So government matters. My second point is about the people in government. People ask me what I find most surprising about Washington. I invariably say one of the things that has most struck me is the commitment and quality of so many people with whom I've worked. And that includes many younger people who, like you, have the advantage of an outstanding education and then decided to spend a few years in public service.
Government takes on many of the most difficult issues in our society.
They have fought extraordinarily hard and successfully to keep this country out of default, to protect the President, to help pass an assault weapons ban, to investigate the Oklahoma City bombing, to develop tax and economic policy, to make it possible for millions of Americans to file their taxes by telephone, to seize tons and tons of dangerous drugs at our borders, and the myriad other things that make a difference in the lives of Americans. The federal workforce is the smallest in a generation, and as a percentage of the total work force in this nation, at its lowest level in many many decades. Moreover, government is in the process of turning from the kinds of hide-bound institutions many of us imagine to agencies bound and determined to do better jobs that give taxpayers the highest value for their dollars. And so, this is your challenge, not simply as Columbia graduates but as Americans coming of age at a cross-roads in our nation's proud history. You must become a part of the process of re-establishing respect for the institution of government and those who work in public service.