President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties Statement on Receiving the Commission's Final Report.

I want to express my personal appreciation to Dr. McGill, the Chairman, and to all the members of the Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties. All of you have worked hard to meet the objectives and the deadlines of the Commission, and the Nation is in your debt for that. I especially want to congratulate Dr. McGill for his outstanding leadership of 44 commissioners of widely diverse talents and interests.

When I established the Commission nearly 14 months ago, I asked you to conduct a wholly independent study of the major issues for the coming decade, and you have done that. You have produced a report which contains many innovative recommendations and ideas, and they have already initiated considerable public debate.

As you know, this effort began in response to my concern that in the last decade there emerged a number of factors—such as a changing economy, increasing global interdependence, the shortage of energy supplies, and the splintering of the political system—that will affect the Nation dramatically in the 1980's. You have assessed these factors forthrightly and suggested ways in which our country might deal with these factors.

In some areas, I very much agree with your recommendations and ideas. I generally share your belief that we cannot defer the hard choices among the range of national policy and programs, that a reexamination of the roles of Federal, State, and local governments is necessary, and that the Federal Government should increasingly utilize the private sector in meeting public needs, as I have done through progress such as the targeted jobs tax credit, Title VII of the CETA programs and economic development efforts through the Urban Development Action Grant program and the Economic Development Administration. I also agree with your general statements of the goals of our society in the 1980's, in your economic, social, political and international agendas. I am particularly heartened to note that you urge us not to turn our backs on the goal of a fair and just society, and a clean environment, in our search for the indispensable economic growth. I likewise share your optimism that we can achieve economic health, and our other goals as well, if we face up to our problems. I agree with many of your specific recommendations on how we should try to achieve those goals, such as: the importance of developing long-range tax and other policies to deal with inflation, unemployment and low productivity, the great value of energy conservation, the need to continue economic deregulation and use of more flexible regulatory techniques, the need for welfare reform, the equal rights amendment, amendments to the Fair Housing Act, and campaign finance reform.

In some other areas, I strongly disagree with the views expressed in your report. For example, I disagree with the Commission's views about a synthetic fuels development program, which I view as essential to our national security and our ability to reduce our dependence on foreign oil; about a comprehensive national health insurance program, which can extend health care coverage to millions of needy Americans while controlling health care costs; and about the need for a human rights policy, which I believe is essential in the pursuit of our foreign policy.

I feel compelled to offer my views on the Commission's urban policy recommendations, since they differ in many respects from my own urban policy. The Commission correctly identified the need to make Federal grants-in-aid responsive to the needs of States and localities. They propose consolidating existing grant-in-aid programs and giving State and local officials wider discretion in the use of Federal funds. I have sought to implement these recommendations during my administration. I have also used employment tax incentives and retraining aid to encourage a mobile and productive workforce.

However, I disagree with the implication in the Commission's recommendation that the Federal Government should play a role in facilitating the population trend from the Frostbelt to the Sunbelt. We cannot abandon our older urban areas. I believe we must recognize the unique values and resources of our older urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest and their current and potential contribution to our economy and our broader national life. My urban policy has stressed incentives for the private sector to encourage economic development in our urban and distressed rural areas, to help rebuild their tax base so they can improve their economic viability and provide additional services for their citizens. I have targeted Federal aid on areas of greatest distress. These policies are beginning to show success as the economic base of many of our urban areas have begun to stabilize and new job opportunities have been created. In my view, the Nation has been well served by this effort.

But whether I personally agree or disagree with your recommendations is not, of course, the crucial test of the Commission's success. That will be determined by others in the months and years ahead. What is most important now is that the Commission's report stimulate a public discussion of where the country should be heading in this decade. I think that test will be met, and the country will be the better for it.