[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[October 12, 1992]
[Pages 1810-1813]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the Community in Springfield
October 12, 1992

    The President. Thank you very, very much. Give them the sign. 
[Laughter] Thank you very, very much. Let me say it's great to be back 
here in Springfield, great to be back in this all-important part of 
Pennsylvania, and great to be accompanied by one of the true national 
leaders who is your Congressman, Curt Weldon. He's doing an outstanding 
job.
    I hope some of you tuned into last night's political talk-a-thon. I 
don't pretend to be an Oxford debater, but I think I did OK. What we're 
going to do is continue to tell the truth about this country, and let 
the voters decide 3 weeks from whenever it is--tomorrow. Three weeks 
away. We need your support.
    You know, listening to our opponents, you might think they want you 
to believe that America is a nation in decline. And of course, we've got 
our challenges, but we should never forget that our people are still the 
best educated; our economy, in spite of the problems, the most dynamic; 
our workers are still the most productive, more productive than any 
other workers in the entire world. And I am proud of what we have done 
to strengthen America's leadership all around the world.
    Four years ago we said we'd bring America's disabled into the 
mainstream, and we delivered. I said we would do what no President has 
done in 10 years, and that is start to clean our air and get rid of acid 
rain, and we delivered. I said we would strengthen the family by letting 
parents, not the Government, choose our kids' child care, and we 
delivered again.
    I am very proud that on my watch more than a billion 
people, almost one-fifth of the entire population of the world, have 
enjoyed the first breath of freedom. I'm proud that we stood up to the 
bully of Baghdad and led the world to saying no to aggres-

[[Page 1811]]

sion.
    I am especially proud that the children here today, the young 
people, will grow up in a world that is safer because we reduced the 
fear of nuclear war. But as you people know, the Soviet bear may be 
gone, but there are still some wolves in the woods. It may be tempting 
to believe that we can turn the American Commander in Chief into the 
Maytag repairman. But there are still dangers in the world, and you've 
got to ask who do you trust to keep your families secure.
    Governor Clinton has absolutely no experience in international 
matters, and I am the President who has led the world and made these 
kids safer. I ask for your support on that basis.
    You see, the new world brings new challenges and new opportunities. 
We're part of a global economy, and this is no time to hand the wheel to 
a novice. When it comes to steering America through the new global 
economic challenges, America needs a driver who knows the highway. Do 
not take a risk on America's future.
    I have laid out my Agenda for American Renewal, the steps that we 
must take to win the economic competition, to build a prosperous, secure 
nation for all the kids here today. And step number one is to tear down 
the barriers to free and fair trade so that we can create good jobs for 
American workers.
    Yes, we've been caught up in a global economic slowdown. We have to 
understand that the nations of Europe would switch for our economy in a 
fast minute. We have lower inflation and lower interest rates. We're the 
world's leading exporter. And when you shop in the world, chances are 
that the goods in the stores say not ``Made in Japan,'' not ``Made in 
Germany'' but ``Made in the U.S.A.''
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. And by opening up foreign markets, we will provide 
good jobs for our kids and our grandkids. You know, already the average 
export-related job pays 17 percent more than a traditional job. So if we 
want our sons and daughters of steelworkers to have good jobs, we must 
fight for free and fair trade. I am proud of our administration that 
last week signed the North American free trade agreement, forging a $6 
trillion market from Manitoba to Mexico. NAFTA will create 175,000 new 
American jobs.
    In my second term, we will fight for new agreements with the nations 
of Europe and Asia and Latin America. And just as we once used our 
military alliances to win the cold war, we can use these economic 
alliances to win the new business war. We are number one. Let's make 
ourselves even stronger.
    But let's be serious about one point: If we're going to win that 
competition in the new economy, we've got to do it, and we've got to do 
it by changing our schools. You know, we already spend more per pupil 
than any of our major industrial competitors and yet our kids rank near 
the bottom in math and science. We need to embrace new ideas. And again, 
I'm proud of what we've done already. Never in history has America had 
national education goals. But today we do. Now let's build on that goal 
to give every kid here a better education. Never before in America have 
almost 2,000 communities committed to literally reinventing our schools. 
And today they are. But we can't stop here. So in my second term I want 
to give every parent in America the right to choose their kids' school, 
public, private, or religious.
    But you know, reforming education will not be enough if our 
graduates can't find jobs. So we have to strengthen American business. 
The past 4 years have not been easy. American companies are 
restructuring. But almost every American industry--steel, computers, 
biotech--is stronger than just a few years ago. Small business is the 
backbone of this economy, creating two out of every three jobs. Small 
business will lead the economic recovery if we can provide the kind of 
tax relief I'm fighting for, relief from taxation, regulation, and 
litigation.
    America spends up to $200 billion every year on direct cost to 
lawyers. Japan doesn't spend this, and neither does Germany. I want to 
take on these trial lawyers and reform our lawsuit-happy legal system. 
People don't even dare coach Little League because they'll get sued. You 
see a guy lying along the highway, and you don't dare

[[Page 1812]]

stop because you think somebody will sue you for trying to help. Or if 
you're a doctor, you don't dare deliver babies because you're afraid 
some crazy patient will sue you with a malpractice suit. Well look, we 
sue each other too much, and we care for each other too little. Let's 
start doing it the other way: care for each other more and sue each 
other less.
    Step four is this: We've got to cut the cost of health care. With 
our current health care system, you get sick twice, first when you go to 
the doctor and then a month later when you get the bill. I want to 
reform this malpractice insurance. I want to use competition to drive 
the cost down. I want to make insurance available to absolutely 
everybody: the poorest of the poor right up through the overworked, 
overtaxed middle class. My plan does that, and we still keep the quality 
of American health care. Let's not go to socialized medicine; let's go 
to competitive medicine. A good doctor ought not to be a luxury, not 
something reserved for the privileged few: not here, not in 
Pennsylvania, not in America, not anymore. Pass my health care reform. 
Give me new Members of Congress. Clean out the House. Give us more like 
Curt. Give us people that will pass this kind of legislation.
    Priority number five is to reach out to every American because in 
the next century we need the talent of every person from the city to the 
suburbs to the furthest rural town. And to do this we must take back our 
streets from the crackheads and the criminals. We must back our law 
enforcement people. Today I've just come from a marvelous meeting of 20 
leaders of national firefighting people. And we've got to make them safe 
by better law enforcement. We must protect those who are helping us.
    I'm proud that under my administration about 85 percent of the 
people served their full sentences on Federal crimes. We have appointed 
Federal judges who have a little less respect for the criminal and a lot 
more for the victims of crime. And that's the kind of judges we need.
    But we want to do even better with tough new laws for new crimes 
like carjacking and special laws for crimes against women and the 
elderly. And so I put forward a specific plan to eliminate over 4,000 
Government projects, almost 250 programs that waste your hard-earned tax 
dollars. And I want to control the growth of mandatory Federal spending 
without touching Social Security. Leave Social Security safe.
    As Curt knows, the Congress can't do anything about the deficit, so 
give me a chance. Give me a balanced budget amendment, a line-item veto, 
a check-off on our tax return. A check-off on the tax return to take the 
deficit off our children's shoulders. We've got to get the job done, and 
the current Congress won't do it. The good news is because of the fraud 
in the banks and the post offices, we're going to have a lot of new 
Congressmen. And I'll sit down and say, let's change America. Let's get 
the deficit off the back of these kids.
    Governor Clinton simply cannot stand up to the congressional bosses. 
He refuses to endorse term limits. I say let's limit the terms of 
Members of Congress and give the Government back to the people.
    So this is some of our agenda for America's renewal. It's a 
comprehensive, it's an innovative, a new approach, a new plan, and it 
offers the promises of a very different America than the plan Governor 
Clinton proposes.
    Now, look at each of the items I've mentioned and you'll see the 
difference. I hate to ruin this beautiful sunny day in Springfield, but 
I've got to tell you a little bit factually about Governor Clinton's 
record.
    On the question of the North American free trade agreement, he was 
first for it and then against it. Now he's for it again. You can't do 
that. They don't serve waffles in the Oval Office on these tough issues. 
You have to take a position. You can't keep everybody happy, but you've 
got to take a position. You can't be on all sides of every issue.
    In education Governor Clinton talks a good game, but he's flunked 
the test in Arkansas. He can't reform American schools because he 
doesn't want to attend the very powerful union leaders. I want to 
support the teachers, not the teachers' union. He wants to listen to the 
union and not to the teachers.
    You see the same thing when it comes to small business. Governor 
Clinton and the

[[Page 1813]]

trial lawyers act like Boris and Natasha in those old Bullwinkle 
cartoons, you remember? They play goo-goo eyes with each other. He wants 
small business to pay a stiff new payroll tax for health care, and that 
would drive away jobs in small business. And we don't need to destroy 
jobs; we need to create jobs.
    And on crime, I have been endorsed, because we have a strong record 
of backing the law enforcement officers, by the National Fraternal Order 
of Police. And get this, the police in Little Rock, the ones who know 
Governor Clinton best, have endorsed me for President of the United 
States.
    Here's the biggest difference of all. Here is the biggest difference 
of all. Where I want to make Government smaller, Governor Clinton has 
already proposed--worse than Mondale, worse than Dukakis--$150 billion 
in new taxes. And that ain't all of it, man. He's also proposed over 
$200 billion in new spending, and he hasn't got there yet. We cannot 
have that. You've got to ask who's going to pay for it. He says sock it 
to the rich. There aren't that many people that are rich. What he's 
going to do is stick it right to the cab driver, the teacher, the nurse, 
the firefighter, the construction workers. I say we need to help the 
middle class, not sock it to them with more taxes.
    So we've got two fundamentally different philosophies of Government. 
He puts his faith in more Government, in special interests, in higher 
taxes to pay for all his promises. And I offer smaller Government, lower 
taxes, and more power to the people so that we can renew America.
    The Democrats don't like it when I talk about it, but we've got to 
find ways to strengthen the American family, not tear it apart at the 
shreds by crazy social legislation. When Barbara Bush reads to those 
children in the Diplomatic Entrance to the White House, she's saying, 
``Love your kid. Read to the children. Strengthen the American family.'' 
And that's what we must do. [Applause] And I agree with you. I think 
we've got the best First Lady in a long, long time.
    You know, as I told them last night, in the Oval Office, the buck 
does stop there. You've got to make tough decisions. You can't keep 
everybody happy. When you make a mistake you pick up and go on and try 
to continue to help the American people. When you do something wrong, do 
like a family person does, say, ``Look, I made a mistake and now I want 
to go forward.'' I believe I have been a good, strong leader in tough 
times for the United States of America.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I believe I have the ideas, the experience, and the 
character to lead again so that together we can make our Nation more 
safe and more secure. Let us not take a risk on America's future. I ask 
for your trust so that I can finish this job. I am proud of the United 
States. I do not tear it down. I want to lift it up and make life better 
for every single American.
    And may God bless you all. May God bless you. And thank you for this 
fantastic show of support. I am very, very grateful to you. Thank you 
all.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:57 a.m. at the 
                        Springfield Township Municipal Amphitheater.