We are making progress. Together, we are changing the tone of our nation's capital. An artist using statistics as a brush could paint two very different pictures of our country. Neither picture is complete in and of itself. We should leave those arguments to the last century and chart a different course.
Government has a role, and an important one.
Yet too much government crowds out initiative and hard work, private charity and the private economy. My budget is based on that philosophy. It is reasonable and it is responsible. It meets our obligations and funds our growing needs. We have increased spending for discretionary programs by a very responsible 4 percent, above the rate of inflation.