August 20, 1992 A VISION FOR THE 1990S: THE PRESIDENT'S AGENDA FOR A BETTER AMERICA Presid

August 20, 1992


                      A VISION FOR THE 1990S:  
             THE PRESIDENT'S AGENDA FOR A BETTER AMERICA


President Bush has proposed an aggressive agenda for economic
growth and reforms to build a better America.  The President's
vision for the 1990s, if enacted by Congress, would permit millions
of Americans to reap the benefits of the President's proposals to
increase the economic and personal security of individuals and
families; increase our Nation's competitiveness; and reform our
education, health care, legal, and banking systems -- as well as
reform government itself.  The President's proposals in these areas
are animated by the principle of empowering people, not
bureaucracies -- fostering individual freedom over government
control.

The following shows the America that can be -- and will be when the
President's proposals are enacted into law:


Economic Growth Plan:

o    Businesses would have new incentives to invest, expand, and create jobs.  
     In fact, over 500,000 jobs would be created this year alone through the 
     President's capital gains tax cut, investment tax allowance, and other 
     growth incentives.

o    Real estate values would be boosted by reform of the passive
     loss rules.

o    Enterprise zones would provide jobs and investment for people
     in disadvantaged urban and rural areas.

o    Businesses would have the confidence to invest in research and
     new technology because of a permanent R&D tax credit.

o    Families would be more able to afford college expenses and
     home purchases thanks to the President's Family Savings Accounts. 

o    Young American families would have new help -- a $5,000 tax
     credit -- to achieve the American dream of homeownership.  This
     provision would create 272,500 jobs this year alone.

o    Americans would have more confidence in the future knowing
     that interest rates will remain low, inflation will not eat away
     their earnings, and there is a President in the White House
     committed to vetoing any tax increase.


Cutting Government Spending:
 
o    A Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution would be in
     place to restore spending discipline and fiscal responsibility.

o    The wild growth of mandatory entitlement programs would be
     capped by limiting the growth in non-Social Security spending -- a
     measure that will save $180 billion over four years.

o    The President would have a line-item veto power to eliminate
     wasteful government spending, including 246 Federal programs
     already designated as unnecessary.

o    The President would also have enhanced powers to rescind other
     wasteful government spending.


Free Trade:

o    A free trade zone would extend from the Yukon to the Yucatan,
     and eventually encompass the rest of the hemisphere, creating new
     jobs for an America that is already the world's leading exporting
     nation.  

o    American jobs would continue to grow as foreign barriers are
     removed and protectionist pressures are resisted.


Fighting Crime:

o    American families would know that drug kingpins would be
     subject to the death penalty and career criminals would 
     serve minimum mandatory prison terms.

o    Americans would feel safer in their own homes and on the
     streets, knowing that their President was more sympathetic 
     to the victims of crime, and to the police who defend us, 
     than to the criminal.

o    America's police would no longer be frustrated by legal
     technicalities that let criminals go free.

o    The criminal appeals process would be reformed to limit
     unnecessary appeals that clog the courts and delay justice.

o    Tough law-and-order judges and prosecutors would continue to
     be appointed, and assistance to law enforcement would continue 
     to be a top priority.

o    Students would meet new standards of excellence at all levels.

o    Parents, not bureaucrats, would be empowered to choose their
     children's schools -- and the President's G.I. Bill for
     Children would give low- and middle-income parents the resources 
     to make their choices real -- whether the school they choose is
     public, private, or religious.

o    Every congressional district in the Nation would have an
     innovative New American School -- a school designed by parents
     and teachers to put educational reforms and new teaching ideas to
     work to help students attain excellence.

o    Parents and teachers would be free from the control of unions
     and bureaucrats and would have new flexibility to reform their
     schools using federal dollars.

o    America would be on its way to the President's ambitious goal: 
     to create the best schools in the world.


Health Care Reform:  

o    All Americans and their families would have access to
     affordable health insurance.  The American principle of 
     individual choice in health care will be preserved and expanded.

o    Every worker would know that they are free to change jobs
     without fear of losing their coverage.

o    Almost 100 million Americans would be eligible for new tax
     credits or deductions that would help them afford health coverage --
     and give them the right to choose.

o    Small businesses would be able to afford health coverage for
     their employees at more reasonable cost.

o    American workers would know that their take-home pay and their
     jobs would not be jeopardized by huge new payroll taxes needed
     to finance a government-run health system.


Legal Reform:

o    Frivolous lawsuits and excessive court delays would be
     reduced, lowering the cost of new products and ending Americans'
     frustration with the legal system.

o    America's ability to compete in the international marketplace
     would be enhanced as legal, and insurance, costs were lowered.

o    Parties to a civil suit would have new choices to resolve
     their disputes out of court -- quickly and without excessive costs. 


Government Reform:

o    The influence of special interests would be reduced, and
     special interest PACs would be eliminated.

o    Members of Congress would have a limit on the number of terms
     they can serve in office -- just like the President.

o    Every law passed by Congress would also apply to Congress --
     no more exemptions from the same laws under which all Americans
     live.

o    The excessive number of overlapping Congressional committees
     and subcomittees, and their bloated staffs, would be slashed.


Housing Reform:

o    President Bush's HOPE program will continue to help low-income
     families achieve the dream of homeownership, giving them a
     real stake in their communities.  All public housing projects would
     be managed by their tenants.


Job Training:

o    Federal job training would be streamlined through the
     President's Job Training 2000 program, ensuring that 
     workers have speedy "one stop shopping" for the job 
     retraining needed to stay Number One in the world economy.

o    The President's Youth Apprenticeship Act would open the door
     to quality vocational education for millions of Americans who do
     not go on to college.

o    The President's Lifelong Learning Act would allow working
     Americans to go back to college and improve their skills.


Banking Reform:

o    The Nation's banking system would be modernized to meet the
     financial needs of the next century.

o    Reforms would be in place to end the credit crunch, making
     capital more available to businesses seeking to grow and create jobs.

National Energy Strategy:

o    The President's National Energy Strategy would reduce
     America's dependence on foreign oil, promote economic growth, 
     and conserve the environment.

o    Abundant American sources of energy, such as natural gas,
     coal, and alternative energy sources, would be encouraged, 
     and America's electric power needs of the next century would be 
     addressed.

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