Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 102 Part 5.djvu/1013

 PROCLAMATION 5821—MAY 10, 1988

102 STAT. 5019

policies that promote and protect the triad of mother, father, and child as the harmonious chord God intended for them to be. To demonstrate om- esteem and appreciation for those who devotedly and selflessly share their lives with foster children, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 59, has designated the month of May 1988 as "National Foster Care Month" and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in its observance. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of May 1988 as National Foster Care Month. I call upon all educators, churches, health care providers, the media, public and private organizations, and the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twelfth. RONALD REAGAN

Proclamation 5821 of May 10, 1988

Older Americans Month, 1988 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Celebration of Older Americans Month summons us as individuals and as a Nation to careful reflection on our attitudes toward and treatment of those of us who are elderly. If we answer this summons, the need for commensurate action will be apparent to us. Senior citizens merit our express appreciation for their countless, invaluable contributions, past and present, to our Nation. They deserve as well our best efforts to avoid and to dispel false ideas about aging. This requires all of us to become more willing to familiarize ourselves with the many ways older people continue to achieve in every area of endeavor as they begin second careers, further their educations, and voluntarily serve their neighbors both at home and abroad. We can also resolve to lend our support as the private sector and public agencies help senior citizens maintain independence and as State and Area Agencies on Aging work with community leaders and groups to create responsive service systems for older Americans. By every indication, those systems are working well, as is the overall economy whose growth and vitality are necessary for these systems to function as they are designed. The Social Security system, which began the decade in desperate straits, has been rescued and is on solid ground as we near the end of the 1980s. Reform of the tax code has brought relief to many elderly taxpayers, and up to a quarter of all of these citizens will pay no Federal income tax whatsover. The poverty rate among the elderly has been reduced to the lowest level in our history.

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