I think I'll abandon the parallel at this point.

I think it's accurate to say that among all the visitors that we've had here at this great center of our Government's life, Venezuela is represented by a man who epitomizes the finest aspects of our own country's hopes and dreams and…

The choir director has just informed me that they were received with open arms and deep appreciation and a mutual expression of the love for music which can cross national boundaries.

I would like to propose a toast to President and Mrs. Perez and to the people of the great and free democratic nation, our friends, the people of Venezuela.

I just wanted, in my brief remarks tonight, in genuine admiration of our visitor and his great nation, to point out to you that there are many things in this hemisphere that we can learn from our neighbors.

Everyone is privileged to vote and is urged to vote and the decisions of the people on election day are binding without question.

Venezuela has earned the great admiration of all those who believe in freedom and in the open, democratic processes of government.

Venezuela maintained their staunch friendship to our country.

His commitment to the basic principles of human rights, individual freedom, and liberty were vividly demonstrated recently at the Organization of American States conference.

President Perez has become an active and effective spokesman for the Third World nations.

I will nominate William Drayton, Jr., of Cambridge, Mass., to be Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Commission shall review at least the analyses, findings, and recommendations related to military compensation.

The report shall recommend how the military compensation system can best be structured to serve the national interest.

This afternoon we are establishing a Commission on Military Compensation, which I think will have great impact on the future of our country.

We want to be sure that when the study is completed, that our military personnel will be encouraged to enlist and to serve a long career.

I will nominate Sar A. Levitan, of Washington, D.C., to be a member of the National Commission on Employment and Unemployment Statistics.

This is going to be a very time-consuming effort, very complicated and, as you can well imagine, very controversial.

We now spend almost 60 percent of our total military budget on personnel.