The addresses are separated by three asterisks: ***
Dates of addresses by Ronald Reagan in this eBook:
January 26, 1982
January 25, 1983
January 25, 1984
February 6, 1985
February 4, 1986
January 27, 1987
January 25, 1988
***
State of the Union Address
Ronald Reagan
January 26, 1982
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honoredguests, and fellow citizens:
Today marks my first State of the Union address to you, a constitutionalduty as old as our Republic itself.
President Washington began this tradition in 1790 after reminding theNation that the destiny of self-government and the "preservation of thesacred fire of liberty" is "finally staked on the experiment entrusted tothe hands of the American people." For our friends in the press, who placea high premium on accuracy, let me say: I did not actually hear GeorgeWashington say that. But it is a matter of historic record.
But from this podium, Winston Churchill asked the free world to standtogether against the onslaught of aggression. Franklin Delano Rooseveltspoke of a day of infamy and summoned a nation to arms. Douglas MacArthurmade an unforgettable farewell to a country he loved and served so well.Dwight Eisenhower reminded us that peace was purchased only at the price ofstrength. And John F. Kennedy spoke of the burden and glory that isfreedom.
When I visited this Chamber last year as a newcomer to Washington, criticalof past policies which I believed had failed, I proposed a new spirit ofpartnership between this Congress and this administration and betweenWashington and our State and local governments. In forging this newpartnership for America, we could achieve the oldest hopes of ourRepublic--prosperity for our nation, peace for the world, and the blessingsof individual liberty for our children and, someday, for all of humanity.
It's my duty to report to you tonight on the progress that we have made inour relations with other nations, on the foundation we've carefully laidfor our economic recovery, and finally, on a bold and spirited initiativethat I believe can change the face of American government and make it againthe servant of the people.
Seldom have the stakes been higher for America. What we do and say herewill make all the difference to autoworkers in Detroit, lumberjacks in theNorthwest, steelworkers in Steubenville who are in the unemployment lines;to black teenagers in Newark and Chicago; to hard-pressed farmers and smallbusinessmen; and to millions of everyday Americans who harbor the simplewish of a safe and financially secure future for their children. Tounderstand the state of the Union, we must look not only at where we areand where we're going but where we've been. The situation at this time lastyear was truly ominous.
The last decade has seen a series of recessions. There was a recession in1970, in 1974, and again in the spring of 1980. Each time, unemploymentincreased and inflation soon turned up again. We coined the word"stagflation" to describe this.
Government's response to these recessions was to pump up the money supplyand increase spending. In the last 6 months of 1980, as an example, themoney supply increased at the fastest rate in pos