Remarks at the Earle High School Dedication Ceremony in Earle, Arkansas

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Dec 20, 1999

Now, I rode over here with my good friend Ness Sechrest from West Memphis today, and we were thinking about all the trips we've taken to Earle. This sort of was an automatic stop for me. Whenever I'd get in a deep funk, I'd come to Earle and get to feel better--[laughter]---when I was Governor. And I miss so much--I want to say this before I leave Crittenden County--my man who was always my county coordinator here, Ron Owens, passed away in the last year, and I miss him terribly, and I wish he were making this trip with me today because I loved him like a brother.

But one time we came up here in 1982, and I was trying to get reelected Governor. And we went to the Church of God in Christ, Representative Jones' church. And at the time, Bishop Walker came with me, and at the time, Ron and Carrie Paige were passing the church there, back over there--and I see Finus Jones--thank you for coming, Finus. Bless you.

So first, the choir got to singing, and Carrie got to singing. And then the bishop called my opponent "Old Hoghead" on statewide television [Laughter] And I said to myself, 'I'm either in or out after this. I don't know whether I am in or out, but something is going to happen now. There you are. Thank you, Bishop Walker. Thank you.

In the bishop's defense, he only said that after the man I was running against said that African-Americans in Arkansas would vote for a duck if it was on our ticket. So it was a reaction, not an action. And God forgave him for his harshness. And so did the voters. I might add.

Anyway, I've been back to that church many times, and I've been back to this town many times, and I never come here without feeling renewed, because there's so mud courage and hope and spirit. And today what I would like to say to you is this: First, thank you. Thank you for all the years we worked together, all the roads we've walked together, all the times you gave me a chance to serve.

I think that because of the times we wen through, I was better prepared to deal with America as I found it in January of 1993-- high unemployment, social decline, political division, discredited government. And now, thanks in no small measure to what I learned working with you, we've got the lowest unemployment and welfare rolls in 30 years and the lowest poverty rates in 20 years. We've got 20 million jobs and the first back-to-back budget surpluses in 42 years. We are on our way to taking this country out of debt in 15 years for the first time since 1835. And along the way, we have immunized 90 percent of our children against serious diseases for the first time, and over 7 million young people have already taken advantage of the HOPE scholarship tax cut to go on to college. I think it's been a good 7 years for our country.

And underneath that, we see the beginnings of equality starting to emerge. Nationwide, we have the lowest African-American and Hispanic unemployment rates ever recorded. We have the lowest female unemployment rate in 40 years. We have the lowest crime rate in 25 years.