Senator Dole's Radio Address

Hello. I'm Bob Dole. This November's election is about a number of issues. But perhaps above all it's about the role that government will play in the daily life of America's families. And President Clinton and I have a fundamental difference of opinion over just how large that role should be.

Perhaps this difference can most clearly be seen by looking back at what I believe was the defining moment for this Administration.

It was exactly three years ago tomorrow — September 22, 1993 - that President Clinton told Congress and the American people that the federal government should be in charge of health care in America.

His plan was the kind of massive expansion of the federal government that America hadn't seen in three decades, It involved a government takeover of the greatest health care system on earth, resulting in $1.5 trillion in new federal spending. It would have created 5O brand new federal bureaucracies, countless new laws and federal penalties, and put one-seventh of the U.S. economy under government control. In only the second year of operation it would have dwarfed almost every other program.

Maybe worst of all, the Clinton plan gave the federal government a role in nearly every health care decision currently made by you and your doctor. For the privilege of having the government get between you and your doctor, the Clinton Administration would have imposed a total of 17 new taxes on American workers,

My proposal for fixing what was wrong with our health care system was much different from the President's. I didn't want to give the government control over your health care. I wanted to give you more control by making the system more affordable and more accessible. I wanted to help those with pre-existing conditions. I wanted to make health insurance portable, so it could follow you from job to job. And when you gave Republicans control of Congress, that is exactly what we did.

Even though the President did riot succeed in putting the federal government in control of health care, he has remained committed to a bigger and more powerful federal government, By my count, he proposed nearly 500 new spending proposals in the past four years, while pushing through the largest tax increase in history. This is a textbook example of a liberal in action: New programs and bigger government paid for by higher taxes.

And although the President said last year that "the era of big government is over," his words are not matched by his actions. His administration hints that if re-elected, the President may try to resurrect his nationalized health care proposal. Indeed, Mrs. Clinton, the architect of the proposal. told reporters this summer that the Clinton plan was — quote — "still the right model." And during this campaign, President Clinton has already proposed hundreds of additional ideas for how the government can spend your money and run your life.

Jack Kemp and I, on the other hand, have proposed one big idea. It's called putting you in control of your life by letting you keep more of what you worked so hard to earn.

We've proposed combining a 15% across the board tax cut, a $500 per child tax credit, with a balanced budget, a simpler, fairer tax code, and an end to he IRS as we know it.

Jack Kemp and I have a vision of growth, opportunity. and strong families through lower taxes ... a vision of smaller government and greater responsibility entrusted to the people, families, and communities across America.

Make no mistake about it, Jack Kemp and I do understand that government has a role to play in the life of Americans. And our economic plan allows for a 34% spending increase in Social Security and a 79% spending increase in Medicare.

There are now 45 days left until Election Day. And in those 45 days, Jack Kemp and I invite all Americans to compare the biggest idea of the Clinton Administration--the plan to put the federal government in control of your health care with the biggest idea of this campaign--our plan to let you keep more of your money--and to decide which idea and which philosophy you crust for America's future.

Thanks for listening and may God bless America.