‘Thousand Points of Light’ Still Cast Their Glow on President’s Approach

WASHINGTON —  Shortly before his inauguration, President-elect George Bush told television interviewer Barbara Walters that, in a time of tight financial resources, “I won’t be able to match the highest bidder on federal funds for education, or federal funds for drug rehabilitation, or federal funds for the homeless, whatever it is.

“But does that mean I don’t care?” Bush went on. “No. It doesn’t.”

In 18 months as President, Bush has kept steadfastly to that theme and image: He is a caring President hamstrung by his budget. For the most part, he has delivered a moderate message outlining the dimensions of many of the problems generated by the crisis of poverty. But his words have not matched federal action.

There have been some exceptions. He has increased the federal budget substantially in the war on drugs, for example, and he has proposed a significant increase in the funding of the popular Head Start program. But his critics insist that his drug funds are misdirected--more for the hunt of criminals than the treatment of addicts--and that his Head Start increase, though welcome, is far less than needed.

Bush has recognized the existence of a gap between what is needed and what his government will spend but has contended that this gap can be filled by private Americans who offer their time and money to the needy--the “thousand points of light” of his electoral campaign. The President describes his role as mainly one of encouragement.

“We are deeply moved by the plight of those who lack the skills that most of us . . . simply take for granted,” he told the National Federation of Republican Women in Baltimore last October. “And rest assured, we’re going to continue to work with you, those of you out there on the cutting edge, to promote literacy skills.”

Here are some of the President’s views about poverty and homelessness in America:

“My problem is that the best answer to poverty is a job, and the best way you have a job is to have a strong economy. And so you have to get the deficit down, and that’s where, under the law, I’m required to do it. So I’ll keep fighting for that.”

--In reply to questions at John F. Kennedy High School, Denver, Dec. 8, 1989.

“The best poverty program is a job in the private sector, where a family can hold their heads up high with a certain dignity. . . .

“When these mandated benefits (bills) come down here, they have good titles on them, they have things we’re concerned about: parental leave or child care, whatever it is. And I am sympathetic with many of the objectives. But as I weigh them, I have a responsibility to say what kind of an effect are they going to have on this best antidote to poverty and that’s a job. And so, we’ve got to resist some of the call for these good things that have good titles if they undermine the fundamental thing, which is our ability to create jobs.”

--Talk with visitors to the White House, April 4, 1989.

“The truth is there is no better housing policy than a growing economy. And we’ve got one, one that provides jobs and wages and opportunities for advancement, long-term interest rates that open ownership opportunities to hundreds of thousands of first-time home-buyers. . . .

“No child in America should have to grow up in the streets, and every family in America should have a roof over its head. We’ve got to do better. . . .

“But the real answer for the homeless, those with mental problems or dependent on drugs or alcohol, is shelter plus care. Shelter, supplemented by the necessary support services to get these people the help they need to live in dignity. And that means a partnership, a combined federal, state and local effort to supply the funding and other resources that constitute a comprehensive solution for the hard-core homeless.”

--Speech to the National Assn. of Realtors, Nov. 10, 1989.

“Speaking of tenants in public housing, they deserve something else: a safe place to raise their children and live their lives. And so, I ordered an additional $50 million to HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) the other day to evict the drug dealers from public housing. Let’s give these kids a fighting chance.”

--Remarks to visitors at the White House, Sept. 8, 1990.

“One thing we can’t afford is to fall behind the competition when it comes to training the educated work force that future challenges will require.”

--Speech to the National Assn. of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, Nov. 21, 1989.

“The fact is that we spend more per capita than many of our toughest competitors. And as a nation, we devote more than $300 billion a year to educating our children. And that’s not stingy; it’s staggering. . . .

“We can’t have a world-class economy with second-class schools.”

--Remarks at annual meeting of the Business Roundtable, June 5, 1989.

“We must revitalize our schools so that a solid education is once again the birthright of every American kid. And to make this kind of progress will require more than a government program or another grant initiative. Republicans believe that it will take the active involvement of parents and students and teachers and business and local government and churches, yes, and our schools. And this is what we mean by a “thousand points of light.” As powerful and resourceful as government is, government alone cannot come close to overcoming these problems.”

--Remarks at formal White House dinner, June 14, 1989.

“There’s an unease in the health-care community that for all this nation’s wealth, for all the money put into the system, American medicine still faces unprecedented problems: medical malpractice, uninsured families, an aging population, cancer, heart disease, AIDS, drug addiction, Alzheimer’s, mental illness. The price tag is staggering. And today, over 11% of our gross national product goes to health care. And we rank No. 1 in the world in per capita health-care expenditures.

“And yet, we do remain behind other industrialized countries in life expectancy. And in the developed world we rank 22nd in infant mortality rates--22nd. Clearly we have our work cut out for us. . . .

“This Administration is committed to health-care policies that improve health-care quality while trying to restrain the costs.”

--Speech at Johns Hopkins University graduation ceremony, Baltimore, Feb. 22, 1990.

“The federal government is not going to solve the (drug) treatment problem by itself. Yes, I think the money will be forthcoming. And there won’t be enough of it to solve the treatment problem in every community in the country. And so, what does that leave you? It leaves you local government, state government and involvement of citizens in the lives of others.”

--Luncheon with members of regional news media, Sept. 15, 1989.

“This is not going to be won by the federal government, this battle. The federal government has a key role to play, and I am trying to see that we play it by putting forward and then implementing a national drug strategy. But please understand I have not changed my conviction that the answer will lie at the local and the state level as we go forward with our national strategy.”

--Meeting with foreign ambassadors and state and local leaders, Sept. 6, 1989.

“If you sell drugs, you will be caught. And when you’re caught, you will be prosecuted. And once you’re convicted, you will do time. Caught. Prosecuted. Punished.”

--Address to the nation, Sept. 5, 1989.

Times researcher Pat Welch contributed to this story.