Reagan’s ‘Rising America’

President Reagan has given the nation a decidedly eloquent and optimistic view of the State of the Union and the future of the Republic. Reagan treated a joint session of Congress to some of the most soaring rhetoric of a presidential career marked by his ability to communicate with the people. Sample: “Tonight we look out on a Rising America--firm of heart, united in spirit, powerful in pride and patriotism. America is on the move!”

He added that “we cannot stop at the foothills when Everest beckons . . . America believes. America is ready. America can win the race to the future, and we shall.”

As expected, the address was a relatively short and thematic assessment by Reagan of where the nation is and where it is going. And, of course, a highly political President--as Reagan is in his own personal way--can be expected to put as rosy a light on conditions as possible.

Reagan is to be commended for calling for an end to the dependency of welfare and for universal insurance to safeguard Americans against the devastation of catastrophic illness. But even here he was vague, proposing only that there be more study. He seemed to forget history again when he said, in an earlier meeting with reporters, that his own workfare program in California had “worked like gangbusters.” It did nothing of the kind.

So one must stop and ask, “Just what is it the President said?”

In fact, he said basically what he has been saying for years. He said that federal programs to help people have been discredited; that government must be forced to sacrifice more, even after the domestic budget has been squeezed and taxes have been cut; that America can be great and find jobs for its unemployed if only the free-enterprise economic machine is further freed from regulation and taxation, and that there must be no halt to the defense buildup and the quest for a risky and possibly reckless “Star Wars” defense.

He continued to act as if the budget deficit and trade imbalance were someone else’s problem that could be simply solved if all his proposals were accepted without debate.

Congress received the President warmly, of course. He enjoys immense personal popularity. But both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate are aware of the serious problems facing the nation, and they--and the President--must now come to grips with them.