In his 1996 State of the Union address, President Clin-ton, LAW '73, tried to offer something for everyone and a vision for the nation. The speech, delivered Tues., Jan. 23, was seen as the kickoff of his 1996 Presidential campaign.
The most striking point in Clinton's address was his declaration that "the era of big government is over," but he tempered himself by arguing that "we cannot go back to the time when citizens were left to fend for themselves." He issued the nation seven challenges: to strengthen families, provide educational opportunity, gain economic security for all Americans, reduce crime, maintain a clean environment, maintain America's international leadership, and, to Congress, act responsibly towards the voters.
Clinton's speech was expected to be dominated by bitter budgetary politics, but instead, the President personally complemented Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and referred to the budget far less than expected. Near the end of his address, however, Clinton challenged Congress to extend the federal debt limit and to never again shut down the federal government.
Arafat wins mandate in Palestinian elections
Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank overwhelmingly elected Yasir Arafat as Chairman of the new Palestinian Council last Saturday in their first election. Arafat, running against female challenger Sa-miha Kahlil, gained 88 percent of the vote, and members of his Fatah party won 60 percent of the Council's seats. Only a quarter of the seats were gained by members of right-wing opposition groups. The majority is important to Arafat, who is expected to submit the Palestinian Charter to the Council for revision and removal of anti-Israel clauses.
The elections proceeded as well as officials had hoped. Over 75 percent of eligible voters participated in the elections despite a boycott called by the opposition. Despite fear of attacks, the heightened Israeli and Palestinian security, along with 2,000 international observers, insured that no incidents of violence occurred. Japan sees smaller trade surplus
Japan's trade surplus shrank significantly in 1995, for the first time in five years. The drop was capped by a 17 percent decrease in the surplus of United States trade. Many analysts see the trend continuing and China soon replacing Japan as the country with which America has the largest trade deficit. The decline was caused by the strength of the yen, which made importing cheaper. The American government, clearly pleased, is already easing tensions with Japan.
-- Compiled by Evan K. Farber
Copyright 1995, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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