On the recordJune 9, 1996
Thank you. I would like to, before I go, I would like to just very briefly thank Dr. Harter and the staff here at UNLV for letting us all come on a difficult day. And I want to thank Senator Reid and Senator Bryan for their support for these programs in Washington. And I want to thank all the folks here on the panel and the Governor and Mr. Wingett and especially you, Kirby. But ladies and gentlemen, let me say again to you, I thank you for coming out today. If you look at these--when we leave here now, you look at these three boys sitting up here with me and remember what I told you. If I had told you 3\1/2\ years ago when I was inaugurated President that we would have 3 years of declining crime but that the crime rate among juveniles would go up, you would have a hard time believing that. We cannot let that be true 5 or 10 years from now. It will consume this country. It will change the whole way we live. So if you really like what you have seen today, and you liked seeing these young folks up here sitting with the President, instead of being in trouble, and being nervous and doing the best they can to do something good--if you like that, then you need to support these programs, and you need to make sure every child in this State that needs it is in one. And you need to support these people that are doing it, because they are proof that we can turn this around, but we haven't gotten to everybody or the numbers wouldn't be what they are. And we have to do it. This is a very urgent problem for our country, and we can only change it in two ways. One is, like Shane said, when people decide they are going to make a difference in their own lives, and secondly, when adults like you take responsibility in every community. We will keep trying to do our part, but remember, we need you. And if you liked this today, when you go out of here, make sure you're going to do something to turn this situation around. Thank you, and God bless you all.
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govinfo.gov
