My fellow Americans, this is our moment.  Let us lift our eyes as one nation, and from the mountaintop of this American century, look ahead to the next one—­asking God’s blessing on our endeavors and on our beloved country.

Thank you, and good evening.

***

State of the Union Address
William J. Clinton
January 27, 2000

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, honored guests, my fellow Americans: 

We are fortunate to be alive at this moment in history.  Never before has our nation enjoyed, at once, so much prosperity and social progress with so little internal crisis or so few external threats.  Never before have we had such a blessed opportunity—­and, therefore, such a profound obligation—­ to build the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams.

We begin the new century with over 20 million new jobs.  The fastest economic growth in more than 30 years; the lowest unemployment rates in 30 years; the lowest poverty rates in 20 years; the lowest African-American and Hispanic unemployment rates on record; the first back-to-back budget surpluses in 42 years.

Next month, America will achieve the longest period of economic growth in our entire history.

We have built a new economy.

Our economic revolution has been matched by a revival of the American spirit:  Crime down by 20 percent, to its lowest level in 25 years.  Teen births down seven years in a row and adoptions up by 30 percent.  Welfare rolls cut in half to their lowest levels in 30 years.

My fellow Americans, the state of our union is the strongest it has ever been.

As always, the credit belongs to the American people.

My gratitude also goes to those of you in this chamber who have worked with us to put progress above partisanship.

Eight years ago, it was not so clear to most Americans there would be much to celebrate in the year 2000.  Then our nation was gripped by economic distress, social decline, political gridlock.  The title of a best-selling book asked:  “America:  What went wrong?”

In the best traditions of our nation, Americans determined to set things right.  We restored the vital center, replacing outdated ideologies with a new vision anchored in basic, enduring values:  opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and a community of all Americans.

We reinvented government, transforming it into a catalyst for new ideas that stress both opportunity and responsibility, and give our people the tools to solve their own problems.

With the smallest federal workforce in 40 years, we turned record deficits into record surpluses, and doubled our investment in education.  We cut crime:  with 100,000 community police and the Brady Law, which has kept guns out of the hands of half a million criminals.

We ended welfare as we knew it—­requiring work while protecting health care and nutrition for children, and investing more in child care, transportation, and housing to help their parents go to work.  We have helped parents to succeed at work and at home—­with family leave, which 20 million Americans have used to care for a newborn child or a sick loved one.  We have engaged 150,000 young Americans in citizen service through AmeriCorps—­while also helping them earn their way through college.