We have within our reach the promise of renewed America.  We can find meaning and reward by serving some purpose higher than ourselves—­a shining purpose, the illumination of a thousand points of light.  It is expressed by all who know the irresistible force of a child’s hand, of a friend who stands by you and stays there—­a volunteer’s generous gesture, an idea that is simply right.

The problems before us may be different, but the key to solving them remains the same:  it is the individual—­the individual who steps forward.  And the state of our Union is the union of each of us, one to the other:  the sum of our friendships, marriages, families and communities.

We all have something to give.  So if you know how to read, find someone who can’t.  If you’ve got a hammer, find a nail.  If you’re not hungry, not lonely, not in trouble—­seek out someone who is.

Join the community of conscience.  Do the hard work of freedom.  That will define the state of our Union.

Since the birth of our nation, “we the people” has been the source of our strength.  What government can do alone is limited, but the potential of the American people knows no limits.

We are a nation of rock-solid realism and clear-eyed idealism.  We are Americans.  We are the nation that believes in the future.  We are the nation that can shape the future.

And we’ve begun to do just that, by strengthening the power and choice of individuals and families.

Together, these last two years, we’ve put dollars for child care directly in the hands of patients instead of bureaucracies, unshackled the potential of Americans with disabilities, applied the creativity of the marketplace in the service of the environment, for clean air, and made homeownership possible for more Americans.

The strength of a democracy is not in bureaucracy, it is in the people and their communities.  In everything we do, let us unleash the potential of our most precious resource—­our citizens.  We must return to families, communities, counties, cities, states and institutions of every kind, the power to chart their own destiny, and the freedom and opportunity provided by strong economic growth.  That’s what America is all about.

I know, tonight, in some regions of our country, people are in genuine economic distress.  I hear them.

Earlier this month Kathy Blackwell of Massachusetts wrote me about what can happen when the economy slows down, saying, “My heart is aching, and I think that you should know—­your people out here are hurting badly.”

I understand.  And I’m not unrealistic about the future.  But there are reasons to be optimistic about our economy.

First, we don’t have to fight double-digit inflation.  Second, most industries won’t have to make big cuts in production because they don’t have big inventories piled up.  And third, our exports are running solid and strong.  In fact, American businesses are exporting at a record rate.