    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [March 20, 1993]
    [Pages 330-332]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    March 20, 1993

        Good morning. Today I want to give you a progress report on our
    plans to get the country moving again. With the support of so many
    Americans, including many of you listening today, we won an important
    victory on Capitol Hill this week. The House of Representatives approved
    the economic package and with it an immediate crucial investment program
    to create jobs that will be like a booster rocket for our economy.
        It was a week that reaffirmed why I came to Washington: to deliver
    the kind of change

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    you demanded when you cast your ballots last November. It's significant,
    I think, that I can bring you this news on the first day of spring. It
    may be gloomy or even cold where you are right now, but the signs of the
    season are unmistakable. In Washington the snow is melting, trees are
    budding, and outside the window of the Oval Office birds are announcing
    their return. And there's something else in the air. Exactly 2 months
    ago at my Inauguration as your President, I said that together we could
    force a season of growth and renewal. I'm happy to tell you today that
    we're on our way to that kind of spring, too.
        We thank all the Congressmen and Congresswomen who carried the day
    for all of us. But mostly the credit goes to you, the American people,
    because after all, you issued the challenge and demanded the change.
    Your message was loud and clear. You said no more status quo. And that
    message must continue to ring in the ears of all our lawmakers. It
    should drown out the drone of special interests who would decimate the
    plan bit by bit until we're back to where we began.
        I know you don't want that. You didn't vote for half measures or
    excuses or business as usual. Because you demanded change, we've begun
    to turn our back on the long winter of trickle-down economics, moving
    toward investing in people and their jobs and education and health care
    and in the future. The price of doing nothing is too high. You've
    already seen what more than a decade of neglect can do. We're losing our
    competitive edge in the world. At home, our highways and mass transit
    systems were falling into disrepair; cities deteriorating; rural areas
    suffering; and most important, families, especially middle income
    families, were feeling enormous strains.
        On all these fronts there is ground to be regained and advances to
    be made. Every part of our program is aimed at making lives better
    across the Nation. And it does it with investments paid for dollar by
    dollar by cuts in spending.
        With our plan, we'll build up our job base. Small businesses, the
    source of more than half the jobs held by Americans, will get the help
    with freer access to credit, with investment tax credits and urban
    enterprise zones and special capital gains for new enterprises. At the
    same time, we'll invest more in research and development for new
    technologies and to convert defense technology. And that will help us
    stay competitive globally. With our investment in lifelong learning,
    we'll give Americans the tools they need to stay sharp in the changing
    job market.
        Our plan takes care of our children, too. We want to immunize every
    child against infectious diseases, to get them off on the right foot
    with Head Start, to help mothers and infants to get the nutrition they
    need. It's the smart thing to do and the right investment to make. Every
    dollar we invest today will give us back many more dollars tomorrow.
    Just yesterday I saw what investments in children can bring. I was in
    Atlanta where parents, teachers, and business leaders have joined forces
    to create a Downtown Child Development Center. In every direction I
    looked, I saw small faces with big smiles. It's a nurturing environment
    that produces happy kids, productive parents, and satisfied employers.
    In many ways, it's a microcosm of what we want for America.
        Our economic recovery package may be the boldest economic plan that
    Congress has ever seen. In addition to the investments, the plan passed
    by the House will reduce the Federal deficit by $510 billion in the next
    5 years. If we can make these changes, our children will live better,
    more prosperous lives.
        Make no mistake about it, this is a bold plan, because we need bold
    change. You know it; that's what you asked for. The American people are,
    by their very nature, people of action. It's been very frustrating to
    have more than a decade of policies that run up the deficit and ran down
    morale and investment. And it's been more frustrating still to see
    Government in gridlock where nothing profoundly important ever happens.
        Our plan to cut spending and increase investment in the future of
    our country is now being considered in the United States Senate. In
    Washington, your voices are being heard, so I urge you to raise them. We
    need to enlist the Senators now in our cause to break gridlock and get
    the economy moving. Please encourage your Senators to support the
    economic plan, to create jobs and boost incomes and reduce our national
    debt.
        The sooner our plan becomes a reality, the sooner we'll be shifting
    the gears of our economy out of neutral and into drive. You're in the
    driver's seat now. I urge you, make sure your foot's off the brake, step
    on the accelerator,

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    and help move this country forward.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:10 a.m. from the Oval Office at the
    White House.