    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [February 21, 1999]
    [Page 231]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the National Governors' Association Dinner
    February 21, 1999

        Good evening. Governor and Mrs.
    Carper, Governor and Mrs. Leavitt, ladies and
    gentlemen, welcome back to the White House.
        Two of my proudest possessions, which I have over off the Oval
    Office, are an original printing of the proceeds of the first Governors'
    conference, held at the invitation of President Theodore Roosevelt--
    formerly Governor of New York--in 1908, and the subject was the
    conservation of America's natural resources. The second is a picture
    taken on the front steps of the White House of the President and all the
    Governors in that year, with a letter signed with the picture by every
    serving Governor in 1992--some of you signed it--to me on the occasion
    of my election as President.
        I see the picture every day. I see the book every day, and it
    reminds me of how much I enjoyed being a Governor and how much I very
    much enjoyed these Governors' meetings.
        Six years ago, when I took office, I pledged a new era of
    partnership with the Governors. I have done my best to deliver on that
    pledge. I found that, when being a Governor, that it was easy to do the
    job when the economy was working than when it wasn't. [Laughter] So I
    hope you have found the same. I pledged to work on eliminating the
    deficit, and now we are into our second year of surpluses. I pledged to
    work with you on welfare reform, and I know all of you are very proud
    that the welfare rolls are about half the size they were in 1993. I
    pledged to work with you and your communities on crime, and the crime
    rate is at its lowest level in 25 years. I pledged to work on a cleaner
    environment in a way that would permit the economy to continue to grow,
    and together we have made progress on that and many other areas.
        I also pledged to continue the practice I adopted as Governor of
    stealing the best ideas from other States I could possibly find.
    [Laughter] Among other things, we have adopted Georgia's HOPE
    scholarship and many other ideas that many of you brought into being.
        For all these things, I thank you. I thank you for the work you
    continue to do. I thank you for the model you continue to set. In 6
    years, I have concluded what I suspected when I came here, which is that
    Washington works best when it works as Governors and as the National
    Governors' Association work: across party lines; focusing on ideas, not
    ideology; on people, not politics; on unity, not division. For all that
    you do to build that kind of America in the 21st century, I thank you.
        I look forward to our meeting tomorrow, and I ask you to join me in
    a toast to Governor and Mrs.
    Carper, Governor and Mrs. Leavitt, the
    Governors, their spouses, and our beloved country.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:35 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to National Governors'
    Association Chairman Gov. Thomas R. Carper of Delaware and his wife,
    Martha; and NGA Vice Chairman Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah and his
    wife, Jacalyn.