Proclamation 5415.
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99 STAT. 2125 Proclamation 5415 of December 3, 1985 National Home Care Week, 1985 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Americans have always cared for one another in both good times and bad. When a family has a loved one—elderly, disabled, or a child—needing special care at home, it will inevitably respond by doing everything to keep that person at home. This is the American spirit. Home health care has a long tradition in our Nation. The Federal government, the States, and families are now working in a cooperative way to see that this commitment continues.
No one would suggest that a family can do more for a patient when a hospital or other appropriate institution is clearly needed. But American families go the extra step or mile, if needed, to protect, care for, and serve a member in need. The Federal government has done its share to help. Now, our many States have taken on the initiative to create special programs to enhance home health care. They are to be commended for this humane action. In addition, there are countless churches, voluntary organizations, and private agencies that assist our families to care for a member at home.
Our Nation is learning that, in spite of a time when “doing your own thing” is in, caring for a mother, father, sister, or brother—or any relative or friend— in the home is vastly more important. Independence, under God’s loving care and guidance, is to be cherished. Who, then, should care for our own than those who love them best? Once again our long tradition prevails as so many in government, charitable groups, and families work for the well-being of one in need at home. The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 139, has designated the week beginning*Ante*, p. 940.
December 1, 1985, as “National Home Care Week” and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning December 1, 1985, as National Home Care Week. I call upon the people of the United States to observe the week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth.
RONALD REAGAN 5416 December 3, 1985 National Temporary Services Week, 1985 Digitization Vendor By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 5416 of December 3, 1985 National Temporary Services Week, 1985 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The temporary services industry provides employers much needed flexibility to tailor their work forces to meet short-term needs. It also provides im-99 STAT. 2126portant job opportunities for American workers: last year, the temporary services industry provided employment for an estimated five million people.
The temporary services industry currently is the second fastest growing business sector in our economy, in terms of new jobs created. Approximately one out of every two hundred nonagricultural jobs in the United States is provided through temporary services. It is appropriate that we recognize the many and vital contributions that the men and women of the temporary services industry provide to our economy. *Ante*, p. 1001.The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 195, has designated the week of December 1 through December 7, 1985, as “National Temporary Services Week” and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in commemoration of this observance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of December 1 through December 7, 1985, as National Temporary Services Week, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF. 1 have hereunto set my hand this third day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth.
RONALD REAGAN 5417 December 5, 1985 National Consumers Week, 1986 Digitization Vendor By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 5417 of December 5, 1985 National Consumers Week, 1986 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Because ours is a free society, we Americans are blessed with many choices. We can choose to live where we want. We can choose our education and our vocation. We are free to speak our minds, to worship God as our conscience prompts us, and to choose our political affiliation.
And nowhere else in the world is there a wider variety of goods and services from which to choose, thanks to an open marketplace and the freedom to produce and purchase. This bountiful marketplace has provided us with a standard of living that is the marvel and envy of the world. The outlook for the future is even brighter. The regulatory reform of recent years is spawning innovation and reinvigorated competition; by opening new markets, it has resulted in even more choices for consumers.
This gives buyers both a new opportunity and a new responsibility to make informed decisions about the quality and value of products and services offered for sale. To make responsible decisions in our dynamic and abundant economy, consumers need both information and education if they are to reap the full benefits of the marketplace. They need information, the facts about the goods and services; they need to be educated so they can analyze those facts before making a purchase.
This will enable them to make wise choices whether they are shopping for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, recreation, health care, entertainment, and so on. Prudent, informed.99 STAT. 2127 discriminating consumers put pressure on suppliers to keep improving products and services while devising production efficiencies that will permit them to keep their prices competitive. In light of the central role of the consumer in our free economy, it is especially appropriate to recognize that relationship during National Consumers Week, 1986.
The slogan for 1986, “Consumers Rate Quality,” acknowledges that consumers, by seeking quality and value, set the standards of acceptability for products and services by “voting” with their marketplace dollars, rewarding efficient producers of better quality products and performance. It is also a ringing declaration that consumers are entitled to and can insist on honest value for their hard-earned income. Indeed, American businessmen and women are becoming aware that the broadened competition of a global marketplace necessitates attention to quality if they are to succeed.
They must do more than just build better products—they must strive to improve marketing, sales, warranties, and service. Quality demands efficient management, productive use of human resources, and responsiveness to consumer needs and preferences. NOW. THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN. President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning April 20, 1986, as National Consumers Week. I urge businesses, educators, community organizations, labor unions, the media, government leaders, and consumers to recognize the pursuit of quality and excellence in every aspect of our lives, and to contribute to consumer and economic awareness during this week.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth. RONALD REAGAN 5418 December 6, 1985 National Community College Month, 1986 Digitization Vendor By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 5418 of December 6, 1985 National Community College Month, 1986 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The more than thirteen hundred community, technical, and junior colleges, public and private, in the United States have contributed enormously to the richness and availability of American higher education.
Nearly half of all undergraduate college students in the Nation today are enrolled in such institutions. By providing educational opportunities at costs and locations accessible to all who are qualified, community, technical, and junior colleges have greatly enhanced the opportunity for every ambitious student, young or old, to enter a postsecondary school program. As community-based institutions, these schools provide varied programs and offer specialized training for more than one thousand occupations.
In recognition of the important contribution of community, technical, and junior colleges to our total educational system, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 158, has designated the month of February 1986 as “National*Ante*, p. 522. Community College Month” and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event. 99 STAT. 2128 NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of February 1986 as National Community College Month.
I ask all Americans to observe this month with appropriate activities that express recognition of the significant contribution these institutions are making to the strength, vitality, and prosperity of our Nation. IN WITNESS WHEREOF. I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth. RONALD REAGAN 5419 December 7, 1985 National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week, 1985 Digitization Vendor By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 5419 of December 7, 1985 National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week, 1985 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Motorists who drive while impaired by alcohol or other drugs are one of our Nation’s most serious public health and safety problems.
Each year, drunk drivers account for tens of thousands of highway fatalities and hundreds of thousands of injuries. This needless carnage on our streets and highways can be reduced through increased public awareness and a willingness to take the necessary steps to prevent it. We must not wait until personal tragedy strikes to become involved. Strict law enforcement and just penalties are essential. Contrary to popular opinion, driving is not a right, but a privilege that can and should be withdrawn when a drunken or drugged driver endangers others.
We also need to develop better means of detecting these drivers and getting them off the road before they cause an accident. Statistics show that a disproportionate number of our young people are involved in accidents in which alcohol and drugs are a contributing factor. In recognition of the considerable evidence that such accidents can be drastically reduced by raising the legal drinking age, the Federal government is encouraging each State to establish 21 as the minimum age at which individuals may purchase, possess, or consume alcoholic beverages.
Many States have already raised the legal drinking age, as a result of efforts of dedicated citizen volunteers and the growing awareness that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among young people. States that have not raised their legal drinking age should review these developments carefully. We need informed, concerned citizens who are willing to help generate awareness; we need education and action to eliminate drunk and drugged drivers from our highways.
With the continued involvement of private citizens and action at all levels of government, we can control the problem of drunken and drugged driving. In line with the recommendations of the Presidential Commission On Drunk Driving, we have embarked on a long-term sustained effort to focus the resources of our local, State, and Federal governments on this problem. 99 STAT. 2129 In order to encourage citizen involvement in prevention efforts and to increase awareness of the seriousness of the threat, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 137, has designated the week of December 15 through December*Ante*, p. 284. 21, 1985, as “National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week.
” NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN. President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of December 15 through December 21, 1985, as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week. I call upon each American to help make the difference between the needless tragedy of alcohol- and drug-related accidents and the blessings of health and life. I ask all Americans to take this message to heart and to urge others not to drive if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth. RONALD REAGAN 5420 December 10, 1985 Human Rights Day and Week, 1985 Digitization Vendor By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 5420 of December 10, 1985 Human Rights Day and Week, 1985 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation On December 15, 1791, the adoption of the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States—the Bill of Rights—gave legal form to the noble principles which our Founding Fathers had set forth in the Declaration of Independence as the very basis for the birth of our Nation.
Benjamin Franklin, then 81 years old, in a moving address, reminded the members of the Constitutional Convention that it was God who had seen them safely through the War of Independence and that it was only through His “kind Providence” that they were able to meet in peace to shape “the means of establishing . . . future national felicity. . . . And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice,” Franklin asked, “is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” Mindful of this, and deeply convinced that fundamental human rights are not a concession from the state but a gift of God, the Founding Fathers knew that government has a solemn obligation to safeguard those rights.
That is why they were at pains to devise and ordain a constitutional system that would ensure respect for the dignity and uniqueness of every human being. Thus, they brought into existence a form of limited government—representative democracy—whose powers are circumscribed by law and whose legitimacy derives from the consent of the governed. For the first time in the history of nations, a written Constitution based on the inalienable God-given rights of the individual was promulgated.
It is with sincere thanksgiving that we reflect on the successful efforts of those wise patriots of two hundred years ago who laid the political foundations of our beloved Nation, and also to those millions of citizens ever since who have cherished and defended the Constitution and the principles it embodies. Many have given their lives on the field of battle so that freedom99 STAT. 2130 and human dignity might live both at home and abroad; let us never forget our debt to them or fail to honor their sacrifice and courage.
One hundred and fifty-seven years after the adoption of our Bill of Rights, the fundamental concepts enshrined in our Constitution were internationally acknowledged as applying to all peoples when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. Although we can take heart at the number of nations in which human rights are respected and real progress towards democratic self-government is being made, a disturbingly large number of governments continue to commit serious abuses of human rights.
In the tradition of our forefathers, we protest against these abuses wherever they occur. We condemn the practice of torture, racial and religious persecution, and the denial of the right of free expression and freedom of movement. The United States will never cease to be in the forefront of the noble battle for human rights. We have committed our resources and our influence to efforts aimed at extending throughout the world the rights we enjoy, rights which are rightly the prerogative of all people.
This Nation must remain and will remain a beacon of hope for all who strive for human dignity. There is no better way of showing our gratitude for our inheritance of liberty. We believe it is a right, not a privilege, to be allowed to speak freely: to assemble peacefully; to acquire and dispose of private property; to leave the country of one’s residence; to form trade unions; to join or not to join groups and associations; and to worship according to one’s conscience. Experience teaches us that the best check against tyranny is a government of the people in which leaders are elected in fair and open balloting and where the government’s powers are subject to constitutional limitations.
We pray that one day all nations of the earth may share with us the joys and rewards of living in free societies, and we resolve not to rest from our labors until the most noble longings of the human spirit, those for freedom of belief and expression, are fully realized. During this commemorative week, let us rededicate ourselves to the advancement of human rights throughout the world, recalling the words of Alexander Hamilton that “natural liberty is a gift of the beneficent creator to the whole human race . . . and cannot be wrested from any people without the most manifest violation of justice.
” NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN. President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 10, 1985. as Human Rights Day, and December 15, 1985, as Bill of Rights Day, and 1 call upon all Americans to observe the week beginning December 10, 1985, as Human Rights Week. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth.
RONALD REAGAN Editorial Note: For the President’s remarks of Dec. 10, 1985. on signing Proclamation 5420, see the *Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents* (vol. 21. p. 1478). 5421 December 15, 1985 Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, 1985 Digitization Vendor By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation