Remarks in Springfield, Virginia

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Nov 4, 1996

Now, that is the world we're going into. I appreciate what Senator Robb said. We are better off than we were 4 years ago. We are moving in the right direction. But the issue is, where are we going? What is our philosophy?

Again, I say, this is a period not all that unlike 200 years ago. It's not about party; it's about vision. Mark Warner, Chuck Robb, Bobby Scott, Jim Moran, Don Beyer, we share a vision about the things we must do together as a nation, in our States, in our communities to help each other make the most of our own lives, to seize those opportunities for the 21st century, and to move this country forward. That's the issue. Are we going to build a bridge to the future big enough and strong enough for us all to walk across? Are you willing to help? [Applause] Do we really believe we would be better off if their vision had prevailed for the last 4 years?

Audience members, No-o-o!

The President. Would we be better off if there were no family and medical leave law?

Audience members. No-o-o!

The President. Would we be better off it we cut student loans instead of increasing them?

Audience members. No-o-o!

The President. Would we be better off if we cut Head Start instead of increasing it?

Audience members. No-o-o!

The President. Would we be better off it we hadn't made those 300,000 loans to women business owners?

Audience members. No-o-o!

The President. Of course not. Would we be better off if we hadn't cleaned up those toxic waste dumps - more in 3 years than they did in 12?

Audience members. No-o-o!

The President. This is not about party; it's about you, how we're going to live together and whether we should work together to give each other the tools to make the most of our future. Do you believe we'd be better off, as they say, if you were left on your own? Or do we believe it takes a village to raise our children and build a country and build a future? [Applause]

In Virginia, the State with the longest and proudest and richest history of all in leading America in the right direction, the State which gave us the people who led us into a new century 2 years ago, your votes will decide whether we balance the budget and move away from the dangerous and reckless fiscal policies that quadrupled our debt in the 12 years before I came to Washington and whether we balance that budget in a way that keeps interest rates coming down and the economy growing but still protects the fundamentals of educational investment, research investment, protection of the environment, Medicaid's guarantee of health care to people with disabilities, to poor children, to seniors in nursing homes and the integrity of the Medicare program which has given us the longest living, the highest life expectancy for senior citizens of any country in the entire world. You have to decide.

You have to decide, now that we have passed the family and medical leave law, whether you agree with me that we ought to extend it a little bit so that parents can go to see their children's teachers twice a year without losing their jobs or take their family members to the doctor, whether people who work for overtime should have the decision in their hands about whether to take their overtime in cash or time with their families if their families need them at home.