    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [November 30, 1996]
    [Pages 2157-2158]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2157]]

    The President's Radio Address
    November 30, 1996

        Good morning. This week, millions of American families gathered
    around their dinner tables to enjoy our annual feast of Thanksgiving.
    Now many of us who traveled great distances to be with loved ones are
    making the trip back home. Today I want to talk about how we can extend
    the spirit of Thanksgiving beyond this holiday weekend.
        Thanksgiving is our oldest tradition. In 1789, George Washington
    made Thanksgiving his first proclamation for our new Nation. Much has
    changed for America in the two centuries since that first proclamation.
    Today we not only feed ourselves well, our bounty helps to feed the
    world. The light of freedom that drew founders to our shores not only
    shines here; for the first time in history, more than half the world's
    people who once lived in the shadows of tyranny and depression now live
    under governments of their own choosing.
        On this year's Thanksgiving, we are reminded that we are a nation
    truly blessed. Crime and poverty are down. Employment is up. We are a
    nation at peace. For the most part, foods and jobs are plentiful. Our
    children have more to look forward to than any generation of young
    people in human history.
        But as President Lincoln once so powerfully reminded us, this
    country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor. That
    perhaps is the greatest lesson of Thanksgiving. For more than any other
    holiday, it reminds us of the importance of family and community and the
    duty we owe to each other. I want to thank those across our Nation who
    donated food or volunteered time to provide a Thanksgiving meal for
    those among us who are homeless and hungry.
        Unfortunately, hunger and homelessness don't take a holiday; they
    are with us all year long. So we must not wait until Thanksgiving to
    reach out to those in need. And we must not pack our compassion back in
    the cupboard like fine china that only gets used once a year. The spirit
    of family and faith and community that shines so brilliantly on
    Thanksgiving can enable us to meet every challenge before us all year
    long.
        So let us resolve to go forward together to lift millions of people
    from welfare and dependency into lives of dignity and independence. Now
    that we have ended welfare as we know it, let the change not be to have
    even more children in more abject poverty but to move people who can
    work into jobs.
        Let us pledge to give our children the best education in the world
    and the support they need to build strong futures, higher standards in
    our schools, more choices, and the opportunity for all Americans to go
    on to college.
        Let us work together to keep our homes, our neighborhoods, our
    schools free from the ravages of crime and drugs and violence, finishing
    the job of putting 100,000 police on our streets, targeting violent teen
    gangs, and doing more at the grassroots level to turn our children from
    drugs and gangs and guns and violence.
        And let us always remember that when America is united, we always
    win, but when we're divided, we defeat ourselves. In the global economy
    of the 21st century, the marvelous diversity of America will be a great
    blessing if we all treat each other with dignity and respect and
    remember we don't have a person to waste.
        Whenever I travel around the world, as I did last week, I always
    return home with a renewed appreciation for the rich blessings so many
    of us take for granted. And while we should be thankful that technology
    and cultural exchanges are bringing much of the world closer together,
    it is also clear that people all over the globe still look to America
    for moral leadership.
        As Hillary reminded us last weekend when she visited a project to
    assist young women struggling in Thailand, we do have a responsibility
    to help build lives of hope and security for suffering children not only
    here in America but all over the world. That is what we have tried to do
    in Bosnia, in Haiti, in working for peace in the Middle East and
    Northern Ireland, in so many of our efforts all around the globe.
        Let me close today with a personal note of thanks to every one of
    you for affording me the opportunity to continue my service as
    President. For the past 4 years I've worked hard to stand up for our
    values as a nation and to give all our citizens the tools to make the
    most of their own lives. And we've come a long way together, but there
    is still much, much more

    [[Page 2158]]

    to do. And we know that the only way we can succeed is if we all work
    together.
        So let us all be guided, as I try to be guided every day, by the
    words of the Scripture which teaches that ``to those to whom much is
    given, much is required.'' So as we set our sights on a joyous holiday
    season, let us all pledge by our devotion to God and family and
    community to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive all year long.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from Camp David, MD.