Bill Clinton: “Thank you. Thank you. And that the results have been good. Compared to 4 years ago, we're better off than we were on the…”

“Thank you. Thank you. And that the results have been good. Compared to 4 years ago, we're better off than we were on the economy. We're better off than we were when it comes to crime. We've proved that you can protect the environment and grow the economy. We have worked with the States to move people from welfare to work. And while others in Washington talked about it, we now have 1.3 million fewer people on welfare than we did the day I became President. We've proved that you can shrink the size of the Federal Government without being cruel to the Federal employees or undermining the quality of Federal service. We have proved, in other words, that we could grow the economy with opportunity and responsibility and a stronger sense of community. That's the first thing. The second thing is, there's lots more to do. Our country's transformation into the 21st century is far from complete. I proposed the other day that we amend the family and medical leave law to let people have a few hours off a year to go to regular conferences with their kids and make regular doctor's appointments with their parents if they need it, or their children if they need it. That's a good thing to do, a simple thing to do. I proposed making 2 more years of education after high school universal for everyone through a system of tax credits that would let everybody go to their nearest community college. And there are lots of other things that we have to do. And the third point I want to make is, on the you-don't-have-to- guess point is, you know where I stand, and you know where they stand. And if the American people want the budget that they passed in 1995 that I vetoed, they can get it. They can get it. But you need to talk to your friends and neighbors about this. Six months into 1997, if they had the White House and the Congress, that budget would be the law of the land. If you think it's a bad idea that we're putting 100,000 police on the street, and you want to remove that commitment and just throw money at the problem, you can get that. They did that once, but I stopped them. If you think that I was wrong to take on this tobacco issue or wrong to require the V-chip in the new television sets so that parents have some control over the things their young children watch, if you think I was wrong about the family leave law and you don't want it extended, you can have someone who agrees with you, who believes--who led the fight-- who led the fight against everything I said. Audience members. No-o-o! Audience member. We'll stand with you, Bill!”