Senator Dole's Radio Address

This is Bob Dole. Tomorrow night is an important night for all Americans who are concerned about the future of our children, our families and our country.

President Clinton and I will meet in Hartford, Connecticut, in our first face-to-face debate. Anyone who tunes in to that debate will quickly see there are very real, distinct differences between my vision and plan for a better America and President Clinton's.

I see an America with boundless opportunity, an America where working Americans keep more of what they earn and have greater educational and job training to get better, more secure jobs; an America where parents get off the treadmill of more work and less pay so they can spend more time with their families; an America free from the tyranny of the IRS, with a simpler and fairer tax system; an America that affords each and every child the best education possible and gives parents the right to send their children to the school of their choice; an America where we use every legal means possible to keep drugs out of the hands of our children, lock up the drug dealers and keep them in jail where they belong; an America where the president will use the power of his office to remind our children each and every day that drugs are wrong. So just don't do it; an America that isn't savaged by youth violence and gangs, where innocent people don't feel like prisoners in their own homes; an America where we abolish parole to keep criminals behind bars, and once they're behind bars, make them work to help pay their own way.

I've laid out my specific plans and how we can build a better America. My tax cut plan gives each and every working American a 15 percent tax cut, a $500 per child tax credit to help families get ahead, nearly $1,300 in tax relief to the typical family of four; education and job training incentives so American workers can get ahead and not fall behind; opportunity scholarship for middle and low income families so they can send their children to the school of their choice; an all-out war on drugs, using the National Guard and military to stop drugs at our borders, putting more drug enforcement agents on the street to lock up drug dealers; and trying violent juvenile criminals as adults. Adult time for adult crimes to make our streets safer.

That's the America I know we can have for our children and our families. That's the America I'll work for and work towards each and every day of my presidency.

Now, you'll hear President Clinton say he wants many of these same things for our future. But listen carefully. If it were a contract, you would need to read the fine print.

The president will talk about tax cuts, but don't forget the last time he promised them we wound up with the largest tax increase in history. He'll talk about helping families make ends meet, but don't forget that thanks in large part to him, the average family now pays more in taxes than for food, shelter and clothing combined.

He'll say that he wants to shrink government, but it's ballooned every year he's been president of the United States. He'll say we need to improve education but then deny you the opportunity to send your children to the school of your choice the way he does.

He'll say he'll fight a war on drugs, but don't forget that teen use has doubled in this presidency, thanks to his eliminating DEA agents and slashing funds that are needed to stop drugs at our border.

DOLE: He'll say he wants to be tough on crime, but don't forget that he's appointed countless liberal judges who have let drug dealers and murderers back on to our streets.

Our differences are really quite simple. President Clinton sees higher taxes and bigger government as the answer to our problems. I see high taxes and big government as the problem. President Clinton thinks that appointing judges who put the rights of criminals ahead of their victims is the right thing to do. You and I know that it's wrong.

It really boils down to a contest between warmed over liberal ideas of President Clinton and my common sense conservative ideas that put the opportunities, safety and future of our children and families before government.

I hope you'll watch tomorrow night. And if you watch, I know that you'll see that my vision for America and the plan to get there is the right way for our country.

Thanks for listening.