thank you.

thank you. thank you very much. after. that. thank you. thank.

thank you very much. well. we're using prime time. thank very much. thank you very much much. thank you. thank you very.

thank. you are singing. you're singing our song. oh. thought. oh, well, the first thrill tonight was to find myself for the first time in a long time in a movie on prime time time. but this is can imagine is the second big thrill mr. chairman. mr. vice president, to be this convention, my fellow citizens of this great nation with a deep

awareness of the responsibility conferred by your trust. i your nomination for presidency of the united states, which. i. i do so with gratitude. and i think also i might interject, on behalf of all of us, our thanks to detroit and the people of michigan and of this city for the warm hospitality given just.

and i thank you for your wholehearted response to my recommendation regard to george bush as the candidate for vice. i'm very proud of our party tonight. this convention has shown to all america a party united with positive programs solving the nation's problems. a party ready to build a new consensus with all across the land who share a of values embodied these words family work, neighborhood, peace and freedom.

now, i know that we've had we've had a quarrel or two, but it only has to the method of attaining a goal. there was no argument here about the goal as president, i will establish a liaison. the 50 governors, to encourage them, eliminate wherever it exists, discrimination against. i will. i will monitor laws to ensure their implement and to add statutes if they are needed more than more than anything else. i want my candidate to unify our country, to renew the american spirit and sense of purpose. i want to carry our message to. every american, regardless of party affiliation, who is a

member of this community, of shared values. never before in our history have americans been called upon to face three grave threats to our very. any one of which could destroy us. we face a disintegrating economy, a weakened defense and an energy policy based on the of scarcity. the major issue of this is the direct political, personal, moral responsibility of democratic party leadership in the white house and in the congress for this unprecedented calamity which has befallen us each. and. they tell us they've done the most that could humanly be done. they say that the united states has had its day in the sun, that our nation has passed its

zenith. they expect you tell your children that the america people no longer have the will to cope with their problems, that the future will be one of sacrifice based on few opportune cities. my fellow citizens, i utterly reject that. the american people, the american, the most generous on earth who created the higher standard living are not going accept the notion that we can only make a better world for others by moving backward. and those believe we can have no business leading this nation. i will not stand and watch this

great country destroy itself under mediocre leadership that drifts when one crisis to the next, eroding our national will and purpose. we have come together here because the american people deserve better from those to whom they our nation's highest offices. and we stand united. we stand united in our resolve to do something about it. we need a rebirth. the american tradition of leadership at every level of government and in private life as. well. the united states. america is unique in world history because it has a genius for leaders. many leaders, many levels. but back in 1976, mr. carter said, trust me and a lot of people did. and now many of those people out of work. many have seen their savings eaten away by inflation.

many others on fixed income, especially the elderly, have watched helplessly as the cruel tax of inflation away their purchasing power. and today, a great many who trusted mr. carter wonder if we can survive of the carter policies of national. trust me government asks that we concentrate hopes and dreams on one man that trust him to do what's best for. what my view? government places trust not in one person or one party. but in those values that transcend persons and parties that each. a trust where it belongs in the people, the responsibility to live up to that trust is where it belongs in their elected leaders. that kind of relationship

between the people and their elected leaders is special, kind of compact. 360 years ago in 1620, a group families dared to cross a mighty ocean to build a future for themselves in a new world. when they arrived at plymouth, massachusetts, they formed what they called compact, an agreement among themselves to build a community and abide by its laws. this single act, the voluntary binding together of free people to live under the law, set the pattern for what was to come. a century and a half later, the descendants. those people pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to found this nation. some forfeited their fortunes and their lives. none sacrificed. or or scorn.

seven years later. abraham lincoln called upon the people of all america renew their dedication and commitment to a government of, for, and by the people. isn't it once time to renew our compact of freedom? the pledge to each other. the pledge each other. all that is best in our lives. all that gives meaning to them for the sake of this, our beloved and blessed land. together, let us make this a new. let us make a commitment to care for the needy. to teach our children the virtues handed down us by our families. to have the courage to defend those values and virtues of the willingness to sacrifice for them. let us pledge restore in our time the american spirit of voluntary service, of cooperation, of private and community initiative, a spirit

that flows like a deep and mighty river through the history of our nation. as your nominee, i pledge to you to restore. to the federal government. the capacity to do the people's work without dominating their. i pledge to you. i pledge to you. a government that will not only work well but wisely. my first act as chief executive will be to impose an immediate and thorough freeze on federal hiring. and. then we are going to enlist the very minds from business, labor

and whatever, whatever quarter to conduct a detailed review of every department, bureau and agency their lives by federal appropriate. and we are going to enlist the help and idea of many dedicated and working government employees that levels who want a more government just much as the rest of us do. i. i know that of them are demoralized. the confusion and waste they confront in work as a result of failed and failing policies. our instructions to the groups we enlist will be simple and direct. we will remind them that government programs exist at the sufferance of the american and are paid with money earned by

working men and women and programs that represent a waste of their money, a theft from their pocketbooks must have that waste eliminated. that program must go. it must go by executive order, where possible. by congressional action, where necessary. everything that can be run more effectively by state and local government. we shall turn over to state and government along. along with our funding sources to pay for it. we are going to put an end to the money merry go round where our money becomes washington's, money to be spent by states and cities exactly the way the federal bureaucrat tell us it

has to be spent. i will not accept. the excuse that. the federal government has grown so big and powerful that it is beyond control of any president, any or congress. we are going to put an end to the notion that the american taxpayer to fund the federal government. the federal government the federal exists to serve the american people.

and. i on january 20th, we are going to reestablish that truth. also on that date, we are going to initiate action to get substantial relief. our taxpaying citizens and action to put back to work. none of this none of this will be based any new form of monetary tinkering or fiscal sleight of hand. will simply apply to government. the common sense that we all use in our daily lives. work, work and family are at the center of our lives. the foundation of our dignity as a free people. when we deprive people of what they've earned or take away their jobs, we destroy dignity and undermine their families. we can't support families unless

there are jobs. and we can't have jobs unless people have both money to invest and the faith to invest it. the american people are carrying the heaviest peacetime tax burden in our nation's history, and it will grow heavier under present law next january. we are taxing ourselves into exhaustion and stagnation, crushing our ability and incentive to save, invest and produce. this must stop. we must halt this fiscal self-destruct and then restore sanity to our economic system. i have long advocated 30% reduction in income rates over a period of three years. this tax reduction.

this phased tax reduction would begin with a 10% down payment tax cut in 1981, which the republican in congress and i have already proposed a phased reduction of tax rates would go a long way toward easing the heavy burden on the american people. but we shouldn't stop there. within the context of economic conditions and appropriate priorities during. each fiscal year of my presidency, i would strive to go further. this would include improvement in business depreciation taxes so we can stimulate in order to get plants equipment replaced. but more americans back to work and put our nation on the road to being competitive world commerce. we will also work to reduce the cost of government as a

percentage of our gross national product. the. the first task of national leadership is to set realistic and honest priorities in our and our budget. and pledge that my administration will do that. when i talk of tax cuts, i'm reminded that every tax cut in this century has strengthened the economy, generated renewed productivity and ended up yielding new revenues for the government by creating new investment jobs and more commerce among our. the president administration. the president administration has been forced us republicans to play follow the leader with regard to a tax cut. but in this election year, we must take with the proverbial grain of salt any tax cut proposed by those who have already given us the greatest

tax increase in our nation's. and those when those in leadership give us tax and tell us we must also do with less. have they thought about those who have always had less, especially the minorities. this is like telling them that just as they step on that first rung of the ladder of opportunity, the ladder is being pulled out from under them. that may be democratic leadership's message to the minority but it won't be our message. our ours will be we have to move ahead. but not going to leave anyone behind behind.

and thanks to economic policies of the party, millions of americans find themselves out of work. millions more have never even had a fair chance to learn new skills, a decent job, or secure for themselves and their families. a process. a share in the prosperity of this nation. it's time. put america back to work to make our cities and towns make our cities and towns resound with the confident voices of men and women of all races, nationalities and faiths, bringing home to their families a paycheck they can cash for honest money. and for those without skills. we'll find a way to help them get skills for those without jobs. opportunities will stimulate new opportunity, particularly in the inner cities where they live. for those who abandon hope will

restore hope and will welcome them into a great national to make america great again. when we move from affairs and cast our eyes abroad, we see an equally sorry in the record of the present administration. a soviet combat trained in cuba just 90 miles from our shores. a soviet army of invasion. afghanistan further threatening vital interests in the middle east. america's defense strength is at its lowest ebb in a generation while. the soviet union is vastly outspending us in both strategic and conventional arms. our european allies, looking nervously at the growing menace from the east, turned to us for leadership and failed to find it. and incredibly, more than 50, as you've been told sum this platform so eloquently already.

more than 50 of our fellow americans have held captive for over eight years. eight months by a dictator. horrible foreign power that holds us up to ridicule before the world. adversaries large and small test our will and seek to confound, resolve. but we are weakness when we need strength vacillation. when the times demand firmness. the carter lives in a world of make believe every day, drawing up a response for that day's problems. troubles, regardless of what happened yesterday and what will happen tomorrow. but you and i live in a real world where disasters are overtaking our nation without any real response from. this is make believe self deceit and above transparent hypocrisy. for example. mr. mr.

carter. he supports the volunteer army, but he lets military pay benefits slip so low that many of our enlisted personnel are actually eligible for food stamps. re-enlistment rates drop. and just recently, after he fought all week again a proposed pay increase for our men and women in the military. he then a helicopter ride out to the carrier the uss nimitz which was returning from long months of duty in the indian and told the crew of that ship that he advocated better pay for them and, their comrades. where does he stand now that he's back on shore. palo. i'll tell you where i stand. i do not favor a peacetime draft or registry, but.

but i do favor pay and benefit levels that will attract and keep highly motivated men and women in our volunteer forces. such. an. and back them up with an active reserve, trained and ready for an instant in case of emergency. you know. there may be a sailor. the helm of the ship of state, but the ship has no rudder. critical, critical decision. these are made at times almost in cosmic fashion. but who can laugh? who was not embarrassed when the administration handed a major propaganda victory? the united nations to the enemies of israel, our staunch

middle east ally, three decades and then claim that the american vote was a mistake the result of a failure of communique line between the president, his secretary of state and his u.n. ambassador, who does not feel a growing sense of unease as our allies facing repeated instances of an amateurish in can and confused administration, reluctantly conclude that america is unwilling or unable to fulfill its obligations as leader. the free world who not feel rising alarm when the question in any discussion of foreign policy is no longer should we do something? but do we have the capacity to do anything? they. the administration which has brought us to this state, is seeking your endorsement. four more years of indecision

media parody and incompetence. no, no, no. americans should vote until he or she asked, is the united states stronger and more respected now than it was three and a half years ago ago? is the world safer a safer place in which to live? it is the it is the respon stability of the president of the united states in working for peace, to ensure the safety of our people cannot successfully be threatened by a hostile foreign power. as president, fulfilling that responsibility will be my number one priority. we we're not a war like people. quite the opposite.

we always seek to live in peace. we resort to force infrequently and with great reluctance and only after we've determined that it's absolutely necessary. we are on, and rightly so, by the forces of destruction and loose in the world in its era. but neither can we be naive or foolish. four times in my lifetime, america has to war bleeding the lives of its young men into the sands of ireland. beachheads the fields of europe, and the jungles and rice paddies of. asia. we know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong. it is when they are weak that tyrants are tempted. we simply cannot learn lessons the hard way again without risking our destruction.

of all. of all, of all the objectives seek first and foremost is the establishment of lasting world peace. we must always stand ready to negotiate, in good faith, ready to pursue any reasonable avenue that holds for it, the promise of lessening tensions and the prospects of peace. but let our friends and those who may wish us ill take note. the united states has obligation to its citizens and to the people of the world. never to let those who would destroy freedom dictate the future course of life on this planet.

i would regard i would regard my election as proof that we have renewed our resolve to preserve world peace and freedom that this nation will once again be strong enough to do that. now, this evening, this evening marks the last step. save one of a campaign that has taken nancy and me from one end of this great nation to the other over many months and thousands. and thousands of miles. there are those who question the way we choose a president to say that our process imposes difficult, exhausting burdens on those who seek office. i have not found it so it is. it is. it's impossible. capture in words the splendor of

this vast continent, which god has granted as portion of his creation. there are no words to express the extraordinary strength and character of this breed of people we call america everywhere. everywhere. we've met thousands of democrats in and republicans from all economic conditions, all walks of bound together in that community of shared values, of family, work, neighborhood peace and freedom. they are concerned. yes. they are not frightened. they're disturbed, but not. they are the kind men and women tom paine had in mind when he wrote during the darkest days of the american revolution. we have it in our power to begin the world over again.

narrowly, narrowly, 150 years after tom paine wrote those words, an american president told, the generation of the great depression, that it had a rendezvous with destiny. i believe this generation of americans today also has a rendezvous. destiny. and i. tonight let us dedicate ourselves to renewing the american compact. i ask you not simply to me, but to trust values. our values and to hold me responsible for living up to them. i ask you to trust that american spirit which knows no ethnic religious, social, political, regional or boundaries. a spirit that burned with zeal

in the hearts of millions of immigrants from every corner of the earth who came here in search of freedom. some say that spirit longer exists, but i have it. i felt it all across this land in big cities, the small towns and in rural america. it's still there, ready to blaze into life. if you and i are willing to do what has to be done done. we we have to do the practical thing, the down to earth thing, such as creating policies that will stimulate our economy, increase productivity and put america back to work. the time is now to limit federal spending, to insist on a stable monetary reform, and to free ourselves from imported oil. a time.

the time is now to resolve that the basis of a firm and principled foreign policy is one that takes the world as it is and seeks to change it by leadership and example, not by haranguing, harassment or wishful. the time now is now. the time now to say that we shall seek new friendship and expand others and improve others. but we shall not do so by breaking our word or casting aside friends and allies. and that time is now to redeem promises made to the american people by another candidate. in another time and another place, he said.

for three long years. i have been going up and down this country preaching. that government, federal, state and local cause too much. i shall not stop that preaching as an immediate program of action, we must abolish useful, useless offices. we must eliminate unnecessary functions of government. we must consolidate subdivisions of government. and like the private citizen, give up luxuries which we can no longer afford. and then he said, i propose to you, my friends, and through you that of all kinds, big and little, be made solvent and the example be set by. the president of the united states and his cabinet, end of quote. that was franklin delano roosevelt's words as he accepted the democratic nomination president in 1932. that time. that time is now.

my fellow, to recapture our destiny, to take it into our own hands. and to do this will take away many of us, or will take many of us working together. i ask you tonight, all over this land to volunteer your help in this cause so that we can carry our message throughout the land. isn't it time that we, the people, carry out those unpaid promises that we pledge to each other and to all america on this july day? 48 years later that now we intend to do just that. i, i have. i have thought of something

that's not a part of my speech and worried over whether i should do it. can we doubt that? only a divine providence place, this land, this island, freedom here is a refuge for all those people in the world who yearn to breathe free -- and christians persecution behind the iron curtain, the boat people of southeast asia, of cuba, of haiti, the victims of drought and famine in africa. the freedom fighters in and our own held in savage captivity captivity. i'll confess that i've been a little afraid to suggest what i'm going to suggest. i'm more not to. can we begin our crusade. join together in a moment of silent prayer prayer.

god bless america. and.

help. us all.