John F. Kennedy: “The choices we make, for good or ill, may well shape the state of the Union for generations yet to come.”

Our Constitution wisely assigns both joint and separate roles to each branch of the government; and a President and a Congress who hold each other in mutual respect will neither permit nor attempt any trespass.

If, on the other hand, we hang back in deference to local economic pressures, we will find ourselves cut off from our major allies.

But today, were I to offer--after little more than a week in office--detailed legislation to remedy every national ill, the Congress would rightly wonder whether the desire for speed had replaced the duty of responsibility.

Neither money nor technical assistance, however, can be our only weapon against poverty.