[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[February 13, 1993]
[Pages 102-103]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
February 13, 1993

    Good afternoon, my fellow Americans. On Wednesday night I will 
present my plan to generate jobs and increase the incomes of the 
American people. This morning I want to talk with you for a few moments 
about that program, its goals, and the thinking that went into it.
    As I have traveled our country over the last year and a half, a 
single theme has emerged repeatedly from all of you in every region and 
from every walk of life. That theme is the need for change: bold, 
comprehensive change to reverse the trickle-down policies of the 1980's 
and restore the vitality of the American dream.
    Over the last 12 years, while the middle class saw their tax burdens 
rise and their incomes go down, the wealthiest Americans, whose incomes 
went up, often by paperwork manipulation and moving jobs overseas, saw 
their taxes go down. Higher deficits came with lower taxes on the 
wealthy. And those deficits forced Government to cut back on essential 
services to the middle class, the working poor, and the neediest 
Americans. Good families in embattled neighborhoods saw their children 
getting by with outdated school books, going to school in neighborhoods 
that were ever more dangerous, while the wealthiest Americans in 
protected communities watched their bankbooks grow. Our economy suffered 
through two grinding recessions, and our job-creating engine stalled. 
The status quo simply isn't working for working families anymore.
    The experts say we're in a robust economic recovery. And to be fair, 
there are some good signs: our best companies doing better, people being 
able to refinance their homes, and consumer confidence on the upswing 
since the election.
    But the jobs just aren't there yet. The unemployment rate has been 
over 7 percent for 14 months now, and we're 3 million jobs behind where 
we ordinarily would be in a real economic

[[Page 103]]

recovery. That's why change is so important. And the risk of doing the 
same old thing is far higher than the cost of change. If we don't 
change, the American economy and the living standards of our broad 
middle class will continue to decline, and many of us and most of our 
children will not enjoy the standard of living that past Americans have.
    Change is never easy. It requires us to forsake the old order and to 
embrace a new one. Change means asking everyone to pull his or her own 
weight for the common good. But change is our only choice.
    Under my economic program, we will build an America where even the 
most privileged pay their fair share, not because we want to soak the 
rich but because we want to stop soaking the middle class and ask 
everybody to bear a fair share of the load; an America where the most 
impoverished move off welfare and go back to work; an America where 
middle class families who work hard and play by the rules are rewarded 
in their own lives and can pass on to their children a more prosperous 
future than they inherited from their parents; and yes, an America where 
Government is not immune from the sacrifices it asks of our people.
    Just this week I cut the White House staff by 25 percent and saved 
$10 million compared to the budgets of my predecessors. I've ordered 
further administrative cuts in Federal departments and agencies of $9 
billion over the next 4 years, with more to follow from tough and smart 
management.
    I'm also ordering an investigation into the enormous cash bonuses 
paid to officials of the departing administration. In some cases it was 
done just minutes before I was sworn into office. While I deeply admire 
the dedicated members of our Federal services, we simply cannot have 
extravagant payments made to departing bureaucrats and political cronies 
at a time when most people are tightening their belts.
    If Government is going to ask the American people to contribute, it 
must lead by example and learn to do more while spending less. That is a 
challenge I have embraced and one I will present to the Congress on 
Wednesday.
    Next, we will take the battle to the special interests. We will 
demand that those who see the Tax Code as a table game to be won rather 
than a social compact to be respected pay their fair share of taxes. I 
will keep my pledge to restore fairness to the Tax Code. We will raise 
taxes on the wealthiest individuals and companies in our society. That 
will be one of their contributions to create the high-skill, high-wage 
economy that we seek. And I will say to the drug companies, the 
insurance companies, and the others who profit from the status quo, they 
must join our cause to make comprehensive reforms in our medical care 
system. The time has come for all Americans to have affordable health 
care, a real chance at a healthy life.
    In return for these contributions, we are determined to create long-
term, good-paying private sector jobs. We will encourage the development 
of new technologies and find markets for them all across America and 
around the world. We will provide special incentives to new businesses 
and small businesses to create the jobs of the future. We will lower 
their costs of capital so they can expand and succeed. We will upgrade 
the skills of the long-term unemployed and the rest of our work force. 
And when military cutbacks hurt our enterprises, we'll help defense 
workers to find new careers and to continue productive lives.
    That's what my plan is all about: a leaner, more efficient, more 
responsive Government; a ladder of contribution that demands the most 
from those who have the most; investment incentives to help businesses 
build for the future and create jobs for all Americans; education and 
training to prepare workers and students for new jobs in a new economy; 
a reformed medical system that restores peace of mind to family life; an 
America where every citizen has a right to a prosperous economy and a 
shared patriotic stake in the work to make it grow.
    That is a program for economic change you have justly demanded. Now 
it's time for all Americans to join the cause and embrace the change. It 
is time to restore the American dream.
    Thank you, and God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 12:06 p.m. from the Oval Office at the 
White House.