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National League of Cities 3/9/92 [OA 6099] [1]
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17
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4
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 9, 1992
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
The Washington Hilton Hotel
Washington, D.C.
11:36 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Glenda, thank you
so much for that kind introduction. And to all of you -- and may I
salute the members of Congress that have been with us here -- let me
say good morning to them, and please do us right up on Capitol Hill.
(Laughter.) My greetings to all the special guests here at the head
table; to Don Borut and Wallace Stickney, who is with us.
Let me just say that I'm very pleased to join you today.
I enjoyed -- Glenda referred to it -- I enjoyed speaking to you over
the television hookup in December -- it's much better face to face.
And I hear that you have had a very energetic, very well attended
series of meetings. And I salute your leadership, present
leadership; and then, of course, an old former colleague of mine --
or, put it this way -- a still young, but former colleague of mine in
the House of Representatives who will be your leader -- what,
starting next November, is it -- Don Frazier.
In January, as Glenda said, I had a follow-up meeting
with ten of your members. And like your organization as a whole,
they represented a broad cross section of urban America's leadership
-- Republicans and Democrats, liberals, conservatives, officials from
large and small and mid-sized cities.
And, of course, we're all concerned -- all of us
here -- about the big issues -- jobs and family, and world peace.
And even so, I was struck at this meeting by the unanimity of the
message that your members wanted to deliver. It can't be repeated
often enough in Washington, or any state capitol or any city hall.
Your message was simply this: the enormous problems facing cities
today -- from infant mortality to high dropout rates to runaway crime
-- are partly, at least, symptoms of one larger problem, the
deterioration of the American family.
Now, I understand the breadth of the issues that you
deal with daily, poverty to potholes to property taxes. And in
addressing myself to this one subject, I don't want you to think that
we are less concerned about these enormous problems you face every
day.
But this morning, I would like to discuss that same
serious issue that you all raised with me: the family. The
restoration of the American family is at the heart of much of what we
have done these last three years.
Leaving aside for a moment the enormous costs -- the
wasted human resources or the billions spent to repair the damage of
broken homes -- family breakdown ultimately endangers our position in
a world increasingly driven by economic competition.
MORE
- 2 -
Certainly, the integrity of the family is critical on
its own merit. As Barbara Bush, my favorite philosopher, says, "What
goes on at the White House is not nearly as important as what goes on
in your house." And there's a lot of truth in that. But
particularly at a time when our efforts must focus on economic
growth, the family's disintegration endangers -- for all of us -- our
ability to create and to preserve jobs, and to create an economy open
to participation by all our citizens.
So we must start with a clear-eyed look at what is
really happening to the family in American communities today -- not
just in poor urban neighborhoods, but all across America. And then
we've got to look inside ourselves, to establish the principles that
will shape our approach. And then we must act.
The urgency is clear. We all know the statistics --
perhaps you know them better than most Americans -- the dreary
drumbeat that tells of family breakdown. Today, one out of every
four American children is born out of wedlock; in some areas the
illegitimacy rate tops 80 percent. A quarter of our children growth
up in households headed by a single parent. More than two million
are called latch-key kids -- who come home from school each afternoon
to an empty house. And a large number of our children grow up
without the love of parents at all, with nobody knowing their name.
We know form experience the consequences of family
decline. Neglected children are more susceptible to the lure of
crime and drugs, they're more likely to have poor health, drop out of
school early, more likely to lead a life without hope.
Each of you is in a position to know the human costs
that these statistics can only dimly sketch. You know, as I do, that
for every blip on a chart or dot on a graph, there is a human story
to tell, and too often the story is a tragedy.
About 10 days ago, I was in Bear County, Texas, in San
Antonio, meeting with Latin American leaders to intensify our war on
drugs. And while there, I saw a front-page story in the San Antonio
Light. A cabdriver had been murdered last September -- another act
of random, selfless violence -- and his murderer had just been found
guilty.
But what was truly horrifying what would horrify any
American -- was this: the murder of a 12-year-old boy. And as the
deputies took the boy from the courtroom, according to the newspaper
story, they had trouble fitting him with shackles and handcuffs, so
slender were his wrists. This youngster was four feet tall, not yet
a teenager, but now a convicted murderer.
The drumbeat continues: two teenagers shot dead in a
New York public school -- an LSD ring busted up in an affluent
Northern Virginia suburb -- or the harrowing stories of runaway kids
and the horrors that befall them.
I know that almost all of you could tell stories equally
distressing -- stories from your neighborhoods in your cities where
the unthinkable has become the commonplace. I am sure that many of
you here took office with high confidence in the power to solve these
problems, only to discover -- sooner rather than later, I suspect --
that they were far more stubborn than we could imagine. Let's not
forget that the trials our citizens face each and every day were
generations in the making. We can't expect change overnight. But
make no mistake: Change will come because change simply must come.
Let's face it. We can only change things if we work in
common purpose. We must call a cease-fire in the war of words that
too often consumes us. Casting blame brings no solutions. Nor will
questioning each other's motives. We have got to focus every ounce
MORE
- 3 -
of our energy to turn back this assault upon the American family and
act as one nation to defend and strengthen it. As public servants,
we must never forget that the best Department of HHS -- of Health and
Human Services is, indeed, the family. In restoring the family,
we restore to coming generations the values, the sense of right and
wrong, the will and confidence to succeed that only a family can
provide a child. And in doing this, we will reinvigorate our cities
and our communities as well.
We needn't look far for principles to guide us. They
are old home truths: Rely on what works -- discard what doesn't.
Never be afraid to innovate. Remember that government closest to the
people responds best to the needs of the people. And let's not
forget this as a guiding principle: If people are to be responsible,
they must be given responsibility.
The government's first duty is like that of the
physician: Do no harm. But the fact is, with the best of
intentions, many past government policies have worked against the
institution of the family, undermined young people's desire to marry
and stay married, to provide for their children, to plan for their
future.
As a practical matter, doing no harm means in part that
we ensure parents retain the authority to make the big decisions for
their families. This doesn't absolve parents of responsibility; it's
just the opposite.
Even if we're able to reform our education system -- and
I am determined that the federal government assist all of you in
every way in revolutionizing the education system -- but even if we
are, parents must still read to their children. The point is that
government harms the family when it restricts its autonomy or usurps
the authority of responsible parents.
Let me give you another example. Those of us in
government can never plausibly claim to fight for families if we
insist that government, not parents, must choose who cares for their
children. So two years ago our administration waged a fight in
Congress over this very issue, and we won. We kept choice of child
care out of the hands of government and put it where it belongs -- in
the hands of parents.
And now we're engaged in a similar fight, over whether
parents should have the right to choose their children's schools. We
know the benefits of competition; it is the linchpin of American
prosperity. And competition among schools will be the linchpin of
education excellence, too. From Minnesota to Milwaukee to East
Harlem school choice works. (Applause.)
But you see, it's important for other reasons: It
restores authority and responsibility to parents. And just as it
makes our schools accountable, it also makes parents accountable for
the decisions they make. Not only in child care and school choice,
but in other areas as well; a key to healing the American family will
be restoring parental authority and accountability.
Another example: The initiative that we call HOPE --
H-O-P-E. It took more than a year to get that program through
Congress and another year to get even partial funding for it. But
HOPE will be crucial to our success by offering low-income families a
greater opportunity to own their own homes. HOPE is based on a
simple principle: To survive, people need the intangible values of
dignity and self-respect. Government can't provide those. But
homeownership can. An education can. A job can. And being part of
a family can.
MORE
- 4 -
The federal government has a positive role in preserving
the family, and we welcome that role. It's guided the decisions that
we make every single day. Since 1989, for example, we have more than
doubled the funding for the program that I bet everybody in this
rooms supports, Head Start. A program that brings children and
parents into the classroom, strengthens family ties and reinforces
parental responsibility. For the first time in the program's
history, we can support now Head Start for al eligible four-year-old
children whose parents choose to have them participate.
There are many other examples. We've increased the
earned income tax credit for low-income families. And since '89,
we've increased the funding for WIC, the supplementary food program
for Women, Infants and Children, by 47 percent to $2.8 billion next
year. We've increased other nutrition programs by similar
percentages. And this year federal support for childhood
immunization grants will top $340 million, an increase of 18 percent
over last year's level.
So all told, funding for children's programs -- from
nutrition, education to foster care and child immunization -- has
increased 66 percent since we took office.
But, look, we will never measure -- and I think you all
would be the first to agree with this -- we would never measure our
compassion simply in dollars spent. We will measure it by results.
The test will be the health and happiness of our children and, most
important of all, the sense of well-being and self-reliance instilled
by our families. Our administration has targeted funding to programs
that efficiently fulfill government's role in supporting families and
keeping them together, programs that work for the family.
Yet, at the same time, we must face another fact.
Government can sometimes be a burden as well as a boon. Over the
past 40 years, the child tax exemption has lagged far behind the
soaring costs of child-rearing. And I have asked Congress to
increase the exemption by $500 per child. For a family with four
children that's an increase of $2000. And it's a crucial first step
toward redressing the imbalance, and it's what we can afford to do
right now.
And now I come to perhaps the most crucial matter of
all. One that concerns you all. We must reform our nation's welfare
system. Americans are the most generous people on Earth, but they
want to see - and they are entitled to see -- some relationship
between welfare and work. Welfare must never be what Franklin Delano
Roosevelt warned it might become, "a subtle destroyer of the spirit.
It is not meant to be a way of life or a family legacy passed from
one generation to the next. Welfare can eat away at the ties that
bind a family together.
And state and local governments are undertaking the
brave work of reform -- Learnfare in Wisconsin; REACH, Realizing
Economic Achievement in New Jersey; Washington State's FIP -- Family
Independence Program. These are all demonstration projects that we
support. And my administration is committed to reform and we are
acting now on waivers, to loosen up on waivers, to waive unnecessary
red tape that impedes reform.
There's no hidden agenda here. This administration, the
mayors, the state leaders who press for drastic reform of welfare
aren't modern-day Scrooges chiseling one more dime out of some poor
family. Democrat or Republican, California, New Jersey, federal or
state -- in our heart of hearts, we really believe reforming,
reforming the welfare system is the best way to serve people. Break
this sorry cycle of despair. Give people real hope. And we're going
to keep on trying to do just that because every single American
deserves to believe in the American Dream.
- 5 -
Today with family as the center I've highlighted the
role of government -- both positive and negative -- because we're men
and women of government. But let's never forget the work of private
AMericans dedicating themselves to the voluntary service of others,
who create an environment where families can flourish. Each is a
Point of Light, offering service with no thought of reward, though
the reward will be reaped by every single American.
And let me be very clear: When I talk about Points of
Light, they are not a substitute for the good that government can do,
but it's m ore this -- we will simply not solve our most pressing
problems without the dedication of those Points of Light, of those
volunteers. And I urge all of you, when you return to your cities,
to do all in you power to encourage these caring men and women, to
make yours a community of light.
In my State of the Union address, I announced that we
would soon institute a Commission on America's Urban Families. Your
executive board of directors or whatever group it was -- I've never
been sure with whom I was dealing -- but they were all big shots,
believe me -- (laughter) -- came together. And their work will b e
one result of my meetings in January with some of your leaders.
And I have asked Governor Ashcroft of Missouri, a very
caring man, Annette Strauss, the former May of Dallas, a very able
woman who also cares deeply, to lead the Commission and fulfill its
mandate: To identify those government programs, at all levels, that
weaken or strengthen urban families; to analyze ways to improve
private efforts to strengthen urban families; and to recommend new
policies to help families in our cities.
I am convinced that we can correct our mistakes, that we
can learn from our failures and build on our successes. I do not
exaggerate when I say that the future of America depends on our
efforts. The family is the irreducible unit of comfort and love, and
from families radiate neighborhoods, from neighborhoods come towns
and cities, and their health determines the health of our country,
for better or for worse. And, like you, I am committed to making our
health whole, and to ensuring that our cities, as Theodore Parker
said, "remain the fireplaces of America, radiating warmth and light
against the darkness."
Thank you all very much for giving me this opportunity
to visit with you today. And my God bless our great country. Thank
you so much.
END
11:56 A.M. EST
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
MARCH 9, 1992
WASHINGTON, D.C.
11:40 A.M.
THANK YOU, GLENDA (HOOD) FOR THAT KIND
INTRODUCTION. MY GREETINGS ALSO TO MAYOR SIDNEY
BARTHELEMY, DON BORUT, AND WALLACE STICKNEY.
I'M PLEASED TO JOIN YOU TODAY. I ENJOYED SPEAKING
TO YOU OVER TELEVISION HOOK-UP IN DECEMBER -- IT'S
BETTER FACE TO FACE.
IN JANUARY, I HAD A FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH TEN OF
YOUR MEMBERS. LIKE YOUR ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE, THEY
REPRESENTED A CROSS-SECTION OF URBAN AMERICA'S
LEADERSHIP -- REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS AND
CONSERVATIVES, OFFICIALS FROM LARGE AND SMALL AND MID-
SIZED CITIES.
OF COURSE, WE'RE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT THE BIG ISSUES
-- JOBS, FAMILY, WORLD PEACE. EVEN so, I WAS STRUCK BY
THE UNANIMITY OF THE MESSAGE YOUR MEMBERS WANTED TO
DELIVER. IT CAN'T BE REPEATED OFTEN ENOUGH IN
WASHINGTON, OR ANY STATE CAPITOL OR CITY HALL.
- 2 -
YOUR MESSAGE WAS SIMPLY THIS: THE ENORMOUS PROBLEMS
FACING CITIES TODAY - FROM INFANT MORTALITY TO HIGH
DROP-OUT RATES TO RUNAWAY CRIME -- ARE PARTLY SYMPTOMS
OF ONE LARGER PROBLEM, THE DETERIORATION OF THE
AMERICAN FAMILY.
I UNDERSTAND THE BREADTH OF ISSUES THAT YOU DEAL
WITH DAILY, FROM POVERTY TO POTHOLES TO PROPERTY TAXES.
BUT THIS MORNING, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE SAME
SERIOUS ISSUE THAT YOU RAISED WITH ME: THE FAMILY. THE
RESTORATION OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY IS AT THE HEART OF
MUCH OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE THESE LAST THREE YEARS.
- 3 -
LEAVING ASIDE FOR A MOMENT THE ENORMOUS COSTS --
THE WASTED HUMAN RESOURCES OR THE BILLIONS SPENT TO
REPAIR THE DAMAGE OF BROKEN HOMES -- FAMILY BREAKDOWN
ULTIMATELY ENDANGERS OUR POSITION IN A WORLD
INCREASINGLY DRIVEN BY ECONOMIC COMPETITION.
CERTAINLY, THE INTEGRITY OF THE FAMILY IS CRITICAL ON
ITS OWN MERIT. AS MY FAVORITE PHILOSOPHER SAYS, "WHAT
GOES ON AT THE WHITE HOUSE IS NOT NEARLY AS IMPORTANT
AS WHAT GOES ON IN YOUR HOUSE." BUT PARTICULARLY AT A
TIME WHEN OUR EFFORTS MUST FOCUS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH,
THE FAMILY'S DISINTEGRATION ENDANGERS -- FOR ALL OF US
-- OUR ABILITY TO CREATE AND PRESERVE JOBS, AND TO
CREATE AN ECONOMY OPEN TO PARTICIPATION BY ALL OUR
CITIZENS.
SO WE MUST START WITH A CLEAR-EYED LOOK AT WHAT IS
REALLY HAPPENING TO THE FAMILY IN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
TODAY -- NOT JUST IN POOR URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS BUT ALL
ACROSS AMERICA. THEN WE MUST LOOK INSIDE OURSELVES, TO
ESTABLISH THE PRINCIPLES THAT WILL SHAPE OUR APPROACH.
AND THEN WE MUST ACT.
- 4 -
THE URGENCY IS CLEAR. WE ALL KNOW THE STATISTICS,
THE DREARY DRUMBEAT THAT TELLS OF FAMILY BREAKDOWN.
TODAY, ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR AMERICAN CHILDREN IS BORN
OUT OF WEDLOCK; IN SOME AREAS THE ILLEGITIMACY RATE
TOPS 80 PERCENT. A QUARTER OF OUR CHILDREN GROW UP IN
HOUSEHOLDS HEADED BY A SINGLE PARENT. MORE THAN TWO
MILLION ARE CALLED LATCH-KEY KIDS -- WHO COME HOME FROM
SCHOOL EACH AFTERNOON TO AN EMPTY HOME. AND A LARGE
NUMBER OF OUR CHILDREN GROW UP WITHOUT THE LOVE OF
PARENTS AT ALL.
WE KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAMILY
DECLINE. NEGLECTED CHILDREN ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO
THE LURE OF CRIME AND DRUGS, ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
POOR HEALTH, DROP OUT OF SCHOOL EARLY, MORE LIKELY TO
LEAD A LIFE WITHOUT HOPE.
- 5 -
EACH OF YOU IS IN A POSITION TO KNOW THE HUMAN
COSTS THAT STATISTICS CAN ONLY DIMLY SKETCH. YOU KNOW,
AS I DO, THAT FOR EVERY BLIP ON A CHART OR DOT ON A
GRAPH, THERE IS A HUMAN STORY TO TELL, AND TOO OFTEN
THE STORY IS A TRAGEDY.
ABOUT TEN DAYS AGO, I WAS IN SAN ANTONIO, MEETING
WITH LATIN AMERICAN LEADERS TO INTENSIFY OUR WAR ON
DRUGS. WHILE THERE I SAW A FRONT-PAGE STORY IN THE SAN
ANTONIO LIGHT. A CABDRIVER HAD BEEN MURDERED LAST
SEPTEMBER -- ANOTHER ACT OF RANDOM, SENSELESS VIOLENCE
-- AND HIS MURDERER HAD JUST BEEN FOUND GUILTY.
BUT WHAT WAS TRULY HORRIFYING -- WHAT WOULD HORRIFY
ANY AMERICAN -- WAS THIS: THE MURDERER WAS A 12-YEAR-
OLD BOY. AS THE DEPUTIES TOOK THE BOY FROM THE
COURTROOM, ACCORDING TO THE NEWSPAPER STORY, THEY HAD
TROUBLE FITTING HIM WITH SHACKLES AND HANDCUFFS, so
SLENDER WERE HIS WRISTS. THIS YOUNGSTER WAS FOUR-FEET
TALL, NOT YET A TEENAGER, BUT NOW A CONVICTED MURDERER.
- 6 -
THE DRUMBEAT CONTINUES: TWO TEENAGERS SHOT DEAD IN
A NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOL -- AN LSD RING BUSTED UP IN AN
AFFLUENT NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUBURB -- OR THE HARROWING
STORIES OF RUNAWAY KIDS AND THE HORRORS THAT BEFALL
THEM.
I KNOW THAT ALMOST ALL OF YOU COULD TELL STORIES
EQUALLY DISTRESSING -- STORIES FROM NEIGHBORHOODS IN
YOUR CITIES WHERE THE UNTHINKABLE HAS BECOME THE
COMMONPLACE. I AM SURE THAT MANY OF YOU HERE TOOK
OFFICE WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THE POWER TO SOLVE THESE
PROBLEMS, ONLY TO DISCOVER -- SOONER RATHER THAN LATER,
I SUSPECT -- THAT THEY WERE FAR MORE STUBBORN THAN WE
COULD IMAGINE. LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE TRIALS OUR
CITIZENS FACE EACH AND EVERY DAY WERE GENERATIONS IN
THE MAKING. WE CAN'T EXPECT CHANGE OVERNIGHT. BUT
MAKE NO MISTAKE: CHANGE WILL COME. BECAUSE CHANGE
MUST COME.
- 7 -
LET'S FACE IT. WE CAN ONLY CHANGE THINGS IF WE
WORK IN COMMOM PURPOSE. WE MUST CALL A CEASE-FIRE IN
THE WAR OF WORDS THAT TOO OFTEN CONSUMES US. CASTING
BLAME BRINGS NO SOLUTIONS. NOR WILL QUESTIONING EACH
OTHER'S MOTIVES. WE HAVE GOT TO FOCUS EVERY OUNCE OF
OUR ENERGY TO TURN BACK THIS ASSAULT UPON THE AMERICAN
FAMILY AND ACT AS ONE NATION TO DEFEND AND STRENGTHEN
IT.
AS PUBLIC SERVANTS, WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT
THE BEST DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IS
INDEED, THE FAMILY.
IN RESTORING THE FAMILY, WE RESTORE TO COMING
GENERATIONS THE VALUES, THE SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG,
THE WILL AND CONFIDENCE TO SUCCEED THAT ONLY A FAMILY
CAN PROVIDE A CHILD. AND IN DOING THIS, WE WILL
REINVIGORATE OUR COMMUNITIES AND CITIES AS WELL.
- 8 -
WE NEEDN'T LOOK FAR FOR PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE US.
THEY ARE THE OLD HOME TRUTHS. RELY ON WHAT WORKS --
DISCARD WHAT DOESN'T. NEVER BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE.
REMEMBER THAT GOVERNMENT CLOSEST TO THE PEOPLE RESPONDS
BEST TO THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE. AND LET'S NOT FORGET
THIS AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE: IF PEOPLE ARE TO BE
RESPONSIBLE, THEY MUST BE GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY.
- 9 -
THE GOVERNMENT'S FIRST DUTY IS LIKE THAT OF THE
PHYSICIAN: DO NO HARM. BUT THE FACT IS, WITH THE BEST
OF INTENTIONS, MANY PAST GOVERNMENT POLICIES HAVE
WORKED AGAINST THE INSTITUTION OF THE FAMILY --
UNDERMINED YOUNG PEOPLE'S DESIRE TO MARRY AND STAY
MARRIED, TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR CHILDREN, TO PLAN FOR
THEIR FUTURE.
AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, "DOING NO HARM" MEANS IN
PART THAT WE ENSURE PARENTS RETAIN THE AUTHORITY TO
MAKE THE BIG DECISIONS FOR THEIR FAMILIES. THIS
DOESN'T ABSOLVE PARENTS OF RESPONSIBLITY, JUST THE
OPPOSITE. FOR EXAMPLE, EVEN IF WE ARE ABLE TO REFORM
OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, PARENTS MUST STILL READ TO THEIR
CHILDREN. THE POINT IS THAT GOVERNMENT HARMS THE
FAMILY WHEN IT RESTRICTS ITS AUTONOMY OR USURPS THE
AUTHORITY OF RESPONSIBLE PARENTS.
- 10 -
LET ME GIVE YOU ANOTHER EXAMPLE: THOSE OF US IN
GOVERNMENT CAN NEVER PLAUSIBLY CLAIM TO FIGHT FOR
FAMILIES IF WE INSIST THAT GOVERNMENT, NOT PARENTS,
MUST CHOOSE WHO CARES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. TWO YEARS
AGO, MY ADMINISTRATION WAGED A FIGHT IN CONGRESS OVER
THIS VERY ISSUE, AND WE WON. WE KEPT CHOICE OF CHILD
CARE OUT OF THE HANDS OF GOVERNMENT AND PUT IT WHERE IT
BELONGS -- IN THE HANDS OF PARENTS.
NOW WE'RE ENGAGED IN A SIMILAR FIGHT, OVER WHETHER
PARENTS SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR
CHILDREN'S SCHOOLS. WE KNOW THE BENEFITS OF
COMPETITION; IT IS THE LINCHPIN OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY.
AND COMPETITION AMONG SCHOOLS WILL BE THE LINCHPIN OF
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE, TOO. FROM MINNESOTA TO
MILWAUKEE TO EAST HARLEM -- SCHOOL CHOICE WORKS.
- 11 -
BUT SCHOOL CHOICE IS IMPORTANT FOR OTHER REASONS:
IT RESTORES AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO PARENTS.
AND JUST AS IT MAKES OUR SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE, IT ALSO
MAKES PARENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DECISIONS THEY MAKE.
NOT ONLY IN CHILD CARE AND SCHOOL CHOICE BUT IN OTHER
AREAS AS WELL, A KEY TO HEALING THE AMERICAN FAMILY
WILL BE RESTORING PARENTAL AUTHORITY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: THE INITIATIVE WE CALL HOPE. IT
TOOK MORE THAN A YEAR TO GET HOPE THROUGH CONGRESS, AND
ANOTHER YEAR TO GET EVEN PARTIAL FUNDING FOR IT. BUT
HOPE WILL BE CRUCIAL TO OUR SUCCESS, BY OFFERING LOW-
INCOME FAMILIES A GREATER OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THEIR OWN
HOMES. HOPE IS BASED ON A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE: TO
SURVIVE, PEOPLE NEED THE INTANGIBLE VALUES OF DIGNITY
AND SELF-RESPECT. GOVERNMENT CAN'T PROVIDE THOSE. BUT
HOMEOWNERSHIP CAN. AN EDUCATION CAN. A JOB CAN. AND
BEING PART OF A FAMILY CAN.
- 12 -
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A POSITIVE ROLE IN
PRESERVING THE FAMILY. WE WELCOME THAT ROLE; IT HAS
GUIDED THE DECISIONS WE MAKE EVERY DAY. SINCE 1989,
FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED FUNDING FOR HEAD
START, A PROGRAM THAT BRINGS CHILDREN AND PARENTS INTO
THE CLASSROOM, STRENGTHENS FAMILY TIES AND REINFORCES
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE
league TORY, of Cities WE durs. CAN SUPPORT WHOSE ONE YEAR PARENTS OF CHOOSE HEAD TO
245-5673
W-F
- 13 -
THERE ARE MANY OTHER EXAMPLES: WE HAVE INCREASED
THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES,
AND, SINCE 1989, WE'VE INCREASED THE FUNDING FOR WIC -
- THE SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND
CHILDREN -- BY 47 PERCENT, TO $2.8 BILLION NEXT YEAR.
WE'VE INCREASED OTHER NUTRITION PROGRAMS BY SIMILAR
PERCENTAGES. AND THIS YEAR FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR
CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION GRANTS WILL TOP $340 MILLION, AN
INCREASE OF 18 PERCENT OVER LAST YEAR'S LEVEL. ALL
TOLD, FUNDING FOR CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS -- FROM NUTRITION
AND EDUCATION TO FOSTER CARE AND CHILD IMMUNIZATIONS -
- HAS INCREASED 66 PERCENT SINCE WE TOOK OFFICE.
- 14 -
BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND: WE WILL NEVER MEASURE OUR
COMPASSION IN DOLLARS SPENT. WE WILL MEASURE IT BY
RESULTS -- THE TEST WILL BE THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS OF
OUR CHILDREN AND, MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, THE SENSE OF
WELL-BEING AND SELF-RELIANCE INSTILLED IN OUR FAMILIES.
MY ADMINISTRATION HAS TARGETED FUNDING TO PROGRAMS THAT
EFFICIENTLY FULFILL GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN SUPPORTING
FAMILIES AND KEEPING THEM TOGETHER -- PROGRAMS THAT
WORK FOR THE FAMILY.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE MUST FACE ANOTHER FACT:
GOVERNMENT CAN SOMETIMES BE A BURDEN AS WELL AS A BOON.
OVER THE PAST FORTY YEARS, THE CHILD TAX EXEMPTION HAS
LAGGED FAR BEHIND THE SOARING COSTS OF CHILD-REARING.
I HAVE ASKED CONGRESS TO INCREASE THE EXEMPTION BY $500
PER CHILD. FOR A FAMILY WITH FOUR CHILDREN, THAT'S AN
INCREASE OF $2,000. IT'S A CRUCIAL FIRST STEP TOWARD
REDRESSING THE IMBALANCE, AND IT'S WHAT WE CAN AFFORD
NOW.
- 15 -
AND NOW I COME TO PERHAPS THE MOST CRUCIAL MATTER
OF ALL: WE MUST REFORM OUR NATION'S WELFARE SYSTEM.
AMERICANS ARE THE MOST GENEROUS PEOPLE ON EARTH, BUT
THEY WANT TO SEE -- AND THEY'RE ENTITLED TO SEE -- SOME
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WELFARE AND WORK. WELFARE MUST
NEVER BE WHAT FDR WARNED IT MIGHT BECOME: A SUBTLE
DESTROYER OF THE SPIRIT. IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE A WAY
OF LIFE, OR A FAMILY LEGACY PASSED FROM ONE GENERATION
TO THE NEXT. WELFARE CAN EAT AWAY AT THE TIES THAT
BIND A FAMILY TOGETHER.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE UNDERTAKING THE
BRAVE WORK OF REFORM -- LEARNFARE IN WISCONSIN, REACH
(REALIZING ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENT) IN NEW JERSEY,
WASHINGTON STATE'S FIP -- FAMILY INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM -
- THESE ARE ALL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS WE SUPPORT. MY
ADMINISTRATION IS COMMITTED TO REFORM AND WE ARE ACTING
NOW TO WAIVE UNNECESSARY RED TAPE THAT IMPEDES REFORM.
- 16 -
THERE'S NO HIDDEN AGENDA HERE. THIS
ADMINISTRATION, THE MAYORS, THE STATE LEADERS WHO PRESS
FOR DRASTIC REFORM OF WELFARE AREN'T MODERN DAY
SCROOGES -- CHISELING ONE MORE DIME OUT OF SOME POOR
FAMILY. DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, CALIFORNIA OR NEW
JERSEY, FEDERAL OR STATE -- IN OUR HEART OF HEARTS, WE
REALLY BELIEVE REFORMING WELFARE IS THE BEST WAY TO
SERVE PEOPLE -- BREAK THIS SORRY CYCLE OF DESPAIR --
GIVE PEOPLE REAL HOPE. AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP ON
TRYING TO DO JUST THAT -- BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN
DESERVES TO BELIEVE IN THE AMERICAN DREAM.
I HAVE HIGHLIGHTED TODAY THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT --
BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE -- BECAUSE WE ARE MEN AND
WOMEN OF GOVERNMENT. BUT LET US NEVER FORGET THE WORK
OF PRIVATE AMERICANS DEDICATING THEMSELVES TO THE
VOLUNTARY SERVICE OF OTHERS, WHO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE FAMILIES CAN FLOURISH.
- 17 -
EACH IS A POINT OF LIGHT, OFFERING SERVICE WITH NO
THOUGHT OF REWARD, THOUGH THE REWARD WILL BE REAPED BY
EVERY AMERICAN. THEY ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE GOOD
THAT GOVERNMENT CAN DO, BUT WE WILL NOT SOLVE OUR MOST
PRESSING PROBLEMS WITHOUT THEIR DEDICATION. I URGE ALL
OF YOU, WHEN YOU RETURN TO YOUR CITIES, TO DO ALL IN
YOUR POWER TO ENCOURAGE THESE CARING MEN AND WOMEN, TO
MAKE YOURS A COMMUNITY OF LIGHT.
IN MY STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, I ANNOUNCED THAT
WE WOULD SOON INSTITUTE A COMMISSION ON AMERICA'S URBAN
FAMILIES. THEIR WORK WILL BE ONE RESULT OF MY MEETING
IN JANUARY WITH SOME OF YOUR LEADERS. I HAVE ASKED
GOV. JOHN ASHCROFT OF MISSOURI AND ANNETTE STRAUSS, THE
FORMER MAYOR OF DALLAS, TO LEAD THE COMMISSION AND
FULFILL ITS MANDATE: TO IDENTIFY THOSE GOVERNMENT
PROGRAMS, AT ALL LEVELS, THAT WEAKEN OR STRENGTHEN
URBAN FAMILIES; TO ANALYZE WAYS TO IMPROVE PRIVATE
EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES; AND TO RECOMMEND NEW
POLICIES TO HELP FAMILIES IN OUR CITIES.
- 18 -
I AM CONVINCED THAT WE CAN CORRECT OUR MISTAKES,
LEARN FROM OUR FAILURES, AND BUILD ON OUR SUCCESSES. I
DO NOT EXAGGERATE WHEN I SAY THAT THE FUTURE OF AMERICA
DEPENDS ON OUR EFFORTS. THE FAMILY IS THE IRREDUCIBLE
UNIT OF COMFORT AND LOVE, AND FROM FAMILIES RADIATE
NEIGHBORHOODS, FROM NEIGHBORHOODS COME TOWNS AND
CITIES, AND THEIR HEALTH DETERMINES THE HEALTH OF OUR
COUNTRY, FOR BETTER OR WORSE. LIKE YOU I AM COMMITTED
TO MAKING OUR HEALTH WHOLE, AND TO ENSURING THAT OUR
CITIES, AS THEODORE PARKER SAID, REMAIN THE FIREPLACES
OF AMERICA, RADIATING WARMTH AND LIGHT AGAINST THE
DARKNESS.
THANK YOU, AND MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
#
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
MARCH 9, 1992
WASHINGTON, D.C.
11:40 A.M.
02 MAR 9 A8:58
THANK YOU, GLENDA (HOOD) FOR THAT KIND
INTRODUCTION. MY GREETINGS ALSO TO MAYOR SIDNEY
BARTHELEMY, DON BORUT, AND WALLACE STICKNEY.
I'M PLEASED TO JOIN YOU TODAY. I ENJOYED SPEAKING
TO YOU OVER TELEVISION HOOK-UP IN DECEMBER -- IT'S
BETTER FACE TO FACE.
IN JANUARY, I HAD A FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH TEN OF
YOUR MEMBERS. LIKE YOUR ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE, THEY
REPRESENTED A CROSS-SECTION OF URBAN AMERICA'S
LEADERSHIP -- REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS AND
CONSERVATIVES, OFFICIALS FROM LARGE AND SMALL AND MID-
SIZED CITIES.
OF COURSE, WE'RE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT THE BIG ISSUES
-- JOBS, FAMILY, WORLD PEACE. EVEN so, I WAS STRUCK BY
THE UNANIMITY OF THE MESSAGE YOUR MEMBERS WANTED TO
DELIVER. IT CAN'T BE REPEATED OFTEN ENOUGH IN
WASHINGTON, OR ANY STATE CAPITOL OR CITY HALL.
- 2 -
YOUR MESSAGE WAS SIMPLY THIS: THE ENORMOUS PROBLEMS
FACING CITIES TODAY -- FROM INFANT MORTALITY TO HIGH
DROP-OUT RATES TO RUNAWAY CRIME -- ARE PARTLY SYMPTOMS
OF ONE LARGER PROBLEM, THE DETERIORATION OF THE
AMERICAN FAMILY.
I UNDERSTAND THE BREADTH OF ISSUES THAT YOU DEAL
WITH DAILY, FROM POVERTY TO POTHOLES TO PROPERTY TAXES.
BUT THIS MORNING, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE SAME
SERIOUS ISSUE THAT YOU RAISED WITH ME: THE FAMILY. THE
RESTORATION OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY IS AT THE HEART OF
MUCH OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE THESE LAST THREE YEARS.
- 3 -
LEAVING ASIDE FOR A MOMENT THE ENORMOUS COSTS --
THE WASTED HUMAN RESOURCES OR THE BILLIONS SPENT TO
REPAIR THE DAMAGE OF BROKEN HOMES -- FAMILY BREAKDOWN
ULTIMATELY ENDANGERS OUR POSITION IN A WORLD
INCREASINGLY DRIVEN BY ECONOMIC COMPETITION.
CERTAINLY, THE INTEGRITY OF THE FAMILY IS CRITICAL ON
ITS OWN MERIT. AS MY FAVORITE PHILOSOPHER SAYS, "WHAT
GOES ON AT THE WHITE HOUSE IS NOT NEARLY AS IMPORTANT
AS WHAT GOES ON IN YOUR HOUSE." BUT PARTICULARLY AT A
TIME WHEN OUR EFFORTS MUST FOCUS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH,
THE FAMILY'S DISINTEGRATION ENDANGERS -- FOR ALL OF US
-- OUR ABILITY TO CREATE AND PRESERVE JOBS, AND TO
CREATE AN ECONOMY OPEN TO PARTICIPATION BY ALL OUR
CITIZENS.
SO WE MUST START WITH A CLEAR-EYED LOOK AT WHAT IS
REALLY HAPPENING TO THE FAMILY IN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
TODAY -- NOT JUST IN POOR URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS BUT ALL
ACROSS AMERICA. THEN WE MUST LOOK INSIDE OURSELVES, TO
ESTABLISH THE PRINCIPLES THAT WILL SHAPE OUR APPROACH.
AND THEN WE MUST ACT.
- 4 -
THE URGENCY IS CLEAR. WE ALL KNOW THE STATISTICS,
THE DREARY DRUMBEAT THAT TELLS OF FAMILY BREAKDOWN.
TODAY, ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR AMERICAN CHILDREN IS BORN
OUT OF WEDLOCK; IN SOME AREAS THE ILLEGITIMACY RATE
TOPS 80 PERCENT. A QUARTER OF OUR CHILDREN GROW UP IN
HOUSEHOLDS HEADED BY A SINGLE PARENT. MORE THAN TWO
MILLION ARE CALLED LATCH-KEY KIDS -- WHO COME HOME FROM
SCHOOL EACH AFTERNOON TO AN EMPTY HOME. AND A LARGE
NUMBER OF OUR CHILDREN GROW UP WITHOUT THE LOVE OF
PARENTS AT ALL.
WE KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAMILY
DECLINE. NEGLECTED CHILDREN ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO
THE LURE OF CRIME AND DRUGS, ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
POOR HEALTH, DROP OUT OF SCHOOL EARLY, MORE LIKELY TO
LEAD A LIFE WITHOUT HOPE.
- 5 -
EACH OF YOU IS IN A POSITION TO KNOW THE HUMAN
COSTS THAT STATISTICS CAN ONLY DIMLY SKETCH. YOU KNOW,
AS I DO, THAT FOR EVERY BLIP ON A CHART OR DOT ON A
GRAPH, THERE IS A HUMAN STORY TO TELL, AND TOO OFTEN
THE STORY IS A TRAGEDY.
ABOUT TEN DAYS AGO, I WAS IN SAN ANTONIO, MEETING
WITH LATIN AMERICAN LEADERS TO INTENSIFY OUR WAR ON
DRUGS. WHILE THERE I SAW A FRONT-PAGE STORY IN THE SAN
ANTONIO LIGHT. A CABDRIVER HAD BEEN MURDERED LAST
SEPTEMBER -- ANOTHER ACT OF RANDOM, SENSELESS VIOLENCE
-- AND HIS MURDERER HAD JUST BEEN FOUND GUILTY.
BUT WHAT WAS TRULY HORRIFYING -- WHAT WOULD HORRIFY
ANY AMERICAN -- WAS THIS: THE MURDERER WAS A 12-YEAR-
OLD BOY. AS THE DEPUTIES TOOK THE BOY FROM THE
COURTROOM, ACCORDING TO THE NEWSPAPER STORY, THEY HAD
TROUBLE FITTING HIM WITH SHACKLES AND HANDCUFFS, so
SLENDER WERE HIS WRISTS. THIS YOUNGSTER WAS FOUR-FEET
TALL, NOT YET A TEENAGER, BUT NOW A CONVICTED MURDERER.
- 6 -
THE DRUMBEAT CONTINUES: TWO TEENAGERS SHOT DEAD IN
A NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOL -- AN LSD RING BUSTED UP IN AN
AFFLUENT NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUBURB -- OR THE HARROWING
STORIES OF RUNAWAY KIDS AND THE HORRORS THAT BEFALL
THEM.
I KNOW THAT ALMOST ALL OF YOU COULD TELL STORIES
EQUALLY DISTRESSING -- STORIES FROM NEIGHBORHOODS IN
YOUR CITIES WHERE THE UNTHINKABLE HAS BECOME THE
COMMONPLACE. I AM SURE THAT MANY OF YOU HERE TOOK
OFFICE WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THE POWER TO SOLVE THESE
PROBLEMS, ONLY TO DISCOVER -- SOONER RATHER THAN LATER,
I SUSPECT -- THAT THEY WERE FAR MORE STUBBORN THAN WE
COULD IMAGINE. LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE TRIALS OUR
CITIZENS FACE EACH AND EVERY DAY WERE GENERATIONS IN
THE MAKING. WE CAN'T EXPECT CHANGE OVERNIGHT. BUT
MAKE NO MISTAKE: CHANGE WILL COME. BECAUSE CHANGE
MUST COME.
- 7 -
LET'S FACE IT. WE CAN ONLY CHANGE THINGS IF WE
WORK IN COMMOM PURPOSE. WE MUST CALL A CEASE-FIRE IN
THE WAR OF WORDS THAT TOO OFTEN CONSUMES US. CASTING
BLAME BRINGS NO SOLUTIONS. NOR WILL QUESTIONING EACH
OTHER'S MOTIVES. WE HAVE GOT TO FOCUS EVERY OUNCE OF
OUR ENERGY TO TURN BACK THIS ASSAULT UPON THE AMERICAN
FAMILY AND ACT AS ONE NATION TO DEFEND AND STRENGTHEN
IT.
AS PUBLIC SERVANTS, WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT
THE BEST DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IS
INDEED, THE FAMILY.
IN RESTORING THE FAMILY, WE RESTORE TO COMING
GENERATIONS THE VALUES, THE SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG,
THE WILL AND CONFIDENCE TO SUCCEED THAT ONLY A FAMILY
CAN PROVIDE A CHILD. AND IN DOING THIS, WE WILL
REINVIGORATE OUR COMMUNITIES AND CITIES AS WELL.
- 8 -
WE NEEDN'T LOOK FAR FOR PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE US.
THEY ARE THE OLD HOME TRUTHS. RELY ON WHAT WORKS --
DISCARD WHAT DOESN'T. NEVER BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE.
REMEMBER THAT GOVERNMENT CLOSEST TO THE PEOPLE RESPONDS
BEST TO THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE. AND LET'S NOT FORGET
THIS AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE: IF PEOPLE ARE TO BE
RESPONSIBLE, THEY MUST BE GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY.
- 9 -
THE GOVERNMENT'S FIRST DUTY IS LIKE THAT OF THE
PHYSICIAN: DO NO HARM. BUT THE FACT IS, WITH THE BEST
OF INTENTIONS, MANY PAST GOVERNMENT POLICIES HAVE
WORKED AGAINST THE INSTITUTION OF THE FAMILY --
UNDERMINED YOUNG PEOPLE'S DESIRE TO MARRY AND STAY
MARRIED, TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR CHILDREN, TO PLAN FOR
THEIR FUTURE.
AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, "DOING NO HARM" MEANS IN
PART THAT WE ENSURE PARENTS RETAIN THE AUTHORITY TO
MAKE THE BIG DECISIONS FOR THEIR FAMILIES. THIS
DOESN'T ABSOLVE PARENTS OF RESPONSIBLITY, JUST THE
OPPOSITE. FOR EXAMPLE, EVEN IF WE ARE ABLE TO REFORM
OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, PARENTS MUST STILL READ TO THEIR
CHILDREN. THE POINT IS THAT GOVERNMENT HARMS THE
FAMILY WHEN IT RESTRICTS ITS AUTONOMY OR USURPS THE
AUTHORITY OF RESPONSIBLE PARENTS.
- 10 -
LET ME GIVE YOU ANOTHER EXAMPLE: THOSE OF US IN
GOVERNMENT CAN NEVER PLAUSIBLY CLAIM TO FIGHT FOR
FAMILIES IF WE INSIST THAT GOVERNMENT, NOT PARENTS,
MUST CHOOSE WHO CARES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. TWO YEARS
AGO, MY ADMINISTRATION WAGED A FIGHT IN CONGRESS OVER
THIS VERY ISSUE, AND WE WON. WE KEPT CHOICE OF CHILD
CARE OUT OF THE HANDS OF GOVERNMENT AND PUT IT WHERE IT
BELONGS -- IN THE HANDS OF PARENTS.
NOW WE'RE ENGAGED IN A SIMILAR FIGHT, OVER WHETHER
PARENTS SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR
CHILDREN'S SCHOOLS. WE KNOW THE BENEFITS OF
COMPETITION; IT IS THE LINCHPIN OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY.
AND COMPETITION AMONG SCHOOLS WILL BE THE LINCHPIN OF
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE, TOO. FROM MINNESOTA TO
MILWAUKEE TO EAST HARLEM -- SCHOOL CHOICE WORKS.
- 11 -
BUT SCHOOL CHOICE IS IMPORTANT FOR OTHER REASONS:
IT RESTORES AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO PARENTS.
AND JUST AS IT MAKES OUR SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE, IT ALSO
MAKES PARENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DECISIONS THEY MAKE.
NOT ONLY IN CHILD CARE AND SCHOOL CHOICE BUT IN OTHER
AREAS AS WELL, A KEY TO HEALING THE AMERICAN FAMILY
WILL BE RESTORING PARENTAL AUTHORITY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: THE INITIATIVE WE CALL HOPE. IT
TOOK MORE THAN A YEAR TO GET HOPE THROUGH CONGRESS, AND
ANOTHER YEAR TO GET EVEN PARTIAL FUNDING FOR IT. BUT
HOPE WILL BE CRUCIAL TO OUR SUCCESS, BY OFFERING LOW-
INCOME FAMILIES A GREATER OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THEIR OWN
HOMES. HOPE IS BASED ON A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE: TO
SURVIVE, PEOPLE NEED THE INTANGIBLE VALUES OF DIGNITY
AND SELF-RESPECT. GOVERNMENT CAN'T PROVIDE THOSE. BUT
HOMEOWNERSHIP CAN. AN EDUCATION CAN. A JOB CAN. AND
BEING PART OF A FAMILY CAN.
- 12 -
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A POSITIVE ROLE IN
PRESERVING THE FAMILY. WE WELCOME THAT ROLE; IT HAS
GUIDED THE DECISIONS WE MAKE EVERY DAY. SINCE 1989,
FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED FUNDING FOR HEAD
START, A PROGRAM THAT BRINGS CHILDREN AND PARENTS INTO
THE CLASSROOM, STRENGTHENS FAMILY TIES AND REINFORCES
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE
PROGRAM'S HISTORY, WE CAN SUPPORT ONE YEAR OF HEAD
4 YR 0CDS 4 CDS
START FOR ALL ELIGIBLE CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS CHOOSE TO
HAVE THEM PARTICIPATE.
- 13 -
THERE ARE MANY OTHER EXAMPLES: WE HAVE INCREASED
THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES,
AND, SINCE 1989, WE'VE INCREASED THE FUNDING FOR WIC -
- THE SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND
CHILDREN -- BY 47 PERCENT, TO $2.8 BILLION NEXT YEAR.
WE'VE INCREASED OTHER NUTRITION PROGRAMS BY SIMILAR
PERCENTAGES. AND THIS YEAR FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR
CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION GRANTS WILL TOP $340 MILLION, AN
INCREASE OF 18 PERCENT OVER LAST YEAR'S LEVEL. ALL
TOLD, FUNDING FOR CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS -- FROM NUTRITION
AND EDUCATION TO FOSTER CARE AND CHILD IMMUNIZATIONS -
- HAS INCREASED 66 PERCENT SINCE WE TOOK OFFICE.
- 14 -
BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND: WE WILL NEVER MEASURE OUR
COMPASSION IN DOLLARS SPENT. WE WILL MEASURE IT BY
RESULTS -- THE TEST WILL BE THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS OF
OUR CHILDREN AND, MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, THE SENSE OF
WELL-BEING AND SELF-RELIANCE INSTILLED IN OUR FAMILIES.
MY ADMINISTRATION HAS TARGETED FUNDING TO PROGRAMS THAT
EFFICIENTLY FULFILL GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN SUPPORTING
FAMILIES AND KEEPING THEM TOGETHER -- PROGRAMS THAT
WORK FOR THE FAMILY.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE MUST FACE ANOTHER FACT:
GOVERNMENT CAN SOMETIMES BE A BURDEN AS WELL AS A BOON.
OVER THE PAST FORTY YEARS, THE CHILD TAX EXEMPTION HAS
LAGGED FAR BEHIND THE SOARING COSTS OF CHILD-REARING.
I HAVE ASKED CONGRESS TO INCREASE THE EXEMPTION BY $500
PER CHILD. FOR A FAMILY WITH FOUR CHILDREN, THAT'S AN
INCREASE OF $2,000. IT'S A CRUCIAL FIRST STEP TOWARD
REDRESSING THE IMBALANCE, AND IT'S WHAT WE CAN AFFORD
NOW.
- 15 -
AND NOW I COME TO PERHAPS THE MOST CRUCIAL MATTER
OF ALL: WE MUST REFORM OUR NATION'S WELFARE SYSTEM.
AMERICANS ARE THE MOST GENEROUS PEOPLE ON EARTH, BUT
THEY WANT TO SEE -- AND THEY'RE ENTITLED TO SEE -- SOME
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WELFARE AND WORK. WELFARE MUST
NEVER BE WHAT FDR WARNED IT MIGHT BECOME: A SUBTLE
DESTROYER OF THE SPIRIT. IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE A WAY
OF LIFE, OR A FAMILY LEGACY PASSED FROM ONE GENERATION
TO THE NEXT. WELFARE CAN EAT AWAY AT THE TIES THAT
BIND A FAMILY TOGETHER.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE UNDERTAKING THE
BRAVE WORK OF REFORM -- LEARNFARE IN WISCONSIN, REACH
(REALIZING ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENT) IN NEW JERSEY,
WASHINGTON STATE'S FIP -- FAMILY INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM -
- THESE ARE ALL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS WE SUPPORT. MY
ADMINISTRATION IS COMMITTED TO REFORM AND WE ARE ACTING
NOW TO WAIVE UNNECESSARY RED TAPE THAT IMPEDES REFORM.
- 16 -
THERE'S NO HIDDEN AGENDA HERE. THIS
ADMINISTRATION, THE MAYORS, THE STATE LEADERS WHO PRESS
FOR DRASTIC REFORM OF WELFARE AREN'T MODERN DAY
SCROOGES -- CHISELING ONE MORE DIME OUT OF SOME POOR
FAMILY. DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, CALIFORNIA OR NEW
JERSEY, FEDERAL OR STATE -- IN OUR HEART OF HEARTS, WE
REALLY BELIEVE REFORMING WELFARE IS THE BEST WAY TO
SERVE PEOPLE -- BREAK THIS SORRY CYCLE OF DESPAIR --
GIVE PEOPLE REAL HOPE. AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP ON
TRYING TO DO JUST THAT -- BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN
DESERVES TO BELIEVE IN THE AMERICAN DREAM.
I HAVE HIGHLIGHTED TODAY THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT --
BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE -- BECAUSE WE ARE MEN AND
WOMEN OF GOVERNMENT. BUT LET US NEVER FORGET THE WORK
OF PRIVATE AMERICANS DEDICATING THEMSELVES TO THE
VOLUNTARY SERVICE OF OTHERS, WHO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE FAMILIES CAN FLOURISH.
- 17 -
EACH IS A POINT OF LIGHT, OFFERING SERVICE WITH NO
THOUGHT OF REWARD, THOUGH THE REWARD WILL BE REAPED BY
EVERY AMERICAN. THEY ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE GOOD
THAT GOVERNMENT CAN DO, BUT WE WILL NOT SOLVE OUR MOST
PRESSING PROBLEMS WITHOUT THEIR DEDICATION. I URGE ALL
OF YOU, WHEN YOU RETURN TO YOUR CITIES, TO DO ALL IN
YOUR POWER TO ENCOURAGE THESE CARING MEN AND WOMEN, TO
MAKE YOURS A COMMUNITY OF LIGHT.
IN MY STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, I ANNOUNCED THAT
WE WOULD SOON INSTITUTE A COMMISSION ON AMERICA'S URBAN
FAMILIES. THEIR WORK WILL BE ONE RESULT OF MY MEETING
IN JANUARY WITH SOME OF YOUR LEADERS. I HAVE ASKED
GOV. JOHN ASHCROFT OF MISSOURI AND ANNETTE STRAUSS, THE
FORMER MAYOR OF DALLAS, TO LEAD THE COMMISSION AND
FULFILL ITS MANDATE: TO IDENTIFY THOSE GOVERNMENT
PROGRAMS, AT ALL LEVELS, THAT WEAKEN OR STRENGTHEN
URBAN FAMILIES; TO ANALYZE WAYS TO IMPROVE PRIVATE
EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES; AND TO RECOMMEND NEW
POLICIES TO HELP FAMILIES IN OUR CITIES.
- 18 -
I AM CONVINCED THAT WE CAN CORRECT OUR MISTAKES,
LEARN FROM OUR FAILURES, AND BUILD ON OUR SUCCESSES. I
DO NOT EXAGGERATE WHEN I SAY THAT THE FUTURE OF AMERICA
DEPENDS ON OUR EFFORTS. THE FAMILY IS THE IRREDUCIBLE
UNIT OF COMFORT AND LOVE, AND FROM FAMILIES RADIATE
NEIGHBORHOODS, FROM NEIGHBORHOODS COME TOWNS AND
CITIES, AND THEIR HEALTH DETERMINES THE HEALTH OF OUR
COUNTRY, FOR BETTER OR WORSE. LIKE YOU I AM COMMITTED
TO MAKING OUR HEALTH WHOLE, AND TO ENSURING THAT OUR
CITIES, AS THEODORE PARKER SAID, REMAIN THE FIREPLACES
OF AMERICA, RADIATING WARMTH AND LIGHT AGAINST THE
DARKNESS.
THANK YOU, AND MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 313275ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
3/6/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: SAT. 3/7/92 10:00 am
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
SUBJECT:
MARCH 9, 1992 11:40 am
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
>
DARMAN
>
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER 6463
1
BROMLEY
ROGICH
CALIO N/C
ROLLINS
A
DEMAREST
SMITH N/C
>
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
GRAY Renguist Paoletta 78048 7804 2898
FINDLAY
>
HOLIDAY
ANDERSON
KAUFMAN
MCGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Dan McGroarty, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 10:00 a.m., SATURDAY, MARCH 7, with a copy to this office.
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Ferguson/Gershowitz)
March 5, 1992
02 MAR 6 P3: 35
Draft One
NLC2
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
MARCH 9, 1992
WASHINGTON, D.C.
11:40 A.M.
[Acknowledgments]
I'm pleased to be here today. I know I spoke to many of you
over television hook-up last December, and it's nice to climb
down from the silver screen to speak with you face to face.
Since December, I've had a chance to talk with several of
you in depth about the problems you face. In January, I had an
important meeting in the White House with some of your members.
Like your organization as a whole, they represented a marvelous
cross-section of urban America's leadership -- Republicans and
Democrats, liberals and conservatives, officials from large and
small and mid-sized cities.
Of course, we're all concerned about the big issues -- jobs,
family, world peace. Even so, I was struck by the unanimity of
the message your board wanted to deliver. It was an insight that
we have been acting on for three years, but it can't be repeated
often enough in Washington.
Their message was simply this: The enormous problems facing
X
(
increased school
cities today -- from infant mortality to high drop-out rates to
runaway crime -- are in part symptoms of one larger problem, the
deterioration of the American family.
That is the extraordinarily serious issue I would like to
discuss with you today. I have made the restoration of the
2
American family a priority of this administration. It lies at
the heart of much of what we have done for three years.
We must start with a clear-eyed look at what is really
happening to the family in American communities today -- not just
in poor urban neighborhoods but all across America. Then we must
look inside ourselves, to establish the principles that will
shape our approach. And then we must act.
The urgency is clear. We all know the statistics, the
dreary drumbeat that tells of family breakdown. Today, one out
of every four American children is born out of wedlock. Some
communities have even begun passing out condoms in school -- not
from a lax attitude toward premarital sex, but from sheer
desperation.
Twenty-five percent of our children grow up in households
headed by a single parent. More than two million are called
latch-key kids -- who come from school each afternoon to an empty
home. And a large number of our children grow up without the
love of parents at all.
We know from experience the consequences of family decline.
Neglected children are more susceptible to the lure of crime and
drugs, are more likely to have poor health and to drop out of
school early, to lead a life without hope.
You on the frontlines know the human costs that statistics
can only dimly sketch. You know, as I do, that for every blip on
a chart or dot on a graph there is a human story to tell, and too
often the story is a tragedy.
3
About ten days ago, I was in San Antonio, meeting with other
American heads of state to intensify our war on drugs. And while
there I noticed a front-page story in the San Antonio Light. A
cabdriver had been murdered last September -- another act of
random, senseless violence -- and his murderer had just been
found guilty.
But what was truly horrifying -- what would horrify any
American -- was this: the murderer was a 12-year-old boy.
As the deputies took the boy from the courtroom, according
to the newspaper story, they had trouble fitting him with
shackles and handcuffs, so slender were his wrists. This
youngster was four-feet tall, not yet a teenager, and now a
convicted murderer.
The drumbeat continues: two teenagers shot dead in a New
York public school -- an LSD ring busted up in an affluent
Northern Virginia suburb -- and the harrowing stories of runaway
kids and the horrors that befall them.
I know that almost all of you could tell stories equally
distressing -- stories from neighborhoods in your cities where
the unthinkable has become the commonplace. Something's wrong
when elderly city-dwellers, with triple-bolted doors, dare not
leave their homes for fear of attack; when babies are born
addicted to crack cocaine; when school children shoot one another
over a pair of sneakers.
Something is terribly, terribly wrong. I am sure that all
of you in this room took office with high confidence in our
4
ability to solve these problems, only to discover -- sooner
rather than later, I suspect -- that they were far more stubborn
than any of us had supposed. Let's not forget that the trials
our citizens face today were generations in the making. We can't
expect change overnight.
But make no mistake: We will change things. And we will do
it by digging to the root, to the deepest problem underlying so
many others. Each day, as public servants, we must redouble our
efforts to restore the family to its place of primacy in American
life. It's been said that the family is the best Department of
Health of Human Services ever devised. That is a singularly
American insight. The genius of our system has always been its
reliance on the family, not government, as the fundamental unit
of social progress.
Families open up the world to individuals. They give older
family members a stake in the future and connect children to
their past.
In restoring the family we restore to coming generations the
values, the sense of right and wrong, the will and confidence to
succeed that only a family can provide a child. And in doing
this, we will reinvigorate our cities as well.
We needn't look far for principles to guide us. They are
the old home truths. Rely on what works, discard what doesn't.
Never be afraid to innovate. The government that is closest to
the people responds best to the needs of the people. And let's
5
not forget this as a guiding principle: if people are to be
responsible, they must be given responsibility.
As a practical matter, that means we must ensure that
parents retain the authority to make the big decisions for their
families. The government's first responsibility is like that of
the physician: Do no harm. And let us never doubt that
government only harms the family when it restricts the family's
autonomy or usurps the authority of responsible parents.
Let me give you an example: Those of us in government can
never plausibly claim to fight for families if we insist that
government, not parents, must choose who cares for their
children. Two years ago, my administration waged a fight in
Congress over this very issue, and we won. We kept choice of
child care out of the hands of government and put it where it
belongs -- in the hands of parents.
Now we're engaged in a similar fight, over whether parents
should have the right to choose their childrens' schools. We
know the benefits of competition; it is the linchpin of American
prosperity. And competition among schools will be the linchpin
of educational excellence, too.
But school choice is important for other reasons: It
restores authority and responsibility to parents. And just as it
makes our schools accountable, so does it make parents
accountable for the decisions they make. Restoring authority and
accountability -- not only in child care and school choice but in
6
other areas as well -- will be a key to healing the American
family.
Another example: For more than a year now we have been
trying to get through Congress our HOPE initiative, which would
offer low-income families a greater opportunity to own their own
homes. HOPE is based on a simple principle: to survive, people
need the intangible values of dignity and self-respect.
Government can't provide those. But homeownership can. An
education can. A job can. And being part of a family can.
of course we will never shirk the federal government's
affirmative role in preserving the family. Our belief in that
role has guided the decisions we've made over the past three
years. Since 1989, for example, we have more than doubled
funding for Head Start, a program that brings children and
parents into the classroom, strengthening family ties and
reinforcing parental responsibility. For the first time in the
program's history, our new budget provides that every eligible
four-year-old will be able to start school ready to learn.
There are many other examples: over the past three years,
we've increased the funding for WIC -- the Supplemental Food
Program for Women, Infants and Children -- by 47 percent, to $2.8
billion next year. We've increased other nutrition programs by
similar percentages. And this year federal support for childhood
immunizations will increase by $52 million, an increase of 18
percent over last year's level.
7
All told, funding for children's programs -- from nutrition
and education to foster care and child immunizations -- has
increased 66 percent since we took office.
But please understand: we do not measure our success in
dollars spent. We measure it by results -- by the degree to
which it keeps children healthy and happy and, most important of
all, increases a family's self-reliance. My administration has
concentrated on funding the programs that work for the family --
that efficiently fulfill government's role in supporting
families and keeping them together.
At the same time, we must face another fact: government can
sometimes be a burden as well as a boon. Over the past forty
years, the child tax exemption has lagged far behind the soaring
costs of child-rearing. I have asked Congress to increase the
exemption by $500 per child. For a family of four, that's an
increase of $2,000. It's a crucial first step toward redressing
the imbalance, and it's what we can afford. We have also
successfully increased the earned income tax credit for low-
income families. A strain on the family budget is a strain on
the family -- and families don't need the added pressure.
And there's another thing we must do: we must reform our
nation's welfare system. Americans are the most generous people
on earth, but they want to see -- and they're entitled to see --
some relationship between welfare and work. Welfare must never
be what FDR warned it might become: a subtle destroyer of the
spirit. It is not meant to be a way of life, or a family legacy
8
passed from one generation to the next. Welfare can eat away at
the ties that bind a family together.
States are beginning to undertake the brave work of reform.
My administration has vowed to help them. We are acting now to
waive federal requirements that impede reform, for every state
that asks for it.
I have dwelled today on the role of government -- both
positive and negative -- because we are men and women of
government. But let us never forget the work of private
Americans dedicating themselves to the voluntary service of
others, who create an environment where families can flourish.
Right now, as we're gathered here, somewhere in America a
volunteer is reading to a child; a businessman offers job
training to a young man he's just met; a woman teaches young
expectant mothers how to care for the children they will soon
bring into the world; neighbors band together to rid their
neighborhoods of the scourge of drugs.
Each of them is a point of light, offering service with no
thought of reward, though the reward will be reaped by every
American. I urge all of you, when you return to your cities, to
do all in your power to encourage these caring men and women, to
make yours a community of light.
Today I will sign an executive order establishing a
commission on America's urban families. This panel is one result
of my meeting in January with your executive council. I have
asked Gov. John Ashcroft of Missouri to lead the commission and
9
fulfill its mandate: to identify those government programs, at
all levels, that weaken or strengthen urban families; to analyze
ways to improve private efforts to strengthen families; and to
recommend new policies to help families in our cities.
I am convinced that we can correct our mistakes, learn from
our failures, and build on our successes. The future of America
depends on our effort. The family is the irreducible unit of
comfort and love, and from families radiate neighborhoods, from
neighborhoods come towns and cities, and their health determines
the health of our country, for better or worse. Like you I am
committed to making our health whole, and to ensure that our
cities, as Theodore Parker said, remain the fireplaces of
America, radiating heat and light in the darkness.
#
#
#
#
THE SEEN
THE WHITE HOUSE
PRESIDENT HAS
WASHINGTON
12 MAR 7 P3:51
March 7, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
AD
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
FROM:
ANDY FERGUSON at
SUBJECT:
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
On Monday, March 9 at 11:40 a.m., you will address 3000
attendees at the National League of Cities' annual legislative
conference. Your remarks (18 minutes, teleprompter) focus on the
relationship between urban problems and the deterioration of the
family, and your approach in restoring the American family.
specte
?
long
little
around page the
5
featsa citus
front a
maybe evel cut one A
&
n dry note
no mution
>
p
no nuton A
(Ferguson/Gershowitz)
March 5, 1992
Draft Three
NLC2
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
MARCH 9, 1992
WASHINGTON, D.C.
11:40 A.M.
Thank you, Glenda (Hood) for that kind introduction. My
greetings also to Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, Don Borut, and Wallace
Stickney.
I'm pleased to be here today. I know I spoke to many of you
over television hook-up last December, and it's nice to climb
better to be here
down from the silver screen to speak with you face to face.
Since December, I've had a chance to talk with several of
you in depth about the problems you face. In January, I had an
important meeting in the White House with ten of your members.
Like your organization as a whole, they represented a cross-
section of urban America's leadership -- Republicans and
Democrats, liberals and conservatives, officials from large and
small and mid-sized cities.
of course, we're all concerned about the big issues -- jobs,
family, world peace. Even so, I was struck by the unanimity of
the message your members wanted to deliver. It was an insight
that we have been acting upon since I took office, but it can't
be repeated often enough in Washington, or any state capitol or
city hall.
Your message was simply this: The enormous problems facing
cities today -- from infant mortality to high drop-out rates to
2
runaway crime -- are partly symptoms of one larger problem, the
deterioration of the American family.
That is the very serious issue I would like to discuss with
you today. As my favorite philosopher says, " What goes on at
the While House is not nearly as important as what gues on in
your house. If The restoration of the American family is central
to the efforts of my Administration. It lies at the heart of
much of what we have done for three years.
Leaving aside for a moment the enormous costs -- the wasted
human resources or the billions spent to repair the damage of
broken homes, family breakdown ultimately endangers our position
in a world increasingly driven by economic competition.
Certainly, the integrity of the family is critical on its own
merit. But particularly at a time when our efforts must focus on
economic growth, the family's disintegration endangers -- for all
of us -- our ability to create and preserve jobs, and to create
an economy open to participation by all our citizens.
So we must start with a clear-eyed look at what is really
happening to the family in American communities today -- not just
in poor urban neighborhoods but all across America. Then we must
look inside ourselves, to establish the principles that will
shape our approach. And then we must act.
The urgency is clear. We all know the statistics, the
dreary drumbeat that tells of family breakdown. Today, one out
of every four American children is born out of wedlock; in some
areas the illegitimacy rate tops 80 percent. A quarter of our
3
children grow up in households headed by a single parent. More
than two million are called latch-key kids -- who come home from
school each afternoon to an empty home. And a large number of
our children grow up without the love of parents at all.
Venereal disease and AIDS are at alarming levels in younger
populations. A few communities now pass out condoms in school.
I believe that is clearly the wrong approach -- but in my heart I
can understand the sheer desperation that drives public officials
?
to do such things.
We know from experience the consequences of family decline.
Neglected children are more susceptible to the lure of crime and
drugs, are more likely to have poor health, drop out of school
early, more likely to lead a life without hope.
You on the frontlines know the human costs that statistics
can only dimly sketch. You know, as I do, that for every blip on
a chart or dot on a graph, there is a human story to tell, and
too often the story is a tragedy.
About ten days ago, I was in San Antonio, meeting with Latin
American heads of state to intensify our war on drugs. While
there I noticed a front-page story in the San Antonio Light. A
cabdriver had been murdered last September -- another act of
random, senseless violence -- and his murderer had just been
found guilty.
But what was truly horrifying -- what would horrify any
American -- was this: the murderer was a 12-year-old boy.
4
As the deputies took the boy from the courtroom, according
to the newspaper story, they had trouble fitting him with
shackles and handcuffs, so slender were his wrists. This
youngster was four-feet tall, not yet a teenager, but now a
convicted murderer.
The drumbeat continues: two teenagers shot dead in a New
York public school -- an LSD ring busted up in an affluent
Northern Virginia suburb -- or the harrowing stories of runaway
kids and the horrors that befall them.
I know that almost all of you could tell stories equally
distressing -- stories from neighborhoods in your cities where
the unthinkable has become the commonplace. Something is
terribly, terribly wrong when grandparents triple-bolt their
doors, stay isolated and alone, not daring to venture outside for
fear of attack; when school children shoot each other over a pair
of sneakers, and babies are born addicted to crack cocaine.
I am sure that all of you here took office with high
confidence in our ability to solve these problems, only to
discover -- sooner rather than later, I suspect -- that they were
far more stubborn than we could imagine. Let's not forget that
the trials our citizens face each and every day were generations
in the making. We can't expect change overnight. But make no
mistake: We will change things.
Let's face it. We can only change things if we work
together. We must call a cease-fire in the war of words that too
often consumes us. Casting blame brings no solutions. Nor will
5
questioning each other's motives. We have got to focus every
ounce of our energy to turn back this assault and act as one
nation to defend and strengthen the American family,
We will do it by digging to the root, to the deepest problem
underlying so many others. Each day, as public servants, we must
redouble our efforts to restore the family to its place of
primacy in American life. The genius of our system has always
HOW
thou
been its reliance on the family, not government, as the
fundamental unit of social progress. A singularly American
insight is that the best Department of Health and Human Services
is indeed, the family,
Families open up the world's horizons to individuals. They
give older family members a stake in the future and connect
children to their past. In restoring the family, then, we
restore to coming generations the values, the sense of right and
wrong, the will and confidence to succeed that only a family can
provide a child. And in doing this, we will reinvigorate our
communities and cities as well.
We needn't look far for principles to guide us. They are
the old home truths. Rely on what works -- discard what doesn't.
Never be afraid to innovate. Remember that the government
closest to the people responds best to the needs of the people.
And let's not forget this as a guiding principle: if people are
to be responsible, they must be given responsibility.
The government's first duty is like that of the physician:
Do no harm. And the fact is, with the best of intentions, many
6
government policies in the past have worked against the
institution of the family -- undermined young people's desire to
marry and stay married, to provide for their children, to plan
for their future.
As a practical matter, "doing no harm" means in part that we
ensure parents retain the authority to make the big decisions for
their families. This doesn't absolve parents of responsiblity,
just the opposite. For example, we can reform our education
system, but parents must read to their children. The point is
that government harms the family when it restricts its autonomy
or usurps the authority of responsible parents.
Let me give you another example: Those of us in government
can never plausibly claim to fight for families if we insist that
government, not parents, must choose who cares for their
children. Two years ago, my administration waged a fight in
-
Congress over this very issue, and we won. We kept choice of
child care out of the hands of government and put it where it
belongs -- in the hands of parents.
Now we're engaged in a similar fight, over whether parents
should have the right to choose their children's schools. We
example
know the benefits of competition; it is the linchpin of American
prosperity. And competition among schools will be the linchpin
of educational excellence, too.
But school choice is important for other reasons: It
restores authority and responsibility to parents. And just as it
makes our schools accountable, so does it make parents
7
accountable for the decisions they make. Not only in child care
and school choice but in other areas as well -- a key to healing
the American family will be restoring parental authority and
accountability.
Another example: The initiative we call HOPE. It took more
than a year to get HOPE through Congress, and another year to get
even partial funding for it. But HOPE will be crucial to our
success, by offering low-income families a greater opportunity to
own their own homes. HOPE is based on a simple principle: to
survive, people need the intangible values of dignity and self-
respect. Government can't provide those. But homeownership can.
An education can. A job can. And being part of a family can.
of course the federal government has a positive role in
preserving the family. We welcome that role; it has guided the
decisions we make every day. Since 1989, for example, we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start, a program that brings
children and parents into the classroom, strengthens family ties
and reinforces parental responsibility. For the first time in
the program's history, our new budget supports one year of Head
Start for all eligible children whose parents choose to have them
participate.
There are many other examples: since 1989, we've increased
the funding for WIC -- the Supplemental Food Program for Women,
Infants and Children -- by 47 percent, to $2.8 billion next year.
We've increased other nutrition programs by similar percentages.
And this year federal support for childhood immunization grants
8
will increase by $52 million, an increase of 18 percent over last
year's level. [better stats to come]
All told, funding for children's programs -- from nutrition
and education to foster care and child immunizations -- has
increased 66 percent since we took office.
But please understand: we will never measure our compassion
in dollars spent. We will measure it by results -- the test will
be the health and happiness of our children and, most important
of all, the sense of well-being and self-reliance instilled in
our families. My administration has targeted funding to programs
that efficiently fulfill government's role in supporting families
and keeping them together -- programs that work for the family.
At the same time, we must face another fact: government can
sometimes be a burden as well as a boon. Over the past forty
years, the child tax exemption has lagged far behind the soaring
costs of child-rearing. I have asked Congress to increase the
exemption by $500 per child. For a family with four children,
that's an increase of $2,000. It's a crucial first step toward
redressing the imbalance, and it's what we can afford now.
We have also successfully increased the earned income tax
credit for low-income families. A strain on the family budget is
a strain on the family -- and families just don't need the added
pressure. And now I come to perhaps the most crucial matter of
all: we must reform our nation's welfare system.
Americans are the most generous people on earth, but they
want to see -- and they're entitled to see -- some relationship
9
between welfare and work. Welfare must never be what FDR warned
it might become: a subtle destroyer of the spirit. It is not
meant to be a way of life, or a family legacy passed from one
generation to the next. Welfare can eat away at the ties that
bind a family together.
State and local governments are undertaking the brave work
of reform -- Learnfare in Wisconsin, REACH (Realizing Economic
Achievement) in New Jersey, Washington State's FIP --- Family
Independence Program --- these are all demonstration projects we
support. My administration is committed to reform and we are
acting now to waive unnecessary red tape that impedes reform.
There's no hidden agenda here. This Administration, the
mayors, the state leaders who press for drastic reform of welfare
aren't modern day Scrooges -- chiseling one more dime out of some
poor family. Democrat or Republican, California or New Jersey,
federal or state -- in our heart of hearts, we really believe
reforming welfare is the best way to serve people -- break this
sorry cycle of despair -- give people real hope. And we're going
to keep on trying to do just that -- because every single
American deserve to believe in the American Dream.
I have highlighted today the role of government -- both
positive and negative -- because we are men and women of
government. But let us never forget the work of private
Americans dedicating themselves to the voluntary service of
others, who create an environment where families can flourish.
10
Right now, as we're gathered here, somewhere in America a
volunteer is reading to a child; a businessman offers job
training to a young man he's just met; a woman teaches young
expectant mothers how to care for the children they will soon
bring into the world; neighbors band together to rid their
neighborhoods of the scourge of drugs.
Each of them is a Point of Light, offering service with no
thought of reward, though the reward will be reaped by every
American. I urge all of you, when you return to your cities, to
do all in your power to encourage these caring men and women, to
make yours a community of light.
In my State of the Union address, I announced that we would
soon institute a commission on America's urban families. Their
work will be one result of my meeting in January with some of
your leaders. I have asked Gov. John Ashcroft of Missouri and
Annette Strauss, the former Mayor of Dallas, to lead the
commission and fulfill its mandate: to identify those government
programs, at all levels, that weaken or strengthen urban
families; to analyze ways to improve private efforts to
strengthen families; and to recommend new policies to help
families in our cities.
I am convinced that we can correct our mistakes, learn from
our failures, and build on our successes. I do not exaggerate
when I say that the future of America depends on our efforts.
The family is the irreducible unit of comfort and love, and from
families radiate neighborhoods, from neighborhoods come towns and
11
cities, and their health determines the health of our country,
for better or worse. Like you I am committed to making our
health whole, and to ensuring that our cities, as Theodore Parker
said, remain the fireplaces of America, radiating warmth and
light against the darkness.
Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
(Ferguson/Gershowitz)
March 5, 1992
Draft Three
NLC2
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
MARCH 9, 1992
WASHINGTON, D.C.
11:40 A.M.
Thank you, Glenda (Hood) for that kind introduction. My
greetings also to Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, Don Borut, and Wallace
Stickney.
I enjoyed speaking to you
I'm pleased to be here today. I know I spoke to many of you
better face to
over television hook-up last December, and it's nice to climb
face.
down from the silver screen to speak with you face to face.
elizoyed spack 8 of you
Since December, I've had a chance to talk with several of
you in depth about the problems you face. In January, I had an follow-up
important meeting in the White House with ten of your members.
Like your organization as a whole, they represented a cross-
section of urban America's leadership -- Republicans and
Democrats, liberals and conservatives, officials from large and
small and mid-sized cities.
Of course, we're all concerned about the big issues --- jobs,
family, world peace. Even so, I was struck by the unanimity of
the message your members wanted to deliver. It was an insight
that we have been acting upon since I took office, but It can't
be repeated often enough in Washington, or any state capitol or
city hall.
Your message was simply this: The enormous problems facing
cities today -- from infant mortality to high drop-out rates to
2
runaway crime -- are partly symptoms of one larger problem, the
deterioration of the American family.
cramer
while I understand the range of issues that you deal with every day - drugs, crame
That is the very serious issue I would like to discuss with
porit
you today. As my favorite philosopher says, " What goes on at
from to potholes
to propertytax
the White House is not nearly as important as what goes on in
today
this. morning I would
your house. " The restoration of the American family is central
like to
discuss
to the efforts of my Administration. It lies at the heart of
with you
much of what we have done for three years.
thevey the very
serious
issue
Leaving aside for a moment the enormous costs -- the wasted
you
laised
human resources or the billions spent to repair the damage of
with
me--
broken homes, family breakdown ultimately endangers our position
the
family
in a world increasingly driven by economic competition.
Certainly, the integrity of the family is critical on its own
merit. But particularly at a time when our efforts must focus on
economic growth, the family's disintegration endangers -- for all
of us -- our ability to create and preserve jobs, and to create
an economy open to participation by all our citizens.
So we must start with a clear-eyed look at what is really
happening to the family in American communities today -- not just
in poor urban neighborhoods but all across America. Then we must
look inside ourselves, to establish the principles that will
shape our approach. And then we must act.
The urgency is clear. We all know the statistics, the
dreary drumbeat that tells of family breakdown. Today, one out
of every four American children is born out of wedlock; in some
areas the illegitimacy rate tops 80 percent. A quarter of our
3
children grow up in households headed by a single parent. More
than two million are called latch-key kids -- who come home from
school each afternoon to an empty home. And a large number of
our children grow up without the love of parents at all.
Enter fed perdig disease
and AIDS are at alarming levels in younger
populations. A few communities now pass out condoms in school.
I believe that is clearly the wrong approach but in my heart I
can understand the sheer desperation that drives public officials
to do such things.
We know from experience the consequences of family decline.
Neglected children are more susceptible to the lure of crime and
drugs, are more likely to have poor health, drop out of school
early, more likely to lead a life without hope.
Each of you're in a positionto
You on the frontlines know the human costs that statistics
can only dimly sketch. You know, as I do, that for every blip on
a chart or dot on a graph, there is a human story to tell, and
too often the story is a tragedy.
About ten days ago, I was in San Antonio, meeting with Latin
American heads of state to intensify our war on drugs. While
there I noticed a front-page story in the San Antonio Light. A
cabdriver had been murdered last September -- another act of
random, senseless violence -- and his murderer had just been
found guilty.
But what was truly horrifying -- what would horrify any
American -- was this: the murderer was a 12-year-old boy.
4
As the deputies took the boy from the courtroom, according
to the newspaper story, they had trouble fitting him with
shackles and handcuffs, so slender were his wrists. This
youngster was four-feet tall, not yet a teenager, but now a
convicted murderer.
The drumbeat continues: two teenagers shot dead in a New
York public school -- an LSD ring busted up in an affluent
Northern Virginia suburb -- or the harrowing stories of runaway
kids and the horrors that befall them.
I know that almost all of you could tell stories equally
distressing -- stories from neighborhoods in your cities where
the unthinkable has become the commonplace. Something is
terribly, terribly wrong when grandparents triple bolt their
doors, stay isolated and alone, not daring to venture outside for
fear of attack; when school children shoot each other over a pair
of sneakers, and babies are born addicted to crack cocaine.
I am sure that all of you here took office with high
confidence in our ability to solve these problems, only to
discover -- sooner rather than later, I suspect -- that they were
far more stubborn than we could imagine. Let's not forget that
the trials our citizens face each and every day were generations
in the making. We can't expect change overnight. But make no
mistake: We will change things.
Let's face it. We can only change things if we work
together. We must call a cease-fire in the war of words that too
often consumes us. Casting blame brings no solutions. Nor will
literacy
5
questioning each other's motives. We have got to focus every
ounce of our energy to turn back this assault and act as one
nation to defend and strengthen the American family.
We will do it by digging to the root, to the deepest problem
underlying SO many others. Each day, as public servants, we must
never forget
redouble our efforts to restore the family to its place ef
primacy in American life. The genius of our system has always
been its reliance on the family, not government, as the
fundamental unit of social progress A singularly American
insight is that the best Department of Health and Human Services
is indeed, the family.
Families open up the world's horizons to individuals. They
give older family members a stake in the future and connect
children to their past In restoring the family, then, we
restore to coming generations the values, the sense of right and
wrong, the will and confidence to succeed that only a family can
provide a child. And in doing this, we will reinvigorate our
communities and cities as well.
We needn't look far for principles to guide us. They are
the old home truths. Rely on what works -- discard what doesn't.
Never be afraid to innovate. Remember that the government
closest to the people responds best to the needs of the people.
And let's not forget this as a guiding principle: if people are
to be responsible, they must be given responsibility.
The government's first duty is like that of the physician:
Do no harm. And the fact is, with the best of intentions, many
6
government policies in the past have worked against the
institution of the family -- undermined young people's desire to
marry and stay married, to provide for their children, to plan
for their future.
As a practical matter, "doing no harm" means in part that we
ensure parents retain the authority to make the big decisions for
their families. This doesn't absolve parents of responsiblity,
even if we are able to
just the opposite. For example, we-can reform our education
still
system, but parents must read to their children. The point is
that government harms the family when it restricts its autonomy
or usurps the authority of responsible parents.
Let me give you another example: Those of us in government
can never plausibly claim to fight for families if we insist that
government, not parents, must choose who cares for their
children. Two years ago, my administration waged a fight in
Congress over this very issue, and we won. We kept choice of
child care out of the hands of government and put it where it
belongs -- in the hands of parents.
examplaice
Now we're engaged in a similar fight, over whether parents
should have the right to choose their children's schools. We
know the benefits of competition; it is the linchpin of American
prosperity. And competition among schools will be the linchpin
of educational excellence, too.
But school choice is important for other reasons: It
restores authority and responsibility to parents. And just as it
makes our schools accountable, so does it make parents
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7
accountable for the decisions they make. Not only in child care
and school choice but in other areas as well -- a key to healing
the American family will be restoring parental authority and
accountability.
Another example: The initiative we call HOPE. It took more
than a year to get HOPE through Congress, and another year to get
even partial funding for it. But HOPE will be crucial to our
success, by offering low-income families a greater opportunity to
own their own homes. HOPE is based on a simple principle: to-
survive, people need the intangible values of dignity and self-
respect. Government can't provide those. But homeownership can.
An education can. A job can. And being part of a family can.
of course the federal government has a positive role in
preserving the family. We welcome that role; it has guided the
decisions we make every day. Since 1989, for example, we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start, a program that brings
children and parents into the classroom, strengthens family ties
and reinforces parental responsibility. For the first time in
the program's history, our new budget supports one year of Head
Start for all eligible children whose parents choose to have them
participate.
we have increased the earned income tax credit for
low income families, and
There are many other examples: since 1989, we've increased
the funding for WIC -- the Supplemental Food Program for Women,
Infants and Children -- by 47 percent, to $2.8 billion next year.
We've increased other nutrition programs by similar percentages.
And this year federal support for childhood immunization grants
I've
cities
are
adversely
8
but
today
will increase by $52 million, an increase of 18 percent over last
year's level. [better stats to come]
All told, funding for children's programs -- from nutrition
and education to foster care and child immunizations -- has
increased 66 percent since we took office.
But please understand: we will never measure our compassion
in dollars spent. We will measure it by results -- the test will
be the health and happiness of our children and, most important
of all, the sense of well-being and self-reliance instilled in
our families. My administration has targeted funding to programs
that efficiently fulfill government's role in supporting families
and keeping them together -- programs that work for the family.
At the same time, we must face another fact: government can
sometimes be a burden as well as a boon. Over the past forty
years, the child tax exemption has lagged far behind the soaring
costs of child-rearing. I have asked Congress to increase the
exemption by $500 per child. For a family with four children,
that's an increase of $2,000. It's a crucial first step toward
redressing the imbalance, and it's what we can afford now.
We have also successfully increased the earned income tax
credit for low-income families. A strain on the family budget is
a strain on the family -- and families just don't need the added
pressure. And now I come to perhaps the most crucial matter of
all: we must reform our nation's welfare system.
Americans are the most generous people on earth, but they
want to see -- and they're entitled to see -- some relationship
9
between welfare and work. Welfare must never be what FDR warned
it might become: a subtle destroyer of the spirit. It is not
meant to be a way of life, or a family legacy passed from one
generation to the next. Welfare can eat away at the ties that
bind a family together.
State and local governments are undertaking the brave work
of reform -- Learnfare in Wisconsin, REACH (Realizing Economic
Achievement) in New Jersey, Washington State's FIP -- Family
Independence Program -- these are all demonstration projects we
support. My administration is committed to reform and we are
acting now to waive unnecessary red tape that impedes reform.
There's no hidden agenda here. This Administration, the
mayors, the state leaders who press for drastic reform of welfare
aren't modern day Scrooges -- chiseling one more dime out of some
poor family. Democrat or Republican, California or New Jersey,
federal or state -- in our heart of hearts, we really believe
reforming welfare is the best way to serve people -- break this
sorry cycle of despair -- give people real hope. And we're going
to keep on trying to do just that -- because every single
American deserve to believe in the American Dream.
I have highlighted today the role of government -- both
positive and negative -- because we are men and women of
government. But let us never forget the work of private
Americans dedicating themselves to the voluntary service of
others, who create an environment where families can flourish.
Right now, as we're gathered here, somewhere in America a
Some suggest
that when I
talk POL
10
fed govt has
no
Right now, as we re gathered here, somewhere in America a
note
volunteer is reading to a child; a businessman offers job
training to a young man he's just met; a woman teaches young
expectant mothers how to care for the children they will soon
bring into the world; neighbors band together to rid their
neighborhoods of the scourge of drugs.
Each of them is a Point of Light, offering service with no
thought of reward, though the reward will be reaped by every
They are not a Substitute for the good that government cando, but we will not solve
our
American. a I urge all of you, when you return to your cities, to
most
pressing
do all in your power to encourage these caring men and women, to
problems
without
them.
make yours a community of light.
dedication
In my State of the Union address, I announced that we would
soon institute a commission on America's urban families. Their
work will be one result of my meeting in January with some of
your leaders. I have asked Gov. John Ashcroft of Missouri and
Annette Strauss, the former Mayor of Dallas, to lead the
commission and fulfill its mandate: to identify those government
programs, at all levels, that weaken or strengthen urban
families; to analyze ways to improve private efforts to
strengthen families; and to recommend new policies to help
families in our cities.
I am convinced that we can correct our mistakes, learn from
our failures, and build on our successes. I do not exaggerate
when I say that the future of America depends on our efforts.
The family is the irreducible unit of comfort and love, and from
families radiate neighborhoods, from neighborhoods come towns and
11
cities, and their health determines the health of our country,
for better or worse. Like you I am committed to making our
health whole, and to ensuring that our cities, as Theodore Parker
said, remain the fireplaces of America, radiating warmth and
light against the darkness.
Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America.
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