Bill Clinton in Between Hope and History
On Budget & Economy:
Cut the deficit to lower interest rates
[We put] the nation’s economic house in order by focusing on cutting the deficit in half, bringing interest rates down, and spurring private investment to fire up the nation’s stagnant economy. When I ran for president, job growth had been at the lowest
level since the Great Depression, unemployment was at 8%, and the deficit was soaring out of control. After I was elected, we waged a brutal fight in Congress to pass a new economic plan.Well, three and a half years later, we cut the deficit by more
than half. In fact, we would have a budget surplus today but for the interest we pay on the debt run up in the twelve years before I took office.
Cutting the deficit further until we balance the budget is vital to our future. The burden of this
deficit drags us down today and jeopardizes our children’s future tomorrow. Lowering it brings interest rates down so more Americans can buy homes and cars, start businesses, go to college, and build a better future for themselves and their families.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 23-24
Jan 1, 1996
On Tax Reform:
Target tax cuts on IRAs, education, & families
To achieve more growth and more economic opportunity for working families, I have a balanced-budget plan with targeted tax cuts for America’s families:- an additional $500 tax credit for each of their children;
- more generous Individual
Retirement Accounts with funds that can be used without penalty for important investments;
- a tax deduction for the cost of college up to $10,000 a year, and a tax credit up to $1,500 a year for up to two years of community college.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 31
Jan 1, 1996
On Free Trade:
On balance, trade creates jobs
The globalization of the world economy has had profound effects on work, on workers, and on wages. Open markets mean products come into America that are made by people who work for wages Americans can’t live on. This can cost some American
workers their jobs and keep others from getting a raise. But, overall, trade has brought vast benefits to most Americans. Jobs in exporting companies on average pay considerably higher wages than jobs in companies that sell only within the US.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 33-34
Jan 1, 1996
On Free Trade:
Support NAFTA & GATT: build bridges, not walls
We don’t need to build walls, we need to build bridges. We don’t need protection, we need opportunity. But in a world of stiff competition we also need more than free trade. We need fair trade with fair rules.That’s why I fought for NAFTA, which
effectively opened Mexico’s and Canada’s markets to American products, and for GATT, which is helping to level the playing field for American companies abroad.
In all, since 1992 we have negotiated more than 200 trade agreements-21 with Japan alone.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 34-35
Jan 1, 1996
On Free Trade:
Fair trade will liberalize China
Fair trade among free markets does more than simply enrich America; it enriches all partners to each transaction. It raises consumer demand for our products worldwide; encourages investment & growth; lifts people out of poverty & ignorance; increases
understanding; and helps dispel long-held hatreds. That’s why we have worked so hard to help build free-market institutions in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet republics. That’s why we have supported commercial liberalization in China-the
world’s fastest-growing market. Just as democracy helps make the world safe for commerce, commerce helps make the world safe for democracy. It’s a two-way street. In the coming years, we must continue to negotiate to lower trade barriers and insist
that our trade partners play by fair trading rules. As we continue to work to open new markets, we must ensure the protection of our workers & our environment, as well as seek to advance labor and improve environmental conditions in developing countries.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 36
Jan 1, 1996
On Technology:
Connect every library and classroom to the Internet
[Urban schools are] using technology not just to strengthen school performance, but to strengthen the community as a whole. They are, in effect, democratizing technology, making it more readily accessible for
children and parents alike. But we will have to do more. That’s why we are trying to hook up every classroom and library in the country to the Internet in the next four years. It’s already under way.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 39
Jan 1, 1996
On Education:
Both teachers and students must demonstrate competence
We must do more to make sure education meets the needs of our children and the demands of the future. First and foremost, he must continue to hold students, teachers, and school to the highest standards. We must ensure students can demonstrate competence
to be promoted and to graduate. Teachers must also demonstrate competence, and we should be prepared to reward the best ones, and remove those who don’t measure up, fairly and expeditiously.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 44
Jan 1, 1996
On Education:
Reward best public schools; redesign failing ones
We should reward the best schools, and we should shut down or redesign those that fail, and especially those that are unsafe. That’s one reason why I have supported expanding school choice and charter schools-creative new schools started by parents and
teachers and licensed by school systems. And it’s why I have announced a new $5 billion program to renovate and modernize school buildings badly in need of repair-in inner cities, suburbs, and one-stoplight towns.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 44
Jan 1, 1996
On Health Care:
Do more for health insurance
While Medicare takes care of Americans over the age of 65, we’re the only Western industrial nation that doesn’t provide a system of health insurance for all working people under 65. We worked hard to create comprehensive
health care reform early in my administration. And while that larger challenge remains unmet, we now have, thanks to bipartisan efforts, a new law that ensures that people won’t automatically lose their health insurance
when they change jobs or when somebody in the family gets sick. But we have to do more. First, we should provide assistance to unemployed workers to help them keep their health insurance until they find a new job.
We also need to make it easier for small businesses to buy into insurance risk pools that are large enough to make it possible to offer coverage at a reasonable cost.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 53-54
Jan 1, 1996
On Social Security:
Safeguard retirement plans and minimize risk
We should encourage companies to offer pension and retirement plans for their workers. We need to make it easier for workers to set aside enough of their current income for retirement.We need to make sure that pensions are not at risk, either because
they are dangerously underfunded or because they are vulnerable to misuse by employers.
As with health coverage, when workers change or lose their jobs, they ought to be able to carry their retirement savings with them and keep right on saving.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 55-56
Jan 1, 1996
On Tax Reform:
Across-the-board tax cuts are irresponsible
Some [of our political opponents] are offering a strategy they have offered before: an across-the-board tax cut bigger than we can afford. If implemented, it will either explode the deficit, raise interest rates, & slow the economy; or if it is paid for,
it will require even bigger cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, education, and protection of the environment than the budget I vetoed. Either way, it will reduce opportunity, slow the economy, and ultimately hurt hard-working Americans. It is not responsible.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 58
Jan 1, 1996
On Welfare & Poverty:
Welfare-to-work, instead of welfare as a way of life
For 15 years, going back to my service as governor of Arkansas, I have worked to reform welfare, to make it a second chance and not a way of life. As a result, Arkansas became a national leader in reforming a wide range of family and welfare programs. I
helped write the 1988 federal welfare reform bill. [As president], we cut welfare red-tape and approved welfare-to-work programs for 40 states. And it has worked. There are 1.3 million fewer people on welfare today than there were when I took office.
Food stamp rolls are down by more than 2 million.
In 1991, I said we needed to end welfare as we know it. Now, with the passage of new welfare reform legislation, we have an opportunity to establish a new system based on the following principles:-
It should be about moving people from welfare to work.
- It should impose time limits of welfare benefits.
- It should give people the child care and health care assistance they need to move from welfare to work without hurting their children.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 66-68
Jan 1, 1996
On Welfare & Poverty:
Welfare reform includes states, communities, & businesses
[My proposed welfare reform law] gives states and communities the chance to move people from dependence to independence and greater dignity. But the real work is still to be done. States and communities have to make sure that jobs and child care are
there. They can use money that used to go to welfare checks to pay for community service jobs or to give employers wage supplements for several months to encourage them to hire welfare recipients. They should also provide education and training when
appropriate and must take care of those who, through no fault of their own, cannot find or do work. These are important new responsibilities not just for welfare recipients, but for states, communities, and businesses. But is welfare reform is to work,
all must shoulder their responsibilities. This reform is just a beginning. We must implement this legislation in a way that truly moves people from welfare to work, and that is good for children. We will be refining this reform for some time to come.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 69-70
Jan 1, 1996
On Crime:
More police, punishment, & prevention
The most fundamental responsibility of any government is to protect the safety of its citizens. All of the other things government does amount to very little if it fails in this task. We will never eliminate the darkness that lurks in human nature;
there will never be a time when there is no crime, no violence in America. My goal is to create an America where news of a serious crime [is a reason for] surprise and shock, not inevitable acceptance.
To reach that goal, I believe we needed a new
approach-one that combined all the tools available to us:police, punishment, and prevention.- My 1994 Crime Bill is fulfilling my commitment to put 100,000 new police officers on the street to strengthen community policing.
- Good
policing needs to be matched with tough punishment, [like] our Anti-Terrorism Bill and “three strikes” laws.
- And we must prevent crime before it happens, [like with] the Brady Bill and the new National Drug Control Strategy.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 75-81
Jan 1, 1996
On Crime:
Three Strikes and You’re Out for violent criminals
Our 1994 Crime Bill and, more recently, our Anti-Terrorism Bill have matched good policing with tough punishment. We have pushed states to adopt the rule the government uses on federal prisoners, that requires them to serve 85% of their sentence without
parole. For those who commit violent crimes repeatedly, we have made “three strikes and you’re out” the law of the land.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 80
Jan 1, 1996
On Crime:
Death penalty for 60 violent crimes
We expanded the application of the death penalty for nearly sixty violent crimes, including murder of a federal law enforcement officer, and limited excessive death row appeals. And we have stiffened sentences for drug offenders and told those involved
with drug activities in public housing projects they only get one strike. Public housing is a privilege; abuse it and you’re out.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 80
Jan 1, 1996
On Gun Control:
Support Brady Bill, oppose assault weapons
The Brady Bill [is] a commonsense law that establishes a five-day waiting period and a background check that has already kept handguns out of the hands of some 60,000 felons, fugitives, and other criminals. We also have a law that bans the sale of
19 assault weapons-guns made expressly for killing people. What’s more, not a single hunter in America has lost a weapon or missed a season as a result of either the assault weapons ban or the Brady Bill.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 81
Jan 1, 1996
On Drugs:
Drug strategy to reduce both supply and demand
We have a new National Drug Control Strategy that: - targets young people for education and prevention
- pulls drug users off the streets and puts them in treatment
- aims to reduce the cost of drug abuse to our health and welfare systems
-
and seeks to block drugs at the border and cut off drugs at their source.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 81-82
Jan 1, 1996
On Families & Children:
Get tough on youth violence and gangs
We established a National Gang Tracking Network and sent a message to the gangs that are at the root of today’s drug culture and youth violence: we mean to put you out of business, to stop you from terrorizing our neighborhoods, and to put you away for a
very long time. All our efforts are designed to rescue kids in trouble. At night, children belong at home, under a curfew, if necessary. During the day, they belong in school, not on the street. At any time, our children are our responsibility.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 85-86
Jan 1, 1996
On Government Reform:
Big Government is over; but government has a role
Ever since the Reagan Revolution of 1980, the dominant Republican argument has shifted from “less government is almost always better than more of it” to “government is always the problem.” Our administration and the new Democratic party take a
different view. We say the era of big government is over, but we must not go back to an era of “every man for himself.”
The truth is, Americans don’t want our government gutted. We know from experience that there are some things that government must
or should do: protect us against enemies, foreign and domestic, come to our aid when disaster strikes, help fight crime, ensure the health and well-being of the weakest among us, restore and preserve the environment, ensure the safety
of our food, provide for the needs of those who have defended our country in uniform, provide everyone with access to quality education.
We don’t want our government in our face, but we do want it on our side when we need it, and quickly.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p. 89-91
Jan 1, 1996
On Environment:
Much left to do on clean air, water, & environment
Much remains to be done. A third of us still breathes air that endangers our health. Our national parks are badly in need of funds for adequate maintenance and staffing. Many species remain in danger of extinction. In too many communities the water is
unsafe to drink. Some 10 million children under twelve live and play within four miles of a toxic waste dump. We have cleaned up a lot of our waterways, but more than a third of our streams still need work. The list of work to be done is long, but we
have made considerable progress.I have never believed we had to choose between either a clean and safe environment or a growing economy. Protecting the health and safety of all Americans doesn’t have to come at the expense of our economy’s bottom
line. And creating thriving companies and new jobs doesn’t have to come at the expense of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, or the natural landscape in which we live. We can, and indeed must, have both.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.103-105
Jan 1, 1996
On Energy & Oil:
Need binding treaties on global warming
As we move forward, there is still much we need to do to make new progress-in restoring the Everglades, rebuilding the facilities at our national parks, seeking a
binding international agreement to reduce the kind of air pollution that leads to global warming, and eliminating the toxic waste dumps from one end of this country to the other.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.109-110
Jan 1, 1996
On Technology:
V-Chip lets parents self-screen TV
Parents across America have been saying there is too much violence and sex on television and clamoring for the government to protect their children. The broadcasters, in turn, say they have rights, too, and argue that government control would violate
their constitutionally protected freedom of expression. The solution we arrived at-voluntary rating by broadcasters and a small piece of technology called the V-chip that allows parents to screen out objectionable programs-is a perfect example of
how Americans can work together to find common ground and solve difficult problems. Government did not force the solution, it enabled it. We passed a law providing for the installation of the V-chip, worked with industry to get them to support it,
asked them to do what they could do best-produce and rate programs-then left the decision-making to individual families. We did not take over the role of parents; we said the best programming director for a child is a responsible parent.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.124-125
Jan 1, 1996
On Civil Rights:
Affirmative action: mend it, don’t end it
The Supreme Court rejected the notion that we could ever be separate but equal, and Democrats and Republicans alike passed laws against discrimination and created affirmative action programs to redress centuries of wrongs for minorities and women.
Affirmative action was intended to give everybody a fair chance, but it hasn’t always worked smoothly & fairly. Today there are those who are determined to put an end to affirmative action, as if the purposes for which it was created have been achieved.
They have not. Until they are, we need to mend affirmative action, most certainly, but not end it.
That is exactly what we are trying to do: end abuses, prohibit quotas, subject affirmative action to strict review, oppose any benefits
to those who aren’t qualified, but make that extra effort to see that everyone has not a guarantee, but a chance.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.132
Jan 1, 1996
On Immigration:
We are richer for the energy & ideas of immigrants
We must realize that all Americans, whatever their racial and ethnic origin, share the same old-fashioned values, work hard, care for their families, pay their taxes, and obey the law. This same commitment to tolerance and equal opportunity should
govern our approach to immigration. It’s important for us all to remember that we are both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. Legal immigration has made America what it is today-a vibrant and diverse nation, all the richer for the energy,
ideas, and plain hard work immigrants have contributed to our society. Immigrants who enter our country legally and begin the process of attaining citizenship today are little different from the strivers who were our own ancestors.
We need to remember that, and repudiate those who argue against immigration as a thinly veiled pretext for discrimination.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.133-134
Jan 1, 1996
On Immigration:
Strict enforcement against illegal immigration
We must not tolerate illegal immigration. Since 1992, we have increased our Border Patrol by over 35%; deployed underground sensors, infrared night scopes and encrypted radios; built miles of new fences; and installed massive amounts of new lighting.
We have moved forcefully to protect American jobs by calling on Congress to enact increased civil and criminal sanctions against employers who hire illegal workers. Since 1993, we have removed 30,000 illegal workers from jobs across the country.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.134
Jan 1, 1996
On Abortion:
Let women decide with their doctor and their God
Americans believe deeply in the need to keep government out of private, personal matters. That is one reason why I am pro-choice. I believe we should all work to reduce the number of abortions. That is why I have worked to reduce teen pregnancy,
remove barriers to cross-racial adoption, and provide tax credits to families willing to adopt. Still, I believe the ultimate choice should remain a matter for a woman to decide in consultation with her conscience, her doctor, and her God.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.137
Jan 1, 1996
On Education:
Need not leave religion at the schoolhouse door
Some families have been frustrated to see their children denied even the most private forms of religious expression in public schools. Here is where I stand: I believe the First Amendment does not require students to leave their religion at the
schoolhouse door. Just as we wouldn’t want students to leave at home the values they learn from religion, we should not require them to refrain from religious expression. Reinforcing those values is an important part of every school’s mission.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.138
Jan 1, 1996
On Education:
Private student prayer OK; but no official school prayer
I believe the Supreme Court was right a generation ago to prohibit any public authority from creating an official school prayer and making students recite it. But there is absolutely nothing improper about students wanting to reflect upon their faith.
Students can pray privately and individually whenever they want. They can express their beliefs in homework, through artwork, and during class presentations, as long as its relevant to the assignment. They can form religious clubs in high school.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.139
Jan 1, 1996
On Foreign Policy:
Engagement over escapism and isolation
There are some in both parties who would choose escapism over engagement, who would have us turn inward and ignore out international obligations as the world’s oldest democracy. These escapists have waged an all-out assault on the United Nations-even
though it can help us share the cost and the risks of engagement. They have slashed our foreign affairs budget-even though it represents less than 2% of our overall budget. They oppose efforts to open markets through the GATT, WTO, or NAFTA. In short,
they trumpet the rhetoric of American leadership and, at the same time, argue against the commitment of time, energy, and resources that leadership requires. These escapists are just plain wrong-as wrong as their isolationist predecessors were in the
years following the First World War. If we want to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of this new era, we have to stay engaged. Our well-being as a nation and our strength as a people depend on maintaining our leadership abroad.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.144
Jan 1, 1996
On Foreign Policy:
Strategy: strength, peace, and open trade
Our goal is constant: to make sure the US remains the greatest force for peace and prosperity on Earth. [Our] new strategy for the 21st century has three parts:- Making the American people more secure by keeping our military and alliances strong
to combat the major threats to our security, like the spread of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.
- Leading the powerful global movement for peace and democracy.
- And creating much greater wealth at home by opening markets abroad.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.147-148
Jan 1, 1996
On Homeland Security:
Decrease force size but increase quality
I have kept my pledge to maintain and modernize our defense capabilities. We completed a comprehensive review of our military needs for the future and restructured our forces. Even as the size of our forces decreased, their capabilities, readiness,
and qualitative edge have increased.As a result, our military and intelligence forces are more mobile, agile, precise, flexible, smart, and ready than ever before. Today the mere threat of our force can deter would-be aggressors.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.148-149
Jan 1, 1996
On Foreign Policy:
Support forces of reform in Russia
In Russia, we have worked steadily to support the forces of reform as Russia makes its historic transition to a free-market democracy. The recent elections were a stunning accomplishment-a victory not just for President Boris Yeltsin, but for the forces
of reform and democracy. That election demonstrates that Russia’s best long-term hope is to continue its struggle to become a stable, democratic, market-oriented nation, secure within its own borders and at peace with itself and its neighbors. To the
extent that we can help it achieve these objectives, the world will be an infinitely safer place. We have taken the same approach to bolster independence, market reforms, and democracy in Ukraine, the Baltic, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, and
throughout Central Europe.We want NATO to work with Russia and other institutions and other institutions of European integration to produce what in all Europe’s history has never before been more than a dream: a truly united, free Europe.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.151
Jan 1, 1996
On Foreign Policy:
Engage China but take a firm line
In Asia, our security strategy has four priorities: maintaining our military commitments to the region, supporting stronger security cooperation among Asian nations, providing leadership to combat emerging threats, and supporting emerging democracies. We
have worked hard with China to see that it embraces nuclear nonproliferation; agrees to abide by the rules of free and fair trade; cooperates in regional and global security initiatives; and grants basic human rights to its own citizens-in short, to see
that a resurgent China takes its rightful place as a leader for positive change for its own people, and for the world.But we haven’t been shy about voicing our differences-and acting on them. When China conducted menacing military exercises in
the Taiwan Straits, I sent the Seventh Fleet to the area to demonstrate out commitment to ensuring peaceful relations between China and Taiwan.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.151-152
Jan 1, 1996
On Homeland Security:
Finally, not a single Russian nuke is aimed at US
The dissolution of the Soviet Union created 4 nuclear powers-Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, & Ukraine-where once there had been just one. I saw it as my highest responsibility to continue the work of my predecessors to reduce the threat from Russia and to
eliminate it entirely from the other 3 newly independent states. Today, for the first time in decades, not a single Russian nuclear missile is aimed at an American city. We are cutting Russian and American arsenals by 2/3 from their Cold War height.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.154-155
Jan 1, 1996
On Homeland Security:
Build a sensible missile defense, not “Star Wars”
It only takes a lump of plutonium the size of a soda can to build a bomb, and rogue states are an ever-present threat. It will be more than a decade before any such state will have the ability to launch a long-range missile attack against the continental
US, but in the meantime we must build a sensible national missile defense program. There are some in the Congress who want to revive the recklessly expensive and extreme “Star Wars” scheme-a costly system that is neither necessary nor prudent and that
would violate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. What we need is a practical, smart missile defense based on real, not theoretical, threats, and that is exactly what we are getting. We’re already spending $3 billion a year to develop such a defense by
2000, one that will be deployable by 2003, if needed-well before the threat becomes real. In addition, we are beefing up programs to defend against existing threats such as short- and medium-range missile attacks against our troops and allies.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.156
Jan 1, 1996
On Principles & Values:
America stands today between hope and history
When I visited Ireland last year, I met with Seamus Heaney, the Nobel Prize-winning poet, a man who has chronicled Ireland’s long struggle and his own fight against cynicism and defeat. I was particularly moved by some words he had written,
which I quoted in my speeches to the Irish people. Later, he was kind enough to write them out for me. That piece of paper now hangs in my study at the White House, and I look at it often. One line always leaps out at me-the moment when “hope and history
rhyme.“I believe that America today stands between hope and history-at the edge of a moment when these two powerful forces are as one, when we can embrace the dawn of the new
century, drawing strength and guidance from our past, filled with confidence that in this new age of possibility, our best is yet to come.
Source: Between Hope and History, by Bill Clinton, p.175
Jan 1, 1996