Commencement Address at Fairleigh

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COMMENCEMENT ADDR.ESS BY SF.N.i'\TOR !H JBERT H. II UHPHREY
Fairleigh-Dick inson University
Rutherford, New J e rs ey
!-1a y
20 ,
19 7 4
I would lik e to begin your Commencement today with the
Humphrey "short cours e in political science ."
A brief lo ok at those basic truths that provide the
foundation for our political system.
Today, more than ever, we must return to these fundamentals and revive the weary spirit of our nation.
The Preamble to the Constitution says it all. It spells
out the faith, the aspiration, the purpose of .7\merica.
Let me read those hallowed words to you:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility,
provide for the conwon defen se , promote the general Welfare, and
secure the BlRssings of Liberty to our selves ~nd our Posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States
of America.' '
The first three word s are the most important. They
establish for all time that America is "vJe t he People."
Not '' He the government," not "we the political parties, not
"we the ri e:n," not "we the white," but "'ve the People. This is the
central re f~re nce , the focal point of .7\me rican government.
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":tn o rder to form a more perfect Un i on" -- "Ti th all of the
differenc e~
b etween regions of our country, economic interests,
religions and ethnic backgrounds, the · hunding Fathers wisely
recognize cl ehat simply keepin g our n a tion together would require
constant @~fo rt.
A~ we approach our bi centenni al anniversary in 1976, we
must for~~ the people of this country into a "more perfe-ct union"
with eao:n (Jther.
o~
course, this is not possible if the extremes of the
right or the self-righteous left are allowed to
dominate t~~ political process.
self-se ~~ing
possib l@
in a nation as diverse as ours, national unity
if tolerance and compromise ure recognized as
democ rati~
those
pr inciple s, and not seen as
princip le.
··
wit h ~u t
9~cuses
·· ·
for
th~
is only
vital
actions of
·
~e~tabl ish Justice''
not simply to enact laws, but to
estab l ish justice for all the people. Justice that is blind to
weal th t(:) . c olor, to reli gion. Justice that treats all men
equallY• Th is is the test of a deomcracy.
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"Insure domestic Tranquility" -- this is not apathy or
indi f ference. Tranquility means peace anrl harmony. It is akin
to t:he Hebrew word " Shalom. '' It implies a r espect for our fellow
ma n and a concern for his well-being.
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"Provid e for the common defense " -- the Foundi ng Father s
knew that all of the things we valued could only be nurture d if
we were secure from the dictate s of others .
"Promo te the genera l Welfan~" -- thn import ant word here
is "promo te." It implie s that if the wcl l-b cinry of citizen s
is threate ned, you do someth ing about it. It says that govern ment is to be respon sible for improv in g the lives of the people .
And -- "Secure the Blessin gs of Liberty to ourselv es and
our Poster ity" -- "the blessin gs of lj bc>rty" is the 'ltlay it is put.
Today we usually take libert y for grante d. But the people
who wrote this had just gone through a bloody war to secure their
freedom from foreign domina nce.
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Their courag e purcha sed this "blessi ng" of liberty for
us. And we must never forget that it can be eroded from within
as well as attacke d from withou t.
Look again at some key words that. are used -- "promo te,"
''insur e," "provi de," "secur e."
These are not passiv e or timi d words. They do not speak of
a governm ent that is to be neutra l in dealing with the people .
No, these a;e the active , confid ent words of a governm ent
that will use its power to enha nce the lives of its citizen s.
Frankl in D. Roosev elt made an observ ation that has its
basis in this attitud e about governm ent . An attitud e and approac h
to which I have always subscr ibed . Il c said:
"Gover nments can err, Presid ents do make mistak es,
but the immort al Dante tells us that Divine Justice
weighs the sins of the cold-bl ooded and the sins of the
warm-h earted on a differe nt scale. Better the occasio nal
faults of a governm ent livinq in the spirit of charity
than the consis tent omissio ns of a governm ent frozen in
the ice of its own i n differe nc e."
It is also worth noting that. there is not one word in our
Consti tution to protec t governm ent from the people , but .every
word is designe d to protec t the people from the abuse of power
by those in govern ment.
That is my "short course ." l\.nd these are the fundam entals
on which all of Americ an governm ent is baserl .
But the surviv al of popula r democr acy, ba sed on these
common purpos es, is only assured when the re is a partne rship
betwee n the governm ent and the people that is and held togeth er
by mutual trust and faith.
Today the shadow of shame, doubt , and mistru st shroud
our entire politic al proces s·and threate n that. vital partne rship.
We must restore this loss of faith in self-go vernme nt
this faith and trust that give the social contra ct of popula r
governm ent its meanin g.
One way to cleanse a n d reform our politic al proces s is
at the ballot box.
We can do a better job of selecti ng our public officia ls.
Our politic al proces s has become too comme rcialize d .
Politic ans are sold to the p ublic as if they were produc ts in
the market place. And this proces s has run afoul of the same
tempta tions and pit-fa lls as comme rcial advert ising.
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Today the premium is on "image ," not "substa nce";
on "charis ma," not "chara cter"; on "p r oni s2 s" nn d no t "pe rforma nce";
and on the "sensa tional" anct not the "s e nsibln . "
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Faced with a growin g nu~)er o f false claims and mislea ding
adverti sement s in the comme rcial mark0.t p lac e , Co ngress passed
"truth in labelin g," "truth in advert ising," a nd "truth in
lending " laws.
Today we need to start making the same de mands for
honesty and candor on thosn who want our votes . We need more
"truth in politic s."
Our politic al proces se s must b e clea ns e d .
We are making progre ss. Campai qn and e l ec tion reform
are coming , and that will help.
Never agai n will biq money p lay the role in politic s it
has in the past.
No campaig n in the futur e will be run as they have been
in the past. Integr ity has he come the most preciou s asset of
the politic ian.
But cleanin q up campai gns i s just the beg inning .
People are fed up with vague
an~
empty promis es.
Our people have not thrown in the towel and given up on
achiev ing our treasur ed goals o f e conomi c a nd social justice ,
but they are finishe d ch a sing r a inb ows . Yes , they still want
politic ians with dreams and imagin ation, but they want mor e .
They want people in governm ent who are effec tive. The premium
today is on results .
Unless our governm ent buckle s dmvn and begins to meet
the needs or our pe ople, and unless our politic ians become more
respon sible in pursuin g the public int ~ r e st and in l e veling
with the people , a ll the campai g n anct elActio n reform in the
world will not r e store the pe o p l e 's faith in govern ment -part icularl y in the institu tions o f govern me nt whic h are so much
in need of rebuild i ng.
Sure, Waterg ate is import ant. nut we have some other
"gates" that are bei ng forgott en anct n eqlec ted that nee d our
attenti on.
At our factory gates -- unemplo yme nt is running at over
5% and will increas e , yet nothing is b eing done, and some simply
accept it.
At our school ya rd qate s -- equal educat ional opport unity
remain s an unmet goal, r e c 8.t v i nq little a ttentio n.
At our prison gat es ~- little prog ress h as been made in
making these institu tions more humane a nct rehab il itative .
At our city gates -- the fight to ma ke our urban areas
liveab le has been virtua lly abandon ect.
And our nation has other problem s that cry out for
action , goals and p rioriti es that des erve the commit ment of
our people , but they are not be ing attende d to. We find ourselves instead running fro m brush f ire t o b rush fire, using all
of our skill an d r esou rces to p r even t a major conflaq ra tion, with no
attemp t at fire preven tion at all .
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Rapid change and increa sed compl exity arc chara cteris tics
of modern socie ties. They resul t in coP.'.p] ex proble Ms of great
impor tance, litera lly jumpin g up a t us with littl e or no warnin
g.
For this reason , it is essen tial that we finrl ways to antici
pate,
change and direc t it.
The energy crisis , the criti~al world food situat ion,
and the psych ologic al and socia l cons e que nc es of increa sed
mobil ity, are only a few o f the most obviou s examp l es of
failur es
to antici pate basic chang es and th eir resul ts.
At prese nt, we do not have the instru me nts of govern ment
that are needed for plann ing our natjo n's balanc ed growth
and
develo pment .
It is incred ible thot the Uniten State s, the first nation
in the world to enter the modern world of th e 20th centu ry,
may well be the last nation to deveJ.o p the instit ution s and
proce sses needed to deal with the c omple xi ty and rapid change
that come with a modern techn oloqic al soc i ety.
If we are to "desig n" our futur e and not simply "resig n"
_ oursel ves to it, ~.-.re must fashio n a sy~~tem of J1lan nirrg for
orowth and develo pm e nt.
A policy of .. balanc ect nation al growth and develo pment would
be a revolu tionar y step toward effec tive 20th centur y govern
ment
for Ameri ca.
Despi te the proble ms we face a t home, we must never forget
that we are part of a larger \vorlct . \vh e ther we like the idea
or
not, it is a fact that what our nati on does or fails to do
will
have tremen dous implic ations throug hout the world as well
as in
our own backy ard.
Recen t exper ience with the "enerq y crisis ," world
food scarc ity, a short supply of min era l s , inflat ion, and
the
like, make it clear that the argum ents be t\..re en the "isola tionis
ts"
and "inter natio nalist s" are simply no lonqer real. "Isola tionis
m" -the old-fa shion kind or the new varie ty -- is not a policy
option ;
it is a fantas y.
Today 's major proble ms are qloba l in noture . It is the rare one indeed th at we will be able to deal with
effect ively on our own.
The time and space distan ces b e t wee n people s and nation s
have been reduce d immea surahl y b y mod ern techno logy in my
lifetim e. During your lifetim e, they will becom e insign ifican
t.
You should ponde r this proph esy as you "comm ence" i1 new
phase in your life. Its impli cation s are profou n d .
In these days of nation al pessim ism, the proph etic words
1
of Aldou s Hu~ley --· "I have peere d ii'ltO t he _, fu ture , ' and ·it
.,.l Ot1 · -t
work" -- come perhap s too fr~quentl y •· to mi:nd :- '
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But, we have been down befor e. We have se en hard times.
we have gone throug h wars and depre ssions , intern al dissen
sion .
and civil strife . Each time we have bounce d back a strong er
nat1on .
The only obsta cle and only hope for an Americ~ and.a .
world that "will work" is yo u. Each g encru tion must f1nd \V1t~1n
itsel f and for its e lf the vision it will pursu e, the values
1t
will enshr ine, and the leader ship and convi ction that will
move
our nation toward them.
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COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS BY SENATOR HUBERT H. HUMPHREY
FAIRLEIGH-DICKI NSONUN IVERSITY
MAY
20J 1974
t( J
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WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN YOUR COMMENCEMENT TODAY WITH THE
HUMPHREY "SHORT COURSE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE. "
l
~A
BRIEF LOOK AT THOSE BASIC -: RUTHS THAT PROVIDE THE
FOUNDATION FOR OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM. •
~TODAY,
MORE THAN EVER, WE
~::~~HESE
MENTALS AND REVIVE THE WEARY SPIRIT OF OUR NATION,
OUT THE FAITHJ THE ASPIRATIONJ THE PURPOSE OF
MERICA,
LET ME READ THOSE HALLOWED WORDS TO YOU:
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FUNDA-
-2"WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES1 IN ORDER TO FORM A
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MORE PERFECT UNION1 ESTABLISH JUSTICE1 INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQ ILITY1
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OTE...- THE GENERAL WELFARE 1 AND
PROM
PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE1
....,..,..._..
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"":)
... -
SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR PoSTERITY)
DO ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH THIS CoNSTITUTION FOR THE UN ITED STATES
OF AMERICA, "
~THE
FIRST THREE WORDS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT, THEY
ESTABLISH FOR ALL TIME THAT AMERICA IS "WE THE PEOPLE, "
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Nor "WE THE G~RNMENT, " NOT "wE THE POLl n CAL PART! ES, " NOT
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"WE THE RICH1 " NOT "WE THE WHITE1 " BUT "WE THE PEOPLE, " THIS IS THE
~:...----CENTRAL REFERENCE1 THE FOCAL POINT OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT,
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-3" IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION" -- WITH ALL OF THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REGIONS OF OUR COUNTRY 1 ECONOMIC INTERESTS 1
RELIGIONS AND ETHNIC ~~~~~UN ~~ THE ~UNDING FATHERS ~LY
RECOGNIZED THAT SIMPLY KEEPING OUR NATION TOGETHER WOULD REQUIRE
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CONSTANT EFFORT.
As
WE APPROACH OUR BICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY IN 19 76~ WE
MUST FORGE THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY INTO A "MORE PERFECT UNION"
WITH EACH OTHER.
OF COURSE 1 THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE IF THE EXTREMES OF THE
SELF-SERVING RIGHT OR THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS LEFT ARE ALLOWED TO
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DOMINATE THE POLITICAL PROCESS.
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-4IN A NATION AS DIVERSE AS OURS} NATIONAL UNITY IS ONLY
POSSIBLE IF TOLERANCE AND COMPROMISE ARE RECOGNIZED AS VITAL
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES} AND NOT SEEN AS EXCUSES FOR THE ACTIONS OF
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THOSE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE.--11
ESTABLISH JUSTICE " -- NOT SIMPLY TO ENACT LAWS} BUT TO
•?;,.-:-- ;/;/ ~·
ESTABLIS
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JUSTICE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE--JUSTICE THAT IS BLIND TO
JUSTICE THAT TREATS ALL
WEALTH} TO COLOR} TO
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EQUALLY, THIS IS THE TEST OF A DEOMCRACY,
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" INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY
INDIFFERENCE~TRANQUILITY
TO THE HEBREW WORD
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THIS IS NOT APATHY OR
MEANS PEACE AND HARMONY, IT IS AKIN
SHALOM, 11 IT IMPLIES A RESPECT FOR OUR FELLOW
MAN AND A CONCERN FOR HIS WELL-BEING,
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"PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE " -- THE FOUNDING FATHERS
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KNEW THAT ALL OF THE THINGS WE VALUED COULD ONLY BE NURTURED IF
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WE WERE SECURE FROM THE DICTATES OF OTHE S,
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"PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE " -- THE IMPORTANT WORD HERE
IS "PROMOTE,(ir IMPLIES THAT IF THE WELL-BEING OF CITIZENS
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IS THREATENED, YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT
--·
IT,~
SAYS THAT GOVERN-
MENT IS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPROVING THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE,_
--
AND -- "SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND
ouR PosTERITY"
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THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY " IS THE WAY IT IS PUT,
ToDAY wE USUALLY TAKE LIBERTY FOR GRANTED, Bur THE PEOPLE
WHO WROTE THIS HAD JUST GONE THROUGH A BLOODY WAR TO SECURE THEIR
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FREEDOM FROM FOREIGN DOMINANCE,
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-6THEIR COURAGE PURCHASED THIS "BLESSING" OF LIBERTY FOR
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US, AND WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT IT CAN BE ERODED FROM WITHIN
AS WELL AS ATTACKED FROM WITHOUT,
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LOOK AGAIN AT SOME KEY ~WRDS THAT ARE USED -- "PROMOTE/1
THESE ARE NOT PASSIVE OR TIMID
WORD~EY
DO NOT SPEAK OF
A GOVERNMENT THAT IS TO BE NEUTRAL IN DEALING WITH THE PEOPLE.
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N o~
THESE ARE THE ACTIVE1 CONFIDENT WORDS OF A GOVERNMENT
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THAT WILL USE ITS POWER TO ENHANCE THE LIVES OF ITS CITIZENS,
...
~FRANKLIN D.
"'
RoOSEVELT MADE AN OBSERVATION
THAT~
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Q~ THIS ATTITUDE ABOUT GOVERNMENT..,... AN ATTITUDE AND APPROACH
TO WHICH I HAVE ALWAYS SUBSCRIBED, HE SAID:
-7"GOVERNMENTS CAN ERR, PRESIDENTS DO MAKE MISTAKES,
BUT THE IMMORTAL DANTE TELLS US THAT DIVINE JUSTICE
WEIGHS THE SINS OF THE COLD-BLOODED AND THE SINS OF THE
WARM-HEARTED ON A DIFFERENT SCALE. BETTER THE OCCASIONAL
FAULTS OF A GOVERNMENT LIVING IN THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY
THAN THE CONSISTENT OMISS
THE ICE OF ITS OWN INDIFFERENCE. "
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IT IS ALSO WORTH
~lNG
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THAT THERE IS NOT ONE WORD IN OUR
CONSTITUTION TO PROTECT GOVERNMENT FROM THE PEOPLE, BUT EVERY
WORD IS DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE FROM THE ABUSE OF POWER
BY THOSE IN GOVERNMENT.
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THAT IS MY "SHORT COURSE. 11 AND THESE ARE THE FUNDAMENTALS
ON WHICH ALL OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IS BASED.
-8BUT THE SURVIVAL OF POPULAR DEMOCRACY~ BASED ON THESE
COMMON
PURPOSES~
IS ONLY ASSURED WHEN THERE IS A PARTNERSHIP
BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE THAT IS
Ill
HELD TOGETHER
BY MUTUAL TRUST AND FAITH.
~~AY THE SHADOW OF SHAME, DOUBT, AND MISTRUST SHROUD
OUR ENTIRE POLITICAL PROCESS AND THREATEN THAT VITAL PARTNERSHIP.
i( WE MUST RESTORE THIS LOSS OF FAITH IN SELF-GOVERNMENT -THIS FAITH AND TRUST THAT GIVE THE SOCIAL CONTRACT OF POPULAR
GOVERNMENT ITS MEANING.
~ ON E WAY TO CLEANSE AND REFORM OUR POLITICAL PROCESS IS
AT THE BALLOT BOX.
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~E
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CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF SELECTING OUR
OUR POLITICAL PROCESS HAS BECOME TOO
~OLITICANS
THE MARKET
PUBL~C~FFICIALS,
COMMERC_~LIZED,
ARE SOLD TO THE PUBLIC AS IF THEY WERE PRODUCTS IN
PLACE~ND
THIS PROCESS HAS RUN AFOUL OF THE SAME
TEMPTATIONS AND PIT-FALLS AS COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING.
LroDAY THE PREMIUM 1s oN "IMAGE," NOT "sussTANcE";
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ON "CHARISMA~ " NOT~HARACTER " ; ON "PROMISES" AND NOT~PERFORMANCE ";
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AND ON THE "SENSATIONAL" AND NOT THE "SENSIBLE."
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FACED WITH A
GROWI·~-G N':MBER
OF FALSE CLAIMS AND MISLEADING
ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE COMMERCIAL MARKETPLACE~ CoNGRESS PASSED
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TRUTH IN LABELING~ " "TRUTH IN ADVERTISING~ " AND "TRUTH IN
LENDING" LAWS.
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TODAY WE NEED TO START MAKING THE SAME DEMANDS FOR
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HONESTY AND CANDOR ON THOSE WHO WANT OUR VOTES
WE NEED MORE
"TRUTH IN POLITICS, "
~OUR
~
POLITICAL PROCESSES, MUST BE CLEANSED,
WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS, CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION REFORM
ARE COMING) AND THAT WILL HELP.
EVER AGAIN WILL BIG MONEY PLAY THE ROLE IN POLITICS IT
HAS IN THE PAST.
~
IN THE
0 CAMPAIGN IN THE FUTURE WILL BE RUN AS THEY HAVE BEEN
PAST~lNTEGRITY HAS BECOME THE MOST PRECIOUS ASSET OF
THE POLITICIAN.
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~ OUR PEOPLE HAVE NOT THROWN IN THE TOWEL AND GIVEN UP ON
ACHIEVING OUR TREASURED GOALS OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE 1
BUT THEY ARE FINISHED CHASING RAINBOWS, ~THEY STILL WANT
POLITICIANS WITH DREAMS AND IMAGINATION1 BUT THEY WANT MORE,
~HEY WANT PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT WHO ARE EFFECTIVE, THE P~EMI~M
TODAY IS ON RESULTS,
~UNLESS
OUR GOVERNMENT BUCKLES DOWN AND BEGINS TO MEET
THE NEEDS OF
CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION REFORM IN THE
-12WORLD WILL NOT RESTORE THE PEOPLE'S FAITH IN GOVERNMENT
SUREJ WATERGATE IS IMPORTANT.
Bur
WE HAVE SOME OTHER
nGATES n THAT ARE BEING FORGOTTEN AND NEGLECTED THAT NEED OUR
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OUR FACTORY GATES -- UNEMPLOYMENT IS RUNNING AT OVER
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5%AND
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INCREASE} YET
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G IS BEING DONEJ AND SOME SI MPLY
ACCEPT IT.
~ OUR SCHOOL YARD GATES -- EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
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REMAINS AN UNMET GOALJ RECEIVING LITTLE ATTENTION.
A
-- LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN
___
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MAKING THESE INSTITUTIONS MORE HUMANE AND REHABILITATIVE,
~~OUR C~~y -~~S
--THE FIGHT TO MAKE OUR URBAN AREAS
LIVEABLE HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY ABANDONED,
AND OUR NATION HAS OTHER PROBLEMS THAT CRY OUT FOR
ACTION1 GOALS AND PRIORITIES THAT DESERVE THE COMMITMENT OF
OUR PEOPLE 1 BUT THEY ARE NOT BEING ATTENDED
TO~E
FIND OUR-
SELVES INSTEAD RUNNING FROM BRUSH FIRE TO BRUSH FIRE1 USING ALL
OF OUR SKILL AND RESOURCES TO PREVENT A MAJOR
CONFLAGRATION~
WITH NO
ATTEMPT AT FIRE PREVENTION AT ALL,
~RAPID
CHANGE AND INCREASED COMPLEXITY ARE CHARACTERISTICS
OF MODERN SOCIETIES, THEY RESULT IN COMPLEX PROBLEMS ~-p
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~HE
ENERGY CRISIS/ THE CRITICAL WORLD FOOD SITUATION}
AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF INCREASED
,_,.
MOBILITY} ARE ONLY A FEW OF THE MOST OBVIOUS EXAMPLES OF FAILURES
TO ANTICIPATE BASIC CHANGES AND THEIR RESULTS.
AT
THAT ARE NEEDED
DEVELOPMENT.__..
-15IT IS INCREDIBLE THAT THE UNITED STATESJ THE FIRST NATION
IN THE WORLD TO ENTER THE MODERN WORLD OF THE 20TH CENTURYJ
MAY WELL BE THE LAST NATION TO DEVELOP THE INSTITUTIONS AND
PROCESSES NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THE COMPLEXITY AND RAPID CHANGE
THAT COME WITH A MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
IF WE ARE TO "DESIGN" OUR FUTURE AND NOT SIMPLY "RESIGN"
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OURSELVES TO ITJ WE MUST FASHION A SYSTEM OF PLANNING FOR
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
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-16DESPITE THE PROBLEMS WE FACE AT HOME1 WE MUST NEVER FORGET
THAT WE ARE PART OF A LARGER WORLD, WHETHER WE LIKE THE IDEA OR
NOT1 IT IS A FACT THAT WHAT OUR NATION DOES OR FAILS TO DO WILL
HAVE TREMENDOUS IMPLICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AS WELL AS IN
OUR OWN BACKYARD,
~RECENT EXPERIENCE WITH THE "ENERGY_~_RISIS," WORLD
FOOD
SCARCITY~
A SHORT SUPPLY OF
MINERALS~
INFLATION~
AND THE
LIKE 1 MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE ARGUMENTS BETWEEN THE " ISOLATIONISTS "
AND
11
INTERNATIONALISTS" ARE SIMPLY NO LONGER REAL, "I SOLATIONISM" --
THE OLD-FASHION KIND OR THE NEW VARIETY -- IS NOT A POLICY OPTIONi
IT IS A FANTASY.
-17TODAY'S MAJOR PROBLEMS ARE GLOBAL IN NATURE,....IIilll!l.-'
ISJ~~~
Fl=sfC~EL¥
~
er4 oUR
owN
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THE TIME AND SPACE DISTANCES BETWEEN PEOPLES AND NATIONS
HAVE BEEN REDUCED IMMEASURABLY BY MODERN
You
0
TECHNOLOGY .-a!~
SHOULD PONDER THIS PROPH E4Y AS YOU "COMMENCE " A NEW
PHASE IN YOUR LIFE. ITS IMPLICATIONS ARE PROFOUND.
.,
-18IN THESE DAYS OF NATIONAL PESSIMISM~ THE PROPHETIC WORDS
OF ALDOUS HUXLEY -- " I HAVE PEERED INTO THE FUTURE 1 AND IT WO N'T
WORK" -- COME PERHAPS TOO
~
Bur,
SEEN HARD TIMES.
WE HAVE
WE HAVE GONE THROUGH WARS AND DEPRESSIONS~ INTERNAL DISSENSION
AND CIVIL STRIFE. EACH TIME WE HAVE BOUNCED BACK A STRONGER NATION,
THE ONLY OBSTACLE AND ONLY HOPE FOR AN AMERICA AND A
WORLD THAT "WILL WORK" IS
YOUL EACH
GE NERATION MUST FIND WITHI N
ITSELF AND FOR ITSELF THE VISION IT WILL PURSUE/ THE VALUES IT
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WILL ENSHRINEj AND THE
OUR NATION TOWARD THEM.
LEAD~~.~~ Dp~ ON VICTION
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THAT WILL MOVE
Minnesota
Historical Society
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