    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [December 23, 1995]
    [Pages 1926-1927]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1926]]

    The President's Radio Address
    December 23, 1995

        Good morning. As you know, I have spent the last week in intense
    discussion with congressional leaders over how to balance the budget in
    7 years. It's important to balance the budget to lift the burden of debt
    from future generations.
        In the last 3 years, we've cut our deficit in half, and we need to
    finish the job. But we have to balance the budget in a way that reflects
    our most fundamental values: increasing opportunity; asking everyone to
    assume responsibility; strengthening our families and the economy; and
    recognizing the duty we owe to each other, to our parents, our children,
    and those who need and deserve our help. That's how we've reduced the
    deficit since I took office: cutting unnecessary programs; reducing the
    size of the Federal Government by 200,000; reducing redtape but
    investing in education, the environment, research and technology;
    protecting Medicare and Medicaid; reducing taxes on the hardest pressed
    working families. It's worked. It's given us more jobs, more new
    businesses, low inflation, and record economic performance in the stock
    market and in many other places.
        Now, that's how I want to finish the job of balancing the budget.
    But even as we continue talking, I hope Congress will agree to open the
    Government and open all the agencies that have closed so that we can end
    the financial and emotional turmoil for more than 280,000 furloughed
    Federal employees and 460,000 working-but-not-getting-paid Federal
    employees.
        In the spirit of the holidays, we should do everything we can to put
    these people back to work and to resume critical services the American
    people need and deserve. Just last night, I signed legislation that
    Congress passed yesterday to allow 3.3 million veterans and 13 million
    needy children and their mothers to receive their benefits by January
    1st. That's a good start. I hope we can resume all services as we work
    together to balance the budget.
        Our talks are making progress. Yesterday we agreed to resume our
    negotiations next week with the goal of reaching an agreement as soon as
    possible. I am confident we can end this impasse and pass a 7-year
    balanced budget.
        As we look back at this year, in this season of hope, I think we
    ought to take just a little time to reflect on the progress and
    accomplishment of America. It should give us real optimism that we can
    finish this budget job and go on to greater things in 1996.
        Nineteen ninety-five was a year in which our country had the
    opportunity and the responsibility to play our role as the world's
    premier peacemaker. Our efforts opened the door to peace in places where
    only rancor and war had previously existed. As a peacemaker, not a
    policeman, we have helped the peace process finally begin to take hold
    in the Middle East, while we joined the world in mourning the tragic
    assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. We have done what
    Prime Minister Rabin would have wanted us to do: We've kept moving
    forward. And finally it looks like Israel and Syria will sit together in
    the United States to seek a way to resolve their differences and live
    together peacefully.
        We're also helping to bring peace to Bosnia. The Dayton agreement
    and our decision to join in the international effort to secure the peace
    in Bosnia has given the people of the former Yugoslavia a chance to
    rebuild their lives. After 4 long years of horrible violence, America
    now has the opportunity to lead in the effort to bring lasting peace to
    that war-torn country and to stabilize Central Europe as well.
        In Northern Ireland, I saw thousands and thousands of children
    beginning to celebrate their second Christmas season of peace. And in
    Haiti, they will soon celebrate the very first peaceful transfer of
    power from one democratically elected President to another in the
    history of the country. And American leadership helped to make both
    those celebrations possible.
        The seeds of peace are also sinking deeper roots right here in
    America. We just learned that last year our murder rate dropped 12
    percent, the largest decline in 35 years. Violent crime overall is down
    5 percent. Now, we know our work is far from done on too many of our
    mean streets. Too many of our children still are raising themselves, not
    being taught right from wrong. There is still too much crime and
    violence, and it's still rising among teenagers

    [[Page 1927]]

    in many parts of the country. But we are beginning to turn the tide. And
    we do know what works.
        Much of the success is due to efforts in communities throughout our
    country to get guns off our streets and put more police on the streets
    and to give our young people something to say yes to as well as
    something to say no to. More importantly, it is due to the outpouring of
    grassroots community involvement in all these efforts, in the
    comprehensive fight against crime and violence. People are getting the
    message that community policing works. And it's up to every citizen to
    rise up, reach out, and link arms with local police to keep their own
    neighborhoods safe and their schools safe. Now, the progress we've seen
    is cause for hope. We just have to keep working on it here at home.
        From the Middle East to Northern Ireland, to our troops in Bosnia,
    to our toughest neighborhoods, America is leading the way to peace and
    reconciliation. All around the world billions of people look to America
    as a model of democracy and freedom. And we should see ourselves as
    others see us. We should finish the job of balancing the budget and
    reopening the Government in the spirit of cooperation and unity so that
    we can continue to grow and prosper together and be a force in the world
    for peace and freedom. That is the spirit of the season and the spirit
    of America.
        Let each of us resolve to do what we can to be peacemakers. Let us
    bring peace to every child who deserves to be free from violence and
    full of hope. And as we celebrate the birth of a child whose only
    shelter was the straw of a manger, let us remember the words of the
    Prince of Peace who said, ``Blessed are the peacemakers.'' We ask the
    blessings of this peace for everyone. That is our prayer this Christmas.
        Thanks for listening.

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