    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [February 4, 1996]
    [Pages 163-164]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the National Governors' Association Dinner
    February 4, 1996

        Good evening. Governor and Mrs. Thompson, Governor and Mrs. Miller,
    ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the White House. It's always a
    delight to have all of you here. I look forward to it every year, but I
    especially look forward to it this year.
        As all of you know, we are living through a time of enormous change
    and great opportunity. I rather think the Founding Fathers would enjoy
    what is going on here today because we are debating a lot of first
    principles of American government: what should government do, which
    level of government should do it, what are our ultimate objectives.
    These are questions that Governors live with in a very practical and
    immediate way every single day. And they are questions that, frankly, I
    have relished being a part of this public debate in America.
        We are obviously moving into a time that is very different from any
    the American people have ever lived in before. Our economy is changing.
    We are now clearly in a global village that will be dominated for the
    rest of our lifetimes by information and technology. That requires
    certain changes in government as well.
        I believed when I came here, and I believe more strongly today, that
    the great questions before us are how we can make the American dream
    available to all Americans who are willing to work for it, how we can
    come together to deal with our challenges and our problems as one
    community amidst all our diversity, and how we can maintain the
    leadership of our great country for peace and freedom throughout the
    world.
        We have many challenges, and I tried to deal with those at some
    length in the State of the Union Address. One of our greatest challenges
    is to give the American people a Government that commands their
    confidence and that does its part in meeting our common problems. We
    have reduced the size of the Government in the last 3 years; it's now as
    small as it was in 1965. Next year it will be as small as it was when
    President Kennedy was living in this house. We have also given an
    unprecedented amount of power back to State and local governments and to
    individual citizens. We are about to do some more of that. And that is
    obviously what you are here to work on and try to reach common agreement
    among yourselves first, and then with the leaders of Congress and the
    White House. I am looking forward to this.
        The thing I wish more of our citizens knew is how hard we are
    working to do the right thing over great issues of high principle. This
    is not a normal political debate. It is a profoundly important
    discussion of the direction our country will take and what all our
    responsibilities will be in seeing that that direction is achieved in a
    way that benefits all the American people.
        I am looking forward to our discussion tomorrow morning, to all the
    times that we have together, and I know that all the members of the
    Cabinet and the White House are as well.

    [[Page 164]]

    To each and every one of you who has participated in trying to formulate
    the new policies and trying to reach across partisan and other divisions
    to reach common ground, I thank you again for that. To each and every
    one of you who has had a good working partnership with our
    administration, I thank you for that.
        I look forward to further progress. I do believe that the American
    people are now living and will move into a future which is characterized
    by greater possibilities for more people than have ever lived in this
    society. And what we have to do is to make sure that we can go forward
    together and that every single one of our citizens who is willing to do
    what it takes can realize those possibilities in his or her own life and
    that all of our children, without regard to their race, their income,
    their region, their station in life, have a chance to be a living
    embodiment of the American dream.
        If we keep that as our goal we can bridge our differences. And when
    we leave here, and when the work of this year is done, we will be much
    better prepared to reap the benefits of that age of possibility. It is
    in that spirit that I ask you all to stand now as I offer a toast to
    Governor and Mrs. Thompson and to all the Governors and their spouses
    and to our beloved United States.

    [Following the President's toast, the dinner, and the entertainment, the
    President spoke again. His remarks were joined in progress.]

        The President. ----Gary Morris, thank you, Gary Hooker. We are
    doubly blessed tonight that Gary joined us because he just got married,
    and he's still here. And his wife, Elizabeth, is here. Thank you for
    coming. Please stand up. This man has a great gift, and I'm so glad he
    shared it with us tonight.
        You're all welcome to stay awhile; music will be out in the foyer.
    It's been a wonderful evening for Hillary and for me. And again, you're
    welcome, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
        Thank you. Thanks again, it was great.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:57 p.m. on the State Floor at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to chairman of the National
    Governors' Association Gov. Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin and his wife,
    Sue Ann, and vice chairman Gov. Bob Miller of Nevada and his wife,
    Sandy; singer Gary Morris; and musician Gary Hooker.