Bill Clinton: “To the Congress of the United States: I am pleased to present my first annual report on the state of small business.…”

“To the Congress of the United States: I am pleased to present my first annual report on the state of small business. This report covers data for fiscal year 1992, a period of slow economic recovery that occurred just before my Administration took office. Small businesses create many new jobs and are an important part of our Nation's economic growth. That is why, in my first address to the Joint Session of the Congress, I proposed some of the boldest targeted incentives for small business in history. These measures will benefit not only small businesses, but the American work force, our Nation's economy, and our international competitiveness. At the same time, we must undertake some major corrective efforts. As small business owners will testify, the best thing the government could do for small business and the economy is to reduce the deficit. The primary goal of the economic program is to set the economy on the proper course for the short- and long-term future. Deficit reduction and shifting consumption to investment are the ways to accomplish that goal. Reducing health care costs while ensuring that all Americans have access to health care is another national imperative. I have said it before: bringing health spending in line with inflation would do more for the private sector than almost any incentive or tax cut we could promote. At the same time, we must find a way to provide health care for everyone.…”