[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[March 30, 1992]
[Pages 514-516]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to State Attorneys General

March 30, 1992
    Well, may I salute Ken Eikenberry and Jeff Amestoy and all the State 
attorney generals, and salute also--whoops, there he is down there--our 
own Bill Barr, who I think is doing an outstanding job. And I know he's 
working closely with everybody in this room.
    Bill has his forces moving out on several fronts, from tort reform 
to relief of prison overcrowding. We've also started what we call the 
``Weed and Seed'' initiative, our plan to get the roots, rip them out, 
of the inner-city violence, and then plant seeds of hope with more 
educational opportunity, with more job training, with a new approach to 
health care. And then we are going to keep hammering away on the need 
for enterprise zones. This plan joins Federal, State, and local forces 
to go after and to take back our hardest hit neighborhoods. They're 
crucial missions, and I am determined to see them achieved and let 
nothing stand in the way.
    The efforts of the Justice Department help shape the kind of legacy 
that we leave for future generations. And our children must inherit a 
society that is safe, is sane and just. And I've also spoken of other 
meaningful legacies like jobs and a world at peace and certainly strong 
families. The American heritage which I describe is one where children 
can sit on their porch with-

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out the fear of getting caught in an ugly crossfire, where decent people 
don't have to hide behind locked doors while gangs roam the streets, 
where the message is clear: When it comes to the law, if you're going to 
take liberties, you're going to lose your own; you're going to pay.
    We cannot pass this legacy onto our children tomorrow unless we 
start going after tough crime legislation today. And for 3 years 
running, we have called on the Congress to pass a tough crime bill. 
We've pushed hard. Many of you have been at our side in trying to get 
something done. I want a bill that won't tie the hands of the honest 
cops in trying to get their jobs done, one that shows less sympathy for 
the criminals and certainly more for the victims of crime. And most of 
all, I want to get a crime bill that I can sign.
    But law and order mean more than just safe streets and bigger 
prisons. Reforming the system also means going after public corruption 
in our cities and our States, the rot that eats away at our institutions 
and at our trust. Over the past 3 years, this administration has moved 
aggressively to hunt down corruption and stop it dead in its tracks.
    For the record, in '89 and '90 alone the Department secured over 
2,200 convictions, 2,200, in public corruption cases. Judges, 
legislators, and law enforcement officials, part-time crooks, full-time 
fakes: Nobody is immune. And this kind of crime does society real harm 
because these swindlers aren't satisfied merely with making crime pay; 
they stick the taxpayer with the tab. And millions and millions of hard-
earned tax dollars are disappearing from public treasuries every single 
year and showing up in corruption's back pocket. And this is money that 
could be building roads or balancing budgets. I am preaching to the 
choir on this subject because you all are out there on the cutting edge, 
on the front line all the time, trying to do something about the 
problem.
    But the problem is greater than a few individuals who stopped 
caring. The problem is a system that has stopped working. And the old 
bureaucratic system of big Government has ground to a halt. And it's not 
accountable; it is not effective; and it is not efficient. It's not even 
compassionate. And the chronic problems we see today are sad proof that 
the old approaches are producing new failures.
    So in this election year, it's understandable, I'm sure, that we 
hear a lot of talk about change. You all have been fighting for change. 
I think I have. And yes, the time has come for change, far-reaching, 
fundamental reform. That's the kind of change that this country needs in 
the fighting-crime field; not just in fighting crime, incidentally, and 
not just in Government but all across the board.
    And that's why I've--proposing school choice reform--just finished 
almost an hour meeting with our Secretary of Education on that one--so 
that choices about education can be made from the kitchen table, not 
from the halls of bureaucracy. Where it's been tried, it has been 
effective in improving the schools that are not chosen as well as those 
that are.
    And I've proposed a health care reform to improve access for those 
who need it the most.
    Legal reform, we need your help on. We've got good proposals up 
there on Capitol Hill. Our legal reform is shaped so that Americans can 
start solving their problems face to face instead of lawyer to lawyer. 
I'm amazed at the number, the great increase in lawsuits that is really 
putting a damper on so many aspects in our society.
    The kind of change that I'm describing is hard. It has its enemies, 
and the battle lines have been drawn: the allies of change versus the 
defenders of the status quo. So, I want to make it very clear which side 
I'm on; I know which side many of you are on.
    So, let the cynics say that this is only a fight for the next 
election. We know it's a battle for the next generation. And I'm very 
glad you all are here. And what we'll do is go over here, and I'd love 
to have suggestions from you as to how we might be doing our job better 
down here. And of course, I'd be glad to take questions. If they're 
technical, I'll kick them off to perhaps the most able Attorney General 
a guy could hope to have with him.
    Thank you all very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 10:36 a.m. in

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                        the Roosevelt Room at the White House. In his 
                        remarks, he referred to Kenneth O. Eikenberry, 
                        attorney general of Washington, and Jeffrey L. 
                        Amestoy, attorney general of Vermont.