    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [February 15, 1993]
    [Pages 104-106]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the Nation on the Economic Program
    February 15, 1993

        Good evening. I have chosen this day on which we honor two great
    Presidents to talk with you about the serious problems and the great
    promise of our country and the absolute necessity for change if we're to
    secure a better future for ourselves and for our children. On

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    Wednesday evening I'll address the Congress about the specifics of my
    plan, but first I turn to you for your strength and support, to enlist
    you in the cause of changing our course.
        This is a momentous time for our Nation. We stand at the end of the
    cold war and on the edge of the 21st century. For two decades we've
    moved steadily toward a global economy in which we must compete with
    people around the world, a world which requires us to work hard and
    smart, a world in which putting people first is more than a political
    slogan, it's a philosophy of governing and the only path to prosperity.
        For 12 years we've followed a very different philosophy. It declared
    that Government is the problem, that fairness to the middle class is
    less important than keeping taxes low on the wealthy, that Government
    can do nothing about our deepest problems: lost jobs, declining wages,
    increasing inequality, inadequate educational opportunity, and a health
    care system that costs a fortune but does too little.
        During those 12 years as Governor of Arkansas, I followed a very
    different course, more like what you've done at home and at work. I
    invested in the future of our people and balanced a State budget with
    honesty and fairness and without gimmicks. It's just common sense. But
    in the 26 days I've been your President, I've already learned that here
    in Washington, common sense isn't too common. And you've paid a lot for
    that loss of common sense.
        The typical middle class family is working harder for less. Despite
    the talk of a recovery, more than 9 million of our fellow citizens are
    still out of work. And as this chart indicates, if this were a real,
    normal recovery, 3 million more Americans would already be back at work
    by now. In fact, there are more jobless people now than there were at
    what the experts call the bottom of this recession.
        All during this last 12 years the Federal deficit has roared out of
    control. Look at this: The big tax cuts for the wealthy, the growth in
    Government spending, and soaring health care costs all caused the
    Federal deficit to explode. Our debt is now 4 times as big as it was in
    1980. That's right. In the last 12 years we piled up 4 times as much
    debt as in the previous 200.
        Now, if all that debt had been invested in strengthening our
    economy, we'd at least have something to show for our money: more jobs,
    better educated people, a health care system that works. But as you can
    see, while the deficit went up, investments in the things that make us
    stronger and smarter, richer and safer, were neglected: less invested in
    education, less in our children's future, less in transportation, less
    in local law enforcement. An awful lot of that money was just wasted.
        This matters. When you don't invest in jobs and education and
    economic opportunity, unemployment goes up and our incomes go down. And
    when the deficit gets bigger and bigger and bigger, the Government takes
    more of your money just for interest payments. And then it's harder for
    you to borrow money for your own business or to afford a new home or to
    send a child to college.
        That's exactly what's been happening. Once our living standards
    doubled every 25 years. But at the rate we're going today our living
    standard won't double for another 100 years, until our grandchildren's
    grandchildren are born. That's too long. We must act now to restore the
    American dream.
        Despite the enormity of this crisis, believe it or not, the status
    quo still has its defenders, people who point to hopeful statistics like
    the recent increase in productivity and consumer confidence and say we
    should do nothing. Well, American business has been forced to become
    more competitive in this global economy. And I'm glad that consumers'
    confidence is up since the election. But we're not generating jobs or
    making headway on these other long-term problems.
        My message to you is clear: The price of doing the same old thing is
    far higher than the price of change. After all, that's why you sent me
    here: not to keep this seat warm but to work for fundamental change, to
    make Washington work for all Americans, not just the special interests,
    and to chart a course that will enable us to compete and win in this new
    world.
        Here's the challenge I will offer the Congress and the country on
    Wednesday. We'll invest in our future by nurturing our children and
    supporting their education, by rewarding work and family, by creating
    the jobs of the future and training our people to fill them. Our every
    effort will reflect what President Franklin Roosevelt called bold,
    persistent experimentation, a willingness to stay with things that work
    and stop things that don't.
        Change must begin at the top. That's why I cut the White House staff
    by 25 percent and

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    ordered Federal agencies to cut billions of dollars in administrative
    costs and to trim 100,000 Federal positions by attrition. And in my
    budget there will be more than 150 specific cuts in Government spending
    programs. Then I'll ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair
    share.
        That brings us to those of you who gave the most in the 1980's. I
    had hoped to invest in your future by creating jobs, expanding
    education, reforming health care, and reducing the debt [deficit] \1\
    without asking more of you. And I've worked harder than I've ever worked
    in my life to meet that goal. But I can't because the deficit has
    increased so much beyond my earlier estimates and beyond even the worst
    official Government estimates from last year. We just have to face the
    fact that to make the changes our country needs, more Americans must
    contribute today so that all Americans can do better tomorrow. But I can
    assure you of this: You're not going alone anymore. You're not going
    first. And you're no longer going to pay more and get less. Seventy
    percent of the new taxes I'll propose, 70 percent, will be paid by those
    who make more than $100,000 a year. And for the first time in more than
    a decade, we're all in this together.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
            \1\ White House correction.
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          More important, here's the payoff: Our comprehensive plan for
    economic growth will create millions of long-term, good-paying jobs,
    including a program to jumpstart our economy with another 500,000 jobs
    in 1993 and 1994. And as we make deep cuts in existing Government
    programs, we'll make new investments where they'll do the most good:
    incentives to business to create new jobs; investments in education and
    training; special efforts for displaced defense workers; a fairer tax
    system to ensure that parents who work full-time will no longer raise
    their children in poverty; welfare reform to move people from welfare to
    work; vaccinations and Head Start opportunities for all children who
    need them; and a system of affordable quality health care for all
    Americans. Our national service plan will throw open the doors of
    college opportunity to the daughters and sons of the middle class. Then
    we'll challenge them to give something back to our country as teachers,
    police officers, community service workers, taking care of our own right
    here at home. And we'll do it all while reducing our debt [deficit].\1\
        Change this fundamental will not be easy, nor will it be quick. But
    at stake is the control of our economic destiny. Within minutes of the
    time I conclude my address to Congress Wednesday night, the special
    interests will be out in force. Those who profited from the status quo
    will oppose the changes we seek, the budget cuts, the revenue increases,
    the new investment priorities. Every step of the way they'll oppose it.
    Many have already lined the corridors of power with high-priced
    lobbyists. They are the defenders of decline. And we must be the
    architects of the future.
        I'm confident in our cause because I believe in America, and I know
    we have learned the hard lessons of the 1980's. This is your country.
    You demonstrated the power of the people in the last election. I urge
    you to stay informed and to stay involved. If you're vigilant and vocal,
    we can do what we have to do.
        On this Presidents' Day, we recall the many times in our history
    when past Presidents have challenged this Nation from this office in
    times of crisis. If you will join with me, we can create an economy in
    which all Americans work hard and prosper. This is nothing less than a
    call to arms to restore the vitality of the American dream.
        When I was a boy, we had a name for the belief that we should all
    pull together to build a better, stronger nation. We called it
    patriotism. And we still do.
        Good night, and God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 9 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White
    House.