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American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) 4/19/90 [OA 4729]
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2
5
Document No. 135026 SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/26/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
\
Winston
DEMAREST
Pinkerton
FITZWATER
Boskin
GRAY
Bennett
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
00 : Olv 26 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
IS90 APR 25 Fill 8:21
April 25, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
Through:
CHRISS WINSTON w
From:
MARK DAVIS MD
Subject:
American Legislative Exchange Council
I.
SUMMARY:
You will address the American Legislative Exchange Council -- a
bipartisan group of conservative state elected officials and
business leaders at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 27, in Room 450.
Your remarks, about ten minutes in length, are on cards.
II. DISCUSSION:
This group is very supportive of the Administration's
transportation strategy, stance against drugs, position on choice
in education and the capital gains tax cut. And, of course, they
will respond enthusiastically to your position on federalism.
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
Title: ALEC
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990, 10:30 a.m.
( (Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing.
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, and
I'm the caboose. ) 1111
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe that
innovation springs from these fifty laboratories of democracy. I
believe in the inherent wisdom and leadership of the states.
Federalism must be a dynamic partnership if we are to end
that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
We will need such a partnership if we are to meet new missions -
- to keep expanding opportunity and improving education, to
implement a national transportation strategy, and to fight the
scourge of illegal drug use. Our partnership must begin with an
accurate account of the depth and scope of our needs that can
only begin with the U.S. Census -- a project that needs your
involvement.
At this moment, Census Bureau workers are beginning to visit
all addresses from which Census forms have not been received.
Your support is needed to help us get an accurate count of all
3
Americans. This will allow Washington to allocate funds for
programs, from housing to health. But more to the point, Census
data will help you make important decisions for your states.
This is all part of the decentralization of government, of
putting our trust where it belongs -- with the people. So it is
not enough to seek a dynamic partnership between Washington, and
Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must turn to our families,
our schools, our small businesses. We must often seek the
achievement of public goals through private means and individual
action -- individual empowerment. Our partnership must include
everyone if we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is
pro-growth, pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation strategy for the 21st
Century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation strategy is the road to
the future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
4
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ((But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ))\\\
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education. III
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. III I commend your Substance Abuse
5
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict. III
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership --- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
90 MAR 25 P7: 17
April 25, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
Through:
CHRISS WINSTON
From:
MARK DAVIS MD
Subject:
American Legislative Exchange Council
I. SUMMARY:
You will address the American Legislative Exchange Council -- a
bipartisan group of conservative state elected officials and
business leaders at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 27, in Room 450.
Your remarks, about ten minutes in length, are on cards.
II. DISCUSSION:
This group is very supportive of the Administration's
transportation strategy, stance against drugs, position on choice
in education and the capital gains tax cut. And, of course, they
will respond enthusiastically to your position on federalism.
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
Title: ALEC
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990, 10:30 a.m.
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ((Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing.
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ))\\\
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe that
innovation springs from these fifty laboratories of democracy. I
believe in the inherent wisdom and leadership of the states.
Federalism must be a dynamic partnership if we are to end
that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
We will need such a partnership if we are to meet new missions -
- to keep expanding opportunity and improving education, to
implement a national transportation strategy, and to fight the
scourge of illegal drug use. Our partnership must begin with an
accurate account of the depth and scope of our needs that can
only begin with the U.S. Census -- a project that needs your
involvement.
At this moment, Census Bureau workers are beginning to visit
all addresses from which Census forms have not been received.
Your support is needed to help us get an accurate count of all
3
Americans. This will allow Washington to allocate funds for
programs, from housing to health. But more to the point, Census
data will help you make important decisions for your states.
This is all part of the decentralization of government, of
putting our trust where it belongs -- with the people. So it is
not enough to seek a dynamic partnership between Washington, and
Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must turn to our families,
our schools, our small businesses. We must often seek the
achievement of public goals through private means and individual
action -- individual empowerment. Our partnership must include
everyone if we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is
pro-growth, pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation strategy for the 21st
Century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems --- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation strategy is the road to
the future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
5
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
Title: ALEC
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990, 10:30 a.m.
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ((Other
acknowledgements to come.) )
((With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt.)
((And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, \\ and
I'm the caboose.) )) 111
somelation take An momt
to talk about Something Americansile impre
((Before I begin, let me say that our work together, as
federal and state leaders, must begin with an accurate account
from the U.S. Census -- a project that needs your involvement.
At this moment, Census Bureau workers are beginning to visit all
addresses from which Census forms have not been received. Your
support is needed to help us get an accurate count of all
Americans. This will allow Washington to allocate funds for
programs, from housing to health. But more to the point, Census
data will help you make important decisions for your states.) )
to my one
who has not-
Please send it 15
2.
Let me say, it's great to be back among so many great
American leaders from the states -- those of you who belong to
the American Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen
hundred strong. As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from
the business community, you are proving every day that government
closest to the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked. 11
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe that
innovation springs from these fifty laboratories of democracy. I
believe in the inherent wisdom and leadership of the states.
Federalism must be a dynamic partnership if we are to end
that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
3
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
We will need such a partnership if we are to meet new missions --
to keep expanding opportunity and improving education, to
implement a national transportation strategy, and to fight the
scourge of illegal drug use.
To achieve these goals, we must put our trust where it
belongs -- with the people. So it is not enough to seek a
dynamic partnership between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and
Sacramento. We must turn to our families, our schools, our small
businesses. We must often seek the achievement of public goals
through private means and individual action -- individual
empowerment. Our partnership must include everyone if we are to
fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth, pro-family
and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving --
to implement a national transportation strategy for the 21st
Century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation strategy is the road to
the future.
4
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ((But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa.) )
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp. III
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
5
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
I990 APR 25 PM 8:21
April 25, 1990
INFORMATION
OK nutter chagn!
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
Through:
CHRISS WINSTON
E
of
From:
MARK DAVIS MD
Subject:
American Legislative Exchange Council
I. SUMMARY:
You will address the American Legislative Exchange Council -- a
bipartisan group of conservative state elected officials and
business leaders at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 27, in Room 450.
Your remarks, about ten minutes in length, are on cards.
II. DISCUSSION:
This group is very supportive of the Administration's
transportation strategy, stance against drugs, position on choice
will respond enthusiastically to your position on federalism.
in education and the capital gains tax cut. And, of course, they
81 8v MARAT 12 06
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
Title: ALEC
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990, 10:30 a.m.
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come.) )
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing.
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, \\ and
I'm the caboose. ))\\\
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
23 hundred
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe that
innovation springs from these fifty laboratories of democracy. I
believe in the inherent wisdom and leadership of the states.
Federalism must be a dynamic partnership if we are to end
that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
We will need such a partnership if we are to meet new missions -
- to keep expanding opportunity and improving education, to
implement a national transportation strategy, and to fight the
scourge of illegal drug use. Our partnership must begin with an
accurate account of the depth and scope of our needs that can
only begin with the U.S. Census -- a project that needs your
involvement.
At this moment, Census Bureau workers are beginning to visit
all addresses from which Census forms have not been received.
Your support is needed to help us get an accurate count of all
3
Americans. This will allow Washington to allocate funds for
programs, from housing to health. But more to the point, Census
data will help you make important decisions for your states.
This is all part of the decentralization of government, of
putting our trust where it belongs -- with the people. So it is
not enough to seek a dynamic partnership between Washington, and
Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must turn to our families,
our schools, our small businesses. We must often seek the
achievement of public goals through private means and individual
action -- individual empowerment. Our partnership must include
everyone if we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is
pro-growth, pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation strategy for the 21st
Century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation strategy is the road to
the future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
4
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ( (But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation.
It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. 11111
Bubs
if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education. III
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. III I commend your Substance Abuse
5
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict. III
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership --- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 25, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
Through:
CHRISS WINSTON W
From:
MARK DAVIS MI
Subject:
American Legislative Exchange Council
I. SUMMARY:
You will address the American Legislative Exchange Council -- a
bipartisan group of conservative state elected officials and
business leaders at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 27, in Room 450.
Your remarks, about ten minutes in length, are on cards.
II. DISCUSSION:
This group is very supportive of the Administration's
transportation strategy, stance against drugs, position on choice
in education and the capital gains tax cut. And, of course, they
will respond enthusiastically to your position on federalism.
60 8 Wd 25 RPR 0661
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
Title: ALEC
Draft: Three
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990, 10:30 a.m.
( (Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ) )
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. \\
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ) 1111
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe that
innovation springs from these fifty laboratories of democracy. I
believe in the inherent wisdom and leadership of the states.
Federalism must be a dynamic partnership if we are to end
that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
We will need such a partnership if we are to meet new missions -
- to keep expanding opportunity and improving education, to
implement a national transportation strategy, and to fight the
scourge of illegal drug use. Our partnership must begin with an
accurate account of the depth and scope of our needs that can
only begin with the U.S. Census -- a project that needs your
involvement.
At this moment, Census Bureau workers are beginning to visit
all addresses from which Census forms have not been received.
Your support is needed to help us get an accurate count of all
3
Americans. This will allow Washington to allocate funds for
programs, from housing to health. But more to the point, Census
data will help you make important decisions for your states.
This is all part of the decentralization of government, of
putting our trust where it belongs -- with the people. So it is
not enough to seek a dynamic partnership between Washington, and
Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must turn to our families,
our schools, our small businesses. We must often seek the
achievement of public goals through private means and individual
action -- individual empowerment. Our partnership must include
everyone if we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is
pro-growth, pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation strategy for the 21st
Century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation strategy is the road to
the future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life the family. We are not
4
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ( (But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa.) ))\\\
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education. III
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. III I commend your Substance Abuse
5
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership --- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
Document No.
CA
OFFICE OF CABINET AFFAIRS STAFFING MEMORANDUM
Date: 4-24-90
Due by: 9:00 am Wednesday, 4-25-90
Presidential Remarks: American Legislative Exchange Council
Subject:
From:
Holly Williamson
ACTION CONCUR FYI
ACTION CONCUR FYI
BATES
JACKSON
DANZANSKY
MCBEE
ADAIR
SCHALL
BUCHHOLZ
WETHINGTON
D'ANDREA
WILLIAMSON
DEWITT
YALE
DUGGAN
EVANS
FARRAR
HEIMBACH
Comments:
Please review and proivide comments to me by 9:00 am
Wednesday, April 25.
I did not send to any Departments. Thanks.
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PH 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time))
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
((With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ))\\\
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I am
a
federalist.
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
issert
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
INSET FOR ALEC SPEECH
(Recommended place of insertion: page 2, after the third full
paragraph, i.e., after " fight the scourge of illegal
drugs.
"
I would ask your help in a project of mutual concern, one
that is now at a crucial stage -- the 1990 Census. Census Bureau
workers are now beginning to visit all addresses from which
Census forms have not been received. Your support, your voice is
needed with your constituents to help us obtain a complete and
accurate count of all Americans. And each of you will, of
course, soon be using the Census data in the important
reapportionment decisions that the states will make.
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future. III
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ((But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ) 1111
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
Highlighted
Document No. 135026
sentences are
DUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
for your review.
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
to okay, Ill
take to Cicconics
RESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
ofc.
MCCLURE
NEWMAN
PORTER
Steph
ROGICH
UNTERMEYER
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
NoComment 4/24/90
20 : Ed 25 RAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER N/C
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN N/C
GRAY
BENNETT N/C
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Census unsest to come
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PH 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time))
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
((With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ) )\\\
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked. \\
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. H I am
a
federalist
must be
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
strategy
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
strategy
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
strategy
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future. III
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ((But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. \\ It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ) 1111 )
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
90 MAR 25 P5: 18
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
4/25
- # 2992
phoned
in ,10% 4/25
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PH 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time))
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing.
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt.))\\\
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. )) III
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I am a
federalist. III
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ( (But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ) )
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict. III
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
9:20 am
4/24
To: Daniel Casse
Herewith - per our
Conversation - response
due back by 1000 am
tomorrow (Ned. 4/25)
Thank- -
3 3° 5pm
Pub Zern
I is 456-2992
7142
(5) Fine pages follow
(amer. Legis. Exchange Campcil)
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 25, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
JIM PINKERTON
SUBJECT:
A.L.E.C. Draft Speech
A truly fine draft that will help puncture the canard
that federalism is a means for the Federal government to
slough off responsibility. The draft ably points out that
federalism is a form of the decentralization of authority
and decision making that is sweeping the country and the
world.
We would only suggest that this connection be made
explicit -- it is a point of pride for Americans that we
have been at the decentralization game for over 200 years;
and that, in addition to choice and flexibility (how about
adding "individual empowerment"?) which are mentioned as
virtues of federalism, we also mention the role of
federalism in promoting innovation -- the idea that the
states are the "laboratories of democracy."
###
It old MARAS 06
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE: see comments
90 MAR 25 All : 55
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PM 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time))
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
((With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
((And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, and
I'm the caboose. ) )
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked. \\
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I am a
federalist. III
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
strategy
Hale
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
3120
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation strategy plan for the 21st
Hale
C
x3120
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
strategy
Hole
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
Q21$7
future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ( (But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. \\ It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. 1111
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict. III
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
Document No. 135026
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
OK S.R
12:1d 12 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PH 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time))
( (Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come.))
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt.))\\\
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ) )
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I am a
federalist. III
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future. III
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ( (But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ))\\\
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
21
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
>
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
See Comment. Thanks.
Holly Williamson HW
€ 2 : 0/v MARAS 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
4-25-90
Chriss:
Cabinet Affairs has no comment,
other than the insert from Michael
Jackson on the census. He is working
on that and will have it to you
later today (probably shortly after
lunch).
Thanks.
Holly Williamson Her
re: Presidential Remarks: American
Legislative Exchange Council
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 24, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: American Legislative
Exchange Council
We have reviewed the attached draft and have no suggested
changes from a policy standpoint. We approve of the draft
remarks in their current form.
CC: James W. Cicconi
$1:9d MARZA 06
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PM 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time))
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ((Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
((With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing.
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
((And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, and
I'm the caboose. ))
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I am a
federalist. III
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ((But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ))\\\
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. III I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
,
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
4/24/90
I recommend the deletion on p. 2 of the line "I am a federalist."
Andy Card
James W. Cicconi
E 2 : Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PH 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ( (Time))
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ) )
((With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
((And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ) )
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I-am a
federalist
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future. III
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ((But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ))\\\
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp. III
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education. III
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 24, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
Deputy Assistant to the President for
Communications
FROM:
BRENT O. HATCH BOH
Associate Counsel to the President
SUBJECT:
Presidential Address: American Legislative
Exchange Council
Counsel's office has reviewed the above-referenced Presidential
remarks. We have no legal objections.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this matter.
CC: James W. Cicconi
11:20 MARAH 06
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
,
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PM 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time) )
( (Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ))
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I am a
federalist.
Federalism is a dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future. III
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ((But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ))\\\
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 135026
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 4/24/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 10:00 AM 4/25/90
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
Rogers
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
GRAY
BENNETT
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Room 122,
ext. 2930, no later than 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
number commerts WD
80 : 11v 2 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Date: 4/16/90
1990 APR 23 PH 7: 08
Title: ALEC
Draft: Two
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: AMERICAN LEGIS. EXCHANGE COUNCIL, Rm. 450
Friday, April 27, 1990 ((Time))
((Frank Messersmith, congratulations to you on completing a
very successful tenure. And congratulations also to Ellen
Sauerbrey, soon to become your new President. )) ( (Other
acknowledgements to come. ))
( (With all the traveling I do, it's a welcome change of pace
for me to be making an appearance so close to the West Wing. 11
In fact, Barbara says I spend more time on the road than Charles
Kuralt. ) )
( (And it seems I'm always following John Sununu at every
speech. As one of my grandkids said, he's the engineer, 11 and
I'm the caboose. ) )
It's great to be back among so many great American leaders
from the states -- those of you who belong to the American
Legislative Exchange Council, more than sixteen hundred strong.
As state leaders, in alliance with leaders from the business
community, you are proving every day that government closest to
the people is truly government of the people.
We've seen the wisdom of federalism vindicated time and
again. In the 1960s, the prevailing belief was that big problems
required big government solutions. Of course, this country did
face very real problems -- private heartaches that, taken
together, afflicted all of America.
2
But our pockets were often deeper than our thinking. Take
the war on poverty as the prime example. This was a unilateral
war in which the federal government sought no allies, and
followed only one strategy. And we soon learned what this
strategy lacked. It lacked an understanding of the problems. It
lacked flexibility. And often, it simply lacked programs that
worked.
So we learned a very hard lesson in the '60s. Good
intentions can easily go awry if the federal government neglects
state and local governments. So let me say it plain and simple:
I am a follower of the Jeffersonian tradition. I believe in the
inherent wisdom and leadership of the states. I am a
federalist.
Federalism must be dynamic partnership, one we need if we are
to end that age-old affliction of mankind, poverty -- poverty of
knowledge and skills, poverty of opportunity, poverty of hope.
And we will need such a partnership if we are to meet new
missions -- to keep expanding opportunity and improving
education, to implement a national transportation plan and to
fight the scourge of illegal drug use.
As we learn to decentralize decision-making in government,
we are also learning to put our trust where it belongs -- with
the people. So it is not enough to seek a dynamic partnership
between Washington, and Austin, Atlanta and Sacramento. We must
turn to our families, our schools, our small businesses. We must
often seek the achievement of public goals through private means
3
and individual action. Our partnership must include everyone if
we are to fulfill our agenda -- an agenda that is pro-growth,
pro-family and pro-freedom.
We need this dynamic partnership to keep America growing.
That's why Congress must pass a cut in the capital gains tax this
year. For America to be competitive, we need to invest money in
productive uses, generating new jobs and opportunities for all.
We also need a dynamic partnership to keep America moving -
- to implement a national transportation plan for the 21st
century. You understand that leadership must begin with those
closest to our transportation problems -- the states. You
understand that the states deserve a greater say in how our
transportation dollars are spent. And so I am asking you to help
others understand that our transportation plan is the road to the
future.
And, as you often stress, we also need to protect the
bedrock institution of American life -- the family. We are not
yet certain what kind of child-care legislation Congress will
pass. ( (But I am very interested in the outcome. You see, my
grandkids often enjoy a certain kind of child care that is
sweeping the nation. It's known as Grandma and Grandpa. ))\\\
So if Congress stamps out the power of parents to choose family
or church-affiliated child-care, I will give this bill a stamp of
my own\\ -- a veto stamp.
We also want to bring these same principles of choice and
flexibility to the way in which we educate our children. I'll
4
leave it to Roger Porter, my domestic policy advisor, to fully
brief you on our education goals and all that we can do together.
Just let me say that as I work with the governors to bring
renewed excellence to American education, I am also looking to
you for advice, support and leadership.
And when it comes to leadership, your federation is already
supporting open enrollment plans to give parents choice in
selecting their kids' schools; alternative certification to let
the talented share their knowledge; and finally -- merit pay,
with accountability for all. So we are not just thinking along
the same lines. We are working to achieve the same goals in
education.
Your federation also calls itself pro-freedom. What does
this mean? It means working at the federal and state levels to
develop ways to liberate people from dependency on government,
not bind them to it -- one generation after another. And it can
only mean freedom from drugs. I commend your Substance Abuse
Task Force for doing an excellent job in devising a set of tough,
realistic recommendations that complements and expands our
national effort.
And finally, Americans must be free from fear. When honest
working people are afraid to go to the corner grocery store, or
to walk home from the bus at night, then fear of crime has stolen
our most precious possession -- our liberty. It is to protect
this freedom -- the freedom to safely walk the streets -- that I
offered my crime package last year. Congress has, to its credit,
5
approved new prison space and more federal law enforcement
officers. But too much work remains unfinished on the rest of my
crime package, the portion that concerns violent crime. Once
again, I call on Congress to pass laws as least as tough as the
criminals we convict.
Crime and illegal drug use, transportation, education: As
we near the end of the century, these challenges that confront
our nation sometimes seem bigger than our ability to solve them.
And they are -- if we act only as 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.
That is why I value our partnership -- our dynamic
partnership -- and look forward to working with you in the years
ahead. Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#