I happen to have great faith in the character, the strength, the vision of all of our fellow Americans.

Virginia, because of its elections in a year prior to a national convention, sort of tells the rest of the Nation the direction in which we ought to go as a country.

We have a great obligation to them because we want America not only a leader in the world but a country that gives to all of our citizens opportunity and blessings that none of us have had in the past.

Let me tell you why.

Virginia is for lovers.

I often used to sit back in the rear seats of the House of Representatives and ask myself, 'Didn't they realize that a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take from us everything we have?'

The expiration of the present General Revenue Sharing Law is coincident with the year in which the Nation celebrates its bicentennial.

The genius of American government is the Federal system of shared sovereignty.

I urge the Congress at its earliest convenience to begin deliberations on the renewal of the State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972.

I strongly recommend that the Congress act to continue this highly successful and important new element of American Federalism well in advance of the expiration date.

This program has been a resounding success.

This year's Manpower Report, therefore, includes an interim review of some recent research findings on the development of methods to determine the manpower impact of Government program and policy changes.

I am sending to Congress the 13th annual Manpower Report of the President.

It is considerably less certain that such programs can exert significant positive impact on national unemployment levels.

I hereby waive the application of subsections (a) and (b) of section 402 of said Act with respect to the Socialist Republic of Romania.

We are going to move forward, we are taking a fresh start, and we are going to be successful both at home and abroad.

The passage of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act in December, 1973, was a landmark development in the decentralization of manpower program design and operation responsibilities to State and local government units.

I know there are some people here from Michigan.