    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [March 4, 1995]
    [Pages 302-304]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    March 4, 1995

        Good morning. I always like to hear from young people across our
    country. After all, they're at the heart of our efforts to build America
    up, to face the demands and the challenges of the 21st century. The
    responsibility of my generation is to leave those young people a better
    world and to make sure that they're prepared to succeed in that world.
        I was especially touched by a letter I recently received from a 15-
    year-old girl named Melissa, who lives in a small town in the Midwest.
    Even though she's only 15 and she lives in America's heartland, she's a
    recovering drug addict. She's been drug-free for 2 years now, but she
    still sees other children going down the road to drug abuse, and she's
    very worried.
        This is what she wrote to me: ``It seems there's just not enough
    help, and when there is help, there's not enough money to do what needs
    to be done. Let's help this problem so it's not so big for the next
    generation.'' We ought to listen to Melissa. From our smallest towns to
    our biggest cities, millions of our children face the temptation of
    illegal drugs every day in their schools. Surveys show that
    unfortunately more and more of our adolescents are using illegal drugs.
    Kids today are somehow not getting the message. They are beginning once
    again to think that it's all right to use drugs, that they're not really
    dangerous. But they're wrong. Too often, they're dead wrong.
        Now, think about what this means for our communities and for our
    country, for all the rest of us. Illegal drugs go hand in hand with
    violence. They foster fear. Schoolchildren stay home by the thousands
    every day because they are afraid. And in this kind of environment, even
    the best behaved young people have a tough time learning. That means our
    standards of education are being undermined by drugs and violence. And
    that hurts our ability as a nation to compete and win. So we all pay a
    price.
        The first line of defense, of course, has to be in our communities,
    with our parents and teachers and our neighbors, other role models in
    law enforcement and the religious community, telling our young people in
    no uncertain terms that drugs and violence are wrong and helping them to
    stay away or to get off. I know that.
        But we here in Washington have a responsibility, too. All of you
    know there's a big debate going on in Washington now about what the role
    of the Government ought to be. The Republican contract says we should
    cut just about everything to pay for big tax cuts that go mostly to
    upper income people. Well, I think we should cut Government. We have.
    There are over

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    150,000 fewer people working here than there were when I took office. I
    think we ought to reduce the burden of unnecessary regulation, and we
    are.
        But I think we need a Government that's lean and not mean, one that
    offers opportunity and challenges people to be more responsible, one
    that's a partner in increasing opportunity, empowering people to make
    the most of their own lives and providing more security for our people.
    The fight against drugs and the fight for safe schools does all of that.
        After all, leaders of both parties have seen this as a problem that
    can't be ignored in Washington. President Reagan and President Bush
    invested in initiatives for drug-free schools. And last year, working
    with Members of Congress of both parties, our administration expanded
    the safe and drug-free schools program to include violence prevention
    and security. We passed legislation that sends $482 million to the
    States, enough for efforts in over 90 percent of our school districts.
        Communities are using this money in a lot of different ways. They
    are using it to pay for police officers and metal detectors to keep our
    schools safer, to train teachers, staff, and students on how to resolve
    conflicts without violence, to help guide young people in fighting peer
    pressure to use drugs, to help instruct parents on the warning signs of
    drug use. All of this is a very good and sound investment for our
    future. It's Washington being a good partner with people building their
    communities at the grassroots level.
        The schools taking part wouldn't give up these safeguards. If
    anything, they want more help. But now, some Republicans in Congress
    want to completely eliminate our safe schools and antidrug efforts.
    Right now, Congress is considering a rescission bill that cuts out the
    money we passed last year for all these programs.
        I am concerned that the Republicans are willing to sacrifice our
    children's safety and our ability to learn in secure environments to pay
    for these tax cuts for upper income Americans. That's not a good deal
    for American's children, for America's future. It's not a good deal for
    upper income Americans. It's not putting people first. It won't help to
    restore the American dream, to advance the economic interests of the
    middle class to support mainstream values. They're trying to cut other
    things that I don't support, either. They're trying to cut the crime
    bill we passed last year to provide 100,000 police on our streets and to
    cut other education programs.
        Now, I know we've got to reduce the deficit. We've already brought
    it down by over $600 billion under the tough plan we passed last year
    and the year before. And I've given Congress a budget that has another
    $140 billion of spending cuts. I'll work with them to find more but not
    in education or jobs or the safety of our children. We need to be
    expanding opportunity up here, not restricting it. We need to be giving
    our people the tools they need to make the most of their own lives, not
    taking them away. We need to enhance our security, not undermine it.
        And where our children are concerned, we've got to give them the
    best chance we can to develop their God-given abilities so they can do
    the rest. They've got to stay in school, stay out of trouble, stay off
    drugs and off the streets. But young people, given a chance, can
    overcome great obstacles.
        Look at young Melissa. Now she's gotten herself a second chance to
    become a first-class citizen. We need more young people like her for
    their strength, their intelligence, their humanity. We don't have a one
    to waste. And our young people need us to have the vision and the
    strength to do what's best for their futures today.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office at the
    White House.

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