    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [October 5, 1996]
    [Pages 1754-1755]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1754]]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 5, 1996

        Good morning. Today I want to talk about some good news about our
    Nation's social fabric, just the latest good news we've had about the
    direction of our country.
        For the past 4 years we've worked hard to expand opportunity, demand
    responsibility, and build a stronger sense of community. Look what we've
    achieved together: 10\1/2\ million new jobs, unemployment at its lowest
    level in 7\1/2\ years, the deficit down 60 percent. And last week we
    learned that incomes have risen by $1,600 after inflation since the
    passage of my economic plan. We've had the biggest one-year decline in
    poverty in 27 years. Clearly, America is on the right track.
        This strategy has not only been good for our economy, it has also
    helped us begin to mend our social fabric. We've worked hard together to
    strengthen families and to give all Americans the tools to make the most
    of their own lives. That includes sending a strong message to young
    people that they must take responsibility for their own actions. That's
    why we've adopted a stand of zero tolerance for guns and drugs in our
    schools and why we've supported school uniforms, strong truancy law
    enforcement, and community curfews to reduce crime and promote
    discipline. That's why I ordered tobacco companies to stop marketing
    cigarettes to our children, the strongest action ever taken to protect
    our children against this deadly threat. And we're working to make sure
    young people get a clear message at school and at home: Drugs are wrong,
    drugs are illegal, and drugs can kill you.
        But we all know that so many of our other social problems have their
    roots in the breakdown of our families. For decades we have seen a
    stunning and simultaneous erosion of the institutions that give our
    lives structure and keep us strong: work, family, and neighborhood.
    There is no more troubling outgrowth of this social breakdown than the
    increase in teen pregnancy and out-of-wedlock births in recent decades.
    We know that children who are born into homes where there is no marriage
    are more likely to drop out of school, get involved in crime and drugs,
    and end up in poverty. That's why I've worked so hard to demand
    responsibility from young people and reduce teen pregnancies. Earlier
    this year I took executive action to require young mothers to stay in
    school or lose welfare payments. We mounted an unprecedented crackdown
    on child support enforcement, and now child support collections are up
    nearly 50 percent compared to 4 years ago.
        We are saying to young men and young women alike, it is wrong to get
    pregnant or father a child until you are married and ready to take on
    the responsibilities of parenthood. And all across America, in our
    religious institutions, our schools, our neighborhoods, our workplaces,
    our people are banding together, teaching young people right from wrong
    and helping steer them on the right path. We are supporting many school
    and community-based efforts, especially those that promote abstinence to
    reduce teen pregnancy.
        Today I'm pleased to report that together we're making progress. I'm
    announcing the new release of a report by the Centers for Disease
    Control showing that last year the teen birth rate went down for the 4th
    year in a row. And even more encouraging, the out-of-wedlock birth rate
    declined for the first time in 20 years. This is occurring across all
    racial and cultural lines. If we're going to save the American family,
    it is absolutely critical that we keep moving in this direction. There
    are still far too many children being born outside of marriage, but we
    are now finally seeing that it is possible for us to move in the right
    direction.
        For far too long too many Americans believed there was nothing we
    could do about our most vexing social problems. They always seemed to be
    there, and they always seemed to be growing worse. But now it's
    different. Crime is down 4 years in a row, one million fewer victims.
    Poverty is down, the largest drop in 27 years. Nearly 2 million people
    have moved from welfare to work. And now this good news on teen birth
    rates and out-of-wedlock pregnancies.
        When the teen birth rate drops for 4 years in a row and out-of-
    wedlock births decline for the first time in a generation, that is news
    we can all be proud of. Americans are standing up for our values. The
    American family is getting stronger, and we are making responsibility

    [[Page 1755]]

    a way of life. Our economy and our society are on the right track. If we
    continue to pull together to meet our challenges and protect our values,
    our best days are still ahead.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10 a.m. on October 4 at the Chautauqua
    Institute in Chautauqua, NY, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October 5.