For an America of vision that sees tomorrow’s dreams in the learning and hard work we do today;

For an America of courage whose service men and women, even as we meet, proudly stand watch on the frontiers of freedom;

For an America of compassion that opens its heart to those who cry out for help.

We have begun well.  But it’s only a beginning.  We’re not here to congratulate ourselves on what we have done but to challenge ourselves to finish what has not yet been done.

We’re here to speak for millions in our inner cities who long for real jobs, safe neighborhoods, and schools that truly teach.  We’re here to speak for the American farmer, the entrepreneur, and every worker in industries fighting to modernize and compete.  And, yes, we’re here to stand, and proudly so, for all who struggle to break free from totalitarianism, for all who know in their hearts that freedom is the one true path to peace and human happiness.

Proverbs tell us, without a vision the people perish.  When asked what great principle holds our Union together, Abraham Lincoln said:  “Something in (the) Declaration giving liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but hope to the world for all future time.”

We honor the giants of our history not by going back but forward to the dreams their vision foresaw.  My fellow citizens, this nation is poised for greatness.  The time has come to proceed toward a great new challenge—­a second American Revolution of hope and opportunity; a revolution carrying us to new heights of progress by pushing back frontiers of knowledge and space; a revolution of spirit that taps the soul of America, enabling us to summon greater strength than we’ve ever known; and a revolution that carries beyond our shores the golden promise of human freedom in a world of peace.

Let us begin by challenging our conventional wisdom.  There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.  Already, pushing down tax rates has freed our economy to vault forward to record growth.

In Europe, they’re calling it “the American Miracle.”  Day by day, we’re shattering accepted notions of what is possible.  When I was growing up, we failed to see how a new thing called radio would transform our marketplace.  Well, today, many have not yet seen how advances in technology are transforming our lives.

In the late 1950’s workers at the at&T semiconductor plant in Pennsylvania produced five transistors a day for $7.50 apiece.  They now produce over a million for less than a penny apiece.

New laser techniques could revolutionize heart bypass surgery, cut diagnosis time for viruses linked to cancer from weeks to minutes, reduce hospital costs dramatically, and hold out new promise for saving human lives.

Our automobile industry has overhauled assembly lines, increased worker productivity, and is competitive once again.