Proclamation 5150 -- Save Your Vision Week, 1984
February 13, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Every day we rely on vision to provide us with a clear, vivid picture of our surroundings and the people we care about. Although we use our eyesight in virtually all activities, we often take it for granted until it is endangered by disease or injury. This is unfortunate because there are steps we can take to protect our eyes and to safeguard the precious gift of sight.
As a sight-saving precaution, everyone should have regular, professional eye examinations. Most people who have these checkups will get the reassuring news that their eyes are healthy. But a few people will receive an early warning of some serious eye disease requiring prompt treatment. An eye examination revealing the need for treatment of glaucoma or some other sight-destroying disease could spare thousands of Americans visual loss each year.
People with diabetes should be particularly aware of the need to have their eyes examined regularly to prevent the blindness that sometimes stems from the disease. This is especially important because there now is a sight-saving treatment which is highly effective if applied early enough in the course of the disease.
Regular eye checkups are also of special importance for older people because many serious eye diseases tend to strike in the later years. With early warning of a need for treatment, people can obtain the required medical care and give themselves the best possible chance of retaining good vision throughout their lives. Children also need regular eye examinations in order that readily treatable problems which otherwise could needlessly affect them in school and at play may be detected.
Protecting our eyes against injury is another way to preserve vision. In work with chemicals or machinery which might be dangerous to the eyes, safety glasses, goggles, or a face mask should be worn. Protective eyewear is also important for people participating in sports.
In looking to the needs of others, we can arrange to donate our eyes after death and, in this way, offer the gift of sight to a person who needs corneal transplant surgery. We also can support the many fine organizations which are devoted to research, sight conservation, and rehabilitation of the visually handicapped.
To encourage the American people to cherish the gift of sight and take steps to protect it, the Congress, by joint resolution approved December 30, 1963 (77 Stat. 629, 36 U.S.C. 169a), has requested the President to proclaim the first week in March as ``Save Your Vision Week.''
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning March 4, 1984, as Save Your Vision Week, 1984. I urge all Americans to participate in appropriate observances and activities and to make eye care and eye safety an important part of their lives.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:53 a.m., February 14, 1984]
Note: The text of the proclamation was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on February 14.
Proclamation 5151 -- National Surveyors Week, 1984
February 13, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
In the development of our country, the role of the surveyor has been of vital importance. In colonial days, surveyors were among the leaders in the community -- statesmen, influential citizens, and shapers of cultural standards, including people such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It was the surveyor's work that determined the boundaries of land, the greatest economic asset in the colonies. Thomas Jefferson chaired a committee in 1784 to devise a plan for disposing of lands west of the Thirteen Colonies. He argued that surveying before sale was necessary to prevent overlapping claims and to simplify deeds and registers. He reportedly wrote a plan which was debated in Congress, and in modified form was adopted as the Land Ordinance of May 20, 1785. The ordinance established the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) -- the rectangular system that continues in effect today in 30 midwestern and western states.
Since 1785, the nature of surveying has changed dramatically. No longer is surveying limited to the description and location of land boundaries. Today, hydrographic surveys are important to the use of all our bodies of water; engineering surveys are utilized in the study and selection of engineering construction; geodetic surveys determine precise global positioning for such activities as aircraft and missile navigation; and cartographic surveys are used for mapping and charting, including the use of photogrammetry, the science of using aerial photographs for measurement and map production. Many services are provided through the use of sophisticated equipment and techniques, such as satellite-borne remote sensing devices and automated positioning, measuring, recording, and plotting equipment.
In recognition of the significant contribution made by surveyors to the United States, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 44, has authorized and requested the President to designate the week beginning on March 11, 1984, as ``National Surveyors Week.''
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning March 11, 1984, as National Surveyors Week. I urge the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies and activities paying tribute to professional surveyors and their contribution to society. I invite all Americans to look back at the historic contributions of surveying and look ahead to the new technologies which are constantly modernizing this honored and learned profession.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of Feb., in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:54 a.m., February 14, 1984]
Note: The text of proclamation was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on February 14.
Proclamation 5152 -- National Agriculture Day, 1984
February 13, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The United States produces nearly one-twelfth of the total output of the world's major agricultural commodities. This abundant production enables us to feed not only our own population, but tens of millions of other people throughout the world.
Our remarkable food and fiber production links together 23 million Americans who are involved in growing, processing, and marketing hundreds of United States agricultural commodities. Our farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of meat, fruits, vegetables, food grains, flowers, dairy products, fibers, fish, and livestock. Maintaining such production requires natural resources, fertilizers, chemicals, credit, specialized equipment, processing, transporting, marketing, and State and national policies that strengthen the system. This vast integration of production and labor -- an outgrowth of our free enterprise system -- has transformed agriculture into the Nation's largest industry, with assets exceeding one trillion dollars.
To honor the working men and women of agriculture in America and to achieve a greater understanding of the stake each American has in maintaining the strength of the Nation's most basic industry, the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 311 (Public Law 98 - 206), has authorized and requested the President to proclaim March 20, 1984, as ``National Agriculture Day.''
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 20, 1984, as National Agriculture Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of Feb., in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:55 a.m., February 14, 1984]
Note: The text of the proclamation was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on February 14.
Proclamation 5153 -- Municipal Clerk's Week, 1984
February 13, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The municipal clerk is the oldest of public servants and a critical part of efficient and responsive local government. The accurate recording, careful safeguarding, and prompt retrieval of public records are vital functions, without which effective local government could not exist.
As local government has grown in responsibility and importance through the Nation's history, so has the role of the municipal clerk. The clerk provides a direct link between past, present, and future by preserving records for posterity and implementing governmental decisions. Municipal clerks also seek better and more effective ways to perform these critical responsibilities in light of the rapid technological advances of today's world.
In recognition of the outstanding and vital services performed by municipal clerks and their dedication to public service, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 92, has designated the week beginning May 13, 1984, as ``Municipal Clerk's Week,'' and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of that week.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning May 13, 1984, as Municipal Clerk's Week. I call upon the people of the United States to observe that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of Feb., in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:56 a.m., February 14, 1984]
Note: The text of the proclamation was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on February 14.