[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[February 16, 1992]
[Pages 262-271]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session in Hollis, New Hampshire

February 16, 1992
    The President. Thank you all very, very much. Thank you so much, all 
of you. It's great to be back. It is great to be back, really. Nice to 
see all of you. Okay, let's get going. But first let me say how pleased 
I am to have been introduced by a hometown boy here and, I think, one of 
the greatest leaders that New Hampshire has ever produced, Senator 
Warren Rudman. I am very proud to have his support. With us also, also 
overdressed for the occasion since we've just been in church, and I 
didn't see all of you there--[laughter]--Governor Gregg, our campaign 
leader here, Judd Gregg, and Kathy and uno kid, dos kids right here. 
Judd, good to see you.
    And let me also thank Hugh Gregg, predecessor in the Governor's 
office, but who's been so active once again for me and to whom I'm 
always grateful. Bill Zeliff is here, the Congressman, although I don't 
see him right this minute. Where is he? Bill, you here? Right over 
there, doing a first-class job in the United States Congress.
    And I want to thank Katy Wienslaw. I want to thank Denis Joy, the 
principal, for letting us use his great school, this great facility. 
And, of course, a friend of long standing who asked that I not mention 
her name, but heck with that, Shirley Cohen, and we go back a long, long 
time. There she is.
    I was reminiscing with Shirley about days gone by, but here we are. 
And what I wanted to do now, other than urge you to vote for me on 
Tuesday, which I'm up here for, is to simply say that I want to be 
President for 4 more years. I believe in this country. I am not a 
pessimist about the future of this country. When you look around the 
world and you see these kids, I hope that my Presidency has made a 
difference. These kids are going to grow up in a world with a lot less 
fear of nuclear weapons. And I think we can all take pride in the 
foreign policy of this country and what we've accomplished.
    We got those energies turned now to try to turn this economy around. 
We've got a good program. It's not a campaign plan. It is a bill, two 
comprehensive bills, put it that way, before the Congress right now that

[[Page 263]]

would get this economy moving, not some campaign pledge. So, I need your 
help to lean on the Congress, not on Bill Zeliff, not on Warren Rudman 
or Bob Smith because they're doing the right thing, but lean on those 
that control the Congress to say, ``Let's leave the politics aside now 
and pass the President's plan by March 20th.'' Then we can all roll up 
our sleeves and fight on the political turf. But too many people up here 
are hurting to have politics as normal. So, my challenge to the Congress 
is: Move by March 20th, and give the people of this State and across 
this country what they need.
    And now I'll be glad to take some questions. These guys have the 
mikes right here. Yes, shoot. I'll repeat it if they don't get the mike 
to you fast enough, but go ahead.

War on Drugs

    Q. Mr. President, if elected, what steps would you take towards drug 
prevention in the United States?
    The President. Drug prevention? What steps if elected? Follow-on on 
the steps we're taking now. And there is some good news with our 
national drug strategy; it is working. The use by teenagers of cocaine 
is down by 11 percent in this country, and that's encouraging news. 
We're doing better on the interdiction of narcotics coming in here. The 
budget is up at about $11 billion for fighting the drug scourge.
    One thing where you can help me, anybody here can help me, once 
again, is with the Congress because we have some strong anticrime 
legislation that would also help in the fight against drugs.
    So, the answer to your program is, build on the national drug 
strategy that we already have in effect and that is working, both 
internationally and domestic. We've got to fight that scourge and whip 
it. And one of our national six education goals is schools and 
workplaces, but schools that are free of drugs. And again, support our 
America 2000 education program. It's good for this country.
    Now, who's next? Here we are, right back there.

Education Reform

    Q. Maria Gray. I'm a second-grade schoolteacher. And on behalf of 
the teachers I work with and my students, thank you for all that you do; 
Mrs. Bush, for all that you do, for your reading incentive programs. And 
would you give an encouraging word to those people who may be thinking 
about teaching as a profession?
    The President. I'd be glad to give that encouraging word, and God 
bless the teachers. We'll start with that. I was hoping I would get a 
question on education. I only have one of these with me. But we have a 
good program called America 2000, and it gives parents choice. It says 
we can do better in math and science, so we'll be more competitive 
around the world.
    And incidentally, this one started as a result of what the 
Governors, Democrat and Republicans, did at Charlottesville. They came 
together, put these six education goals before the Nation. And now we've 
got a program called America 2000. Judd Gregg, as your Governor, is out 
front for that program. And again, it transcends politics. And it really 
says this: We've got some good buildings, maybe need some better ones; 
we've got bricks and mortar, but we must revolutionize our schools. And 
that means strengthening the teachers, giving choice to the parents. And 
it is a good, sound program, and I hope you all will take a look at it. 
Not much of it needs legislation. Most of it is being done at the 
community and the State level, thank heavens, or it would take a longer 
time to get it through.
    But as to the teachers, plenty of encouragement here. We have great 
respect for those who give their lives to the young of this country.
    Now, how about this section? Well, all right. Is that for me? Oh, 
how nice. Here let me--you got a question to go with it?
    Q. This is from a Democrat. [Laughter]
    The President. All right. That's great. Can I read your slogan? 
``Willing and still able.'' Right here. Okay. Thank you all. Thank you 
very much.
    Now, who's got the next question? Right in the back. Yes, sir.

Environmental Policy

    Q. I'm from Brookfield, Connecticut. And

[[Page 264]]

I wanted to ask you, will you support the environmentalists in Rio de 
Janeiro that want to reduce the use of fluorocarbons and eventually stop 
them in the United States?
    The President. We've already been in the lead of that. There was 
some new ozone information available the other day. It was the United 
States of America that took an early step to eliminate these CFC's that 
cause this terrible problem. Faced with this new information just last 
week, we sped up the timetable for the elimination. And I confidently 
expect Europe and the other countries to follow our lead. And the 
gentleman's pointing to an important conference, a U.N. conference 
that's going to be held in Brazil in June. And the United States will be 
in a leadership role there, not simply on the ozone layer but on the 
forests and everything else.
    We've got a good, sound environmental record. We cannot keep some of 
the extremes in the environmental movement happy because I believe that 
sound environment can go hand-in-hand with reasonable growth. And in 
some corners of this country, particularly in the Northwest, there's 
some problems there where as many as 40,000 people can be thrown out of 
work by the excess of the environmental protection. So, we've got to 
find the balance, but I think we've got a very good record. And you put 
your finger on an important conference that will have the leadership and 
support from the United States.
    Yes, sir, right back here.

Federal Budget Deficit

    Q. I was just wondering what you could do in your second term to 
eliminate the budget deficit, and in 1996, when you leave office, if it 
would be possible to have a balanced budget.
    The President. I don't think it will be balanced by 1996. I do think 
a lot depends on what happens in the congressional elections next year. 
As Senator Rudman knows, we have fought--he's been way out front on 
trying to get the Federal deficit under control and keep spending under 
control. And remember, Congress appropriates every single dollar and 
instructs us how to spend every single dollar.
    We're going to keep what we call the caps on spending. That 1990 
budget deal was very controversial because there was a tax increase in 
it. People forget, however, there was spending caps put on what they 
call discretionary spending. A lot of spending the President has no 
control over, for example, Social Security and Social Security 
increases. And I don't want to fool with Social Security. I think people 
are entitled to receive those checks and have them on schedule.
    But we will fight to keep those caps on. I have in my proposal a 
program to eliminate about 250 programs, just get rid of them 
altogether, and that's $4 billion right there. And the answer, and I'll 
be taking this to the country in the fall, is send us more people to the 
Congress like Bill Zeliff here, Senators like Rudman and Smith. And then 
I believe we can get the Congress to spend less and to get on with 
getting the deficit down.
    As I look at the schedule ahead, I cannot pledge that it will be in 
balance by then. And if anybody does, ask them to show you how they're 
going to do it, given the entitlement programs that are on the books and 
need to be there, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. We're not going 
to be able to eliminate those. Change the health care, put in our health 
care plan; I think that will help. Keep the caps on; I think that will 
help.
    Yes, ma'am.

Domestic Policy

    Q. It's a privilege to be in the same company with you and Mrs. 
Bush. Can you tell me, what is your response to those in your 
constituency who feel that you are too willing to compromise, especially 
when you know you have our support? And I don't mean any disrespect.
    The President. No, that's a good question because I've heard a lot 
of flailing around up here in New Hampshire. Let me say something 
about--I've been in politics quite a while, as you know. I don't 
remember a campaign ever with quite this much negative campaigning. 
Maybe it's because most of it's aimed my way, coming out of a jillion 
Democrats over on one side and then a little out of the other side of 
the Republican

[[Page 265]]

spectrum.
    I don't think I've been willing to compromise too much. I have had 
to veto 23 pieces of legislation, and the veto has been upheld every 
single time. I'll give you an example. I favored getting unemployment 
benefits extended for people, but the Democrats wanted to go ahead and 
just extend the benefits, forget the deficit, this guy's question. I 
said, ``Look, I want to extend the benefits, but we're going to do it 
within the budget caps. If we're going to extend those benefits, let's 
find some offsets so we don't add to the mortgage of the future of these 
kids.'' And so, we have fought back bad legislation through the veto to 
get something good.
    I'll give you another piece, and this is, I hear a little voice 
coming out of right field on this one. I'm for human rights. I'm for 
civil rights. I'm against discrimination. I am for civil rights. I did 
not want a quota bill. And we fought against it. I don't believe that 
quotas is the answer. We fought against it, beat it down, and finally 
got a progressive, forward-looking civil rights bill that gives equal 
opportunity in the workplace without setting up quotas. And then I hear 
lonely voices running around New Hampshire saying I'm compromising too 
much. That's the only way you can lead when you don't control the 
Congress. And I'm going to keep on fighting for a United States that is 
free of discrimination, free of anti-Semitism, and free to move forward 
in the workplace without going to quotas. There's a good example for it.
    Right on the end. She's been very patient here.

President's Family

    Q. Is it hard being a grandfather and a President at the same time?
    The President. There's one of the toughest questions. You can see 
the seams on that one coming across at Fenway Park, you know; you can 
read every seam. It's a good question, though, because I'll tell you 
something, it isn't as easy as you might think. We have four of our 
grandchildren live there, and one of the parents, my son Marvin, doesn't 
like public life. He wants his kids to grow up without having the 
cameras, all these things on them when they come out and play on the 
White House lawn. And when they shed a tear, he wants to wipe it away in 
private, you know, so everybody doesn't see them crying.
    Barbara and I try very hard to be good grandparents, and we stay in 
touch. And she's on the phone a lot. But I think you can do both. I 
think you can keep your family together. Of course, I salute Barbara 
Bush for what she does in there, encouraging them all the time. But you 
know you asked a very good question because there's a lot of times when 
you just wish you could do what everybody else does. But I wouldn't 
trade it because I've got a job to do, got a mission to fulfill, and I'm 
going to finish that. But then, I don't fear the future because after 
all that, I think we'll be better grandparents.
    Right here in the middle. Yes, sir.

Defense Budget Cuts

    Q. I've got a two-part question. With the tremendous cuts in the 
defense budget, whether it's you or the Democratic candidates, there are 
going to be a lot of people displaced from employment. It's just the 
natural thing. One, how do you deal with that? I don't disagree with the 
cuts, but I'm concerned that they go too quick.
    Secondly, there are some of us who aren't in the beginning of our 
career but in the second half of our career. And retraining isn't a 
quick solution. And if you're in the last 10, 15 years of your career, 
it can be devastating. How do you deal with that?
    The President. Well, you asked a very important question. First, on 
the defense cuts. I am very pleased that the way we have conducted the 
foreign policy of this country permits us now to make sound defense 
cuts. We have won the cold war. Imperial communism, that's aggressive 
communism, wants to take over a neighbor that's on the ropes, is out of 
business. We've got people talking about peace in the Middle East. And 
we have different security responsibilities.
    I have proposed a budget that has $50 billion of defense cuts over 
the next 5 years. I ask you, though, to listen to this gentleman because 
we cannot make reckless cuts in our defense. Last year at this time I 
was faced with a terribly important decision: Do

[[Page 266]]

we send your sons and your daughters into combat halfway around the 
world on the ground? One of the reasons I made the decision the way I 
did is, I knew that when we made that decision, these young men and 
women would have the best possible equipment, the best possible support, 
the best logistics behind them, the fastest transport, and the best way 
to move them.
    And we did it, and they performed with magnificence. And that was 
Desert Storm that sent a message all across the world: The credibility 
of the United States means something. You see, Saddam Hussein never 
believed we'd do it. He was thinking back to Vietnam. He was thinking 
back to mixed signals out of the White House--wouldn't quite dare do it.
    And I'd say to those who remember Desert Storm, it wasn't quite as 
simple as it seems today. Go back and look at the debate a year ago 
about whether you commit the sons and daughters of New Hampshire to war. 
And I did it, took the full responsibility, and it worked out. But one 
of the reasons I made the decision with confidence was because of the 
levels of defense spending and knowing that we'd be able to move 
anyplace, go quicker, have the best equipment, and see them succeed. 
That still must be the hallmark of our defense.
    And my defense budget has the support of General Powell. It has the 
support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It isn't a political document. You 
listen to the raging debate around here from the extreme right and the 
extreme left, and all of them say, ``We don't need to keep up our 
defenses. We don't need to keep NATO strong. We can cut another $50 
billion or $100 billion.'' And one of them was up as high as $150 
billion. That is crazy. And they can do the campaign rhetoric, but I 
have the responsibility as the President of the United States to keep 
this country strong. And I'm going to do it.
    Now, the second one is much more complicated. The Defense Department 
does have some retraining programs. They've got some investment programs 
for, say, a Pease Air Force Base or whatever may happen in other 
installations around here. But I am troubled because I have no easy 
answer to it, frankly, for the guy that's this far along in his career, 
maybe he has 10 more to go, maybe he's been an aeronautical engineer who 
was laid off because we're not going to be able to keep the same level 
of spending.
    All I know is, obviously, for those who are out of work, we've got 
to keep the benefits going until they find work, and that's a given. But 
you're talking about higher levels. You're talking about something more 
sophisticated. So, I would say job training and have it as responsive as 
possible to the kind of changing technology that we've got. And that, of 
course, means adult education. It means things of this nature. But it is 
not an easy question, and I don't want to oversimplify it. It's a 
heartbreaking one, too, but we've got to cope with it.
    Yes, right back there.

Discrimination

    Q. What are you going to do about the Ku Klux Klan?
    The President. Ku Klux Klan? Can it. Speak out against it. And if 
anybody raises the specter of the Ku Klux Klan, you speak out against 
that ugly hatred. We're not a country of hating. We're not a country of 
bigots. We're not a country where we discriminate against people because 
of their religion or because of their race.
    And they need the help of every kid here. If you see some guy in 
your class make some joke about somebody that might be of a different 
color or of a different religion, just turn on them. That's not us. 
That's not the United States.
    And so, what the President can do about it, when you need 
legislation, why, you work for that. But in this one it's broader than 
that. You just stand up and say, ``Look, we're against that.'' That's 
always been the hallmark of our country, particularly something as 
vicious as the Ku Klux Klan. I don't think it's on the rise at all.
    I'll tell you something, though, this is a serious point on 
economics. As people start working and get thrown out of work, sometimes 
they might turn on or resort to bigotry or discrimination if another guy 
has a job. And we've got to guard against that. We've got some 
differences with Japan in

[[Page 267]]

terms of trade, but we don't need to resort on bashing each other. We 
need to work, as I'm trying to do, to open the markets but not try to 
discriminate or make some ugly recollection of discrimination. And so, 
stand up against it every chance you get.

Capital Gains Tax

    Q. Hi, President Bush. Joe Birch. I haven't talked to you in about 4 
years. You probably don't remember me, but I gave you some pretty hard 
questions last time when you were----
    The President. Go ahead.
    Q. I told you then I was thinking about voting for Kemp because I 
wasn't sure how conservative you are and whether or not you're going to 
defend the conservative principles that I believe in. And you convinced 
me then, and I did vote for you. And I wanted to tell you that I'm 
pretty much in the same position right now, except that now I'm thinking 
of Buchanan. Okay, there's a couple of things I don't like about him, 
about his views, I should say. One thing is, I don't like the 
isolationism, and I don't like what I consider to be the trade war 
implications that I don't like. I'm with you on that.
    The President. Protection, you mean?
    Q. Yes. But the thing I have a problem with is--it's got to do with 
education, but not in the sense you think. I don't think you're 
educating the rest of the people in this country as to the need for 
promoting business interest. Because business, as you know, has a lot to 
do with jobs.
    Now, the capital gains issue is an issue that you're getting creamed 
on, left, right, and center, and it hurts the rest of us Republicans in 
a sense. Let me finish what I'm going to say, please. The capital gains 
issue, we're getting creamed, as a Republican, every time we turn 
around. I'm a Republican, and I don't have a capital gains problem 
because I don't make any money; that's not my problem. But my 10-year-
old son here understands it better than 95 percent of the Democrats. I 
told him, ``Hey, look, 35 years ago a farmer could have bought a farm 
for $50,000, sold it for $500,000 now.'' I said, ``When I was your age a 
candy bar was a nickel; it's 10 times that now.'' And he said to me, he 
says, ``Yeah, a comic book was a dime, and now it's a buck and a half, 
$2.50.'' So the farmer that made a $450,000 gain, he didn't even keep up 
with inflation, and yet the people are calling him the one percent of 
the rich in the country. And they're killing us on that issue because 
they're making it like the Republicans are taking care of the rich, and 
we don't give a damn about the working of the business.
    So, Buchanan's coming across with this. And I'm right on the fence 
with a half-a-dozen other voters, and I want to hear what you've got to 
say.
    The President. I don't know. I'm a little unclear whether you favor 
a capital gains reduction. I do, and I've been fighting for it for a 
long time. And the answer is, get me more people in the Congress that 
will support it. I can't do any more. I'm getting creamed by the 
liberals saying, ``You want a tax cut for the rich.'' A capital gains 
reduction will encourage investment. It will put ground under a person's 
home or their farm.
    And so, I don't know where you're at. I am for it, and I'm going to 
continue to fight for it. And getting it done is a lot different than 
political, you know.
    Q. I'm with that position. I'm with that position 100 percent. And 
the idea that Germany has none and Japan has none, it's understood. But 
the people aren't--they don't understand it. When you say capital gains, 
they say you're trying to help the rich.
    The President. I agree with that. And I need help from the people to 
make them understand it and to get the Congress to pass it. We've had 
those bills before the Congress for 3 years; ask Warren Rudman, ask Bill 
Zeliff. So, we need the help there.
    It's one thing to make campaign rhetoric, and it's another thing to 
get your sleeves rolled up and trying to support the President in 
getting it done. And that's my point to the voters in New Hampshire. 
We're not electing the guy who can make the most money out there or can 
demonstrate the quickest wit. We need somebody that can lead for these 
things and get them accomplished. And that brings me to say, help me 
with the United States Congress. That's where the problem is on getting 
this econo-

[[Page 268]]

my turned around with our budget package right now, with capital gains, 
with other things like this homeowners tax credit.
    You know, a family trying to buy a first home, our proposal says, 
$5,000 tax credit. Congress must pass that by March 20th. Now if you 
feel upset about it, roll up your sleeves and get on the horn to the 
Congress or go down there and talk to them. I think you can do it; you 
look tough. [Laughter]
    All right. Right over here. Good to see you again.

Education Reform

    Q. Four years ago you promised to be our education President. And 
the America 2000 is a great set of goals. But can you think of one thing 
you've actually done to move us toward that goal here in Hollis, New 
Hampshire?
    The President. Yes, I've gotten my wife to demonstrate her concern 
by reading to the children. And if you think that's not important, 
you're wrong. Because I had the mayors from the National League of 
Cities come into the White House, and you know what their main concern 
was? Urban problems. The mayor of Los Angeles, no flaming Republican, I 
might add, and a good man, and then a mayor from a small North Carolina 
town, a Republican, all came together, and they said the biggest problem 
is the dissolution of the American family.
    And Barbara's out there, and I'm trying to help as best I can, 
saying, ``You've got to hold the family together. You've got to 
participate. You've got to read.''
    We have passed for the first time, gotten the country together on 
six major national education goals. That's never been done before. That 
would not dictate to Hollis. That wouldn't tell them what the curriculum 
has to be. But these are the six goals, and let me just recite them 
because I do think it's a very strong program. And I do think we're 
making progress on it.
    We need to go forward now and have every kid ready to learn. That 
means more Head Start. I have increased the levels for Head Start 
exponentially. We have it now budgeted so that every 4-year-old will get 
Head Start. You may not think that's progress on education; I think it 
is superb progress on education.
    I think the high school graduation rate should increase to at least 
90 percent. And we're making headway on that one.
    The third one, American students will be competent in core subjects. 
You'd have to ask the teachers how they're doing on that one, but I 
think it's one where we've got to make better progress; I'll concede 
that.
    U.S. students will be first in the world in science and math. And 
we're moving on that direction, the highest level of research that this 
country has ever had. And I believe that will help us achieve that 
education goal.
    Every American adult will be literate. I'm trying to show the way 
there by learning to work a computer. And that's not just show business; 
it is suggesting to the American people we must have adult literacy. And 
that can help in this question of transferability over here.
    And then the last one, every school in America will be free and safe 
from drugs and crime. Made progress; not near enough.
    So, I would argue that we're making headway, but I would certainly 
agree with you that we haven't made enough headway. But I'm going to 
keep on fighting because I believe this record is a good one on 
education. And it's far better than what I hear coming out of left field 
out there, saying, ``Hey, the answer is for the Federal Government to 
set the curriculum and the Federal Government to come in and control 
these programs.'' That is not going to get to the educational excellence 
that these six goals demand.
    Way in the middle.

Education Funding

    Q. I am on the school board here for the Hollis/Brookline high 
school and junior high schools. We are a small town, and special ed 
costs right now are escalating all over, including in our small town. 
And we have to be concerned about the fact that although the costs are 
escalating, the Federal funding is going away. And it's hurting us 
because our tax bill is the only thing that's supporting it. Think about 
Federal funding sometime.
    The President. I will. Federal funding, incidentally, for the 
Department of Education

[[Page 269]]

is up. It's up considerably from where I came into office. But you know 
what a problem is? A problem is that Congress still wants to quote, 
mandate, unquote, the benefits. Hollis may have a problem where, better 
have more adult education. Hollis may--which is the one you mentioned?
    Q. Special ed.
    The President. Special ed. Hollis may need more on special ed. It is 
my feeling that block grants should be used instead of these mandates 
out of some subcommittee in Washington, DC. And if you need more for 
special ed, it ought to be here in a block grant for the people of 
Hollis and the Governor of New Hampshire to decide, rather than some 
subcommittee chairman that's been there 30 years on the Democratic side 
in Washington.
    So, we're going to fight for the block grant approach and continue 
to try to do it, and that, I believe, will answer some of this problem, 
not all.
    Yes, right here. Yes, sir.

The Economy

    Q. President Bush, with all due respect to your opposition on the 
Republican side, personally I like Pat Buchanan on television, and I 
like George Bush in the Oval Office. Just a question I have. I know you 
have a package before Congress now, but beyond that, however long it 
takes to get through, beyond that, what type of things are you doing or 
do you plan to do to try to help the economy with jobs? I'm a senior 
manager, and I'm facing laying off many people at the company that I 
work at.
    The President. The investment bill we've got before the Congress I 
believe really will work. We fought--and I can understand Joe's 
frustration--we fought for some of these incentives, changes in the 
IRA's, capital gains, for 2 years and have just not gotten them through 
Congress. Now there's enough awareness there that I believe the package 
we have that includes those two things, also includes the first-time tax 
break for homeowners, plus several others--there's seven points in it--
will help stimulate the economy immediately.
    We have a family tax credit that's in the overall bill. It's a 
longer term; it has to be done by this year, but it's not in those seven 
``incentivizations'', you might say.
    The National Home Builders came up here to New Hampshire the other 
day and announced how many jobs they think this would create, just the 
adoption of the homeowners credit would create, and then get real estate 
leading the way out of this recession. So, I think we've got a good, 
sound economic program, but Congress has the votes. And I've got to 
change the Congress.
    And I understand there are a lot of people out there a lot more 
charismatic than I am, but a lot of them don't have to make the tough 
decisions either. Heck, if that were the case, Phil Donahue might be 
President of the United States if you needed somebody to be out there on 
television--[laughter]--or some of the others, reporters we've got 
around here who are very good in their field, but I'm not sure we want 
them for President.
    So, I'll keep doing my best. You know, I'll say to these kids here--
and this may sound a little gratuitous or silly, but it's not--you go 
back to think what your parents are telling you, and they're saying: Do 
your best. Try your hardest. Don't let the critics get you down if 
somebody disagrees with you in your class. Work your hardest for what 
you believe in. And that's what I'm trying to do. And I'm going to keep 
on trying to do it.
    And I've had to make tough decisions. Good God, a year ago, I was. I 
thought about that in church today. It wasn't an easy decision to commit 
some of your neighbors here to war. But you've got to do your best, and 
you've got to take the shots that come your way and say, ``Hey, that 
goes with the territory.''
    But I believe in this country. I believe that we are good and decent 
and honorable. I believe we are the leaders of the free world. I believe 
that our workers can compete with anybody. And now we've got to get the 
programs to free that up and get them going. So don't let the pessimists 
get you down. We are the United States of America, and we got something 
moving. And now we've got to get this through so the people in New 
Hampshire are lifted up. That's the way I approach it.

[[Page 270]]

    We can hear you. I'll repeat it.

Health Care

    Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the health insurance plan?
    The President. The health insurance plan. And again, it's not a 
campaign plan; it is up there for congressional consideration. It is 
built on this basis, building on this basis: We have the best quality 
health care in the world, the best. If not, why would neighbors from far 
and wide come to this country for specialized, strong health care? So, I 
want to change it in the sense that I want everybody to have access, 
everybody, rich or poor, to have access to insurance. And our program is 
built on that.
    A person that doesn't have a job or is impoverished gets this 
insurance, they get the insurance. Middle-income people, they get 
deductions to permit them to put less money in the Government and more 
to get the insurance with. It is built on access, and that will keep us 
from turning to a state-run system.
    I hear a lot of campaign rhetoric in New Hampshire about let's have 
a nationalized plan. What they mean there is a plan where the Government 
makes all the decisions. And that is wrong. And our plan will cost about 
$100 billion. We've sent up page after page of how to pay for it. But 
one of the ways is to cut down on these frivolous lawsuits that compel 
our doctors to go to all kinds of duplication in their care. Too many 
lawsuits, and too much liability for these people.
    So the answer is to keep what works and build on what works and make 
insurance available and have access to all. And that's where the 
program----
    Which one of you two want to ask this, reluctantly, but go ahead.

Abortion

    Q. What do you have to say to the women of America who feel that 
they're being reduced to breeders by your antichoice stand?
    The President. Being introduced to what? I didn't hear the question.
    Q. Breeders by your antichoice stand.
    The President. Breeders?
    Q. Yes.
    The President. I've never looked at love between a man and a woman 
as a breeding proposition. I recognize there are differences on this 
question, but I happen to favor life. And I am appalled at the numbers 
of abortions that are going on. They are exponentially rising, and it's 
a tragedy. Some people use it as a birth control device. So, I just have 
a difference, an honest difference of opinion on that one. I'm not going 
to change my views.
    But I certainly think the way you phrase it--I don't think people 
should look at affection between a man and a woman as that kind of ugly 
thing. When you have a relationship, I hope it's based on something that 
has more affection. Maybe love, we ought to try that one on for size; 
maybe a little more education than we've had in trying to teach people 
that indiscriminate sex is not good. And we're having an awful lot of 
disease because of indiscriminate sex. And we have a lot of broken 
families, kids that nobody knows their name. And we've got to find ways 
to strengthen the family.
    All these things I think we could agree on, whether we agree on that 
question or not, of whether you want abortion or whether you happen to 
favor life and adoption, as I do.

Line-Item Veto

    Q. Mr. President, could you comment on how you might motivate 
Congress to adopt the line-item veto? One of the concerns clearly is 
that the budget needs to be controlled, and that might be a message.
    The President. Well, the question is, for those who didn't hear it 
here, how do you motivate the Congress to go for the line-item veto?
    One, I strongly support it. Forty-three Governors have it. I don't 
think you've got it in New Hampshire, but 43 Governors across the State 
have it, across the country. And it gives the executives the chance to 
make the tough decision. So again it goes back to Joe's question: How do 
you get it done? And the only way I know to get it done is to keep 
advocating it and to get the kind of people in Washington that would 
support it.
    And I'm going to keep on doing that be-

[[Page 271]]

cause--I don't believe it would solve this guy's question, or lady's 
question, whoever asked it originally, about the balanced budget. I'm 
not suggesting that there are enough items you could hack out of there 
unilaterally to do that overnight. But it would make a tremendous job.
    I'm all for Lawrence Welk. Lawrence Welk is a wonderful man--he used 
to be, or was, or wherever he is now, bless him. [Laughter] But we don't 
need $700,000 for a Lawrence Welk Museum when we've got tough times and 
people in New Hampshire are hurting. And there's the kind of thing that 
could be line-itemed out of the budget, and I think we need it. We 
really do need it.
    Right over there in the middle. Yes, sir.

Accessibility of the President

    Q. ----I was wondering if you ever considered meeting groups of 
people one-on-one--[inaudible]--with this problem of the different 
groups. I know you have a staff and can't do everything, but local 
people--[inaudible]--will help you win the election.
    The President. Interesting suggestion. His point is, he said not a 
lot of people would want to have my job, but a lot of people would know 
exactly how to run it. I think that was the premise. But have you 
considered, he says, meeting one-on-one with individual people? And the 
Cabinet, he says, can do their job, but that may not be as 
representative as you get it down closer to the grassroots. Is that a 
fair repetition?
    Not bad, not a bad question at all. Good observation. I do get a ton 
of mail. And people say, ``Well, you don't understand the heartbreak out 
there.'' I really believe I do. I don't think you have to have an 
experience yourself to understand it. Do you want me to put this on a 
real personal basis for you? Barbara and I lost a child. Some people 
here haven't done that. I wouldn't suggest that if that experience 
hadn't come to your family, that you would be less concerned about a 
neighbor who went through that. We care about it. We are in touch. I 
read the mail. I hear a lot of cries from the heart from people--many, 
many ways. Friends reporting of neighbors out of work, whatever it may 
be.
    I don't know how to implement what you've suggested. We've done some 
homework since we've been privileged to live in the White House. When 
Abraham Lincoln was President he lived right on the second floor of the 
White House, and he had his bedroom down at one end of the hall, same 
place where Barbara and I have the bedroom now. And the people could 
come up and wander into the White House and say, ``Hey, we want to see 
Abe,'' and give him their view. It was pretty good. I mean, it was a 
good system in a sense.
    Now you've got some problems from that, most of them of a security 
nature. You've got a lot of nuts out there. You've got a lot of crazy 
people wandering around that you can't take a chance with.
    Let me think about it. I don't know whether there's a better way to 
kind of just pluck a name out of the phone book or get some guy that was 
thrown out of work, for example, to come there as an individual with no 
staff and no preparation. Maybe there is because I'm not going to shoot 
it down as a lousy idea.
    Go ahead.
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. I'll tell you how we do a lot of that is through the 
different groups that represent these people. But that's not maybe as 
good as what you're suggesting here. There may be a way we can do more 
of that. You go to these hospitals and talk to an AIDS family, or 
something, you get a better feel. And we do a fair amount of that. But 
maybe there's more. I mean, I think it's a good suggestion.
    They tell me we've got to go, all nervous-looking people over here, 
because we're heading on. But listen, thank you very much. And may I ask 
you to vote for me on Tuesday. We need your support. Thank you very, 
very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. at Hollis/
                        Brookline High School. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Kathryn M. Wienslaw, cochairman of 
                        the Bush-Quayle campaign in New Hampshire.