Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, honored guests, my fellow Americans: Tonight I have the honor of reporting to you on the State of the Union. Let me begin by saluting the new Speaker of the House and thanking him especially tonight for extending an invitation to two guests sitting in the gallery with Mrs. Hastert: Lyn Gibson and Wenling Chestnut are the widows of the two brave Capitol Hill police officers who gave their lives to defend freedom's house. Mr. Speaker, at your swearing-in, you asked us all to work together in a spirit of civility and bipartisanship. Mr. Speaker, let's do exactly that. Tonight I stand before you to report that America has created the longest peacetime economic expansion in our history with nearly 18 million new jobs, wages rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, the highest homeownership in history, the smallest welfare rolls in 30 years, and the lowest peacetime unemployment since 1957. For the first time in three decades, the budget is balanced. From a deficit of $290 billion in 1992, we had a surplus of $70 billion last year. And now we are on course for budget surpluses for the next 25 years. Thanks to the pioneering leadership of all of you, we have the lowest violent crime rate in a quarter century and the cleanest environment in a quarter century. America is a strong force for peace from Northern Ireland to Bosnia to the Middle East. Thanks to the leadership of Vice President Gore, we have a Government for the information age, once again, a Government that is a progressive instrument of the common good— rooted in our oldest values of opportunity, responsibility, and community; devoted to fiscal responsibility; determined to give our people the tools they need to make the most of their own lives in the 21st century—a 21st century Government for 21st century America. My fellow Americans, I stand before you tonight to report that the state of our Union is strong. Now, America is working again. The promise of our future is limitless. But we cannot realize that promise if we allow the hum of our prosperity to lull us into complacency. How we fare as a nation far into the 21st century depends upon what we do as a nation today. So with our budget surplus growing, our economy expanding, our confidence rising, now is the moment for this generation to meet our historic responsibility to the 21st century. Our fiscal discipline gives us an unsurpassed opportunity to address a remarkable new challenge, the aging of America. With the number of elderly Americans set to double by 2030, the baby boom will become a senior boom. So first, and above all, we must save Social Security for the 21st century. Early in this century, being old meant being poor. When President Roosevelt created Social Security, thousands wrote to thank him for eliminating what one woman called "the stark terror of penniless, helpless old age." Even today, without Social Security, half our Nation's elderly would be forced into poverty. Today, Social Security is strong. But by 2013, payroll taxes will no longer be sufficient to cover monthly payments. By 2032, the Trust Fund will be exhausted and Social Security will be unable to pay the full benefits older Americans have been promised. The best way to keep Social Security a rocksolid guarantee is not to make drastic cuts in benefits, not to raise payroll tax rates, not to drain resources from Social Security in the name of saving it. Instead, I propose that we make the historic decision to invest the surplus to save Social Security. Specifically, I propose that we commit 60 percent of the budget surplus for the next 15 years to Social Security, investing a small portion in the private sector, just as any private or State Government pension would do. This will earn a higher return and keep Social Security sound for 55 years. But we must aim higher. We should put Social Security on a sound footing for the next 75 years. We should reduce poverty among elderly women, who are nearly twice as likely to be poor as our other seniors. And we should eliminate the limits on what seniors on Social Security can earn. Now, these changes will require difficult but fully achievable choices, over and above the dedication of the surplus. They must be made on a bipartisan basis. They should be made this year. So let me say to you tonight, I reach out my hand to all of you in both Houses, in both parties, and ask that we join together in saying to the American people: We will save Social Security now. Now, last year we wisely reserved all of the surplus until we knew what it would take to save Social Security. Again, I say, we shouldn't spend any of it, not any of it, until after Social Security is truly saved. First things first. Second, once we have saved Social Security, we must fulfill our obligation to save and improve Medicare. Already, we have extended the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by 10 years, but we should extend it for at least another decade. Tonight I propose that we use one out of every $6 in the surplus for the next 15 years to guarantee the soundness of Medicare until the year 2020. But again, we should aim higher. We must be willing to work in a bipartisan way and look at new ideas, including the upcoming report of the bipartisan Medicare Commission. If we work together, we can secure Medicare for the next two decades and cover the greatest growing need of seniors, affordable prescription drugs. Third, we must help all Americans, from their first day on the job, to save, to invest, to create wealth. From its beginning, Americans have supplemented Social Security with private pensions and savings. Yet today, millions of people retire with little to live on other than Social Security. Americans living longer than ever simply must save more than ever. Therefore, in addition to saving Social Security and Medicare, I propose a new pension initiative for retirement security in the 21st century. I propose that we use a little over 11 percent of the surplus to establish universal savings accounts—USA accounts—to give all Americans the means to save. With these new accounts, Americans can invest as they choose and receive funds to match a portion of their savings, with extra help for those least able to save. USA accounts will help all Americans to share in our Nation's wealth and to enjoy a more secure retirement. I ask you to support them. Fourth, we must invest in long-term care. I propose a tax credit of $1,000 for the aged, ailing or disabled, and the families who care for them. Long-term care will become a bigger and bigger challenge with the aging of America, and we must do more to help our families deal with it. I was born in 1946, the first year of the baby boom. I can tell you that one of the greatest concerns of our generation is our absolute determination not to let our growing old place an intolerable burden on our children and their ability to raise our grandchildren. Our economic success and our fiscal discipline now give us an opportunity to lift that burden from their shoulders, and we should take it. Saving Social Security, Medicare, creating USA accounts, this is the right way to use the surplus. If we do so—if we do so—we will still have resources to meet critical needs in education and defense. And I want to point out that this proposal is fiscally sound. Listen to this: If we set aside 60 percent of the surplus for Social Security and 16 percent for Medicare, over the next 15 years, that saving will achieve the lowest level of publicly held debt since right before World War I, in 1917. So with these four measures—saving Social Security, strengthening Medicare, establishing the USA accounts, supporting long-term care— we can begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to establish true security for 21st century seniors. Now, there are more children from more diverse backgrounds in our public schools than at any time in our history. Their education must provide the knowledge and nurture the creativity that will allow our entire Nation to thrive in the new economy. Today we can say something we couldn't say 6 years ago: With tax credits and more affordable student loans, with more work-study grants and more Pell grants, with education IRA's and the new HOPE scholarship tax cut that more than 5 million Americans will receive this year, we have finally opened the doors of college to all Americans. With our support, nearly every State has set higher academic standards for public schools, and a voluntary national test is being developed to measure the progress of our students. With over $1 billion in discounts available this year, we are well on our way to our goal of connecting every classroom and library to the Internet. Last fall, you passed our proposal to start hiring 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size in the early grades. Now I ask you to finish the job. You know, our children are doing better. SAT scores are up; math scores have risen in nearly all grades. But there's a problem. While our fourth graders outperform their peers in other countries in math and science, our eighth graders are around average, and our twelfth graders rank near the bottom. We must do better. Now, each year the National Government invests more than $15 billion in our public schools. I believe we must change the way we invest that money, to support what works and to stop supporting what does not work. First, later this year, I will send to Congress a plan that, for the first time, holds States and school districts accountable for progress and rewards them for results. My "Education Accountability Act" will require every school district receiving Federal help to take the following five steps. First, all schools must end social promotion. No child should graduate from high school with a diploma he or she can't read. We do our children no favors when we allow them to pass from grade to grade without mastering the material. But we can't just hold students back because the system fails them. So my balanced budget triples the funding for summer school and after-school programs, to keep a million children learning. Now, if you doubt this will work, just look at Chicago, which ended social promotion and made summer school mandatory for those who don't master the basics. Math and reading scores are up 3 years running, with some of the biggest gains in some of the poorest neighborhoods. It will work, and we should do it. Second, all States and school districts must turn around their worst performing schools or shut them down. That's the policy established in North Carolina by Governor Jim Hunt. North Carolina made the biggest gains in test scores in the Nation last year. Our budget includes $200 million to help States turn around their own failing schools. Third, all States and school districts must be held responsible for the quality of their teachers. The great majority of our teachers do a fine job. But in too many schools, teachers don't have college majors or even minors in the subjects they teach. New teachers should be required to pass performance exams, and all teachers should know the subjects they're teaching. This year's balanced budget contains resources to help them reach higher standards. And to attract talented young teachers to the toughest assignments, I recommend a sixfold increase in our program for college scholarships for students who commit to teach in the inner cities and isolated rural areas and in Indian communities. Let us bring excellence to every part of America. Fourth, we must empower parents with more information and more choices. In too many communities, it's easier to get information on the quality of the local restaurants than on the quality of the local schools. Every school district should issue report cards on every school. And parents should be given more choices in selecting their public school. When I became President, there was just one independent public charter school in all America. With our support, on a bipartisan basis, today there are 1,100. My budget assures that early in the next century, there will be 3,000. Fifth, to assure that our classrooms are truly places of learning and to respond to what teachers have been asking us to do for years, we should say that all States and school districts must both adopt and implement sensible discipline policies. Now, let's do one more thing for our children. Today, too many schools are so old they're falling apart, or so over-crowded students are learning in trailers. Last fall, Congress missed the opportunity to change that. This year, with 53 million children in our schools, Congress must not miss that opportunity again. I ask you to help our communities build or modernize 5,000 schools. If we do these things—end social promotion; turn around failing schools; build modern ones; support qualified teachers; promote innovation, competition and discipline—then we will begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to create 21st century schools. Now, we also have to do more to support the millions of parents who give their all every day at home and at work. The most basic tool of all is a decent income. So let's raise the minimum wage by a dollar an hour over the next 2 years. And let's make sure that women and men get equal pay for equal work by strengthening enforcement of equal pay laws. [ ] That was encouraging, you know. [ ] There was more balance on the seesaw. I like that. Let's give them a hand. That's great. [ ] Working parents also need quality child care. So again this year, I ask Congress to support our plan for tax credits and subsidies for working families, for improved safety and quality, for expanded after-school programs. And our plan also includes a new tax credit for stayat-home parents, too. They need support, as well. Parents should never have to worry about choosing between their children and their work. Now, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the very first bill I signed into law, has now, since 1993, helped millions and millions of Americans to care for a newborn baby or an ailing relative without risking their jobs. I think it's time, with all the evidence that it has been so little burdensome to employers, to extend family leave to 10 million more Americans working for smaller companies. And I hope you will support it. Finally on the matter of work, parents should never have to face discrimination in the workplace. So I want to ask Congress to prohibit companies from refusing to hire or promote workers simply because they have children. That is not right. America's families deserve the world's best medical care. Thanks to bipartisan Federal support for medical research, we are now on the verge of new treatments to prevent or delay diseases, from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's to arthritis to cancer. But as we continue our advances in medical science, we can't let our medical system lag behind. Managed care has literally transformed medicine in America, driving down costs but threatening to drive down quality as well. I think we ought to say to every American: You should have the right to know all your medical options, not just the cheapest. If you need a specialist, you should have a right to see one. You have a right to the nearest emergency care if you're in an accident. These are things that we ought to say. And I think we ought to say: You should have a right to keep your doctor during a period of treatment, whether it's a pregnancy or a chemotherapy treatment, or anything else. I believe this. Now, I've ordered these rights to be extended to the 85 million Americans served by Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health programs. But only Congress can pass a Patients' Bill of Rights for all Americans. Now, last year, Congress missed that opportunity, and we must not miss that opportunity again. For the sake of our families, I ask us to join together across party lines and pass a strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights. As more of our medical records are stored electronically, the threats to all our privacy increase. Because Congress has given me the authority to act if it does not do so by August, one way or another, we can all say to the American people, "We will protect the privacy of medical records, and we will do it this year." Now 2 years ago, the Congress extended health coverage to up to 5 million children. Now we should go beyond that. We should make it easier for small businesses to offer health insurance. We should give people between the ages of 55 and 65 who lose their health insurance the chance to buy into Medicare. And we should continue to ensure access to family planning. No one should have to choose between keeping health care and taking a job. And therefore, I especially ask you tonight to join hands to pass the landmark bipartisan legislation proposed by Senators Kennedy and Jeffords, Roth, and Moynihan to allow people with disabilities to keep their health insurance when they go to work. We need to enable our public hospitals, our community, our university health centers to provide basic, affordable care for all the millions of working families who don't have any insurance. They do a lot of that today, but much more can be done. And my balanced budget makes a good downpayment toward that goal. I hope you will think about them and support that provision. Let me say we must step up our efforts to treat and prevent mental illness. No American should ever be afraid—ever—to address this disease. This year we will host a White House Conference on Mental Health. With sensitivity, commitment, and passion, Tipper Gore is leading our efforts here, and I'd like to thank her for what she's done. Thank you. [ ] Thank you. As everyone knows, our children are targets of a massive media campaign to hook them on cigarettes. Now, I ask this Congress to resist the tobacco lobby, to reaffirm the FDA's authority to protect our children from tobacco, and to hold tobacco companies accountable while protecting tobacco farmers. Smoking has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars under Medicare and other programs. You know, the States have been right about this: Taxpayers shouldn't pay for the cost of lung cancer, emphysema, and other smokingrelated illnesses; the tobacco companies should. So tonight I announce that the Justice Department is preparing a litigation plan to take the tobacco companies to court and, with the funds we recover, to strengthen Medicare. Now, if we act in these areas—minimum wage, family leave, child care, health care, the safety of our children—then we will begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to strengthen our families for the 21st century. Today, America is the most dynamic, competitive, job-creating economy in history. But we can do even better in building a 21st century economy that embraces all Americans. Today's income gap is largely a skills gap. Last year, the Congress passed a law enabling workers to get a skills grant to choose the training they need. And I applaud all of you here who were part of that. This year, I recommend a 5-year commitment to the new system so that we can provide, over the next 5 years, appropriate training opportunities for all Americans who lose their jobs and expand rapid response teams to help all towns which have been really hurt when businesses close. I hope you will support this. Also, I ask your support for a dramatic increase in Federal support for adult literacy, to mount a national campaign aimed at helping the millions and millions of working people who still read at less than a fifth grade level. We need to do this. Here's some good news: In the past 6 years, we have cut the welfare rolls nearly in half. You can all be proud of that. Two years ago, from this podium, I asked five companies to lead a national effort to hire people off welfare. Tonight, our Welfare to Work Partnership includes 10,000 companies who have hired hundreds of thousands of people. And our balanced budget will help another 200,000 people move to the dignity and pride of work. I hope you will support it. We must do more to bring the spark of private enterprise to every corner of America, to build a bridge from Wall Street to Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta to our Native American communities, with more support for community development banks, for empowerment zones, for 100,000 more vouchers for affordable housing. And I ask Congress to support our bold new plan to help businesses raise up to $15 billion in private sector capital to bring jobs and opportunities to our inner cities and rural areas with tax credits, loan guarantees, including the new "American Private Investment Company" modeled on the Overseas Private Investment Company. For years and years and years, we've had this OPIC, this Overseas Private Investment Corporation, because we knew we had untapped markets overseas. But our greatest untapped markets are not overseas; they are right here at home. And we should go after them. We must work hard to help bring prosperity back to the family farm. As this Congress knows very well, dropping prices and the loss of foreign markets have devastated too many family farms. Last year, the Congress provided substantial assistance to help stave off a disaster in American agriculture. And I am ready to work with lawmakers of both parties to create a farm safety net that will include crop insurance reform and farm income assistance. I ask you to join with me and do this. This should not be a political issue. Everyone knows what an economic problem is going on out there in rural America today, and we need an appropriate means to address it. We must strengthen our lead in technology. It was Government investment that led to the creation of the Internet. I propose a 28-percent increase in long-term computing research. We also must be ready for the 21st century from its very first moment, by solving the so-called Y2K computer problem. We had one Member of Congress stand up and applaud. [ ] And we may have about that ratio out there applauding at home, in front of their television sets. But remember, this is a big, big problem. And we've been working hard on it. Already, we've made sure that the Social Security checks will come on time. But I want all the folks at home listening to this to know that we need every State and local government, every business, large and small, to work with us to make sure that this Y2K computer bug will be remembered as the last headache of the 20th century, not the first crisis of the 21st. For our own prosperity, we must support economic growth abroad. You know, until recently, a third of our economic growth came from exports. But over the past year and a half, financial turmoil overseas has put that growth at risk. Today, much of the world is in recession, with Asia hit especially hard. This is the most serious financial crisis in half a century. To meet it, the United States and other nations have reduced interest rates and strengthened the International Monetary Fund. And while the turmoil is not over, we have worked very hard with other nations to contain it. At the same time, we have to continue to work on the long-term project, building a global financial system for the 21st century that promotes prosperity and tames the cycle of boom and bust that has engulfed so much of Asia. This June I will meet with other world leaders to advance this historic purpose, and I ask all of you to support our endeavors. I also ask you to support creating a freer and fairer trading system for 21st century America. I'd like to say something really serious to everyone in this Chamber in both parties. I think trade has divided us, and divided Americans outside this Chamber, for too long. Somehow we have to find a common ground on which business and workers and environmentalists and farmers and Government can stand together. I believe these are the things we ought to all agree on. So let me try. First, we ought to tear down barriers, open markets, and expand trade. But at the same time, we must ensure that ordinary citizens in all countries actually benefit from trade, a trade that promotes the dignity of work and the rights of workers and protects the environment. We must insist that international trade organizations be more open to public scrutiny, instead of mysterious, secret things subject to wild criticism. When you come right down to it, now that the world economy is becoming more and more integrated, we have to do in the world what we spent the better part of this century doing here at home. We have got to put a human face on the global economy. We must enforce our trade laws when imports unlawfully flood our Nation. I have already informed the Government of Japan that if that nation's sudden surge of steel imports into our country is not reversed, America will respond. We must help all manufacturers hit hard by the present crisis with loan guarantees and other incentives to increase American exports by nearly $2 billion. I'd like to believe we can achieve a new consensus on trade, based on these principles. And I ask the Congress again to join me in this common approach and to give the President the trade authority long used and now overdue and necessary to advance our prosperity in the 21st century. Tonight I issue a call to the nations of the world to join the United States in a new round of global trade negotiations to expand exports of services, manufactures, and farm products. Tonight I say we will work with the International Labor Organization on a new initiative to raise labor standards around the world. And this year, we will lead the international community to conclude a treaty to ban abusive child labor everywhere in the world. If we do these things—invest in our people, our communities, our technology, and lead in the global economy—then we will begin to meet our historic responsibility to build a 21st century prosperity for America. You know, no nation in history has had the opportunity and the responsibility we now have to shape a world that is more peaceful, more secure, more free. All Americans can be proud that our leadership helped to bring peace in Northern Ireland. All Americans can be proud that our leadership has put Bosnia on the path to peace. And with our NATO allies, we are pressing the Serbian Government to stop its brutal repression in Kosovo, to bring those responsible to justice, and to give the people of Kosovo the self-government they deserve. All Americans can be proud that our leadership renewed hope for lasting peace in the Middle East. Some of you were with me last December as we watched the Palestinian National Council completely renounce its call for the destruction of Israel. Now I ask Congress to provide resources so that all parties can implement the Wye agreement to protect Israel's security, to stimulate the Palestinian economy, to support our friends in Jordan. We must not—we dare not—let them down. I hope you will help. As we work for peace, we must also meet threats to our Nation's security, including increased dangers from outlaw nations and terrorism. We will defend our security wherever we are threatened, as we did this summer when we struck at Usama bin Ladin's network of terror. The bombing of our Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania reminds us again of the risks faced every day by those who represent America to the world. So let's give them the support they need, the safest possible workplaces, and the resources they must have so America can continue to lead. We must work to keep terrorists from disrupting computer networks. We must work to prepare local communities for biological and chemical emergencies, to support research into vaccines and treatments. We must increase our efforts to restrain the spread of nuclear weapons and missiles, from Korea to India and Pakistan. We must expand our work with Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet nations to safeguard nuclear materials and technology so they never fall into the wrong hands. Our balanced budget will increase funding for these critical efforts by almost two-thirds over the next 5 years. With Russia, we must continue to reduce our nuclear arsenals. The START II treaty and the framework we have already agreed to for START III could cut them by 80 percent from their cold war height. It's been 2 years since I signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. If we don't do the right thing, other nations won't either. I ask the Senate to take this vital step: Approve the treaty now, to make it harder for other nations to develop nuclear arms, and to make sure we can end nuclear testing forever. For nearly a decade, Iraq has defied its obligations to destroy its weapons of terror and the missiles to deliver them. America will continue to contain Saddam, and we will work for the day when Iraq has a Government worthy of its people. Now, last month in our action over Iraq, our troops were superb. Their mission was so flawlessly executed that we risk taking for granted the bravery and the skill it required. Captain Jeff Taliaferro, a 10-year veteran of the Air Force, flew a B-1B bomber over Iraq as we attacked Saddam's war machine. He's here with us tonight. I'd like to ask you to honor him and all the 33,000 men and women of Operation Desert Fox. Captain Taliaferro. [ ] It is time to reverse the decline in defense spending that began in 1985. Since April, together we have added nearly $6 billion to maintain our military readiness. My balanced budget calls for a sustained increase over the next 6 years for readiness, for modernization, and for pay and benefits for our troops and their families. We are the heirs of a legacy of bravery represented in every community in America by millions of our veterans. America's defenders today still stand ready at a moment's notice to go where comforts are few and dangers are many, to do what needs to be done as no one else can. They always come through for America. We must come through for them. The new century demands new partnerships for peace and security. The United Nations plays a crucial role, with allies sharing burdens America might otherwise bear alone. America needs a strong and effective U.N. I want to work with this new Congress to pay our dues and our debts. We must continue to support security and stability in Europe and Asia, expanding NATO and defining its new missions, maintaining our alliance with Japan, with Korea, with our other Asian allies, and engaging China. In China, last year, I said to the leaders and the people what I'd like to say again tonight: Stability can no longer be bought at the expense of liberty. But I'd also like to say again to the American people: It's important not to isolate China. The more we bring China into the world, the more the world will bring change and freedom to China. Last spring, with some of you, I traveled to Africa, where I saw democracy and reform rising but still held back by violence and disease. We must fortify African democracy and peace by launching Radio Democracy for Africa, supporting the transition to democracy now beginning to take place in Nigeria, and passing the "African Trade and Development Act." We must continue to deepen our ties to the Americas and the Caribbean, our common work to educate children, fight drugs, strengthen democracy and increase trade. In this hemisphere, every government but one is freely chosen by its people. We are determined that Cuba, too, will know the blessings of liberty. The American people have opened their hearts and their arms to our Central American and Caribbean neighbors who have been so devastated by the recent hurricanes. Working with Congress, I am committed to help them rebuild. When the First Lady and Tipper Gore visited the region, they saw thousands of our troops and thousands of American volunteers. In the Dominican Republic, Hillary helped to rededicate a hospital that had been rebuilt by Dominicans and Americans working side by side. With her was someone else who has been very important to the relief efforts. You know, sports records are made, and sooner or later they're broken. But making other people's lives better and showing our children the true meaning of brotherhood, that lasts forever. So, for far more than baseball, Sammy Sosa, you're a hero in two countries tonight. [ ] Thank you. So I say to all of you, if we do these things— if we pursue peace, fight terrorism, increase our strength, renew our alliances—we will begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to build a stronger 21st century America in a freer, more peaceful world. As the world has changed, so have our own communities. We must make them safer, more livable, and more united. This year, we will reach our goal of 100,000 community police officers ahead of schedule and under budget. The Brady bill has stopped a quarter million felons, fugitives, and stalkers from buying handguns. And now, the murder rate is the lowest in 30 years and the crime rate has dropped for 6 straight years. Tonight I propose a 21st century crime bill to deploy the latest technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer. Our balanced budget will help put up to 50,000 more police on the street in the areas hardest hit by crime and then to equip them with new tools, from crime-mapping computers to digital mug shots. We must break the deadly cycle of drugs and crime. Our budget expands support for drug testing and treatment, saying to prisoners: If you stay on drugs, you have to stay behind bars; and to those on parole: If you want to keep your freedom, you must stay free of drugs. I ask Congress to restore the 5-day waiting period for buying a handgun and extend the Brady bill to prevent juveniles who commit violent crimes from buying a gun. We must do more to keep our schools the safest places in our communities. Last year, every American was horrified and heartbroken by the tragic killings in Jonesboro, Paducah, Pearl, Edinboro, Springfield. We were deeply moved by the courageous parents now working to keep guns out of the hands of children and to make other efforts so that other parents don't have to live through their loss. After she lost her daughter, Suzann Wilson of Jonesboro, Arkansas, came here to the White House with a powerful plea. She said, "Please, please, for the sake of your children, lock up your guns. Don't let what happened in Jonesboro happen in your town." It's a message she is passionately advocating every day. Suzann is here with us tonight, with the First Lady. I'd like to thank her for her courage and her commitment. [ ] Thank you. In memory of all the children who lost their lives to school violence, I ask you to strengthen the Safe and Drug-Free School Act, to pass legislation to require child trigger locks, to do everything possible to keep our children safe. A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt defined our "great, central task" as "leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us." Today, we're restoring the Florida Everglades, saving Yellowstone, preserving the red rock canyons of Utah, protecting California's redwoods and our precious coasts. But our most fateful new challenge is the threat of global warming; 1998 was the warmest year ever recorded. Last year's heat waves, floods, and storms are but a hint of what future generations may endure if we do not act now. Tonight I propose a new clean air fund to help communities reduce greenhouse and other pollution, and tax incentives and investments to spur clean energy technology. And I want to work with Members of Congress in both parties to reward companies that take early, voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gases. All our communities face a preservation challenge, as they grow and green space shrinks. Seven thousand acres of farmland and open space are lost every day. In response, I propose two major initiatives: First, a $1-billion livability agenda to help communities save open space, ease traffic congestion, and grow in ways that enhance every citizen's quality of life; and second, a $1-billion lands legacy initiative to preserve places of natural beauty all across America, from the most remote wilderness to the nearest city park. These are truly landmark initiatives, which could not have been developed without the visionary leadership of the Vice President, and I want to thank him very much for his commitment here. Now, to get the most out of your community, you have to give something back. That's why we created AmeriCorps, our national service program that gives today's generation a chance to serve their communities and earn money for college. So far, in just 4 years, 100,000 young Americans have built low-income homes with Habitat for Humanity, helped to tutor children with churches, worked with FEMA to ease the burden of natural disasters, and performed countless other acts of service that have made America better. I ask Congress to give more young Americans the chance to follow their lead and serve America in AmeriCorps. Now, we must work to renew our national community as well for the 21st century. Last year the House passed the bipartisan campaign finance reform legislation sponsored by Representatives Shays and Meehan and Senators McCain and Feingold. But a partisan minority in the Senate blocked reform. So I'd like to say to the House: Pass it again, quickly. And I'd like to say to the Senate: I hope you will say yes to a stronger American democracy in the year 2000. Since 1997, our initiative on race has sought to bridge the divides between and among our people. In its report last fall, the initiative's advisory board found that Americans really do want to bring our people together across racial lines. We know it's been a long journey. For some, it goes back to before the beginning of our Republic; for others, back since the Civil War; for others, throughout the 20th century. But for most of us alive today, in a very real sense, this journey began 43 years ago, when a woman named Rosa Parks sat down on a bus in Alabama and wouldn't get up. She's sitting down with the First Lady tonight, and she may get up or not, as she chooses. We thank her. [ ] Thank you, Rosa. We know that our continuing racial problems are aggravated, as the Presidential initiative said, by opportunity gaps. The initiative I've outlined tonight will help to close them. But we know that the discrimination gap has not been fully closed either. Discrimination or violence because of race or religion, ancestry or gender, disability or sexual orientation, is wrong, and it ought to be illegal. Therefore, I ask Congress to make the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act" and the "Hate Crimes Prevention Act" the law of the land. Now, since every person in America counts, every American ought to be counted. We need a census that uses modern scientific methods to do that. Our new immigrants must be part of our One America. After all, they're revitalizing our cities; they're energizing our culture; they're building up our economy. We have a responsibility to make them welcome here, and they have a responsibility to enter the mainstream of American life. That means learning English and learning about our democratic system of government. There are now long waiting lines of immigrants that are trying to do just that. Therefore, our budget significantly expands our efforts to help them meet their responsibility. I hope you will support it. Whether our ancestors came here on the   on slave ships, whether they came to Ellis Island or LAX in Los Angeles, whether they came yesterday or walked this land a thousand years ago, our great challenge for the 21st century is to find a way to be one America. We can meet all the other challenges if we can go forward as one America. You know, barely more than 300 days from now, we will cross that bridge into the new millennium. This is a moment, as the First Lady has said, "to honor the past and imagine the future." I'd like to take just a minute to honor her. For leading our Millennium Project, for all she's done for our children, for all she has done in her historic role to serve our Nation and our best ideals at home and abroad, I honor her. [ ] Last year, I called on Congress and every citizen to mark the millennium by saving America's treasures. Hillary has traveled all across the country to inspire recognition and support for saving places like Thomas Edison's invention factory or Harriet Tubman's home. Now we have to preserve our treasures in every community. And tonight, before I close, I want to invite every town, every city, every community to become a nationally recognized "millennium community" by launching projects that save our history, promote our arts and humanities, prepare our children for the 21st century. Already, the response has been remarkable. And I want to say a special word of thanks to our private sector partners and to Members in Congress of both parties for their support. Just one example: Because of you, the Star-Spangled Banner will be preserved for the ages. In ways large and small, as we look to the millennium we are keeping alive what George Washington called "the sacred fire of liberty." Six years ago, I came to office in a time of doubt for America, with our economy troubled, our deficit high, our people divided. Some even wondered whether our best days were behind us. But across this country, in a thousand neighborhoods, I have seen, even amidst the pain and uncertainty of recession, the real heart and character of America. I knew then that we Americans could renew this country. Tonight, as I deliver the last State of the Union Address of the 20th century, no one anywhere in the world can doubt the enduring resolve and boundless capacity of the American people to work toward that "more perfect Union" of our Founders' dream. We're now at the end of a century when generation after generation of Americans answered the call to greatness, overcoming depression, lifting up the disposed, bringing down barriers to racial prejudice, building the largest middle class in history, winning two World Wars and the long twilight struggle of the cold war. We must all be profoundly grateful for the magnificent achievement of our forebears in this century. Yet perhaps, in the daily press of events, in the clash of controversy, we don't see our own time for what it truly is, a new dawn for America. A hundred years from tonight, another American President will stand in this place and report on the state of the Union. He—or she—he or she will look back on a 21st century shaped in so many ways by the decisions we make here and now. So let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our time but of their time, that we reached as high as our ideals, that we put aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and hopefulness, that we joined together to serve and strengthen the land we love. My fellow Americans, this is our moment. Let us lift our eyes as one Nation, and from the mountaintop of this American Century, look ahead to the next one, asking God's blessing on our endeavors and on our beloved country. Thank you, and good evening.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, honored guests, my fellow Americans: Tonight I have the honor of reporting to you on the State of the Union. Let me begin by saluting the new Speaker of the House and thanking him especially tonight for extending an invitation to two guests sitting in the gallery with Mrs. Hastert: Lyn Gibson and Wenling Chestnut are the widows of the two brave Capitol Hill police officers who gave their lives to defend freedom's house. Mr. Speaker, at your swearing-in, you asked us all to work together in a spirit of civility and bipartisanship. Mr. Speaker, let us do exactly that. Tonight I stand before you to report that America has created the longest peacetime economic expansion in our history with nearly 18 million new jobs, wages rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, the highest homeownership in history, the smallest welfare rolls in 30 years, and the lowest peacetime unemployment since 1957. For the first time in three decades, the budget is balanced. From a deficit of $290 billion in 1992, we had a surplus of $70 billion last year. And now we are on course for budget surpluses for the next 25 years. Thanks to the pioneering leadership of all of you, we have the lowest violent crime rate in a quarter century and the cleanest environment in a quarter century. America is a strong force for peace from Northern Ireland to Bosnia to the Middle East. Thanks to the leadership of Vice President Gore, we have a Government for the information age, once again, a Government that is a progressive instrument of the common good— rooted in our oldest values of opportunity, responsibility, and community; devoted to fiscal responsibility; determined to give our people the tools they need to make the most of their own lives in the 21st century—a 21st century Government for 21st century America. My fellow Americans, I stand before you tonight to report that the state of our Union is strong. Now, America is working again. The promise of our future is limitless. But we cannot realize that promise if we allow the hum of our prosperity to lull us into complacency. How we fare as a nation far into the 21st century depends upon what we do as a nation today. So with our budget surplus growing, our economy expanding, our confidence rising, now is the moment for this generation to meet our historic responsibility to the 21st century. Our fiscal discipline gives us an unsurpassed opportunity to address a remarkable new challenge, the aging of America. With the number of elderly Americans set to double by 2030, the baby boom will become a senior boom. So first, and above all, we must save Social Security for the 21st century. Early in this century, being old meant being poor. When President Roosevelt created Social Security, thousands wrote to thank him for eliminating what one woman called "the stark terror of penniless, helpless old age." Even today, without Social Security, half our Nation's elderly would be forced into poverty. Today, Social Security is strong. But by 2013, payroll taxes will no longer be sufficient to cover monthly payments. By 2032, the Trust Fund will be exhausted and Social Security will be unable to pay the full benefits older Americans have been promised. The best way to keep Social Security a rocksolid guarantee is not to make drastic cuts in benefits, not to raise payroll tax rates, not to drain resources from Social Security in the name of saving it. Instead, I propose that we make the historic decision to invest the surplus to save Social Security. Specifically, I propose that we commit 60 percent of the budget surplus for the next 15 years to Social Security, investing a small portion in the private sector, just as any private or State Government pension would do. This will earn a higher return and keep Social Security sound for 55 years. But we must aim higher. We should put Social Security on a sound footing for the next 75 years. We should reduce poverty among elderly women, who are nearly twice as likely to be poor as our other seniors. And we should eliminate the limits on what seniors on Social Security can earn. Now, these changes will require difficult but fully achievable choices, over and above the dedication of the surplus. They must be made on a bipartisan basis. They should be made this year. So let me say to you tonight, I reach out my hand to all of you in both Houses, in both parties, and ask that we join together in saying to the American people: We will save Social Security now. Now, last year we wisely reserved all of the surplus until we knew what it would take to save Social Security. Again, I say, we should not spend any of it, not any of it, until after Social Security is truly saved. First things first. Second, once we have saved Social Security, we must fulfill our obligation to save and improve Medicare. Already, we have extended the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by 10 years, but we should extend it for at least another decade. Tonight I propose that we use one out of every $6 in the surplus for the next 15 years to guarantee the soundness of Medicare until the year 2020. But again, we should aim higher. We must be willing to work in a bipartisan way and look at new ideas, including the upcoming report of the bipartisan Medicare Commission. If we work together, we can secure Medicare for the next two decades and cover the greatest growing need of seniors, affordable prescription drugs. Third, we must help all Americans, from their first day on the job, to save, to invest, to create wealth. From its beginning, Americans have supplemented Social Security with private pensions and savings. Yet today, millions of people retire with little to live on other than Social Security. Americans living longer than ever simply must save more than ever. Therefore, in addition to saving Social Security and Medicare, I propose a new pension initiative for retirement security in the 21st century. I propose that we use a little over 11 percent of the surplus to establish universal savings accounts—USA accounts—to give all Americans the means to save. With these new accounts, Americans can invest as they choose and receive funds to match a portion of their savings, with extra help for those least able to save. USA accounts will help all Americans to share in our Nation's wealth and to enjoy a more secure retirement. I ask you to support them. Fourth, we must invest in long-term care. I propose a tax credit of $1,000 for the aged, ailing or disabled, and the families who care for them. Long-term care will become a bigger and bigger challenge with the aging of America, and we must do more to help our families deal with it. I was born in 1946, the first year of the baby boom. I can tell you that one of the greatest concerns of our generation is our absolute determination not to let our growing old place an intolerable burden on our children and their ability to raise our grandchildren. Our economic success and our fiscal discipline now give us an opportunity to lift that burden from their shoulders, and we should take it. Saving Social Security, Medicare, creating USA accounts, this is the right way to use the surplus. If we do so—if we do so—we will still have resources to meet critical needs in education and defense. And I want to point out that this proposal is fiscally sound. Listen to this: If we set aside 60 percent of the surplus for Social Security and 16 percent for Medicare, over the next 15 years, that saving will achieve the lowest level of publicly held debt since right before World War I, in 1917. So with these four measures—saving Social Security, strengthening Medicare, establishing the USA accounts, supporting long-term care— we can begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to establish true security for 21st century seniors. Now, there are more children from more diverse backgrounds in our public schools than at any time in our history. Their education must provide the knowledge and nurture the creativity that will allow our entire Nation to thrive in the new economy. Today we can say something we could not say 6 years ago: With tax credits and more affordable student loans, with more work-study grants and more Pell grants, with education IRA's and the new HOPE scholarship tax cut that more than 5 million Americans will receive this year, we have finally opened the doors of college to all Americans. With our support, nearly every State has set higher academic standards for public schools, and a voluntary national test is being developed to measure the progress of our students. With over $1 billion in discounts available this year, we are well on our way to our goal of connecting every classroom and library to the Internet. Last fall, you passed our proposal to start hiring 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size in the early grades. Now I ask you to finish the job. You know, our children are doing better. SAT scores are up; math scores have risen in nearly all grades. But there is a problem. While our fourth graders outperform their peers in other countries in math and science, our eighth graders are around average, and our twelfth graders rank near the bottom. We must do better. Now, each year the National Government invests more than $15 billion in our public schools. I believe we must change the way we invest that money, to support what works and to stop supporting what does not work. First, later this year, I will send to Congress a plan that, for the first time, holds States and school districts accountable for progress and rewards them for results. My "Education Accountability Act" will require every school district receiving Federal help to take the following five steps. First, all schools must end social promotion. No child should graduate from high school with a diploma he or she cannot read. We do our children no favors when we allow them to pass from grade to grade without mastering the material. But we cannot just hold students back because the system fails them. So my balanced budget triples the funding for summer school and after-school programs, to keep a million children learning. Now, if you doubt this will work, just look at Chicago, which ended social promotion and made summer school mandatory for those who do not master the basics. Math and reading scores are up 3 years running, with some of the biggest gains in some of the poorest neighborhoods. It will work, and we should do it. Second, all States and school districts must turn around their worst performing schools or shut them down. That is the policy established in North Carolina by Governor Jim Hunt. North Carolina made the biggest gains in test scores in the Nation last year. Our budget includes $200 million to help States turn around their own failing schools. Third, all States and school districts must be held responsible for the quality of their teachers. The great majority of our teachers do a fine job. But in too many schools, teachers do not have college majors or even minors in the subjects they teach. New teachers should be required to pass performance exams, and all teachers should know the subjects they are teaching. This year's balanced budget contains resources to help them reach higher standards. And to attract talented young teachers to the toughest assignments, I recommend a sixfold increase in our program for college scholarships for students who commit to teach in the inner cities and isolated rural areas and in Indian communities. Let us bring excellence to every part of America. Fourth, we must empower parents with more information and more choices. In too many communities, it is easier to get information on the quality of the local restaurants than on the quality of the local schools. Every school district should issue report cards on every school. And parents should be given more choices in selecting their public school. When I became President, there was just one independent public charter school in all America. With our support, on a bipartisan basis, today there are 1,100. My budget assures that early in the next century, there will be 3,000. Fifth, to assure that our classrooms are truly places of learning and to respond to what teachers have been asking us to do for years, we should say that all States and school districts must both adopt and implement sensible discipline policies. Now, let us do one more thing for our children. Today, too many schools are so old they are falling apart, or so over-crowded students are learning in trailers. Last fall, Congress missed the opportunity to change that. This year, with 53 million children in our schools, Congress must not miss that opportunity again. I ask you to help our communities build or modernize 5,000 schools. If we do these things—end social promotion; turn around failing schools; build modern ones; support qualified teachers; promote innovation, competition and discipline—then we will begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to create 21st century schools. Now, we also have to do more to support the millions of parents who give their all every day at home and at work. The most basic tool of all is a decent income. So let us raise the minimum wage by a dollar an hour over the next 2 years. And let us make sure that women and men get equal pay for equal work by strengthening enforcement of equal pay laws. [ ] That was encouraging, you know. [ ] There was more balance on the seesaw. I like that. Let us give them a hand. That is great. [ ] Working parents also need quality child care. So again this year, I ask Congress to support our plan for tax credits and subsidies for working families, for improved safety and quality, for expanded after-school programs. And our plan also includes a new tax credit for stayat-home parents, too. They need support, as well. Parents should never have to worry about choosing between their children and their work. Now, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the very first bill I signed into law, has now, since 1993, helped millions and millions of Americans to care for a newborn baby or an ailing relative without risking their jobs. I think it is time, with all the evidence that it has been so little burdensome to employers, to extend family leave to 10 million more Americans working for smaller companies. And I hope you will support it. Finally on the matter of work, parents should never have to face discrimination in the workplace. So I want to ask Congress to prohibit companies from refusing to hire or promote workers simply because they have children. That is not right. America's families deserve the world's best medical care. Thanks to bipartisan Federal support for medical research, we are now on the verge of new treatments to prevent or delay diseases, from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's to arthritis to cancer. But as we continue our advances in medical science, we cannot let our medical system lag behind. Managed care has literally transformed medicine in America, driving down costs but threatening to drive down quality as well. I think we ought to say to every American: You should have the right to know all your medical options, not just the cheapest. If you need a specialist, you should have a right to see one. You have a right to the nearest emergency care if you are in an accident. These are things that we ought to say. And I think we ought to say: You should have a right to keep your doctor during a period of treatment, whether it is a pregnancy or a chemotherapy treatment, or anything else. I believe this. Now, I have ordered these rights to be extended to the 85 million Americans served by Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health programs. But only Congress can pass a Patients' Bill of Rights for all Americans. Now, last year, Congress missed that opportunity, and we must not miss that opportunity again. For the sake of our families, I ask us to join together across party lines and pass a strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights. As more of our medical records are stored electronically, the threats to all our privacy increase. Because Congress has given me the authority to act if it does not do so by August, one way or another, we can all say to the American people, "We will protect the privacy of medical records, and we will do it this year." Now 2 years ago, the Congress extended health coverage to up to 5 million children. Now we should go beyond that. We should make it easier for small businesses to offer health insurance. We should give people between the ages of 55 and 65 who lose their health insurance the chance to buy into Medicare. And we should continue to ensure access to family planning. No one should have to choose between keeping health care and taking a job. And therefore, I especially ask you tonight to join hands to pass the landmark bipartisan legislation proposed by Senators Kennedy and Jeffords, Roth, and Moynihan to allow people with disabilities to keep their health insurance when they go to work. We need to enable our public hospitals, our community, our university health centers to provide basic, affordable care for all the millions of working families who do not have any insurance. They do a lot of that today, but much more can be done. And my balanced budget makes a good downpayment toward that goal. I hope you will think about them and support that provision. Let me say we must step up our efforts to treat and prevent mental illness. No American should ever be afraid—ever—to address this disease. This year we will host a White House Conference on Mental Health. With sensitivity, commitment, and passion, Tipper Gore is leading our efforts here, and I would like to thank her for what she is done. Thank you. [ ] Thank you. As everyone knows, our children are targets of a massive media campaign to hook them on cigarettes. Now, I ask this Congress to resist the tobacco lobby, to reaffirm the FDA's authority to protect our children from tobacco, and to hold tobacco companies accountable while protecting tobacco farmers. Smoking has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars under Medicare and other programs. You know, the States have been right about this: Taxpayers should not pay for the cost of lung cancer, emphysema, and other smokingrelated illnesses; the tobacco companies should. So tonight I announce that the Justice Department is preparing a litigation plan to take the tobacco companies to court and, with the funds we recover, to strengthen Medicare. Now, if we act in these areas—minimum wage, family leave, child care, health care, the safety of our children—then we will begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to strengthen our families for the 21st century. Today, America is the most dynamic, competitive, job-creating economy in history. But we can do even better in building a 21st century economy that embraces all Americans. Today's income gap is largely a skills gap. Last year, the Congress passed a law enabling workers to get a skills grant to choose the training they need. And I applaud all of you here who were part of that. This year, I recommend a 5-year commitment to the new system so that we can provide, over the next 5 years, appropriate training opportunities for all Americans who lose their jobs and expand rapid response teams to help all towns which have been really hurt when businesses close. I hope you will support this. Also, I ask your support for a dramatic increase in Federal support for adult literacy, to mount a national campaign aimed at helping the millions and millions of working people who still read at less than a fifth grade level. We need to do this. Here is some good news: In the past 6 years, we have cut the welfare rolls nearly in half. You can all be proud of that. Two years ago, from this podium, I asked five companies to lead a national effort to hire people off welfare. Tonight, our Welfare to Work Partnership includes 10,000 companies who have hired hundreds of thousands of people. And our balanced budget will help another 200,000 people move to the dignity and pride of work. I hope you will support it. We must do more to bring the spark of private enterprise to every corner of America, to build a bridge from Wall Street to Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta to our Native American communities, with more support for community development banks, for empowerment zones, for 100,000 more vouchers for affordable housing. And I ask Congress to support our bold new plan to help businesses raise up to $15 billion in private sector capital to bring jobs and opportunities to our inner cities and rural areas with tax credits, loan guarantees, including the new "American Private Investment Company" modeled on the Overseas Private Investment Company. For years and years and years, we have had this OPIC, this Overseas Private Investment Corporation, because we knew we had untapped markets overseas. But our greatest untapped markets are not overseas; they are right here at home. And we should go after them. We must work hard to help bring prosperity back to the family farm. As this Congress knows very well, dropping prices and the loss of foreign markets have devastated too many family farms. Last year, the Congress provided substantial assistance to help stave off a disaster in American agriculture. And I am ready to work with lawmakers of both parties to create a farm safety net that will include crop insurance reform and farm income assistance. I ask you to join with me and do this. This should not be a political issue. Everyone knows what an economic problem is going on out there in rural America today, and we need an appropriate means to address it. We must strengthen our lead in technology. It was Government investment that led to the creation of the Internet. I propose a 28-percent increase in long-term computing research. We also must be ready for the 21st century from its very first moment, by solving the so-called Y2K computer problem. We had one Member of Congress stand up and applaud. [ ] And we may have about that ratio out there applauding at home, in front of their television sets. But remember, this is a big, big problem. And we have been working hard on it. Already, we have made sure that the Social Security checks will come on time. But I want all the folks at home listening to this to know that we need every State and local government, every business, large and small, to work with us to make sure that this Y2K computer bug will be remembered as the last headache of the 20th century, not the first crisis of the 21st. For our own prosperity, we must support economic growth abroad. You know, until recently, a third of our economic growth came from exports. But over the past year and a half, financial turmoil overseas has put that growth at risk. Today, much of the world is in recession, with Asia hit especially hard. This is the most serious financial crisis in half a century. To meet it, the United States and other nations have reduced interest rates and strengthened the International Monetary Fund. And while the turmoil is not over, we have worked very hard with other nations to contain it. At the same time, we have to continue to work on the long-term project, building a global financial system for the 21st century that promotes prosperity and tames the cycle of boom and bust that has engulfed so much of Asia. This June I will meet with other world leaders to advance this historic purpose, and I ask all of you to support our endeavors. I also ask you to support creating a freer and fairer trading system for 21st century America. I would like to say something really serious to everyone in this Chamber in both parties. I think trade has divided us, and divided Americans outside this Chamber, for too long. Somehow we have to find a common ground on which business and workers and environmentalists and farmers and Government can stand together. I believe these are the things we ought to all agree on. So let me try. First, we ought to tear down barriers, open markets, and expand trade. But at the same time, we must ensure that ordinary citizens in all countries actually benefit from trade, a trade that promotes the dignity of work and the rights of workers and protects the environment. We must insist that international trade organizations be more open to public scrutiny, instead of mysterious, secret things subject to wild criticism. When you come right down to it, now that the world economy is becoming more and more integrated, we have to do in the world what we spent the better part of this century doing here at home. We have got to put a human face on the global economy. We must enforce our trade laws when imports unlawfully flood our Nation. I have already informed the Government of Japan that if that nation's sudden surge of steel imports into our country is not reversed, America will respond. We must help all manufacturers hit hard by the present crisis with loan guarantees and other incentives to increase American exports by nearly $2 billion. I would like to believe we can achieve a new consensus on trade, based on these principles. And I ask the Congress again to join me in this common approach and to give the President the trade authority long used and now overdue and necessary to advance our prosperity in the 21st century. Tonight I issue a call to the nations of the world to join the United States in a new round of global trade negotiations to expand exports of services, manufactures, and farm products. Tonight I say we will work with the International Labor Organization on a new initiative to raise labor standards around the world. And this year, we will lead the international community to conclude a treaty to ban abusive child labor everywhere in the world. If we do these things—invest in our people, our communities, our technology, and lead in the global economy—then we will begin to meet our historic responsibility to build a 21st century prosperity for America. You know, no nation in history has had the opportunity and the responsibility we now have to shape a world that is more peaceful, more secure, more free. All Americans can be proud that our leadership helped to bring peace in Northern Ireland. All Americans can be proud that our leadership has put Bosnia on the path to peace. And with our NATO allies, we are pressing the Serbian Government to stop its brutal repression in Kosovo, to bring those responsible to justice, and to give the people of Kosovo the self-government they deserve. All Americans can be proud that our leadership renewed hope for lasting peace in the Middle East. Some of you were with me last December as we watched the Palestinian National Council completely renounce its call for the destruction of Israel. Now I ask Congress to provide resources so that all parties can implement the Wye agreement to protect Israel's security, to stimulate the Palestinian economy, to support our friends in Jordan. We must not—we dare not—let them down. I hope you will help. As we work for peace, we must also meet threats to our Nation's security, including increased dangers from outlaw nations and terrorism. We will defend our security wherever we are threatened, as we did this summer when we struck at Usama bin Ladin's network of terror. The bombing of our Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania reminds us again of the risks faced every day by those who represent America to the world. So let us give them the support they need, the safest possible workplaces, and the resources they must have so America can continue to lead. We must work to keep terrorists from disrupting computer networks. We must work to prepare local communities for biological and chemical emergencies, to support research into vaccines and treatments. We must increase our efforts to restrain the spread of nuclear weapons and missiles, from Korea to India and Pakistan. We must expand our work with Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet nations to safeguard nuclear materials and technology so they never fall into the wrong hands. Our balanced budget will increase funding for these critical efforts by almost two-thirds over the next 5 years. With Russia, we must continue to reduce our nuclear arsenals. The START II treaty and the framework we have already agreed to for START III could cut them by 80 percent from their cold war height. It is been 2 years since I signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. If we do not do the right thing, other nations will not either. I ask the Senate to take this vital step: Approve the treaty now, to make it harder for other nations to develop nuclear arms, and to make sure we can end nuclear testing forever. For nearly a decade, Iraq has defied its obligations to destroy its weapons of terror and the missiles to deliver them. America will continue to contain Saddam, and we will work for the day when Iraq has a Government worthy of its people. Now, last month in our action over Iraq, our troops were superb. Their mission was so flawlessly executed that we risk taking for granted the bravery and the skill it required. Captain Jeff Taliaferro, a 10-year veteran of the Air Force, flew a B-1B bomber over Iraq as we attacked Saddam's war machine. He is here with us tonight. I would like to ask you to honor him and all the 33,000 men and women of Operation Desert Fox. Captain Taliaferro. [ ] It is time to reverse the decline in defense spending that began in 1985. Since April, together we have added nearly $6 billion to maintain our military readiness. My balanced budget calls for a sustained increase over the next 6 years for readiness, for modernization, and for pay and benefits for our troops and their families. We are the heirs of a legacy of bravery represented in every community in America by millions of our veterans. America's defenders today still stand ready at a moment's notice to go where comforts are few and dangers are many, to do what needs to be done as no one else can. They always come through for America. We must come through for them. The new century demands new partnerships for peace and security. The United Nations plays a crucial role, with allies sharing burdens America might otherwise bear alone. America needs a strong and effective YOU.N. I want to work with this new Congress to pay our dues and our debts. We must continue to support security and stability in Europe and Asia, expanding NATO and defining its new missions, maintaining our alliance with Japan, with Korea, with our other Asian allies, and engaging China. In China, last year, I said to the leaders and the people what I would like to say again tonight: Stability can no longer be bought at the expense of liberty. But I would also like to say again to the American people: It is important not to isolate China. The more we bring China into the world, the more the world will bring change and freedom to China. Last spring, with some of you, I traveled to Africa, where I saw democracy and reform rising but still held back by violence and disease. We must fortify African democracy and peace by launching Radio Democracy for Africa, supporting the transition to democracy now beginning to take place in Nigeria, and passing the "African Trade and Development Act." We must continue to deepen our ties to the Americas and the Caribbean, our common work to educate children, fight drugs, strengthen democracy and increase trade. In this hemisphere, every government but one is freely chosen by its people. We are determined that Cuba, too, will know the blessings of liberty. The American people have opened their hearts and their arms to our Central American and Caribbean neighbors who have been so devastated by the recent hurricanes. Working with Congress, I am committed to help them rebuild. When the First Lady and Tipper Gore visited the region, they saw thousands of our troops and thousands of American volunteers. In the Dominican Republic, Hillary helped to rededicate a hospital that had been rebuilt by Dominicans and Americans working side by side. With her was someone else who has been very important to the relief efforts. You know, sports records are made, and sooner or later they are broken. But making other people's lives better and showing our children the true meaning of brotherhood, that lasts forever. So, for far more than baseball, Sammy Sosa, you are a hero in two countries tonight. [ ] Thank you. So I say to all of you, if we do these things— if we pursue peace, fight terrorism, increase our strength, renew our alliances—we will begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to build a stronger 21st century America in a freer, more peaceful world. As the world has changed, so have our own communities. We must make them safer, more livable, and more united. This year, we will reach our goal of 100,000 community police officers ahead of schedule and under budget. The Brady bill has stopped a quarter million felons, fugitives, and stalkers from buying handguns. And now, the murder rate is the lowest in 30 years and the crime rate has dropped for 6 straight years. Tonight I propose a 21st century crime bill to deploy the latest technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer. Our balanced budget will help put up to 50,000 more police on the street in the areas hardest hit by crime and then to equip them with new tools, from crime-mapping computers to digital mug shots. We must break the deadly cycle of drugs and crime. Our budget expands support for drug testing and treatment, saying to prisoners: If you stay on drugs, you have to stay behind bars; and to those on parole: If you want to keep your freedom, you must stay free of drugs. I ask Congress to restore the 5-day waiting period for buying a handgun and extend the Brady bill to prevent juveniles who commit violent crimes from buying a gun. We must do more to keep our schools the safest places in our communities. Last year, every American was horrified and heartbroken by the tragic killings in Jonesboro, Paducah, Pearl, Edinboro, Springfield. We were deeply moved by the courageous parents now working to keep guns out of the hands of children and to make other efforts so that other parents do not have to live through their loss. After she lost her daughter, Suzann Wilson of Jonesboro, Arkansas, came here to the White House with a powerful plea. She said, "Please, please, for the sake of your children, lock up your guns. Do not let what happened in Jonesboro happen in your town." It is a message she is passionately advocating every day. Suzann is here with us tonight, with the First Lady. I would like to thank her for her courage and her commitment. [ ] Thank you. In memory of all the children who lost their lives to school violence, I ask you to strengthen the Safe and Drug-Free School Act, to pass legislation to require child trigger locks, to do everything possible to keep our children safe. A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt defined our "great, central task" as "leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us." Today, we are restoring the Florida Everglades, saving Yellowstone, preserving the red rock canyons of Utah, protecting California's redwoods and our precious coasts. But our most fateful new challenge is the threat of global warming; 1998 was the warmest year ever recorded. Last year's heat waves, floods, and storms are but a hint of what future generations may endure if we do not act now. Tonight I propose a new clean air fund to help communities reduce greenhouse and other pollution, and tax incentives and investments to spur clean energy technology. And I want to work with Members of Congress in both parties to reward companies that take early, voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gases. All our communities face a preservation challenge, as they grow and green space shrinks. Seven thousand acres of farmland and open space are lost every day. In response, I propose two major initiatives: First, a $1-billion livability agenda to help communities save open space, ease traffic congestion, and grow in ways that enhance every citizen's quality of life; and second, a $1-billion lands legacy initiative to preserve places of natural beauty all across America, from the most remote wilderness to the nearest city park. These are truly landmark initiatives, which could not have been developed without the visionary leadership of the Vice President, and I want to thank him very much for his commitment here. Now, to get the most out of your community, you have to give something back. That is why we created AmeriCorps, our national service program that gives today's generation a chance to serve their communities and earn money for college. So far, in just 4 years, 100,000 young Americans have built low-income homes with Habitat for Humanity, helped to tutor children with churches, worked with FEMA to ease the burden of natural disasters, and performed countless other acts of service that have made America better. I ask Congress to give more young Americans the chance to follow their lead and serve America in AmeriCorps. Now, we must work to renew our national community as well for the 21st century. Last year the House passed the bipartisan campaign finance reform legislation sponsored by Representatives Shays and Meehan and Senators McCain and Feingold. But a partisan minority in the Senate blocked reform. So I would like to say to the House: Pass it again, quickly. And I would like to say to the Senate: I hope you will say yes to a stronger American democracy in the year 2000. Since 1997, our initiative on race has sought to bridge the divides between and among our people. In its report last fall, the initiative's advisory board found that Americans really do want to bring our people together across racial lines. We know it is been a long journey. For some, it goes back to before the beginning of our Republic; for others, back since the Civil War; for others, throughout the 20th century. But for most of us alive today, in a very real sense, this journey began 43 years ago, when a woman named Rosa Parks sat down on a bus in Alabama and would not get up. She is sitting down with the First Lady tonight, and she may get up or not, as she chooses. We thank her. [ ] Thank you, Rosa. We know that our continuing racial problems are aggravated, as the Presidential initiative said, by opportunity gaps. The initiative I have outlined tonight will help to close them. But we know that the discrimination gap has not been fully closed either. Discrimination or violence because of race or religion, ancestry or gender, disability or sexual orientation, is wrong, and it ought to be illegal. Therefore, I ask Congress to make the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act" and the "Hate Crimes Prevention Act" the law of the land. Now, since every person in America counts, every American ought to be counted. We need a census that uses modern scientific methods to do that. Our new immigrants must be part of our One America. After all, they are revitalizing our cities; they are energizing our culture; they are building up our economy. We have a responsibility to make them welcome here, and they have a responsibility to enter the mainstream of American life. That means learning English and learning about our democratic system of government. There are now long waiting lines of immigrants that are trying to do just that. Therefore, our budget significantly expands our efforts to help them meet their responsibility. I hope you will support it. Whether our ancestors came here on the on slave ships, whether they came to Ellis Island or LAX in Los Angeles, whether they came yesterday or walked this land a thousand years ago, our great challenge for the 21st century is to find a way to be one America. We can meet all the other challenges if we can go forward as one America. You know, barely more than 300 days from now, we will cross that bridge into the new millennium. This is a moment, as the First Lady has said, "to honor the past and imagine the future." I would like to take just a minute to honor her. For leading our Millennium Project, for all she is done for our children, for all she has done in her historic role to serve our Nation and our best ideals at home and abroad, I honor her. [ ] Last year, I called on Congress and every citizen to mark the millennium by saving America's treasures. Hillary has traveled all across the country to inspire recognition and support for saving places like Thomas Edison's invention factory or Harriet Tubman's home. Now we have to preserve our treasures in every community. And tonight, before I close, I want to invite every town, every city, every community to become a nationally recognized "millennium community" by launching projects that save our history, promote our arts and humanities, prepare our children for the 21st century. Already, the response has been remarkable. And I want to say a special word of thanks to our private sector partners and to Members in Congress of both parties for their support. Just one example: Because of you, the Star-Spangled Banner will be preserved for the ages. In ways large and small, as we look to the millennium we are keeping alive what George Washington called "the sacred fire of liberty." Six years ago, I came to office in a time of doubt for America, with our economy troubled, our deficit high, our people divided. Some even wondered whether our best days were behind us. But across this country, in a thousand neighborhoods, I have seen, even amidst the pain and uncertainty of recession, the real heart and character of America. I knew then that we Americans could renew this country. Tonight, as I deliver the last State of the Union Address of the 20th century, no one anywhere in the world can doubt the enduring resolve and boundless capacity of the American people to work toward that "more perfect Union" of our Founders' dream. We are now at the end of a century when generation after generation of Americans answered the call to greatness, overcoming depression, lifting up the disposed, bringing down barriers to racial prejudice, building the largest middle class in history, winning two World Wars and the long twilight struggle of the cold war. We must all be profoundly grateful for the magnificent achievement of our forebears in this century. Yet perhaps, in the daily press of events, in the clash of controversy, we do not see our own time for what it truly is, a new dawn for America. A hundred years from tonight, another American President will stand in this place and report on the state of the Union. He—or she—he or she will look back on a 21st century shaped in so many ways by the decisions we make here and now. So let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our time but of their time, that we reached as high as our ideals, that we put aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and hopefulness, that we joined together to serve and strengthen the land we love. My fellow Americans, this is our moment. Let us lift our eyes as one Nation, and from the mountaintop of this American Century, look ahead to the next one, asking God's blessing on our endeavors and on our beloved country. Thank you, and good evening.
speaker vice president members of congress honored guests my fellow americans tonight i have the honor of reporting to you on the state of the union let me begin by saluting the new speaker of the house and thanking him especially tonight for extending an invitation to two guests sitting in the gallery with hastert lyn gibson and wenling chestnut are the widows of the two brave capitol hill police officers who gave their lives to defend freedom house speaker at your you asked us all to work together in a spirit of civility and bipartisanship speaker let us do exactly that tonight i stand before you to report that america has created the longest peacetime economic expansion in our history with nearly 18 million new jobs wages rising at more than twice the rate of inflation the highest homeownership in history the smallest welfare rolls in 30 years and the lowest peacetime unemployment since 1957 for the first time in three decades the budget is balanced from a deficit of 290 billion in 1992 we had a surplus of 70 billion last year and now we are on course for budget surpluses for the next 25 years thanks to the pioneering leadership of all of you we have the lowest violent crime rate in a quarter century and the cleanest environment in a quarter century america is a strong force for peace from northern ireland to bosnia to the middle east thanks to the leadership of vice president gore we have a government for the information age once again a government that is a progressive instrument of the common rooted in our oldest values of opportunity responsibility and community devoted to fiscal responsibility determined to give our people the tools they need to make the most of their own lives in the 21st 21st century government for 21st century america my fellow americans i stand before you tonight to report that the state of our union is strong now america is working again the promise of our future is limitless but we can not realize that promise if we allow the hum of our prosperity to lull us into complacency how we fare as a nation far into the 21st century depends upon what we do as a nation today so with our budget surplus growing our economy expanding our confidence rising now is the moment for this generation to meet our historic responsibility to the 21st century our fiscal discipline gives us an unsurpassed opportunity to address a remarkable new challenge the aging of america with the number of elderly americans set to double by 2030 the baby boom will become a senior boom so first and above all we must save social security for the 21st century early in this century being old meant being poor when president roosevelt created social security thousands wrote to thank him for eliminating what one woman called the stark terror of penniless helpless old age even today without social security half our nation elderly would be forced into poverty today social security is strong but by 2013 payroll taxes will no longer be sufficient to cover monthly payments by 2032 the trust fund will be exhausted and social security will be unable to pay the full benefits older americans have been promised the best way to keep social security a rocksolid guarantee is not to make drastic cuts in benefits not to raise payroll tax rates not to drain resources from social security in the name of saving it instead i propose that we make the historic decision to invest the surplus to save social security specifically i propose that we commit 60 percent of the budget surplus for the next 15 years to social security investing a small portion in the private sector just as any private or state government pension would do this will earn a higher return and keep social security sound for 55 years but we must aim higher we should put social security on a sound footing for the next 75 years we should reduce poverty among elderly women who are nearly twice as likely to be poor as our other seniors and we should eliminate the limits on what seniors on social security can earn now these changes will require difficult but fully achievable choices over and above the dedication of the surplus they must be made on a bipartisan basis they should be made this year so let me say to you tonight i reach out my hand to all of you in both houses in both parties and ask that we join together in saying to the american people we will save social security now now last year we wisely reserved all of the surplus until we knew what it would take to save social security again i say we should not spend any of it not any of it until after social security is truly saved first things first second once we have saved social security we must fulfill our obligation to save and improve medicare already we have extended the life of the medicare trust fund by 10 years but we should extend it for at least another decade tonight i propose that we use one out of every 6 in the surplus for the next 15 years to guarantee the soundness of medicare until the year 2020 but again we should aim higher we must be willing to work in a bipartisan way and look at new ideas including the upcoming report of the bipartisan medicare commission if we work together we can secure medicare for the next two decades and cover the greatest growing need of seniors affordable prescription drugs third we must help all americans from their first day on the job to save to invest to create wealth from its beginning americans have supplemented social security with private pensions and savings yet today millions of people retire with little to live on other than social security americans living longer than ever simply must save more than ever therefore in addition to saving social security and medicare i propose a new pension initiative for retirement security in the 21st century i propose that we use a little over 11 percent of the surplus to establish universal savings give all americans the means to save with these new accounts americans can invest as they choose and receive funds to match a portion of their savings with extra help for those least able to save usa accounts will help all americans to share in our nation wealth and to enjoy a more secure retirement i ask you to support them fourth we must invest in care i propose a tax credit of for the aged ailing or disabled and the families who care for them care will become a bigger and bigger challenge with the aging of america and we must do more to help our families deal with it i was born in 1946 the first year of the baby boom i can tell you that one of the greatest concerns of our generation is our absolute determination not to let our growing old place an intolerable burden on our children and their ability to raise our grandchildren our economic success and our fiscal discipline now give us an opportunity to lift that burden from their shoulders and we should take it saving social security medicare creating usa accounts this is the right way to use the surplus if we do we do will still have resources to meet critical needs in education and defense and i want to point out that this proposal is fiscally sound listen to this if we set aside 60 percent of the surplus for social security and 16 percent for medicare over the next 15 years that saving will achieve the lowest level of publicly held debt since right before world war i in 1917 so with these four social security strengthening medicare establishing the usa accounts supporting we can begin to meet our generation historic responsibility to establish true security for 21st century seniors now there are more children from more diverse backgrounds in our public schools than at any time in our history their education must provide the knowledge and nurture the creativity that will allow our entire nation to thrive in the new economy today we can say something we could not say 6 years ago with tax credits and more affordable student loans with more grants and more pell grants with education ira and the new hope scholarship tax cut that more than 5 million americans will receive this year we have finally opened the doors of college to all americans with our support nearly every state has set higher academic standards for public schools and a voluntary national test is being developed to measure the progress of our students with over 1 billion in discounts available this year we are well on our way to our goal of connecting every classroom and library to the internet last fall you passed our proposal to start hiring new teachers to reduce class size in the early grades now i ask you to finish the job you know our children are doing better sat scores are up math scores have risen in nearly all grades but there is a problem while our fourth graders outperform their peers in other countries in math and science our eighth graders are around average and our twelfth graders rank near the bottom we must do better now each year the national government invests more than 15 billion in our public schools i believe we must change the way we invest that money to support what works and to stop supporting what does not work first later this year i will send to congress a plan that for the first time holds states and school districts accountable for progress and rewards them for results my education accountability act will require every school district receiving federal help to take the following five steps first all schools must end social promotion no child should graduate from high school with a diploma he or she can not read we do our children no favors when we allow them to pass from grade to grade without mastering the material but we can not just hold students back because the system fails them so my balanced budget triples the funding for summer school and programs to keep a million children learning now if you doubt this will work just look at chicago which ended social promotion and made summer school mandatory for those who do not master the basics math and reading scores are up 3 years running with some of the biggest gains in some of the poorest neighborhoods it will work and we should do it second all states and school districts must turn around their worst performing schools or shut them down that is the policy established in north carolina by governor jim hunt north carolina made the biggest gains in test scores in the nation last year our budget includes 200 million to help states turn around their own failing schools third all states and school districts must be held responsible for the quality of their teachers the great majority of our teachers do a fine job but in too many schools teachers do not have college majors or even minors in the subjects they teach new teachers should be required to pass performance exams and all teachers should know the subjects they are teaching this year balanced budget contains resources to help them reach higher standards and to attract talented young teachers to the toughest assignments i recommend a sixfold increase in our program for college scholarships for students who commit to teach in the inner cities and isolated rural areas and in indian communities let us bring excellence to every part of america fourth we must empower parents with more information and more choices in too many communities it is easier to get information on the quality of the local restaurants than on the quality of the local schools every school district should issue report cards on every school and parents should be given more choices in selecting their public school when i became president there was just one independent public charter school in all america with our support on a bipartisan basis today there are my budget assures that early in the next century there will be fifth to assure that our classrooms are truly places of learning and to respond to what teachers have been asking us to do for years we should say that all states and school districts must both adopt and implement sensible discipline policies now let us do one more thing for our children today too many schools are so old they are falling apart or so students are learning in trailers last fall congress missed the opportunity to change that this year with 53 million children in our schools congress must not miss that opportunity again i ask you to help our communities build or modernize schools if we do these social promotion turn around failing schools build modern ones support qualified teachers promote innovation competition and we will begin to meet our generation historic responsibility to create 21st century schools now we also have to do more to support the millions of parents who give their all every day at home and at work the most basic tool of all is a decent income so let us raise the minimum wage by a dollar an hour over the next 2 years and let us make sure that women and men get equal pay for equal work by strengthening enforcement of equal pay laws that was encouraging you know there was more balance on the seesaw i like that let us give them a hand that is great working parents also need quality child care so again this year i ask congress to support our plan for tax credits and subsidies for working families for improved safety and quality for expanded programs and our plan also includes a new tax credit for parents too they need support as well parents should never have to worry about choosing between their children and their work now the family and medical leave act the very first bill i signed into law has now since 1993 helped millions and millions of americans to care for a newborn baby or an ailing relative without risking their jobs i think it is time with all the evidence that it has been so little burdensome to employers to extend family leave to 10 million more americans working for smaller companies and i hope you will support it finally on the matter of work parents should never have to face discrimination in the workplace so i want to ask congress to prohibit companies from refusing to hire or promote workers simply because they have children that is not right america families deserve the world best medical care thanks to bipartisan federal support for medical research we are now on the verge of new treatments to prevent or delay diseases from parkinson to alzheimer to arthritis to cancer but as we continue our advances in medical science we can not let our medical system lag behind managed care has literally transformed medicine in america driving down costs but threatening to drive down quality as well i think we ought to say to every american you should have the right to know all your medical options not just the cheapest if you need a specialist you should have a right to see one you have a right to the nearest emergency care if you are in an accident these are things that we ought to say and i think we ought to say you should have a right to keep your doctor during a period of treatment whether it is a pregnancy or a chemotherapy treatment or anything else i believe this now i have ordered these rights to be extended to the 85 million americans served by medicare medicaid and other federal health programs but only congress can pass a patients bill of rights for all americans now last year congress missed that opportunity and we must not miss that opportunity again for the sake of our families i ask us to join together across party lines and pass a strong enforceable patients bill of rights as more of our medical records are stored electronically the threats to all our privacy increase because congress has given me the authority to act if it does not do so by august one way or another we can all say to the american people we will protect the privacy of medical records and we will do it this year now 2 years ago the congress extended health coverage to up to 5 million children now we should go beyond that we should make it easier for small businesses to offer health insurance we should give people between the ages of 55 and 65 who lose their health insurance the chance to buy into medicare and we should continue to ensure access to family planning no one should have to choose between keeping health care and taking a job and therefore i especially ask you tonight to join hands to pass the landmark bipartisan legislation proposed by senators kennedy and jeffords roth and moynihan to allow people with disabilities to keep their health insurance when they go to work we need to enable our public hospitals our community our university health centers to provide basic affordable care for all the millions of working families who do not have any insurance they do a lot of that today but much more can be done and my balanced budget makes a good downpayment toward that goal i hope you will think about them and support that provision let me say we must step up our efforts to treat and prevent mental illness no american should ever be address this disease this year we will host a white house conference on mental health with sensitivity commitment and passion tipper gore is leading our efforts here and i would like to thank her for what she is done thank you thank you as everyone knows our children are targets of a massive media campaign to hook them on cigarettes now i ask this congress to resist the tobacco lobby to reaffirm the fda authority to protect our children from tobacco and to hold tobacco companies accountable while protecting tobacco farmers smoking has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars under medicare and other programs you know the states have been right about this taxpayers should not pay for the cost of lung cancer emphysema and other smokingrelated illnesses the tobacco companies should so tonight i announce that the justice department is preparing a litigation plan to take the tobacco companies to court and with the funds we recover to strengthen medicare now if we act in these wage family leave child care health care the safety of our we will begin to meet our generation historic responsibility to strengthen our families for the 21st century today america is the most dynamic competitive economy in history but we can do even better in building a 21st century economy that embraces all americans today income gap is largely a skills gap last year the congress passed a law enabling workers to get a skills grant to choose the training they need and i applaud all of you here who were part of that this year i recommend a commitment to the new system so that we can provide over the next 5 years appropriate training opportunities for all americans who lose their jobs and expand rapid response teams to help all towns which have been really hurt when businesses close i hope you will support this also i ask your support for a dramatic increase in federal support for adult literacy to mount a national campaign aimed at helping the millions and millions of working people who still read at less than a fifth grade level we need to do this here is some good news in the past 6 years we have cut the welfare rolls nearly in half you can all be proud of that two years ago from this podium i asked five companies to lead a national effort to hire people off welfare tonight our welfare to work partnership includes companies who have hired hundreds of thousands of people and our balanced budget will help another people move to the dignity and pride of work i hope you will support it we must do more to bring the spark of private enterprise to every corner of america to build a bridge from wall street to appalachia to the mississippi delta to our native american communities with more support for community development banks for empowerment zones for more vouchers for affordable housing and i ask congress to support our bold new plan to help businesses raise up to 15 billion in private sector capital to bring jobs and opportunities to our inner cities and rural areas with tax credits loan guarantees including the new american private investment company modeled on the overseas private investment company for years and years and years we have had this opic this overseas private investment corporation because we knew we had untapped markets overseas but our greatest untapped markets are not overseas they are right here at home and we should go after them we must work hard to help bring prosperity back to the family farm as this congress knows very well dropping prices and the loss of foreign markets have devastated too many family farms last year the congress provided substantial assistance to help stave off a disaster in american agriculture and i am ready to work with lawmakers of both parties to create a farm safety net that will include crop insurance reform and farm income assistance i ask you to join with me and do this this should not be a political issue everyone knows what an economic problem is going on out there in rural america today and we need an appropriate means to address it we must strengthen our lead in technology it was government investment that led to the creation of the internet i propose a increase in computing research we also must be ready for the 21st century from its very first moment by solving the y2k computer problem we had one member of congress stand up and applaud and we may have about that ratio out there applauding at home in front of their television sets but remember this is a big big problem and we have been working hard on it already we have made sure that the social security checks will come on time but i want all the folks at home listening to this to know that we need every state and local government every business large and small to work with us to make sure that this y2k computer bug will be remembered as the last headache of the 20th century not the first crisis of the 21st for our own prosperity we must support economic growth abroad you know until recently a third of our economic growth came from exports but over the past year and a half financial turmoil overseas has put that growth at risk today much of the world is in recession with asia hit especially hard this is the most serious financial crisis in half a century to meet it the united states and other nations have reduced interest rates and strengthened the international monetary fund and while the turmoil is not over we have worked very hard with other nations to contain it at the same time we have to continue to work on the project building a global financial system for the 21st century that promotes prosperity and tames the cycle of boom and bust that has engulfed so much of asia this june i will meet with other world leaders to advance this historic purpose and i ask all of you to support our endeavors i also ask you to support creating a freer and fairer trading system for 21st century america i would like to say something really serious to everyone in this chamber in both parties i think trade has divided us and divided americans outside this chamber for too long somehow we have to find a common ground on which business and workers and environmentalists and farmers and government can stand together i believe these are the things we ought to all agree on so let me try first we ought to tear down barriers open markets and expand trade but at the same time we must ensure that ordinary citizens in all countries actually benefit from trade a trade that promotes the dignity of work and the rights of workers and protects the environment we must insist that international trade organizations be more open to public scrutiny instead of mysterious secret things subject to wild criticism when you come right down to it now that the world economy is becoming more and more integrated we have to do in the world what we spent the better part of this century doing here at home we have got to put a human face on the global economy we must enforce our trade laws when imports unlawfully flood our nation i have already informed the government of japan that if that nation sudden surge of steel imports into our country is not reversed america will respond we must help all manufacturers hit hard by the present crisis with loan guarantees and other incentives to increase american exports by nearly 2 billion i would like to believe we can achieve a new consensus on trade based on these principles and i ask the congress again to join me in this common approach and to give the president the trade authority long used and now overdue and necessary to advance our prosperity in the 21st century tonight i issue a call to the nations of the world to join the united states in a new round of global trade negotiations to expand exports of services manufactures and farm products tonight i say we will work with the international labor organization on a new initiative to raise labor standards around the world and this year we will lead the international community to conclude a treaty to ban abusive child labor everywhere in the world if we do these in our people our communities our technology and lead in the global we will begin to meet our historic responsibility to build a 21st century prosperity for america you know no nation in history has had the opportunity and the responsibility we now have to shape a world that is more peaceful more secure more free all americans can be proud that our leadership helped to bring peace in northern ireland all americans can be proud that our leadership has put bosnia on the path to peace and with our nato allies we are pressing the serbian government to stop its brutal repression in kosovo to bring those responsible to justice and to give the people of kosovo the they deserve all americans can be proud that our leadership renewed hope for lasting peace in the middle east some of you were with me last december as we watched the palestinian national council completely renounce its call for the destruction of israel now i ask congress to provide resources so that all parties can implement the wye agreement to protect israel security to stimulate the palestinian economy to support our friends in jordan we must dare them down i hope you will help as we work for peace we must also meet threats to our nation security including increased dangers from outlaw nations and terrorism we will defend our security wherever we are threatened as we did this summer when we struck at usama bin ladin network of terror the bombing of our embassies in kenya and tanzania reminds us again of the risks faced every day by those who represent america to the world so let us give them the support they need the safest possible workplaces and the resources they must have so america can continue to lead we must work to keep terrorists from disrupting computer networks we must work to prepare local communities for biological and chemical emergencies to support research into vaccines and treatments we must increase our efforts to restrain the spread of nuclear weapons and missiles from korea to india and pakistan we must expand our work with russia ukraine and other former soviet nations to safeguard nuclear materials and technology so they never fall into the wrong hands our balanced budget will increase funding for these critical efforts by almost over the next 5 years with russia we must continue to reduce our nuclear arsenals the start ii treaty and the framework we have already agreed to for start iii could cut them by 80 percent from their cold war height it is been 2 years since i signed the comprehensive test ban treaty if we do not do the right thing other nations will not either i ask the senate to take this vital step approve the treaty now to make it harder for other nations to develop nuclear arms and to make sure we can end nuclear testing forever for nearly a decade iraq has defied its obligations to destroy its weapons of terror and the missiles to deliver them america will continue to contain saddam and we will work for the day when iraq has a government worthy of its people now last month in our action over iraq our troops were superb their mission was so flawlessly executed that we risk taking for granted the bravery and the skill it required captain jeff taliaferro a veteran of the air force flew a bomber over iraq as we attacked saddam war machine he is here with us tonight i would like to ask you to honor him and all the men and women of operation desert fox captain taliaferro it is time to reverse the decline in defense spending that began in 1985 since april together we have added nearly 6 billion to maintain our military readiness my balanced budget calls for a sustained increase over the next 6 years for readiness for modernization and for pay and benefits for our troops and their families we are the heirs of a legacy of bravery represented in every community in america by millions of our veterans america defenders today still stand ready at a moment notice to go where comforts are few and dangers are many to do what needs to be done as no one else can they always come through for america we must come through for them the new century demands new partnerships for peace and security the united nations plays a crucial role with allies sharing burdens america might otherwise bear alone america needs a strong and effective i want to work with this new congress to pay our dues and our debts we must continue to support security and stability in europe and asia expanding nato and defining its new missions maintaining our alliance with japan with korea with our other asian allies and engaging china in china last year i said to the leaders and the people what i would like to say again tonight stability can no longer be bought at the expense of liberty but i would also like to say again to the american people it is important not to isolate china the more we bring china into the world the more the world will bring change and freedom to china last spring with some of you i traveled to africa where i saw democracy and reform rising but still held back by violence and disease we must fortify african democracy and peace by launching radio democracy for africa supporting the transition to democracy now beginning to take place in nigeria and passing the african trade and development act we must continue to deepen our ties to the americas and the caribbean our common work to educate children fight drugs strengthen democracy and increase trade in this hemisphere every government but one is freely chosen by its people we are determined that cuba too will know the blessings of liberty the american people have opened their hearts and their arms to our central american and caribbean neighbors who have been so devastated by the recent hurricanes working with congress i am committed to help them rebuild when the first lady and tipper gore visited the region they saw thousands of our troops and thousands of american volunteers in the dominican republic hillary helped to rededicate a hospital that had been rebuilt by dominicans and americans working side by side with her was someone else who has been very important to the relief efforts you know sports records are made and sooner or later they are broken but making other people lives better and showing our children the true meaning of brotherhood that lasts forever so for far more than baseball sammy sosa you are a hero in two countries tonight thank you so i say to all of you if we do these if we pursue peace fight terrorism increase our strength renew our will begin to meet our generation historic responsibility to build a stronger 21st century america in a freer more peaceful world as the world has changed so have our own communities we must make them safer more livable and more united this year we will reach our goal of community police officers ahead of schedule and under budget the brady bill has stopped a quarter million felons fugitives and stalkers from buying handguns and now the murder rate is the lowest in 30 years and the crime rate has dropped for 6 straight years tonight i propose a 21st century crime bill to deploy the latest technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer our balanced budget will help put up to more police on the street in the areas hardest hit by crime and then to equip them with new tools from computers to digital mug shots we must break the deadly cycle of drugs and crime our budget expands support for drug testing and treatment saying to prisoners if you stay on drugs you have to stay behind bars and to those on parole if you want to keep your freedom you must stay free of drugs i ask congress to restore the waiting period for buying a handgun and extend the brady bill to prevent juveniles who commit violent crimes from buying a gun we must do more to keep our schools the safest places in our communities last year every american was horrified and heartbroken by the tragic killings in jonesboro paducah pearl edinboro springfield we were deeply moved by the courageous parents now working to keep guns out of the hands of children and to make other efforts so that other parents do not have to live through their loss after she lost her daughter suzann wilson of jonesboro arkansas came here to the white house with a powerful plea she said please please for the sake of your children lock up your guns do not let what happened in jonesboro happen in your town it is a message she is passionately advocating every day suzann is here with us tonight with the first lady i would like to thank her for her courage and her commitment thank you in memory of all the children who lost their lives to school violence i ask you to strengthen the safe and school act to pass legislation to require child trigger locks to do everything possible to keep our children safe a century ago president theodore roosevelt defined our great central task as leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us today we are restoring the florida everglades saving yellowstone preserving the red rock canyons of utah protecting california redwoods and our precious coasts but our most fateful new challenge is the threat of global warming 1998 was the warmest year ever recorded last year heat waves floods and storms are but a hint of what future generations may endure if we do not act now tonight i propose a new clean air fund to help communities reduce greenhouse and other pollution and tax incentives and investments to spur clean energy technology and i want to work with members of congress in both parties to reward companies that take early voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gases all our communities face a preservation challenge as they grow and green space shrinks seven thousand acres of farmland and open space are lost every day in response i propose two major initiatives first a livability agenda to help communities save open space ease traffic congestion and grow in ways that enhance every citizen quality of life and second a lands legacy initiative to preserve places of natural beauty all across america from the most remote wilderness to the nearest city park these are truly landmark initiatives which could not have been developed without the visionary leadership of the vice president and i want to thank him very much for his commitment here now to get the most out of your community you have to give something back that is why we created americorps our national service program that gives today generation a chance to serve their communities and earn money for college so far in just 4 years young americans have built homes with habitat for humanity helped to tutor children with churches worked with fema to ease the burden of natural disasters and performed countless other acts of service that have made america better i ask congress to give more young americans the chance to follow their lead and serve america in americorps now we must work to renew our national community as well for the 21st century last year the house passed the bipartisan campaign finance reform legislation sponsored by representatives shays and meehan and senators mccain and feingold but a partisan minority in the senate blocked reform so i would like to say to the house pass it again quickly and i would like to say to the senate i hope you will say yes to a stronger american democracy in the year 2000 since 1997 our initiative on race has sought to bridge the divides between and among our people in its report last fall the initiative advisory board found that americans really do want to bring our people together across racial lines we know it is been a long journey for some it goes back to before the beginning of our republic for others back since the civil war for others throughout the 20th century but for most of us alive today in a very real sense this journey began 43 years ago when a woman named rosa parks sat down on a bus in alabama and would not get up she is sitting down with the first lady tonight and she may get up or not as she chooses we thank her thank you rosa we know that our continuing racial problems are aggravated as the presidential initiative said by opportunity gaps the initiative i have outlined tonight will help to close them but we know that the discrimination gap has not been fully closed either discrimination or violence because of race or religion ancestry or gender disability or sexual orientation is wrong and it ought to be illegal therefore i ask congress to make the employment act and the hate crimes prevention act the law of the land now since every person in america counts every american ought to be counted we need a census that uses modern scientific methods to do that our new immigrants must be part of our one america after all they are revitalizing our cities they are energizing our culture they are building up our economy we have a responsibility to make them welcome here and they have a responsibility to enter the mainstream of american life that means learning english and learning about our democratic system of government there are now long waiting lines of immigrants that are trying to do just that therefore our budget significantly expands our efforts to help them meet their responsibility i hope you will support it whether our ancestors came here on the on slave ships whether they came to ellis island or lax in los angeles whether they came yesterday or walked this land a thousand years ago our great challenge for the 21st century is to find a way to be one america we can meet all the other challenges if we can go forward as one america you know barely more than 300 days from now we will cross that bridge into the new millennium this is a moment as the first lady has said to honor the past and imagine the future i would like to take just a minute to honor her for leading our millennium project for all she is done for our children for all she has done in her historic role to serve our nation and our best ideals at home and abroad i honor her last year i called on congress and every citizen to mark the millennium by saving america treasures hillary has traveled all across the country to inspire recognition and support for saving places like thomas edison invention factory or harriet tubman home now we have to preserve our treasures in every community and tonight before i close i want to invite every town every city every community to become a nationally recognized millennium community by launching projects that save our history promote our arts and humanities prepare our children for the 21st century already the response has been remarkable and i want to say a special word of thanks to our private sector partners and to members in congress of both parties for their support just one example because of you the banner will be preserved for the ages in ways large and small as we look to the millennium we are keeping alive what george washington called the sacred fire of liberty six years ago i came to office in a time of doubt for america with our economy troubled our deficit high our people divided some even wondered whether our best days were behind us but across this country in a thousand neighborhoods i have seen even amidst the pain and uncertainty of recession the real heart and character of america i knew then that we americans could renew this country tonight as i deliver the last state of the union address of the 20th century no one anywhere in the world can doubt the enduring resolve and boundless capacity of the american people to work toward that more perfect union of our founders dream we are now at the end of a century when generation after generation of americans answered the call to greatness overcoming depression lifting up the disposed bringing down barriers to racial prejudice building the largest middle class in history winning two world wars and the long twilight struggle of the cold war we must all be profoundly grateful for the magnificent achievement of our forebears in this century yet perhaps in the daily press of events in the clash of controversy we do not see our own time for what it truly is a new dawn for america a hundred years from tonight another american president will stand in this place and report on the state of the union or she will look back on a 21st century shaped in so many ways by the decisions we make here and now so let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our time but of their time that we reached as high as our ideals that we put aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and hopefulness that we joined together to serve and strengthen the land we love my fellow americans this is our moment let us lift our eyes as one nation and from the mountaintop of this american century look ahead to the next one asking god blessing on our endeavors and on our beloved country thank you and good evening
speaker vice president members congress honored guests fellow americans tonight honor reporting state union let begin saluting new speaker house thanking especially tonight extending invitation two guests sitting gallery hastert lyn gibson wenling chestnut widows two brave capitol hill police officers gave lives defend freedom house speaker asked us work together spirit civility bipartisanship speaker let us exactly tonight stand report america created longest peacetime economic expansion history nearly 18 million new jobs wages rising twice rate inflation highest homeownership history smallest welfare rolls 30 years lowest peacetime unemployment since 1957 first time three decades budget balanced deficit 290 billion 1992 surplus 70 billion last year course budget surpluses next 25 years thanks pioneering leadership lowest violent crime rate quarter century cleanest environment quarter century america strong force peace northern ireland bosnia middle east thanks leadership vice president gore government information age government progressive instrument common rooted oldest values opportunity responsibility community devoted fiscal responsibility determined give people tools need make lives 21st 21st century government 21st century america fellow americans stand tonight report state union strong america working promise future limitless realize promise allow hum prosperity lull us complacency fare nation far 21st century depends upon nation today budget surplus growing economy expanding confidence rising moment generation meet historic responsibility 21st century fiscal discipline gives us unsurpassed opportunity address remarkable new challenge aging america number elderly americans set double 2030 baby boom become senior boom first must save social security 21st century early century old meant poor president roosevelt created social security thousands wrote thank eliminating one woman called stark terror penniless helpless old age even today without social security half nation elderly would forced poverty today social security strong 2013 payroll taxes longer sufficient cover monthly payments 2032 trust fund exhausted social security unable pay full benefits older americans promised best way keep social security rocksolid guarantee make drastic cuts benefits raise payroll tax rates drain resources social security name saving instead propose make historic decision invest surplus save social security specifically propose commit 60 percent budget surplus next 15 years social security investing small portion private sector private state government pension would earn higher return keep social security sound 55 years must aim higher put social security sound footing next 75 years reduce poverty among elderly women nearly twice likely poor seniors eliminate limits seniors social security earn changes require difficult fully achievable choices dedication surplus must made bipartisan basis made year let say tonight reach hand houses parties ask join together saying american people save social security last year wisely reserved surplus knew would take save social security say spend social security truly saved first things first second saved social security must fulfill obligation save improve medicare already extended life medicare trust fund 10 years extend least another decade tonight propose use one every 6 surplus next 15 years guarantee soundness medicare year 2020 aim higher must willing work bipartisan way look new ideas including upcoming report bipartisan medicare commission work together secure medicare next two decades cover greatest growing need seniors affordable prescription drugs third must help americans first day job save invest create wealth beginning americans supplemented social security private pensions savings yet today millions people retire little live social security americans living longer ever simply must save ever therefore addition saving social security medicare propose new pension initiative retirement security 21st century propose use little 11 percent surplus establish universal savings give americans means save new accounts americans invest choose receive funds match portion savings extra help least able save usa accounts help americans share nation wealth enjoy secure retirement ask support fourth must invest care propose tax credit aged ailing disabled families care care become bigger bigger challenge aging america must help families deal born 1946 first year baby boom tell one greatest concerns generation absolute determination let growing old place intolerable burden children ability raise grandchildren economic success fiscal discipline give us opportunity lift burden shoulders take saving social security medicare creating usa accounts right way use surplus still resources meet critical needs education defense want point proposal fiscally sound listen set aside 60 percent surplus social security 16 percent medicare next 15 years saving achieve lowest level publicly held debt since right world war 1917 four social security strengthening medicare establishing usa accounts supporting begin meet generation historic responsibility establish true security 21st century seniors children diverse backgrounds public schools time history education must provide knowledge nurture creativity allow entire nation thrive new economy today say something could say 6 years ago tax credits affordable student loans grants pell grants education ira new hope scholarship tax cut 5 million americans receive year finally opened doors college americans support nearly every state set higher academic standards public schools voluntary national test developed measure progress students 1 billion discounts available year well way goal connecting every classroom library internet last fall passed proposal start hiring new teachers reduce class size early grades ask finish job know children better sat scores math scores risen nearly grades problem fourth graders outperform peers countries math science eighth graders around average twelfth graders rank near bottom must better year national government invests 15 billion public schools believe must change way invest money support works stop supporting work first later year send congress plan first time holds states school districts accountable progress rewards results education accountability act require every school district receiving federal help take following five steps first schools must end social promotion child graduate high school diploma read children favors allow pass grade grade without mastering material hold students back system fails balanced budget triples funding summer school programs keep million children learning doubt work look chicago ended social promotion made summer school mandatory master basics math reading scores 3 years running biggest gains poorest neighborhoods work second states school districts must turn around worst performing schools shut policy established north carolina governor jim hunt north carolina made biggest gains test scores nation last year budget includes 200 million help states turn around failing schools third states school districts must held responsible quality teachers great majority teachers fine job many schools teachers college majors even minors subjects teach new teachers required pass performance exams teachers know subjects teaching year balanced budget contains resources help reach higher standards attract talented young teachers toughest assignments recommend sixfold increase program college scholarships students commit teach inner cities isolated rural areas indian communities let us bring excellence every part america fourth must empower parents information choices many communities easier get information quality local restaurants quality local schools every school district issue report cards every school parents given choices selecting public school became president one independent public charter school america support bipartisan basis today budget assures early next century fifth assure classrooms truly places learning respond teachers asking us years say states school districts must adopt implement sensible discipline policies let us one thing children today many schools old falling apart students learning trailers last fall congress missed opportunity change year 53 million children schools congress must miss opportunity ask help communities build modernize schools social promotion turn around failing schools build modern ones support qualified teachers promote innovation competition begin meet generation historic responsibility create 21st century schools also support millions parents give every day home work basic tool decent income let us raise minimum wage dollar hour next 2 years let us make sure women men get equal pay equal work strengthening enforcement equal pay laws encouraging know balance seesaw like let us give hand great working parents also need quality child care year ask congress support plan tax credits subsidies working families improved safety quality expanded programs plan also includes new tax credit parents need support well parents never worry choosing children work family medical leave act first bill signed law since 1993 helped millions millions americans care newborn baby ailing relative without risking jobs think time evidence little burdensome employers extend family leave 10 million americans working smaller companies hope support finally matter work parents never face discrimination workplace want ask congress prohibit companies refusing hire promote workers simply children right america families deserve world best medical care thanks bipartisan federal support medical research verge new treatments prevent delay diseases parkinson alzheimer arthritis cancer continue advances medical science let medical system lag behind managed care literally transformed medicine america driving costs threatening drive quality well think ought say every american right know medical options cheapest need specialist right see one right nearest emergency care accident things ought say think ought say right keep doctor period treatment whether pregnancy chemotherapy treatment anything else believe ordered rights extended 85 million americans served medicare medicaid federal health programs congress pass patients bill rights americans last year congress missed opportunity must miss opportunity sake families ask us join together across party lines pass strong enforceable patients bill rights medical records stored electronically threats privacy increase congress given authority act august one way another say american people protect privacy medical records year 2 years ago congress extended health coverage 5 million children go beyond make easier small businesses offer health insurance give people ages 55 65 lose health insurance chance buy medicare continue ensure access family planning one choose keeping health care taking job therefore especially ask tonight join hands pass landmark bipartisan legislation proposed senators kennedy jeffords roth moynihan allow people disabilities keep health insurance go work need enable public hospitals community university health centers provide basic affordable care millions working families insurance lot today much done balanced budget makes good downpayment toward goal hope think support provision let say must step efforts treat prevent mental illness american ever address disease year host white house conference mental health sensitivity commitment passion tipper gore leading efforts would like thank done thank thank everyone knows children targets massive media campaign hook cigarettes ask congress resist tobacco lobby reaffirm fda authority protect children tobacco hold tobacco companies accountable protecting tobacco farmers smoking cost taxpayers hundreds billions dollars medicare programs know states right taxpayers pay cost lung cancer emphysema smokingrelated illnesses tobacco companies tonight announce justice department preparing litigation plan take tobacco companies court funds recover strengthen medicare act wage family leave child care health care safety begin meet generation historic responsibility strengthen families 21st century today america dynamic competitive economy history even better building 21st century economy embraces americans today income gap largely skills gap last year congress passed law enabling workers get skills grant choose training need applaud part year recommend commitment new system provide next 5 years appropriate training opportunities americans lose jobs expand rapid response teams help towns really hurt businesses close hope support also ask support dramatic increase federal support adult literacy mount national campaign aimed helping millions millions working people still read less fifth grade level need good news past 6 years cut welfare rolls nearly half proud two years ago podium asked five companies lead national effort hire people welfare tonight welfare work partnership includes companies hired hundreds thousands people balanced budget help another people move dignity pride work hope support must bring spark private enterprise every corner america build bridge wall street appalachia mississippi delta native american communities support community development banks empowerment zones vouchers affordable housing ask congress support bold new plan help businesses raise 15 billion private sector capital bring jobs opportunities inner cities rural areas tax credits loan guarantees including new american private investment company modeled overseas private investment company years years years opic overseas private investment corporation knew untapped markets overseas greatest untapped markets overseas right home go must work hard help bring prosperity back family farm congress knows well dropping prices loss foreign markets devastated many family farms last year congress provided substantial assistance help stave disaster american agriculture ready work lawmakers parties create farm safety net include crop insurance reform farm income assistance ask join political issue everyone knows economic problem going rural america today need appropriate means address must strengthen lead technology government investment led creation internet propose increase computing research also must ready 21st century first moment solving y2k computer problem one member congress stand applaud may ratio applauding home front television sets remember big big problem working hard already made sure social security checks come time want folks home listening know need every state local government every business large small work us make sure y2k computer bug remembered last headache 20th century first crisis 21st prosperity must support economic growth abroad know recently third economic growth came exports past year half financial turmoil overseas put growth risk today much world recession asia hit especially hard serious financial crisis half century meet united states nations reduced interest rates strengthened international monetary fund turmoil worked hard nations contain time continue work project building global financial system 21st century promotes prosperity tames cycle boom bust engulfed much asia june meet world leaders advance historic purpose ask support endeavors also ask support creating freer fairer trading system 21st century america would like say something really serious everyone chamber parties think trade divided us divided americans outside chamber long somehow find common ground business workers environmentalists farmers government stand together believe things ought agree let try first ought tear barriers open markets expand trade time must ensure ordinary citizens countries actually benefit trade trade promotes dignity work rights workers protects environment must insist international trade organizations open public scrutiny instead mysterious secret things subject wild criticism come right world economy becoming integrated world spent better part century home got put human face global economy must enforce trade laws imports unlawfully flood nation already informed government japan nation sudden surge steel imports country reversed america respond must help manufacturers hit hard present crisis loan guarantees incentives increase american exports nearly 2 billion would like believe achieve new consensus trade based principles ask congress join common approach give president trade authority long used overdue necessary advance prosperity 21st century tonight issue call nations world join united states new round global trade negotiations expand exports services manufactures farm products tonight say work international labor organization new initiative raise labor standards around world year lead international community conclude treaty ban abusive child labor everywhere world people communities technology lead global begin meet historic responsibility build 21st century prosperity america know nation history opportunity responsibility shape world peaceful secure free americans proud leadership helped bring peace northern ireland americans proud leadership put bosnia path peace nato allies pressing serbian government stop brutal repression kosovo bring responsible justice give people kosovo deserve americans proud leadership renewed hope lasting peace middle east last december watched palestinian national council completely renounce call destruction israel ask congress provide resources parties implement wye agreement protect israel security stimulate palestinian economy support friends jordan must dare hope help work peace must also meet threats nation security including increased dangers outlaw nations terrorism defend security wherever threatened summer struck usama bin ladin network terror bombing embassies kenya tanzania reminds us risks faced every day represent america world let us give support need safest possible workplaces resources must america continue lead must work keep terrorists disrupting computer networks must work prepare local communities biological chemical emergencies support research vaccines treatments must increase efforts restrain spread nuclear weapons missiles korea india pakistan must expand work russia ukraine former soviet nations safeguard nuclear materials technology never fall wrong hands balanced budget increase funding critical efforts almost next 5 years russia must continue reduce nuclear arsenals start ii treaty framework already agreed start iii could cut 80 percent cold war height 2 years since signed comprehensive test ban treaty right thing nations either ask senate take vital step approve treaty make harder nations develop nuclear arms make sure end nuclear testing forever nearly decade iraq defied obligations destroy weapons terror missiles deliver america continue contain saddam work day iraq government worthy people last month action iraq troops superb mission flawlessly executed risk taking granted bravery skill required captain jeff taliaferro veteran air force flew bomber iraq attacked saddam war machine us tonight would like ask honor men women operation desert fox captain taliaferro time reverse decline defense spending began 1985 since april together added nearly 6 billion maintain military readiness balanced budget calls sustained increase next 6 years readiness modernization pay benefits troops families heirs legacy bravery represented every community america millions veterans america defenders today still stand ready moment notice go comforts dangers many needs done one else always come america must come new century demands new partnerships peace security united nations plays crucial role allies sharing burdens america might otherwise bear alone america needs strong effective want work new congress pay dues debts must continue support security stability europe asia expanding nato defining new missions maintaining alliance japan korea asian allies engaging china china last year said leaders people would like say tonight stability longer bought expense liberty would also like say american people important isolate china bring china world world bring change freedom china last spring traveled africa saw democracy reform rising still held back violence disease must fortify african democracy peace launching radio democracy africa supporting transition democracy beginning take place nigeria passing african trade development act must continue deepen ties americas caribbean common work educate children fight drugs strengthen democracy increase trade hemisphere every government one freely chosen people determined cuba know blessings liberty american people opened hearts arms central american caribbean neighbors devastated recent hurricanes working congress committed help rebuild first lady tipper gore visited region saw thousands troops thousands american volunteers dominican republic hillary helped rededicate hospital rebuilt dominicans americans working side side someone else important relief efforts know sports records made sooner later broken making people lives better showing children true meaning brotherhood lasts forever far baseball sammy sosa hero two countries tonight thank say pursue peace fight terrorism increase strength renew begin meet generation historic responsibility build stronger 21st century america freer peaceful world world changed communities must make safer livable united year reach goal community police officers ahead schedule budget brady bill stopped quarter million felons fugitives stalkers buying handguns murder rate lowest 30 years crime rate dropped 6 straight years tonight propose 21st century crime bill deploy latest technologies tactics make communities even safer balanced budget help put police street areas hardest hit crime equip new tools computers digital mug shots must break deadly cycle drugs crime budget expands support drug testing treatment saying prisoners stay drugs stay behind bars parole want keep freedom must stay free drugs ask congress restore waiting period buying handgun extend brady bill prevent juveniles commit violent crimes buying gun must keep schools safest places communities last year every american horrified heartbroken tragic killings jonesboro paducah pearl edinboro springfield deeply moved courageous parents working keep guns hands children make efforts parents live loss lost daughter suzann wilson jonesboro arkansas came white house powerful plea said please please sake children lock guns let happened jonesboro happen town message passionately advocating every day suzann us tonight first lady would like thank courage commitment thank memory children lost lives school violence ask strengthen safe school act pass legislation require child trigger locks everything possible keep children safe century ago president theodore roosevelt defined great central task leaving land even better land descendants us today restoring florida everglades saving yellowstone preserving red rock canyons utah protecting california redwoods precious coasts fateful new challenge threat global warming 1998 warmest year ever recorded last year heat waves floods storms hint future generations may endure act tonight propose new clean air fund help communities reduce greenhouse pollution tax incentives investments spur clean energy technology want work members congress parties reward companies take early voluntary action reduce greenhouse gases communities face preservation challenge grow green space shrinks seven thousand acres farmland open space lost every day response propose two major initiatives first livability agenda help communities save open space ease traffic congestion grow ways enhance every citizen quality life second lands legacy initiative preserve places natural beauty across america remote wilderness nearest city park truly landmark initiatives could developed without visionary leadership vice president want thank much commitment get community give something back created americorps national service program gives today generation chance serve communities earn money college far 4 years young americans built homes habitat humanity helped tutor children churches worked fema ease burden natural disasters performed countless acts service made america better ask congress give young americans chance follow lead serve america americorps must work renew national community well 21st century last year house passed bipartisan campaign finance reform legislation sponsored representatives shays meehan senators mccain feingold partisan minority senate blocked reform would like say house pass quickly would like say senate hope say yes stronger american democracy year 2000 since 1997 initiative race sought bridge divides among people report last fall initiative advisory board found americans really want bring people together across racial lines know long journey goes back beginning republic others back since civil war others throughout 20th century us alive today real sense journey began 43 years ago woman named rosa parks sat bus alabama would get sitting first lady tonight may get chooses thank thank rosa know continuing racial problems aggravated presidential initiative said opportunity gaps initiative outlined tonight help close know discrimination gap fully closed either discrimination violence race religion ancestry gender disability sexual orientation wrong ought illegal therefore ask congress make employment act hate crimes prevention act law land since every person america counts every american ought counted need census uses modern scientific methods new immigrants must part one america revitalizing cities energizing culture building economy responsibility make welcome responsibility enter mainstream american life means learning english learning democratic system government long waiting lines immigrants trying therefore budget significantly expands efforts help meet responsibility hope support whether ancestors came slave ships whether came ellis island lax los angeles whether came yesterday walked land thousand years ago great challenge 21st century find way one america meet challenges go forward one america know barely 300 days cross bridge new millennium moment first lady said honor past imagine future would like take minute honor leading millennium project done children done historic role serve nation best ideals home abroad honor last year called congress every citizen mark millennium saving america treasures hillary traveled across country inspire recognition support saving places like thomas edison invention factory harriet tubman home preserve treasures every community tonight close want invite every town every city every community become nationally recognized millennium community launching projects save history promote arts humanities prepare children 21st century already response remarkable want say special word thanks private sector partners members congress parties support one example banner preserved ages ways large small look millennium keeping alive george washington called sacred fire liberty six years ago came office time doubt america economy troubled deficit high people divided even wondered whether best days behind us across country thousand neighborhoods seen even amidst pain uncertainty recession real heart character america knew americans could renew country tonight deliver last state union address 20th century one anywhere world doubt enduring resolve boundless capacity american people work toward perfect union founders dream end century generation generation americans answered call greatness overcoming depression lifting disposed bringing barriers racial prejudice building largest middle class history winning two world wars long twilight struggle cold war must profoundly grateful magnificent achievement forebears century yet perhaps daily press events clash controversy see time truly new dawn america hundred years tonight another american president stand place report state union look back 21st century shaped many ways decisions make let said us thinking time time reached high ideals put aside divisions found new hour healing hopefulness joined together serve strengthen land love fellow americans moment let us lift eyes one nation mountaintop american century look ahead next one asking god blessing endeavors beloved country thank good evening
speaker vice president member congress honored guest fellow american tonight honor reporting state union let begin salute new speaker house thank especially tonight extend invitation two guest sit gallery hastert lyn gibson wenling chestnut widow two brave capitol hill police officer give life defend freedom house speaker ask u work together spirit civility bipartisanship speaker let u exactly tonight stand report america create long peacetime economic expansion history nearly 18 million new job wage rise twice rate inflation high homeownership history small welfare roll 30 year low peacetime unemployment since 1957 first time three decade budget balance deficit 290 billion 1992 surplus 70 billion last year course budget surplus next 25 year thanks pioneer leadership low violent crime rate quarter century cleanest environment quarter century america strong force peace northern ireland bosnia middle east thanks leadership vice president gore government information age government progressive instrument common root old value opportunity responsibility community devote fiscal responsibility determine give people tool need make live 21st 21st century government 21st century america fellow american stand tonight report state union strong america work promise future limitless realize promise allow hum prosperity lull u complacency fare nation far 21st century depend upon nation today budget surplus grow economy expand confidence rise moment generation meet historic responsibility 21st century fiscal discipline give u unsurpassed opportunity address remarkable new challenge age america number elderly american set double 2030 baby boom become senior boom first must save social security 21st century early century old meant poor president roosevelt create social security thousand write thank eliminate one woman call stark terror penniless helpless old age even today without social security half nation elderly would force poverty today social security strong 2013 payroll tax longer sufficient cover monthly payment 2032 trust fund exhaust social security unable pay full benefit old american promise best way keep social security rocksolid guarantee make drastic cut benefit raise payroll tax rate drain resource social security name save instead propose make historic decision invest surplus save social security specifically propose commit 60 percent budget surplus next 15 year social security invest small portion private sector private state government pension would earn high return keep social security sound 55 year must aim high put social security sound foot next 75 year reduce poverty among elderly woman nearly twice likely poor senior eliminate limit senior social security earn change require difficult fully achievable choice dedication surplus must make bipartisan basis make year let say tonight reach hand house party ask join together say american people save social security last year wisely reserve surplus knew would take save social security say spend social security truly save first thing first second save social security must fulfill obligation save improve medicare already extended life medicare trust fund 10 year extend least another decade tonight propose use one every 6 surplus next 15 year guarantee soundness medicare year 2020 aim high must willing work bipartisan way look new idea include upcoming report bipartisan medicare commission work together secure medicare next two decade cover great grow need senior affordable prescription drug third must help american first day job save invest create wealth begin american supplement social security private pension savings yet today million people retire little live social security americans living longer ever simply must save ever therefore addition save social security medicare propose new pension initiative retirement security 21st century propose use little 11 percent surplus establish universal saving give american mean save new account americans invest choose receive fund match portion saving extra help least able save usa account help american share nation wealth enjoy secure retirement ask support fourth must invest care propose tax credit age ail disabled family care care become big big challenge age america must help family deal born 1946 first year baby boom tell one great concern generation absolute determination let grow old place intolerable burden child ability raise grandchild economic success fiscal discipline give u opportunity lift burden shoulder take save social security medicare create usa account right way use surplus still resource meet critical need education defense want point proposal fiscally sound listen set aside 60 percent surplus social security 16 percent medicare next 15 year save achieve low level publicly hold debt since right world war 1917 four social security strengthen medicare establish usa account support begin meet generation historic responsibility establish true security 21st century senior child diverse background public school time history education must provide knowledge nurture creativity allow entire nation thrive new economy today say something could say 6 year ago tax credit affordable student loan grant pell grant education ira new hope scholarship tax cut 5 million american receive year finally open door college american support nearly every state set high academic standard public school voluntary national test develop measure progress student 1 billion discount available year well way goal connect every classroom library internet last fall pass proposal start hire new teacher reduce class size early grade ask finish job know child well sat score math score rise nearly grade problem fourth grader outperform peer country math science eighth grader around average twelfth grader rank near bottom must better year national government invest 15 billion public school believe must change way invest money support work stop support work first later year send congress plan first time hold state school district accountable progress reward result education accountability act require every school district receive federal help take follow five step first school must end social promotion child graduate high school diploma read child favor allow pas grade grade without master material hold student back system fail balanced budget triple fund summer school program keep million child learn doubt work look chicago end social promotion make summer school mandatory master basic math reading score 3 year run big gain poor neighborhood work second state school district must turn around bad perform school shut policy establish north carolina governor jim hunt north carolina make big gain test score nation last year budget include 200 million help state turn around fail school third state school district must hold responsible quality teacher great majority teacher fine job many school teacher college major even minor subject teach new teacher require pas performance exams teacher know subject teach year balance budget contains resource help reach high standard attract talented young teacher tough assignment recommend sixfold increase program college scholarships student commit teach inner city isolate rural area indian community let u bring excellence every part america fourth must empower parent information choice many community easier get information quality local restaurant quality local school every school district issue report card every school parent give choice select public school become president one independent public charter school america support bipartisan basis today budget assure early next century fifth assure classroom truly place learn respond teacher ask u year say state school district must adopt implement sensible discipline policy let u one thing child today many school old fall apart student learn trailer last fall congress miss opportunity change year 53 million child school congress must miss opportunity ask help community build modernize school social promotion turn around fail school build modern one support qualify teacher promote innovation competition begin meet generation historic responsibility create 21st century school also support million parent give every day home work basic tool decent income let u raise minimum wage dollar hour next 2 year let u make sure woman men get equal pay equal work strengthen enforcement equal pay law encourage know balance seesaw like let u give hand great working parent also need quality child care year ask congress support plan tax credit subsidy work family improve safety quality expand program plan also include new tax credit parent need support well parent never worry choose child work family medical leave act first bill sign law since 1993 help million million american care newborn baby ail relative without risk job think time evidence little burdensome employer extend family leave 10 million american work small company hope support finally matter work parent never face discrimination workplace want ask congress prohibit company refuse hire promote worker simply child right america family deserve world best medical care thanks bipartisan federal support medical research verge new treatment prevent delay disease parkinson alzheimer arthritis cancer continue advance medical science let medical system lag behind manage care literally transform medicine america driving cost threaten drive quality well think ought say every american right know medical option cheapest need specialist right see one right nearest emergency care accident thing ought say think ought say right keep doctor period treatment whether pregnancy chemotherapy treatment anything else believe ordered right extend 85 million american serve medicare medicaid federal health program congress pas patient bill right american last year congress miss opportunity must miss opportunity sake family ask u join together across party line pass strong enforceable patient bill right medical record store electronically threat privacy increase congress give authority act august one way another say american people protect privacy medical record year 2 year ago congress extend health coverage 5 million child go beyond make easy small business offer health insurance give people age 55 65 lose health insurance chance buy medicare continue ensure access family plan one choose keep health care take job therefore especially ask tonight join hand pass landmark bipartisan legislation propose senator kennedy jeffords roth moynihan allow people disability keep health insurance go work need enable public hospital community university health center provide basic affordable care million work family insurance lot today much do balanced budget make good downpayment toward goal hope think support provision let say must step effort treat prevent mental illness american ever address disease year host white house conference mental health sensitivity commitment passion tipper gore leading effort would like thank do thank thank everyone know child target massive medium campaign hook cigarette ask congress resist tobacco lobby reaffirm fda authority protect child tobacco hold tobacco company accountable protect tobacco farmer smoke cost taxpayer hundreds billion dollar medicare program know state right taxpayer pay cost lung cancer emphysema smokingrelated illness tobacco company tonight announce justice department prepare litigation plan take tobacco company court fund recover strengthen medicare act wage family leave child care health care safety begin meet generation historic responsibility strengthen family 21st century today america dynamic competitive economy history even well build 21st century economy embrace american today income gap largely skills gap last year congress pass law enable worker get skill grant choose train need applaud part year recommend commitment new system provide next 5 year appropriate training opportunity americans lose job expand rapid response team help town really hurt business close hope support also ask support dramatic increase federal support adult literacy mount national campaign aim help million million work people still read less fifth grade level need good news past 6 year cut welfare roll nearly half proud two year ago podium ask five company lead national effort hire people welfare tonight welfare work partnership include company hire hundred thousand people balance budget help another people move dignity pride work hope support must bring spark private enterprise every corner america build bridge wall street appalachia mississippi delta native american community support community development bank empowerment zone voucher affordable housing ask congress support bold new plan help business raise 15 billion private sector capital bring job opportunity inner city rural area tax credit loan guarantee include new american private investment company model overseas private investment company year year year opic overseas private investment corporation know untapped market overseas great untapped market overseas right home go must work hard help bring prosperity back family farm congress know well drop price loss foreign market devastate many family farm last year congress provide substantial assistance help stave disaster american agriculture ready work lawmaker party create farm safety net include crop insurance reform farm income assistance ask join political issue everyone know economic problem go rural america today need appropriate mean address must strengthen lead technology government investment lead creation internet propose increase compute research also must ready 21st century first moment solve y2k computer problem one member congress stand applaud may ratio applaud home front television set remember big big problem work hard already make sure social security check come time want folk home listen know need every state local government every business large small work u make sure y2k computer bug remember last headache 20th century first crisis 21st prosperity must support economic growth abroad know recently third economic growth come export past year half financial turmoil overseas put growth risk today much world recession asia hit especially hard serious financial crisis half century meet united state nation reduce interest rate strengthen international monetary fund turmoil work hard nation contain time continue work project build global financial system 21st century promotes prosperity tames cycle boom bust engulfed much asia june meet world leader advance historic purpose ask support endeavor also ask support create free fairer trading system 21st century america would like say something really serious everyone chamber party think trade divide u divide american outside chamber long somehow find common ground business worker environmentalist farmer government stand together believe thing ought agree let try first ought tear barrier open market expand trade time must ensure ordinary citizen country actually benefit trade trade promote dignity work right worker protects environment must insist international trade organization open public scrutiny instead mysterious secret thing subject wild criticism come right world economy become integrated world spend well part century home get put human face global economy must enforce trade law import unlawfully flood nation already informed government japan nation sudden surge steel import country reverse america respond must help manufacturer hit hard present crisis loan guarantee incentives increase american export nearly 2 billion would like believe achieve new consensus trade base principle ask congress join common approach give president trade authority long use overdue necessary advance prosperity 21st century tonight issue call nation world join united state new round global trade negotiation expand export service manufacture farm product tonight say work international labor organization new initiative raise labor standard around world year lead international community conclude treaty ban abusive child labor everywhere world people community technology lead global begin meet historic responsibility build 21st century prosperity america know nation history opportunity responsibility shape world peaceful secure free american proud leadership help bring peace northern ireland american proud leadership put bosnia path peace nato ally press serbian government stop brutal repression kosovo bring responsible justice give people kosovo deserve american proud leadership renew hope last peace middle east last december watch palestinian national council completely renounce call destruction israel ask congress provide resource party implement wye agreement protect israel security stimulate palestinian economy support friends jordan must dare hope help work peace must also meet threat nation security include increase danger outlaw nation terrorism defend security wherever threaten summer struck usama bin ladin network terror bomb embassy kenya tanzania remind u risk face every day represent america world let u give support need safe possible workplace resource must america continue lead must work keep terrorist disrupt computer network must work prepare local community biological chemical emergency support research vaccine treatment must increase effort restrain spread nuclear weapon missile korea india pakistan must expand work russia ukraine former soviet nation safeguard nuclear material technology never fall wrong hand balance budget increase fund critical effort almost next 5 year russia must continue reduce nuclear arsenal start ii treaty framework already agree start iii could cut 80 percent cold war height 2 year since sign comprehensive test ban treaty right thing nation either ask senate take vital step approve treaty make hard nation develop nuclear arm make sure end nuclear test forever nearly decade iraq defy obligation destroy weapon terror missile deliver america continue contain saddam work day iraq government worthy people last month action iraq troop superb mission flawlessly execute risk take grant bravery skill require captain jeff taliaferro veteran air force fly bomber iraq attack saddam war machine u tonight would like ask honor men woman operation desert fox captain taliaferro time reverse decline defense spending begin 1985 since april together add nearly 6 billion maintain military readiness balance budget call sustain increase next 6 year readiness modernization pay benefit troops family heirs legacy bravery represent every community america million veteran america defender today still stand ready moment notice go comfort danger many need do one else always come america must come new century demand new partnership peace security united nation play crucial role ally share burden america might otherwise bear alone america need strong effective want work new congress pay due debt must continue support security stability europe asia expand nato define new mission maintain alliance japan korea asian ally engage china china last year say leader people would like say tonight stability longer buy expense liberty would also like say american people important isolate china bring china world world bring change freedom china last spring travel africa saw democracy reform rise still hold back violence disease must fortify african democracy peace launch radio democracy africa support transition democracy begin take place nigeria pass african trade development act must continue deepen tie americas caribbean common work educate child fight drug strengthen democracy increase trade hemisphere every government one freely choose people determine cuba know blessing liberty american people open heart arm central american caribbean neighbor devastate recent hurricane work congress commit help rebuild first lady tipper gore visited region saw thousand troops thousand american volunteer dominican republic hillary help rededicate hospital rebuilt dominican americans work side side someone else important relief effort know sport record make sooner later broken make people life well show child true meaning brotherhood last forever far baseball sammy sosa hero two country tonight thank say pursue peace fight terrorism increase strength renew begin meet generation historic responsibility build strong 21st century america freer peaceful world world change community must make safer livable united year reach goal community police officer ahead schedule budget brady bill stop quarter million felon fugitives stalker buy handgun murder rate low 30 year crime rate drop 6 straight year tonight propose 21st century crime bill deploy late technology tactic make community even safer balanced budget help put police street area hardest hit crime equip new tool computer digital mug shot must break deadly cycle drug crime budget expand support drug test treatment say prisoner stay drug stay behind bar parole want keep freedom must stay free drug ask congress restore wait period buy handgun extend brady bill prevent juvenile commit violent crime buy gun must keep school safe place community last year every american horrify heartbroken tragic killing jonesboro paducah pearl edinboro springfield deeply move courageous parent work keep gun hand child make effort parent live loss lose daughter suzann wilson jonesboro arkansas come white house powerful plea say please please sake child lock gun let happen jonesboro happen town message passionately advocating every day suzann u tonight first lady would like thank courage commitment thank memory child lose life school violence ask strengthen safe school act pas legislation require child trigger lock everything possible keep child safe century ago president theodore roosevelt defined great central task leave land even well land descendant u today restore florida everglades save yellowstone preserving red rock canyon utah protect california redwood precious coast fateful new challenge threat global warming 1998 warm year ever record last year heat wave flood storm hint future generation may endure act tonight propose new clean air fund help community reduce greenhouse pollution tax incentives investment spur clean energy technology want work member congress party reward company take early voluntary action reduce greenhouse gas community face preservation challenge grow green space shrink seven thousand acre farmland open space lose every day response propose two major initiative first livability agenda help community save open space ease traffic congestion grow way enhance every citizen quality life second land legacy initiative preserve place natural beauty across america remote wilderness near city park truly landmark initiative could develop without visionary leadership vice president want thank much commitment get community give something back create americorps national service program give today generation chance serve community earn money college far 4 year young american build home habitat humanity help tutor child church work fema ease burden natural disaster perform countless act service make america well ask congress give young american chance follow lead serve america americorps must work renew national community well 21st century last year house pass bipartisan campaign finance reform legislation sponsor representative shay meehan senator mccain feingold partisan minority senate block reform would like say house pas quickly would like say senate hope say yes strong american democracy year 2000 since 1997 initiative race seek bridge divide among people report last fall initiative advisory board find american really want bring people together across racial line know long journey go back begin republic others back since civil war others throughout 20th century u alive today real sense journey begin 43 year ago woman name rosa park sit bus alabama would get sit first lady tonight may get chooses thank thank rosa know continue racial problem aggravate presidential initiative say opportunity gap initiative outline tonight help close know discrimination gap fully close either discrimination violence race religion ancestry gender disability sexual orientation wrong ought illegal therefore ask congress make employment act hate crime prevention act law land since every person america count every american ought count need census use modern scientific method new immigrant must part one america revitalize city energize culture build economy responsibility make welcome responsibility enter mainstream american life mean learn english learn democratic system government long wait line immigrant try therefore budget significantly expand effort help meet responsibility hope support whether ancestor come slave ship whether come ellis island lax los angeles whether come yesterday walk land thousand year ago great challenge 21st century find way one america meet challenge go forward one america know barely 300 day cross bridge new millennium moment first lady say honor past imagine future would like take minute honor lead millennium project do child do historic role serve nation best ideal home abroad honor last year call congress every citizen mark millennium save america treasure hillary travel across country inspire recognition support save place like thomas edison invention factory harriet tubman home preserve treasure every community tonight close want invite every town every city every community become nationally recognized millennium community launch project save history promote arts humanity prepare child 21st century already response remarkable want say special word thanks private sector partner member congress party support one example banner preserve age way large small look millennium keep alive george washington call sacred fire liberty six year ago come office time doubt america economy troubled deficit high people divide even wonder whether best day behind u across country thousand neighborhood see even amidst pain uncertainty recession real heart character america knew american could renew country tonight deliver last state union address 20th century one anywhere world doubt endure resolve boundless capacity american people work toward perfect union founder dream end century generation generation american answer call greatness overcome depression lift disposed bring barrier racial prejudice build large middle class history win two world war long twilight struggle cold war must profoundly grateful magnificent achievement forebear century yet perhaps daily press event clash controversy see time truly new dawn america hundred year tonight another american president stand place report state union look back 21st century shape many way decision make let say u think time time reach high ideal put aside division find new hour heal hopefulness join together serve strengthen land love fellow american moment let u lift eye one nation mountaintop american century look ahead next one ask god bless endeavor beloved country thank good evening