Doing It His Way Will Cost Taxpayers'
Good evening. Tonight you and I witnessed a colorful ritual - a new president of the United States addressing a joint session of Congress for the very first time. The great chamber of the House rang out with cheers for the president any number of times. It was, as always, a thrilling spectacle. But now the last echo of the final cheer has faded away. The ceremony is over. It's time to put aside the pomp and circumstance. It's really time to get to work for America.</br></br>That's what I'd like to briefly visit with you about: how your government can work better for you. Don't worry. I have no props and no flip-charts, no pointer, no electronic gimmicks. I don't even have a 1-800 number for you to call. I'd just like to talk with you as though we were having a cup of coffee back in my home town of Peoria.</br></br>It is a chance to ask some questions about where our nation is heading, the kinds of questions you might ask if you were here. We Americans are a questioning people; it is part of our national character. In fact, we may be the only nation whose national anthem begins and ends with a question. So, in questioning the direction of the administration, we are acting in a great American tradition.</br></br>All of us - Democrats, Republicans, {Ross} Perot supporters, independents - want our new president to succeed. We want to help him do the right thing. But the only way we can help him is by candidly letting him know how we feel about his announced policies.</br></br>Our new president has an excellent chance to be successful. Because of the leadership of Presidents {Ronald} Reagan and {George} Bush, our nation does not face a nuclear threat. President Bush handed over to the president an economy that is growing, not shrinking, and a rate of worker productivity that is rising, not falling. As a matter of fact, the past 12 years of Republican leadership have built a strong foundation for progress.