During the first six months of 1992, my administration moved forward on many
fronts to advance a domestic and foreign policy agenda that would prepare the country
for the 21st century, and take advantage of the historic opportunity that our victory
in the Cold War presented for sustained peace and prosperity.
In January, in my State of the Union address, I laid out an economic plan that
would have stimulated the economy by providing help for home buyers, tax relief for
families, and critical incentives for investment. We proposed a comprehensive health
care reform proposal and a GI Bill for children to provide choice in education. We
initiated a moratorium on additional federal regulation, which ultimately saved the
taxpayers an estimated $20–$30 billion, and granted waivers to permit innovative state
welfare projects that encourage self-sufficiency.
In June, the Nation reacted with shock and dismay to the riots in Los Angeles. We
sought to repair the short term damage with emergency funds to rebuild homes and
small businesses. We also confronted the long-term problems of the inner cities
through our Job Training 2000 proposal, our enterprise zone initiative to attract investment
in urban areas, and our Weed and Seed program to eliminate crime and
create an environment of opportunity.
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