The general view is that putting out a specific proposal could easily backfire. What was most striking about the speech, however, was the refusal of Clinton and the entire assemblage of congressmen, generals, Supreme Court justices and cabinet officials even to acknowledge the existence of widespread social and economic distress in America. Listening to Clinton's tedious recital of his achievements and proposals, no one would know that tens of millions of Americans live in utter poverty, that 20 percent of all children are in families living below the poverty line, that the number of people without health insurance has steadily increased since Clinton took office, or that homelessness and hunger remain at levels unmatched since the Great Depression. Real incomes for the working class and the bulk of the middle class are stagnant or declining. Consumer debt and personal bankruptcies are at record levels.
Millions struggle to make ends meet, often taking two, three or even more jobs in order to survive.
Under these conditions, a significant recession can usher in a social catastrophe. The public school system, starved of funds and under assault by advocates of privatization, is on the verge of collapse, unable to meet the basic needs of working class youth. Fifty percent of employers report that illiteracy is a serious problem in the work force. As many as half the boys who enter high school in cities like Detroit and Chicago fail to graduate. And even among those who do complete high school, the rising cost of tuition all but rules out a college education.