pd10au98 Memorandum on Economic Development in American Indian and Alaska Native...

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that everybody is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect and 
equality.
    And I would just like to say, if you look ahead at the big 
challenges facing the country--how are we are going to prepare for the 
retirement of the baby boom generation? We have to reform Social 
Security and Medicare so that it will do what it needs to do to hold our 
society together and provide for dignity in old age without bankrupting 
our children and grandchildren--those of us who are baby boomers.
    We have to provide, for the first time in history, a genuine world-
class elementary and secondary education for all of our kids, not just 
those who are middle class or better. We have to prove that we can grow 
the economy and improve the environment--not just preserve it but 
improve it--because I believe that the global warming phenomenon is 
real. I know the oceans are being slowly undermined. And we had a 
fabulous conference on that recently in California.
    We have to prove that America can still be a force for peace and 
freedom and security around the world, standing up against all this 
racial and ethnic and religious hatred around the world and the spread 
of dangerous weapons and taking advantage of the opportunities that are 
there.
    And finally, I don't think we can do good around the world unless we 
are good at home. And that's why I have always said I belong to a party 
that puts progress over partisanship, that puts people over politics, 
that puts unity over division.
    And you know sometimes when you try to affect that kind of 
transformation, you know you're going to provoke a reaction. I didn't 
dream it would be quite as profound as it has been--this reaction. But I 
must say, if I had it to do over again, I would gladly assume the 
challenge because it's been a wonderful thing. And if it weren't for the 
22nd amendment, I'd give the people one more chance to elect or defeat 
me--[laughter]--because I believe in what we're doing. And I've been 
blessed to have not only a wife

[[Page 1559]]

but also a wonderful Vice President who believes in what we're doing.
    And I just want to say to all of you, what Hillary said is right. We 
can do very well in this election. If you go all the way back to the 
Civil War, the party of the President when the President's in his second 
term always has lost seats at midterm. It may not happen this time, 
which is one reason the heat, the incoming fire, is so intense now, 
because they know it may not happen this time. Why? Because we have an 
agenda out there: We have a Patients' Bill of Rights. We've got an 
education agenda. We've got an environmental agenda. We've got a foreign 
policy agenda. We've got an economic agenda for the inner cities. The 
debate--the substantive debate is out there.
    And I still believe that the biggest problem with the American 
people not feeling the sense of unity and mutual harmony and respect 
that affects among other things--among others, people in the gay 
community all the time, is a lack of genuine, open, unthreatening 
contact, debate, discussion.
    And so, I just want to say to you, I thank you for your 
contributions; I thank you for being here; we'll try to make good use of 
the investments you've given us. But I hope between now and November, 
you will go out and tell people that it's not an accident that America 
is better off today than it was 6 years ago, that there are ideas behind 
the changes that took place in this country, and they're good ideas. And 
the ideas we have for the future are good ideas. And the American people 
ought to go out there in this election and be heard on those ideas. And 
if they are, I think that our Democrats will do very well indeed, 
because we know that given a reasoned chance to make a judgment, we win 
two-to-one on almost every critical issue facing the country.
    But given organized and well-financed disinformation campaigns, we 
sometimes have trouble, as we did recently when, much to Andy's grief, 
we lost the fight with the big tobacco interests in Congress. I'm not 
done with that, and we're going to come back to it.
    But you can help us prevail. And the last thing I'd like to say is--
the other thing Hillary said is right--a part of this strategy that 
we're up against is designed to depress the vote. In 1994 we had a very 
depressed vote. Now, I personally don't think it's going to work this 
time, because the country is in better shape and the consequences of the 
policies of the administration are more evident, and the strategy 
against us is a little more bald, I'd say. I think that's a delicate way 
of saying it. And so I don't think it will work.
    But you've got to think about that. Go out there and tell people 
that you're doing this because throughout history, America was always at 
its best by trying to perfect what we started with in the Declaration of 
Independence--to widen the circle of opportunity, deepen the meaning of 
freedom, strengthen the bonds of our Union--and because we're on the 
edge of a whole new millennium, a whole new way of thinking and living 
and working and relating to each other and the rest of the world; and 
the party of the future is the party that's on the right side of history 
and that you're proud to be a part of it.
    Thank you, and God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 6:30 p.m. at a private residence. In his 
remarks, he referred to reception hosts Jonathan Sheffer and Christopher 
Barley; event cochairs Andy Tobias and Jeff Soref; Elizabeth Birch, 
executive director, Human Rights Campaign; and Steve Grossman, national 
chair, and Leonard Barrack, national finance chair, Democratic National 
Committee.


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[Page 1559-1560]
 
Monday, August 10, 1998
 
Volume 34--Number 32
Pages 1553-1589
 
Week Ending Friday, August 7, 1998
 
Remarks at a Saxophone Club Reception in East Hampton

August 1, 1998

    Thank you very much. Wow! [Laughter] First, I want to thank you for 
being so laid back and quiet and restrained. Aren't you proud you're 
here and proud of what we're trying to do for our country? [Applause]
    Let me begin by thanking Alec and Kim for opening their home tonight 
to this intimate little gathering, giving up their privacy for this high 
public purpose, and making us all feel like we're very welcome at their 
beautiful home. Thank you very much.
    I want to thank Judith Hope and Tom Twomey, Alan and Susan Patricof, 
Liz Robbins, all the cochairs of the event tonight. Thank you, Chairman 
Grossman, and all the

[[Page 1560]]

people from the DNC. And thank you, Hootie and the Blowfish. Thank you. 
I told some people coming in even an old guy like me likes them. I love 
them. I thank Congressman Meeks, Congresswoman McCarthy, Lieutenant 
Governor Ross, Mark Green, all the other office holders who are here.
    Ladies and gentlemen, I am so thrilled to see you. I'm thrilled that 
you're here for this purpose, and I want you to take this enthusiasm out 
from under this tent back to your daily lives. And I want you to infect 
every person you meet with it between now and November.
    You know, in--a young girl came through the line earlier tonight, 
shook my hand, and had her picture taken with me--a little girl. And she 
said, ``Why did you want to be President?'' She must have been about 8 
years old, maybe 7. I said, ``Well, I wanted you to have a better 
future; I wanted your country to do better; and I wanted you to live in 
a safe world.'' And she said, ``That sounds pretty good to me.'' 
[Laughter]
    When I ran for President in 1992, I wanted this country to move in a 
different direction. And here we are, on the edge of a new millennium, 
just 2 years away from a new century, a new 1,000 years, an amazing 
time. Hillary was in Seneca Falls and at George Washington's 
Revolutionary War headquarters and other places in New York, sort of 
promoting our idea of how we should mark this sea change in history by 
honoring our past and imaging our future--a future where things are 
changing faster and more profoundly in the way we live, the way we work, 
the way we related to each other and the rest of the world.
    We've been working on this for 6 years, thanks to New York in 1992 
and the magnificent victory the people here gave us in 1996. And I thank 
you. And you ought to tell the doubters that there is a connection 
between the economic and social policies and foreign policies this 
country has pursued for the last 6 years, and the fact that we have the 
lowest unemployment rate in 28 years, the lowest crime rate in 25 years, 
the smallest percentage of people on welfare in 29 years, the first 
balanced budget and surplus in 29 years, the highest homeownership in 
history, with the lowest, small Federal Government in 35 years. And I am 
proud of that.
    We also made the first 2 years of college virtually free to most 
Americans, opened the doors of college to everyone, immunized over 90 
percent of our children, kept 250,000 people with a bad criminal or 
mental health history from buying handguns with the Brady bill, banned 
the assault weapons over the opposition of the other party. The water is 
cleaner; the air is cleaner; the food is safer; there are fewer toxic 
waste dumps. We are moving in the right direction, my fellow Americans.
    And our party right now is working in Congress not just to pass a 
Patients' Bill of Rights but also to put 100,000 more teachers in the 
early grades, to build new schools and repair old ones, to bring 
economic opportunity to urban neighborhoods and rural areas that haven't 
gotten it yet, to have a genuine environmental policy that will deal 
with the problem of climate change and continue to grow the economy, 
that will have record amounts of money going into medical research and 
other scientific research--in short, that will prepare our path for the 
21st century.
    And in almost every area, we are being opposed by the leadership of 
the other party. The choice is clear. The record is clear. The results 
are in. You're here--go out of here and tell the American people you're 
proud to be part of the direction we're taking to tomorrow.
    Thank you, and God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 8:24 p.m. at a private residence. In his 
remarks, he referred to actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, reception 
hosts; New York State Democratic Chair Judith Hope, Tom Twomey, Liz 
Robbins, Alan and Susan Patricof, event cochairs; Steve Grossman, 
national chair, Democratic National Committee; Assemblyman Gregory W. 
Meeks, 31st New York District; Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey Ross of New 
York; and Mark Green, New York City public advocate.


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[Page 1560-1563]
 
Monday, August 10, 1998
 
Volume 34--Number 32
Pages 1553-1589
 
Week Ending Friday, August 7, 1998
 
Remarks on Summer Jobs Program Funding in Cheverly, Maryland

August 3, 1998

    Thank you very much. Let's give Terence another hand. Wasn't he 
good. [Applause]

[[Page 1561]]

Well, I would say Terence has gotten quite a lot out of his job 
opportunity here. And he made quite a good speech. Maybe he needs a 
summer job with Wayne Curry or Congressman Wynn or Lieutenant Governor 
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend or the President--or something. He's very 
good, I think.
    I'd like to thank my friend, Wayne Curry, for that wonderful 
welcome. I thank Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend for her 
sentiments and her passionate work for our children. And I thank, in his 
absence, Governor Glendening for his support for so many good causes, 
but especially the one we have come here to advance today.
    I thank Al Wynn. He didn't even come close to breaking the Barbara 
Mikulski step up here. [Laughter] But every day he comes close to the 
ideal of what I think a Congressman should be. I thank the State and the 
local officials who are here, and I thank this hospital. As Wayne said, 
it's quite an accommodation to take in a Presidential visit, and I thank 
them for making me and Secretary Herman and our party feel so welcome.
    I, too, want to say my personal thanks to Secretary Herman for her 
role in settling the General Motors strike. We want to keep the economy 
going, and we don't do very well in America unless all of our 
autoworkers are out there working hard and making cars. And I know we're 
all grateful for that.
    Let me say to all the young people here in this audience on the 
summer job program, both those behind me and on the stage and those out 
here in the audience, I am very proud of what you're doing here, and I 
hope you are as well, because whether you're serving lunch in a 
cafeteria or escorting patients in the hallways, you're not only helping 
this hospital to help others, you're helping to build a better future 
for yourselves; proving that given the opportunity to work and to learn, 
there is no limit to what our young people can do.
    I want to talk to you today about what we are doing to make sure 
more young people have the chance to continue to participate in summer 
jobs and to continue to improve their education. One of the principal 
reasons I ran for President in 1992 was to make sure that as we move 
into the 21st century, every young person in this country, without 
regard to their income, their race, their background, or where they 
live, would have the opportunity to make the most of his or her life.
    I wanted to create a 21st century America where the American dream 
is alive for all our people and where our people are coming together, 
across all lines that divide us, into one American community and where 
that gives us the strength to continue to lead the world to greater 
peace and freedom and prosperity. None of that can occur unless we make 
sure that every American has a first-class education, and then, that we 
have an economy that functions so every American can make the most of 
that education.
    Right now in Washington, we are preparing the budget that will 
determine how we continue to reform, renew, and advance education next 
year. This isn't just a normal budget. Because of 5 years of strict 
budget discipline in our Nation, this will be the first balanced budget 
in most of your lifetimes, the first one in 29 years. It is also a 
validation of our economic strategy that you can cut the deficit and 
continue to invest money in people, in science and technology, in 
education, in the environment, in building the right kind of future. We 
have to do both.
    To do our part, I have proposed in this balanced budget a 
comprehensive education agenda with high national standards, more 
accountability, more school choice in charter schools, more well-
qualified teachers, smaller classrooms, modernized schools equipped with 
computers and hooked up to the Internet, reading tutors for children who 
are falling behind, before- and after-school programs and summer school 
programs to keep young people learning in the classroom, not lost on the 
streets, and summer jobs programs like this one, to give young people 
the skills they need to succeed when they leave school and to give them 
something to do and a way to earn money during the summer.
    I believe all these things are necessary to help all of you and 
people like you all across this country live up to their God-given 
potential. I believe they're necessary to make the America we all want 
in the 21st century.
    I am very proud of the fact that today we are enjoying the lowest 
unemployment in 28 years, the lowest crime rate in 25 years, the 
lowest--[applause]--we have the smallest

[[Page 1562]]

percentage of people on welfare in 29 years. And as I've said, we're 
about to have the first balanced budget and surplus in 29 years, the 
highest homeownership in history. I'm proud of that.
    But this a rare moment in American history when we have a lot of 
confidence about our ability to make things work in this country. And we 
have to use it as an opportunity to act, to give everyone--everyone--a 
chance. We can't let this moment pass us by. And we have to make 
progress, both parties together, especially when it comes to the 
interest of children, education, employment, and the future.
    There are, as you have already heard from previous speakers, those 
in Congress who disagree with this agenda. They have proposed a narrow 
and much more partisan plan that, in my view, is not a step into the 
future but a step backward. At a time when we should be increasing our 
investments in education and training, their plan actually cuts more 
than $3 billion from the plan I proposed. At a time when we should be 

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