    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [November 9, 1996]
    [Pages 2105-2106]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2105]]

    The President's Radio Address
    November 9, 1996

        Good morning. Today I want to talk with you about what we can do as
    a nation to help parents as they try to raise their children. This week
    the American people came together to say that we are on the right track
    to the 21st century. They said we must continue to make real our vision
    to create an America where we offer opportunity to all, demand
    responsibility from all, and build a stronger American community of all
    Americans where everyone has a role to play.
        At the heart of this mission has been our effort to strengthen
    America's families. This is work I am determined to build upon these
    next 4 years. We will continue to strengthen families by creating
    economic opportunity so that hard-working parents can provide for their
    children. To do that, I ask Congress to join with me to finish the job
    of finally balancing the budget in a way that protects our values. We
    will continue to strengthen families by helping parents to succeed at
    work and at home, by giving families safe streets to walk on and
    communities free from gangs and guns and drugs, and by expanding
    educational opportunity so that literacy is a given and college is
    within reach of all Americans.
        We will continue to strengthen families by helping parents to
    protect their children from bad influences that come from outside the
    home. American parents are working overtime to set good examples only to
    have the full force of popular culture make their work harder. That's
    why we gave parents the V-chip and a television rating system so they
    can keep televised violence and explicit sexuality out of their young
    children's lives. And that's why we'll continue our efforts to help
    parents protect their children from the corrosive, dangerous influences
    of tobacco and alcohol.
        We know the power of tobacco advertising to reach out to children
    every day and to get them hooked on a habit we know is deadly. Every day
    nearly 3,000 young people start to smoke in this country, even though
    it's illegal to sell cigarettes to them. This week we received further
    chilling evidence why we must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect
    our children from tobacco. According to a report released by the Centers
    for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 5 million Americans under
    the age of 18 who smoke today will eventually die prematurely from
    smoking. The CDC estimates that today's teen smokers will run up an
    estimated $200 billion in projected health care costs from tobacco-
    related illnesses. Their premature deaths will cut approximately 64
    million years off the lives of Americans.
        That's why my administration has taken tough, unprecedented action
    to stop advertising and marketing of cigarettes that can persuade
    teenagers to smoke. We're banning tobacco advertising on billboards near
    schools, ending cartoon characters in ads that children will likely see,
    restricting the cigarette machines that make it easier for children to
    illegally buy cigarettes.
        The CDC report shows that when parents, teachers, doctors, and
    government work together we can stop people from smoking. The CDC
    studied two States that have put in place strong antismoking
    initiatives, California and Massachusetts. Both now have smoking rates
    lower than the national average, and both have seen smoking drop
    dramatically--15 percent in California and 20 percent in Massachusetts.
        These reports tell all of us, keep up the fight to protect our
    children's health. It's worth it, and it works. We've worked so hard
    here to warn our children about the dangers of drugs, to tell them drugs
    are illegal, drugs can kill them, drugs can ruin their lives. We've
    worked hard to protect funding for safe and drug-free schools so the
    community can help parents. We must not weaken in this fight to protect
    our children from the dangers of tobacco.
        We also have a duty to protect our families from the consequences of
    alcohol abuse. In the last year alone, 2,200 young people between the
    ages of 15 and 20 died in alcohol-related car crashes. We've worked hard
    to keep our children away from alcohol. Just last month I issued a rule
    telling the States they could lose some of their Federal highway funds
    if they did not make it illegal for anyone under 21 to drive with
    alcohol in their blood--zero tolerance.
        Now the American liquor industry has made a decision that will make
    this hard work even harder. For a half-century now, liquor compa-

    [[Page 2106]]

    nies have agreed not to advertise their products on television and radio
    for the simple reason that it was the right thing to do. This week,
    however, the liquor industry announced it would break its ban and put
    liquor ads on the air, exposing our children to such ads before they
    know how to handle alcohol or are legally allowed to do so. That is
    simply irresponsible.
        I commend the four major broadcast networks for saying they'll
    continue to honor the ban and keep liquor ads off the air. I urge all
    other broadcasters to follow that example. Parents have a hard enough
    time raising good kids these days, and all of us have a responsibility
    to help them to make those jobs easier, not harder.
        To tobacco companies we should all say, ``Sell your products to
    adults, but draw the line on kids.'' And to liquor companies we should
    say, ``You were right for the last 50 years when you didn't advertise on
    television. You're wrong to change your policy now. This is no time to
    turn back. Get back on the ban.'' That's the best way to protect all our
    families.
        Our goal must be to help parents pass on their values to their
    children, help our children act responsibly, and teach them to take
    charge of their own lives. If we do this, America's days--best days are
    still ahead.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 5:30 p.m. on November 8 in the Oval
    Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on November 9.