[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[June 12, 1991]
[Pages 644-648]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 644]]


Remarks on the Administration's Domestic Policy
June 12, 1991

    Thank you all very much. Thank you, but don't give up your daytime 
work. [Laughter]
    Thank you all, and good evening. Members of our Cabinet here, 
Governor Campbell, and Governor Mike Castle. Honored guests: Dr. 
Benjamin Payton--and old friend--the president of Tuskegee University 
who brings a lifelong commitment to our historically black colleges and 
universities, welcome. Drew Batavia, winner of the 1988 Distinguished 
Disabled American Award, welcome to you, sir. To Robert Egger, founder 
of the D.C. Central Kitchen, and the 60 other Points of Light who are 
here tonight, your work inspires this nation. Mayor Hackett, of Memphis, 
is with us; Mayor Myric, of Charlotte; County Commissioner Klinger, good 
to see you all again. And I see Paul O'Neill over here, the chairman of 
Alcoa, a dedicated advocate for educational excellence. And to the rest 
of this extraordinary gathering--leaders of businesses and veterans 
groups, associations, volunteer organizations, education partnerships, 
those who are working for home ownership--all those who make America the 
land of opportunity, welcome to the White House.
    I might add that also with us is Anthony Henderson--I don't see 
him--there he is right there, my man. Anthony Henderson is a youngster 
from Barcroft Elementary School across the river there in Arlington. You 
may remember that when I visited his class, Anthony's the one who asked 
me to prove that I was the President of the United States. And here he 
is--[laughter]--I had to show him my driver's license and my credit 
card. [Laughter] Anthony, do you believe me now? All okay, all right. 
And welcome. I'm just delighted you're here.
    Over the past 30 months, this world has changed at a dramatic pace. 
America has been called upon to meet one challenge after another. And 
meet them we did--each and every one of them. From Eastern Europe to 
Panama to the Persian Gulf, our country stands as a strong champion of 
freedom.
    Ninety-eight days ago, I asked the Congress to tackle the urgent 
problems on the homefront with that same energy that we dedicated to 
tackling the crisis on the battlefront. I spelled out my domestic 
priorities--setting out, I'll admit, an ambitious agenda founded upon 
enhancing economic growth, investing in our future, and increasing 
opportunity for all Americans. I sent to the Congress literally hundreds 
of recommendations for legislative change. Then I specifically asked 
that Congress pass just two laws in 100 days, a comprehensive anticrime 
bill and a transportation bill.
    Now, you've heard a lot about that lately, but this kind of 
challenge is not new. Presidents as different as Johnson and Ford have a 
history of encouraging the Congress to meet a deadline. In fact, Lyndon 
Johnson, in his State of the Union Address in January of 1964, 
challenged the Congress to act on at least eight broad domestic issues, 
all within 5 months. And I thought 100 days was fairly reasonable. And I 
wasn't asking the Congress to deliver a hot pizza in less than 30 
minutes. [Laughter] That would be revolutionary for a Congress. I only 
asked for two pieces of legislation in 100 days. It's now clear that 
neither will be on my desk by Friday.
    And, look, I'm disappointed, but, frankly, I'm not surprised. 
Tonight I'd like to put this all in--try to put it in some perspective. 
I haven't asked you here to sit through a litany of programs and 
policies. We have a long list of legislative priorities already before 
the Congress, awaiting congressional action. I won't repeat that list 
here tonight. But rather, I'd like to do something different and 
describe to you how I personally see the shared strength and promise of 
America.
    It is hard for the American people to understand, frankly, why a 
bill to fight crime cannot be acted on in 100 days; or why Congress 
can't pass a highway bill in 100 days. But, look, if it can't be done, 
if 100 days isn't enough, let me just ask this rhe-

[[Page 645]]

torical question: How many days are?
    These are important issues, and there are many, many others. And 
most Americans believe fear of crime and violence threatens our most 
basic freedoms and denies us opportunity. They also believe that we must 
invest in our future to provide an infrastructure for those who come 
along after us. So they don't understand--the American people don't 
understand the complications and the inaction and the bickering, 
particularly when so many do understand what it takes to solve problems 
in their own neighborhoods: commitment, compassion, and courage.
    I cannot fully explain this inaction to the American people. As I 
said, I'm disappointed, but not surprised. But I can say this as partial 
consolation: America's problem-solving does not begin or end with the 
Congress, nor with the White House.
    Yes, it would help if Congress would do what people are asking of 
them. And I'll keep working with the Congress; my hand remains extended. 
But we cannot let Congress discourage or deter us from meeting our 
responsibilities.
    I believe that the people gathered here tonight, under the twilight 
shadow of our magnificent Washington's Monument, understand this better 
than most. You are extraordinary Americans, representing thousands of 
others. You bring to life the genius of the American spirit. And it is 
through you and with you that we can solve our most pressing problems. 
Together we can transform America and create whole and good communities 
everywhere. Tonight, all Americans can help lead the way.
    A great nation has the courage to be honest about itself. And we 
are--let's never forget it--we are a great nation. I believe that 
absolutely, as do you. We are indisputably the world's most powerful 
force for freedom and economic growth. Still, no one can deny that we 
have these enormous challenges. Not all Americans are living the 
American dream by a long shot. Many can't even imagine it.
    There are impoverished Americans, the poor and the homeless, the 
hungry and the hopeless, many unable to read and write. There are 
Americans gone astray, the kids dragged down by drugs, the shattered 
families, the teenage mothers struggling to cope. Then there are 
Americans uneasy, troubled and bewildered by the dizzying pace of 
change.
    For many years I've crisscrossed this country, as many here have. As 
President, part of my job--and it really is an exciting part--is going 
to the small towns and the big cities and the schools, the 
neighborhoods, and the factories. Those are the places where you 
discover what's good and right about our country--and what's going 
wrong, too.
    The state of our nation is the state of our communities. As our 
communities flourish, our nation will flourish. So we must seek a nation 
of whole communities, a nation of good communities--an America whole and 
good.
    What defines such a community? First, it is one that cares for the 
needs of its young people by building character--values and good habits 
for life. Second, it's a community that provides excellent schools, 
schools that spark a life-long interest in learning. Next, there is 
opportunity and hope, rooted in the dignity of work and reward for 
achievement. Fourth, it's where people care about their health and their 
environment and where a sense of well-being and belonging is nurtured. 
And finally, all of its neighborhoods are decent and safe.
    Because millions of Americans have chosen to lead the way, these are 
not simply dreams. Thousands of whole and good communities already 
flourish in America, communities where ordinary people have achieved the 
American dream. We should never in our anguish lose sight of that. 
America is the most productive, prosperous, enlightened nation on 
Earth--a nation that can do anything. And we can do even better.
    We should be confident as a country about what lies ahead. America 
has a track record of success--success shaped with our own hands. 
Sometimes in our impatience, yes, we've made mistakes--but when we do, 
we dust ourselves off and go at it again. Every American should take 
pride in this country's fundamental goodness--decency. Each of us must 
resolve in our own hearts that for all the good we've done, it's time to

[[Page 646]]

do better--much, much better.
    Conventional wisdom in our day once held that all solutions were in 
the hands of government--call in the best and the brightest, hand over 
the keys to the national treasury. Bigger government was better 
government: compassion was measured in dollars and cents, progress by 
price tag. We tried that course. As we ended the '70s, our economy 
strangling on inflation, soaring interest rates, and unemployment, 
America turned away from government as ``the answer.''
    So, conventional wisdom then turned to the genius of the free 
market. We began a decade of exceptional economic growth and created 20 
million new jobs. And yet, let's face it, many of our streets are still 
not safe, our schools have lost their edge, and millions--millions still 
trudge the path of poverty. There is more to be done, and the 
marketplace alone can't solve all our problems.
    Is the harsh lesson that there must always be those who are left 
behind? America must have but one answer, and that answer is no. There 
is a better way, one that combines our efforts--those of a government 
properly defined, the marketplace properly understood, and services to 
others properly engaged. This is the only way--all three of these--to an 
America whole and good.
    It requires all three forces of our national life. First, it 
requires the power of the free market; second, a competent, 
compassionate government; and third, the ethic of serving others, 
including what I call the Points of Light. These three powerful forces 
create the conditions for communities to be whole and free, and it's 
time that we harnessed all three of them.
    In our complex democracy, power is fragmented. And that can be 
frustrating. But on balance, it's for the good. And power tends to move 
toward those who serve the greater good: entrepreneurs like John Bryant, 
a young self-starter who has built a multimillion-dollar enterprise and 
now helps rebuild inner-city Los Angeles; caring individuals like Mack 
Stolarski, a retired carpenter who now helps his student apprentices 
repair homes for the poor and disabled.
    And because of the power of the free market, what so much of the 
world can only imagine, we take for granted: abundant food on the 
shelves of our supermarkets, quality products at our shopping centers. 
Nothing beats the free market at generating jobs and income and wealth 
and a better quality of life.
    The good news in communities is that the free market is now applying 
its resources and know-how to our social problems. Many companies, 
recognizing that tomorrow's workers are today's students, are leaders of 
a revolution in American education--partners in the exciting America 
2000 strategy. Others are crusaders for environmental protection, while 
still others are innovators from health care to child care.
    Transforming America requires not only the power of the free market, 
but also a dynamic government. To be the enlightened instrument of the 
people--the government of Jefferson and Lincoln and Roosevelt, and the 
embodiment of their vision--it must truly be a force for good.
    I believe in this kind of government--a government of compassion and 
competence. And I believe in backing it up with action. Here tonight, 
for example, is Mrs. Lauren Jackson-Floyd, one of the first Head Start 
graduates. Now she teaches preschoolers in that same marvelous program. 
Her success is why we expanded Head Start by almost three-quarters of a 
billion dollars. And last year I signed our child care bill to expand 
parents' choices in caring for their children.
    And we fought for a Clean Air Act that puts the free market in the 
service of the environment--and we won that one. And the Americans with 
Disabilities Act, the most important civil rights bill in decades, has 
brought new dignity and opportunity to our nation's disabled. Disability 
leaders like Justin Dart and Sandy Parrino and Evan Kemp were right 
here, right on this platform, when I signed it. And they're with us 
tonight.
    Jack Kemp and I stood with Ramona Younger across the river in 
Charles Houston Community Center, over there in Alexandria. And if the 
Congress enacts our HOPE Initiative--H-O-P-E--these public housing 
tenants can become America's newest 
home owners. Dewey Stokes here,

[[Page 647]]

President of the Fraternal Order of Police, wants to help make our 
neighborhoods safer, and that's why he supports our crime bill. And if 
we get a civil rights bill--and I want one--like the one I sent to 
Congress, we will take an important step against discrimination in the 
workplace.
    This is not big government; this is good government.
    And finally, along with the forces of the free market and the 
Government, we must add this ethic of voluntary service. We call it 
Points of Light. This is not a phrase about charity. It's about the 
light that is within us all, in our hearts, a light that brightens the 
lives of others and makes whole the lives of those who shine it. I love 
Randy Travis' new song. It says, ``a ray of hope in the darkest hour.''
    Points of Light is a call to every American to serve another in 
need. But no one of us can solve big problems like poverty or drug abuse 
all by ourselves. Only the combined light from every school, every 
business, place of worship, club, group, organization in every community 
can dissolve the darkness.
    Whether a company holds an after-hours literacy program for its 
workers, a police station counsels tough kids, or third-graders phone 
lonely homebound citizens--these senior citizens assigned to their 
rooms--Points of Light show those in need that their lives truly matter.
    Government and the market, joined with Points of Light, will 
overwhelm our social problems. And this is how we must guarantee the 
next American century. Every person, every business, every school board, 
our associations, our clubs, our places of worship--we all have the duty 
to lead.
    And only then--only then can we truly think and act anew. And now 
Congress, too, must understand the successes and the failures of the 
past and help us forge a certain future in America.
    You people gathered here tonight represent those who refuse to rest 
easy. I look out and I see so much reflected in your faces--the 
strength, the conviction, the commitment. You represent those millions 
of Americans who use power to achieve a greater good. And I know because 
you brought me into your homes and your neighborhoods and your schools 
and your churches.
    And last year, I walked through a reclaimed crack house in Kansas 
City with Al Brooks, the leader of an anticrime coalition. And I learned 
more about how we can fight crime in 2 hours than in 2 months of TV 
news.
    Another day I visited General Hospital here in DC, and held a tiny 
boarder baby in my arms, the child of cocaine addicts. And the 
remarkable dedication--I wish every one of you could have been with me--
the remarkable dedication of the women who rescued these babies was just 
as moving. America needs to hear that story, too.
    Just a few months ago, I dropped in on a little West Virginia school 
in a town called Slanesville. The National Teacher of the Year teaches 
remedial reading there. And her name is Rae Ellen McKee, and she's here 
tonight. And visiting her gave me the opportunity to say to the Nation, 
``Thank God for our teachers''.
    And just yesterday, Lamar Alexander--the Secretary--and I flew over, 
and I spoke before the graduating class of the James H. Groves Adult 
High School in Sussex County. And we were the guests of the Governor, 
Mike Castle. And I invited the class to join us tonight. And I went 
there with the Governor and the Secretary to honor these men and women 
who had the courage to go back to school and get their diplomas. And 
they honored us by telling America to be a nation dedicated to lifelong 
learning.
    These are the Americans who love this country for what it is and for 
what it can become. These are the Americans who make this a nation of 
boldness, filled with problem solvers, gifted with the American 
tradition of living up to our ideals. And these are the Americans who 
prove that no one in America is without a gift to give, a skill to 
share, a hand to offer.
    This is the genius of America: ordinary Americans doing 
extraordinary things.
    The Congress can refer our proposals to its committees and tie 
itself up with debate, and produce complicated and sometimes expensive 
and sometimes unworkable legislation. But in the end, we and them must 
carry forward the magic of America. We

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must carry forward what is good and reach out and embrace what is best, 
and we must do the hard work of freedom. You see, I know you have. And I 
know you will. Through you, our country can become an America whole and 
good.
    For that, our country is grateful. And because of that, our 
country--the greatest and freest on the face of the Earth--will prevail.
    Thank you all very, very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 8:02 p.m. on the South 
                        Lawn at the White House. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Gov. Carroll Campbell of South 
                        Carolina; Gov. Michael N. Castle of Delaware; 
                        Richard C. Hackett, mayor of Memphis, TN; Sue 
                        Myrick, mayor of Charlotte, NC; Ann Klinger, 
                        county supervisor for Merced County, CA, and 
                        former president of the National Association of 
                        Counties; Secretary of Housing and Urban 
                        Development Jack Kemp; and Secretary of 
                        Education Lamar Alexander. The audience of 
                        invitees, composed of elected officials, service 
                        organization representatives, and Point of Light 
                        award recipients, sang a chorus of ``Happy 
                        Birthday'' to the President when he appeared on 
                        the South Lawn. A tape was not available for 
                        verification of the content of these remarks.