Youre singing our song. For the first thrill tonight, it was to find myself for the first time in a long time in a movie on prime time. But this as you 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 why are trust, i accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. I do so with deep gratitude and i think also i might interject on behalf of all of us, our thanks to detroit and the people of michigan and this city for the warm hospitality weve enjoyed. And i thank you for your wholehearted response to my recommendations with regard to george bush, the candidate for Vice President. I am very proud of our party tonight. This convention has shown to all america a party united with positive programs for solving a nations programs. A party to build a new consensus for those across the land who share a community of values embodied in these words. Family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom. Now, i know that weve had a quarrel or two. But only as to the method of obtaining a goal. There was no argument here about the goal. As president , i will establish a liaison with the 50 governors to encourage them to eliminate wherever it exists discrimination against women. I will monitor federal laws to ensure their implementation and to add statutes if they are needed. More than anything else, i want my candidacy to unify the 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 existence. Any one of which could destroy us. We face a disintegrating economy, a weakened defense, and an Energy Policy based on the sharing of scarcity. The major issue of this campaign is the direct political, personal and moral responsibility of Democratic Party leadership in the white house and in the congress for this unprecedented calamity which has befallen us. They tell us, theyve done the most that could humans be done. They say the United States has had its day in the sun. That our nation has passed its zenith. They expect you to tell your xharn the American People no longer have the will to cope with their problems. That the future will be one of sacrifice and few opportunities. My fellow citizens, i utterly reject that view. The American People, the most generous on earth, who created the highest standard of living, are not going to accept the notion that we can only make a better world for others by moving backward ourselves. And those who believe we can have no business leading this nation. I will not stand by and watch this great country destroy itself under mediocre leadership that grifts one crisis to the next, eroding our national will and purpose. We have come together because the American People deserve better from those to whom they entrust our nations highest offices. And we stand united. We stand united in our resolve to do something about it. We need a rebirth of leadership at every level of government and in private life as well. The United States of america is unique in world history. It has a genius for leaders. Many leaders on many levels. But back in 1976, mr. Carter said, trust me. And a lot of people did. And now many of those people are out of work. Many have seen their savings eaten away by inflation. Others on fixed incomes, especially the elderly, have watched as the cruel tax of inflation wasted away their purchasing power. Today a great many who trusted mr. Carter wonder if we can survive the carter policies of national defense. Trust me Government Asks that we concentrate our hopes and dreams on one man. That we trust him to do whats best for us. My view of government places trust not in one person or one party. But in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs in the people. It is where it belongs in the elected leaders. That is a special kind of compact. 360 years ago in 1620, a group of families dared to cruise mighty ocean to build a future for themselves in a new world. When they arrived at plymouth, massachusetts, they formed what they called a compact. An agreement among themselves to build a community and divide by its laws. This single act, the volunteer binding together of free people thel live under the law, set th pattern for what was to come. A century and a half later, the descendants of those people pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to found this nation some of the forfeit ee eed their fortunes a their lives. None sacrificed honor. Four score and seven years later, president lincoln called on all americans to renew their commitment to a government of, for and by the people. Isnt it once again time to renew our compact of freedom . The pledge to each other all that is best in our lives. All that gives meaning to them for the sake of this beloved and blessed land. Together, let us make this a new beginning. Let us make a commitment to care for the needy. To teach our children the virtues handed down to us by our families, to have the courage to defend those values and virtues of the willingness to sacrifice for them. Let us pledge to restore in our time the american spirit of voluntary service, of cooperation, of private and community initiative, of 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 peoples work without dominating their lives. I pledge to you [ applause ] the i pledge to you a government that will not only work well but wisely. Its ability to act tempered by prudence and its willingness to do good balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us. You know, the first republican president once said, while the people retain their virtue and their vigilance, no administration by any extreme of wickedness or folly can seriously injure the government in the short space of four years. If mr. Lincoln could see what has happened in the last three and a half years, he might hedge a little in that statement. But with the virtues of the legacy of a free people, we still have time use our renewed compact to overcome the injuries that have been done to nerk last three and a half years. First, we must overcome something the present administration has cooked up. A new and altogether indigestible economic stew. One part inflation, one part high unemployment, one part recession, one part runaway taxes, one part deficit spending, sceniced with an energy crisis. It is an economic stew that has turned the national stomach. Ours are not problems of abstract economic theory. These are problems of flesh and blood, problems cause pain and destroy the moral identifiabler of real people who should not suffer the further indignity of being told by the government that it is all somehow their fault. We do not have inflation because as mr. Carter says weve lived too well. The head of a government that has refused to live within its means and has in the last few days said this coming deficit will be 60 billion, dares to point the finger of blame at business and labor, both of which have been engaged in a losing struggle just trying to stay even. High taxes, we are told, are somehow good for us. As if when government spends our money it isnt inflationary but when we spent it, it is. Those who preside over the worst Energy Shortage in our history tell us to uses less so well run out of oil, gasoline and natural gas a little more slowly. Well, now, conservation is desirable, of course. We mustnt waste energy. But conserbation is not the sole answer to our energy needs. America must get to work producing more energy. The Republican Program for solving economic problems is based on growth and productivity. Large amounts of oil and natural gas lay beneath our land and off our shores untouched because the present administration seems to believe the American People would rather see more regulation, more taxes and more controls than more energy. Coal offers a great potential. So does Nuclear Energy produced under rigorous safety standards. This could supply electricity for thousands of industries and millions of jobs and homes. It must not be thwarted by a teeny minority opposed to Economic Growth which often finds friendly ears and regulatory agencies for its obstructionist campaigns. Now, make no mistake. We will not permit the safety of our people or our environmental heritage to be jeopardized but we will reaffirm that the Economic Prosperity of our people is a fundamental part of our environment. Our problems are both acute and chronic. Yet all we hear from those in leadership the same types of proposals for more meddle, more control, all of which led to us this sorry state to begin with. Can anyone look at the record of this administration and say well done. Can anyone compare the state of our economy when the Carter Administration took office with where we are today keep up the good work . Can anyone look at our reduced standing in the world today and say, lets have four more years of this . I believe the American People are going to answer these questions, as youve answered them, in the first week in november and their answer will be, no weve had enough. And then and then it will be up to us, beginning next january 20th, to offer an administration and congressional leadership of competence and more than a little courage. We must have the clarity of vision to see the difference between what is essential and what is merely desirable, and then the courage to bring our Government Back under control. It is it is essential it is essential that we maintain both the Forward Momentum of Economic Growth and the strength of the safety net between those in our society who need help. We also believe it is essential that the integrity of all aspects of Social Security be preserved. Beyond beyond these essentials, i believe it is clear our federal government is overgrown and overweight. Indeed, it is time our government should go on a diet. [ applause ] therefore, my first act as chief executive will be to impose an immediate and thorough freeze on federal hiring. [ applause ] then then were going to enlist the very best minds from business, labor, and whatever whatever quarter to conduct a detailed review of every department, bureau, and agency that lives by federal appropriations. And were going to enlist the help and ideas of many dedicated and hardworking Government Employees at all levels who want a more Efficient Government just as much as the rest of us do. [ applause ] i i know that many of them are demoralized by the confusion and waste they confront in their 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 taxpayer, and are paid for with money earned by working men and women, and programs that represents a waste of their money a theft from their pocketbooks must have that waste eliminated or that program must go. [ applause ] 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 local government, along along with the Funding Sources to pay for it. Were going to put an end to the money merrygoround where our money becomes washingtons money, to be spent by states and cities exactly the way the federal bureaucrats 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 the control of any president , any administration, or congress. We are going to put an end to the notion that the american taxpayer exists to fund the federal government. The federal government the federal government exists to serve the American People. [ applause ] on january 20th, we are going to reestablish that truth. Also on that date were going to initiate action to get substantial relief for our taxpaying citizens and action to put people back to work. [ applause ] none of this none of this will be based on any new form of monetary tinkering or fiscal sleightofhand. We 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 theyve earned, or take away their jobs, we destroy their dignity and undermine their families. We cant support our families unless there are jobs, and we cant have jobs unless the people have both money to invest and the faith to invest it. [ applause ] these these are concepts that stem from an Economic System that for more than 200 years has helped us master a continent, create a previously undreamed of prosperity for our people, and has fed millions of others around the globe. And that system will continue to serve us in the future if our government will stop ignoring the basic values on which it was built and stop betraying the trust and good will of the American Workers who keep it where going. [ applause ] the American People are carrying the heaviest peacetime tax burden in our nations history, and it will grow even heavier under present law next january. Were taxing ourselves into economic exhaustion and stagnation, crushing our ability and incentive to save, invest, and produce. This must stop. We must halt this fiscal selfdestruction and restore sanity to our Economic System. Ive long advocated a 30 reduction in income tax rates over a period of three years. This phased tax reduction [ applause ] this phased tax reduction would begin with a 10 down payment tax cut in 1981, which the republicans 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 shouldnt stop there. Within the context of Economic Conditions and appropriate Budget 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 investment in order to get plants and equipment replaced, put more americans back to work and put our nation back on the road to being competitive in world commerce. We will also work to reduce the cost of government as a percentage of our Gross National product. The first task of National Leadership is to set realistic and honest priorities in our policies and our budget, and i pledge that my administration will do that. When i talk of tax cuts, im reminded that every major 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, new jobs, and more commerce among our people. The present administration [ applause ] the present administrations been forced by us republicans to play followtheleader 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 single tax increase in our nations history. [ applause ] when those when those in leadership give us tax increases and tell us we must also do with less, have they thought about those whove 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 the democratic leaderships message to the minorities, but it wont be our message. [ applause ] ours ours will be, we have to move ahead, but were not going to leave anyone behind. [ applause ] thanks to the economic policies of the Democratic Party, millions of americans find themselves out of work. Millions more have never even had a fair chance to learn new skills, hold a decent job, or secure for themselves and their families a a share in the prosperity of this nation. Its time to 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. [ applause ] for those without skills, well find a way to help them get new skills. For those without job opportunities, well stimulate new opportunities, particularly in the inner cities where they live. For those whove abandoned hope, well restore hope and well welcome them into a Great National crusade to make America Great again. [ applause ] when we when we move from Domestic Affairs and cast our eyes abroad, we see an equally sorry chapter in the record of the present administration. A soviet combat brigade trains in cuba, just 90 miles from our shores. A soviet army of invasion occupies afghanistan, further threatening our vital interests in the middle east. Americas 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, turn to us for leadership and fail to find it. And incredibly, more