Join Bill Federer on a fact finding trip to Israel. Click Here
 Leslie Lynch King, Jr., born JULY 14, 1913, became the 38th President of the United States.
Renamed by his stepfather, he was the only Eagle Scout to be President.
He attended the
University of Michigan on a football scholarship, graduated from Yale
Law School and served in the Navy during World War II.
His name was Gerald Rudolph Ford.
Ford was House Minority
Leader until chosen as Vice-President when Spiro Agnew resigned, then
President when Richard Nixon resigned.
He was the only President not elected.
Gerald Rudolph Ford stated upon assuming the Presidency, August 9, 1974:
"I am acutely aware
that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I
ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers."
On September 8, 1974, President Ford stated:
"The Constitution is
the supreme law of our land and it governs our actions as citizens.
Only the laws of God, which govern our consciences, are superior to it.
As we are a Nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with
the help of God."
In a Proclamation of Prayer, December 5, 1974, President Ford quoted President Eisenhower:
"Without God there
could be no American form of government... Recognition of the Supreme
Being is the first-the most basic-expression of Americanism."
At a Southern Methodist University Convocation, September 13, 1975, President Ford stated:
"I see a
century...which equips young men and women...to make their own
decisions rather than permit their future to be programmed by massive
government structures that an imaginative writer foresaw for 1984--a
nightmarish fantasy of what our third century could be.
It is my deepest conviction that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have...
Men and women must
prevail over the endless agencies and bureaus that would reduce human
beings to computerized abstractions and program people into numbers
and statistics.
Today's mounting danger is from mass government...we must not let them prevail...
Never forget that in
America our sovereign is the citizen...The state is a servant...It
must never become an anonymous monstrosity that masters everyone."
FOR ADDITIONAL QUOTATIONS from President Gerald Ford, READ BELOW:
In Rock Hill, South Carolina, October 19, 1974, President Ford stated:
"What they don't tell us when they propose all these benefits that they are going to give you from our Government...
They don't inform you that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
Addressing a Joint Session of Congress, August 12, 1974, President Ford stated:
"They know that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At a Breakfast for Candidates in Kansas City, Missouri, October 16, 1974, President Ford stated:
"Some of the big spenders don't understand that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
Dedicating the Anderson
Independent and Anderson Daily Mail Building in Anderson, South
Carolina, October 19, 1974, President Ford stated:
"I frequently wondered
whether those who pushed and worked for those programs of piling one
Federal program on top of another day after day after day, whether they
ever realized and recognized that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At a Luncheon in Des Moines, October 24, 1974, President Ford stated:
"But I remind you, a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At the United Republican Fund Dinner in Chicago, October 24, 1974, President Ford stated:
"I often used to think
as these programs sort of flowed out of one committee after another,
didn't those proponents ever understand that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have?"
In Los Angeles, October 31, 1974, President Ford stated:
"In the short haul, it
is very easy for government to yield to the temptation to give people
what they want or what the politicians tell them that they ought to
have, but keep this in mind: In the long haul, a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
In Salt Lake City, November 2, 1974, President Ford stated:
"The intentions of the
people who have helped build the Federal layer cake are noble
ones...They actually, sincerely believe that if the Government
ministers to every need and to every concern that it has among all the
213 million citizens, those citizens will be happier and will be better
off. But let me make a critical, crucial point...is that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
In Wichita, Kansas, November 2, 1974, President Ford stated:
"I know there are some
who wish to have the Government do something for everybody in massive
amounts, but as they seek to promote these kinds of efforts in the
short haul, I do not think they really forecast what the long pull
means. Let me put it this way: I think it is fair to say a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Dinner Meeting of the Conference Board, January 22, 1975, President Ford stated:
"The American people
are very generous....We have prided ourselves on our responsiveness to
those in our society less fortunate than ourselves. But as we are now
beginning to realize, we cannot give away any more than what we have...A government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have.
The Government cannot,
in my judgment, overspend year after year without doing drastic damage
to the economy and harm every one of our citizens."
At the Annual Dinner Meeting of the Bay Area Council in San Francisco, April 4, 1975, President Ford stated:
"Over the 25 years that
I had the privilege of serving in the House of
Representatives...well-motivated Members of the House of Representatives
would get up and argue effectively and convincingly and certainly in
the highest motivation for this social program or that social program.
Pretty soon, we started to have this proliferation, and believe me, it
has proliferated...
I recall most vividly sitting there on many occasions and thinking to myself, don't they realize that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have?"
To the National Explorer Presidents' Congress of the Boy Scouts of America, April 9, 1975, President Ford stated:
"I would like to make
one observation...it is something that worries me...I used to see
program after program presented to the House that meant a bigger
government, that meant more control over people and over cities and
over States.
I used to get very
worried as I saw this proliferation of government, and I thought to
myself on many occasions that I wish that people would think in this
way...that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At an annual Senate-House Fundraising Dinner, April 15, 1975, President Ford stated:
"A $52 billion deficit
is bad enough...Every time Congress acts to add a little, a little, a
little, it gets worse and worse and worse. So, I ask you in all honesty
that we end these schemes...
If we don't do
something in a relatively short period of time, one-half of all
Americans will be living off the taxes of the other half of Americans.
Is that what you want your government function to be?...
Never forget, a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Reception in Alexandria, Virginia, April 26, 1975, President Ford stated:
"Make...a
campaign...cutting back and decreasing the responsibility of the
Federal Government, a campaign that is predicated on what we can do...to
expand, not cut back, the opportunity for the free enterprise system.
We have to cut back on all of these programs that some of our good
friends across the political aisle try to thrust upon us...
It is just impossible
to believe all of the things that some of our Democratic friends want
to thrust upon the American people. They want to put more bureaucracy;
they want to spend more Federal money...These people...try to thrust
these programs one after another, on top of one another...
I often used to sit back in the rear seats of the House of Representatives and ask myself, 'Didn't they realize that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have?'"
At the Annual Meeting of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, April 28, 1975, President Ford stated:
"Let me reaffirm to you
today my deep personal conviction that the best way to begin in our
efforts is to improve the government we have, not to enlarge it. I do
not believe a bigger government is necessarily a better government. May
I add this: Please never forget, a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
To the National Federation of Independent Business, June 17, 1975, President Ford stated:
"I can say this with
conviction: Americans have not arrived at a popular consensus for
collectivism. We have held no referendum to repeal our economic
freedom. Quite the opposite is true. Americans are proud of our system
and pleased with what it has produced.
Yet, if we continue to
bigger and bigger government, Washington will become the big daddy of
all citizens. If the power to tax goes unchecked, it will inhibit
capital formation for business and incentive for workers. And we can
say goodby to the free enterprise system that has given us so much...
You are painfully aware that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Fundraising Supper in Cleveland, July 3, 1975, President Ford stated:
"I see a national government that responds to people's needs, but does not order people's lives. And don't forget that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At a Fundraising Dinner in Newport, August 30, 1975, President Ford stated:
"I know there are some
in this country that think that the solution to our problems at home
are more programs, more spending, et cetera.
And every time I think
of that solution, I can't help but repeat something that I have used as
sort of a guideline or a criteria, and I apologize to those I have
said it to before or those that have listened to it before: We must be
certain that we understand that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Fundraising Dinner in Portland, September 4, 1975, President Ford stated:
"One day I was sitting there talking to one of my associates or colleagues in the House of Representatives.
And after we had gone
through this sort of inevitable schedule that seems to come up all the
time when there is a problem and we have to have solutions, I thought
to myself--and the person who was debating and speaking and proposing
this program was a fine person; I am not disagreeing with his
motives--but I thought to myself, don't those he represents understand
that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have?"
At a Fundraising Dinner in Kansas City, Missouri, September 12, 1975, President Ford stated:
"We are going to get
rid of some of these things...because during a period of time within
the last 25 years, to my own personal knowledge, there was this effort
made to expand controls and to increase regulation.
I used to sit in the
Chamber of the House of Representatives, and I would listen to these
arguments about they had to do this for the people and they had to do
that for the people and so forth.
I was reminded one time of a saying that was given to me a good many years ago of a man who said, 'Don't ever forget that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.'"
At the Biennial Convention of the National Federation of Republican Women in Dallas, September 13, 1975, President Ford stated:
"In America's first century, a young nation forged political institutions responsive to the people. Unity grew from diversity.
Our second century transformed America into the most productive nation that ever existed...
Our third century
begins in less than a year...I see our people making their own
decisions rather than abdicating their future to the massive big
brother governmental structures or turning their lives to the 1984
nightmare script of what our third century could be.
It is my fervent conviction that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At the Annual Convention
of the National Association of Life Underwriters in Anaheim,
California, September 21, 1975, President Ford stated:
"Our task today is to
get the mighty engine of free enterprise running at full throttle
again. The quick solution, and the wrong one, would be to load a lot of
new spending measures onto the taxpayer and unleash a flood of deficit
dollars into the Nation's economic mainstream.
That might make the
economy leap up and shout hallelujah today, but the recovery would be
very short-lived. Soon the patient would be flat on his back, worse off
than ever. I will not be a party to such irresponsible action.
From hallelujah to
heartbreak in one quick surge is not the responsible way to make our
economy healthy in the future...Government has a limited capacity to
help our economy, but an almost unlimited capacity to harm it.
Never forget that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At a Fundraising Dinner in Detroit, October 10, 1975, President Ford stated:
"Are you with me when I
insist that the Congress cut spending enough to give all Americans a
meaningful permanent tax reduction? Are you with me in getting
government bureaucracies out of your business, out of your pocket, and
incidentally, out of your hair? I know that each and every one of you
know that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At a Fundraising Dinner in Hartford, October 14, 1975, President Ford stated:
"For the last 38 out of
42 years the Democrats have controlled the Congress...following the
old Democratic formula of tax and tax, spend and spend, elect and
elect.
I respectfully suggest, let's turn that formula around...
As we talk about the
problem of bigger government, heavier burdens financially, and less and
less freedom, it is well to remember the following: A government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Fundraising Dinner in Los Angeles, October 29, 1975, President Ford stated:
"The Federal Government
should, within the limits of its resources, help Americans in need who
cannot help themselves. We should not give Federal assistance--and I
emphasize 'we should not give Federal assistance'--to able-bodied
adults without dependents who do not choose to work, I simply don't
understand the logic of this Democrat-controlled Congress...
Those who deserve the
help of our Nation will continue to get it. The elderly, the poor, the
men and women who have borne our Nation's arms--the Federal Government
must and will meet these legitimate obligations. But we must not pay
one more cent of tribute to interest groups...
I speak to you in these very frank and categorical terms tonight to underscore my deep conviction and greatest concern, that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Fundraising Dinner in Charleston, November 11, 1975, President Ford stated:
"The people of America, the length and breadth of this land, are learning that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At a Reception in Raleigh, North Carolina, November 14, 1975, President Ford stated:
"There is...a day of
reckoning when the...bills will come due...As they spend and spend and
spend, they don't seem to realize that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
At a Dinner in Atlanta, November 14, 1975, President Ford stated:
"If the State of
Georgia can control its budget, there is no darn reason why the United
States can't do the same thing. What concerns me most is the growth of
government without consent, the increasing encroachment of government
into our lives and into our pockets.
And let me emphasize one special point: A government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have.
The time has come for a
new rebel yell--a whole nation of rebels yelling--a whole nation of
rebels yelling no, no to big government."
At the Annual Convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation in St. Louis, January 5, 1976, President Ford stated:
"The American farmer
died for freedom on the bridge of Concord 200 years ago. The least that
America can do today is to let the farmer live in freedom from the
stifling interference and control of big government. If there is one
thing we can all be certain of, it is this: A government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
To Delegates Attending the Young Republican Conference, January 29, 1976, President Ford stated:
"The relationship
between the Federal Government and States is vitally important. In my
time in the Congress there was always a drive, a tendency to
concentrate power and authority in the Federal Government...that the
Federal Government knew how to do the job best and that it was better
to undercut the role of locally elected officials.
That theory didn't
work, and the net result is we piled program after program after
program on the Federal Government and we found too many failures. We
wasted too much money. We tried to control the lives of individuals
from the Federal Government and it didn't work.
Some of those people who promoted this idea for too long a time never seem to understand that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At the Midwest Republican Conference in Dearborn, Michigan, January 31, 1976, President Ford:
"We have turned away
from the discredited idea that the Federal Government can solve every
problem just by spending more of your tax money on it. Yes, we know
that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At the Northeast Republican Conference in Arlington, Virginia, February 6, 1976, President Ford:
"We must never lose sight of one very simple truth that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a President Ford Committee Reception in Orlando, Florida, February 13, 1976, President Ford stated:
"I want to get the
government off your back...One of the guiding things that has always
affected me--it's summarized in a sentence or two. Some of my staff
give me a bad time because I use it, but I think it really says in a
few words what it is all about. I feel it very strongly and very
deeply, and let me put it this way: We should never forget that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
To President Ford Committee Volunteers in Ft. Lauderdale, February 14, 1976, President Ford stated:
"I want a balance
between the taxpayer on the one hand and the recipient of Federal
assistance on the other...I want to free the individual from as much
government control as possible. I will make one statement that sort of
puts all of my philosophy in a very simple sentence. I say it often
because I believe it. Some of you may have heard it, but it wraps it
all up: A government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Question-and-Answer Session at a Campaign Rally in Ft. Myers, Florida, February 14, 1976, President Ford stated:
"Government will do its
part, but it is time we face the fact that government must stop trying
to do everything. That won't work--never has. I have said it before,
some of you may have heard it, but it sums up so cogently my basic
philosophy. I live by this principle, I think it is sound, and let me
phrase it for you very rapidly: A government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
At a Question-and-Answer Session at a Public Forum in Keene, February 19, 1976, President Ford stated:
"I have made concrete
recommendations to ensure that the intelligence community keeps out of
politics and out of people's private lives. As President, I intend to
see that the Federal Government is under the people's control and not
the other way around. This next sentence pretty much sums up my
philosophy: We must never forget that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
In Sarasota, Florida, February 29, 1976, President Ford stated:
"We must think of the
kind of country that we will leave to those future generations in our
time...Each of you must decide what role you want your government to
play in your own life and in the life of your Nation. Let me sort of
simplify something I believe in very deeply. We must never forget that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
In Rockford, Illinois, March 11, 1976, President Ford stated:
"As I sit in the Oval
Office of the White House I get letters, I get communications, I get
legislation sent to me from the Congress, and there is a trend. People
say why don't you do this, why don't you expand that program, why don't
you spend more Federal money?...
If we followed that
course of action, if we did what the expansionists wanted us to do as
far as the Federal Government was concerned, I don't think they have
understood one of the fundamentals that is so important, and let me
phrase it this way. I warn them, I look them in the eye and I say, 'Do
you realize that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have?'"
At a Reception for President Ford Committee Volunteers in Rockford, March 12, 1976, President Ford stated:
"One of those lessons
that we learned is that bigger budgets and bigger government are not
the magic answers to every problem that faces us as a nation. We must
never forget that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have...
We found that more government spending too often made these ills worse."
In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, March 13, 1976, President Ford stated:
"But there are some
people who think all answers have to come from Washington, D.C. They
want to expand the bureaucracy, they want to put more power in the
hands of those people who run things in Washington. Let me give you a
word of warning, and I think this summarizes it as about as cogently as
you can. And please listen. We should never forget that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have."
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment