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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:
13625
Folder ID Number:
13625-011
Folder Title:
Los Angeles Town Hall 5/29/92 [OA 6102]
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26
18
2
5
330238SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
5/28/92
---
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LOS ANGELES TOWN HALL
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1992
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
ROLLINS
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
MCGROARTY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
AIP FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:47
PG.01
(Ferguson/Grossman)
May 28, 1992
TOWNHALL
Draft Four
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LOS ANGELES TOWN HALL
12:10 P.M.
MAY 29, 1992
[Acknowledgments]
This morning I once again visited the riot-torn areas of
this city. We have a long way to go. But I was struck by the
progress already made in bringing a great city back. This
remarkable effort has brought together federal, state and local
officials, and most importantly, thousands of volunteers and
private organizations. Yes, Los Angeles will come back -- and
with all due respect, I hope that the news media will tell this
heartening story loud and clear -- and give it as much attention
as the looters and rioters received a few weeks ago.
As you know, at the outset of the riots I pledged to do
whatever was necessary to restore order. I ordered the
federalization of the National Guard and dispatched several
thousand federal law enforcement officials to L.A.; we also had
several thousand troops stand by for any contingency. I have
been pleased to hear that our swift: response did a great deal to
stabilize a tragic and volatile situation.
We were also able to get disaster relief to Los Angeles in
record time: Seven relief centers opened in the first week after
the rioting, three more a few days later; housing assistance
checks were being mailed to applicants within three days; and the
Small Business Administration was able to approve loans in three
weeks -- a process that normally takes three months. Our
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:47
PG.02
2
responsse was massive and quick -- to all the people who made it
work, my thanks for a job well done.
I'm proud of what the federal government has done, but there
should be no misunderstanding: federal assistance offers no
reward for rioting. This help has been directed to the victims,
not the perpetrators, of violence. To the criminals who
subjected this city to three days of terror and hate, the message
must be clear and unequivocal: lawlessness cannot be explained
away. It will not be excused. And it will be punished.
In the starkest possible terms, this tragedy made clear the
great unfinished business we face as a nation. I would like to
speak to you now of what we must dc to bring hope and opportunity
to urban America. Today I make this pledge: we will rebuild our
cities. We must learn the lessons of what happened here -- and
then we must strike a new course, different from the old one,
doing away with the failed blueprints of the past.
What are the lessons? Some people tell us that the
hopelessness in urban America is a simple matter of economics, of
jobs. Others say no, the answer lies in tougher rigorous law
enforcement -- in safer streets.
This is a false choice. Of course the best anti-poverty
program is a job. A job provides more than money -- it teaches
dignity and self-reliance, the first rungs on the economic
ladder. But jobs don't get created in the wake of a crime wave.
The first lesson of L.A., then, is a simple one. To ensure
domestic tranquility, to protect lives and property, this is the
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:48
PG.03
3
first duty of government, the prerequisite to promoting the
general welfare. There can be no opportunity, no hope, in a
community where decent citizens are held hostage to the whims of
thugs.
Some people say that talking about crime and safe
neighborhoods is playing politics. They're wrong. Playgrounds
overrun by gangs, senior citizens locked behind triple-bolted
doors, mothers shot through open kitchen windows -- this is not
the America we want. Making neighborhoods safe isn't politics;
it's simple decency. It's the right thing to do. Period.
Other people say our urban problems are only about money -
- taxpayer money -- your money. They tell us the solution lies
in ever higher government spending. This is another false choice
-- more federal money versus less -- as if the problems of our
inner cities are simply the result of a lack of federal funds.
They are not. Over the last 25 years, we have spent the
staggering sum of $3.2 trillion on our social welfare system --
now well over $200 billion a year. And the fact is, in hopes of
eliminating poverty, we spent more money in the eighties than we
did in the seventies, more in the seventies than in the sixties.
For all the good intentions, decay and despair has only seeped
deeper into our inner cities. But the tragedy isn't about wasted
money -- it's about wasted lives.
That fact points to the second lesson of Los Angeles: For
those left behind, the system itself is broken. We won't fix it
with a simple increase in federal funds. You don't pump more gas
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:55
PG.01
4
into a car that doesn't run. You lift the hood, roll up your
sleeves, and get to work. We need to overhaul the engine.
To start with, we must stand back for a moment and ask
ourselves the basic question -- How has the cystem failed? What
went wrong?
The American dream is based on the belief if you get a good
education, find a job, work hard, raise a family, you will
prosper. Our free economy, in which the important decisions are
made by the people themselves, makes this possible.
But decent people in the inner cities, particularly low-
income people, labor under an entirely different set. of rules --
some laid down by the lawless, others laid down by government.
As the bureaucratic power of government has grown in the inner
cities, the power of the residents there to shape their own lives
has steadily declined. All around the world we have seen the
collapse of governmental systems that try to control the lives of
their citizens. From Moscow to Managua the result is the same:
When government bureaucracies make decisions that are best left
to free men and women, poverty and despair inevitably follow.
The terrible irony is this: while these systems die in every
corner of the globe, one endures right here -- in our inner
cities.
The system operates according to an unspoken premise -- that
Americans who live in depressed neighborhoods are incapable of
making the decisions that other Americans make every day. It
assumes they are unable to take advantage of the same
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:56
PG.02
5
opportunities Americans have always used to better their lives.
worst of all, it presumes they don't even want to.
That's wrong. That's not compassion -- it's condescension
and paternalism. And there's no room for it in America.
Think how the system works for: families in the inner city:
They find their choices and opportunities restricted at every
turn. If you live in public housing, the government forbids you
from buying your apartment, turning it into a private home, and
building equity. If you want to gave your kids a shot at a
decent education, the government tells you where you have to send
them to school, even if crack-dealers have taken over the
playground. If you save to send your kids to college, you're
accused of welfare fraud. If you marry someone with a full time
job, you're penalized with a loss of income.
If you're still more ambitious, and strive to open a
business, to create jobs in your neighborhood, you face an
informal redline. The costs of government regulation and capital
are already too high for our entreprenuers; in the inner city,
you must add to these the extra expenses of job training and
security, plus the reluctance of investors to bring capital into
your neighborhood.
No wonder the system doesn't work; no wonder it breeds
irresponsibility and despair. It rejects a fundamental principle
of a free society: people will not act responsibly if they're
never given responsibility.
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:50
PG.05
6
So the third lesson is the simplest of all: if we have the
courage to act, we can fix the system. But we have got to start
now. We have the right principles, we have a straightforward
plan. First, it makes government services, especially law
enforcement, more responsive; and second, it returns decision-
making power to individuals and communities and gives them a
stake in their own future. why will it succeed? Because it
takes what works for the rest of America and brings it to our
inner cities. And that's long overdue.
That is what we must do now. In the wake of the riots, I
met with congressional leaders of both parties at the White
House, and I presented them with a six-point plan of action -- a
plan for a New America. We talked. We found common ground. We
agreed that action was urgent. That was three weeks ago. Since
then, nothing has happened on Capitol Hill. I still hope that
Congress can put partisanship aside in this difficult election
year. That means doing something important now for people who
urgently need help. It means making this nation a nation of
opportunity for all its people.
Let me briefly outline our plan.
First, we must attack crime with everything we've got. I
urge Congress, once again, to pass my comprehensive crime bill.
The bill goes back to the fundamentals: If you commit a crime,
you will be caught -- if you're caught, you will be convicted --
if you're convicted, by God, you will go to jail.
7
To redouble our war on crime, we have also launched an
initiative I call Weed and Seed. with increased federal
resources, we can weed out the criminals from our inner cities,
and then seed those areas with a concentration of social
services, so that crime can no longer take root.
Second, we need to streamline the jumble of federal job
training programs. Our Job Training 2000 initiative will offer
"one-stop shopping" for those who want training but can't get it
now. For example, in my conversation with Governor Wilson
earlier today, I let him know of a new $12 million Labor
Department effort targetted to rebuild L.A.'s employment base.
Third, as Jack Kemp has said SIO often, we must turn the
redline into the greenline around our cities -- to cut the costs
of opening an inner-city business and creating jobs. That's what
enterprise zones are all about. As you know, I've asked Congress
to cut the capital gains tax on all Americans. In America's
inner cities, where the need is moist urgent, we should cut it to
zero -- eliminate it entirely. That's how you bring real jobs to
the inner city.
<<And here's an open invitation to the mayors of America's
cities and a challenge to the Congress: If you meet the
criteria, instead of fifty enterprise zones for America, every
deserving neighborhood will become one.
Fourth, we must extend the principle of private property in
the inner city. That means homeownership. Our HOPE initiative
will for the first time allow residents the chance to turn public
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:58
PG.05
8
housing into private homes. The principle is simple: ownership
gives people a stake in their neighborhoods; it instills pride
and a sense of responsibility for what happens there.
Fifth, welfare reform to strip away the penalties for
people who want to work, save, and start a family. Any genuine
reform must meet three tests: It must encourage individual
responsibility; it must promote economic independence through
work; and it must promote and sustain stable family life. Our
welfare system is a travesty and 1t:'s got to change.
Sixth, education reform. Every American child deserves a
shot at a world-class education. And that means developing
break-the-mold schools free of drugs and violence; it means
community support for high standards and educational excellence.
And it means that whether a family lives in the inner city or the
suburbs -- parents should be able to choose their children's
schools. <<Referendum issue comment>>
Each of the steps I've outlined here will work to restore a
sense of self-sufficiency, of personal dignity, to inner city
residents. But let's be honest: the problems we face can't be
solved simply by adjusting economic inputs and outputs. Human
beings respond to more than tax codes and bureaucratic rules. We
are motivated first and foremost by values, by a sense of what is
right and what is wrong.
If we are to take values seriously, and we must, we should
summon the courage to be frank about them. The word "values" is
not relative; values deal in absolutes. They separate right from
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 02:59
PG.06
9
wrong, virtue from vice. If we are to speak of values, then, we
must be prepared to praise certain kinds of behavior and, just as
important, condemn others.
when a man and a woman -- or worse, a boy and a girl --
conceive a child that they are unprepared to care for, that is
wrong, and society should not be afraid to say so. When a person
succumbs to drug abuse or alcoholism, knowing full well the
suffering he causes friends and loved ones, that is wrong. When
a man abandons his family, that is wrong. when a person chooses
the narcotic of welfare over the opportunity of work, that is
wrong, and the responsibility is his own.
The federal government cannot teach values. But it can
create an environment where decent values take root and grow. In
every neighborhood in America, there are well-springs of
traditional values. when I was last in Los Angeles, I had the
privilege of meeting with the kids at the Challengers Boys and
Girls Club. The club was founded by a remarkable man, Lou
Dantzler. Lou works day and night to instill in these kids a
sense of right and wrong, the habits they will need to succeed.
In the gym where I spoke, huge, hand-printed signs covered the
walls. And the signs said: "Preparation is the key to success."
"Always have a positive attitude." "Education plus hard work
plus discipline equals achievement."
In this sophisticated age, I suppose some people might find
these old home-truths corny. I don't, and I'm sure Lou
AIR FORCE ONE
FRI 29 MAY 92 03:00
PG.01
10
Dantzler's kids don't either. They've learned something that
Americans across the generations have learned: traditional values
bring hope in place of despair; they hold the power to change a
neighborhood, to change a city, to change lives.
This is a time of great change for America. Change breeds
uncertainty, and skepticism. I understand that. But I
understand this, too: The skeptics won't do the work that needs
to be done. People like Lou Dantzler will. He -- and the
millions of Americans like him -- are what make America a rising
nation, a country buoyed by the hopes and determination of people
who refuse to settle for the way things are. Their faith is the
best antidote to pessimism, the surest proof that the best days
of America, the greatest and freest nation on earth, still lie
before us.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
COPKAS FAXED-
May 28, 1992
FOR FILE.
MEMORANDUM FOR DAVID DEMAREST
ANDY FERGUSON
FROM:
DAN MC GROARTY
SUBJECT: TOWN HALL
p. 1 para. 3 on POTUS' swift actions -- Is this too direct in
claim-grabbing? Would it be better to recast, and let POTUS, in
effect, think back to the decisions he made on the day and
evening of May 1? This could make the same point
p. 4 para. 3 -- Add CAPS: "The American dream is built on
principles that -- RIGHT NOW -- simply do not apply in OUR inner
cities." (Otherwise, this could be misconstrued.)
p. 5 para 3 -- Be careful here to establish the sympathetic note
necessary to make the criticism -- condemn the system, not the
people trapped by it. May want to ADD as preface: "IMAGINE WHAT
YOUR LIFE WOULD BE LIKE ON WELFARE
"
p. 8 para 2 last sentence -- "When a person chooses welfare
that is wrong, etc. " Agreed; but fact is, must don't choose
welfare. This sentence will sting. I'd rewrite to say: "When a
person chooses TO MAKE WELFARE NOT A WAY-STATION BUT A LIFE-
STYLE...." Or some such.
Re Welfare principles:
"Policies:
That make a connection between welfare and work.
That encourage personal responsibility.
In place of the old programs that perpetuate dependence --
policies that promote independence."
There are many, many great passages in this draft. Good
luck in keeping them there. Hope you're having a great ride out.
# # #
LOS ANGELES TOWN HALL
MAY 29, 1992
12:10 P.M.
PAT.
THANK YOU, LOD COOK. GREETINGS TO MAYOR BRADLEY,
SAVU
GOVERNOR WILSON, AND TWO OF YOUR FORMER GOVERNORS --
GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN AND PAT BROWN. SECRETARY KEMP, AND
ADRIENNE MEDAWAR, PRESIDENT OF TOWN HALL OF CALIFORNIA.
was OVER IN S.CENg TAILKING
THIS MORNING I ONCE AGAIN VISITED THE RIOT-TORN
WSOME
AREAS OF THIS CITY. WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. BUT I OF
WAS STRUCK BY THE PROGRESS ALREADY MADE IN BRINGING A THE
GREAT CITY BACK. THIS REMARKABLE EFFORT HAS BROUGHT PEOPLE
TOGETHER FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS, AND MOST TRYIN
IMPORTANTLY, THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS, CHURCHES AND
TO
NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS. I THINK WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH OF THE put
HORRIBLE IMAGES -- OVER AND OVER -- HOW ABOUT SOME OF
Alls
X
THAT
THE WONDERFUL THINGS GOING ON? YES, LOS ANGELES WILL
NEIGER
COME BACK. AND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I HOPE THAT THE
BAZE
NEWS MEDIA WILL TELL THIS HEARTENING STORY LOUD AND
CLEAR -- AND GIVE IT AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE LOOTERS
AND RIOTERS RECEIVED A FEW WEEKS AGO.
- 2 -
AS YOU KNOW, AT THE OUTSET OF THE RIOTS I PLEDGED
TO DO WHATEVER WAS NECESSARY TO RESTORE ORDER. I
ORDERED THE FEDERALIZATION OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND
DISPATCHED SEVERAL THOUSAND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS TO L.A.; WE ALSO HAD SEVERAL THOUSAND TROOPS
STAND BY FOR ANY CONTINGENCY. I HAVE BEEN PLEASED TO
HEAR THAT OUR SWIFT RESPONSE DID A GREAT DEAL TO
STABILIZE AN EXPLOSIVE SITUATION.
WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO GET DISASTER RELIEF TO LOS
ANGELES IN RECORD TIME: SEVEN RELIEF CENTERS OPENED IN
THE FIRST WEEK AFTER THE RIOTING, THREE MORE A FEW DAYS
LATER; HOUSING ASSISTANCE CHECKS WERE BEING MAILED TO
APPLICANTS WITHIN THREE DAYS; AND THE SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION WAS ABLE TO APPROVE LOANS IN WEEKS
INSTEAD OF MONTHS. OUR RESPONSE WAS MASSIVE AND QUICK
-- TO MY TEAM LED BY DAVID KEARNS AND AL DELLABOVI, AND
TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT WORK, MY THANKS FOR A JOB
WELL DONE.
- 3 -
I'M PROUD OF WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS ABLE
TO DO, BUT THERE SHOULD BE NO MISUNDERSTANDING: FEDERAL
ASSISTANCE OFFERS NO REWARD FOR RIOTING. THIS HELP HAS
BEEN DIRECTED TO THE VICTIMS, NOT THE PERPETRATORS, OF
VIOLENCE. TO THE CRIMINALS WHO SUBJECTED THIS CITY TO
THREE DAYS OF TERROR AND HATE, THE MESSAGE MUST BE
UNEQUIVOCAL: LAWLESSNESS CANNOT BE EXPLAINED AWAY. IT
WILL NOT BE EXCUSED. AND IT WILL BE PUNISHED.
IN THE STARKEST POSSIBLE TERMS, THIS TRAGEDY MADE
CLEAR THE GREAT UNFINISHED BUSINESS WE FACE AS A
NATION. WE MUST STRIKE A NEW COURSE. WE WILL REBUILD
OUR CITIES -- AND WE CAN -- BUT ONLY IF WE LEARN THE
LESSONS OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE. WHAT ARE THE LESSONS?
SOME PEOPLE TELL US THAT THE HOPELESSNESS IN URBAN
AMERICA IS A SIMPLE MATTER OF ECONOMICS, OF JOBS.
OTHERS SAY NO, THE ANSWER LIES IN TOUGHER LAW
ENFORCEMENT -- IN SAFER STREETS.
r
- 4 -
THIS IS A FALSE CHOICE. OF COURSE THE BEST ANTI-
POVERTY PROGRAM IS A JOB. A JOB PROVIDES MORE THAN
MONEY -- IT TEACHES DIGNITY AND SELF-RELIANCE, THE
FIRST RUNGS ON THE ECONOMIC LADDER. MORE THAN THAT IT
GIVES THEM HOPE. BUT JOBS DON'T GET CREATED IN THE
WAKE OF A CRIME WAVE. THE FIRST LESSON OF L.A., THEN,
IS A SIMPLE ONE. THE PRIMARY DUTY OF GOVERNMENT IS TO
PROTECT THE SAFETY OF LIVES AND PROPERTY. THERE CAN BE
NO OPPORTUNITY, NO HOPE, IN A COMMUNITY WHERE DECENT
CITIZENS ARE HELD HOSTAGE TO GANGS OF CRIMINALS.
I KNOW THIS IS A CAMPAIGN YEAR. AND EVERY TIME
SOMEONE MENTIONS CRIME OR LAW AND ORDER THE ACCUSATIONS
FLY ABOUT "PLAYING THE RACE CARD." LET ME JUST SAY,
STOP RIGHT THERE. THERE IS NOTHING RACIST OR DIVISIVE
XAI
ABOUT PROTECTING DECENT PEOPLE FROM CRIME. SOME PEOPLE
SAY IT'S PLAYING POLITICS. WELL THEY'RE JUST PLAIN
WRONG. PLAYGROUNDS OVERRUN BY GANGS, SENIOR CITIZENS
LOCKED BEHIND TRIPLE-BOLTED DOORS, MOTHERS SHOT THROUGH
OPEN KITCHEN WINDOWS -- THIS IS NOT THE AMERICA WE
WANT. MAKING NEIGHBORHOODS SAFE ISN'T POLITICS; IT'S
SIMPLE DECENCY. IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. PERIOD.
3
- 5 -
OTHER PEOPLE SAY OUR URBAN PROBLEMS ARE ONLY ABOUT
MONEY -- TAXPAYER MONEY -- YOUR MONEY. THEY TELL US
THE SOLUTION LIES IN EVER HIGHER GOVERNMENT SPENDING.
THIS IS ANOTHER FALSE CHOICE -- MORE FEDERAL MONEY
VERSUS LESS -- AS IF THE PROBLEMS OF OUR INNER CITIES
ARE SIMPLY THE RESULT OF A LACK OF FEDERAL FUNDS. THEY
ARE NOT. LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS: OVER THE LAST 25
YEARS, WE HAVE SPENT THE STAGGERING SUM OF $3.2
TRILLION ON OUR SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEM. AND THE FACT
IS, IN HOPES OF ELIMINATING POVERTY, WE SPENT MORE
MONEY IN THE EIGHTIES THAN WE DID IN THE SEVENTIES,
MORE IN THE SEVENTIES THAN IN THE SIXTIES. FOR ALL THE
GOOD INTENTIONS, DECAY AND DESPAIR HAVE ONLY SEEPED
DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO OUR INNER CITIES. BUT THE
TRAGEDY ISN'T ABOUT WASTED MONEY -- IT'S ABOUT WASTED
LIVES.
- 6 -
THAT FACT POINTS TO THE SECOND LESSON OF LOS
ANGELES: FOR THOSE LEFT BEHIND, THE SYSTEM ITSELF IS
BROKEN. WE WON'T FIX IT WITH A SIMPLE INCREASE IN
FEDERAL FUNDS. YOU DON'T PUMP MORE GAS INTO A CAR THAT
DOESN'T RUN. YOU LIFT THE HOOD, ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES,
AND GET TO WORK. WE NEED TO OVERHAUL THE ENGINE.
SO WE START WITH THE MOST THE BASIC QUESTION -- HOW
HAS THE SYSTEM FAILED? WHAT WENT WRONG?
THE
AMERICAN DREAM IS BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT IF YOU GET A
GOOD EDUCATION, FIND A JOB, WORK HARD, RAISE A FAMILY,
SAVE FOR THE FUTURE -- YOU WILL PROSPER. OUR FREE
ECONOMY, IN WHICH THE IMPORTANT DECISIONS ARE MADE BY
THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES, MAKES THIS POSSIBLE.
BUT DECENT PEOPLE IN THE INNER CITIES, PARTICULARLY
THOSE WITH LOW INCOMES, LABOR UNDER AN ENTIRELY
DIFFERENT SET OF RULES -- SOME LAID DOWN BY THE
LAWLESS, OTHERS LAID DOWN BY GOVERNMENT. AS THE
BUREAUCRATIC POWER OF GOVERNMENT HAS GROWN IN THE INNER
CITIES, THE POWER OF THE RESIDENTS THERE TO SHAPE THEIR
OWN LIVES -- TO MAKE THE IMPORTANT DECISIONS -- HAS
STEADILY DECLINED.
- 7 -
THE SYSTEM OPERATES ON AN UNSPOKEN PREMISE -- THAT
AMERICANS WHO LIVE IN DEPRESSED NEIGHBORHOODS ARE
INCAPABLE OF MAKING THE DECISIONS THAT OTHER AMERICANS
MAKE EVERY DAY. IT ASSUMES THEY ARE UNABLE TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AMERICANS HAVE
ALWAYS USED TO BETTER THEIR LIVES. WORST OF ALL, IT
PRESUMES THEY DON'T EVEN WANT TO.
THAT'S WRONG. THAT'S NOT COMPASSION -- IT'S
CONDESCENSION AND PATERNALISM. AND THERE'S NO ROOM FOR
IT IN AMERICA.
SUIDENCE
THINK HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS FOR FAMILIES IN THE
CITY: THEY FIND THEIR CHOICES AND OPPORTUNITIES
RESTRICTED AT EVERY TURN. IF YOU LIVE IN PUBLIC
HOUSING, THE GOVERNMENT FORBIDS YOU FROM OWNING YOUR
APARTMENT, MAKING IT A PRIVATE HOME, AND BUILDING
EQUITY. IF YOU WANT TO GIVE YOUR KIDS A DECENT
EDUCATION, THE GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU WHERE TO SEND THEM
TO SCHOOL, EVEN IF CRACK-DEALERS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE
PLAYGROUND. IF YOU SAVE TO SEND YOUR KIDS TO COLLEGE,
YOU'RE ACCUSED OF WELFARE FRAUD. IF YOU MARRY SOMEONE
WITH A FULL-TIME JOB, YOU'RE PENALIZED WITH A LOSS OF
INCOME.
- 8 -
IF YOU'RE STILL MORE AMBITIOUS, AND TRY TO OPEN A
BUSINESS, TO CREATE JOBS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU FACE
AN INFORMAL REDLINE. GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND CAPITAL
ARE ALREADY TOO EXPENSIVE FOR OUR ENTREPRENEURS; IN THE
INNER CITY, ADD THE EXTRA EXPENSES OF JOB TRAINING AND
SECURITY, PLUS THE RELUCTANCE OF INVESTORS TO BRING
CAPITAL AND CREDIT INTO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
NO WONDER THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK; NO WONDER IT
BREEDS IRRESPONSIBILITY AND DESPAIR. IT REJECTS A
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF A FREE SOCIETY: PEOPLE WILL
ACT RESPONSIBLY IF THEY'RE GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY. THE
CONVERSE IS ALSO TRUE: PEOPLE WON'T ACT RESPONSIBLY IF
THEY'RE DENIED RESPONSIBILITY. IS IT ANY WONDER THAT
PEOPLE WITH NO CHANCE TO OWN PROPERTY DON'T RESPECT THE
PROPERTY OF OTHERS?
- 9 -
so THE THIRD LESSON IS THE SIMPLEST OF ALL: IF WE
HAVE THE COURAGE TO ACT, WE CAN FIX THIS SYSTEM. BUT
WE HAVE GOT TO START NOW. WE HAVE THE RIGHT
PRINCIPLES, AND WE HAVE DEVELOPED A STRAIGHTFORWARD
PLAN -- A PLAN FOR A NEW AMERICA. FIRST, IT MAKES
GOVERNMENT SERVICES, ESPECIALLY LAW ENFORCEMENT, MORE
RESPONSIVE; AND SECOND, IT RETURNS DECISION-MAKING
POWER TO INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES, AND GIVES THEM A
STAKE IN THEIR OWN FUTURE. WHY WILL IT WORK? BECAUSE
IT TAKES WHAT WORKS FOR THE REST OF AMERICA AND BRINGS
IT TO OUR INNER CITIES. AND THAT'S LONG OVERDUE.
IN THE WAKE OF THE RIOTS, I MET WITH CONGRESSIONAL
LEADERS OF BOTH PARTIES AT THE WHITE HOUSE, AND I
PRESENTED THEM WITH THE NEW AMERICA PLAN. WE TALKED.
WE FOUND COMMON GROUND. WE AGREED THAT THE NEED FOR
ACTION WAS URGENT. THAT WAS THREE WEEKS AGO. SINCE
THEN, NOTHING HAS HAPPENED ON CAPITOL HILL. I STILL
HOPE THAT CONGRESS CAN PUT PARTISANSHIP ASIDE IN THIS
DIFFICULT ELECTION YEAR AND PASS THIS PLAN NOW -- AND
NOT SOMETHING THEY KNOW I CANNOT SIGN. THAT MEANS
DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT -- NOW -- FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED
HELP -- NOW. AND IT MEANS MAKING THIS NATION A NATION
OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OUR PEOPLE.
- 10 -
LET ME BRIEFLY OUTLINE OUR PLAN. FIRST, WE MUST
ATTACK CRIME WITH EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT. I URGE
CONGRESS, ONCE AGAIN, TO PASS MY COMPREHENSIVE CRIME
BILL. THE BILL GOES BACK TO THE FUNDAMENTALS: IF YOU
COMMIT A CRIME, YOU WILL BE CAUGHT -- IF YOU'RE CAUGHT,
YOU WILL BE CONVICTED -- IF YOU'RE CONVICTED, YOU WILL
GO TO JAIL.
TO REDOUBLE OUR WAR ON CRIME, WE HAVE LAUNCHED AN
INITIATIVE I CALL WEED AND SEED. WITH INCREASED
FEDERAL RESOURCES, WE CAN WEED OUT THE CRIMINALS FROM
OUR INNER CITIES, AND THEN SEED THOSE AREAS WITH A
CONCENTRATION OF SOCIAL SERVICES, SO THAT CRIME CAN NO
LONGER TAKE ROOT.
SECOND, WE NEED TO STREAMLINE THE JUMBLE OF FEDERAL
JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS. OUR JOB TRAINING 2000
INITIATIVE WILL OFFER "ONE-STOP SHOPPING" FOR THOSE WHO
WANT TRAINING BUT CAN'T GET IT NOW. FOR EXAMPLE,
TALKING WITH GOVERNOR WILSON EARLIER TODAY, I LET HIM
KNOW OF A NEW $12 MILLION LABOR DEPARTMENT EFFORT
TARGETED TO REBUILD L.A.'S EMPLOYMENT BASE.
- 11 -
THIRD, AS JACK KEMP HAS SAID SO OFTEN, WE MUST TURN
THE REDLINE AROUND OUR CITIES INTO A GREENLINE -- TO
CUT THE COSTS OF OPENING AN INNER-CITY BUSINESS AND
CREATING JOBS. THAT'S WHAT ENTERPRISE ZONES ARE ALL
ABOUT. I KNOW MAYOR BRADLEY AGREES WITH ME -- AND I
THANK HIM FOR HIS STRONG SUPPORT. AND AS YOU KNOW,
I'VE ASKED CONGRESS TO CUT THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX ON ALL
AMERICANS. IN AMERICA'S INNER CITIES, WHERE THE NEED
IS MOST URGENT, WE SHOULD CUT IT TO ZERO -- ELIMINATE
X
IT ENTIRELY. THAT'S HOW YOU BRING REAL JOBS TO THE
INNER CITY.
AND HERE'S AN OPEN INVITATION TO THE MAYORS OF
AMERICA'S CITIES -- AND A CHALLENGE TO THE CONGRESS: I
WANT EVERY AMERICAN CITY WITH A DESERVING NEIGHBORHOOD
-- NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HIGH CRIME AND HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT
-- TO BECOME AN ENTERPRISE ZONE. TAKE YOUR CASE TO
CONGRESS, AND I'LL SUPPORT YOU ALL THE WAY.
4017
- 12 -
THE FOURTH STEP IS TO EXTEND THE PRINCIPLE OF
PRIVATE PROPERTY INTO THE INNER CITY. THAT MEANS
HOMEOWNERSHIP. OUR HOPE INITIATIVE WILL OFFER RESIDENTS
THE CHANCE TO TURN PUBLIC HOUSING INTO PRIVATE HOMES.
OWNERSHIP GIVES PEOPLE A STAKE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS;
IT INSTILLS PRIDE AND A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT DOOR AND DOWN THE BLOCK.
FIFTH, WELFARE REFORM -- TO STRIP AWAY THE
PENALTIES FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO WORK, SAVE, AND START
A FAMILY. ANY GENUINE REFORM MUST MEET THREE TESTS:
IT MUST ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY; IT MUST
TIE WELFARE TO WORK; AND IT MUST PROMOTE AND SUSTAIN
STABLE FAMILY LIFE. OUR WELFARE SYSTEM IS A TRAVESTY
AND I AM DETERMINED TO CHANGE IT.
AND SIXTH, EDUCATION REFORM. EVERY AMERICAN CHILD
DESERVES A SHOT AT A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION. AND THAT
MEANS DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS FREE OF DRUGS AND
VIOLENCE; IT MEANS COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR HIGH STANDARDS
AND EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. AND IT MEANS THAT WHETHER
A FAMILY LIVES IN THE INNER CITY OR THE SUBURBS --
PARENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO CHOOSE THEIR CHILDREN'S
SCHOOLS.
- 13 -
EACH OF THE STEPS I'VE OUTLINED HERE WILL WORK TO
RESTORE A SENSE OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY, OF PERSONAL
DIGNITY, TO INNER CITY RESIDENTS. TODAY I'VE TALKED
ABOUT THE NEED TO OVERHAUL OUR OBSOLETE BUREAUCRATIC
SYSTEM, ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE SYSTEM ROBS THE POOR AS
WELL AS THE TAXPAYER, ABOUT THE NEED FOR JUSTICE AND
ORDER ON OUR STREETS. BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THERE ARE
DEEPER ISSUES AT WORK HERE -- ONES THAT TRANSCEND THE
PRESENT MOMENT.
LET'S BE HONEST: THE PROBLEMS WE FACE CAN'T BE
SOLVED SIMPLY BY ADJUSTING ECONOMIC INPUTS AND OUTPUTS.
HUMAN BEINGS RESPOND TO MORE THAN TAX CODES AND
BUREAUCRATIC RULES. WE ARE MOTIVATED FIRST AND
FOREMOST BY VALUES, BY A SENSE OF WHAT IS RIGHT AND
WHAT IS WRONG.
IF WE ARE TO TAKE VALUES SERIOUSLY, AND WE MUST, WE
SHOULD SUMMON THE COURAGE TO BE FRANK ABOUT THEM. THE
WORD "VALUES" IS NOT RELATIVE; VALUES DEAL IN
ABSOLUTES. THEY SEPARATE RIGHT FROM WRONG, VIRTUE FROM
VICE.
- 14 -
LAWS AND BUDGETS ARE NOT ENOUGH. WE NEED A MORAL,
AND YES, A SPIRITUAL REVIVAL IN OUR NATION, SO THAT
FAMILIES UNITE: FATHERS LOVE MOTHERS, AND STAY
TOGETHER, IN SPITE OF PAIN AND HARD TIMES, BECAUSE THEY
LOVE THEIR CHILDREN AND LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER
GENERATION GROWING UP TALL AND CONFIDENT IN THE WARMTH
OF GOD'S LOVE.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CANNOT TEACH VALUES. BUT IT
CAN CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY TAKE ROOT AND
GROW. IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IN AMERICA, THERE ARE
WELL-SPRINGS OF TRADITIONAL VALUES. WHEN I WAS LAST IN
LOS ANGELES, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING WITH THE
KIDS AT THE CHALLENGERS BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. THE CLUB
WAS FOUNDED BY A REMARKABLE MAN, LOU DANTZLER. LOU
WORKS DAY AND NIGHT TO GIVE THESE KIDS THE VALUES AND
HABITS THEY WILL NEED TO SUCCEED. IN THE GYM WHERE I
SPOKE, HUGE, HAND-PRINTED SIGNS COVERED THE WALLS. AND
THE SIGNS SAID: "PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS."
"ALWAYS HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE." "EDUCATION PLUS
HARD WORK PLUS DISCIPLINE EQUALS ACHIEVEMENT."
- 15 -
IN THIS SOPHISTICATED AGE, I SUPPOSE SOME PEOPLE
MIGHT FIND THESE OLD HOME-TRUTHS CORNY. I DON'T, AND
I'M SURE LOU DANTZLER'S KIDS DON'T EITHER. THEY'VE
LEARNED SOMETHING THAT AMERICANS ACROSS THE GENERATIONS
HAVE LEARNED: TRADITIONAL VALUES BRING HOPE IN PLACE OF
DESPAIR; THEY HOLD THE POWER TO TRANSFORM A
NEIGHBORHOOD, AND A CITY, AND A LIFE.
THIS IS A TIME OF GREAT CHANGE FOR AMERICA. CHANGE
SOMETIMES SEEMS TO THREATEN THE MOST VALUABLE LEGACIES
WE HOPE TO LEAVE OUR CHILDREN: GOOD JOBS, STRONG
FAMILIES, A NATION AT PEACE. CHANGE BREEDS
UNCERTAINTY, AND SKEPTICISM. I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT I
UNDERSTAND THIS, TOO: THE SKEPTICS WON'T DO THE WORK
THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. PEOPLE LIKE LOU DANTZLER WILL.
HE -- AND EVERY AMERICAN LIKE HIM -- ARE WHAT MAKE
AMERICA A RISING NATION, A COUNTRY BUOYED BY THE HOPES
AND DETERMINATION OF PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO SETTLE FOR
THE STATUS QUO. THEIR FAITH IS THE BEST ANTIDOTE TO
PESSIMISM, THE SUREST PROOF THAT THE BEST DAYS OF
AMERICA -- THE GREATEST, FREEST NATION ON EARTH --
STILL LIE BEFORE US.
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