[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 3 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[Pages 62-63]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

January 14, 1995

    Good morning. Let me begin by saying that Hillary and I send our 
prayers and our good wishes to all the families who are suffering in the 
terrible California floods. Our administration is doing everything in 
our power to make sure you get the relief you need. And I pledge to you 
that the American people will stand by you in this time of crisis as 
they have in the past.
    On Monday, we'll all celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King on 
what would have been his 66th birthday. Dr. King was one of the great 
moral prophets of our time. He never held public office, but no one ever 
did more to redeem the promise of American life or stir the soul of our 
Nation.
    One of Martin Luther King's greatest lessons was that every American 
deserves a piece of the American dream, the chance to pull ourselves up 
and work our way into the middle class. He taught us that we have more 
uniting us than dividing us, that no matter our race, our religion, our 
income, we all share the same hope of building better lives for 
ourselves and our children.
    The most important civil right is the right to dream the American 
dream and to have the opportunity to live it. I ran for President 
because I feared we were in danger of losing that right. At a moment of 
great change in our history, as we move from the industrial age into the 
information age, as we end the cold war and move into the global economy 
of the 21st century, I believe our purpose has to be to keep the 
American dream alive for all Americans.
    To do that, I have fought for three things: first, a new economic 
strategy to help our people compete and win in the new global economy; 
second, a new covenant with the American people that offers more 
opportunity to everyone willing to assume personal responsibility for 
their own lives; and third, a new kind of Government, a leaner, but not 
a meaner Government that cuts yesterday's programs and bureaucracy to 
make room for tomorrow's solutions, rooted in responsibility, 
empowerment of our citizens, the strength of our communities.
    In 2 years we're made a good start. We have a strong economy with 
5.6 million new jobs. We've made historic cuts in the deficit, enough to 
take $11,000 in debt off of every family's future. We've cut the size of 
Government. There are 100,000 fewer people working for the Federal 
Government than there were on the day I became President. And we've made 
lots of programs more efficient and more effective. And we've offered 
the American people new opportunities that demand more responsibility, 
from more affordable college loans, to the family leave program, to 
giving our local communities the resources they need to lower the crime 
rate.
    But despite this progress, too many Americans are still working 
harder for less. They don't have the security they need and deserve 
because they work hard and play by the rules. As we face the challenges 
of the 21st century, too many Americans remain in danger of falling 
behind or fear that they will still be left behind as they have been in 
years past.
    That's why I proposed the middle class bill of rights, which might 
be better called the middle class bill of rights and responsibilities. 
It gives Americans the chance to arm themselves for the new economy and 
to lift their incomes. It gives middle class families the opportunities 
they need to raise their children, pay for college, save money for the 
things families need, and get the training and skills they need to 
prosper.

[[Page 63]]

    It offers a tax deduction for all education after high school. It 
offers lower taxes for families with young children. It offers an 
individual retirement account with tax-free withdrawals for costs other 
than retirement that are devoted to the future, costs for education, for 
health care, for care of an elderly parent, for buying a first home. And 
it offers a training account of over $2,600 for those who are unemployed 
or who are lower wage workers who want to get more skills to improve 
their own futures.
    This program furthers all three of my objectives. It helps all of us 
to meet the challenges of the new economy. It helps us to build that new 
covenant of opportunity in return for responsibility. And it cuts 
Government and changes the way it works to make it more modern, less 
bureaucratic, more flexible, more focused on personal empowerment. I 
hope the new Congress will pass the middle class bill of rights, and I 
welcome anyone else's ideas that advance these same goals.
    In the new Congress, my test will be: Does an idea expand middle 
class incomes and opportunities? Does it promote values like family and 
work, responsibility and community? Does it contribute to strengthening 
the new economy and to building a better future for all of us? If it 
does, I'll be for it, no matter who proposes it. And if it doesn't, I'll 
oppose it.
    One of the best examples of what we're trying to do is something 
we've already begun to do, our national service program, AmeriCorps. It 
helps those who help themselves in America. It says, take responsibility 
to serve your country at the grassroots level, and we'll give you the 
opportunity to get the education you need to build a better future for 
yourself. Already there are 20,000 AmeriCorps volunteers serving their 
communities while earning money for college. There are more people now 
in AmeriCorps in this year than ever served in the Peace Corps in a 
single year.
    On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, I've called for a national day of 
service. And AmeriCorps volunteers will be hard at work all cross our 
country rebuilding a school in Atlanta, rebuilding housing in Memphis, 
helping the flood victims in Los Angeles. I hope you will join them 
because the idea and the ideal of service, service to country, service 
to community, service to our fellow citizens, is central to our Nation's 
future.
    Dr. King's most profound lesson was that in America, ``me'' depends 
on ``we.'' As he said, ``We are all caught in an inescapable network of 
mutuality tied into a single garment of destiny.'' In the end, we will 
rise or fall together. Martin Luther King knew that we all have to do 
our part. What he wanted was for all Americans to have not a handout but 
a hand up. That's what the national day of service is all about.
    Of course, there are no guarantees that the future will be easy for 
all of us. We will face great challenges. But if we'll all join together 
and do our part as citizens, we can--we can receive the American dream 
that Martin Luther King envisioned.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 5:43 p.m. on January 13 in the Oval 
Office for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 14.