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.

When the Speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader, and I performed the bipartisan—­or formed the bipartisan Commission on Social Security, pundits and experts predicted that party divisions and conflicting interests would prevent the Commission from agreeing on a plan to save social security.  Well, sometimes, even here in Washington, the cynics are wrong.  Through compromise and cooperation, the members of the Commission overcame their differences and achieved a fair, workable plan.  They proved that, when it comes to the national welfare, Americans can still pull together for the common good.

Tonight, I’m especially pleased to join with the Speaker and the Senate majority leader in urging the Congress to enact this plan by Easter.

There are elements in it, of course, that none of us prefers, but taken together it performs a package that all of us can support.  It asks for some sacrifice by all—­the self-employed, beneficiaries, workers, government employees, and the better-off among the retired—­but it imposes an undue burden on none.  And, in supporting it, we keep an important pledge to the American people:  The integrity of the social security system will be preserved, and no one’s payments will be reduced.

The Commission’s plan will do the job; indeed, it must do the job.  We owe it to today’s older Americans and today’s younger workers.  So, before we go any further, I ask you to join with me in saluting the members of the Commission who are here tonight and Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker and Speaker Tip O’Neill for a job well done.  I hope and pray the bipartisan spirit that guided you in this endeavor will inspire all of us as we face the challenges of the year ahead.