Post-radio Stump Draft

      Draft 10/30/98 5:00pm
       Jordan Tamagni


       PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
       TALKING POINTS FOR GLEN FOREST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL


OVERFLOW EVENT
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
October 31, 1998

        Acknowledgments: Principal Susan Fitz; Teacher (TK).

        I want to start by wishing all of you a Happy Halloween!   I know
that most of you havenO,t put on your costumes yet ... but the scariest
thing IO,ve seen so far this week isnO,t a costume -- itO,s the plan some
Republicans in Congress have hatched to fire the 100,000 teachers they
committed to hire last week!

        You just heard my weekly radio address, but I wanted to talk to
you for just a few more minutes about what I believe we have to do to keep
those teachers in the classroom, and keep America on the right track.

        This is not an ordinary time -- and this is not an ordinary
election.  This Tuesday, the American people will elect the first Congress
of the 21st Century.  The result of that choice will shape the way we live
for years to come.

        For nearly six years I have worked to bring this country together,
to move it forward, and to be a force for peace and freedom throughout the
world.   Today, because of the hard work of the American people and the
policies we put in place, we have nearly 17 million new jobs ... the
lowest unemployment in 28 years ... the highest homeownership in history
... the smallest percentage of our people on welfare in 29 years .. , the
lowest crime rate in more than five years. And because we have held fast
to fiscal responsibility, we have the firs.t balanced budget since Neil
Armstrong walked on the moon, and the smallest federal government since
John Glenn first orbited the earth.

        But this past year, extreme partisanship in Congress threatened the
progress we have worked so hard together to make.  As I said in my radio
address -- we donO,t need two more years of partisansip -- we need two
more years of progress.

        We need a Congress that prepares our children for the future by
putting 100,000 teachers in the classroom, modernizing our schools, and
insisting on high academic standards -- not a Congress that wants teachers
to do their job in trailers. The last congress tried to slash our
investment in education by more than $2 billion dollars -- we stopped them
this year, but next year we need a Congress that strengthens education.

        We need a Congress that ensures 75 million Baby Boomers can retire
in dignity without burdening our children by saving Social Security first
   not a Congress that wants to squander our hard-won budget surplus on a
risky multi-billion dollar tax scheme. And we need a Congress that helps
older Americans live longer and healthier lives by passing my plan to let
S5 to 65 year olds buy into Medicare.

        We need a Congress that gives American families the security they
deserve by passing a PatientsO, Bill of Rights that protects your right to
see a specialist, to be treated in the nearest emergency room, to have the
same doctor throughout a course of treatment, and to keep medical records
private -- not a Congress that thinks accountants should make medical
decisions.

        We need a Congress that protects our children from the deadly harm
of tobacco by passing comprehensive legislation that prevents big tobacco


companies from targeting their multi-million dollar marketing schemes at
teenagers -- not a Congress that would stand by while 3,000 children start
smoking every day.

        We need a Congress that restores the American peopleD,s faith in
government by passing meaningful campaign finance reform -- not a Congress
in debt to special interests.

        To prepare America for the 21st Century, we need a Congress that
puts progress ahead of partisanship.   This Tuesday, you have the power to
elect that Congress -- but only if you go out and vote.

       Thank you, Happy   Hallow~D,en,   and remember to vote!