A Time For Choosing - Revision history

Reagan admin at 14:33, 6 October 2026

2026-10-06T14:33:04Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:33, 6 October 2026
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	If you and I have the courage to tell our elected officials that we want our national policy based upon what we know in our hearts is morally right. We cannot buy our security, our freedom from the threat of the bomb by committing an immorality so great as saying to a billion now in slavery behind the [[Iron Curtain]], "Give up your dreams of freedom because to save our own skin, we are willing to make a deal with your slave masters." [[Alexander Hamilton]] said, "A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one." Let's set the record straight. There is no argument over the choice between peace and war, but there is only one guaranteed way you can have peace — and you can have it in the next second — surrender.		If you and I have the courage to tell our elected officials that we want our national policy based upon what we know in our hearts is morally right. We cannot buy our security, our freedom from the threat of the bomb by committing an immorality so great as saying to a billion now in slavery behind the [[Iron Curtain]], "Give up your dreams of freedom because to save our own skin, we are willing to make a deal with your slave masters." [[Alexander Hamilton]] said, "A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one." Let's set the record straight. There is no argument over the choice between peace and war, but there is only one guaranteed way you can have peace — and you can have it in the next second — surrender.

	Admittedly there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face — that their policy of accommodation is appeasement, and it gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight and surrender. If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, eventually we have to face the final demand — the ultimatum. And what then? When [[Nikita Khrushchev]] has told his people he knows what our answer will be? He has told them that we are retreating under the pressure of the [[Cold War]], and someday when the time comes to deliver the ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary because by that time we will have weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically. He believes this because from our side he has heard voices pleading for "peace at any price" or "better Red than dead," or as one [[Kenneth Tynan\|commentator]] put it, he would rather "live on his knees than die on his feet." And therein lies the road to war, because those voices don't speak for the rest of us. You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin — just in the face of this enemy? Or should [[Exodus\|Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs]]? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the [[Battle of Concord\|patriots at Concord Bridge]] have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard 'round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn't die in vain. Where, then, is the road to peace? Well, it's a simple answer after all.		Admittedly there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face — that their policy of accommodation is appeasement, and it gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight and surrender. If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, eventually we have to face the final demand — the ultimatum. And what then? When [[Nikita Khrushchev]] has told his people he knows what our answer will be? He has told them that we are retreating under the pressure of the [[Cold War]], and someday when the time comes to deliver the ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary because by that time we will have weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically. He believes this because from our side he has heard voices pleading for "peace at any price" or "better Red than dead," or as one [[Kenneth Tynan\|commentator]] put it, he would rather "live on his knees than die on his feet." And therein lies the road to war, because those voices don't speak for the rest of us. You and I know and do not believe that [[Give me Liberty\|life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery]]. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin — just in the face of this enemy? Or should [[Exodus\|Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs]]? Should [[Easter\|Christ have refused the cross]]? Should the [[Battle of Concord\|patriots at Concord Bridge]] have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard 'round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn't die in vain. Where, then, is the road to peace? Well, it's a simple answer after all.

	You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, "There is a price we will not pay." There is a point beyond which they must not advance. This is the meaning in the phrase of [[Barry Goldwater]]'s "peace through strength." Winston Churchill said that "the destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits — not animals." And he said, "There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty."		You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, "There is a price we will not pay." There is a point beyond which they must not advance. This is the meaning in the phrase of [[Barry Goldwater]]'s "peace through strength." Winston Churchill said that "the destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits — not animals." And he said, "There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty."

Reagan admin at 14:48, 22 September 2026

2026-09-22T14:48:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:48, 22 September 2026
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	This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[[The Speech]]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.		This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[[The Speech]]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.

	There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[[The Speech]]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [[~~press release~~]] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.		There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[[The Speech]]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [[Press Release]] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.
	[[A Time For Choosing-Prepared Version\|It can be read here]].		[[A Time For Choosing-Prepared Version\|It can be read here]].

Reagan admin at 13:29, 13 March 2026

2026-03-13T13:29:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:29, 13 March 2026
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	[[Hubert Humphrey\|Senator Humphrey]] last week charged that [[Barry Goldwater]] as President would seek to eliminate farmers. He should do his homework a little better, because he will find out that we have had a decline of 5 million in the farm population under these government programs. He will also find that the Democratic administration has sought to get from Congress an extension of the farm program to include that three-fourths that is now free. He will find that they have also asked for the right to imprison farmers who wouldn't keep books as prescribed by the federal government. The Secretary of Agriculture asked for the right to seize farms through condemnation and resell them to other individuals. And contained in that same program was a provision that would have allowed the federal government to remove 2 million farmers from the soil.		[[Hubert Humphrey\|Senator Humphrey]] last week charged that [[Barry Goldwater]] as President would seek to eliminate farmers. He should do his homework a little better, because he will find out that we have had a decline of 5 million in the farm population under these government programs. He will also find that the Democratic administration has sought to get from Congress an extension of the farm program to include that three-fourths that is now free. He will find that they have also asked for the right to imprison farmers who wouldn't keep books as prescribed by the federal government. The Secretary of Agriculture asked for the right to seize farms through condemnation and resell them to other individuals. And contained in that same program was a provision that would have allowed the federal government to remove 2 million farmers from the soil.

	At the same time, there has been an increase in the Department of Agriculture employees. There is now one for every 30 farms in the United States, and still they can't tell us how 66 shiploads of grain headed for Austria disappeared without a trace and [[Billie Sol Estes]] never left shore.		At the same time, there has been an increase in the Department of Agriculture employees. There is now one for every 30 farms in the United States, and still they can't tell us how [https://time.com/archive/6807866/foreign-trade-the-66-shiploads/ 66 shiploads of grain headed for Austria] disappeared without a trace and [[Billie Sol Estes]] never left shore.

	Every responsible farmer and farm organization has repeatedly asked the government to free the farm economy, but who are farmers to know what is best for them? The wheat farmers voted against a wheat program. The government passed it anyway. Now the price of bread goes up; the price of wheat to the farmer goes down.		Every responsible farmer and farm organization has repeatedly asked the government to free the farm economy, but who are farmers to know what is best for them? The wheat farmers voted against a wheat program. The government passed it anyway. Now the price of bread goes up; the price of wheat to the farmer goes down.

Reagan admin at 16:12, 18 February 2026

2026-02-18T16:12:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:12, 18 February 2026
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	On October 27, 1964, a recorded speech by Ronald Reagan was broadcast on TV in support of Senator [[Barry Goldwater]]. In it, he attempts to outline his feelings about the direction of the country, from a free and prosperous state, to one of welfare and debt, with [[Lyndon B Johnson]]'s [[Great Society]] at the forefront. He also discusses the role of [[communism]]/[[socialism]].		On October 27, 1964, a recorded speech by Ronald Reagan was broadcast on TV in support of Senator [[Barry Goldwater]]. In it, he attempts to outline his feelings about the direction of the country, from a free and prosperous state, to one of welfare and debt, with [[Lyndon B Johnson]]'s [[Great Society]] at the forefront. He also discusses the role of [[communism]]/[[socialism]].

	This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[The Speech]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.		This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[[The Speech]]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.

	There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[[The Speech]]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [[press release]] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.		There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[[The Speech]]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [[press release]] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.

Reagan admin at 20:59, 24 February 2022

2022-02-24T20:59:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:59, 24 February 2022
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			[[Category:Speeches]]
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Reagan admin at 21:51, 21 February 2022

2022-02-21T21:51:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:51, 21 February 2022
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	Every responsible farmer and farm organization has repeatedly asked the government to free the farm economy, but who are farmers to know what is best for them? The wheat farmers voted against a wheat program. The government passed it anyway. Now the price of bread goes up; the price of wheat to the farmer goes down.		Every responsible farmer and farm organization has repeatedly asked the government to free the farm economy, but who are farmers to know what is best for them? The wheat farmers voted against a wheat program. The government passed it anyway. Now the price of bread goes up; the price of wheat to the farmer goes down.
	[[file:Planners.jpg\|right\|Quote about Planners]]		[[file:Planners.jpg\|right\|Quote about Planners]]
	Meanwhile, back in the city, under urban renewal the assault on freedom carries on. Private property rights are so diluted that public interest is almost anything that a few government planners decide it should be. In a program that takes for the needy and gives to the greedy, we see such spectacles as in [Cleveland, Ohio], a million-and-a-half-dollar building completed only three years ago must be destroyed to make way for what government officials call a "[[Eminent Domain\|more compatible use of the land]]." The President tells us he is now going to start building public housing units in the thousands where heretofore we have only built them in the hundreds. But [[Federal Housing Administration\|FHA]] and the [[Veterans Administration]] tell us that they have 120,000 housing units they've taken back through mortgage foreclosures. For three decades, we have sought to solve the problems of unemployment through government planning, and the more the plans fail, the more the planners plan. The latest is the [[Area Redevelopment Agency]]. They have just declared [[Rice County, Kansas]], a depressed area. [[Rice County, Kansas]], has two hundred oil wells, and the 14,000 people there have over $30 million on deposit in personal savings in their banks. When the government tells you you're depressed, lie down and be depressed.		Meanwhile, back in the city, under urban renewal the assault on freedom carries on. Private property rights are so diluted that public interest is almost anything that a few government planners decide it should be. In a program that takes for the needy and gives to the greedy, we see such spectacles as in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], a million-and-a-half-dollar building completed only three years ago must be destroyed to make way for what government officials call a "[[Eminent Domain\|more compatible use of the land]]." The President tells us he is now going to start building public housing units in the thousands where heretofore we have only built them in the hundreds. But [[Federal Housing Administration\|FHA]] and the [[Veterans Administration]] tell us that they have 120,000 housing units they've taken back through mortgage foreclosures. For three decades, we have sought to solve the problems of unemployment through government planning, and the more the plans fail, the more the planners plan. The latest is the [[Area Redevelopment Agency]]. They have just declared [[Rice County, Kansas]], a depressed area. [[Rice County, Kansas]], has two hundred oil wells, and the 14,000 people there have over $30 million on deposit in personal savings in their banks. When the government tells you you're depressed, lie down and be depressed.

	We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. So they are going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning. Well, now, if government planning and welfare had the answer and they've had almost 30 years of it, shouldn't we expect government to almost read the score to us once in a while? Shouldn't they be telling us about the decline each year in the number of people needing help? The reduction in the need for public housing?		We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. So they are going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning. Well, now, if government planning and welfare had the answer and they've had almost 30 years of it, shouldn't we expect government to almost read the score to us once in a while? Shouldn't they be telling us about the decline each year in the number of people needing help? The reduction in the need for public housing?

Reagan admin at 21:29, 21 February 2022

2022-02-21T21:29:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:29, 21 February 2022
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	I have spent most of my life as a Democrat. I recently have seen fit to follow another course. I believe that the issues confronting us cross party lines. Now, one side in this campaign has been telling us that the issues of this election are the maintenance of peace and prosperity. The line has been used "We've never had it so good."		I have spent most of my life as a Democrat. I recently have seen fit to follow another course. I believe that the issues confronting us cross party lines. Now, one side in this campaign has been telling us that the issues of this election are the maintenance of peace and prosperity. The line has been used "We've never had it so good."

	But I have an uncomfortable feeling that this prosperity isn't something on which we can base our hopes for the future. No nation in history has ever survived a tax burden that reached a third of its national income. Today, 37 cents of every dollar earned in this country is the tax collector's share, and yet our government continues to spend $17 million a day more than the government takes in. We haven't [[balanced our budget]] 28 out of the last 34 years. We have raised our [[debt limit]] three times in the last twelve months, and now our national debt is one and a half times bigger than all the combined debts of all the nations in the world. We have [[gold\|$15 billion in gold in our treasury]] — we don't own an ounce. Foreign dollar claims are $27.3 billion, and we have just had announced that the dollar of 1939 will now purchase [[inflation\|45 cents in its total value]].		But I have an uncomfortable feeling that this prosperity isn't something on which we can base our hopes for the future. No nation in history has ever survived a tax burden that reached a third of its national income. Today, 37 cents of every dollar earned in this country is the tax collector's share, and yet our government continues to spend $17 million a day more than the government takes in. We haven't [[Balanced Budget\|balanced our budget]] 28 out of the last 34 years. We have raised our [[debt limit]] three times in the last twelve months, and now our national debt is one and a half times bigger than all the combined debts of all the nations in the world. We have [[gold\|$15 billion in gold in our treasury]] — we don't own an ounce. Foreign dollar claims are $27.3 billion, and we have just had announced that the dollar of 1939 will now purchase [[inflation\|45 cents in its total value]].

	As for the peace that we would preserve, I wonder who among us would like to approach the wife or mother whose husband or son has died in [[Vietnam War\|South Vietnam]] and ask them if they think this is a peace that should be maintained indefinitely. Do they mean peace, or do they mean we just want to be left in peace? There can be no real peace while one American is dying some place in the world for the rest of us. We are at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it has been said if we lose that war, and in doing so lose this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening. Well, I think it's time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers.		As for the peace that we would preserve, I wonder who among us would like to approach the wife or mother whose husband or son has died in [[Vietnam War\|South Vietnam]] and ask them if they think this is a peace that should be maintained indefinitely. Do they mean peace, or do they mean we just want to be left in peace? There can be no real peace while one American is dying some place in the world for the rest of us. We are at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it has been said if we lose that war, and in doing so lose this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening. Well, I think it's time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers.

Reagan admin at 21:28, 21 February 2022

2022-02-21T21:28:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:28, 21 February 2022
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	There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[[The Speech]]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [[press release]] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.		There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[[The Speech]]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [[press release]] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.
	[A Time For Choosing-Prepared Version\|It can be read here].		[[A Time For Choosing-Prepared Version\|It can be read here]].

	== Full Text ==		== Full Text ==

Reagan admin at 21:27, 21 February 2022

2022-02-21T21:27:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:27, 21 February 2022
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	On October 27, 1964, a recorded speech by Ronald Reagan was broadcast on TV in support of Senator [[Barry Goldwater]]. In it, he attempts to outline his feelings about the direction of the country, from a free and prosperous state, to one of welfare and debt, with [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s [[Great Society]] at the forefront. He also discusses the role of [[communism]]/[[socialism]].		On October 27, 1964, a recorded speech by Ronald Reagan was broadcast on TV in support of Senator [[Barry Goldwater]]. In it, he attempts to outline his feelings about the direction of the country, from a free and prosperous state, to one of welfare and debt, with [[Lyndon B Johnson]]'s [[Great Society]] at the forefront. He also discusses the role of [[communism]]/[[socialism]].

	This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[The Speech]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.		This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[The Speech]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.

	There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[The Speech]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [press release] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.		There is another version of 'A Time For Choosing' which floats around the Internet. It may be another version of "[[The Speech]]" which is simply mislabeled or it may be a [[press release]] edition of 'A Time For Choosing'.
	[A Time For Choosing-Prepared Version\|It can be read here].		[A Time For Choosing-Prepared Version\|It can be read here].

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	Thank you very much. Thank you and good evening. The sponsor has been identified, but unlike most television programs, the performer hasn't been provided with a script. As a matter of fact, I have been permitted to choose my own ideas regarding the choice that we face in the next few weeks.		Thank you very much. Thank you and good evening. The sponsor has been identified, but unlike most television programs, the performer hasn't been provided with a script. As a matter of fact, I have been permitted to choose my own ideas regarding the choice that we face in the next few weeks.

	I have spent most of my life as a Democrat. I recently have seen fit to follow another course. I believe that the issues confronting us cross party lines. Now, one side in this campaign has been telling us that the issues of this election are the maintenance of peace and prosperity. The line has been used "We've never had it so good."		I have spent most of my life as a Democrat. I recently have seen fit to follow another course. I believe that the issues confronting us cross party lines. Now, one side in this campaign has been telling us that the issues of this election are the maintenance of peace and prosperity. The line has been used "We've never had it so good."

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	You and I are told increasingly that we have to choose between a left or right, but I would like to suggest that there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down — up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order — or down to the ant heap totalitarianism, and regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.		You and I are told increasingly that we have to choose between a left or right, but I would like to suggest that there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down — up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order — or down to the ant heap totalitarianism, and regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.

	In this vote-harvesting time, they use terms like the "[[Great Society]]," or as we were told a few days ago by the President, we must accept a "greater government activity in the affairs of the people." But they have been a little more explicit in the past and among themselves — and all of the things that I now will quote have appeared in print. These are not Republican accusations. For example, they have voices that say "the [[Cold War]] will end through acceptance of a not undemocratic socialism." Another voice says that the profit motive has become outmoded, it must be replaced by the incentives of the welfare state; or our traditional system of individual freedom is incapable of solving the complex problems of the 20th century. [[J. William Fulbright\|Senator Fulbright]] has said at Stanford University that the [[Constitution]] is outmoded. He referred to the president as our moral teacher and our leader, and he said he is hobbled in his task by the restrictions in power imposed on him by this antiquated document. He must be freed so that he can do for us what he knows is best. And [[Joseph S. Clark Jr.\|Senator Clark]] of Pennsylvania, another articulate spokesman, defines [[liberalism]] as "meeting the material needs of the masses through the full power of centralized government." Well, I for one resent it when a representative of the people refers to you and me — the free man and woman of this country — as "the masses." This is a term we haven't applied to ourselves in America. But beyond that, "the full power of centralized government" — this was the very thing the Founding Fathers sought to minimize. They knew that governments don't control things. A government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they know when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. They also knew, those Founding Fathers, that outside of its legitimate functions, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector of the economy.		In this vote-harvesting time, they use terms like the "[[Great Society]]," or as we were told a few days ago by the President, we must accept a "greater government activity in the affairs of the people." But they have been a little more explicit in the past and among themselves — and all of the things that I now will quote have appeared in print. These are not Republican accusations. For example, they have voices that say "the [[Cold War]] will end through acceptance of a not undemocratic socialism." Another voice says that the profit motive has become outmoded, it must be replaced by the incentives of the welfare state; or our traditional system of individual freedom is incapable of solving the complex problems of the 20th century. [[J William Fulbright\|Senator Fulbright]] has said at Stanford University that the [[Constitution]] is outmoded. He referred to the president as our moral teacher and our leader, and he said he is hobbled in his task by the restrictions in power imposed on him by this antiquated document. He must be freed so that he can do for us what he knows is best. And [[Joseph S Clark Jr\|Senator Clark]] of Pennsylvania, another articulate spokesman, defines [[liberalism]] as "meeting the material needs of the masses through the full power of centralized government." Well, I for one resent it when a representative of the people refers to you and me — the free man and woman of this country — as "the masses." This is a term we haven't applied to ourselves in America. But beyond that, "the full power of centralized government" — this was the very thing the Founding Fathers sought to minimize. They knew that governments don't control things. A government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they know when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. They also knew, those Founding Fathers, that outside of its legitimate functions, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector of the economy.

	Now, we have no better example of this than the government's involvement in the farm economy over the last 30 years. Since 1955, the cost of this program has nearly doubled. One-fourth of farming in America is responsible for 85% of the farm surplus. Three-fourths of farming is out on the free market and has known a 21% increase in the per capita consumption of all its produce. You see, that one-fourth of farming is regulated and controlled by the federal government. In the last three years we have spent $43 in feed grain program for every bushel of corn we don't grow.		Now, we have no better example of this than the government's involvement in the farm economy over the last 30 years. Since 1955, the cost of this program has nearly doubled. One-fourth of farming in America is responsible for 85% of the farm surplus. Three-fourths of farming is out on the free market and has known a 21% increase in the per capita consumption of all its produce. You see, that one-fourth of farming is regulated and controlled by the federal government. In the last three years we have spent $43 in feed grain program for every bushel of corn we don't grow.
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	Every responsible farmer and farm organization has repeatedly asked the government to free the farm economy, but who are farmers to know what is best for them? The wheat farmers voted against a wheat program. The government passed it anyway. Now the price of bread goes up; the price of wheat to the farmer goes down.		Every responsible farmer and farm organization has repeatedly asked the government to free the farm economy, but who are farmers to know what is best for them? The wheat farmers voted against a wheat program. The government passed it anyway. Now the price of bread goes up; the price of wheat to the farmer goes down.
	[~~imageright~~\|Quote about Planners~~\|{UP}Planners.jpg~~]		[[file:Planners.jpg\|right\|Quote about Planners]]
	Meanwhile, back in the city, under urban renewal the assault on freedom carries on. Private property rights are so diluted that public interest is almost anything that a few government planners decide it should be. In a program that takes for the needy and gives to the greedy, we see such spectacles as in [Cleveland, Ohio], a million-and-a-half-dollar building completed only three years ago must be destroyed to make way for what government officials call a "[[Eminent Domain\|more compatible use of the land]]." The President tells us he is now going to start building public housing units in the thousands where heretofore we have only built them in the hundreds. But [[Federal Housing Administration\|FHA]] and the [[Veterans Administration]] tell us that they have 120,000 housing units they've taken back through mortgage foreclosures. For three decades, we have sought to solve the problems of unemployment through government planning, and the more the plans fail, the more the planners plan. The latest is the [[Area Redevelopment Agency]]. They have just declared [[Rice County, Kansas]], a depressed area. [[Rice County, Kansas]], has two hundred oil wells, and the 14,000 people there have over $30 million on deposit in personal savings in their banks. When the government tells you you're depressed, lie down and be depressed.		Meanwhile, back in the city, under urban renewal the assault on freedom carries on. Private property rights are so diluted that public interest is almost anything that a few government planners decide it should be. In a program that takes for the needy and gives to the greedy, we see such spectacles as in [Cleveland, Ohio], a million-and-a-half-dollar building completed only three years ago must be destroyed to make way for what government officials call a "[[Eminent Domain\|more compatible use of the land]]." The President tells us he is now going to start building public housing units in the thousands where heretofore we have only built them in the hundreds. But [[Federal Housing Administration\|FHA]] and the [[Veterans Administration]] tell us that they have 120,000 housing units they've taken back through mortgage foreclosures. For three decades, we have sought to solve the problems of unemployment through government planning, and the more the plans fail, the more the planners plan. The latest is the [[Area Redevelopment Agency]]. They have just declared [[Rice County, Kansas]], a depressed area. [[Rice County, Kansas]], has two hundred oil wells, and the 14,000 people there have over $30 million on deposit in personal savings in their banks. When the government tells you you're depressed, lie down and be depressed.

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	== External Links ==		== External Links ==
	[http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganatimeforchoosing.htm\|Full Text, Audio and Video of A Time For Choosing]		[http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganatimeforchoosing.htm Full Text, Audio and Video of A Time For Choosing]

	[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBswFfh6AY\|YouTube Video of A Time For Choosing, from The Reagan Foundation]		[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBswFfh6AY YouTube Video of A Time For Choosing, from The Reagan Foundation]

	[[c:Speeches]]		[[c:Speeches]]

Reagan admin at 20:41, 19 February 2022

2022-02-19T20:41:52Z

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	On October 27, 1964, a recorded speech by Ronald Reagan was broadcast on TV in support of Senator [Barry Goldwater]. In it, he attempts to outline his feelings about the direction of the country, from a free and prosperous state, to one of welfare and debt, with [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s [[Great Society]] at the forefront. He also discusses the role of [[communism]]/[[socialism]].		On October 27, 1964, a recorded speech by Ronald Reagan was broadcast on TV in support of Senator [[Barry Goldwater]]. In it, he attempts to outline his feelings about the direction of the country, from a free and prosperous state, to one of welfare and debt, with [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s [[Great Society]] at the forefront. He also discusses the role of [[communism]]/[[socialism]].

	This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[The Speech]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.		This is a transcript of the speech as it was broadcast on TV. It is sometimes called "[The Speech]" but this name is also applied to the many variations of it that were given by Reagan before and after the actual televised speech. This version specifically includes references to [[Barry Goldwater]], but not all did.