Bill Clinton: “Well, let me try to reframe a little of what I've said before because I think you've hit it. It would surprise most…”

“Well, let me try to reframe a little of what I've said before because I think you've hit it. It would surprise most people to know that while the Government's deficit was going up and the debt was going up in the last 12 years, we were actually reducing the effort the National Government is making to support education and a lot of other initiatives, because all the money was going first to defense and then to health care costs. What I am attempting to do with my budget and will continue to work on it every year I'm President, is to, every year, to slowly move our spending priorities back toward education, training, and technology. In this budget, for example, we give more funds to institutions like this for worker training programs. We give much more money for Head Start for preschool kids. We do a lot of things to try to, in other words, let the Federal Government play a bigger role. But another real problem you've got, let me say, in the United States as opposed to Japan where you've got three levels of government that often operate more or less independently, the lion's share of the budget for education always comes at the State and local level. So then, the other thing I can do is to help alleviate the burdens of the State government. Why is State government spending less on education in California, more on uncompensated care for undocumented people coming into the country, more on exploding health care costs, often mandated by the National Government? So if I can persuade the Congress, and if we can be wise and good enough to work out a health care program that's good for America, that brings costs in line with inflation, and then if we can compensate the States better for their costs that aren't their fault, like dealing with the immigration issues, then that will free up in California millions and millions and millions of dollars which the State could then turn around and put back into education. So we can help directly some, and we can help indirectly a lot. And I'm trying to do both those things. Thank you. You were great. I wish I could stay longer.”