Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
323150349
label
National Conference of State Legislatures, 3/7/89 [1]
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
323150349
contentType
document
title
National Conference of State Legislatures, 3/7/89 [1]
citationUrl
identifierLocal
13478-005
collections
Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Draft Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
323150349
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
cf2255a29d2a8ba0
ocrText
Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
foia Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13478
Folder ID Number:
13478-005
Folder Title:
National Conference of State Legislatures, 3/7/89 [1]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
25
6
1
5
Penformants
1033 MAR -0 FII Davis/Dooley
March 6, 1989
3 p.m.
REMARKS: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATORS
OLD EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING/RM 450
MARCH 10, 1989
Thank you Sammy Nunez (Noo-nez). Thank you Lee Daniels.
Thank you all.
The last time I spoke to you, we were in the middle of
America, in the middle of summer, and in the midst of a tough
campaign year.
Fate has smiled on us since that July day in Indianapolis.
Then, we were all candidates. Today, everyone in this room is a
winner. For those of you who are Republicans, I hope my
coattails were of use. For those of you who are Democrats, I
claim absolutely no credit whatsoever
...
In all sincerity, I want to congratulate every legislative
leader in this room, Democratic as well as Republican. You won
more than a political victory. You won the highest honor of all
-- the opportunity to serve your state and your country.
2
The problems that confront our country as we near the end of
this century often seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we face these problems as only partisan
Democrats or Republicans, as parochial members of a region, or a
faction, or an interest group. But by working together, as
Americans, we can lick any problem -- no matter how big, how
complex or how deeply rooted it may be.
True, there are always naysayers who believe we will never
clean up the environment; that we will never shelter the
homeless; that we will never end that age-old affliction of
mankind, poverty -- poverty of knowledge and skills, poverty of
opportunity, poverty of hope.
But the cynics never take into account one of the great
success stories of our times -- state government. In this
don't do
decade, power flowed from Washington to Austin, to Springfield,
state gout
to Sacramento and to every other state capital. With this power
Austin,
alba
came new responsibilities. And history will remember that you
cettanta...
met your broadened responsibilities with distinction.
I know funds at all levels of government are tight. I know
you are called upon to make hard choices, as I am. But, by and
large, you are meeting the challenge of a frugal age by devising
creative new solutions to the age-old problems of care and
concern for the very young, the very elderly, the disadvantaged
and the dispossessed.
3
So whenever I see a problem that some say is insurmountable,
I draw inspiration from what you are already doing in the states.
The resilience of state government in the 1980s vindicates
the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and forever discredits those
who would have Washington do it all. Let me assure you: I will
preserve and protect a healthy balance, a sharing of power,
between the states and Washington. Federalism works.
As you know, one policy area clearly designated as a prime
responsibility of the federal government is our national defense.
So perhaps the appeal I am going to make to you today will be all
the more unprecedented. The time has come for me to enlist your
energy and expertise in a different kind of national security
crisis -- the threat of drug abuse to the health and the very
future of our nation.
Crack. Heroin. P.C.P. These drugs are a plague that
leaves an aftermath of shattered minds, ruined bodies and wasted
potential. No state in the Union is immune to this plague. Drug
crimes have claimed thousands of lives, and turned whole
communities upside down from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific
Coast. It is becoming apparent that our struggle against the
drug trade is more than the moral equivalent of war.
It is war.
4
As with every battle this country has ever fought, we are
all in this together -- as Americans. And as with any war, we
must have a strategy. Our strategy is four-pronged: law
enforcement -- interdiction -- rehabilitation -- and prevention
through education.
I am encouraged to see so many state governments forming
intrastate drug task forces, and interstate panels to share
resources and intelligence. Every state should join this common
effort. And every state should look for ways to toughen its drug
laws.
The federal government, just like the states, is animated by
a new get-tough attitude on drugs. We've stiffened the federal
sentence for drug trafficking to a maximum of life. We've
toughened penalties for drug dealers who use children to deal
drugs, or who sell drugs to children. And if you commit a
Kill acop
drug-related murder, or slay a law enforcement officer the
X
toughest sentence you can receive is the toughest sentence there
is -- death.
5
We've also increased our resources as we've stiffened
sentences. Since 1981, the federal anti-drug budget has grown by
nearly 370 percent. But more was needed, so I am asking the
Congress for $6 billion for our anti-drug program in 1990 -- a 21
percent increase over 1989, and a 47 percent increase over 1988.
More than $4 billion will be spent to provide grants to state and
local law enforcement agencies, to beef up federal enforcement,
and to enhance our prosecution, detention and intelligence
capabilities
This includes sustaining the $150 million drug grant program
-- which was targeted for elimination in January -- so that the
Department of Justice can help state and local law enforcement
agencies catch criminals and warn kids away from drugs.
Another shining example of federal and state cooperation is
the seizure and forfeiture of assets from drug dealers. State
agencies that cooperate in drug cases will share the benefits
from the sale of yachts, planes and autos used in drug deals. To
convert the profits of vice to finance our war against the
multi-billion dollar drug empire is more than good financial
sense. It is swift justice
Even with these programs, the campaign against drug abuse
will be a hard-fought war that will last for years.
6
Perhaps we should take inspiration from a nation at war
almost fifty years ago. As Britain faced an adversary that
tested the courage and character of its people, Winston Churchill
vowed to never surrender. In today's war against the pushers, we
must -- as a people -- draw from these same deep wells of
national purpose to summon a spirit of defiance. What shall we
do?
We shall fight the drug lords on the beaches and the
streets, we shall fight them in the schools, we shall interdict
them in the skies and on the high seas. We shall never
surrender, not until the last pusher is put behind bars and the
last playground is free of drugs.
Perhaps the classroom will be the most decisive
battleground of them all. Toward this end, I am proposing a $1.1
billion allocation for drug education -- a 16 percent increase
over 1989. Some $367 million of this will go to the Department
of Education budget, to help keep drugs out of our schools,
campuses and neighborhoods -- an increase of $12 million.
The programs are many. But our purpose is singular:
to keep kids off drugs and out of trouble. You will be able to
take the lead in this effort, since more than 80 percent of the
funds of the Drug Free Schools and Communities program will be
allocated to the states and territories.
7
As you may have heard, we can already take heart from some
good news from the classrooms of America. According to the 1988
National High School Senior Survey, the proportion of seniors
using illicit drugs during the prior year fell from 42 percent in
1987 to 39 percent in 1988. This compares with the peak year of
1979, when an astounding 54 percent of all American high school
seniors abused drugs.
Still, 39 percent is 39 percent more than I will accept.
How can we convince these teen-agers to leave drugs alone? Even
if money wasn't tight, we would never be able to solve the
problem with money alone. We need something else -- an attitude
of intolerance.
Let me tell you, Presidents usually do not speak in favor of
intolerance. But the day must soon come when this nation is
utterly intolerant of so-called casual drug abuse. Then, and
only then, will we be able to declare victory.
It is with this in mind that I hope the Senate soon confirms
Bill Bennett as the nation's drug czar. Bill's talent as an
educator, and his rapport with young people, will be of
particular help in communicating our attitude of zero tolerance
to the next generation.
8
Over the next four years, we will face many common
challenges -- to our environment, to our prosperity, to our
compassion for those who have yet to fully participate in the
American Dream.
But we face no common domestic challenge as
This is
grave or as urgent as that of drug abuse.
Public news my wed
I pledge, leader to leader, to work with you and your state
#1
governments in this struggle. Just as war tested America and our
deficit
allies in the 1940s, so our people are undergoing a test of
m
our national will today. Again, to paraphrase Churchill, we
shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end fighting the
scourge of drug abuse, with growing confidence and growing
strength
we shall never surrender. With your help, and
your leadership in the states, I know that we shall also prevail.
Thank you.
#
#
#
Dowlamments Tell's
1389 MAR -3 Pil Davis/Dooley
March 6, 1989
3 p.m.
REMARKS: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATORS
OLD EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING/RM 450
MARCH 10, 1989
Thank you Sammy Nunez (Noo-nez). Thank you Lee Daniels.
Thank you all.
The last time I spoke to you, we were in the middle of
America, in the middle of summer, and in the midst of a tough
campaign year.
Fate has smiled on us since that July day in Indianapolis.
Then, we were all candidates. Today, everyone in this room is a
winner. For those of you who are Republicans, I hope my
coattails were of use. For those of you who are Democrats, I
claim absolutely no credit whatsoever
In all sincerity, I want to congratulate every legislative
leader in this room, Democratic as well as Republican. You won
more than a political victory. You won the highest honor of all
-- the opportunity to serve your state and your country.
2
The problems that confront our country as we near the end of
this century often seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we face these problems as only partisan
Democrats or Republicans, as parochial members of a region, or a
faction, or an interest group. But by working together, as
Americans, we can lick any problem -- no matter how big, how
complex or how deeply rooted it may be.
True, there are always naysayers who believe we will never
clean up the environment; that we will never shelter the
homeless; that we will never end that age-old affliction of
mankind, poverty -- poverty of knowledge and skills, poverty of
opportunity, poverty of hope.
But the cynics never take into account one of the great
success stories of our times -- state government. In this
decade, power flowed from Washington to Austin, to Springfield,
to Sacramento and to every other state capital. With this power
came new responsibilities. And history will remember that you
met your broadened responsibilities with distinction.
I know funds at all levels of government are tight. I know
you are called upon to make hard choices, as I am. But, by and
large, you are meeting the challenge of a frugal age by devising
creative new solutions to the age-old problems of care and
concern for the very young, the very elderly, the disadvantaged
and the dispossessed.
3
So whenever I see a problem that some say is insurmountable,
I draw inspiration from what you are already doing in the states.
The resilience of state government in the 1980s vindicates
the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and forever discredits those
who would have Washington do it all. Let me assure you: I will
preserve and protect a healthy balance, a sharing of power,
between the states and Washington.
As you know, one policy area clearly designated as a prime
responsibility of the federal government is our national defense.
So perhaps the appeal I am going to make to you today will be all
the more unprecedented. The time has come for me to enlist your
energy and expertise in a different kind of national security
crisis -- the threat of drug abuse to the health and the very
future of our nation.
Crack. Heroin. P.C.P. These drugs are a plague that
leaves an aftermath of shattered minds, ruined bodies and wasted
potential. No state in the Union is immune to this plague. Drug
crimes have claimed thousands of lives, and turned whole
communities upside down from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific
Coast. It is becoming apparent that our struggle against the
drug trade is more than the moral equivalent of war. Twimpy Gerald
berald
Fordism/J.Carter
It is war.
i
4
As with every battle this country has ever fought, we are
all in this together -- as Americans. And as with any war, we
must have a strategy. Our strategy is four-pronged: law
enforcement -- interdiction -- rehabilitation -- and prevention
through education.
I am encouraged to see so many state governments forming
intrastate drug task forces, and interstate panels to share
resources and intelligence. Every state should join this common
effort. And every state should look for ways to toughen its drug
laws.
The federal government, just like the states, is animated by
a new get-tough attitude on drugs. We've stiffened the federal
sentence for drug trafficking to a maximum of life. We've
toughened penalties for drug dealers who use children to deal
drugs, or who sell drugs to children. And if you commit a
drug-related murder, or slay a law enforcement officer, the
toughest sentence you can receive is the toughest sentence there
is -- death.
5
We've also increased our resources as we've stiffened
sentences. Since 1981, the federal anti-drug budget has grown by
nearly 370 percent. But more was needed, so I am asking the
Congress for $6 billion for our anti-drug program in 1990 -- a 21
percent increase over 1989, and a 47 percent increase over 1988.
More than $4 billion will be spent to provide grants to state and
local law enforcement agencies, to beef up federal enforcement,
and to enhance our prosecution, detention and intelligence
capabilities
This includes sustaining the $150 million drug grant program
which was targeted for elimination in January
so that the
Department of Justice can help state and local law enforcement
agencies catch criminals and warn kids away from drugs.
Another shining example of federal and state cooperation is
the seizure and forfeiture of assets from drug dealers. State
agencies that cooperate in drug cases will share the benefits
from the sale of yachts, planes and autos used in drug deals. To
convert the profits of vice to finance our war against the
multi-billion dollar drug empire is more than good financial
sense. It is swift justice
Even with these programs, the campaign against drug abuse
will be a hard-fought war that will last for years. We must
take back am streets from the dug trafficters,
justice those who have our law
We must protect our citizens & bring to
inforcement officers
4
6
Perhaps we should take inspiration from a nation at war
almost fifty years ago. As Britain faced an adversary that
tested the courage and character of its people, Winston Churchill
BLEX
vowed to never surrender. In today's war against the pushers, we
must -- as a people -- draw from these same deep wells of
FROM
drown.,
national purpose to summon a spirit of defiance. What shall we
do?
We shall fight the drug lords on the beaches and the
streets, we shall fight them in the schools, we shall interdict
them in the skies and on the high seas. We shall never
surrender, not until the last pusher is put behind bars and the
last playground is free of drugs.
Perhaps the classroom will be the most decisive
battleground of them all. Toward this end, I am proposing a $1.1
billion allocation for drug education and prevention a 16 percent increase
over 1989. Some $367 million of this will go to the Department
of Education budget, to help keep drugs out of our schools,
campuses and neighborhoods -- an increase of $12 million.
single most important is taskV,
The programs are many. But our purpose is singular:
to keep kids off drugs and out of trouble.
You will be able to
take the lead in this effort, since more than 80 percent of the
funds of the Drug Free Schools and Communities program will be
allocated to the states and territories.
7
As you may have heard, we can already take heart from some
good news from the classrooms of America. According to the 1988
National High School Senior Survey, the proportion of seniors
using illicit drugs during the prior year fell from 42 percent in
1987 to 39 percent in 1988. This compares with the peak year of
1979, when an astounding 54 percent of all American high school
seniors abused drugs.
too much.
Still, 39 percent is 39 percent more than I will accept.
How can we convince these teen-agers to leave drugs alone? Even
if money wasn't tight, we would never be able to solve the
problem of intolerance. with money We alone. will spend We need the something money toget else -- the an attitude
but we need something more an attitude
of intolerance.
Let me tell you, Presidents usually do not speak in favor of
intolerance. But the day must soon come when this nation is
utterly intolerant of so-called casual drug abuse. Then, and
only then, will we be able to declare victory.
re" Bennett
It is with this in mind that I hope the Senate soon confirms
Bill Bennett as the nation's drug czar. Bill's talent as an
talk as drug a5 fmr. Educ. "car
educator, and his rapport with young people, will be of
not of
particular help in communicating our attitude of zero tolerance
Sec
to the next generation. Bill Bennett & I will lead our
fight against drugs on all fronts.
8
Over the next four years, we will face many common
challenges -- to our environment, to our prosperity, to our
compassion for those who have yet to fully participate in the
American Dream. But we face no common domestic challenge as
grave or as urgent as that of drug abuse.
I pledge, leader to leader, to work with you and your state
governments in this struggle. Just as war tested America and our
allies in the 1940s, so our people are undergoing a test of
our national will today Again, to paraphrase Churchill, we
shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end fighting the
scourge of drug abuse, with growing confidence and growing
strength
we shall never surrender. With your help, and
your leadership in the states, I know that we shall also prevail.
Thank you.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 7, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRIS WINSTON
me
FROM:
MARGARET CACCIA
OFFICE OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
SUBJECT:
COMMENTS ON NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE
LEGISLATURES
1. The proper name of the organization is: National Conference
of State Legislatures, not Legislators. (pg. 1, Heading)
2. If the President thanks Sam Nunez and Lee Daniels, he must
also thank Ted Stickland who is Immediate Past President of NCSL
and Bush's co-chair in Colorado. (pg. 1, 1st para)
3. Per Legislative Affairs, Bennett is scheduled to be voted on
in Committee on March 9, and tentatively confirmed March 10. If
this happens, the President should remark on it. Instead of the
language "...I hope the Senate soon confirms Bill Bennett.. "
Just a warning! (pg. 7, para 4)
01404855
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
3/6/89
3/7/89 c.o.b.
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATORS
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
ROGERS
BREEDEN
WINSTON
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
GRIFFITH
FITZWATER
BENNETT
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, by c.o.b. Tuesday, March 7, 1989, with an info copy to
my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
1089 MAR H3 Pil Davis/Dooley
March 6, 1989
3 p.m.
REMARKS: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATORS
OLD EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING/RM 450
MARCH 10, 1989
co-chen
Thank you Sammy Nunez (Noo-nez). Thank you Lee Daniels.
Thank you all. Thank you Ted Stuck
The last time I spoke to you, we were in the middle of
America, in the middle of summer, and in the midst of a tough
campaign year.
Fate has smiled on us since that July day in Indianapolis.
Then, we were all candidates. Today, everyone in this room is a
winner. For those of you who are Republicans, I hope my
coattails were of use. For those of you who are Democrats, I
claim absolutely no credit whatsoever
In all sincerity, I want to congratulate every legislative
leader in this room, Democratic as well as Republican. You won
more than a political victory. You won the highest honor of all
-- the opportunity to serve your state and your country.
2
The problems that confront our country as we near the end of
this century often seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we face these problems as only partisan
Democrats or Republicans, as parochial members of a region, or a
faction, or an interest group. But by working together, as
Americans, we can lick any problem -- no matter how big, how
complex or how deeply rooted it may be.
True, there are always naysayers who believe we will never
clean up the environment; that we will never shelter the
homeless; that we will never end that age-old affliction of
mankind, poverty -- poverty of knowledge and skills, poverty of
opportunity, poverty of hope.
But the cynics never take into account one of the great
success stories of our times -- state government. In this
decade, power flowed from Washington to Austin, to Springfield,
to Sacramento and to every other state capital. With this power
came new responsibilities. And history will remember that you
met your broadened responsibilities with distinction.
I know funds at all levels of government are tight. I know
you are called upon to make hard choices, as I am. But, by and
large, you are meeting the challenge of a frugal age by devising
creative new solutions to the age-old problems of care and
concern for the very young, the very elderly, the disadvantaged
and the dispossessed.
3
So whenever I see a problem that some say is insurmountable,
I draw inspiration from what you are already doing in the states.
The resilience of state government in the 1980s vindicates
the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and forever discredits those
who would have Washington do it all. Let me assure you: I will
preserve and protect a healthy balance, a sharing of power,
between the states and Washington.
As you know, one policy area clearly designated as a prime
responsibility of the federal government is our national defense.
So perhaps the appeal I am going to make to you today will be all
the more unprecedented. The time has come for me to enlist your
energy and expertise in a different kind of national security
crisis -- the threat of drug abuse to the health and the very
future of our nation.
Crack. Heroin. P.C.P. These drugs are a plague that
leaves an aftermath of shattered minds, ruined bodies and wasted
potential. No state in the Union is immune to this plague. Drug
crimes have claimed thousands of lives, and turned whole
communities upside down from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific
Coast. It is becoming apparent that our struggle against the
drug trade is more than the moral equivalent of war.
It is war.
4
As with every battle this country has ever fought, we are
all in this together -- as Americans. And as with any war, we
must have a strategy. Our strategy is four-pronged: law
enforcement -- interdiction -- rehabilitation -- and prevention
through education.
I am encouraged to see SO many state governments forming
intrastate drug task forces, and interstate panels to share
resources and intelligence. Every state should join this common
effort. And every state should look for ways to toughen its drug
laws.
The federal government, just like the states, is animated by
a new get-tough attitude on drugs. We've stiffened the federal
sentence for drug trafficking to a maximum of life. We've
toughened penalties for drug dealers who use children to deal
drugs, or who sell drugs to children. And if you commit a
drug-related murder, or slay a law enforcement officer, the
toughest sentence you can receive is the toughest sentence there
is -- death.
5
We've also increased our resources as we've stiffened
sentences. Since 1981, the federal anti-drug budget has grown by
nearly 370 percent. But more was needed, so I am asking the
Congress for $6 billion for our anti-drug program in 1990 -- a 21
percent increase over 1989, and a 47 percent increase over 1988.
More than $4 billion will be spent to provide grants to state and
local law enforcement agencies, to beef up federal enforcement,
and to enhance our prosecution, detention and intelligence
capabilities
This includes sustaining the $150 million drug grant program
-- which was targeted for elimination in January -- so that the
Department of Justice can help state and local law enforcement
agencies catch criminals and warn kids away from drugs.
Another shining example of federal and state cooperation is
the seizure and forfeiture of assets from drug dealers. State
agencies that cooperate in drug cases will share the benefits
from the sale of yachts, planes and autos used in drug deals. To
convert the profits of vice to finance our war against the
multi-billion dollar drug empire is more than good financial
sense. It is swift justice
Even with these programs, the campaign against drug abuse
will be a hard-fought war that will last for years.
6
Perhaps we should take inspiration from a nation at war
almost fifty years ago. As Britain faced an adversary that
tested the courage and character of its people, Winston Churchill
vowed to never surrender. In today's war against the pushers, we
must -- as a people -- draw from these same deep wells of
national purpose to summon a spirit of defiance. What shall we
do?
We shall fight the drug lords on the beaches and the
streets, we shall fight them in the schools, we shall interdict
them in the skies and on the high seas. We shall never
surrender, not until the last pusher is put behind bars and the
last playground is free of drugs.
Perhaps the classroom will be the most decisive
battleground of them all. Toward this end, I am proposing a $1.1
billion allocation for drug education -- a 16 percent increase
over 1989. Some $367 million of this will go to the Department
of Education budget, to help keep drugs out of our schools,
campuses and neighborhoods -- an increase of $12 million.
The programs are many. But our purpose is singular:
to keep kids off drugs and out of trouble. You will be able to
take the lead in this effort, since more than 80 percent of the
funds of the Drug Free Schools and Communities program will be
allocated to the states and territories.
7
As you may have heard, we can already take heart from some
good news from the classrooms of America. According to the 1988
National High School Senior Survey, the proportion of seniors
using illicit drugs during the prior year fell from 42 percent in
1987 to 39 percent in 1988. This compares with the peak year of
1979, when an astounding 54 percent of all American high school
seniors abused drugs.
Still, 39 percent is 39 percent more than I will accept.
How can we convince these teen-agers to leave drugs alone? Even
if money wasn't tight, we would never be able to solve the
problem with money alone. We need something else -- an attitude
of intolerance.
Let me tell you, Presidents usually do not speak in favor of
intolerance. But the day must soon come when this nation is
utterly intolerant of so-called casual drug abuse. Then, and
only then, will we be able to declare victory.
It is with this in mind that I hope the Senate soon confirms
Bill Bennett as the nation's drug czar. Bill's talent as an
educator, and his rapport with young people, will be of
particular help in communicating our attitude of zero tolerance
to the next generation.
8
Over the next four years, we will face many common
challenges -- to our environment, to our prosperity, to our
compassion for those who have yet to fully participate in the
American Dream. But we face no common domestic challenge as
grave or as urgent as that of drug abuse.
I pledge, leader to leader, to work with you and your state
governments in this struggle. Just as war tested America and our
allies in the 1940s, so our people are undergoing a test of
our national will today. Again, to paraphrase Churchill, we
shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end fighting the
scourge of drug abuse, with growing confidence and growing
strength
we shall never surrender. With your help, and
your leadership in the states, I know that we shall also prevail.
Thank you.
#
#
#
To Presiden t
GB
Davis/Dooley
March 6, 1989
3 p.m.
REMARKS: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
OLD EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING/RM 450
MARCH 10, 1989
I am very pleased to be here. I would like to thank the
present and past officers for your gracious invitation -- Sammy
Nunez (Noo-nez), Lee Daniels, Ted Strickland. Thank you all.
The last time I spoke to you, we were in the middle of
America, in the middle of summer, and in the midst of a tough
campaign year.
Fate has smiled on us since that July day in Indianapolis.
Then, we were all candidates. Today, everyone in this room is a
winner. For those of you who are Republicans, I hope my
coattails were of use. For those of you who are Democrats, I
claim absolutely no credit whatsoever
In all sincerity, I want to congratulate every legislative
leader in this room, Democratic as well as Republican. You won
more than a political victory. You won the highest honor of all
-- the opportunity to serve your state and your country.
2
The problems that confront our country as we near the end of
this century often seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we face these problems as only partisan
Democrats or Republicans, as parochial members of a region, or a
faction, or an interest group. But by working together, as
Americans, we can lick any problem -- no matter how big, how
complex or how deeply rooted it may be.
True, there are always naysayers who believe we will never
clean up the environment; that we will never shelter the
homeless; that we will never end that age-old affliction of
mankind, poverty -- poverty of knowledge and skills, poverty of
opportunity, poverty of hope.
But the cynics never take into account one of the great
success stories of our times -- state government. In this
decade, power flowed from Washington to Austin, to Atlanta, to
Sacramento and to every other state capital. With this power
came new responsibilities. And history will remember that you
met your broadened responsibilities with distinction.
I know funds at all levels of government are tight. I know
you are called upon to make hard choices, as I am. But, by and
large, you are meeting the challenge of a frugal age by devising
creative new solutions to the age-old problems of care and
concern for the very young, the very elderly, the disadvantaged
and the dispossessed.
3
So whenever I see a problem that some say is insurmountable,
I draw inspiration from what you are already doing in the states.
The resilience of state government in the 1980s vindicates
the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and forever discredits those
who would have Washington do it all. Let me assure you: I will
preserve and protect a healthy balance, a sharing of power,
between the states and Washington. Federalism works.
As you know, one policy area clearly designated as a prime
responsibility of the federal government is our national defense.
So perhaps the appeal I am going to make to you today will be all
the more unprecedented. The time has come for me to enlist your
energy and expertise in a different kind of national security
crisis -- the threat of drug abuse to the health and the very
future of our nation.
Crack. Heroin. P.C.P. These drugs are a plague that
leaves an aftermath of shattered minds, ruined bodies and wasted
potential. No state in the Union is immune to this plague. Drug
crimes have claimed thousands of lives, and turned whole
communities upside down from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific
Coast. It is becoming apparent that our struggle against the
drug trade is the moral equivalent of war.
As with every battle this country has ever fought, we are
all in this together -- as Americans. And as with any war, we
4
must have a strategy. Our strategy is four-pronged: 1)
education; 2) rehabilitation; 3) law enforcement; and 4)
interdiction.
I am encouraged to see so many state governments forming
intra-state drug task forces, and inter-state panels to share
resources and intelligence. Every state should join this common
effort. And every state should look for ways to toughen its drug
laws.
The federal government, just like the states, is animated by
a new get-tough attitude on drugs. We've stiffened the federal
sentence for drug trafficking to a maximum of life. We've
toughened penalties for drug dealers who use children to deal
drugs, or who sell drugs to children. And if you commit a
drug-related murder, or kill a cop, the toughest sentence you can
receive is the toughest sentence there is -- death.
We've also increased our resources as we've stiffened
sentences. Since 1981, the federal anti-drug budget has grown by
nearly 370 percent. But more was needed, so I am asking the
Congress for $6 billion for our anti-drug program in 1990. More
than $4 billion will be spent to provide grants to state and
local law enforcement agencies, to beef up federal enforcement,
and to enhance our prosecution, detention and intelligence
capabilities
5
This includes sustaining the $150 million drug grant
program, so that the Department of Justice can help state and
local law enforcement agencies catch criminals and warn kids away
from drugs.
Another shining example of federal and state cooperation is
the seizure and forfeiture of assets from drug dealers. State
agencies that cooperate in drug cases will share the benefits
from the sale of yachts, planes and cars used in drug deals. To
convert the profits of vice to finance our war against the
multi-billion dollar drug empire is more than good financial
sense. It is swift justice
Even with these programs, the campaign against drug abuse
will be a hard-fought war that will last for years.
Perhaps we should take inspiration from a nation at war
almost fifty years ago. As Britain faced an adversary that
tested the courage and character of its people, Winston Churchill
vowed to never surrender. In today's war against the pushers, we
must -- as a people -- draw from these same deep wells of
national purpose to summon a spirit of defiance.
Our single, most important task is to keep kids off drugs
and out of trouble. Toward this end, I am proposing a $1.1
billion allocation for drug education and prevention -- a 16
percent increase over 1989. Some $367 million of this will go to
6
the Drug Free Schools and Communities program, to help keep drugs
out of our schools, campuses and neighborhoods -- an increase of
$12 million.
The programs are many. You will be able to take the lead in
this effort, since more than 80 percent of the funds of the Drug
Free Schools and Communities program will be allocated to the
states and territories.
As you may have heard, we can already take heart from some
good news from the classrooms of America. According to the 1988
National High School Senior Survey, the proportion of seniors
using illicit drugs during the prior year fell from 42 percent in
1987 to 39 percent in 1988. This compares with the peak year of
1979, when an astounding 54 percent of all American high school
seniors used drugs.
still, 39 percent is too much. We will spend money to get
the job done, but we need something more -- an attitude of
intolerance.
Let me tell you, Presidents usually do not speak in favor of
intolerance. But the day must soon come when this nation is
utterly intolerant of so-called casual drug abuse. Then, and
only then, will we be able to declare victory.
7
Over the next four years, we will face many common
challenges -- to our environment, to our prosperity, to our
compassion for those who have yet to fully participate in the
American Dream. The challenge of drug abuse will test our
resolve and our mettle as a people.
I pledge, leader to leader, to work with you and your state
governments in this struggle. Bill Bennett and I will lead the
fight against drugs on all fronts. Just as war tested America
and our allies in the 1940s, so our people are undergoing a test
of our national will today. To paraphrase Churchill, we shall
not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end fighting the scourge
of drug abuse, with growing confidence and growing strength
we shall never surrender. With your help, and your leadership
in the states, I know that we shall also prevail.
Thank you.
#
#
#
Davis/Dooley
March 6, 1989
3 p.m.
REMARKS: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATORS
OLD EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING/RM 450
MARCH 10, 1989
Thank you Sammy Nunez (Noo-nez). Thank you Lee Daniels.
Thank you all.
The last time I spoke to you, we were in the middle of
America, in the middle of summer, and in the midst of a tough
campaign year.
Fate has smiled on us since that July day in Indianapolis.
Then, we were all candidates. Today, everyone in this room is a
winner. For those of you who are Republicans, I hope my
coattails were of use. For those of you who are Democrats, I
claim absolutely no credit whatsoever
In all sincerity, I want to congratulate every legislative
leader in this room, Democratic as well as Republican. You won
more than a political victory. You won the highest honor of all
-- the opportunity to serve your state and your country.
2
The problems that confront our country as we near the end of
this century often seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we face these problems as only partisan
Democrats or Republicans, as parochial members of a region, or a
faction, or an interest group. But by working together, as
Americans, we can lick any problem -- no matter how big, how
complex or how deeply rooted it may be.
True, there are always naysayers who believe we will never
clean up the environment; that we will never shelter the
homeless; that we will never end that age-old affliction of
mankind, poverty -- poverty of knowledge and skills, poverty of
opportunity, poverty of hope.
But the cynics never take into account one of the great
success stories of our times -- state government. In this
decade, power flowed from Washington to Austin, to Springfield,
to Sacramento and to every other state capital. With this power
came new responsibilities. And history will remember that you
met your broadened responsibilities with distinction.
I know funds at all levels of government are tight. I know
you are called upon to make hard choices, as I am. But, by and
large, you are meeting the challenge of a frugal age by devising
creative new solutions to the age-old problems of care and
concern for the very young, the very elderly, the disadvantaged
and the dispossessed.
3
So whenever I see a problem that some say is insurmountable,
I draw inspiration from what you are already doing in the states.
The resilience of state government in the 1980s vindicates
the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and forever discredits those
who would have Washington do it all. Let me assure you: I will
preserve and protect a healthy balance, a sharing of power,
between the states and Washington.
As you know, one policy area clearly designated as a prime
responsibility of the federal government is our national defense.
So perhaps the appeal I am going to make to you today will be all
the more unprecedented. The time has come for me to enlist your
energy and expertise in a different kind of national security
crisis -- the threat of drug abuse to the health and the very
future of our nation.
Crack. Heroin. P.C.P. These drugs are a plague that
leaves an aftermath of shattered minds, ruined bodies and wasted
potential. No state in the Union is immune to this plague. Drug
crimes have claimed thousands of lives, and turned whole
communities upside down from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific
Coast. It is becoming apparent that our struggle against the
drug trade is more than the moral equivalent of war.
It is war.
4
As with every battle this country has ever fought, we are
all in this together -- as Americans. And as with any war, we
must have a strategy. Our strategy is four-pronged: law
enforcement -- interdiction -- rehabilitation -- and prevention
through education.
I am encouraged to see so many state governments forming
intrastate drug task forces, and interstate panels to share
resources and intelligence. Every state should join this common
effort. And every state should look for ways to toughen its drug
laws.
The federal government, just like the states, is animated by
a new get-tough attitude on drugs. We've stiffened the federal
sentence for drug trafficking to a maximum of life. We've
toughened penalties for drug dealers who use children to deal
drugs, or who sell drugs to children. And if you commit a
drug-related murder, or slay a law enforcement officer, the
toughest sentence you can receive is the toughest sentence there
is -- death.
5
We've also increased our resources as we've stiffened
sentences. Since 1981, the federal anti-drug budget has grown by
nearly 370 percent. But more was needed, so I am asking the
Congress for $6 billion for our anti-drug program in 1990 -- a 21
percent increase over 1989, and a 47 percent increase over 1988.
More than $4 billion will be spent to provide grants to state and
local law enforcement agencies, to beef up federal enforcement,
and to enhance our prosecution, detention and intelligence
capabilities
This includes sustaining the $150 million drug grant program
-- which was targeted for elimination in January -- so that the
Department of Justice can help state and local law enforcement
agencies catch criminals and warn kids away from drugs.
Another shining example of federal and state cooperation is
the seizure and forfeiture of assets from drug dealers. State
agencies that cooperate in drug cases will share the benefits
from the sale of yachts, planes and autos used in drug deals. To
convert the profits of vice to finance our war against the
multi-billion dollar drug empire is more than good financial
sense. It is swift justice
Even with these programs, the campaign against drug abuse
will be a hard-fought war that will last for years.
6
Perhaps we should take inspiration from a nation at war
almost fifty years ago. As Britain faced an adversary that
tested the courage and character of its people, Winston Churchill
vowed to never surrender. In today's war against the pushers, we
must -- as a people -- draw from these same deep wells of
national purpose to summon a spirit of defiance. What shall we
do?
We shall fight the drug lords on the beaches and the
streets, we shall fight them in the schools, we shall interdict
them in the skies and on the high seas. We shall never
surrender, not until the last pusher is put behind bars and the
last playground is free of drugs.
Perhaps the classroom will be the most decisive
battleground of them all. Toward this end, I am proposing a $1.1
billion allocation for drug education -- a 16 percent increase
over 1989. Some $367 million of this will go to the Department
of Education budget, to help keep drugs out of our schools,
campuses and neighborhoods -- an increase of $12 million.
The programs are many. But our purpose is singular:
to keep kids off drugs and out of trouble. You will be able to
take the lead in this effort, since more than 80 percent of the
funds of the Drug Free Schools and Communities program will be
allocated to the states and territories.
7
As you may have heard, we can already take heart from some
good news from the classrooms of America. According to the 1988
National High School Senior Survey, the proportion of seniors
using illicit drugs during the prior year fell from 42 percent in
1987 to 39 percent in 1988. This compares with the peak year of
1979, when an astounding 54 percent of all American high school
seniors abused drugs.
Still, 39 percent is 39 percent more than I will accept.
How can we convince these teen-agers to leave drugs alone? Even
if money wasn't tight, we would never be able to solve the
problem with money alone. We need something else -- an attitude
of intolerance.
Let me tell you, Presidents usually do not speak in favor of
intolerance. But the day must soon come when this nation is
utterly intolerant of so-called casual drug abuse. Then, and
only then, will we be able to declare victory.
It is with this in mind that I hope the Senate soon confirms
Bill Bennett as the nation's drug czar. Bill's talent as an
educator, and his rapport with young people, will be of
particular help in communicating our attitude of zero tolerance
to the next generation.
8
Over the next four years, we will face many common
challenges -- to our environment, to our prosperity, to our
compassion for those who have yet to fully participate in the
American Dream. But we face no common domestic challenge as
grave or as urgent as that of drug abuse.
I pledge, leader to leader, to work with you and your state
governments in this struggle. Just as war tested America and our
allies in the 1940s, so our people are undergoing a test of
our national will today. Again, to paraphrase Churchill, we
shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end fighting the
scourge of drug abuse, with growing confidence and growing
strength
we shall never surrender. With your help, and
your leadership in the states, I know that we shall also prevail.
Thank you.
#
#
#
GB
Davis/Dooley
March 6, 1989
3 p.m.
REMARKS: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
OLD EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING/RM 450
MARCH 10, 1989
I am very pleased to be here. I would like to thank the
present and past officers for your gracious invitation -- Sammy
Nunez (Noo-nez), Lee Daniels, Ted Strickland. Thank you all.
The last time I spoke to you, we were in the middle of
America, in the middle of summer, and in the midst of a tough
campaign year.
Fate has smiled on us since that July day in Indianapolis.
Then, we were all candidates. Today, everyone in this room is a
winner. For those of you who are Republicans, I hope my
coattails were of use. For those of you who are Democrats, I
claim absolutely no credit whatsoever
In all sincerity, I want to congratulate every legislative
leader in this room, Democratic as well as Republican. You won
more than a political victory. You won the highest honor of all
-- the opportunity to serve your state and your country.
2
The problems that confront our country as we near the end of
this century often seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we face these problems as only partisan
Democrats or Republicans, as parochial members of a region, or a
faction, or an interest group. But by working together, as
Americans, we can lick any problem -- no matter how big, how
complex or how deeply rooted it may be.
True, there are always naysayers who believe we will never
clean up the environment; that we will never shelter the
homeless; that we will never end that age-old affliction of
mankind, poverty -- poverty of knowledge and skills, poverty of
opportunity, poverty of hope.
But the cynics never take into account one of the great
success stories of our times -- state government. In this
decade, power flowed from Washington to Austin, to Atlanta, to
Sacramento and to every other state capital. With this power
came new responsibilities. And history will remember that you
met your broadened responsibilities with distinction.
I know funds at all levels of government are tight. I know
you are called upon to make hard choices, as I am. But, by and
large, you are meeting the challenge of a frugal age by devising
creative new solutions to the age-old problems of care and
concern for the very young, the very elderly, the disadvantaged
and the dispossessed.
3
So whenever I see a problem that some say is insurmountable,
I draw inspiration from what you are already doing in the states.
The resilience of state government in the 1980s vindicates
the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and forever discredits those
who would have Washington do it all. Let me assure you: I will
preserve and protect a healthy balance, a sharing of power,
between the states and Washington. Federalism works.
As you know, one policy area clearly designated as a prime
responsibility of the federal government is our national defense.
So perhaps the appeal I am going to make to you today will be all
the more unprecedented. The time has come for me to enlist your
energy and expertise in a different kind of national security
crisis -- the threat of drug abuse to the health and the very
future of our nation.
Crack. Heroin. P.C.P. These drugs are a plague that
leaves an aftermath of shattered minds, ruined bodies and wasted
potential. No state in the Union is immune to this plague. Drug
crimes have claimed thousands of lives, and turned whole
communities upside down from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific
Coast. It is becoming apparent that our struggle against the
drug trade is the moral equivalent of war.
As with every battle this country has ever fought, we are
all in this together -- as Americans. And as with any war, we
4
must have a strategy. Our strategy is four-pronged: 1)
education; 2) rehabilitation; 3) law enforcement; and 4)
interdiction.
I am encouraged to see so many state governments forming
intra-state drug task forces, and inter-state panels to share
resources and intelligence. Every state should join this common
effort. And every state should look for ways to toughen its drug
laws.
The federal government, just like the states, is animated by
a new get-tough attitude on drugs. We've stiffened the federal
sentence for drug trafficking to a maximum of life. We've
toughened penalties for drug dealers who use children to deal
drugs, or who sell drugs to children. And if you commit a
drug-related murder, or kill a cop, the toughest sentence you can
receive is the toughest sentence there is -- death.
We've also increased our resources as we've stiffened
sentences. Since 1981, the federal anti-drug budget has grown by
nearly 370 percent. But more was needed, so I am asking the
Congress for $6 billion for our anti-drug program in 1990. More
than $4 billion will be spent to provide grants to state and
local law enforcement agencies, to beef up federal enforcement,
and to enhance our prosecution, detention and intelligence
capabilities
5
This includes sustaining the $150 million drug grant
program, so that the Department of Justice can help state and
local law enforcement agencies catch criminals and warn kids away
from drugs.
Another shining example of federal and state cooperation is
the seizure and forfeiture of assets from drug dealers. State
agencies that cooperate in drug cases will share the benefits
from the sale of yachts, planes and cars used in drug deals. To
convert the profits of vice to finance our war against the
multi-billion dollar drug empire is more than good financial
sense. It is swift justice
Even with these programs, the campaign against drug abuse
will be a hard-fought war that will last for years.
Perhaps we should take inspiration from a nation at war
almost fifty years ago. As Britain faced an adversary that
tested the courage and character of its people, Winston Churchill
vowed to never surrender. In today's war against the pushers, we
must -- as a people -- draw from these same deep wells of
national purpose to summon a spirit of defiance.
Our single, most important task is to keep kids off drugs
and out of trouble. Toward this end, I am proposing a $1.1
billion allocation for drug education and prevention -- a 16
percent increase over 1989. Some $367 million of this will go to
6
the Drug Free Schools and Communities program, to help keep drugs
out of our schools, campuses and neighborhoods -- an increase of
$12 million.
The programs are many. You will be able to take the lead in
this effort, since more than 80 percent of the funds of the Drug
Free Schools and Communities program will be allocated to the
states and territories.
As you may have heard, we can already take heart from some
good news from the classrooms of America. According to the 1988
National High School Senior Survey, the proportion of seniors
using illicit drugs during the prior year fell from 42 percent in
1987 to 39 percent in 1988. This compares with the peak year of
1979, when an astounding 54 percent of all American high school
seniors used drugs.
Still, 39 percent is too much. We will spend money to get
the job done, but we need something more -- an attitude of
intolerance.
Let me tell you, Presidents usually do not speak in favor of
intolerance. But the day must soon come when this nation is
utterly intolerant of so-called casual drug abuse. Then, and
only then, will we be able to declare victory.
7
Over the next four years, we will face many common
challenges -- to our environment, to our prosperity, to our
compassion for those who have yet to fully participate in the
American Dream. The challenge of drug abuse will test our
resolve and our mettle as a people.
I pledge, leader to leader, to work with you and your state
governments in this struggle. Bill Bennett and I will lead the
fight against drugs on all fronts. Just as war tested America
and our allies in the 1940s, so our people are undergoing a test
of our national will today. To paraphrase Churchill, we shall
not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end fighting the scourge
of drug abuse, with growing confidence and growing strength
we shall never surrender. With your help, and your leadership
in the states, I know that we shall also prevail.
Thank you.
#
#
#