quote, obviously murderously inflationary. Now that was just before we lowered inflation from above 12% to 4%. Then, after our tax cuts, he said the most that he could see was an anemic recovery. And that was right before our economy created more than 6 million new jobs in 21 months and just before a record nearly 900,000 businesses were incorporated in less than a year and a half. Now, my opponent said that our policies would deliver a misery index, the likes of which we haven't seen because there was some truth in that. You know, you get the misery index by adding up the unemployment rate and the inflation rate. Now, they invented that for the 1976 campaign and they said that Jerry Ford had no right to seek reelection because his misery index was 12.6. Now, they didn't mention the misery index in the 1980 campaign because it had gone up to more than 20%. And they aren't talking too much about it in this campaign because it's down around 11%. Now, my opponent said the decontrol of oil prices would cost American consumers more than 36 billion dollars a year. Well, one of the first things we did was decontrol oil prices and the price of gas went down 8 cents a gallon and the prices are still headed down. Now, you know, it just occurred to me that maybe all we have to do to get the economy absolutely in perfect shape is to get my opponent to predict absolute disaster. I must say, though, he's learned some things. My opponent is concerned now about the deficit. But back during the Jerry Ford years he proposed that the deficit should be doubled because a deficit would stimulate the economy. Now, he says he cares about the middle class but he boasts, quote, I have consistently supported legislation time after time which increases taxes on my own constituents. Now, doesn't that make you just want to be a constituent of his? Now, he's no doubt proud of the fact that he voted 16 times as a United States Senator to increase taxes. This year, he's outdone himself. He's already promised, of course, to raise your taxes but if he's to keep all the promises that he's made to this group and that, he will have to raise taxes by the equivalent of $1,890 for every household in the United States. That's more than $150 a month. It's like having a second mortgage. And after the Mondale mortgage, we'd be sure to have more than a few foreclosures. His economic plan his economic you know, I know I'm no concert baritone so I know those can't be an echo of my voice. Okay. His his economic plan has two basic parts. Two, raise your taxes and then raise them again. But I've got news for him. The American people don't want his tax increases and he isn't going to get his tax increase. His tax plan would bring our recovery to a roaring stop but I'll give it this his say you know, isn't that now there's a perfect example of where we solid citizens are caught between the right and the left but I'll tell you, I got one idea from my opponent if I could find a way to dress up in his tax program I could go out on Halloween and scare the devil out of all the neighbors but he sees in America in which every day is tax day April 15th we see in America in which every day is independence day the 4th of July what we want and what we're trying to plan to do is to lower yours and everybody's taxes so that your families will be stronger our economy will be stronger and America will be stronger but I'm not finished here I'm proud to say that during these last four years not one square inch of territory has been lost to the communist nations and the the United States is more secure than we were four years ago yet there's so much more to say about my opponent his grasp of foreign affairs is demonstrated by the following sometime back he said the old days of a soviet strategy of suppression by force are over that was just before the soviets invaded Czechoslovakia and after they invaded Afghanistan he said it just baffles me why the soviets these last few years have behaved as they have but then there's so much that baffles him one one year ago we liberated Grenada from communist thugs and my my opponent called what we did a violation of international law that erodes our moral authority to criticize the soviet invasion of Afghanistan well I will say this his administration did meet out some strong punishment after Afghanistan unfortunately they didn't punish the soviets they punished the American farmers my my opponent supported the green embargo and spoke out for it often he even questioned the patriotism of a senator from his own party when that senator called that embargo just what it was unworkable and unfair but now he seems to have changed his tune he says he privately opposed the embargo very privately as a matter of fact he has in the last several months claimed that he opposed a number of the administration policies when he was vice president he was a real thorn in their side but as Jody Powell who was also a member of that administration said yes, I was out of the room every time it happened and after the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua he praised it saying and I quote wins of democratic progress are stirring where they have long been stifled but we know that the Sandinistas immediately began to persecute the genuine believers in democracy into export terror they went on to slaughter the mosquito Indians abuse and deport abuse and deport church leaders slam to the pole practice anti-semitism and move to kill free speech so why is it my opponent speaking out now more recently he failed to repudiate the Reverend Jesse Jackson when he went to Havana stood with Fidel Castro and cried long live Cuba long live president Fidel Castro long live Che Guevara I could say of his economic program that he will either have to break his promises or break the bank but I won't say it because Senator John Glenn, a Democrat has already said that I could call his economic program a collection of old and tired ideas held together by paralyzing commitments to special interest groups but I won't say that because Senator Gary Hart, a Democrat has already said that I could predict that he will create deficits more than twice what they are now but I won't I won't say that because Fritz Hollings, a Democrat has already said that now if on political issues my opponent dares to be wrong on domestic policy issues he has the courage to be cautious a line item veto would help control wild government spending and end some of the port veriling that goes on I I had a line item veto as governor of California your governor has a line item veto 42 other governors in this country have line item vetoes but my opponent says that's not part of the liberal agenda so a line item veto will not be used to help that wild spending he has long opposed enterprise zones this was a program we introduced to help the most economically troubled neighborhoods like some in our great inner cities it was to use tax incentives and to stimulate the economy in those areas and he's opposed that but then a few weeks ago he said that now he's for them well if he's for them why doesn't he ask Tip O'Neill to get out of the way and loose the program that's been buried in a committee in the house for over a year changed signals a little bit this month an American woman walked in space Catherine Sullivan made history and then she returned to a space shuttle in which some of the great scientific and medical advances of the future will be made already we're learning that it's possible where it looks possible that we're going to have cures for diabetes and heart disease that are be able to develop them up there in the shuttle advances in technology and communication that's why I support the space shuttle but my opponent personally led the fight in the Senate against having the shuttle program at all and he called it a horrible waste the truth is my opponent's campaign were at a television show would be called let's make a deal you'd get to trade your prosperity for the surprise behind the curtain now if his campaign were a Broadway show it would be called promises promises and if the administration of which he has been a part were a novel you'd have to read it from back to front to get a happy ending now say something that a few here at least will agree with I've probably been going on too long let the but the point is we were right when we made our great turn in 1980 we were right to take command of the ship to stop its aimless drift and get moving again and we were right when we stopped sending out SOS and started saying USA let me say here that the 1984 election isn't just a partisan contest I was a democrat once for the better part of my life for a long time and I also respected that party but in those days its leaders weren't the blame America first crowd its leaders were men like Harry Truman men who understood the challenges of our times they didn't reserve all their indignation for America they knew the difference between freedom and tyranny and they stood up for the one and damned the other to all the good democrats and I know and I hope certainly and I'm sure I know there are many people that are not wrong you you are not alone and not without a hope we're we're putting out our hands and we're asking you to come walk with us down the new path of hope and opportunity together in a bipartisan move can go forward with what has been started in this country and to all of you young people nothing has touched me more than your support your enthusiasm your patriotism you you are what this election is all about and it's your future that we care so much about and I've seen enough to know that your generation is really something special you're you're something pretty new on the scene your idealism and your love of your country are unsurpassed and I consider it you know I got interrupted on the debate when I was trying to talk about this same subject I'm going to finish it this time I consider it our highest duty and when I say that I'm talking about my generation my generation and a few generations in between mine and yours it is our duty to make certain that you have America that is every bit as full of opportunity hope and confidence and dreams as we had when we were born into this America and when we grew up taking for granted that this country was a place of hope and opportunity a place where you could dream and then make your dreams come true and we must see all of us together that that is what America is going to be continue to be and that's the America we will turn over to you when it is your turn I'll tell you a secret if the capital was on the West Coast I'd go for 40 America will never stop it will never give up its mission its special mission never there are new worlds on the horizon and we're not going to stop until we get them all together and America's best days are yet to come and I know I know it galls my opponents but you ain't seen nothing thank you very much for your support thank you all and God bless all of you expect me to follow an act like that it's tough but on the behalf of the students here at the University of Portland Wally Pilot our official mascot and I as your official spokesman would like to present President Reagan with an official University of Portland jacket let's hear it for Ronald Reagan really touched a nerve my high school colors were purple and white