Beaumont, Texas Remarks at Dedication Ceremonies for the lack Brooks Federal Building.

Mayor Myers, Senator Lloyd Bentsen, my good friend Congressman lack Brooks, Congressmen Corman and Charlie Wilson, Mrs. Brooks, lay Solomon, and distinguished guests and friends:

The first thing I want to do is to thank all of you and others who live in this district for giving me an enormous victory here when I ran for President. I thank you. You're my friends. I'll never forget it.

Twenty-five years ago, when I was leaving the Navy to come home to Plains, Georgia, to be a farmer, a young freshman Congressman was leaving Beaumont to go to Washington. In that quarter of a century, the Ninth District has garnered more Federal projects than ever before: the Intercoastal Canal, the Nation's first strategic storage facility for oil, a whole host of Federal works projects too numerous to name this morning, research grants for your district colleges and universities, and a wide variety of miscellaneous Federal contracts and awards.

I don't recall a single major Federal program in Plains in the last 25 years. [Laughter] One reason I came here was to get Jack Brooks to help me in the future. If he brings down to Beaumont more than you can handle, I want Plains to be the first spillover point for things that you reject.

I think it's accurate to say that the simultaneous presence of Jack Brooks in Washington and so many Federal projects coming into the Ninth District was not just a coincidence. But I have to point out as well that it takes more than a respected and an influential Member of Congress to bring these kinds of projects to a district. There must be a fertile ground present among the people who live here, a belief in our Nation, an element of patriotism, a willingness to work with your own government and dedicated employees who, when given an opportunity to do a job, do a good job. And you have demonstrated this in many ways, and that's really the reason that you've been able to work with such a good partnership with Jack Brooks, your Congressman.

As this building suggests, your relationship with the Federal Government is clear and it's constant. Since this building was first erected, I believe 44 years ago, the expansion of Federal services in this area has required an expansion and a modernization of the building itself. In addition to Congressman Brooks' office, it now houses representatives from 10 different major Federal agencies.

I hope that bringing them together under one roof will symbolize the coordinated approach and the better management that we are taking to delivery of Federal services. And I know that the name that we are placing over the door today will represent the commitment to lean, competent, efficient government that Jack Brooks has fought for throughout his career.

The General Accounting Office, not given to compliments—much more inclined toward criticism—has said that this one man has been responsible for saving for the Federal Government billions of dollars—not millions, but billions of dollars-and I want to thank Jack Brooks, as President.

I'm sure that you are thankful to have Jack in Washington, but you're no more thankful than I am to have him there.

When I was first elected President, with your help, one of the things I promised was to reorganize the bureaucracy, to bring some order out of chaos, to institute reforms that would make the delivery of services to you, with your tax money, more efficient.

I was told by many people that there was one man in the Congress with whom I would have to work closely, because he would be the key to improving those Federal Government organizations. It was Jack Brooks. And I asked Jack Brooks to come down to Plains to talk to me about it. He came down—he was the .only Congressman who came in that group—to tell me what he thought ought to be done. I told him what I thought ought to be done. We were mostly in agreement, but I have to confess to you that there were some differences. I knew that I was going to be the new President of the United States, and I was sure that in a showdown with just one Congressman, that the President could win the argument.

I hear many of you laughing, because you know already that I'm going to tell you that I was mistaken. [Laughter] But I have to say that the changes that Jack Brooks recommended in the reorganization bill that did pass under his leadership were good. I'll just give you one example, if you're interested. When I submit a reorganization plan to the Congress, it automatically goes into effect after a certain period of time, unless the Congress rejects it. Jack Brooks said that in the past about two-thirds of reorganization plans submitted were rejected because they couldn't be changed. And if there was a tiny error in the proposal after the Congress investigated it, there was no way to correct that error, and the whole thing had to be thrown out.

So, he suggested that after it goes to his committee, that if there are modifications, and if I agreed, that they can be made in the committee, and then the Congress can vote to accept or reject.

I'll knock on wood, but so far all the plans that we have submitted have been accepted by the Congress, because of the wisdom of Jack Brooks, to begin with, and because of his leadership qualities after he gets my plan to improve the Government.

As chairman of the House Government Operations Committee, he's at the center of one of the most important undertakings in our country today. It's his support and his understanding that will enable us to streamline these Federal programs, to cut down on redtape, to restore the emphasis on merit to the civil service.

Last year I set a task force at work, a hundred different people, top qualified people in the civil service itself, to work out ways whereby the civil service could be more effective. They came up with the most sweeping reforms to civil service since it was initiated more than 100 years ago. And in March, I began to send these proposals to the Congress.

It'll make it easier to weed out incompetents or those who don't want to work once they get a job. These proposals will let managers manage. They make it easier to reward excellence and dedicated service, and they would provide a more rapid hearing to workers who do have grievances. All in all, they go a long way to restoring competent, efficient, and responsive government to our country.

A month ago I sent the second and the final part of the civil service reform package, the reorganization plan itself. It went to a very important committee. You can guess whose committee it is. This plan safeguards the rights of Federal employees. It protects employees who blow the whistle and point out defects in our Government. It sets up an office of personnel management to bring to our Government the same kind of modern, up-to-date personnel practices that are followed by our best private corporations. And it provides a fairer and a more efficient way to resolve differences of opinion between employers and those who are employed.

I count very heavily on Jack Brooks to help me in these efforts, and I want to carry out my campaign promise that we will have a government as good and as competent and as understanding and compassionate as other people who elect Jack Brooks, me, Senator Bentsen, and others to serve you.

We are lightening the burden of Federal regulations on business, on State and local governments, and on ordinary citizens. We've got too much government regulation. It has got to be cut down.

We're beginning to eliminate the worst nitpicking regulations in agencies like the occupational safety and health agency, OSHA. And I can tell you that Ray Marshall and the new administrators of OSHA agree completely. In 1 day last year, 1,100 different regulations were wiped off the books. And the ones that we do have are being written in clear English so a peanut farmer can understand them. And we are now making sure that the person that writes the regulations has to sign them, so we'll know who to go to if they are mistaken or confused or nobody can understand them.

We've opened up—I'll just use one example-the airline industry to deregulation. When we first started doing that, we knew that it would help consumers to have cheaper air fares. But we have now found that not only do we help with greatly reduced air fares, but the airline industry is benefiting as well. We are helping cities and States cut down on paperwork. But the major problem I want to talk to you very briefly about, in closing, in our Nation today is inflation.

All the things that I've described to you to make government better will help to cut down on inflation. We know what caused it originally—the huge cost of the Vietnam war, the large increases in worldwide oil prices, and our huge and growing oil imports. All these things contribute to inflation. And deficit spending by the Federal Government contributes to it also.

The first thing I mentioned is out of • our control. We can't undo the Vietnam war. We can't change worldwide oil prices. But the third one, the huge oil imports, will bring to us a much better control of inflation when we have a national energy policy.

And the last one, Government spending, is something that we must attack right now on many different points. We are simply spending too much money in the Federal Government, more than we take in in taxes. We have got to cut down the Federal budget, and I'm determined to do so.

Now, the budget that we prepared last winter predicted a large deficit. By proposing a lower tax reduction, we now hope to cut that down by $7 billion, but the deficit is still too high. And even reduction in the deficit that I've outlined is threatened by recent spending moves in the Congress. These proposed increases come in very attractive areas. It's not easy to refuse additional funds for such things as veterans, or those who build roads, water projects, farmers, defense, education, for example. But somebody has to hold the line on spending and I'm willing to do so, even if it means that I have to take the political consequences.

Still, my own efforts will only be a small part of the job. Congress must help, private industry must help, labor must help, and all of you in your daily lives must help. Short-sighted selfishness can lead to a spiral of inflation that nobody will be able to stop. Only self-discipline, some sacrifice in the public interest can slow that spiral.

I call on each of you today, and I call on each Member of Congress to help create a climate of mutual sacrifice that alone can curb inflation.

I know I can count on Jack Brooks, I know I can count on Senator Bentsen, I know I can count on Texas, I know I can count on the American people to control inflation and to make our great Govern. ment an even better one.

Thank you very much. God bless all of you.

Where did Ray Starnes go? I want to introduce you all to somebody.

When I was a new graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1946, I went to the U.S.S. Wyoming as electronics officer. I had a fine young man who worked with me and under me named Starnes. And he was a superb public servant as a young eager petty officer in the Navy. He made petty officer after 6 months, and I helped him a little bit.

I left the Wyoming and went to another ship. And I haven't seen Ray Starnes now in 30 years. He's a member of the community here in Beaumont. And for the first time in 30 years I want to shake hands with a young man who meant a lot to me, who's a very close friend of mine. It's an honor for me to meet him.

Thank you very much.