[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[March 26, 1992]
[Pages 507-509]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 507]]

Remarks to the Coalition for the Restoration of the Black Family and 
Society

March 26, 1992
    Welcome, everybody. Please be seated now and relax here. First, let 
me just say how pleased I am--and I know you'll be, to hear from Lamar 
Alexander--but pleased I am that he's here. And you talk about something 
important for our Nation: What he is doing in working for a program that 
I'll just touch on today but that I think about every single day, our 
program America 2000, this chance to revolutionize, literally 
revolutionize American schools to give these kids a break, make them 
competitive in the future, it's just wonderful. So I know you're going 
to enjoy hearing from this former Governor who is now working so hard as 
a Cabinet member to do something for the kids and also, I might say for 
the teachers, those of you who teach. And so he's here, and you'll be 
hearing from him.
    This, for me, is a very wonderful occasion. I'm looking forward to 
it. It's not just that I passed my physical a few minutes ago with 
flying colors. But you know, you always wonder about those things, you 
know, when you go out to get all this probing and checking, et cetera. 
But in any event, I feel blessed in that sense.
    And let me just--a few serious comments. I have tried as President 
to preserve and strengthen three significant legacies: world peace, 
productive jobs for all here in this country, and then strong families. 
And when it comes to family, I think maybe Barbara said it the best. She 
said, ``What goes on at the White House is not nearly as important as 
what goes on in your house.'' And what she was saying was emphasizing 
the importance of family, the importance of parents reading to kids, 
families staying together in these troubled times.
    And I don't have to remind this group of committed leaders of the 
disturbing trends that we are bucking. You're fighting them in your 
neighborhoods, in your churches, and in your communities every single 
day, with broken hearts. And your hearts have already been stirred by 
the forces that threaten the American family and society.
    And so let me put it this way: In too many cases, if our Government 
had set out determined to destroy the family, it couldn't have done 
greater damage than some of what we see today. Too often these programs, 
well-intentioned, welfare programs for example, which were meant to 
provide for temporary support, have undermined responsibility. They've 
robbed people of control of their lives, destroyed their dignity, in 
some cases--and we've tried hard to change this--encouraged people, man 
and wife, to live apart because they might just get a little bit more to 
put in their pockets.
    We've got to do better. I know we've got a lot of reverends here, 
and I know I'm preaching to the choir--[laughter]--but let me just say 
this: No group is more aware of the necessity for character-based 
solutions in communitywide efforts than this coalition. And I want to 
assure you of our commitment to those same guiding principles, the 
principles that you try to inculcate into your parishes, into your 
schools, into your neighborhoods. No one cares more about it than we do. 
And I just want you to know we are committed. And I want to assure you 
of my confidence in this partnership, my support for your leadership out 
there, as I say, on the front lines of the battle for our Nation's 
families.
    I have appointed a commission. You sometimes hear, ``Oh, there he 
goes, one more commission.'' The mayors came to see me from the League 
of Cities, large cities like Los Angeles, small cities like a small 
community out in North Carolina, Plano, Texas, a wide variety of mayors. 
And they said, ``The one thing that we think really gets to the 
fundamentals of the deterioration in the cities is the deterioration of 
the American family.'' So we put together this Commission to take a hard 
look at how do you strengthen the family, what legislation do you take 
away that may be dividing families, what legislation can we encourage to 
help the families and those that are trying

[[Page 508]]

to educate their kids and keep things together. And that Commission I 
look forward to hearing from. The Chairman of it is Governor Ashcroft 
out there in Missouri. Mayor Strauss, Annette Strauss, former Mayor of 
Dallas, is Cochair. And we've got a good Commission who share your views 
on family. I think the Commission will help a lot.
    We've got to create new incentives for excellence. And Lamar will 
talk to you about that as how it fits into our education program. One 
incentive: school choice. We have to give all parents, not just the 
wealthy, the power to choose. And the schools that aren't chosen, as 
Lamar will explain, then improve themselves. There's a great record of 
that. And so we need your help there, the power to choose which schools 
serve the kids the best. And that means public; it means private; it 
means religious. And I don't believe that's against the Constitution.
    We have shown that when we work together we can get the job done. 
And I want to thank everybody here that helped on the nomination of 
Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. He will be an outstanding Justice.
    I know you can't do it alone, and I can't do it alone. But I want 
you to know I am going to continue to do what I can to bring down the 
walls of intolerance and prejudice in this country. I spoke out about 
it, will continue to speak out about it. I got a great joy in standing 
on the steps of the Mississippi capitol and saying in front of, whatever 
it was, 5,000-10,000 people, that there is no place for anti-Semitism or 
for racial bigotry or prejudice in this country. It is not regional. 
This is a national thing. And there's just as much tolerance or 
intolerance in States in the North or South or East or West. This is a 
national problem. And we've got to do what we can to make things better, 
to make things a little less ugly.
    When economic conditions are tough, then we find people resorting to 
prejudice. We find neighbor looking at neighbor suspiciously. And we've 
got to try to change this. And so I will--I just wanted you all to know 
not only am I aware of the problem, but I want to do my level-best to be 
a constructive influence for change.
    One thing that's vital to the family is a strong economy. And we're 
working to improve it. And I need your help on another issue, an issue 
that points out the urgent need for economic revival and Government 
reform.
    Last week the Congress tried to put through a massive tax increase, 
the kind that would have stopped, in my view, stopped our economic 
recovery that's starting dead in the tracks. And I told Congress I'd 
veto that bill, and I did it. And yesterday the House leadership, 
Democrats, tried to override my veto. You may not have seen much on 
this, but what was meant to be a show of strength simply put a spotlight 
on disarray up there. Not only did the Democrats fail to muster enough 
votes to override that veto, but they failed to sustain the simple 
majority that passed the bill last Friday in the first place. And that 
is almost unheard of. I'm told this is the third time that's happened 
this century, first time since 1972, twice in the last 60 years. So I 
want to thank those Members of Congress from both parties who had the 
courage of their convictions to say no to more taxes on the American 
family.
    That is a beginning. It is not enough. And if Congress really wants 
to help get this economy moving now, now that we've gotten this 
underbrush out of the way, to help me create jobs and revive hope, then 
I say pass this incentive plan that I have up there and to put America 
back to work.
    We know we can't wait for Congress to see the light. And so, 
beginning today, I've asked a couple of Congressmen, Senator McCain of 
Arizona, Congressman Harris Fawell of Illinois, to formally introduce 
our request for rescissions. There are 68 Federal projects that we don't 
need. They are not related to jobs, and we simply cannot ask the 
taxpayers, given the needs that you all are aware of, to pay for things 
that aren't necessary in these troubled times.
    So under the rules, what I've proposed now gives Congress 25 days to 
act, to uphold the cuts that we want to make, or they have to then stand 
up in broad daylight in front of you, their constituents, to go 
ahead with a vote, up or down, on spending that we simply don't need. We

[[Page 509]]

may see Congress resort to a lot of political gimmickry to get away from 
having to cast such a vote in the sunlight, but I think we owe it to the 
American family and everyone who works hard and struggles to make ends 
meet to hold the line on spending that is unnecessary. And we're going 
to keep doing that.
    Also this week, the leaders who control Capitol Hill did something 
else: They began a new effort to remove the spending caps. That's the 
only protection the taxpayer has, the only defense he has against the 
excesses of Government spending, these enormous deficits that add to the 
mortgage on the future of my grandchildren and your children--you're all 
younger. [Laughter] So the Democratic leadership wants to kill those 
caps so Congress can then go ahead and spend more. And we simply cannot 
let that happen.
    What we're seeing today is the beginning of a battle between those 
who want to change things up there and those who want to stick with the 
status quo. And I say, let the status quo people be warned: We are going 
to be making these changes, taking the case to the American people.
    You see, I am very confident about this country. I know we've been 
through an awful lot. But America will be restored not just through 
Government, not Government meddling, empty slogans, symbolic gestures, 
but by strong, clear voices of reason and then consistent acts of 
responsibility. And we are going to be restored not by outsiders coming 
in with a better idea but by people who are passionate about, and this 
is where you all fit in, passionate about reclaiming your streets, 
rescuing the kids from the forces that literally would destroy them. And 
we will be restored. We've got to see our drug program succeed. We've 
got to see Lamar's program and mine, America 2000, be a success. And 
there's the challenge.
    I thank you for what you've done, teachers, pastors, neighbors, 
friends. We are not about to give up on the United States. And you know, 
we've got a lot of blessings out there. Your kids and mine go to sleep 
at night with a little less fear of nuclear war. That's good. That's a 
good thing. Now, let's take what we did to change the world and use it 
working with you all to constructively change America.
    Thank you very, very much for what you're doing. Good luck.

                    Note: The President spoke at 3:11 p.m. in Room 450 
                        of the Old Executive Office Building.