What is Reagan saying in "A Time for Choosing?"

In this speech, Ronald Reagan is basically setting out his
philosophy of government.  He is arguing against the relatively liberal assumptions of
the time (1964) and for the kind of conservative ideas that he would champion as
president in the 1980s.

In the speech, Reagan hits on a
number of points that would come to define his conservative agenada.  Basically, he is
arguing for a smaller government that takes less of a role in the US
economy.

For example,
he:

• Argues that taxes are too
  high.


• Argues that the government is too far in
  debt.


• Says that the welfare state that was developing was
  too much like socialism.


• Claims that welfare policies
  encourage people to avoid work.

One thing that
is interesting is that there is no mention of what we call "social issues" these days. 
In 1964, things like abortion, gay rights and immigration were not yet on the political
radar screen.

In this speech Reagan discusses a range of
policy issues.  But the main thrust of the speech centers around the idea of a smaller
government, which is what conservatives are supposed to believe
in.