[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[July 27, 1992]
[Pages 1189-1192]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1189]]

Remarks to Outlook Graphics Employees in Neenah, Wisconsin

July 27, 1992
    Thank you all very, very much. Please be seated. Thank you and good 
afternoon, everyone. Let me just say thank you to the Governor for that 
very kind introduction. But let me tell you this: I know these 
Governors, all of them, and you've got one of the very best, if not the 
very best, in the entire United States. I really mean that, a solid 
friend, a strong leader and innovator. You're lucky, and I'm lucky, too, 
because he sets an example. He brings new ideas to these Governors 
meetings. He sets a high example for everybody including the President 
of the United States, and I am very, very pleased to be with him.
    Of course, I'm very pleased to see my great friend, your Senator Bob 
Kasten; and these two Congressmen, Toby Roth and Tom Petri, who are 
doing a first-class job. If we had more like them, you talk about 
change, we could change America and change it fast for the better. I am 
glad they could join us today, as well as Mr. Herbert Grover, the 
superintendent of public instruction for the State of Wisconsin. He's 
doing a first-class job for education statewide. And David Erdmann, 
thank you, sir, for your hospitality. I'm just delighted to be here.
    Now, it is a pleasure to be here. For any sports fan, it's a thrill 
to be at the birthplace of America's sports trading cards, and for me, 
it's a little humbling. I don't dare ask how many hundreds of George 
Bush cards you have to trade to get one Michael Jordan. [Laughter]
    I've come here to talk a little bit about our future, about the kind 
of nation we want for ourselves and our children. The world has 
undergone remarkable changes in the past few years. And today our kids 
worry about the usual things, about school friends, about such earth-
shattering questions as ``Where can I get an Olympic Dream Team card?'' 
But I can tell you one thing they don't worry about anymore, the specter 
of nuclear war.
    Today, America is safer than ever before, safer than we were a 
decade ago, safer than we were a year ago, and safer than we were just a 
few weeks ago, when I sat down with Boris Yeltsin, the President of 
Russia, to eliminate some of the most dangerous nuclear weapons on the 
face of the Earth, getting rid of those great big SS-18 ICBM's. That's 
good change. That is positive, and it's great for these young people 
here today.
    Now that we've changed the world, it is time to change America and 
time to turn our attention to pressing challenges like how to give a 
pink slip to our slow-growth economy, and how to make America's families 
more like the Waltons and a little bit less like the Simpsons--
[laughter]--how to take back our streets from the crack dealers and the 
criminals. Progress has been made, as I announced yesterday at the White 
House, in the casual use of cocaine by these teenagers, dramatic 
improvement, almost 60 percent down in the last 3 years. But we've still 
got a long way to go. We've got to win that battle.
    This election year, we're told, is about how we can change to meet 
these challenges. But this election is not just about change because 
change has a flip side. It's called trust. When you get down to it, this 
election will be like every other. When you go into that voting booth 
and pull the curtain behind you, trust matters.
    That's the way it should be. Many times in the White House late at 
night, the phone rings. Usually it's some young aide calling in about 
doublechecking the next day's schedule. But occasionally it's another 
voice, more serious, more solemn, carrying news of a coup in a powerful 
country or asking how we should stand up to the ``Baghdad bully'' 
halfway around the world. The American people need to know that the man 
who answers that phone has the experience, the seasoning, to do the 
right thing. I believe I have proved I am that man.
    That is trust in the traditional sense. But people who've spent 
their lives in government forget that trust is even more than that. I'm 
a Texan, raised my children there, built my business there, voted there 
in

[[Page 1190]]

every Presidential election since my first, the 1948 election, the year, 
if you'll go back and remember, some of you older types here, the year 
the press and the pundits counted out Harry Truman before the fight even 
began.
    I believe our country's heartbeat can be felt in places like Neenah, 
Wisconsin, not Washington, DC. So I stake my claim in a simple 
philosophy: To lead a great nation, you must first trust the people that 
you lead. If you look at almost every important issue we face, you see a 
clear choice, a choice between those who put their faith in average 
Americans and those who put their faith solely in the Government. Let me 
explain what I mean, starting with the basics, home and family.
    The most difficult question that many parents face is, who will care 
for the kids while we're working? A few years ago, Washington wanted to 
help, but the idea back there was to rock the cradle with the heavy hand 
of the bureaucracy. All the plans boiled down to creating some new kind 
of Government apparatus, like a ``Pentagon'' for child care.
    I fought for a different approach, with the support of these Members 
of the United States Congress, and we won. Our landmark legislation 
allows parents, not the Government, to decide whether your children are 
cared for in a school, a relative's home, or a church. When it comes to 
raising children, I say, don't put your faith in the Government 
bureaucracy. Why not trust the parents, the ones who are responsible for 
bringing these kids up?
    Now, what about our educational system? To renew America we must 
renew our schools. We all know this. Money alone is not going to do it. 
We already spend more money--this is a little scary--we already spend 
more money per student than almost any other country in the world, and 
our children still rank near the bottom in crucial subjects like math 
and science. Again, a lot of ideas floating around, most of them to pump 
more tax money into the same old system, the same old programs that have 
failed the American family. I say, try something different: Open up 
schools to competition, and trust you, trust you to decide whether you 
want your kids to learn in a public school, a private school, or a 
religious school. School choice is the answer.
    When it comes to education to give our kids a better chance, isn't 
it time to try something different? The old way has failed, has not 
worked. Why not trust the people?
    What about Government regulation? Sure, some of it's necessary; some 
of it even essential. But if you believe that there is a Government 
solution to every problem, an alphabet agency for every issue, then you 
look at regulation not as a necessary evil but as a necessary way to 
rein in people's evil tendencies. It can lead to the same crazy 
behavior. Let me tell you a story about one crazy regulation affecting 
hardhats. Hardhats, that's right.
    Here's what happened. Back in Washington, someone in an agency 
stumbled upon a potential national crisis, workers being infected from 
putting on someone else's hardhat. The alarms went off. The bureaucratic 
blood boiled. One small fact was overlooked. There wasn't a single 
documented case anywhere in the United States of America of anyone 
getting infected from wearing someone else's hardhat. That didn't deter 
the bureaucrat. So with the best of intentions, the rule was written: 
Every hardhat must be disinfected before one worker passed it on to 
another. Estimated cost to business: $13 million a year. Measurable 
benefit: slightly less than zero.
    Now, there is a happy ending to this story, but only because we were 
there to give it one. We found the regulation before it hit the books 
and said America can survive without that particular hardhat regulation. 
But can you imagine what might have happened if these enterprising 
regulators had made their way into the vast, unregulated territory of 
lunch pails or thermos bottles? Think of the threat to the Nation. 
[Laughter]
    Some believe the solution to our problems is more Government 
regulation. I take a very different view. I've put a moratorium on new 
Federal regulations, to give businesses like this one, growing 
enterprise business, giving it room to breathe and 
grow and create jobs for these young people here today. On child care, 
educa-

[[Page 1191]]

tion, regulation, it is a matter of trust, trusting Americans to make 
their own choices.
    The point is not to let people fend entirely for themselves. 
Americans are a generous people, and Government must never shirk its 
responsibilities. But programs have to give people a hand up and trust 
human ingenuity to take it from there.
    You'll find a good example of what Government can do right here at 
Outlook. Last April I challenged the Nation's Governors to join me in a 
new national job training effort. I introduced a program called the 
``Youth Apprenticeship Act'' in Congress. The program is geared 
especially to teenagers who want to work, who want to learn a skill, but 
may be tempted to drop out of school, true to form.
    Then comes along Governor Thompson, Tommy Thompson. He's already 
reaching out to these young people. The youth apprenticeship program 
will encourage young people to complete a sound high school education 
while getting on-the-job training at great companies like Outlook. I 
salute Outlook and Governor Thompson for helping me create a work force 
that's ready for the challenges of the 21st century.
    So I believe we can give Americans the tools. And then it's a matter 
of trust, trusting Americans to make their own choices. When it comes to 
the most pressing issue of the election year, revving up our economy, 
forgetting this idea of trust is not just a nuisance, it can be 
downright dangerous.
    The revolutions of the past few years herald a new era of global 
economic competition, with free markets from Siberia to Santiago. Can 
the United States compete now that everyone is playing our game of free 
markets? Well, I know we can. Despite all the criticism you've heard 
lately, keep in mind just a few facts. Who is the largest, most envied 
economy in the entire world? The good ol' U.S.A.
    Look at inflation, the Jesse James who robs the middle class of 
dreams. We have locked that crook in a maximum security cell, so he 
can't steal the paycheck of the working men and women of this country. 
The last time interest rates were this low, ``The Brady Bunch'' wasn't 
even in reruns yet. Despite all the stories about our problems, and 
we've got plenty, but despite all the stories, you are still the most 
productive workers in the entire world. You put these workers up against 
the English, the Germans, the Japanese, and you, you American taxpayers, 
you win; you American entrepreneurs and business people, you win; and 
the work force itself wins.
    But while our economy is growing, it clearly has got to grow faster. 
The question is how. The other side suggests a simple two-part solution: 
First, raise Government spending, and second, raise taxes.
    Now, as you evaluate their idea, keep this in mind. Here in 
Wisconsin, you already work 126 days just to pay your taxes before you 
earn a single dime to spend on the family. I don't know about you, but I 
don't want you to have to pay 127 days.
    Let me just describe for you what I'm up against. In January I 
proposed a commonsense plan in the State of the Union Message, 
commonsense plan to get this economy moving faster, right now. The plan 
included tax incentives to encourage businesses to hire new workers, tax 
breaks for young families who want to buy that first home. If Congress 
had acted right away, half a million jobs would have been created for 
your neighbors, your family, and your friends.
    But they didn't. Instead Congress sent back what you might call an 
anti-trust program: new Government spending and new taxes. So I vetoed 
their plan and sent it right back to them. And thanks to these 
Congressmen, that veto was upheld. I am still waiting, pressing for 
these incentives to get passed by the Senate and the House. I am still 
waiting almost 200 days later. This economic recovery plan is being held 
hostage, held hostage, and the ransom note reads, ``Wait till after the 
election.'' Today I say to the Congress and the Senate, especially: 
Release the economy. Approve this jobs program, and put America back to 
work right now.
    Speaking of numbers, this is a great place to speak about numbers, 
right here at Outlook: number 16 means Joe Montana; 
number 9, my dear friend with whom I 
attended the All-Star Game in San Diego, 
number 9, Ted Williams; number 15, a 
Packer named Starr. Here's a number for

[[Page 1192]]

you, 38. Think hard now, 38. That's how many years the Democrats have 
controlled the House of Representatives. Get rid of number 38, and we 
can make America number one for sure for many years to come. If you want 
to change something, the one institution that hasn't changed, if you 
want to change something, change control of the United States House of 
Representatives, and watch what we can do for America.
    I'm getting fired up for after our convention in August. [Laughter] 
You'll notice this has been relatively nonpartisan up until now. 
[Laughter] Relatively.
    No, but you see, it all comes down to a question of trust. I trust 
you to spend and save your money more wisely than a budget planner in 
Washington.
    You say this is all common sense, and I agree. But there's a certain 
type of person attracted to Government for whom the word ``trust'' has a 
strange meaning. Most of them have spent all their lives in Government 
and don't have much experience in the real world. Half my adult life 
spent in service and the other half trying to work for a living and make 
a paycheck and build a business, I think that's a good qualification for 
President of the United States of America. They say they want to put 
people first. But if you look real close, the people that they put first 
are all on a Government payroll.
    I stand with the flag-waving, yes, and the God-fearing, yes, and the 
tax-paying, hard-working people of America. A leader of a free people 
must understand that Government can not only help, it can hinder. He 
must have the confidence to say, ``I trust you. I trust the people.'' 
Ultimately you must decide who you trust, who has the experience, the 
ideals, and the ideas to find the appropriate balance.
    Yes, America will change, just as we have changed the entire world. 
The question now is who will change America for the better? It won't be 
people whose only enthusiasm is for Government, who measure progress by 
programs created and special interests satisfied.
    If you want to know who's going to change America, look around you. 
Look around. It's going to be the guy who works an extra shift every 
week so his son can go to the school of his choice. It's going to be the 
small-business woman who takes a risk on a new product, the computer 
hacker working in a lonely garage, the merit scholar from south central 
L.A., the entrepreneur with a crazy idea of putting players' faces on 
cards and turning us all into wonderful kids once again.
    There's your answer, some of it, I might say, sitting right back 
here: These apprentices, wanting to work, wanting to learn. There's your 
answer: The American people are going to change America. But only if 
they have a Government, particularly a Congress, with the wisdom to know 
its own limits, with a leadership who knows where the true American 
imagination lies. Countries around the world have at long last 
understood the power of trusting the people. America will change by 
reaffirming the lesson that we have taught the entire world, by trusting 
a leader who trusts you.
    It is a great pleasure to be back in the wonderful State of 
Wisconsin. Thank you all. May God bless the United States of America, 
the greatest, freest country on the face of the Earth. Thank you very, 
very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 2:09 p.m. at Outlook 
                        Graphics Corp. In his remarks, he referred to 
                        David Erdmann, president of the corporation.