    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [April 1, 1995]
    [Pages 439-441]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    April 1, 1995

        The President. Good morning. I'm speaking to you this morning from
    the Gibbs Magnet School for International Studies in Little Rock,
    Arkansas. I'm happy to be joined by the principal, Dr. Marjorie Bassa,
    members of her staff, and 30 wonderful elementary students, their
    parents, and other interested citizens here.
        Good morning, class.
        Students. Good morning, Mr. President.
        The President. What you just heard was the sound of America's
    future. This school and these people are living proof that the education
    reforms that were started when I was Governor of Arkansas and that are
    continuing now under the leadership of Governor Tucker are paying off.

    [[Page 440]]

        The young people who attend this public school are getting a head
    start on the 21st century. Beginning in kindergarten, they learn about
    other cultures. They receive foreign language training. They're already
    acquiring the skills that will allow them one day to compete and win in
    the new global economy. They come from many different racial and
    cultural backgrounds, but they all have a shot at the American dream.
        I want to spend a few moments telling you why I think education and
    training for all of our people is the most important thing we can do to
    keep the American dream alive in the 21st century.
        You know Washington's in the midst of a great debate today about the
    proper role of our National Government. On one side is the old view that
    big, one-size-fits-all Government can provide the answers to all of our
    big problems. On the other side is the view that Government is the
    source of all of our problems. In the real world, that's a false choice.
        Let's look at what started this debate. As we move toward the 21st
    century and the information age, jobs and incomes will depend more and
    more on what we know and what we can learn. That means that today, at
    the end of the cold war, we're able to create jobs, new businesses, new
    millionaires at a rapid rate, more than ever before. But at the same
    time, about two-thirds of our people are working hard for the same or
    lower wages and are quite insecure about their future. And we know we
    still have too many social problems we're not making enough headway on,
    crime and drugs, violence and family breakdown.
        In the real world, we have to face the fact that we have to create
    opportunity but deal with these problems of economic stagnation and
    social disintegration. And we are stuck with a Government that's too
    organized to meet the problems of yesterday and not enough able to meet
    the problems of today and tomorrow.
        I believe we have to chart a new course between the old way of big
    Government and the new rage of no Government, because I believe we need
    a Government that does four things: first, that creates economic
    opportunity--grow the middle class and shrink the under class; second,
    that enhances the security of the American people here at home, on our
    streets, in our schools, and abroad; and third, that reforms the
    National Government to make it smaller, less bureaucratic, to serve the
    interests of ordinary Americans, not special interests, to serve the
    future, not the past, and to demand more personal responsibility of our
    citizens. Fourth, and most important, we need a Government that helps
    our people raise their education and skill levels so they can make the
    most of their own lives. That's what I call the New Covenant, a
    partnership between Americans and their Government that offers more
    opportunity in return for more responsibility.
        Earlier this week, I convened a regional economic conference at
    Emory University in Atlanta with a group of economists, business and
    Government leaders. And working Americans discussed ways to strengthen
    our economy and to ensure a better future for our children. They were
    Republicans, Democrats, and independents. But the one thing we all
    agreed on was that the countries that will do the best job of developing
    the full capacities of all of their children and all of their adults
    will be the most successful in the 21st century. We all agree that
    higher education levels are essential if we're going to raise the
    incomes of working Americans, if we're going to grow the middle class
    and shrink the under class.
        That's why I and my administration have worked so hard to expand
    Head Start, to set world-class standards for our schools, to give
    parents and teachers more resources to meet those standards but also to
    give them more authority at the school level to decide how best to
    achieve excellence. We've worked to establish apprenticeship programs to
    prepare young people who don't go on to college to get higher paying
    jobs. And we've worked hard to make college loans more affordable for
    more students, millions of them throughout the country.
        By eliminating the middlemen in the college loan system, lowering
    the cost, and offering better repayment terms, our direct student loan
    program is giving more young people a chance to go to college while
    saving tax dollars at the same time. And we're demanding more
    responsibility in return. More students get loans at lower cost, but now
    they have to pay them back. Stricter enforcement of the student loan
    program has cut the cost of delinquent loans to taxpayers from $2.8
    billion in 1991 to a billion dollars today. That's opportunity and
    responsibility.
        Because we've focused on education, for the last 2 years we've been
    able to cut Government spending, cut the deficit, cut hundreds of pro-

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    grams and over 100,000 bureaucrats from the Federal budget, and still
    increase our investment in education.
        Now, many in Congress think there's no difference in education and
    other spending. For example, there are proposals to reduce funding for
    Head Start; for public school efforts to meet the national education
    goals; for our national service program, Ameri- Corps, which provides
    scholarship money for young people who will work at minimum wage jobs in
    local community service projects; even proposals to reduce school lunch
    funding. There are proposals to eliminate our efforts for safe and drug-
    free schools altogether and, unbelievably, to cut the college loan
    programs.
        These are not wise proposals. Here at Gibbs, where students are
    preparing for the 21st century, close to 50 percent of the students
    depend upon the School Lunch Program for a nutritious meal. And all
    these young people, not just those who have the money to afford it,
    should be able to go as far as their talents will carry them. And if
    that means they need scholarships, student loans, and the opportunity to
    do community service, we ought to give it to them.
        Some in Congress want to cut education to pay for tax cuts for the
    wealthy. I want instead a middle class tax cut that helps families pay
    for education and training, a tax deduction for education costs after
    high school.
        Now in the past, education and training have enjoyed broad,
    bipartisan support. Last year, with strong support from Republicans and
    Democrats, Congress enacted my proposals to help students and schools
    meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Educational experts said we
    did more for education by expanding Head Start, expanding
    apprenticeships, expanding college loans than any session of Congress in
    30 years.
        Now in this new Congress, some want to cut education, and that's
    wrong. Gibbs Magnet School is a reflection of what we ought to be doing
    more of in America. I don't know what political party these children
    belong to, but I do know we need them all and they deserve our best
    efforts to give them a shot at the American dream. We must begin when
    they're young, training our people to succeed, preparing them for a
    lifetime of learning. The fight for education is the fight for the
    American dream.
        Thanks again to all those people who are here with me today,
    especially our children. And thanks for listening.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:06 a.m. from the Gibbs Magnet School for
    International Studies in Little Rock, AR.