pd07fe00 Videotape Address to the People of Puerto Rico on Efforts To Resolve the...

	Web GovRecords.org

best time we'll ever have--with unemployment low and growth high--to go 
into these inner cities, into these small rural towns, into these Native 
American reservations, and help turn their economies around, and give 
people who are doing well incentives to invest there, to start 
businesses there, to put people to work there. If we don't do this now, 
we will never

[[Page 183]]

get around to it. We can bring free enterprise and hope to people who 
have never had it.
    We also have to recognize, as I said last night--and I want to 
emphasize here, in this part of America--that the farmers of this 
country by and large have not participated in this economic recovery, 
because they've had floods, they've had droughts, and after the 
economies in Asia collapsed, farm prices went in the cellar. And for the 
last 2 years, we have seen in Washington at the end of every 
congressional session, everybody scurrying around trying to come up with 
enough money to give to the farmers to keep thousands upon thousands 
upon thousands from going out of business.
    The freedom to farm bill, in bad times--the so-called freedom to 
farm bill could become a freedom to fail bill if we don't make some 
changes in it. And so I say here, in a town where most people are not 
farmers, but where we're in a part of America where most people come 
from farming stock, I want you to support us in trying to change the 
farm law in Washington so that farmers in America who work hard and are 
the most efficient in the world can make a decent living out here. And I 
hope you'll help us.
    We have to provide income assistance when farm prices and farm 
incomes fall. We have to stay, and keep, with the same loan rates for 
the USDA commodities at the 1999 levels, so we won't drive them down 
even lower. We've got to make it easier for farmers to help build up our 
environment. You know, if they conserve land, we ought to help them do 
that. And when prices are low, that's a good, cheap way to guarantee 
they can make a decent living, and we don't drive them even lower with 
overproduction.
    We ought to give them a better crop insurance program, which 
increases the subsidy we give to help people buy crop insurance. You 
know, a lot of times when you see at the end of the year, and Congress 
has to give a lot of money to farmers, it's because they can't buy 
insurance the same way businesspeople up and down this street can buy 
insurance against theft, or the building burning down. And we need to 
help farmers with that.
    So I want to ask you to support our efforts to help the farmers. If 
we're going to be one community here, we have to reach across--racial 
lines, yes, and religious lines, yes, but also to people who don't do 
what we do for a living, don't live like we do every day--they live in 
rural areas; we live in towns; they live in big cities. We've got to 
understand that we're a strong country when we all work together and we 
give everybody a chance to rise.
    I remember when you were going through this flood here. I would go 
to big cities on the east coast or the west coast, and I would say, 
``They need your help. It's going to cost a lot of money. It's going to 
be partly your money; they're part of your country.'' And people in 
cities that couldn't find Quincy on a map would cheer, because they knew 
they were part of your American family. If we can keep that attitude in 
good times, America is going to do fine.
    But I ask you--it's getting cold, and I want to let you go, but you 
just remember--if you don't remember anything else I said today, you 
remember how you were in the flood. And remember that when you have the 
chance of a lifetime to do good, you cannot be lulled into complacency.
    You have a chance--we all do--to give our children a debt-free 
America, with world-class education, that takes care of our seniors, 
that brings opportunity to people who haven't had it, that seizes the 
challenges of a new era. And we ought to take that opportunity. We owe 
it to children who will follow us 50 years from now. And I will do all I 
can to honor the spirit, the values that I have seen in this wonderful 
park today.
    Thank you, and God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 2:55 p.m. in Washington Park. In his 
remarks, he referred to Mayor Charles W. Scholz of Quincy; Quincy Junior 
High School freshman class president Kayt Norris, who introduced the 
President; community activist/philanthropist Joe Bonansinga, known as 
``Mr. Quincy''; and former Senator Paul Simon. This item was not 
received in time for publication in the appropriate issue.

[[Page 184]]


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 184]
 
Monday, February 7, 2000
 
Volume 36--Number 5
Pages 181-231
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 2000
 
Statement on the Resignation of Senior Adviser to the President for 
Policy and Strategy Douglas B. Sosnik

January 28, 2000

    It is hard to believe that in just a few weeks Doug Sosnik will be 
leaving the White House. As happy as I am for Doug and his wife, 
Fabiana, that he is taking on an exciting new challenge with the 
National Basketball Association, I am not looking forward to his 
departure, because he has been such an important part of virtually 
everything we have worked on over the past 6 years.
    Doug has that increasingly rare attribute--a ``passion for 
anonymity''--and a self-deprecating style that has made him perhaps the 
least known, most influential person in our community.
    What is known about Doug is certainly true: He has been an 
invaluable source of policy and political advice for me and my staff, a 
wise and steady counselor, and a reliable, yet not-too-successful, 
player of ``hearts.''
    What is not so well known about Doug is his sense of history and of 
the moment; his humor and skill at bringing people together, cutting 
through the clutter and getting things done; his desire to mentor young 
and new staff members, many of whom have Doug to thank, not only for 
helping them join this administration but for helping them succeed as 
well.
    An expert in the combative world of politics, Doug represents what 
is best about politics--a recognition that the root of the word is 
``people,'' and doing good things for people is what it's all about.
    He would never say it about himself but, to borrow a phrase from his 
new life, I hope that more people coming into careers in public service 
will ``be like Doug.''

Note: This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 184-185]
 
Monday, February 7, 2000
 
Volume 36--Number 5
Pages 181-231
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 2000
 
The President's Radio Address

January 29, 2000

    Good morning. Two nights ago, in my State of the Union Address, I 
asked the American people to heed the advice of President Theodore 
Roosevelt at the dawn of the last century and take ``the long look 
ahead.'' The long look ahead to the great challenges we face and the 
great opportunities we can seize in the 21st century. That requires us 
to set new goals for our Nation and take the right first steps to 
achieve them.
    We must ensure that every child begins school ready to learn and 
graduates ready to succeed. We must help every family succeed at home 
and at work--and that no child is raised in poverty. We must make 
America the world's safest big country, lead the world toward shared 
peace and prosperity and to the far frontiers of science and technology. 
And we must do all this while maintaining the fiscal discipline that 
brought us to this rare and promising moment we enjoy.
    Seldom in our Nation's history, never in my lifetime, have we 
enjoyed so much prosperity and social progress with so little internal 
crisis or so few external threats, with 20 million new jobs, the fastest 
economic growth in 30 years, the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the 
lowest poverty rates in 20 years, the lowest minority unemployment rates 
on record, the first back-to-back surpluses in 42 years. And next month, 
the longest economic growth in our history.
    It's important to remember how this happened. It began in 1993 with 
a new economic plan that cut the deficit while making investments in our 
people and our future. When deficits fell, interest rates came down, 
mortgage payments came down, lower car and student loan payments 
resulted, there was greater business investment, more jobs, more 
economic growth. So this fiscal discipline has moved us from record 
budget deficits and high unemployment to record budget surpluses and 
unimagined economic strength. Now is not the time to change course.
    In the well of the House of Representatives 2 nights ago, I 
challenged Congress to move forward on important priorities without 
giving up this fiscal discipline. If we will stay this course, we can 
pay the country's debt off for the first time since 1835, over the next 
few years.
    Today I am pleased to announce that congressional leaders from both 
parties and both

[[Page 185]]

houses of Congress have accepted my invitation to come to the White 
House next Tuesday to discuss how we can move forward together.

    Let me say again, first and foremost, I hope we can agree on my plan 
to pay down the debt entirely over the next 13 years and make America 
debt-free for the first time since Andrew Jackson was President in 1835, 
and then to use the benefits of debt reduction to preserve Social 
Security and Medicare; and specifically to make a bipartisan down 
payment on Social Security reform by crediting the interest savings from 
debt reduction to the Social Security Trust Fund. That'll keep it strong 
and sound for 50 years and take in the lifespan of the baby boom 
generation.

    We also ought to agree to reserve a third of the surplus to further 
reduce the debt so we have the resources in the future to protect 
Medicare. I want to dedicate nearly $400 billion of this projected 
surplus to keep Medicare solvent past 2025 and to add a voluntary 
prescription drug benefit. And as I said a couple of nights ago, we 
can't forget the unfinished business of the last Congress. They need, 
still, to pass a real Patients' Bill of Rights, commonsense gun safety 
legislation, campaign finance reform, hate crimes legislation, a raise 
in the minimum wage.

    The state of our Union is the strongest it's ever been. This gives 
us the opportunity and the responsibility of a lifetime to shape the 
future of our dreams for our children. Our chance to do good has never 
been so great. Let us join together to seize this moment.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 2:41 p.m. on January 28 in Suite 180 
at the Granite Bank 
Gallery in Quincy, IL, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 29. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
January 28 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 185-196]
 
Monday, February 7, 2000
 
Volume 36--Number 5
Pages 181-231
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 2000
 
Remarks to the World Economic Forum and a Question-and-Answer Session in 
Davos, Switzerland

January 29, 2000

    President Clinton. Thank you very much. President Schwab, I think 
that it is an indication of the importance of the topic and the 
importance of the World Economic Forum that you have so many leaders 
from around the world here today. I see, just scanning the audience, the 
President of Colombia, the President of South Africa, Chairman Arafat, 
the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey, and a number of other leaders.
    We have here with me today the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and 
our Trade Ambassador. There's no one home in Washington to take care of 
things. [Laughter] We have a large delegation from the United States 
Congress here; leaders from all over the world and business, public 
life; the leader of the American union movement, John Sweeney, whom I 
know has spoken to you.
    So I think that maybe the presence of all these distinguished people 
in the crowd is evidence of the importance of our being here and shows, 
in my mind, one of the things we need to determine to do as a people.
    The World Economic Forum has been at it, as you pointed out, for 30 
years now. The thing that I have appreciated most about your 
deliberations is your consistent focus on the future. For example, you 
spotted the networking of society before the Internet was out of its 
infancy. Both Vice President Gore and my wife, Hillary, have spoken 
here, and I am glad, even though I am late, to finally get in on the 
act. [Laughter]
    Your theme, ``New Beginnings: Making a Difference,'' it seems to me, 
is the right theme. What I want to ask all of you to think about today 
is, what does making a difference and new beginnings mean in an era of 
globalization? What are the opportunities?

[[Page 186]]

What are the obligations? What are the hazards? What new beginnings will 
make a positive difference? And, perhaps the most difficult question of 
all, do we have the institutional and organized mechanisms to make them?
    As we know, in many ways the global economy was almost as integrated 
as it is today, 100 years ago. But after World War I, leaders in the 
United States and Europe made what all now recognize were false and 
shortsighted choices. Instead of partnership, they chose protectionism 
and isolationism. And for decades, globalization went in reverse, with 
utterly disastrous consequences.
    After the second war, the leaders were given a second chance. This 
time it was clear that what was at stake was not simply the return of 
prosperity but the defense of freedom. They chose the path of economic 
and political partnership and set the stage for 50 years of growth 
across the globe. No one can seriously argue that the world would be a 
better place today if they had reverted to the old isolationism.
    So today, at the start of a new century, the entire world, not 
simply Europe and the United States and the wealthiest nations of Asia, 
the entire world finds itself at a crossroads. Globalization is 
revolutionizing the way we work, the way we live, and perhaps most 
important, the way we relate to each other across national boundaries. 
It is tearing down doors and building up networks between nations and 
individuals, between economies and cultures.
    The obvious consequence is that we are growing ever more 
interdependent, driven to be part of every vital network, understanding 
we cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs. 
Today, we know that because of scientific and technological advance, we 
can change the equation between energy use and economic growth. We can 
shatter the limits that time and space pose to doing business and 
getting an 

Other Popular 2000 Presidential Documents Documents:

Other Documents:

2000 Presidential Documents Records and Documents