Our values and our democratic way of life have a magnetic appeal for people all over the world which a materialistic and a totalitarian philosophy ca… - Jimmy Carter

The civil rights of handicapped persons is not the only element of the laws that have been put into effect. We have got more than a hundred different programs in the Federal Government already for the handicapped. They are administered by many different agencies. There are a lot of different kinds of definitions for the handicap of the same person, and that means that many of you who have sought for a long time to take advantage of these programs, which the Congress and my predecessors in the White House have passed, have often had to go to four or five or six different agencies to get the simple treatment or opportunities which you deserved under the law. It's time for us to change that, and one of the very good benefits of the reorganization authority that Congress has now given me is to bring all those programs for the handicapped together into one agency so you can understand them and take advantage of them.

The last annual convention I attended, I went as a guest. And I heard, as the main speaker of the final banquet evening, Eleanor Holmes Norton give a moving speech about the ties that bind families together and how the deprivations of poverty and the lack of an ability of primarily black males to be proud of themselves justifiably was a disruptive influence on the family structure. It was a moving speech. And now, Eleanor Holmes Norton is in Washington, here with me, trying to bring together the thrust of the Federal Government to ensure equal opportunity in employment. And she'll be part of your program this year.

There are some fine people here. I seriously want to recognize Governor Carey, who has a balanced budget, which I hope to have in Washington, and who for the first time in 57 years has been successful in getting a tax reduction for New York citizens. I think that's a very fine achievement. And Abe Beame, who helped me when I needed help, who stood staunchly with me, is appreciated tonight. But I think the most I have ever appreciated my good friend Abe Beame was on election night when the returns came in from New York City and the former President, whose name escapes me---[laughter]--got 33 percent and Jimmy Carter got 67 percent in New York City. And I thank him for that. And I am very grateful that my associate Walter Mondale is here. I've done the best I could to find something for him to do. And I have really been successful. I think all of the news reporters would agree that above and beyond any previous Vice President, he's done a superb job. And he's had his hands full, and he's been well received wherever he's been. I would like to ask you to keep him from getting lonesome in the White House. And he's given me a list of his projects and wanted me to call them out to you. If you have a question about the Concorde, Northern Ireland, abortion, gay rights, downtown parking--and he was also in charge of the $50 rebate. I've just put him in charge of a much more important project. I know that you feel that the rest of the country supports you in a time of crisis when New York's spirits have been low. And I believe that if anyone can bring Tom Seaver back, Fritz can. So, call on him. And last I would like to recognize the greatest Democrat who lives in our country--Hubert Humphrey. I think when anyone tries to assimilate in one's mind what the Democratic Party is, what it stands for, its cleanness, its decency, its compassion and humanity, its fairness and its honesty and its dedication, its love for people, the personification of all those things is Senator Humphrey. He has been a great help to me and an inspiration.