The Great Communicator Vol 3: Reagan on Government & the Economy
The Great Communicator Vol 3: Reagan on Government & the Economy
Edited compilation of speeches made by Ronald Reagan during his Presidency - Economy, Government
The Great Communicator Vol 3: Reagan on Government & the Economy
Jan 20, 1983 Excerpt from Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session With Reporters on the Second Anniversary of the Inauguration of the President. Ronald Reagan commends the way he's helped turn the economy around. "But now let's look ahead for a moment as we enter our third year. I see an American economy and an America on the mend. Nearly every economic indicator shows us heading into recovery. The same economists who were arguing a few months ago about how much worse the economy would get are now arguing how strong the recovery is going to be."
The Great Communicator Vol 3: Reagan on Government & the Economy
Feb 18, 1983 Excerpt from Remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference Dinner. Ronald Reagan talks about the "quiet revolution" of the early 1980's and its political philosophy. "Now, I'm the first to acknowledge that there's a good deal left unfinished on the conservative agenda. Our cleanup crew will need more than 2 years to deal with the mess left by others for over half a century. But I'm not disheartened. In fact, my attitude about that unfinished agenda isn't very different from that expressed in an anecdote about one of my favorite Presidents, Calvin Coolidge. [Laughter] Some of you may know that after Cal Coolidge was introduced to the sport of fishing by his Secret Service detail, it got to be quite a passion with him, if you can use that word about ``Silent Cal.'' [Laughter] Anyway, he was once asked by reporters how many fish were in one of his favorite angling places, the River Brule. And Coolidge said the waters were estimated to carry 45,000 trout. And then he said, ``I haven't caught them all yet, but I sure have intimidated them.'' [Laughter] Well, it's true we haven't brought about every change important to the conscience of a conservative, but we conservatives can take a great deal of honest pride in what we have achieved." edit "... our political philosophy is at the heart of the new political consensus that emerged in America at the beginning of this decade, one that I believe all -- well, I believe it will dominate American politics for many decades. The economic disasters brought about by too much government were the catalysts for this consensus. During the seventies, the American people began to see misdirected, overgrown government as the source of many of our social problems - not the solution. This new consensus has a view of government that's essentially that of our Founding Fathers - that government is the servant, not the master; that it was meant to maintain order, to protect our nation's safety, but otherwise, in the words of that noted political philosopher, schnozzle Jimmy Durante, ``Don't put no constrictions on da people. Leave 'em da heck alone.'' [Laughter] The overriding goal during the past 2 years has been to give the government back to the American people, to make it responsive again to their wishes and desires, to do more than bring about a healthy economy or a growing gross national product. We've truly brought about a quiet revolution in American Government."
The Great Communicator Vol 3: Reagan on Government & the Economy
Jan 25, 1984. Excerpt from Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union. Ronald Reagan, "But we know that many of our fellow countrymen are still out of work, wondering what will come of their hopes and dreams. Can we love America and not reach out to tell them: You are not forgotten; we will not rest until each of you can reach as high as your God-given talents will take you. The heart of America is strong; it's good and true. The cynics were wrong; America never was a sick society. We're seeing rededication to bedrock values of faith, family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom... " edit "Let us unite tonight behind four great goals to keep America free, secure, and at peace in the eighties together. We can ensure steady economic growth. We can develop America's next frontier. We can strengthen our traditional values. And we can build a meaningful peace to protect our loved ones and this shining star of faith that has guided millions from tyranny to the safe harbor of freedom, progress, and hope. Doing these things will open wider the gates of opportunity, provide greater security for all, with no barriers of bigotry or discrimination. The key to a dynamic decade is vigorous economic growth, our first great goal. We might well begin with common sense in Federal budgeting: government spending no more than government takes in. We must bring Federal deficits down. But how we do that makes all the difference. We can begin by limiting the size and scope of government." Elicits cheers; good C/A of House Chamber applauding.
The Great Communicator Vol 3: Reagan on Government & the Economy
Jan 20, 1984. Excerpt from Remarks to the Reagan Administration Executive Forum. Ronald Reagan, Most government programs are well intentioned, and they serve a purpose. And it isn't necessary to eliminate some of government's legitimate functions in order to bring down government spending. What we came here to do, we must remind ourselves and remind those others in and out of government, is to run all those programs efficiently and more economically than they have ever been run before. And it can be done."