    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [January 28, 1998]
    [Pages 127-128]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 127]]

    Remarks to an Overflow Crowd at the University of Illinois in Champaign-
    Urbana
    January 28, 1998

        The President. Thank you very much. Thank you. Let me, first of
    all----
        Audience member. [Inaudible]
        The President. [Laughter] Thank you. Let me ask you a question. Did
    you see the event in the other place? [Applause] One fellow over here
    said, ``Yeah, you don't have to say anything again. It was great.''
    [Laughter] Well, I want to thank Secretary Riley and thank the Vice President,
    but mostly, let me tell you we are overwhelmed at the crowd that has
    come out today. Here--5,000 people here. There's another 3,500 people in
    another room. I'm overwhelmed, and I thank you very much.
        Look, here's the bottom line. Here's the bottom line. For 5 years we
    have worked basically on two things: First of all, we tried to get the
    country in shape, in good shape, so that it just works in a good way for
    people; and secondly, we tried to get the American people to imagine the
    future, to think about the 21st century, to think about what kind of
    country we want this to be and how we're going to build it. Now that we
    have the lowest unemployment in 24 years, the lowest inflation in 30
    years, the highest homeownership ever, record drops in welfare, 5 years
    of dropping crime, things are pretty well in shape. We need to be
    thinking about the future. And that's what I tried to talk about last
    night.
        We need a future in which all these areas that have been left behind
    in the economic recovery have a chance to educate their children well,
    to have their kids on safe streets, to have jobs in places that have
    never been there. We need a future like that. And we need a future that
    you can help us with, younger people especially can help us with, a
    future where we understand that our future is tied to the rest of the
    world, that we have to work in cooperation with other countries and it
    doesn't make us weaker, it makes us stronger when we reach out a hand of
    friendship to Africa, to Latin America, to Asia, to all these other
    countries, and we work together to go forward. We have to understand
    that.
        We need a future in which we understand--we believe that America can
    lead the world in growing an economy and not only saving but actually
    improving our natural environment. We can cure this problem of global
    warming and grow the economy. Young people believe that. America has to
    believe that. And you have to make it happen.
        And finally, we need a future in which we really believe that
    education is for everyone. We have worked so hard--you heard us talking
    about it in the other room--we worked so hard to make it possible for
    every young person in this country to go on to college. And you have to
    tell people who are coming along behind you, ``You can do it. Don't be
    discouraged.'' That little baby in your arms can go to college. Every
    baby in this country I want to be able to go to college.
        We have to figure out a way when the Vice President and I, when our
    generation retires, the so-called baby boomers, we provide for a system
    that preserves our retirement, guarantees it for the 20- and 30-year-
    olds today, and doesn't bankrupt you. We can do that, if you'll help us
    do it, next year.
        And the last thing I want to say is this, and in some ways this may
    be more important than anything else. America--look at this crowd here
    today. Look at you. Look at each other. Now, we've got people who are
    young and not so young. [Laughter] We have people who are in wheelchairs
    and people who may play varsity athletics. We have people from every
    conceivable racial and ethnic group here in what you used to think of as
    homogeneous Champaign-Urbana. Why is that? Because America is changing.
    We're becoming more and more and more diverse.
        Now, a lot of the time that Al Gore and I spend working for you,
    we're out there worrying about these ethnic problems in Bosnia, or
    religious and ethnic differences in the Middle East, or old hatreds in
    Ireland, or tribal warfare in Africa. And we still see examples of
    horrible discrimination from time to time in America. But you know, just
    look around this room. This is our meal ticket to the future, our
    diversity

    [[Page 128]]

    and sharing values, believing in each other, believing in the
    fundamental unity of human nature. That's our meal ticket to the future.
    You can make one America. And I want you to help us make one America for
    a new century.
        Thank you, and God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:41 p.m. in Gymnasium 1 of the Intramural
    Physical Education Building.