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State of the Union Address - Background
Statistical Snapshot: Where America is Today
January 23, 1996
ECONOMY
Unemployment and inflation are at their lowest combined level
since 1968;
7.8 million new jobs have been created in the last three
years;
Creating Jobs in Basic Industries. After a decade of enormous
job losses in construction, manufacturing and automobiles, these
industries have turned around, combining to add more than one
million new jobs under President Clinton;
High Growth. The United States has the highest growth of any major
economy in the world over the last three years;
Cut the Deficit Nearly in Half. The President's economic plan cut
the deficit for three years in a row for the first time since
Harry Truman was President -- the largest three-year reduction in
history;
Smaller, Smarter Government. The Clinton Administration eliminated
over 200,000 jobs from the government payrolls, and is eliminating
more than 16,000 pages of obsolete regulations;
CRIME
The crime rate is declining, with the number of murders reported
dropping by 12%, robberies down 10% and car theft down 5%;
Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals. More than 45,000
fugitives and felons have been blocked from buying handguns
because the Clinton Administration fought for and passed the Brady
Bill requiring background checks on handgun purchases;
The Clinton Administration passed an assault weapons ban,
outlawing 19 of the deadliest assault weapons;
More Cops, Safer Streets. The Clinton Administration's Crime Bill
puts 100,000 new cops on the street -- over 31,000 have been
funded so far;
EDUCATION
More Kids Going to College. The Clinton Administration has opened
access to higher education. In 1994, 62% of high school seniors
went directly to college, up from only 55% ten years ago;
Fewer Dropouts. Fewer students are dropping out of high school.
Better Results. 1995 SAT scores show continuing improvement on
both verbal and math scores for college-bound seniors.
COMMUNITY
Teen pregnancies, poverty and welfare rolls are all down;
Donations to the largest 400 charities in the United States
increased by 6% in 1994, with giving reaching $130 billion;
Building Our Communities and Our Kids. Last year, President
Clinton's AmeriCorps Program brought 25,000 American volunteers
into our communities, helping to rebuild our neighborhoods and
generating private sector partnerships with those efforts, while
helping the volunteers pay for their own higher education;
Putting Families First. Each year, 2.4 million workers are likely
to take advantage of President Clinton's Family and Medical Leave
Act, allowing them to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the
birth of a child or to care for a sick family member.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Peace in Bosnia. U.S. brokered and securing comprehensive peace
agreement in Bosnia;
Peace in the Middle East and Northern Ireland. Brokered
comprehensive peace agreements in the Middle East, as well as an
historic cease-fire in Northern Ireland;
No nuclear missiles are targeted at U.S. cities and citizens;
Brokered peace and democratic elections in Haiti and South Africa;
Reached agreement with North Korea to halt and eventually
eliminate its nuclear program.
ENVIRONMENT
Less Air Pollution. The Clinton Administration issued a new
standard to reduce toxic air pollution from chemical plants by 90%
by 1997. 50 million Americans in 55 cities have begun breathing
air that meets public health standards since President Clinton
took office;
Public Right to Know. President Clinton expanded the public's
right to know about toxic releases in their communities;
Private-Public Partnerships. In the first two years of the
Clinton Administration, the number of companies voluntarily
committing to prevent pollution -- by conserving water, saving energy
and cutting air pollution -- increased by nearly 75%;
Protecting Our Children. The Clinton Administration has taken
aggressive action to protect children, reduce the use of
pesticides on food and keeping nearly 150,000 pounds of toxic
pesticides out of rivers, lakes and streams each year.