The State of the Union, back in 1998.
Here's an excerpt from President Clinton's 1998 State of the Union speech, hard to believe things were that good: [For 209 years it has been the President's duty to report to you on the state of the union. Because of the hard work and high purpose of the American people, these are good times for America. We have more than 14 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in twenty-four years, the lowest core inflation in thirty years, incomes are rising, and we have the highest home ownership in history. Crime has dropped for a record five years in a row, and the welfare rolls are at their lowest level in twenty-seven years. Our leadership in the world is unrivaled. Ladies and gentleman, the state of the union is strong.
Rarely have Americans lived through so much change in so many ways in so short a time. Quietly, but with gathering force, the ground has shifted beneath our feet as we have moved into an information age, a global economy, a truly new world.
For five years now, we have met the challenge of these changes as Americans have at every turning point in our history, by renewing the very idea of America, widening the circle of opportunity, deepening the meaning of our freedom, forging a more perfect union...
We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say government is the enemy and those who say government is the answer. My fellow Americans we have found a third way. We have the smallest government in thirty-five years, but a more progressive one. We have a smaller government but a stronger nation.
For three decades, six presidents have come before you to warn of the damage deficits pose to our nation. Tonight, I come before you to announce that the federal deficit, once so incomprehensively large that it had eleven zeros, will be simply zero. Now if we balance the budget for next year, it is projected that we'll then have a sizable surplus in the years that immediatly follows.]
My how times change. We now have the largest deficit in the history of our country. November can't get here fast enough.
Rarely have Americans lived through so much change in so many ways in so short a time. Quietly, but with gathering force, the ground has shifted beneath our feet as we have moved into an information age, a global economy, a truly new world.
For five years now, we have met the challenge of these changes as Americans have at every turning point in our history, by renewing the very idea of America, widening the circle of opportunity, deepening the meaning of our freedom, forging a more perfect union...
We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say government is the enemy and those who say government is the answer. My fellow Americans we have found a third way. We have the smallest government in thirty-five years, but a more progressive one. We have a smaller government but a stronger nation.
For three decades, six presidents have come before you to warn of the damage deficits pose to our nation. Tonight, I come before you to announce that the federal deficit, once so incomprehensively large that it had eleven zeros, will be simply zero. Now if we balance the budget for next year, it is projected that we'll then have a sizable surplus in the years that immediatly follows.]
My how times change. We now have the largest deficit in the history of our country. November can't get here fast enough.
posted by RBP at 2:47 AM
1 Comments:
That's how we're going to beat them, on registered voter at a time.
Post a Comment
<< Home