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REMARKS BY:  DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:       JEFFERSON DEBATING SOCIETY, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
DATE:        February 6, 1998

It is an honor to be here, in the intellectual home of the Founding Father who arguably is America's most revered.

I've heard that in founding this University, Thomas Jefferson once said, "I will give to the great Commonwealth of Virginia, a great University. One that can over-power Virginia Tech and Duke every time."

OK. That's probably what he would have said, if he were alive today.

The historian Joseph Ellis has written a new book about Thomas Jefferson called, The American Sphinx. Ellis describes Jefferson as an American mystery, a Renaissance man with an awesome range of passions, and a great mind with an intellectual legacy that is sometimes complex, sometimes contradictory. But Jefferson was also a leader whose ideas -- and whose ideals -- still offer the strongest pronouncement of the society we aspire to be. Americans of all political stripes see the best of our nation reflected in his values - and the rest of the world sees the purest reflection of a true democracy.

Nowhere are American democratic ideas reflected with more elegance and eloquence than in Jefferson's greatest opus: the Declaration of Independence. It says that we had the God-given right to be free from a distant and abusive crown, but that's not all. It says we also had the right to create our own government, one that -- as the Declaration of Independence says -- seems "most likely to effect [our] safety and happiness."

Most of you declared a kind of independence when you left the safety and happiness of your home to come to UVA. And as you said good-bye, your parents may have quietly muttered their own declaration of independence. But on commencement day, whenever you graduate, it will be up to you to effect your own safety and happiness from that day forward.

The question is: what kind of future will you help to create? Will you be prepared to shape this future and meet its demands? Will you be engaged in building American society for the next millennium? And will this society be faithful to legacy of Jefferson? The answers are all up to you.

You are the first generation of the next Millennium. Like Thomas Jefferson you have the opportunity to be the architects of your own Monticello -- you have the opportunity to create, to construct and to define the next century. But if you want to seize this opportunity, you cannot wait until the year 2000, because last week, the President touched off a great national debate about the millennium when he delivered his annual State of the Union address.

Unlike Jefferson, who submitted his State of the Union reports in writing, President Clinton delivered his - live and in person - to one of the largest American viewing audiences ever. His message was very clear: the State of the Union is strong.

These are good times for Americans. Everything that should be up is up, and everything that should be down is down. The economy, jobs, wages, home-ownership - all up. Unemployment, inflation, crime, welfare rolls and the size of government - all down.

For the first time since 1969 -- for the first time in your lifetimes - the federal budget is out of the red and in balance. And if we continue on the road of fiscal discipline, we can erase the federal deficit, and count on budget surpluses as far as the eye can see. That means that if we continue to make prudent choices, good times will continue to be in store for America, with a robust economy and good jobs, good incomes, and a good life for all. And so we close this American century stronger and safer than a generation ago.

I believe Jefferson would be proud of the care we have taken of the nation he created. But we never got this far by resting on our laurels or riding our luck. Jefferson used to say, "I am a great believer in luck and I find that the more I work, the more I have of it." The fact is, ensuring the safety and happiness of our nation is a job that is never done. There are no small challenges confronting us, challenges that - if we address them well - will ensure a stronger State of the Union throughout your 20's, 30's or 40's - and even in that distant day when you retire.

That's why, as President Clinton said, "this is not the time to rest, it is the time to build." And in his State of the Union address, the President proposed a plan of action that respond to the challenges of a new generation, challenges to ensure the safety and happiness Jefferson envisioned for us.

But how the federal government ensures our safety and happiness has changed dramatically since Jefferson's day, of course. But it's also changed dramatically since the late '60s, the last time the federal budget was balanced. As the President said, "we have shaped a new kind of government for the information age. We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say government is the enemy and those who say government is the answer. We have the smallest government in 35 years, but a more progressive one."

Perhaps the best way to illustrate the change in government since the '60s is to compare it to the transformation of an old car that is making a new comeback: the Volkswagen Beetle.

The original Beetle went off the market before you were born, but it never left the American landscape or imagination - it's a true icon. Well, Volkswagen just unveiled the New Beetle. It's a lot different than the 1960's model. So is the federal government today.

Like the New Beetle, the government today is completely reconfigured for today's needs - strengthened, streamlined and modernized. And with the President's plan of action, it will offer new features. The government will be more efficient. And it will be more responsive. Overall -- our government will be a much better vehicle to carry us into a safer and happier future.

The challenge now is all about extending today's good fortune into the years to come. It's about making the investments that make sure that every American has a chance to contribute to and benefit from a strong economy and a vibrant society. It's about building this future together.

Jefferson once said that "The strength and dignity of a nation are determined by how it cares for its resources." And of course, no resource is more important in our country than the American people themselves.

The President's plan of action makes sound investments in the American people. It begins with our youngest Americans -- the children of the millennium. And it begins by giving them the care that develops their minds and potential.

Today, whenever I talk with parents struggling to make ends meet or women juggling work and family, there are two words that always come up: child care. Parents usually talk in whispers; most would rather tell their bosses they have a flat tire than admit they have a child care problem. Now, thanks to the President and Mrs. Clinton, we've brought the issue of child care into the spotlight and turned the private conversations families have into a national discussion we all must have.

This is not the first time in history that we've faced a national child-care challenge. When women went to work in factories during World War II -- the women we called Rosie the Riveter -- their families needed child care. So President Roosevelt and Congress acted to provide it.

Today, millions of daughters and granddaughters of the World War II generation are in the work force - not to win a war, but to win financial security for their families and independence for themselves. So once again, families need child care. And once again, the national government must be a partner with states, communities, businesses and families to meet our nation's growing child care needs. That's why the President proposed the Child Care Initiative, the largest single national investment in child care in our nation's history. It will provide $20 billion over five years to help working families get the child care they need, to afford it -- and to trust it.

What does this mean for you? Many of you will decide someday to bring children into the world. If Congress acts on the President's child care proposal, you'll be more able to find the child care you need, where you need it. Your employer may have a child care center close by, or help you find care. You'll have a better chance of getting your children into Head Start, the excellent pre-school program for four and five year olds, and Early Head Start, for infants and toddlers. You may quality for a subsidy or a tax credit to help you pay for child care. You'll be able to trust the person or place that's caring for your child, because they'll be high quality, well trained and experienced.

Most of all, if Congress acts on the President's plan, you won't have to choose between the job you need and the child you love.

When your children grow older and go to school, you'll want them to have the best education possible -- an education that will lead to college, perhaps even UVA, for a good college education is crucial to success in this globo-techno-information age.

To ensure quality schools, the President has proposed the first national effort ever to reduce classroom size in first, second and third grade to just 18 students. To make this happen, the President has called for hiring 100,000 new teachers, and helping communities build 5,000 new schools. Imagine how much more attention -- and learning -- teachers can give each student. And imagine how much better prepared they'll be for college.

But once they're ready for college, will they be able to afford it? The president has fought to make sure students have the necessary financial aid to get a college education. Over the last year, we've awarded 220,000 Pell Grants for deserving students. We've made student loans less expensive and easier to repay -- you can now deduct the interest. And we've offered tax-free education IRAs. Now for the first two years of college, families can get a $1,500 tax cut -- a Hope Scholarship that will cover the cost of most community college tuition. And for junior and senior year, graduate school and job training, there's a lifetime learning grant.

By getting more Americans into college, we make our nation stronger -- for a nation is only as rich as its intellectual capital. But we need to fully harness that intellectual capital -- the best minds of science and technology -- to make America safer and happier. And there is no time like the present.

Thirty years ago, America was proud to put a man on the moon. It was the culmination of years of exploration, imagination and investment. It harnessed our best science, technology and pioneering spirit. And, it was launched by a President -- President Kennedy -- who looked to the heavens and dared to dream.

Today a new President has looked into the new millennium and once again dared to dream. President Clinton sees a new frontier not up through a telescope, but down into a microscope.

The fact is, we have entered the golden age of research, an age when we are unveiling the fundamental properties of cells and genes; an age when we are mapping the structure of proteins; an age when we are understanding the circuitry of the world's most awesome computer: the human brain; and an age when we are not only learning about disease and disability - we are learning how to prevent and treat them.

We've been waging a tireless fight against cancer and other deadly diseases since day one. And, now, the President and the Vice President have launched the 21st Century Research Fund for America. It is an historic national effort to spur the best minds of this generation to unlock new scientific discoveries, medical treatments and health strategies, and to attract and train the best minds of the next generation.

Today, the pace of medical discovery is limited not by science, imagination or intellect, but mostly by resources. So the new Research Fund will boost the budget of the National Institutes of Health -- our premier research institution -- by more than 1 billion dollars next year. It's a down payment on a five-year, 50-percent expansion of NIH.

Among other medical battles, we'll be able to reinvigorate our War on Cancer. It's frightening -- more than 40 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. More than 20 percent will die from cancer. While we've made important strides against cancer - particularly childhood cancers - we are now at the cusp of important new breakthroughs.

Imagine: with this new assault on disease, you and your children could see a future free of cancer; free of AIDS; free of diabetes; free of heart disease. Do you believe it's possible? I do, if we set our mind to it. And, if we focus our energies.

But the best way to prevent disease is to stop those bad habits and behavior that cause it. Like tobacco use.

You've probably heard the statistics. Every day 3,000 young people light up their first cigarette. Someday about 1,000 of them may die from smoking. Youth smoking is a national problem -- no, it's a national tragedy. President Clinton is the first President in history to have the courage to take on the tobacco industry and resolve to end the tragedy. We want to cut youth tobacco use in half. We've already banned tobacco sales to youth.

This year we've launched a $100 million campaign to enlist store clerks and managers, along with parents and communities, to keep tobacco out of children's hands. Keeping young people from smoking is a crucial investment in the safety and happiness Jefferson envisioned for all Americans. All told, I think we are taking some very important steps forward.

We are making important investments in our future - in your future. No matter which way you lean politically, I hope you decide to take part in this national debate about the future, and to engage others in the same discussion. As the students of the new millennium, this is your opportunity, and your responsibility. And, your voice and your perspective should be ever present, not just on campus, but in Congress and in the media, where these nationwide discussions are taking place.

Back in 1815, years after the American Revolution was over, John Adams wrote a letter to Jefferson about an epic question. Adams wrote: "On the subject of history of the American Revolution, you ask, Who shall write it? Who can write it? And, who will ever be able to write it?" It is unknown what Jefferson wrote back.

But the question he asked of his generation is one that future historians will be asking of yours. Who will write the history of the new American century? Who can write it? Who will ever be able to write it?

The blank page is laid out before you. As we enter the next century, we face huge new challenges - challenges that are really about you and your future.

Will we protect, not neglect the environment? Will we kick tobacco out of the lives of young people? Will healthcare and student loans and child care be there for you, and for your children? And, as the President has urged us to do, will we end the racism and division that still plague us - and finally emerge as One America?

Your challenge is to write the first chapter of the new millennium. Write it by never losing the spirit of service. Write it by taking an active role in your health and your health care. Write it by voting, staying informed, getting involved in public service and living a life of dignity, courage and compassion. Write it by keeping your sanity, by always leading a balanced life. Balancing work and family. Work and friendship. Work and spiritual renewal. And, write it with all the wisdom and concern that Jefferson demanded of himself and those who would spring from this University to follow in his footsteps.

Thank you very much.