Well, that President and that Congress did not fail the American people.  Together they weathered the storm and preserved the Union.  Let it be said of us that we, too, did not fail; that we, too, worked together to bring America through difficult times.  Let us so conduct ourselves that two centuries from now, another Congress and another President, meeting in this Chamber as we are meeting, will speak of us with pride, saying that we met the test and preserved for them in their day the sacred flame of liberty—­this last, best hope of man on Earth.

God bless you, and thank you.

Note:  The President spoke at 9 p.m. in the House Chamber at the Capitol.  He was introduced by Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives.  The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.

***

State of the Union Address
Ronald Reagan
January 25, 1983

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honored guests, and fellow citizens: 

This solemn occasion marks the 196th time that a President of the United States has reported on the State of the Union since George Washington first did so in 1790.  That’s a lot of reports, but there’s no shortage of new things to say about the State of the Union.  The very key to our success has been our ability, foremost among nations, to preserve our lasting values by making change work for us rather than against us.

I would like to talk with you this evening about what we can do together—­not as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans—­to make tomorrow’s America happy and prosperous at home, strong and respected abroad, and at peace in the world.

As we gather here tonight, the state of our Union is strong, but our economy is troubled.  For too many of our fellow citizens—­farmers, steel and auto workers, lumbermen, black teenagers, working mothers—­this is a painful period.  We must all do everything in our power to bring their ordeal to an end.  It has fallen to us, in our time, to undo damage that was a long time in the making, and to begin the hard but necessary task of building a better future for ourselves and our children.

We have a long way to go, but thanks to the courage, patience, and strength of our people, America is on the mend.

But let me give you just one important reason why I believe this—­it involves many members of this body.

Just 10 days ago, after months of debate and deadlock, the bipartisan Commission on Social Security accomplished the seemingly impossible.  Social security, as some of us had warned for so long, faced disaster.  I, myself, have been talking about this problem for almost 30 years.  As 1983 began, the system stood on the brink of bankruptcy, a double victim of our economic ills.  First, a decade of rampant inflation drained its reserves as we tried to protect beneficiaries from the spiraling cost of living.  Then the recession and the sudden end of inflation withered the expanding wage base and increasing revenues the system needs to support the 36 million Americans who depend on it.