Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
323151444
label
Housing Event - Cochran Gardens 5/3/91 [OA 6032]
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
323151444
contentType
document
title
Housing Event - Cochran Gardens 5/3/91 [OA 6032]
citationUrl
identifierLocal
13565-007
collections
Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Draft Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
323151444
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
b3340752d0012cc0
ocrText
Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13565
Folder ID Number:
13565-007
Folder Title:
Housing Event-Cochran Gardens 5/3/91 [OA 6032]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
17
1
1
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 30, 1991
91 APR 31 P3: 43
MEMORANDUM FOR TONY SNOW
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER RBP /CMS
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Housing Event, Cochran
Gardens
This draft clearly conveys the Administration's themes
that are important to public housing residents, and the remarks
should resonate with this audience.
We have the following specific suggestions:
On page 3, fourth full paragraph, the "I call on Congress"
reference should be broadened to make it clear that the
President is talking about FY 1992, and not the water over
the dam in the failed effort to reprogram funds in the
current fiscal year. We suggest substituting, "We can do
better. I call on Congress to give us all the resources I
requested -- nearly a billion dollars -- to get Project
HOPE moving."
The next sentence, referring to 40,000 residents, should
be deleted. Project HOPE has a goal of one million new
homeowners by the end of 1992. It is not useful to
highlight the fact that this activity begins with a first
step of only four percent of that goal.
On page 4, third paragraph, the opening sentence should be
revised to read, "The Community Opportunity Act of 1991,
will challenge communities to make government programs "
The notion of potential as well as that of power should
also be reflected in this paragraph. We suggest, "We need
new solutions to old problems. I have enough confidence
in the American people to believe that freeing people to
try new solutions, to see if they work, is a crucial step
to bringing opportunity to all Americans."
The "must do/may do" sentence, if it is retained, should
be revised to read "what government says people must do."
The word used most often in this area of policy to
describe the Administration's approach is "opportunity."
It would be useful to work it into the text in at least a
couple of places.
-2-
I hope these comments are helpful. Please let us know if
you have any questions or if we may help in any other way.
CC: Phillip D. Brady
234087SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
Wed.
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
a
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
Wed.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 APR 30 AM 11: 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over. ) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. // You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves." / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. //
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. Only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities launched
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. //
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. // That's why
Congress must move swiftly to pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
Creation Act. We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Cochran Gardens. We want entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. // It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved. " //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
5
take care of ourselves. " / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. / /W4 / want to pair por homes, WE want to certrol our ostimg
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents V groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. //
Today, 3 million people live in public housing. Yet barely
9,000 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
the $ VS res'd skelly
to give us full funding -- $1 billion in FY 1992. We don't just
want a Project H: we want the whole HOPE initiative: one million
new homeowners by the end of 1992.
This is a great goal -- worthy of our Nation. It makes us
all active partners in building a better America. // Think of
what you've already done. Think of what -- together -- the two
initiatives I've announced today can do in the future. //
It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is
a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a
thing to be achieved. " //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens, have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
(Grossman/Smith)
May 1, 1991
Draft Five
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over. Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it 11 never be over.")) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam -- a war zone of drugs and
decay -- replaced by a field of dream: a place where children
don't have to hide -- but where they can actually play. //
999m
People who have never lived in housing developments just
don't understand how significant a small playground can be. But
I'm here today because you've done much, much more.
that's just the tagin of yo. triumph-
2
You've shown America what happens when people are freed to
take control of their communities. // When men and women seize
their homes and streets from drug dealers. // You don't live in
a project. You live in homes. You don't hide from fellow
inmates. You join hands with neighbors. Your example gives
people around this nation hope. Pride. //
What a contrast to the dismal legacy of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
suffocated this community -- attracted crime, sheltered drugs,
groudn up hope. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant
tract symbolizes the failure of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. / That a
system that puts government bureaucracy in charge of everything
leaves no room for individual dignity. / That a system that
warehouses people strips them of their humanity. / I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Accordingly, I am proud today to announce two pioneering
initiatives. Each respects individual dignity. Both will help
disperse the logjam that prevents poor Americans from breaking
free.
//
that
The first initiative is the Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
Creation Act of 1991, which I'm proud to say will be introduced
in Congress next week by your own Sen. John Danforth and Sen. Joe
3
Lieberman. I call on the Congress to act swiftly / to pass this
legislation
This act would plant the seeds for a real urban revival. It
designates up to 50 enterprise zones over a four-year period --
one of which very well could end up here in St Louis.
Now, you all understand the concept behind enterprize zones:
They strive to convert poor neighborhoods into centers of work
and opportunity. They offer the hope that the crack dealer won't
be the most successful business operator in the neighborhood.
The real star will be the man or woman who starts a business and
offers jobs to local residents.
Act
The
You also know that you can't start up a business without
capital. As part of this legislation, I also call on Congress
to give enterprise zone communities priority for free trade area
Buttoo If
status
20 and to eliminate capital gains taxes on investment such
as buildings and property. Right now no group of people in this
nation pays a higher or more devastating tax than the welfare
mother who takes a job. We want a tax code that will reward
people who take care of themselves -- not one that punishes
people who do the right thing.
wen't SETTLE for
Let's remember. We don t want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. The
Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 means real change.
Communities that once were redlined for despair and isolation
will be greenlined for growth, opportunity -- jobs.
4
I am also proud to announce a second initiative -- The
Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- which we will transmit to
Congress today. This legislation rejects the idea that
"Washington Knows Best. " It will let communities decide how
federal programs can best address individual, family, and
community needs //
of 1991 will challenge lamnis to make Entpross
The Community Opportunity Act will enable localities to
to
develop "community opportunity systems" and restructure Federal
address local needs
programs. It shifts power from the heavy hand of the state, to
the hands that run your city. // We want to restore Urban
womed nre solns to e'd probs.
America's body so that America can throw wide her heart. 1 This
says
legislation does that. It cuts down on what government must do -
- and increases what the individual may do. //
Cities like St. Louis don't want a crutch. They want a
ladder. These two initiatives will construct one. Broadening
access to the basics of the good life: jobs, opportunity, and
prosperity for all.
I callm Engress
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
cramatically
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
Porter
NAME OF SPEECH & DATE OF SPEECH Cochlan Gardens
NAME OF WRITER :
Grossman Housing Event 5/3/91
NAME OF RESEARCHER: Smith
SPEECH SYNOPSIS:
POTUS Congratulates the
accomplishments of The
who have fransford a
citizens of Community
a Children's playground
Crime infested auea into
PETUS also announces two
new programs: Enterprise Jones
Jobs Cuaton act. Enteysige
Zones uncourage investment
for corporations in whan
areas. POTUS also announced
act of 1991 which enables
The Community Opportunity
needs. POTUS unds by
programs to meet then
cityens to tasior federal
ue-emplasising the need
for these programs.
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
5-2-91
THE WHITE HOUSE
5
WASHINGTON
charge
May 1, 1991
One
N.S.
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
TONY SNOW TS
FROM:
CURT SMITH
SUBJECT:
HOUSING EVENT
On Friday, May 3rd at 1:30 p.m. in the Cochran Gardens
public housing complex in St. Louis, Missouri, you will deliver
brief remarks (approximately eight minutes, on cards) to an
audience of roughly 14,000 people. The audience consists of
public housing residents, schoolchildren, and resident management
trainees. Bertha Gilkey, a proponent and trainer of resident
managers, will speak first and then introduce Secretary Kemp for
brief remarks. The Secretary will introduce Governor Aschcroft
for brief remarks, and he will introduce you.
Your remarks focus on resident management and ownership of
public housing. You discuss the failures of old federal
policies, and turn to the promise of new innovative strategies to
revitalize America's inner cities. You highlight HOPE,
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere, and call on
full congressional funding for FY92. You also unveil the
Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 and the Community
Opportunity Act of 1991, calling upon Congress to pass this
legislation. Acknowledged are Ms. Bertha Gilkey, Governor John
Ashcroft, Secretary Jack Kemp, Senator Bond and Senator Danforth.
91 MAY - I PM 7:27
(Grossman/Smith)
May 1, 1991
Draft Five
. COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp.
(
(I asmo as resident of public
housing Like you, I to get troublemakers evisted
from my block. LL But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the
I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over. " This will be over soon. )) //
We just visited an extraordinary place -- your new
children's playground. You've taken a patch of land once called
Little Nam -- a war zone of drugs and decay -- and turned it into
a field of dreams. Where dope dealers once roamed, children now
can be children. They can learn / laugh / play. //
People who have never seen housing developments don't
understand how significant a small playground can be. But this
playground is just one of your many achievements. You have shown
an entire nation what great things people accomplish, when they
get an opportunity to take control of their communities. // When
2
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
When we empower them -- and not the bureaucracy. //
What a contrast to the dismal legacy of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go) Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
suffocated this community -- attracted crime, sheltered drugs,
shattered hope. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant
tract symbolizes the failure of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. / That a
system that puts government bureaucracy in charge of everything
leaves no room for individual dignity. / That a system that
warehouses people strips them of their humanity. / I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must change the system. //
Last November we signed the National Affordable Housing Act
-- the most radical departure in Federal housing policy in two
And I'd like to thank Kit Bond who serves on the
decades. / Its core is HOPE -- Homeownership and Opportunity for
Suffe Baking Comes who worked hand with Secretary
People Everywhere. HOPE moves housing policy in a new direction.
kenp
It lets public housing residents like you to manage your property to
get
-- and eventually own it. //
the
Although I am proud that under our Administration, the
Act
thre
number of residents groups training to become resident managers congress
has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do more. //
II
Today, 3 million people live in public housing. Yet barely
9,000 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding -- $855 million in FY 1992. We don't
3
just want a piece of the program. We want the whole package: one
million new homeowners by the end of 1992. / /
I also would like to announce two new initiatives today.
Initiatives that honor people's dignity and ability. //
The first is the Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of
1991, which I'm proud to say will be introduced in Congress next
week by your own Sen. John Danforth and by Sen. Joe Lieberman.
This act would plant the seeds for a real urban revival. It
designates up to 50 enterprise zones over a four-year period --
one of which very well could end up here in St Louis.
Now, you all understand the concept behind enterprize zones:
They convert poor neighborhoods into centers of work and
opportunity. They ensure that the most successful entrepreneur
in a neighborhood won't be a crack dealer. It will be the man or
woman who starts a business -- demonstrates the value of hard
work -- offers jobs to local residents.
You also know that you can't start up a business without
money. The bill also eliminates capital gains taxes on
development in the zone. It tells potential investors: Put your
money here.
It also gives enterprise zones priority for free trade area
status. That would let businesses in the zone import materials
duty-free, if the products are sold abroad.
True, we need even more profound tax reform. Right now no
group of people in this nation pays a higher or more devastating
tax than the working welfare mother. We must have a tax code
delete para. per Darman, Bashin, Card, + Demanest
4
that rewards people who take care of themselves -- not one that
punishes people who do the right thing. Our tax code ought to
reward hard work and saving -- not dependency and consumption.
Our tax code ought to promote growth, investment,
entrepreneurship and opportunity throughout the land. That's why
I have tried repeatedly to get Congress to cut the capital gains
tax. That tax is a tax on the American dream.
The point is that we will not settle for cosmetic change.
You've had enough of that. The Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation
Act of 1991 makes it possible to turn communities that once were
redlined for despair and isolation -- into neighborhoods
greenlined for growth, jobs -- opportunity.
In that spirit, I am proud to announce a second initiative -
- The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- which we will transmit
to Congress today. This legislation rejects the idea that
"Washington Knows Best." It challenges localities to develop
"community opportunity systems." These systems would enable poor
citizens to tailor federal programs to meet their actual needs.
The bill also lets federal officials set aside regulations that
might otherwise prevent citizens from devising programs that
work.
The Community Opportunity Act shifts power from the heavy
hand of the state to the dedicated hands of the people. I have
enough confidence in the American people to believe that they
will create new hope and opportunity -- that they will devise new
and effective solutions -- if we just give them a chance.
You
You don't want a crutch. The want a ladder to a better
future. And that is what we are determined to provide.
Most members of Congress say they want to revive our cities.
Now we can test them: I call on Congress to support our HOPE
program fully. I call on Congress to pass the Enterprise Zone
and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991. I call on Congress to enact the
Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- soon. //
Bertha Gilkey once said: "We don't want to be taken care
of, we want to take care of ourselves. II / That is, to be treated
like human beings, not numbers in a housing report.
People in housing communities all across our land have said:
Yes. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. We want to own our homes. We want to control our
destinies. //
It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is
a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a
thing to be achieved. " //
You have made your choice. Now, you're making history.
Together, we can build upon your success. We can offer new
opportunity, new optimism, new hope to people condemned to daily
bleakness and hardship. Join me in pushing for HOPE and the two
initiatives we have announced today. Join me in daring America
to believe in you. You certainly have earned our faith.
Thank you for letting me share in your achievement. God
bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
HOUSING EVENT \ COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991 \ 1:30 P.M.
GOVERNOR ASCHCROFT, THANK YOU. BERTHA GILKEY, HEAD
OF THE NATIONAL TENANT UNION. SENATORS BOND AND
DANFORTH. RESIDENTS OF COCHRAN GARDENS. LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN. /
FIRST, LET ME SAY HOW PLEASED I AM TO BE IN
ST. LOUIS, ALONG WITH SECRETARY KEMP.
- 2 -
I PROMISE TO BE BRIEF. ((AFTER ALL, IT WAS ONE OF ST.
LOUIS' FAVORITE SONS, YOGI BERRA, WHO SAID, "IT's NOT
OVER TILL IT'S OVER." THIS WILL BE OVER SOON.)) //
WE JUST VISITED AN EXTRAORDINARY PLACE -- YOUR NEW
CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND. FROM WHAT WAS ONCE CALLED
LITTLE NAM -- A WAR ZONE OF DRUGS AND DECAY -- YOU'VE
CREATED A FIELD OF DREAMS. WHERE DOPE DEALERS ONCE
ROAMED, CHILDREN NOW CAN BE CHILDREN. THEY CAN LEARN /
LAUGH / PLAY.//
- 3 -
PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS
DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW SIGNIFICANT A SMALL PLAYGROUND CAN
BE. BUT THIS PLAYGROUND IS JUST ONE OF YOUR MANY
ACHIEVEMENTS. You HAVE SHOWN AN ENTIRE NATION WHAT
GREAT THINGS PEOPLE ACCOMPLISH, WHEN THEY GET AN
OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. //
WHEN MEN AND WOMEN SEIZE THEIR HOMES AND STREETS FROM
DRUG DEALERS. // WHEN WE EMPOWER THEM -- AND NOT THE
BUREAUCRACY. //
- 4 -
WHAT A CONTRAST TO THE DISMAL LEGACY OF PROJECTS
LIKE THE PRUITT-IGOE (PREW IT - EYE GO). THINK OF HOW
PRUITT-IGOE SUFFOCATED THIS COMMUNITY -- ATTRACTED
CRIME, SHELTERED DRUGS, SHATTERED HOPE. / To ME -- TO
MANY OF US HERE -- THAT VACANT TRACT SYMBOLIZES THE
FAILURE OF PAST PUBLIC-HOUSING POLICY. //
TODAY, MORE AND MORE AMERICANS KNOW THAT THE
SOLUTIONS OF THE 1960's CAN'T MEET THE CHALLENGES OF
THE NINETIES. /
- 5 -
THAT A SYSTEM THAT PUTS GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACY IN
CHARGE OF EVERYTHING LEAVES NO ROOM FOR INDIVIDUAL
DIGNITY. / THAT A SYSTEM THAT WAREHOUSES PEOPLE STRIPS
THEM OF THEIR HUMANITY. / I'M HERE TO SAY: IF THE
SYSTEM'S NOT HELPING BUILD A BETTER LIFE, THEN WE MUST
CHANGE THE SYSTEM. //
LAST NOVEMBER WE SIGNED THE NATIONAL AFFORDABLE
HOUSING AcT -- THE MOST RADICAL DEPARTURE IN FEDERAL
HOUSING POLICY IN TWO DECADES.
- 6 -
AND I'D LIKE TO THANK KIT BOND WHO SERVES ON THE SENATE
BANKING COMMITTEE WHO WORKED HARD WITH SECRETARY KEMP
TO GET THE ACT THROUGH CONGRESS. / ITS CORE IS HOPE
-- HOMEOWNERSHIP AND OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE
EVERYWHERE. HOPE MOVES HOUSING POLICY IN A NEW
DIRECTION. IT LETS PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS LIKE YOU
MANAGE YOUR PROPERTY -- AND EVENTUALLY OWN IT. //
- 7 -
ALTHOUGH I AM PROUD THAT UNDER OUR ADMINISTRATION,
THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS GROUPS TRAINING To BECOME
RESIDENT MANAGERS HAS LEAPED FROM 13 TO 100, WE MUST DO
MORE. //
TODAY, 3 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE IN PUBLIC HOUSING.
YET BARELY 9,000 UNITS ARE MANAGED BY THEIR RESIDENTS.
I CALL ON CONGRESS TO GIVE US FULL FUNDING -- $855
MILLION IN FY 1992. WE DON'T JUST WANT A PIECE OF THE
PROGRAM. WE WANT THE WHOLE PACKAGE: ONE MILLION NEW
HOMEOWNERS BY THE END OF 1992. //
MI
- 8 -
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE TWO NEW INITIATIVES
TODAY. INITIATIVES THAT HONOR PEOPLE'S DIGNITY AND
ABILITY. //
THE FIRST IS THE ENTERPRISE ZONE AND JOBS-CREATION
Act OF 1991, WHICH I'M PROUD To SAY WILL BE INTRODUCED
IN CONGRESS NEXT WEEK BY YOUR OWN SEN. JOHN DANFORTH
AND BY SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN.
THIS ACT WOULD PLANT THE SEEDS FOR A REAL URBAN
REVIVAL.
- 9 -
IT DESIGNATES UP TO 50 ENTERPRISE ZONES OVER A FOUR-
YEAR PERIOD -- ONE OF WHICH VERY WELL COULD END UP HERE
IN ST LOUIS.
Now, YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT BEHIND
ENTERPRIZE ZONES: THEY CONVERT POOR NEIGHBORHOODS INTO
CENTERS OF WORK AND OPPORTUNITY. THEY ENSURE THAT THE
MOST SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WON'T BE
A CRACK DEALER. IT WILL BE THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO STARTS
A BUSINESS -- DEMONSTRATES THE VALUE OF HARD WORK --
OFFERS JOBS TO LOCAL RESIDENTS.
- 10 -
You ALSO KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T START UP A BUSINESS
WITHOUT MONEY. THE BILL ALSO ELIMINATES CAPITAL GAINS
TAXES ON DEVELOPMENT IN THE ZONE. IT TELLS POTENTIAL
INVESTORS: PUT YOUR MONEY HERE.
IT ALSO GIVES ENTERPRISE ZONES PRIORITY FOR FREE
TRADE AREA STATUS. THAT WOULD LET BUSINESSES IN THE
ZONE IMPORT MATERIALS DUTY-FREE, IF THE PRODUCTS ARE
SOLD ABROAD.
- 11 -
OUR TAX CODE OUGHT TO PROMOTE GROWTH, INVESTMENT,
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGHOUT THE LAND.
THAT'S WHY I HAVE TRIED REPEATEDLY TO GET CONGRESS TO
CUT THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX. THAT TAX IS A TAX ON THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
THE POINT IS THAT WE WILL NOT SETTLE FOR COSMETIC
CHANGE. You've HAD ENOUGH OF THAT.
- 12 -
THE ENTERPRISE ZONE AND JOBS-CREATION Act OF 1991 MAKES
IT POSSIBLE TO TURN COMMUNITIES THAT ONCE WERE REDLINED
FOR DESPAIR AND ISOLATION -- INTO NEIGHBORHOODS
GREENLINED FOR GROWTH, JOBS -- OPPORTUNITY.
IN THAT SPIRIT, I AM PROUD To ANNOUNCE A SECOND
INITIATIVE -- THE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY AcT OF 1991 --
WHICH WE WILL TRANSMIT To CONGRESS TODAY. THIS
LEGISLATION REJECTS THE IDEA THAT "WASHINGTON KNOWS
BEST."
- 13 -
IT CHALLENGES LOCALITIES TO DEVELOP "COMMUNITY
OPPORTUNITY SYSTEMS." THESE SYSTEMS WOULD ENABLE POOR
CITIZENS TO TAILOR FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO MEET THEIR
ACTUAL NEEDS. THE BILL ALSO LETS FEDERAL OFFICIALS SET
ASIDE REGULATIONS THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE PREVENT CITIZENS
FROM DEVISING PROGRAMS THAT WORK.
THE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY AcT SHIFTS POWER FROM THE
HEAVY HAND OF THE STATE TO THE DEDICATED HANDS OF THE
PEOPLE.
- 14 -
I HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO
BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL CREATE NEW HOPE AND
OPPORTUNITY -- THAT THEY WILL DEVISE NEW AND EFFECTIVE
SOLUTIONS -- IF WE JUST GIVE THEM A CHANCE.
You DON'T WANT A CRUTCH. You WANT A LADDER TO A
BETTER FUTURE. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DETERMINED TO
PROVIDE.
MOST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SAY THEY WANT TO REVIVE
OUR CITIES.
- 15 -
Now WE CAN TEST THEM: I CALL ON CONGRESS TO SUPPORT OUR
HOPE PROGRAM FULLY. I CALL ON CONGRESS TO PASS THE
ENTERPRISE ZONE AND JOBS-CREATION AcT OF 1991. I CALL
ON CONGRESS TO ENACT THE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY ACT OF
1991 -- SOON. //
BERTHA GILKEY ONCE SAID: "WE DON'T WANT TO BE
TAKEN CARE OF, WE WANT TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES." /
THAT IS, TO BE TREATED LIKE HUMAN BEINGS, NOT NUMBERS
IN A HOUSING REPORT.
- 16 -
PEOPLE IN HOUSING COMMUNITIES ALL ACROSS OUR LAND
HAVE SAID: YES. WE WANT DIGNITY. WE WANT
INDEPENDENCE. WE WANT RESPONSIBILITY. WE WANT TO OWN
OUR HOMES. WE WANT TO CONTROL OUR DESTINIES. //
IT ONCE WAS SAID: "DESTINY IS NOT A MATTER OF
CHANCE, IT IS A MATTER OF CHOICE; IT IS NOT A THING TO
BE WAITED FOR, IT IS A THING TO BE ACHIEVED." //
You HAVE MADE YOUR CHOICE. Now, YOU'RE MAKING
HISTORY.
- 17 -
TOGETHER, WE CAN BUILD UPON YOUR SUCCESS. WE CAN
OFFER NEW OPPORTUNITY, NEW OPTIMISM, NEW HOPE TO PEOPLE
CONDEMNED TO DAILY BLEAKNESS AND HARDSHIP. JOIN ME IN
PUSHING FOR HOPE AND THE TWO INITIATIVES WE HAVE
ANNOUNCED TODAY. JOIN ME IN DARING AMERICA TO BELIEVE
IN YOU. You CERTAINLY HAVE EARNED OUR FAITH.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SHARE IN YOUR ACHIEVEMENT.
GOD BLESS YOU, AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 234087SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING 91 MEMORANDUM
APR 1 A10: 37
DATE: 5/2/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT-COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 MAY - I PM 7: 27
(Grossman/Smith)
May 1, 1991
Draft Five
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. ) ) / /
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." This will be over soon. )) //
We just visited an extraordinary place -- your new
children's playground. You've taken a patch of land once called
Little Nam -- a war zone of drugs and decay -- and turned it into
a field of dreams. Where dope dealers once roamed, children now
can be children. They can learn / laugh / play. //
People who have never seen housing developments don't
understand how significant a small playground can be. But this
playground is just one of your many achievements. You have shown
an entire nation what great things people accomplish, when they
get an opportunity to take control of their communities. // When
2
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
When we empower them -- and not the bureaucracy. //
What a contrast to the dismal legacy of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
suffocated this community -- attracted crime, sheltered drugs,
shattered hope. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant
tract symbolizes the failure of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. / That a
system that puts government bureaucracy in charge of everything
leaves no room for individual dignity. / That a system that
warehouses people strips them of their humanity. / I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must change the system. //
Last November we signed the National Affordable Housing Act
-- the most radical departure in Federal housing policy in two
decades. / Its core is HOPE -- Homeownership and Opportunity for
People Everywhere. HOPE moves housing policy in a new direction.
It lets public housing residents like you to manage your property
-- and eventually own it. / /
Although I am proud that under our Administration, the
number of residents groups training to become resident managers
has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do more. //
Today, 3 million people live in public housing. Yet barely
9,000 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding -- $855 million in FY 1992. We don't
3
just want a piece of the program. We want the whole package: one
million new homeowners by the end of 1992 / /
I also would like to announce two new initiatives today.
Initiatives that honor people's dignity and ability. //
The first is the Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of
1991, which I'm proud to say will be introduced in Congress next
week by your own Sen. John Danforth and by Sen. Joe Lieberman.
This act would plant the seeds for a real urban revival. It
designates up to 50 enterprise zones over a four-year period --
one of which very well could end up here in St Louis.
Now, you all understand the concept behind enterprize zones:
They convert poor neighborhoods into centers of work and
opportunity. They ensure that the most successful entrepreneur
in a neighborhood won't be a crack dealer. It will be the man or
woman who starts a business -- demonstrates the value of hard
work -- offers jobs to local residents.
You also know that you can't start up a business without
money. The bill also eliminates capital gains taxes on
development in the zone. It tells potential investors: Put your
money here.
It also gives enterprise zones priority for free trade area
status. That would let businesses in the zone import materials
duty-free, if the products are sold abroad.
True, we need even more profound tax reform. Right now no
group of people in this nation pays a higher or more devastating
tax than the working welfare mother. We must have a tax code
4
that rewards people who take care of themselves -- not one that
punishes people who do the right thing. Our tax code ought to
reward hard work and saving -- not dependency and consumption.
Our tax code ought to promote growth, investment,
entrepreneurship and opportunity throughout the land. That's why
I have tried repeatedly to get Congress to cut the capital gains
tax. That tax is a tax on the American dream.
The point is that we will not settle for cosmetic change.
You've had enough of that. The Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation
Act of 1991 makes it possible to turn communities that once were
redlined for despair and isolation -- into neighborhoods
greenlined for growth, jobs -- opportunity.
In that spirit, I am proud to announce a second initiative -
- The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- which we will transmit
to Congress today. This legislation rejects the idea that
"Washington Knows Best." It challenges localities to develop
"community opportunity systems." These systems would enable poor
citizens to tailor federal programs to meet their actual needs.
The bill also lets federal officials set aside regulations that
might otherwise prevent citizens from devising programs that
work.
The Community Opportunity Act shifts power from the heavy
hand of the state to the dedicated hands of the people. I have
enough confidence in the American people to believe that they
will create new hope and opportunity -- that they will devise new
and effective solutions -- if we just give them a chance.
5
You don't want a crutch. They want a ladder to a better
future. And that is what we are determined to provide.
Most members of Congress say they want to revive our cities.
Now we can test them: I call on Congress to support our HOPE
program fully. I call on Congress to pass the Enterprise Zone
and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991. I call on Congress to enact the
Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- soon. //
Bertha Gilkey once said: "We don't want to be taken care
of, we want to take care of ourselves. II / That is, to be treated
like human beings, not numbers in a housing report.
People in housing communities all across our land have said:
Yes. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. We want to own our homes. We want to control our
destinies. //
It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is
a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a
thing to be achieved. " 11
You have made your choice. Now, you're making history.
Together, we can build upon your success. We can offer new
opportunity, new optimism, new hope to people condemned to daily
bleakness and hardship. Join me in pushing for HOPE and the two
initiatives we have announced today. Join me in daring America
to believe in you. You certainly have earned our faith.
Thank you for letting me share in your achievement. God
bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
= 3 -
PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS
DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW SIGNIFICANT A SMALL PLAYGROUND CAN
BE. BUT THIS PLAYGROUND IS JUST ONE OF YOUR MANY
ACHIEVEMENTS. You HAVE SHOWN AN ENTIRE NATION WHAT
GREAT THINGS PEOPLE ACCOMPLISH, WHEN THEY GET AN
OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. //
WHEN MEN AND WOMEN SEIZE THEIR HOMES AND STREETS FROM
DRUG DEALERS. // WHEN WE EMPOWER THEM -- AND NOT THE
BUREAUCRACY. //
- 4 -
WHAT A CONTRAST TO THE DISMAL LEGACY OF PROJECTS
LIKE THE PRUITT-IGOE (PREW IT - EYE GO). THINK OF HOW
PRUITT-IGOE SUFFOCATED THIS COMMUNITY -- ATTRACTED
CRIME, SHELTERED DRUGS, SHATTERED HOPE. / To ME -- To
MANY OF US HERE -- THAT VACANT TRACT SYMBOLIZES THE
FAILURE OF PAST PUBLIC-HOUSING POLICY. //
TODAY, MORE AND MORE AMERICANS KNOW THAT THE
SOLUTIONS OF THE 1960's CAN'T MEET THE CHALLENGES OF
THE NINETIES. /
- 5 -
THAT A SYSTEM THAT PUTS GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACY IN
CHARGE OF EVERYTHING LEAVES NO ROOM FOR INDIVIDUAL
DIGNITY. / THAT A SYSTEM THAT WAREHOUSES PEOPLE STRIPS
THEM OF THEIR HUMANITY. / I'M HERE TO SAY: IF THE
SYSTEM'S NOT HELPING BUILD A BETTER LIFE, THEN WE MUST
CHANGE THE SYSTEM. //
LAST NOVEMBER WE SIGNED THE NATIONAL AFFORDABLE
HOUSING AcT -- THE MOST RADICAL DEPARTURE IN FEDERAL
HOUSING POLICY IN TWO DECADES.
- 6 -
AND I'D LIKE TO THANK KIT BOND WHO SERVES ON THE SENATE
BANKING COMMITTEE WHO WORKED HARD WITH SECRETARY KEMP
TO GET THE ACT THROUGH CONGRESS. / ITS CORE IS HOPE
-- HOMEOWNERSHIP AND OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE
EVERYWHERE. HOPE MOVES HOUSING POLICY IN A NEW
DIRECTION. IT LETS PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS LIKE YOU
MANAGE YOUR PROPERTY -- AND EVENTUALLY OWN IT. //
- 7 -
ALTHOUGH I AM PROUD THAT UNDER OUR ADMINISTRATION,
THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS GROUPS TRAINING TO BECOME
RESIDENT MANAGERS HAS LEAPED FROM 13 TO 100, WE MUST DO
MORE. //
TODAY, 3 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE IN PUBLIC HOUSING.
YET BARELY 9,000 UNITS ARE MANAGED BY THEIR RESIDENTS.
I CALL ON CONGRESS TO GIVE US FULL FUNDING -- $855
MILLION IN FY 1992. WE DON'T JUST WANT A PIECE OF THE
PROGRAM. WE WANT THE WHOLE PACKAGE: ONE MILLION NEW
HOMEOWNERS BY THE END OF 1992.//
- 8 -
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE TWO NEW INITIATIVES
TODAY. INITIATIVES THAT HONOR PEOPLE'S DIGNITY AND
ABILITY. //
THE FIRST IS THE ENTERPRISE ZONE AND JOBS-CREATION
ACT OF 1991, WHICH I'M PROUD TO SAY WILL BE INTRODUCED
IN CONGRESS NEXT WEEK BY YOUR OWN SEN. JOHN DANFORTH
AND BY SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN.
THIS ACT WOULD PLANT THE SEEDS FOR A REAL URBAN
REVIVAL.
- 9 -
IT DESIGNATES UP TO 50 ENTERPRISE ZONES OVER A FOUR-
YEAR PERIOD -- ONE OF WHICH VERY WELL COULD END UP HERE
IN ST LOUIS.
Now, YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT BEHIND
ENTERPRIZE ZONES: THEY CONVERT POOR NEIGHBORHOODS INTO
CENTERS OF WORK AND OPPORTUNITY. THEY ENSURE THAT THE
MOST SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WON'T BE
A CRACK DEALER. IT WILL BE THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO STARTS
A BUSINESS -- DEMONSTRATES THE VALUE OF HARD WORK --
OFFERS JOBS TO LOCAL RESIDENTS.
- 10 -
You ALSO KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T START UP A BUSINESS
WITHOUT MONEY. THE BILL ALSO ELIMINATES CAPITAL GAINS
TAXES ON DEVELOPMENT IN THE ZONE. IT TELLS POTENTIAL
INVESTORS: PUT YOUR MONEY HERE.
IT ALSO GIVES ENTERPRISE ZONES PRIORITY FOR FREE
TRADE AREA STATUS. THAT WOULD LET BUSINESSES IN THE
ZONE IMPORT MATERIALS DUTY-FREE, IF THE PRODUCTS ARE
SOLD ABROAD.
- 11 -
OUR TAX CODE OUGHT TO PROMOTE GROWTH, INVESTMENT,
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGHOUT THE LAND.
THAT'S WHY I HAVE TRIED REPEATEDLY TO GET CONGRESS TO
CUT THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX. THAT TAX IS A TAX ON THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
THE POINT IS THAT WE WILL NOT SETTLE FOR COSMETIC
CHANGE. YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT.
- 12 -
THE ENTERPRISE ZONE AND JOBS-CREATION AcT OF 1991 MAKES
IT POSSIBLE TO TURN COMMUNITIES THAT ONCE WERE REDLINED
FOR DESPAIR AND ISOLATION -- INTO NEIGHBORHOODS
GREENLINED FOR GROWTH, JOBS -- OPPORTUNITY.
IN THAT SPIRIT, I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE A SECOND
INITIATIVE -- THE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY AcT OF 1991 --
WHICH WE WILL TRANSMIT TO CONGRESS TODAY. THIS
LEGISLATION REJECTS THE IDEA THAT "WASHINGTON KNOWS
BEST."
- 13 -
IT CHALLENGES LOCALITIES TO DEVELOP "COMMUNITY
OPPORTUNITY SYSTEMS." THESE SYSTEMS WOULD ENABLE POOR
CITIZENS TO TAILOR FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO MEET THEIR
ACTUAL NEEDS. THE BILL ALSO LETS FEDERAL OFFICIALS SET
ASIDE REGULATIONS THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE PREVENT CITIZENS
FROM DEVISING PROGRAMS THAT WORK.
THE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY AcT SHIFTS POWER FROM THE
HEAVY HAND OF THE STATE TO THE DEDICATED HANDS OF THE
PEOPLE.
- 14 -
I HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO
BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL CREATE NEW HOPE AND
OPPORTUNITY -- THAT THEY WILL DEVISE NEW AND EFFECTIVE
SOLUTIONS -- IF WE JUST GIVE THEM A CHANCE.
You DON'T WANT A CRUTCH. You WANT A LADDER TO A
BETTER FUTURE. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DETERMINED TO
PROVIDE.
MOST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SAY THEY WANT TO REVIVE
OUR CITIES.
- 15 -
Now WE CAN TEST THEM: I CALL ON CONGRESS TO SUPPORT OUR
HOPE PROGRAM FULLY. I CALL ON CONGRESS TO PASS THE
ENTERPRISE ZONE AND JOBS-CREATION AcT OF 1991. I CALL
ON CONGRESS TO ENACT THE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY ACT OF
1991 -- SOON. //
BERTHA GILKEY ONCE SAID: "WE DON'T WANT TO BE
TAKEN CARE OF, WE WANT TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES." /
THAT IS, TO BE TREATED LIKE HUMAN BEINGS, NOT NUMBERS
IN A HOUSING REPORT.
- 16 -
PEOPLE IN HOUSING COMMUNITIES ALL ACROSS OUR LAND
HAVE SAID: YES. WE WANT DIGNITY. WE WANT
INDEPENDENCE. WE WANT RESPONSIBILITY. WE WANT TO OWN
OUR HOMES. WE WANT TO CONTROL OUR DESTINIES. //
IT ONCE WAS SAID: "DESTINY IS NOT A MATTER OF
CHANCE, IT IS A MATTER OF CHOICE; IT IS NOT A THING TO
BE WAITED FOR, IT IS A THING TO BE ACHIEVED." //
You HAVE MADE YOUR CHOICE. Now, YOU'RE MAKING
HISTORY.
- 17 -
TOGETHER, WE CAN BUILD UPON YOUR SUCCESS. WE CAN
OFFER NEW OPPORTUNITY, NEW OPTIMISM, NEW HOPE TO PEOPLE
CONDEMNED TO DAILY BLEAKNESS AND HARDSHIP. JOIN ME IN
PUSHING FOR HOPE AND THE TWO INITIATIVES WE HAVE
ANNOUNCED TODAY. JOIN ME IN DARING AMERICA TO BELIEVE
IN YOU. You CERTAINLY HAVE EARNED OUR FAITH.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SHARE IN YOUR ACHIEVEMENT.
GOD BLESS YOU, AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
#
for the files
FAYEd 9:00 SB am
234087SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
wed.
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
Wed,
RESPONSE:
minoroment PP
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 APR 30 AM11: 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over.")) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. 11 You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. / /
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves. " / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. / /
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. Only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities launched
comparero
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. //
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. // That's why
Congress must move swiftly to pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
ymmy
Creation Act. We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Cochran Gardens. We want entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. // It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. 11
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved. " //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
MAY 01 '91 20:45
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
: * a X
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20410-0001
FAX TRANSMISSION
5/1/91
DATE:
NUMBER OF PAGES (including this page)
6
TO: TONY SNOW
FROM: SEC. JACK KEMP
PHONE:
PHONE: 202-708-2713
(the phone number of this fax machine is [202] 755-9476)
MAY 01 '91 20:45
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
996 P02
99111 1C MOUSE
, 5- 1-91 35PM ;
2024566218-U S DEPT OF HUD - OF:# 2
(Grossman/Smith)
May 1, 1991
Draft Five
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in st. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. 11 But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. 11
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
st. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." This will be over soon. )) 11
drumb
We just visited an extraordinary place -- your new
children's playground. You've taken a patch of land once called
defensive!
Little Nam -- a war zone of drugs and decay -- and turned it into
a field of dreams. Where dope dealers once roamed, children now
can be children. They can learn / laugh / play. 11
People who have never seen housing developments don't
understand how significant a small playground can be. But this
playground is just one of your many achievements. You have shown
an entire nation what great things people accomplish, when they
get an opportunity to take control of their communities. 11 When
MAY 01 '91 20:45
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
996 P03
2024566218-0 5 DEPT OF HUD - OF:# 3
2
men and women seize people their homes and streets from drug dealers. 11
When we empower them and not the bureaucracy 11
What a contrast to the dismal legacy of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
suffocated this community -- attracted crime, sheltered drugs,
shattered hope. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant
tract symbolizes the failure of past public-housing policy. 11
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. / That a
system that puts government bureaucracy in charge of everything
leaves no room for individual dignity. / That a system that
warehouses people strips them of their humanity. / I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then We
must change the system. 11
good
Last November we signed the National Affordable Housing Act
-- the most radical departure in Federal housing policy in two
decades. / Its core principle is HOPE -/ Homeownership and Opportunity for
0
People Everywhere. HOPE moves housing policy in a new direction.
It lets public housing residents like you to manage & contire your property
and eventually own it. 11
Although I am proud that under our Administration, the
number of residents groups training to become resident managers
has leaped from 13 to 100 BUT we must do more. 11
Today, 3 million people live in public housing. Yet barely
9, 000 units are managed by their residents. Today I call on Congress
to give us full funding -- $855 million in FY 1992. We don't
MAY 01 '91 20:46
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
996 P04
SENI BY:THE WHITE HOUSE
; 5- 1-91 ; 7:36PM :
2024566218-U S DEPT OF HUD - OF:# 4
3
just want a piece of the program. We want the whole package: one
low g mod income
million new homeowners by the end of 1992. //
I also would like to announce two new initiatives today.
Initiatives that honor people's dignity and ability. 11
The first is the Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of
1991, which I'm proud to say will be introduced in Congress next
week by your Zones own Sen. John Danforth and by Sen. Joe Lieberman Connective
Enteyrise
This act would plant the seeds for a real urban revival. It would
designates up to 50 enterprise zones over a four-year period --
one of which very well could end up here in St Louis.
Now, you all understand the concept behind enterprize zones:
They convert poor neighborhoods into centers of Enterprise work and job &
would
opportunity. They ensure that the most successful entrepreneur
in a neighborhood won't be a crack dealer. It will be the man or
woman who starts a business -- demonstrates the value of hard
work --- offers jobs to local residents.
venture
You also know that you can't start up a business without Seedcom
money.
development The bill in the aire zone. eliminates It tells capital potential gains investors: taxes on Put snterforese your TEntaphing
money here, create Job here, expand opportunity here i
It also gives enterprise zones priority for free trade area
status. That would let businesses in the zone import materials
duty-free, if the products are sold abroad.
True, we need even more profound tax reform. Right now no
group of people in this nation pays a higher or more devastating
tax than the working welfare mother. We must have a tax code
996 P05
MAY 01 '91 20:46
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
2024566218-U S DEPT OF HUD - OF:# 5
4
that rewards people who take care of themselves -- not one that
punishes people who do the right thing. our tax code ought to
reward hard work and saving! not dependency and consumption.
our tax code ought to promote growth, investment,
entrepreneurship and opportunity throughout the land. That's why
I have tried repeatedly to get Congress to cut the capital gains
tax. That tax is a tax on the American dream. it'atoy growth
The point is that we will not settle for cosmetic change.
You've had enough of that. The Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation
Act of 1991 makes it possible to turn communities that once were
redlined for despair and isolation -- into neighborhoods
greenlined for growth, jobs -- opportunity.
same
In that spirit, I am proud to announce a second initiative -
- The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- which we will transmit
to Congress today. This legislation rejects the idea that
"Washington Knows Best." It challenges localities to develop
"community opportunity systems." These systems would enable poor
citizens to tailor federal programs to meet their actual needs.
The bill also lets federal officials set aside regulations that
might otherwise prevent citizens from devising programs that
work.
The Community Opportunity Act shifts power from the heavy
hand of the state to the dedicated hands of the people. I have
enough confidence in the American people to believe that they
will create new hope and opportunity -- that they will devise new
and effective solutions -- if we just give them a chance.
MAY 01 '91 20:47
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
996 P06
2024566218-U S DEPT OF HUD - OF:# 6
5
You don't want a crutch. They want a ladder to a better
future. And that is what we are determined to provide.
Most members of Congress say they want to revive our cities.
Now we can test them: I call on Congress to support our HOPE
program fully. I call on Congress to pass the Enterprise Zone
and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991. I call on Congress to enact the
Community Opportunity Act of 1991 as soon. sogn as possible or
Bertha Gilkey once said: "we don't want to be taken care
of, we want to take care of ourselves." / She That 16 to be treated want
like human beings, not numbers in a housing report.
People in housing communities all across our land have said:
Yes, We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. We want to own our homes. We want to control our
destinies. 11
It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is
a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a
thing to be achieved." 11
You have made your choice. Now, you're making history.
Together, we can build upon your success. We can offer new
opportunity, new optimism, new hope to people condemned to daily
bleakness and hardship. Join me in pushing for HOPE and the two
initiatives we have announced today. Join me in daring America
to believe in you. You certainly have earned our faith.
Thank you for letting me share in your achievement. God
bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
(Grossman/Smith)
May 1, 1991
Draft Five
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." This will be over soon.) ) //
We just visited an extraordinary place -- your new
children's playground. You've taken a patch of land once called
Little Nam -- a war zone of drugs and decay -- and turned it into
a field of dreams. Where dope dealers once roamed, children now
can be children. They can learn / laugh / play. / /
People who have never seen housing developments don't
understand how significant a small playground can be. But this
playground is just one of your many achievements. You have shown
an entire nation what great things people accomplish, when they
get an opportunity to take control of their communities. // When
2
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
When we empower them -- and not the bureaucracy. //
What a contrast to the dismal legacy of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go) Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
suffocated this community -- attracted crime, sheltered drugs,
shattered hope. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant
tract symbolizes the failure of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. / That a
system that puts government bureaucracy in charge of everything
leaves no room for individual dignity. / That a system that
warehouses people strips them of their humanity. / I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must change the system. //
Last November we signed the National Affordable Housing Act
-- the most radical departure in Federal housing policy in two
decades. / Its core is HOPE -- Homeownership and Opportunity for
People Everywhere. HOPE moves housing policy in a new direction.
It lets public housing residents like you to manage your property
-- and eventually own it. //
Although I am proud that under our Administration, the
number of residents groups training to become resident managers
has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do more. //
Today, 3 million people live in public housing. Yet barely
9,000 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding -- $855 million in FY 1992. We don't
3
just want a piece of the program. We want the whole package: one
million new homeowners by the end of 1992 / /
I also would like to announce two new initiatives today.
Initiatives that honor people's dignity and ability. //
The first is the Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of
1991, which I'm proud to say will be introduced in Congress next
week by your own Sen. John Danforth and by Sen. Joe Lieberman.
This act would plant the seeds for a real urban revival. It
designates up to 50 enterprise zones over a four-year period --
one of which very well could end up here in St Louis.
Now, you all understand the concept behind enterprize zones:
They convert poor neighborhoods into centers of work and
opportunity. They ensure that the most successful entrepreneur
in a neighborhood won't be a crack dealer. It will be the man or
woman who starts a business -- demonstrates the value of hard
work -- offers jobs to local residents.
You also know that you can't start up a business without
money. The bill also eliminates capital gains taxes on
development in the zone. It tells potential investors: Put your
money here.
It also gives enterprise zones priority for free trade area
status. That would let businesses in the zone import materials
duty-free, if the products are sold abroad.
True, we need even more profound tax reform. Right now no
group of people in this nation pays a higher or more devastating
tax than the working welfare mother. We must have a tax code
4
that rewards people who take care of themselves -- not one that
punishes people who do the right thing. Our tax code ought to
reward hard work and saving -- not dependency and consumption.
Our tax code ought to promote growth, investment,
entrepreneurship and opportunity throughout the land. That's why
I have tried repeatedly to get Congress to cut the capital gains
tax. That tax is a tax on the American dream.
The point is that we will not settle for cosmetic change.
You've had enough of that. The Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation
Act of 1991 makes it possible to turn communities that once were
redlined for despair and isolation -- into neighborhoods
greenlined for growth, jobs -- opportunity.
In that spirit, I am proud to announce a second initiative -
- The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- which we will transmit
to Congress today. This legislation rejects the idea that
"Washington Knows Best. " It challenges localities to develop
"community opportunity systems." These systems would enable poor
citizens to tailor federal programs to meet their actual needs.
The bill also lets federal officials set aside regulations that
might otherwise prevent citizens from devising programs that
work.
The Community Opportunity Act shifts power from the heavy
hand of the state to the dedicated hands of the people. I have
enough confidence in the American people to believe that they
will create new hope and opportunity --- that they will devise new
and effective solutions -- if we just give them a chance.
5
You don't want a crutch. They want a ladder to a better
future. And that is what we are determined to provide.
Most members of Congress say they want to revive our cities.
Now we can test them: I call on Congress to support our HOPE
program fully. I call on Congress to pass the Enterprise Zone
and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991. I call on Congress to enact the
Community Opportunity Act of 1991 -- soon. //
Bertha Gilkey once said: "We don't want to be taken care
of, we want to take care of ourselves. " / That is, to be treated
like human beings, not numbers in a housing report.
People in housing communities all across our land have said:
Yes. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. We want to own our homes. We want to control our
destinies. //
It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is
a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a
thing to be achieved. " //
You have made your choice. Now, you're making history.
Together, we can build upon your success. We can offer new
opportunity, new optimism, new hope to people condemned to daily
bleakness and hardship. Join me in pushing for HOPE and the two
initiatives we have announced today. Join me in daring America
to believe in you. You certainly have earned our faith.
Thank you for letting me share in your achievement. God
bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
234087SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
WED.
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
WED.
- MASTER-
RESPONSE:
Please see comments. CHUD'S have been
forged 40 you directly but also see additional
comments from cabinet affair.)
PHILLIP D. BRADY
manls. Holly williaman
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
mayl, 1991.
See Donrent
91 APR 30 AM11:16 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
(
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
and public housing
Sites throughout St. Louis.
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens, Gardens, Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
no
I an one of you. -Peters
with Secretary Kemp. ((I ( come here as a resident of public
too. And - Peters
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. 11 But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
on
the (press) )) 11
issembly
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over. ")) // Peters
But Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
a field of dreams
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an anvironment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. 11
well
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
you've shown us.
you've proved the okeptics
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to wrong. The
salute your example. 11 You've shown America what happens when Am.
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When dream can
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. // come true
forevery
American
(Petas)
202 266
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
11:54 16. T0 MAY
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. 11 You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
axample gives people around this nation hope. Pride. 11
What a contrast to
dismal experience
Contract your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it 1- EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very community neighborhood attracted crime, sheltered
smothered hope.
tract
drugs n' To me failure -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortoomings of past public-housing policy. 11
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government Dureaucracy in charge of everything leaves no
which
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
then
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life. then we
must ******** system. 11 that's exactly what we're going to d
change the
(our housing programs must respect individual dignity.) As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam that
low-income
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. 11 Together, we can make public housing a ladder of
opportunity out of poverty, into economic independence,
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the (when I signa
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
dramatic
housing policy in alrow direction. It lets public housing
303 293
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
11:55 T6. TO MAY
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. 11 We want to empower residents, not bureaucrates
It responds to a need Bartha Gilkey described when she said,
Spoke for the dreams of all
ON-INCOME people when She said:
We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves." / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Dublic Gilkey has communities carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. 11 We want ownership and control over our own destiny.
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
OMB
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. 11
live-maclure
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want can to help
aunch up to 100,000 40,000 residents in some 1200 400 public housing communities launched move Peters
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. 11 We want every resident of
[insert 0
(But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need Jobs have the
public housing to know that they
attached
[Phat+
right to
in back.
They need life. They need opportunities) 11
why
manage and
ultimately own
Congress must nove swiftly to pass our Interprise Zone and Jobs- their own
Creation Act We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
home.
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Coohren Gardens We work entropremeurs to BBC up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
In fact, there could should to 60 Enterpre Zone right here Mi your community .f
Congress will pass
POA 293
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
11155 16. TO MAY
4
Interprise Zones can Lurn poor heighborhoods theo potential
business senters. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
factory owner or fast food franchise -Paters
but the responsible businessman or woman.) Just as important, we
want & bax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner citles. //
won't settle for
we've
Let's remember. We den t want cosmetic change. You ve had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
VUCA)
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose, and pride, and opportunity.
also that
The community Opportunity Act of 1991 late communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. TT It cuts down on
Act
what government must do and increases what the individual BAY-
pe do
Peters
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
on by
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
firt
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
thing to be achieved." 11
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
here at Cochran Gardens. with HOPE funding, your
How, you're making history Thank you all very much for being triumphs
will be
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. repeated
across
the
By reclaiming your
country,
Now it's time for Congress to
community from the
make its choice. they can choose
throes of Crime, poverty and
of the the same past, or they can WADE place their faith the very brightest Light."
old bureaucra he approaches hopelessness, you are "Point among of
S0d E66
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
11:56 16. TO MAY / Peters)
DRAFT
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 3, 1991
91 APR 30 PM 8. 10
FACT SHEET
PROMOTING THE POWER OF COMMUNITIES
In his State of the Union Address, the President said: "The
strength of democracy is not in bureaucracy. It is in the people
and their communities
We must return to families, communities,
counties, cities, states and institutions of every kind the power
to chart their own destiny, and the freedom and opportunity
provided by strong economic growth.
On February 27, 1991, the President announced a series of
initiatives to expand choice and opportunity for individuals,
families, and communities. Today, the President reiterated his
call for policies to promote the power and opportunity of
communities.
In St. Louis today, the President announced that his
Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 will be introduced
in Congress next week and called on Congress to enact swiftly
this important legislation to create enterprise zones. He also
announced that the Community Opportunity Act of 1991 would be
transmitted to the Congress today. These two pieces of
legislation are vital components in the effort to revitalize
America's communities and to return flexibility to local
organizations to maximize opportunity for low-income people.
CREATING JOBS IN ENTERPRISE ZONES:
Enterprise zones will attack poverty by promoting investment
in economically distressed neighborhoods. Enterprise zones will
attract new seed capital for small business start-ups, create new
incentives for entrepreneurial risk-taking, and reduce high
effective tax rates on those moving to work from welfare.
708-2476
(more)
insert 1
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need opportunities. But to create more employees, we must
create more employers. That's why Congress must move swiftly to
pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs Creation Act which I'm
delighted to say will be introduced next week by your own
Senator, Jack Danforth and Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman.
If we succeed, there could be a federal Enterprise Zone
right here in St. Louis. Enterprise Zones can help turn poor
neighborhoods into centers of enterprise, jobs, and opportunity.
They offer the hope that the most successful businessman in this
neighborhood will not be the crack dealer, but the entrepreneur
who starts a business and offers jobs to local residents.
Most of all, minority entrepreneurs need access to start up
capital. That's one reason I've asked Congress to cut the
capital gains tax for the Nation and eliminate it in pockets of
poverty. Communities once redlined for despair would be
greenlined for growth, prosperity, and jobs.
The highest tax rates in America are faced by the welfare
mother who takes a job. Our job will not be complete until we
have achieved a tax code that rewards working and saving more
than welfare and consumption.
90d 266
COMM CEN HUD HQ WASH DC
11156 16. TO MAY
Document No. 234402
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: April 30, 1991
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 9:00 a.m. Thursday 05/02/91
SUBJECT: FACT SHEET - PROMOTING THE POWER OF COMMUNITIES
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
WILLIAMSON
DEMAREST
BOSKIN
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Holly Williamson, no
later than 9:00 a.m. Thursday 05/02, with a copy to this office.
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
DRAFT
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 3, 1991
91 APR 30 PM 8. 10
FACT SHEET
PROMOTING THE POWER OF COMMUNITIES
In his State of the Union Address, the President said: "The
strength of democracy is not in bureaucracy. It is in the people
and their communities
We must return to families, communities,
counties, cities, states and institutions of every kind the power
to chart their own destiny, and the freedom and opportunity
provided by strong economic growth.'
On February 27, 1991, the President announced a series of
initiatives to expand choice and opportunity for individuals,
families, and communities. Today, the President reiterated his
call for policies to promote the power and opportunity of
communities.
In St. Louis today, the President announced that his
Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 will be introduced
in Congress next week and called on Congress to enact swiftly
this important legislation to create enterprise zones. He also
announced that the Community Opportunity Act of 1991 would be
transmitted to the Congress today. These two pieces of
legislation are vital components in the effort to revitalize
America's communities and to return flexibility to local
organizations to maximize opportunity for low-income people.
CREATING JOBS IN ENTERPRISE ZONES:
Enterprise zones will attack poverty by promoting investment
in economically distressed neighborhoods. Enterprise zones will
attract new seed capital for small business start-ups, create new
incentives for entrepreneurial risk-taking, and reduce high
effective tax rates on those moving to work from welfare.
(more)
DRAFT
2
The Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 will
target tax incentives and regulatory relief to some of our
nation's most economically depressed areas.
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will
designate up to 50 (urban, rural, and Indian) enterprise
zones over a four year period. Designation will be based on
*
the level of distress, as well as on the nature and extent
of State and local efforts to improve living conditions and
to eliminate government burdens to economic activity.
Designation will be for a maximum of 24 years.
The legislation will provide tax incentives to attract seed
capital, stimulate employment, and increase the economic
return from work for the working poor:
--
Workers will be eligible for a 5 percent refundable tax
credit for the first $10,500 of wages earned in an
enterprise zone business. This will put up to $525
more income in the pockets of low-income workers. The
credit phases out between $20,000 and $25,000 of total
annual wages.
--
To spur investment, capital gains taxes will be
eliminated for gains on investment in tangible property
(e.g., buildings and equipment) used in a business
located in an enterprise zone for at least two years.
--
To encourage entrepreneurial risk-taking, individuals
will be permitted to expense investments in the capital
of corporations engaged in enterprise zone businesses.
This essentially provides an immediate write-off for
investments in enterprise zone businesses.
Corporations must have less than $5 million of total
assets. Expensing will be permitted up to $50,000
annually per investor, with a $250,000 lifetime limit.
This legislation will also give enterprise zone communities
priority for free trade area status. Such status would, for
example, allow a business in an enterprise zone to import
*
materials duty-free if the materials are used to manufacture
products for export to other countries.
Enterprise zones will reduce Federal tax revenues by $1.8
billion over five years.
(more)
DRAFT
3
REDUCING FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY AND ESTABLISHING OPPORTUNITY AREAS:
Programs providing social, welfare, health, education, and
nutritional services are often delivered in fragmented ways.
Allowing services to be integrated will better serve the
recipients of these programs and promote self-sufficiency and
opportunity.
O
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 will enable local
communities to develop "community opportunity systems" and
allow them to restructure Federal programs to provide
services and benefits in the way the community deems best to
meet the needs of the individuals and families served.
O
The legislation will allow a Federal administrator
designated by the President to recommend a budget-neutral
waiver of most Federal statutory and regulatory requirements
for any Federally funded program to be included in the
community's opportunity delivery system. The Federal
administrator will make recommendations regarding the waiver
requests to the relevant Federal agency heads.
Communities will be able to develop community opportunity
systems in which:
--
services and benefits can be integrated, combined, and
restructured at the community level;
--
the system is neighborhood- or community-based, with a
specified target group of beneficiaries;
--
the individuals and families served can participate in
the design of the system; and
--
the delivery system offers individuals and families in
the target group of beneficiaries the maximum choice
and control over the range, source, and objectives of
the services and benefits to be provided.
Each community opportunity system will have clear and
measurable goals and will be evaluated with regard to both
the short- and long-term outcomes.
# # #
234087SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 APR 31 PT:19
Wed,
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, THURSDAY MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
Wed.
RESPONSE:
See comments
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 APR 30 AMII: 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over.") //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. // You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam that
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves." / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. //
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. Only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities launched
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. //
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. // That's why
Congress must move swiftly to pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
Creation Act. We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Cochran Gardens. We want entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. // It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved. " //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
234087SS
Document No.
91 APR WHITE P1:19
HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
Wed.
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
1
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
RESPONSE: S.R Wed.
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 APR 30 AM 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over.") ) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. // You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves. / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. //
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. Only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities launched
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. / /
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. // That's why
Congress must move swiftly to pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
Creation Act. We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Cochran Gardens. We want entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. // It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved. " //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 5- 1-91 :12:25PM ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
2024566218:# 1
234087SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
wed.
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
Wed.
RESPONSE:
See attached
5/1 12:25pm.
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 5- 1-91 :12:26PM ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
2024566218:# 2
91 APR 30 AM11: 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. 11 But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press.) 11
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
st. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over.")) 11
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. 11
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. 11 You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. 11 When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. 11
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 5- 1-91 :12:26PM ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
2024566218:# 3
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. 11 You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. 11
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. 11
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. 11
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. 11
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 5- 1-91 ;12:27PM ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
2024566218;# 4
dellar
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. 11
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves." / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. 11
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. 11
live
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. Only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities launched
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. 11
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. 11 That's why
Congress must move swiftly to pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
Creation Act. We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Cochran Gardens. We want entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 5- 1-91 ;12:27PM ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
20245662181# 5
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. 11
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change.
We You've had
of
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. 11 It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. 11
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved. 11
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Date: 4/30/91
TO:
Tay Snew
FROM:
Room Office CLARK 100, of KENT National OEOB, ERVIN Service x6266 fice
Action
Your Comment
Let's Talk
FYI
Attached are me throughts in the
St. Louis speed.
L
234087SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM APR 31
Wed.
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
\
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
Wed.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 APR 30 AMII: 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
I am one of you.
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ( (I come here as a resident of public
too
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
And
to, "It seems like it 11 never be over. ")) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
It's not
see an area once called Little Nam 17 replaced by an environment
11
over
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, .1 come here today to
salute your example. // You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
you've proved the sheptics wrong. The
American American. dream can come true for every
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
them
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam that
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
3
residents like you to le manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves." / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. //
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. Only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
move
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities launched
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. //
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. // That's why
Congress must move swiftly to pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
Creation Act. We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Cochran Gardens. We want entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. //
factory
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
owner
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
or
fust
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
food
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
franchisee
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. // It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved." //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history A Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
By reclaiming your community from the throes of
crime, powerty and hopelessness, you are a mg the very
brightest Prints of light.
234087SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
It APR
4/30/91
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
SUBJECT:
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
>
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this office
NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, MAY 1. Thank you.
WEDNESDAY,
RESPONSE:
Olide
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 APR 30 AMII: 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over. ) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. // You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves.' / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. //
Today, 3 million people living in public housing. Only
9,355 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities launched
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. //
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. // That's why
Congress must move swiftly to pass our Enterprise Zone and Jobs-
Creation Act. We want grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas
stations, and other small businesses to settle in places like
Cochran Gardens. We want entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents.
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. // It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved. " //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#.
#
(Grossman/Smith)
May 1, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over. ") ) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam -- a war zone of drugs and
decay -- replaced by an environment where children can play /
learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. //
2
You've shown America what happens when people are freed to
take control of their communities. // When men and women seize
their homes and streets from drug dealers. // When playgrounds
become safe harbors for children, not safe havens for criminals.
// You don't live in a project. You have turned apartment
blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your example gives
people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. / That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. / That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. / I'm here
to say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam that
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs, and
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
3
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves. " / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. / /
Today, 3 million people live in public housing. Yet barely
9,000 units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress
to give us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help
launch 40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities
towards homeownership by the end of 1992. //
Accords
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
Megion is in
in
They need opportunities. // That's why I am proud to announce
that the Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 will be
introduced in Congress next week. I call on the Congress to act
4
swiftly / to pass this legislation / and so encourage grocery
stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas stations, and other small
businesses to settle in places like Cochran Gardens. //
This Act designates up to 50 enterprise zones over a four-
year period. Helping entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents. / It will turn
poor neighborhoods into potential business centers -- and offer
the hope that the biggest businessman in this neighborhood will
not be the crack dealer, but the responsible businessman or
woman. /
As part of this legislation, I also call on Congress to give
enterprise zone communities priority for free trade area status -
- and to eliminate capital gains taxes on investment such as
buildings and property. We want a tax code that will not punish
people who take responsible jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. The
Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 means real change
-- giving our communities a sense of purpose and pride. It will
help ensure the strong and stable economy that is the surest
guarantee of social justice. //
Toward that end, I am proud to announce that The Community
Opportunity Act of 1991 will also be transmitted to Congress
5
today. Legislation which will let communities decide how federal
programs can best address individual, family, and community
needs. //
This Act will enable localities to develop "community
opportunity systems" and restructure Federal programs. It shifts
power from the heavy hand of the state, to the hands that run
your city. // We want to restore Urban America's body so that
America can throw wide her heart. This legislation does that.
It cuts down on what government must do -- and increases what the
individual may do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved." //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens, have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
91 APR 30 AMII: 16
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over.")) 11
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. // You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. //
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
4
Enterprise Zones can turn poor neighborhoods into potential
business centers. They offer the hope that the biggest
businessman in this neighborhood will not be the crack dealer,
but the responsible businessman or woman. Just as important, we
want a tax code that will not punish people who take responsible
jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. We must
restore to our communities a sense of purpose and pride.
The Community Opportunity Act of 1991 lets communities
figure out how to make federal programs address individual,
family, and community needs. It shifts power from the heavy hand
of the state, to the hands that run the home. // It cuts down on
what government must do -- and increases what the individual may
do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved. " //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
(Smith/Grossman)
April 30, 1991
Draft Four
COCHRAN
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HOUSING EVENT
COCHRAN GARDENS, ST. LOUIS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991
Secretary Kemp, Bertha Gilkey, head of the National Tenant
Union. (acknowlegments) Residents of Cochran Gardens. Ladies and
gentlemen. /
First, let me say how pleased I am to be in St. Louis, along
with Secretary Kemp. ((I come here as a resident of public
housing. Like you, I've tried to get some troublemakers evicted
from my block. // But then Barbara reminded me about freedom of
the press. )) //
Second, I promise to be brief. ((After all, it was one of
St. Louis' favorite sons, Yogi Berra, who said, "It's not over
till it's over." Then he heard one of my speeches and changed it
to, "It seems like it'll never be over.") ) //
Yogi would have loved what I've just seen -- your new
children's playground. I can't describe how wonderful it is to
see an area once called Little Nam replaced by an environment
where children can play / learn / dream / grow. //
Missouri, of course, is known as the "Show Me" state. But
while you are known for your skepticism, I come here today to
salute your example. // You've shown America what happens when
people are freed to take control of their communities. // When
men and women seize their homes and streets from drug dealers. //
2
When playgrounds become safe harbors for children, not safe
havens for criminals. // You don't live in a project. You have
turned apartment blocks into homes, tenants into neighbors. Your
example gives people around this nation hope. Pride. //
Contrast your success with the failure of projects like the
Pruitt-Igoe (PREW it - EYE go). Think of how Pruitt-Igoe
blighted this very neighborhood -- attracted crime, sheltered
drugs. / To me -- to many of us here -- that vacant lot
symbolizes the shortcomings of past public-housing policy. //
Today, more and more Americans know that the solutions of
the 1960s can't meet the challenges of the Nineties. That a
system that puts government in charge of everything leaves no
room for individual dignity. That a system that warehouses
people strips those people of their basic humanity. I'm here to
say: If the system's not helping build a better life, then we
must help build a better system. //
Our housing programs must respect individual dignity. As we
enter the next American century, we must break the logjam that
prevents poor Americans from breaking free. We must broaden
access to the basics of the good life: home ownership, jobs,
quality education. 11
Last November we moved toward those goals by signing the
National Affordable Housing Act -- the most radical departure in
Federal housing policy in two decades. / Its core is HOPE --
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere. HOPE moves
housing policy in a new direction. It lets public housing
3
residents like you to manage your property -- and eventually own
it. //
It responds to a need Bertha Gilkey described when she said:
"We don't want to be taken care of, we want to be trained how to
take care of ourselves. If / That is, to be treated like human
beings, not just as statistics to be warehoused in projects.
Bertha Gilkey has carried her message across America, and
Americans in housing projects have said: Yes, that is what we
want. We want dignity. We want independence. We want
responsibility. //
This crusade is but a start. Although I am proud that under
our Administration, the number of residents groups training to
become resident managers has leaped from 13 to 100, we must do
more. //
Today, 3 million people live in public housing. Only 9,355
units are managed by their residents. I call on Congress to give
us full funding for the HOPE Initiative. We want to help launch
40,000 residents in some 400 public housing communities towards
homeownership by the end of 1992. //
But neighborhoods need more than houses. They need jobs.
They need life. They need opportunities. // That's why I am
proud to announce that the Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act
of 1991 will be introduced in Congress next week. I call on the
Congress to act swiftly / to pass this legislation / and so
encourage grocery stores, shops, dry cleaners, gas stations, and
other small businesses to settle in places like Cochran Gardens. /
4
This Act designates up to 50 enterprise zones over a four-
year period. Helping entrepreneurs to set up their own
businesses, and offer jobs to local residents. / It will turn
poor neighborhoods into potential business centers -- and offer
the hope that the biggest businessman in this neighborhood will
not be the crack dealer, but the responsible businessman or
woman. / As part of this legislation, I also call on Congress to
give enterprise zone communities priority for free trade area
status -- and to eliminate capital gains taxes on investment such
as buildings and property. We want a tax code that will not
punish people who take responsible jobs in the inner cities. //
Let's remember. We don't want cosmetic change. You've had
enough of that. We don't want to clean up things just for
appearances, and turn our backs when times get tough. The
Enterprise Zone and Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 means real change
-- giving our communities a sense of purpose and pride. It will
help ensure the strong and stable economy that is the surest
guarantee of social justice. //
Toward that end, I am proud to announce that The Community
Opportunity Act of 1991 will also be transmitted to Congress
today. Legislation which will let communities figure out how to
make federal programs address individual, family, and community
needs. //
This Act will enable localities to develop "community
opportunity systems" and restructure Federal programs. It shifts
power from the heavy hand of the state, to the hands that run the
5
home. // We want to restore Urban America's body so that America
can throw wide her heart. This legislation does that. It cuts
down on what government must do -- and increases what the
individual may do. //
These are great goals -- worthy of this State, and of our
Nation. It makes us all active partners in building a better
future. It once was said: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it
is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is
a thing to be achieved." //
You, the people of Cochran Gardens, have made your choice.
Now, you're making history. Thank you all very much for being
here. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#