Reagan Tells Appointees to ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’

President Reagan gave a pep talk today to the people he brought into government, warned them against resting on the victories of his first term and said, “From here on in, it’s ‘shake, rattle and roll.’ ”

Addressing the fourth annual forum of his political appointees, Reagan said: “I think that there’s an understandable tendency, when a second term begins, to think that all our great work is behind us, that the biggest battles have been fought and all the rest is anticlimax. Well, that’s not true.

“We can change America forever.”

Reagan was greeted by sustained applause, cheers and a few whistles from the audience of several thousand of his most ardent supporters.

‘Greatest Battles Ahead’

Seeking to instill in them the excitement he said he felt at the outset of another four years, the President said: “Our greatest battles lie ahead. All is newness now, and the possibility of great and fundamental change.”

Reagan gave the loyalists the weekend off to relax but told them he wants them back on Monday ready to charge ahead with enthusiasm.

“This weekend, I want you to put up your feet and relax,” Reagan told them. “And don’t think too much about the job. And Monday, when you come in, sit down at that desk and breathe deep.

“Because Monday, the world starts over again. It’s the beginning of a brand new Administration, and we’re going to make new history together from here on in.”

‘Beautiful Music’

Reagan said “some great and beautiful music” was played during the first four years of the Reagan Administration, “But the way I see it, from here on in it’s ‘shake, rattle and roll.’ ”

In a restatement of his goals, Reagan said he came to Washington with a philosophy that “could be boiled down to one word: Freedom. Freedom was at the heart of our plans for the economy, for individuals, for our country and all the nation states of the world.”

In the next four years, Reagan said, he plans to follow that philosophy by overhauling and simplifying the tax system “to encourage greater productivity and the creation of wealth for all.”