[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 19 (Tuesday, March 3, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E259]]



              CONGRESSIONAL AGENDA: GOALS FOR A GENERATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NEWT GINGRICH

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 3, 1998

  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to bring to my colleagues' 
attention the following article from the February 24, 1998, Tipp City 
Herald written by Congressman John Boehner regarding the Republican 
Agenda.

               [From the Tipp City Herald, Feb. 24, 1998]

              Congressional Agenda: Goals for a Generation

                           (By John Boehner)

       If you're like most Americans, you won't have time to 
     scrutinize every detail of every bit of legislation tackled 
     this year by Congress. Nonetheless, you'll probably identify 
     with the principles behind our efforts: freedom, 
     accountability, and personal responsibility.
       My colleagues and I have begun the second half of the 105th 
     Congress with a diverse 90-day agenda reflecting a wide range 
     of issues from completing IRS reform and shrinking the size 
     of government to expanding educational opportunities for our 
     kids. While we tackle these measures in the weeks and months 
     ahead, we'll also be working toward our long-term vision for 
     America--something we call Goals for a Generation.
       Our goals for a generation include a drug-free America; the 
     best system of learning in the works; the best and safest 
     retirement system in the world; and modernizing, privatizing, 
     downsizing, and prioritizing government to reduce the total 
     tax burden on families--state, federal, and local--to no more 
     than 25 percent, with a simple, fair, and honest tax code. 
     We'll address each of these goals legislatively this year--
     and in the years ahead--as we work for a better America in 
     the next century.
       In the coming weeks we'll explore the various components of 
     the 90-day agenda and the Goals for a Generation and how 
     they'll affect you and your family, but first it's important 
     to discuss the three principles behind it all: freedom, 
     accountability, and personal responsibility.
       Freedom, accountability, and personal responsibility aren't 
     just buzzwords; they're key principles that cut to the core 
     of who we are as a people and what we value as a society. 
     They're basic concepts that have defined America as a 
     nation since its birth. And as diverse as our agenda in 
     Congress this year is, they're at the heart of everything 
     we'll do.
       My colleagues and I are committed to enhancing freedom for 
     Americans to live their lives, raise their families, and run 
     their businesses without excessive government interference. 
     We believe it's America's people--not America's government--
     that has made our nation great. And the bigger and more 
     expensive Washington gets, the smaller and more overtaxed--
     and less free--people get.
       We'll also continue our drive to restore accountability to 
     Washington. Decades of runaway spending and an explosion of 
     regulation and red tape have created an unaccountable monster 
     inside the Beltway--the vast federal bureaucracy. The result 
     has been a government increasingly out of touch with the 
     needs and goals of its citizens--one that while well-
     intentioned often hurts people more than it helps.
       By balancing the budget for the first time in a generation, 
     we've taken our first real steps toward smaller, less 
     intrusive government, but we've got a long way to go.
       Lastly, our goals reflect a fundamental belief that 
     Americans will gladly accept personal responsibility to make 
     the right choices in their lives, families and communities. 
     While we're committed to expanding freedom for individuals, 
     we also believe--as American's Founding Fathers did--that 
     with freedom comes a certain responsibility.
       Government can't raise a family, teach a child values, or 
     create bonds between neighbors. Only people can do that--and 
     they have a responsibility to do so.
       It makes little sense to make laws and draft legislation 
     without stopping to reflect on the core principles behind it. 
     My colleagues and I took the opportunity to do that recently, 
     and we're confident we're moving in the right direction.
       We hope you and your family will agree.

       

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