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Ronald Reagan Alton Tobey |
Above all, we must realize
that no arsenal,
or no weapon in the arsenals of the world,
is so formidable
as the will and moral courage
of free men and women.
It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.
It must be fought for,
protected,
and handed on for them to do the same,
or one day we will spend our sunset years
telling our children and our children's children
what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
The government's view of the economy
could be summed up in a few short phrases:
If it moves, tax it.
If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are,
'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'
The ultimate determinant
in the struggle now going on for the world
will not be bombs and rockets
but a test of wills and ideas-
a trial of spiritual resolve:
the values we hold,
the beliefs we cherish
and the ideals to which we are dedicated.
A people free to choose will always choose peace.
You and I have a rendezvous with destiny.
We will preserve for our children this,
the last best hope of man on earth,
or we will sentence them to take the first step
into a thousand years of darkness.
If we fail,
at least let our children and
our children's children
say of us
we justified our brief moment here.
We did all that could be done.
Inflation is as violent as a mugger,
as frightening as an armed robber
and as deadly as a hit man.
Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
Man is not free unless government is limited.
Protecting the rights
of even the least individual among us
is basically the only excuse the government has
for even existing.
We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.
We have the duty to protect the life of an unborn child.
We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken,
society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker.
It is time to restore the American precept
that each individual is accountable for his actions.
Welfare's purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible,
the need for its own existence.
We should measure welfare's success
by how many people leave welfare,
not by how many are added.
Freedom prospers
when religion is vibrant
and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.