[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[September 25, 1998]
[Pages 1673-1678]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Democratic National Committee Dinner in San Jose, 
California
September 25, 1998

    Thank you. Thank you, John. I sort of hate to speak after that. 
[Laughter] He made a better case than I could have made for myself. I 
thank you. And I want to thank Mayor Susan Hammer for her friendship and 
her leadership of this great city.
    I'm delighted to be back here again--or in the new Tech, and I do 
hope that because of this event tonight, you'll receive even wider 
publicity and you'll have throngs of children coming here, learning all 
the things that they need to see about their own future. [Applause] 
Thank you very much.
    I want to thank all of you for being here tonight. Some of you are 
probably in danger of overexposure. There are several people here who 
were with Hillary last night in Seattle. [Laughter] And you've already 
heard the better of the two speeches, I can tell you that. [Laughter]
    We've been working--I was in Chicago today, and she was in Portland 
and Seattle last night, and we're going to, as you know, spend the night 
with our daughter tonight. And then I'm going on to San Diego tomorrow 
and then to Texas and then back to Washington. But I can't thank you 
enough, all of you, for the many kind things that you said, as I was 
going around before the dinner, about my family and what we're dealing 
with. And I just want to thank you on a very personal basis. Even 
Presidents have to be people from time to time, and you made me feel 
like one tonight, and I thank you very much.
    I also want to thank you for giving me a way to work with this 
community. When I came out here with Al Gore and we were working in 
1992, I felt that it was imperative that we establish a strong 
relationship with the people and the companies of this area for what we 
could do together to rebuild the American economy and then to build an 
American future that is worthy of our people. And you mentioned a few of 
those issues, but it's just the last list of issues. We've worked on a 
lot of things over the last 6 years, things that I never would have 
known very much about, and that most Presidents probably wouldn't, had 
it not been for your input and your consistent involvement and even 
sometimes your stimulating argument. And I thank you for that.
    I don't know that that was the greatest endorsement my Vice 
President could ever get, what John said. [Laughter] But it's not all 
bad. I do want to say something about him. I thank you for working with 
him. As you all know, one of the reasons I asked him to become my Vice 
Presidential partner is that he had a background in technology issues 
far superior to mine and a consuming interest in it. And all of you have 
fed it and broadened it, and I'm very grateful to you.
    I think that when the historians write about this administration, 
they may differ on whether our economic or social policies were right or 
wrong, but one thing is absolutely beyond question, and that is that the 
Vice President has had more influence on more important issues in more 
areas than any person in the history of this country that ever held that 
job. And he's made it possible for us to do a lot of the things that 
we've done, and I'm very grateful to him.
    Now, if I could just run over--you mentioned a couple of things. We 
have worked out the so-called H-1B visa issue. It will be coming

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to my desk soon. And it was done in a way that's really good for 
everybody in America, because in addition to permitting more visas of 
high-skilled people to come into our country and strengthen us, it also 
provides a lot more funds to train our own people, to upgrade their 
skills. So it's a good, good bill. It has the best of both worlds.
    The securities reform legislation is now in conference, and they're 
arguing only over some legislative intent language that those of you who 
are working the issue are very familiar with. But I think we'll be 
successful there. I think we've reached a broad agreement on encryption 
policy, and now you just have to make sure you work with us on the 
implementation of it so that the rules don't contradict the policy but 
instead reinforce them. And I think we can do that.
    There's legislation to implement the world intellectual property 
agreements to which we are a part, and there's some problems there, but 
I think that on balance it does a lot of good. And I hope you'll help us 
get it right and get it through. The bill which keeps the Internet from 
being interrupted for a period of time by various kind of local taxes is 
making its way through the Senate, and there are some extraneous issues 
that are having an impact on it, but those of you who are working it 
understand that, and I remain committed to it. And I think we can be 
successful there. And I think it's very, very important.
    One other thing I'd like to just say to you is, a lot of you are 
very concerned, as you should be, for your own markets, with the 
situation in Asia. And I am working very, very hard to help those 
countries regroup, to restore growth, and to limit the reach of the 
contagion. I believe we're doing about all we can do at this time, but 
we need some support, and I'll say more about that in a minute.
    Now, I mention these issues partly to make a specific point to 
Silicon Valley, but partly to make a more general point. Today I was at 
Moffett Air Force Base, and we had an open arrival. And typically, when 
we do this, a couple hundred people will show up that are associated 
some way or another with the base facility. There were about 600 people 
there today, and they were all different kinds of people talking about 
very specific things about their lives, things that had changed--the 
schools their kids were in, the family and medical leave law, or other 
things that we had all been involved in together.
    I entered public life because I thought it would give me an 
opportunity to work with people to help them make the most of their 
lives. I believe that Washington would serve America better if we 
worried more about the people that lived outside Washington than where 
people stood on the totem pole inside Washington. And I think you 
believe that, too. And that's what I ask you to think about tonight.
    I'll be very brief. I want to mention to you what I think are the 
central questions facing the country in this election season which is 
unfolding rapidly now, and then what I think are some of the central 
questions facing this country over the next 20 years, because I ask you 
to begin thinking about it. We were talking about it at one of the 
tables tonight. And this community has got to continue to be involved in 
America to help us raise our imaginations and raise our visions toward 
these long-term issues as well.
    I tell all my fellow Democrats that, contrary to what you might 
think, the great enemy of our cause in this election is not adversity; 
it is, instead, complacency. Because oftentimes, when people are doing 
well and things are doing well and they have a high level of comfort and 
confidence, particularly if they come through a very wrenching time--and 
our country came through a pretty wrenching time in the late eighties 
and early nineties, indeed throughout the decade of the eighties--the 
tendency is to say, ``We'd like to relax a little bit. We're tired. 
Things are good for us now. We just want to not think about this.'' In 
this case, ``this'' is politics right now.
    You live in a world that never permits that, because it's changing 
so fast. One thing I'd like to ask you to do is to think about how you 
can communicate that sense of urgency to the rest of your fellow 
Americans. And that's what I hope to do here tonight, because even 
though people may not understand it in the way you do if you're 
struggling to develop a new product, a new service, keep up with some 
new discovery, the truth is that everyone else's life is more dynamic 
than most people realize as well.
    And while I am profoundly grateful that we have the lowest 
unemployment rate in 28 years and the lowest crime rate in 25 years and 
the smallest percentage of people on welfare in 29 years, and next week 
the first balanced budget

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and surplus in 29 years, and the highest homeownership in history, and 
we just learned yesterday the lowest African-American poverty rate ever 
recorded, the biggest increase in wages in 20 years--I'm grateful for 
all that--the truth is that this is a dynamic world. And so the right 
thing to do is not to rest on that but to build on it, to ask ourselves, 
``Okay, what else needs to be done?''
    Now, in this election season, I think there are the following major 
issues that, to me, are very important. We had a big vote on one in the 
House today. There are some who say, ``Well, we're going to have a 
surplus for the first time in 29 years, and it's just a few weeks from 
the election, so let's have a tax cut.'' And even though I'm not a 
candidate anymore and won't be running for anything anymore, I 
understand the appeal of that, but I think it's dead wrong. For one 
thing, I'd just like to see the red ink turn to black and dry before we 
start spending again. [Laughter] I've been working for this for 6 years. 
I'd just like to see it dry, you know? [Laughter]
    And in a more serious way, in this world financial situation we have 
been a pillar of stability and strength and responsibility, and we need 
to communicate that to people. And I know it's popular to offer a tax 
cut right here before an election, but in this case it would be wrong.
    And there's another reason it's wrong. It's wrong because we finally 
have, I believe, a bipartisan consensus for making modifications in the 
Social Security system that will enable us to preserve it when the baby 
boomers retire and, at present rates, at least, there will only be two 
people working for every one person drawing. And I can just tell you the 
baby boomers are--and a lot of you are too young to be one--[laughter]--
but, basically, the baby boom generation is everybody between the ages 
of 52 and 34. And when that group--only the present group in school is 
bigger than the baby boom generation. And when that group retires, 
unless we act now in a modest, measured, disciplined way--and if we 
don't do anything until the time comes to face it, and with every year 
it will become a more severe decision because you'll be closer in time 
to it--we'll have the decision of either cutting benefits for seniors so 
much that we'll erode the safety net, which today accounts for 48 
percent of the people on Social Security being lifted out of poverty--
that is, they would be in poverty were it not for Social Security.
    Or, in the alternative, we'll decide we can't bear that, and we'll 
raise taxes dramatically to maintain the old system, in which case we 
will undermine the standard of living of our children and grandchildren, 
which would be equally wrong. And that's not necessary. But in order to 
avoid it, we have to make an election-year decision and tell the 
American people the truth, that we ought to do something for the next 30 
years and not for the next 30 days, and save Social Security before we 
entertain a tax cut out of this surplus. I think it is very important.
    The second issue: If we want to continue to lead the world economy, 
we at least have to pay our way. For 8 months now, I've been trying to 
get the Congress to approve our contribution to the International 
Monetary Fund. Now, it's not perfect, and the IMF is having to make 
adjustments, too, to recognize the new realities of the global economy. 
But it is the most important instrument for helping countries, first of 
all, reform as they should, and then if they do, get back on their feet; 
and, secondly, for helping us limit the contagion that is now gripping 
so many Asian economies from bleeding over into Latin America, for 
example, our fastest growing market as a country, and into countries 
that have done a good job in managing their own economies. I think it is 
absolutely imperative.
    And it's pretty hard to make an issue this, normally, esoteric, an 
issue in an election year. But I'm telling you, if we don't exercise our 
responsibility to try to stabilize the global economy, as Alan Greenspan 
said the other day, we cannot forever be an island of prosperity in a 
sea of dislocation. We have got to do this, and I feel very strongly 
about it.
    The third thing that I think is very important is that the education 
agenda be continually pushed forward. Eight months ago I put before the 
Congress an education program based on the best research about what is 
working in our schools. Among other things in the balanced budget, not 
spending the surplus, it would provide funds for another 100,000 
teachers to be hired to take average class size down to 18 in the early 
grades. It would provide a tax incentive program to rebuild, remodel, or 
build 5,000 schools at a time when it's a big problem. It has the funds 
to continue our part of hooking

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up all the classrooms to the Internet by the year 2000. It has funds for 
another, over a several year period, 3,000 charter schools--and thank 
you, Reed Hastings, for all the work you've done here in California. 
California is leading the way, thank you very much.
    And a lot of other things that are very, very important, including 
paying the college expenses of 35,000 young people who can then pay 
their college expenses off by going into inner-city areas and other 
areas of teacher shortage and teaching for a few years to pay their 
expenses off. It contains the best examples of the most reform-oriented, 
big-city school system in the country, which I visited again today, I 
think for the sixth time, in Chicago, where they have ended social 
promotion. And underperforming students in what used to be thought of as 
the worst big-city school system in the country--I went to a school 
district today where 100 percent of the kids live in Cabrini-Green, one 
of the most economically challenged housing projects in America. They 
have doubled their reading scores and tripled their math scores in 4 
years.
    And there is no social promotion, but they don't just throw the kids 
out. Every child that doesn't perform has to go to summer school. And 
they have after-school tutoring programs, so that now the summer school 
program in Chicago is the sixth biggest school district in America--the 
summer school. Over 40,000 children get 3 square meals a day there. But 
learning is beginning to occur because they have standards and 
accountability, but support. They don't treat children who don't perform 
as failures; they treat them as people who need more support and more 
help. And I think that's important.
    So we need to save Social Security. We need to fund the IMF. We need 
to pass the education program. Two other things I want to mention. I 
have worked very hard for the last 6 years, along with the Vice 
President, to persuade the American people that we can improve the 
environment and grow the economy. And compared to 6 years ago, the air 
is cleaner; the water is cleaner; the food is safer; lots of toxic waste 
dumps have been cleaned up. But there are still people who just don't 
believe it. And we're having a huge environmental fight up there, and 
protecting these environmental initiatives is very important.
    Finally, I strongly believe that Congress ought to pass a uniform 
Patients' Bill of Rights for the country. And there may even be some 
disagreement about that in this audience, but I'd just like to tell you 
what my experience is here. There are 160 million Americans in managed 
care plans. Forty-three big managed care companies are supporting this 
legislation. Why? Because they provide these protections, and they know 
that they're being punished in the marketplace for doing what they 
believe is right.
    Now, a lot of you are employers, and you're concerned about 
controlling costs, but let me just tell you some of the things that are 
actually happening in America today. In big cities, if somebody walks 
outside a hotel and gets hit by a car, depending on what the coverage of 
the plan is, they might drive past three hospitals to get to an 
emergency room covered by the plan, instead of going to the nearest 
emergency room. There are places where, even if your doctor recommends 
you see a specialist and says, ``I'm sorry. I can't do this,'' they 
still can't get to see a specialist until they go through three or four 
layers of approval.
    Many times all these horror stories you hear about people being 
denied care are not quite accurate. Actually, almost always, or more 
than half the time, the managed care company does approve the procedure, 
but the delays are so great that it's too late to do the right thing.
    Another big problem for small businesses is, when the employer 
changes providers, very often immediately all the employees are affected 
by it. Now, that sounds reasonable. Except if you're pregnant, and 
you're 6 months pregnant, you shouldn't have to give up your 
obstetrician for months 7, 8, and 9. If you're in the middle of a 
chemotherapy treatment, you shouldn't have to give it up in the middle 
of the treatment. That's what this bill does. And it also protects the 
privacy of medical records, which I think is very, very important.
    So I think this Patients' Bill of Rights is the right thing to do 
for the country, and I hope it will pass. Those are the big issues, to 
me, that we ought to be fighting for.
    Now, in the election, the voters will have a clear choice. Do they 
want this kind of progress, or do they want partisanship? Do they want 
this to focus on people, or do they want this to focus on politics? And 
you can help us.
    Now, if you look at the long run--let me just mention something very 
briefly, just a few

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things that I wish you'd begin to think about. How are we going to 
change Social Security and Medicare so that we legitimately care for the 
elderly without bankrupting their children and grandchildren? What are 
we going to do? We'll be making those decisions--I hope and pray--in the 
first 6 months of next year. How are we going to do this? The Medicare 
Commission will complete its report, and we will complete our year-long 
work on Social Security in December.
    The second question: What else do we need to do in education, to 
really provide world-class education, K through 12, in America? 
Everybody knows we've got the best system of higher education in the 
world; how are we going to give every child, without regard to their 
circumstances in life, that opportunity?
    Third question: How can we convince people that the problem of 
climate change is real and the biggest long-term environmental 
challenge--closely related, especially in California, to the problem of 
ocean degradation, which is fast becoming a global problem? And how can 
you here, who know it to be true, convince people that there is no 
longer an iron link between old-fashioned, industrial-era energy usage 
and economic growth? Because, make no mistake about it, that, in the 
end, is what is holding back our advances in the environment. Most 
people who are in decisionmaking capacities honestly believe you can't 
grow an economy unless you use energy in the way we've been using it for 
the last 50 years, and unless you use more of the same kind. You can 
help; you can make a huge difference there.
    Fourthly, what are we going to do over the long run--and it has to 
be done fairly soon--to modify the world financial system and the world 
trading system so it works for ordinary people and it limits these huge 
boom/bust cycles without interrupting the free flow of capital? I am 
very worried that in country after country after country, if you have 
year after year after year of falling living standards, that people will 
fall out of love with free markets and free governments. It's only been 
the last 3 or 4 or 5 years that, for the first time in all human 
history, more people are living under governments that they chose 
themselves than dictatorships of one kind or another. This is a precious 
gift, this gift of freedom, but we have to prove that it will work for 
ordinary people. And the United States has to take the lead in that.
    And all of you have a huge stake in it--a huge stake in it. 
Everything you want to do with the Internet rests on the premise that 
people will get freer and freer and freer, and that it is a very good 
thing. And you know I believe that. So we have got to deal with that.
    And finally, I just ask you to help me--I got the last report of the 
President's Initiative on Race last week, and I've got this on my mind, 
too. If you think about what I do in foreign policy as your 
representative--we're worried about Kosovo today. What is Kosovo? It's 
an ethnic conflict between Serbs and Albanian Muslims. What is going on 
in the Middle East? It's an ethnic and religious conflict. I'm going to 
do a lot of work on that next week. What is the conflict--that we're 
celebrating, I hope, the final end of--in Northern Ireland? It's a 
religious conflict.
    You may have been reading--a few years ago we had this horrible war 
in Rwanda, where over three-quarters of a million people were killed in 
a tribal conflict. And now in the Congo there are five different 
countries intervening in their conflict there, and part of it is the 
settling of old scores among tribal conflicts.
    Now, here in Silicon Valley, you see people from all over the world, 
from all different racial and ethnic groups and religious and cultural 
backgrounds, finding a way to work together to make common cause. And 
over the long run it may be our ability to prove that we can preserve 
and advance the American system and give deeper meaning to the 
Constitution of the United States as we grow more diverse, than anything 
else, that will permit us to be a powerful force for good in the 21st 
century.
    And so I say to you, I hope you'll keep working on that, and I hope 
you'll keep lifting that up, because I see deep in the heart of people 
all over the world this almost compulsive drive to define themselves in 
negative terms, in the fact that their life has meaning because they are 
not the ``other,'' whatever the ``other'' is. And just the way you do 
things here is a constant, daily rebuke to that. And that's what America 
has to do. We have to prove that we are bringing out the best in each 
other if we hope to be a positive force in bringing out the best in 
people throughout the world.
    Finally, let me just say, I believe that the best days of this 
country are still ahead of us. And I believe that we have been given a 
precious gift, but an enormous responsibility. The

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real question before us is, now that we have all this prosperity, now 
that we have all this confidence, now that we have this dominant 
position in the world, what are we going to make of this moment? Are we 
going to relax? Are we going to feed on each other? Are we going to care 
for each other and build a better tomorrow? I think I know what your 
answer is, and I want you to help me make that America's answer.
    Thank you, and God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:55 p.m. at the Tech Museum of Innovation. 
In his remarks, he referred to dinner host John Doerr; Mayor Susan 
Hammer of San Jose; and Reed Hastings, chief executive officer, 
Technology Network.