Address by Governor Ronald Reagan
United Republicans of
It is a pleasure to be
here tonight, talking again to the members of United Republicans of California.
I have that warm feeling
a person gets when he knows he’s among friends – friends with the same
philosophy, the same goals, the same aspirations. Could be I’m especially conscious of this for
the same reason a man only realizes how thirsty he really is when he takes a
cooling drink. Besides that, the members
of UROC have always supported their beliefs with their money and their
energies. And believe me, that makes you at least a little unique.
You have supported and
worked actively and hard for those principles in which we believe and the
candidates who represent them. Republican candidates and principles, of course.
It is the work and
support given by you and the members of the other Republican volunteer groups
which, in large measure, were responsible for the success of many of those
candidates and principles last November.
I, for one, am grateful,
and I know that gratitude is shared by those others – winners and losers – who
had your help.
That election put
California on the right road – in the interest of harmony, let me hasten to say
I use “right” in the sense of meaning “correct” – not the road back, but the
road ahead to a better, more responsible, more meaningful life for all our
citizens, a life in which they are allowed to develop and pursue their aims and
ambitions to the fullest, without the constant interference and domination of
big spending, big brother government.
But we have just started
down that new road. There is so much to
be done and there are many problems yet to be solved and there are many
pitfalls that lie ahead.
We have just begun to do
the job that must be done. And nearly
every move we make brings a fresh protest from those who think that your money
and mine is theirs to spend – as they see fit and that government is formed for
the benefit of those who govern.
We intend to put an end
to that kind of thinking – an end to the philosophy that government has a right
to match taxes to whatever it wants to spend instead of spending only what
needs to be spent.
During the campaign it
looked almost as if we could put our fiscal house in order without resorting to
new taxes. We did not know just how bad
the situation was then. Now we have had
a chance to, and a chance to read, the fine print.
As a result, we have, as
you know, submitted a revenue bill of nearly one billion dollars in increased
taxes. Because of this there has been
some editorial jumping-up-and-down-with-glee, holding that this makes a failure
in our long-held belief in economy, let’s set the record straight here and
now. And bear with me if you have heard
this. Our mail indicates that there is
still confusion and misunderstanding.
Roughly half of that tax
increase is necessary simply to pay off this year’s deficit and put us on a
pay-as-you-go basis. Half of the
remainder is not a new tax so much as a broader based substitute tax to give,
for the first time, direct property tax relief.
Next year, with the deficit paid off, that relief can be more than
doubled.
The remainder – about
one-quarter of the total tax revenues – is for the normal increase to keep pace
with population growth and increased prices and wages resulting from the
federal government’s policy of planned inflation. The increase is about 7 percent, in contrast
with the 16 percent increase of the past year and the 12 percent average
increase over the last eight years.
We tried for some $250
million in economies in the budgets requested by all the divisions of
government. We ended up with more than
$127 million. I’m just stubborn enough
to think we got the $127 million because we tried for $250 million and we will
continue to follow that policy.
Incidentally, one of the
most heartening signs we have had in this brief administration is the recent
poll which indicates most of our citizens favor our revenue package and, of those
who favor it, 70 percent do so because they see the need to balance the
budget. Now let me suggest – if you are
among those who favor our efforts, don’t tell me – write to your assemblyman
and senator.
I want to assure you
that we do not see this revenue bill as a cure-all. Our aims go far beyond this. We do not intend to balance future budgets by
increasing taxes. Instead we intend to balance
them by making government more economical, more frugal, more
workable. Like this year, next year –
and the years following – will be years where we do not intend to spend one
dollar more of the people’s money than is necessary to conduct the people’s
business.
Let me digress for a
moment. During the campaign, I became a
kind of Johnny-One-Note on the subject of government of, and by, the people –
of building what I called a Creative Society by turning to the great power of
the people instead of always creating additional bureaucracy. There did not seem to be much of a quarrel
with this idea. In fact, once or twice I
had to talk pretty loudly when it looked as if the opposition had claimed
squatters’ rights on the idea and was making more noise about it than I
was. They even appointed a few citizens’
commissions late in the campaign which, we hope, will surface one of these days
for refueling.
But some who listened
and endorsed before November 8 were pretty horrified to discover the campaign
blossoms were bearing fruit. Somehow
they remind me of an incident which occurred early in World War II.
A shipload of canned
fish was interned in an Italian port and, when finally released for sale, the
cargo brought $25,000. It was then
resold for $50,000, and, as the war years went on, that shipment of canned fish
kept changing hands until, finally, it bought $600,000.
The last purchaser
opened a can and tried the fish.
Enraged, he got on the phone and demanded that something be done because
the fish was spoiled. And he was told by
the man who sold it to him, “But that fish isn’t for eating; it’s for selling.”
Well, our fish is for
eating.
You would think that,
when government can get things done without adding to the burden of the
taxpayers, everyone would be happy. Unfortunately, that it not the case. Some reactionaries still think the only way
to get things done is to soak the taxpayer – that somehow, it isn’t legal
unless it’s compulsory.
In pointing up the
potential of a Creative Society during the campaign, attention was called to
the cooperation between certain government agencies and private industry which
resulted in 17,800 jobs for unemployed from the
We have, as you know, a
task force of 152 industrial and business executives – the best and most successful in the state – who
will be working as full-time volunteers for the next several months. These men are bringing their special
knowledge, skill and experience to bear on the structure of state government to
tell us how we can bring modern business practices to government agencies. This study, incidentally, will cut the
taxpayers only a few thousand dollars; the direct costs of it are being
underwritten by public-spirited members of business and industry.
Strangely enough, some
find something sinister in private citizens wanting to help out. Some of those who talk about the civic duty
of citizens to contribute to Community Chest, and art museum or a music center think, if those same citizens want to help
the government under which they live, they must have ulterior motives. Of course that is right, if a desire
for better government can be termed an ulterior motive. Even some legislators are fearful that
perhaps citizens shouldn’t be snooping around their own government.
The fish is for
eating. We have called on our fellow
citizens to take time out from their own careers and business activities to man
the administrative posts of government.
Nothing has ever made me so proud as their
response. No state government has ever
recruited manpower to match ours. We
have found that in
Other citizens will soon
be embarked on a total study of our tax structure. And one day, with their help, Californians
may have a logical, reasonable set of tax laws.
We have probably the
most beautiful capitol of any of the states and soon we will have a new
residence for
Fortunately, the members
of the UROC, like most of our concerned citizens, do not follow this line of
thinking. We have been brought together
by a belief that one of our problems is too much government and too much
compulsion … that we, as citizens, have a right to participate in our
government in ways other than paying taxes, running for office or seeking
appointments.
But suddenly some, who
apparently shared this concept prior to November 8, are opposed to the practice
of that concept. Suddenly, too, the
concept of economy in government has also become wrong to some, especially to
some whose particular pet oxen have been gored by some of the proposed
economies.
Now our economies are
not aimed at eliminating needed services or programs. But they are aimed at trimming fat and waste,
at cutting out the frills, at keeping government at the size where it remains
the servant, and does not become the master, of the people.
And they are aimed at
reducing the tax burden on the people.
You have read some of the things we are doing, and have heard the outcry
of the wounded. Five million dollars has
been saved by cutting down on out-of-state travel by public servants who like
to roam … $20 million a year saved by cutting our unneeded workers in some of
our institutions where the number of patients has dwindled by 40 percent but
where, until now, there has been no reduction in the numbers of employees. Only this week General Lolli,
our new administrator of General Services, sent me over a list of new savings
totaling another million dollars – mostly in little things, little things that
really add up.
Other millions are being
saved because we have been able to persuade our colleges and universities to
face up to the fact that as public institutions they have a public
responsibility not to spend beyond the public’s means. And let me add here that I appreciate their
problems and the fact that they understand ours.
Now none of the things
we have done should have surprised anyone, for just as we promised to bring
government back to the people, so did we also promise to bring frugality and
thrift back to government.
But we also promised to
do this without hurting the truly needy and the truly deserving. This is why extra funds for the crippled
children’s program were approved … why money was left in the budget for salary
increases … why extra funds to help teachers who retired on inadequate pensions
and who have not had the raise needed to combat inflation were provided … why
the state employment office has been instructed to make special efforts to find
jobs for those state employees laid off through no fault of their own.
There were a few more
promises, such as to take steps to cut
Something was said also
about eliminating government by hacks and cronies and relative – and, to date,
my only bother hasn’t even asked for a job.
An issue discussed in
the campaign was taking the appointment of judges out of politics. Unfortunately, the Senate Governmental
Efficiency Committee has killed that bill for this session. But we will resubmit it next year or in
following years if necessary. In the
meantime we have set up special screening committees composed of
representatives of the bar associations, the presiding judges of the various
judicious districts and lay representatives to insure that only qualified
attorneys are picked as judges. To date,
we have selected only the number one recommendation for each judgeship. There have been no exceptions.
In addition to proposed
legislation that will take away the compulsory aspects of the school district
unification law and other laws that have foisted costly programs on school
districts without providing the funds for their financing, we have made a start
toward restoring the 50-50 state and local financing of schools.
We are also moving
forward on our agriculture program and on programs aimed at improving the
business climate and at conserving our land, air, water and oceanographic resources.
Do not be fooled by the
special interest propagandists. We will
maintain our redwood forests, but we will not give them to the federal
government without getting something of equal value in return, and we will not
act in such a way as to endanger the economy of our northwestern
We will make provision
for maintaining our wilderness area, but we will not blindly set aside huge
tracts so they cannot be used to meet the recreational and industrial needs of
our expanding population.
We will press ahead on
our state water program, but we will also cooperate in the fresh water program
of the future – desalination.
We will work to keep
industry in
We will work to make and
keep California number one … not only number one in terms of growth and
economy, but also number one in terms of the kind of government that best suits
a free people – a government oriented to their needs, but also a government
oriented to their rights and their responsibilities.
We will strive
continually to make the state an effective bulwark between the people and an
ever-encroaching federal government. I still
believe that government is best which remains closest to the people, but almost
daily the Goliath that is the federal government moves to gather more power
unto itself and to minimize the functions of both the Congress and the states. Those efforts will meet stern resistance in
Recently, the President
called the governors together to tell them the federal government wished to work
more closely with the states in distributing federal monies and federal
programs. This was followed by a visit
to
But, while federal
officials were making promises to governors, lower echelon officials were
disclosing plans by the federal government to bypass Sacramento in setting up
new job programs and the Interior Department was going ahead with its efforts
to make Imperil Valley farmers adhere to the outmoded 160-acre limitation.
It is not enough for our
senators and our representatives to seek to pass legislation involving the
several states, they must also work to insure that legislation does not
infringe on the rights of the individual states and they must be wary lest they
trade those rights for the federal dollar, which, after all, is merely what is
left of the citizen’s dlooar after it has been run
through those puzzle palaces on the Potomac.
I have met with our
Congressman, on both sides of the aisle; I have talked with both Senator. I have assured all of them that the
administration in
I have urged them to
guard carefully those interests against the encroachments of the federal
government. There is little use in
saving our freedom at the local and state levels if we lose it on the national
level. And it is people like you – dedicated,
patriotic citizens, who are needed to save freedom at all levels.
As I said earlier
tonight, it is the volunteer Republican organizations such as the UROC that
have provided so many of the workers and so much of the enthusiasm and support
for our party in
All of us, including
myself, have much to be grateful to you for.
We could not have won without you last November, nor will we know
victory in 1968 without your wholehearted and undivided support.
But do we want to be
like the nostalgic old grad who lives in the fading
memory of one championship team, or do we look ahead and anticipate successive
new victories?
To any who would live in
the past – just remember, that past includes bitter defeats between 1958 and
1964. We could not have won in 1966 if
we had stooped to the intraparty warfare that
characterized our years of defeat.
We have not won a war,
or even complete victory in a battle. We
stopped our opponent’s advance and halted our own retreat. But that is all; we did not win control of
the Assembly. Let me remind you; we did
not win control of the Senate; we did not win the office of Attorney General
even though we had good candidates and good organization.
The 11th
Commandment kept our party unified; but we were, and are still, a minority
party. There is still much to done in
party building, in convincing independents and members of the opposing party
that the course we chart leads to fiscal sanity, strong local government and
individual rights and responsibilities.
Maybe there once was a
time when our two-party system was less a difference in philosophy than a
contest between partisans loyal to the old school tie, but that is not true
today. Last November, millions of people
voted to change, or at least pause to review, the philosophy of the party
leadership then in power. They did not
just decide to chage hats and join the other club for
a while.
Fortunately, for those
millions of concerned citizens, we too had paused to take inventory. We discovered we could no longer afford the
luxury of internal fighting, backbiting and throatcutting. We discovered our philosophical difference
with those presently in power was greater than any grudge or split within our
own ranks. We were ready and in position
to offer an alternative for those concerned citizens who wanted to join with
others, not to win a contest, but to preserve away of life.
We must keep our door
open – offering our party as the only practical answer for those who, overall,
are individualists. And because this is
the great common denominator – this dedication to the belief in man’s aspirations
as an individual – we cannot offer them a narrow sectarian party in which all
must swear allegiance to prescribed commandments.
Such a party can be
highly disciplined, but it does not win elections. This kind of party soon disappears in a blaze
of glorious defeat, and it never puts into practive
its basic tenets, no matter how noble they may be.
The Republican Party,
both in this state and nationally, is a broad party. There is room in our tent for many views;
indeed, the divergence of views is one of our strengths. Let no one, however, interpret this to mean
compromise of basic philosophy or that we will be all things to all people for
political expediency.
In our tent will be
found those who believe that government was created by “We, the People’; that
government exists for the people and we can give to government no power we
do not possess as individuals; that the citizen does not earn to supports
government so that he may be free to earn; that, because there can be no
freedom without law and order, every act of government must be approved if it
makes freedom more secure and disapproved if it offers security instead of
freedom.
Within our tent, there
will be many arguments and divisions over approach and method and even over the
men and women we choose to implement our philosophy. Seldom, if ever, will we raise a cheer
signifying unanimous approval of the decisions reached. But if our philosophy is to prevail, we must
at least pledge unified support of the ultimate decision. Unity does not require unanimity of
thought.
And here is another
challenge to you. It is the duty and
responsibility of the volunteer Republican organizations, not to further
divide, but to lead the way to unity. As
duly chartered Republican organizations, we all can advance our particular
sectarianism or brand of candidates for the party to pass on openly and freely
in a primary election.
But, as volunteer
organizations, we must always remain in a position that will let us effectively
support the candidates chosen by the entire party in a primary. To do less is a disservice to the party and
more importantly, to the cause in which we all believe.
Our 11th
Commandment is perhaps more profound than we realize. “Thou shall not speak ill of any
Republican.” To do so means we are
inhibited in the support we can give that Republican if he should become the
nominee of our party. Certainly our task
is harder if we must challenge and refute charges made by our opponents if
those charges were first uttered by us.
I am proud that UROC and UROC’s president –
Joe Crosby – subscribe wholeheartedly to that commandment.
It is my belief that, as
governor, I should neither endorse a primary candidate nor involve myself
behind the scenes in primary campaigning.
To do so is a misuse of the office with which I have been
entrusted. When the primary is over, I
believe I have a commitment – a contract if you will – to wholeheartedly
support every candidate chosen by the party.
You, on the other hand,
as individuals and as an organization, should be so involved. You, by your membership in a volunteer group,
have proven you are activists – leaders in furthering the philosophy which
brings us together. You must, therefore,
be leaders in setting campaign standards – ready to endorse the party choice –
just as repudiate any candidate or campaign which refuses to abide by those
standards.
Fight as hard in next
year’s primaries as you can for your candidates, but be against only
those we must defeat in November of 1968.
Let no opposition candidate quote your words in the general election to
advance statism of the philosophy of those who have
lost confidence in man’s capacity for self-rule.
Just a year ago, we were
a party almost totally without power.
The two-party system existed only in theory. Out of sheer necessity, we achieved unity and
victory. With that victory, we bought
time- time to rally our forces for what may be our last chance.
*******
An ancient Irish king,
Brian Boru, once ordered the tide to halt, and when
it would not, he had it beaten with chains – to no avail.
We cannot order the tide
of statism to halt but by our victories and by living
up to our philosophy and our commitments to the people, we can reverse it.
And we can bring in a
new tide on which will ride our concept of responsible, people-oriented
government that works as the founding fathers meant it to work.
But if we are able to do
so we cannot wait for changes in the moon or count on the opposition to destroy
itself.
Instead we must continue
to unite together and work together and then, God willing, together we can
watch our tide sweep across the land.