citizens. my father who i lost inw,z decer was one of the authors of the first medicare bill back in '64. and then in '65, it became the law of the land and passed the senate and the house. security and medicare along with the older americans act. s÷ embody our nation's commitment. we slow down and lose the same strength and ability to take care of our selves. so, naturally, we have developed ways to express the compassion and love for those who brought us into the world and raised us and nurtured us. and i do want to say in my

opening comments here that president clinton and i are going to standby social security.

embody our values in efforts that can help families. and that's what i'm talking about here. that's what we're trying to do. the testimony from the stories that you have told here will, i promise you, make it easier to build a record that will eventually lead to passage to new families giving long term >> those of you who are giving so much of yourself and restate my determination to make sure that our country does more to honor and support your work. thank you very much for coming. thank you. >> that was part of an hour-long discussion vice president gore had with new hampshire residents two weeks ago.

before leaving new hampshire's seacoast, vice president gore stopped by a f m former textile mill that's now an o office building in dover. >> thank you all very much.

a city with a rich history and a proud future, it is exemplified in this mill building. this/1&p is our past thanks to work of kim she woulding and everybody else in the city. we welcome you new businesses. it's a great place to live.çòñ we have the best education system and a business community. there should be no doubt that the vice president of the united states would feel warm and welcome i>ív> thank you very much. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. and congratulations. this is such an exciting day.

i want to congratulate you on your wonderful leadership in helping bring this about. and for those who are new to it and for those who are visiting from elsewhere let me tell you that dover has great leadership from his mayornay and his sbietlement loan program made possible the parking space that opened the door to the expansion that brought jobs back downtown and contributed to this process of revitalizing thehearted of dover. this is a happy day in so many respecteds, that it's an occasion to recognize the role that willed leadership has played in this. also, tim sheldon, thank you for your wonderful work in bringing about this development. others have contributed. i want to thank the leaders and

companies of ncri and environmental and cc connection. i was over at the merimac headquarters. last year, you guys are growing and expanding and it's really great to see and to shield environmentals, you know, the ground field program that we're pushing hard is itself a part of our nation's effort to community and reclaim abandoned lots. now, they're great real estate opportunities and get more jobs sx we're so glad that you're a part of the success story. now, why did this happen? ãthink there are some other editions in the world's great leadership. we've had a booming economy.

for the last 6 1/2 years, you've seen new hampshire change from a time when you're losing 6,000 jobs a year to a time when you're gaining 12,000 jobs a year. that's partly because we've had fiscal responsibility, president clinton and i put in place an the budget and turned the biggest deaf sit into the surplus, that kept interest rates low and empowered investors to create these jobs: it's led to a booming economy that makes businesses want to expand and your community has had the foresight to equip this whole building with internet connections and amenities and the kind of infrastructure that attract businesses, especially the hard-charging, expanding, high-tech businesses that we're talking about here.

of course, new hampshire has a high percentagmrcú of high-tech jobs than any state in the entire country. expansion would be taking place in this building because this building is 175 years old -- well, this site is 175 years old. the building is 110 years old, if i'm not mistaken. and, yet, it is renewed, revitalized, re-invented, if you will. so congratulations. so this is a great accomplishment. and i congratulate you on the expansion and this happy occasion. . it's a great privilege to be able to join you in marking this expansion. there's more to come, i know. i remember shaking hands out here one time and yet, this time, when i walked in, not only are you guys all here, i not

only have them yelling and waving and stuff. it's just fantastic. so the best of luck. there's more to come. let's keep this prosperity going. con gratulations. [ applause ] >> snex stop is harvey's bakery and part of a cancer research fund raising project in the

usually, this is how they're given. >> i see.cnt how long -- i'm going to see her tomorrow night. >> tlooesz get them in the refrigerator. >> yeah, we can put them in tonight. >> they'll be fine. and then tomorrow, when you get home, tell her to put them in some warm water. >> okay. thank you. keep the change.y!z+ióy

i just got these to help in the fight of cancer. thank you. how are you doing? thanks very much. what's your baby's name? how are you doing?d;tk >> hi, how are you. good to meet you. >> thank you.o!ñ

>> all right. everyone on the bus. we have a long drive. everyone on the bus. we've> a long drive. you do not want to be on the van. >> vice president gore was in new hampshire late last month. after spending a friday afternoon in portsmouth, his motorcade traveled an hour north to new hampshire and to campaign fundraiser to the democratic party. >> i would like to make al gore an honorary democrat.

because he really is one of us. i would like to introduce a powerful democrat, al gore. ñzl"q >> thank you very much. thank you. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. i don't see a republican anywhere. you put a lot of time and effort into that and i want you to know i appreciate it very much. i look not only at all of the businesses, i couldn't help but notice the beauty of the mountains that surround us. they are so beautiful. i look forward to spending more time here and some friends have talked to me about some great

hikes and some ski trips. i believe that we need to protect our environment. and here in new hampshire, and in this part of the new hampshire, especially, you can tell folks how the environment in the economy are closely relate. the beauty of the mountains and the pristine quality of our air and water has a lot to do with the tourism business. it has a lot to do with the fact that new hampshire is now the state with the highest per sen tang of technology jobs than any state in the nation because people want to come here to live. if they have a choice and they're able to locate most any place, well, they wantc@çk plac that have a beautiful enviernt. i believe that these challenges can be met successfully with democratic leadership in our country and here in new hampshire.

i believe that we have the opportunity with the kind of prosperities that not only keep us going, but to fill in the gaps in health care coverage and help families become stronger and make the communities more livable. and working with you, i believe that we can do it as democrats together. i look forward to visiting personally with each and every one of you before i leave as you enjoy your dinner chlts i appreciate you inviting me to this dinner honoring grover cleveland. and i believe that by working together, we can create the kind of america that our children deserve in the 21st century. thank you very much. it's great to be with you. enjoyed it very much. thank you.ró

thank you very much. thank you.

thank you again, thank you very much.o76kñ

thank you again for your support. hi, how are you? thank you.

>> i will. i will. thank you. appreciate it.hvqn÷

>> we continue with vice president gore in new hampshire the last weekend in march. on saturday morning, he stopped by the capital city diner in

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neighborhood on saturday, march 27th. he visited a concord home in the morning. pish push

. nearly an hour inside >> how do you do? >> hi.9iyw >> i'm joan. i'm very well. >> back up. >> nice to see you. >> when are you coming back? >> oh, it won't be long. >> oh, good. oh, good. >> i want to ask a question.yííb

>> he's my cna nurse. i have cancer, i'm dying of cancer."6nqñ i just want to know, if elected president, what are you going to do to help the poor and the handicapped when it comes to the stupid welfare system? it seems like the welfare is for those who want to go out and have a whole bunch of kids and leech off the system. but those of us who really need the help seem to get squat. we really need it. handicapped is where it's needed. >> one of the reasons i'm so strongly supporting our welfare to work program, which takes those who are able-bodied and provides them opportunities and moves them into the work force is so that there will be ample resources for the few who really cannot do for themselves and need help. >> i can't. and i'm sick and tired of seeing these women go out and buying beer and buying, you know, all of this crud with half a dozen

welfare kids, illegitimate kids, hanging on their sleeve. >> we're pushing the welfare to training and creating jobs and opportunities and also giving the support that's needed for families that are making that transition. i'm going to push that hard. let me say one other thing. i'm for an expanded war against cancer. we're increasing the research budget. >> i hope so. >> god bless you. >> my sister died of lung cancer. >> i have a small tumor and -- >> i'm so sorry. i wish you the best. >> thank you very much. >> god bless you, now. >> okay. see ya. >> thank you. thank you. >> bye, bye. see ya. >> thank you, mr. gore. president gore. >> thank you, ma'am.,i7n

>> the vice president's motorcade traveled 20 minutes south to manchester, new hat hampshire's largest city. >> hi. how are you doing? how are you doing? how old are you? how old are you, kyle? >> 10.

the next stop on the vice president's new hampshire plain was in manchester.

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vice president gore with the president. >> it's great to be back in manchester again in a living room, talking with people. i'm just thrilled to be here. i want to thank billy for being my campaign manager.!0 >> and to all of the distinguished guests which is

everybody, and to some long time friends who are here and some new acquaintances i'm meeting for the first time, i want some support in this presidential race. i'll get to the bottom line in a hurry. that's what i'm trying to say to you. i want your vote. i want your support. but i want to say a few words to some of the challengings i think we're facing in our nation, very briefly. and then i'm going to throw it open to your comments and questions and i'll do my best to respond. first of all.

>> tipper was in california speerking at the democratic state convention there. you wouldn't believe how excited she is. we're expecting our first grandchild at the end of june. so we're thrilled about that. [ applause ] pñ >> the state hosts the first presidential primary in february, 2000.zdáv

>> good to see you. how are you. >> hi, mow are you? how do you do? >> what's your name? pleasure to meet you. >> the pleasure is all mine. >> it's great to be here.

thank you.pfç >> good to meet you, too. >> hi there. the vice president's last stop of the day was anotherm private home'óçm.

thank you. i want to talk to everybody and shake hands with everybody here and then we'll figure out a way to have an open conversation here. thank you for coming this evening. jiçpxiaz

>> that's great. >> how are you been? >> terrific. >> heard a lot about you. >> hey, good luck to you. >> nice to meet you.

>> there you go. >> well, we think a lot alike then. >> thank you for coming. ñyou? >>. [ applause ] . >> all of you here this evening, i want you to understand that there's a campaign underway for

the future of america, for our future. yours and mine. and i know some of you here are supporters. some of you here are still undecided. we have the steering committee sheets that if you feel so inclined, we would really appreciate it if you would sign up and join with us in the gore 2000 effort before you leave this evening. but the choice we will all face next year is very simple. whether we will go back to the failed economic policies of reagan-bush era trickle-down. i'm not sure we would have a trickle-down anywhere. or whether we will go forward to build an even better america based on an economy of record unemployment and record growth. with record prosperity for record numbers of people without a deficit led by our next

president, now vice president, soon to be promoted. [ cheers and applause ] >> we'll take some questions, but i want to invite all of you and your families to join me and my family in supporting vice president al gore to be our next president and elect him in the year 2000. ladies and gentlemen -- >> thank you very much. thank you, chris. chris and linda have been wonderful friends to tipper and me for all these 12 years now, and i appreciate the closeness of the friendship and the loyalty and all the time we've been able to spend together. i want to thank ashley and carrison taylor who are not

here, and you have a wonderful family. and, you know, the house looks even nicer than the last time i was in it. it certainly has more people in it. and i hope all of you can hear me in the several rooms that are filled here. i do want to start with a public service announcement for tho-- those who are basketball fans, the final score is uconn 54,4fq ohio state 58. there are some fans for both here. i also want to say a serious word about a subject that's on in uniform are engaged in activity over the skies of serbia and kosovo, in the balkans. i know we all have our!ñ pilot and other personnel in our

thoughts and prayers. i just might say a brief word about that at the start, because what we're doing is trying to stop the senseless, bloody slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children. this man, the dictator in serbia, is the last communist totalitarian dictator in europe. and he's made a practice of"e[n% holding onto power among his own people by using the classic totalitarian technique of stirring up hatred of those who are ethnically different or have a different religion and then focusing the hatred and violence on those who are different, particularly those who are helpless, and they've been dragging families out of their homes and executing them. it's really a horrible scene. he started three wars already. the best known was the one in bosnia. and when nothing else worked

there, we bombed them finally because there was no other choice, and he backed off and came to the negotiating table and made peace. we hope that's what will happen this time around. we've said from the beginning that there are a lot of risks in this, it's not free from danger, and we do have our men and women in uniform in our prayers. but it would be wrong if we just stood by in the rest of the world community and allowed this to happen. because that wouldn't be true to our values and then we would be going over into this new century with a terrible precedent and a spiritual debt from the century now ending. so we're doing our best to persuade him to make peace. and if he won't make peace, we're going to try to take away his ability to make war as much as we can. and i wanted because our country is engaged in the action right now, and i want you to know those facts.

now, let me shift gears here and start with the bottom line. i would like to be your president in the year 2000. [ cheers and applause ] >> i think our first priority must be to keep our prosperity going. chris talked about all the great news here in new hampshire, and, you know, when you think back to seven years ago, new hampshire was losing 10,000 jobs a year. the unemployment rate was high, inflation was high, familiesth$ were under a lot of pressure, businesses were leaving the state. new england was in the deepest recession since the great depression of the 1930s. bill clinton and i promised economic change, and after six and a half years, we took the largest budget deficit in history left to us and now it's the largest budget surplus in history. we balanced the budget and

better for the first time in a long time. instead of losing 10,000 jobs a year, new hampshire is now gaining 12,000 jobs a year. that's quite a turnaround. [ cheers and applause ] >> the unemployment rate has gone way down, inflation is also -- well, inflation is practically zero. low unemployment and zero inflation, that's kind of what you want, and we want to keep places like berlin and goram still have high unemployment. we still have a lot to do. we need to use our prosperity to keep others from being left behind. my first priority is keeping the prosperity, and i know how to do that. i keep shaping what many is calling the strongest economy in our country. that means investing in people and opening new markets and reinventing government, dealing

with the entitlement problems in a way that keeps medicare and social security in good shape with dignity and fairness for our seniors and others who depend on those programs. and i just want to say a couple other things and then spend most of our time here responding to your comments and questions. i think our first priority for investing in the future must be education. and i believe that it is time not for incremental change, not for evolutionary improvements, but for a national crusade to principals and parents to bring about truly revolutionary, radical change to improve our public schools and make them the best.a@jt [ applause ] >> here's a couple quick ideas to illustrate what i would like to bring about.

i think we should reduce the class size not only in the first three grades. that's under debate right now. the republican senate rejected 100,000 new teachers last week thaté2h&d bring the class size down in the first three grades. our kids don't need 55 republican roadblocks, they need 100,000 new well-trained teachers to bring the class size down. but instead of doing it just in the first three grades, what i want to do, within a balanced budget, is to bring the class size down to below one teacher v 20 students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. that's the single most important change that could bring about more time for teachers to spend with their students. secondly, in this state, governor shaheen has done a great job making kindergarten accessible to all children. that's a great advance for new hampshire. here's what i would like to do. i think it's time we acted on

the exciting new knowledge we now have about the most important learning taking place in the first years of life when children's brains are developing, and really the majority of what is learned in a whole human lifetime is just in the first few years. we know that now. and we know that we can affect those first few years. what i'd like to do is to make early education and high-quality preschool available and accessible to every child in the entire united states of america. we have the capacity to do that if we put our minds to b>úkzit. now, hear me well on this. tell people that if they don't want radical, revolutionary candidate for president. [ applause ]

>> i want you to vote for me and support me, not only to be elected and lead this country but to come into office with a gather from across this country, with a clear message to everybody in america and also the members of the house and senate that are leelected in th year that what the american people have said in the election of 2000 is that they do want revolutionary change. they want it to be a priority. they want to devote the resources, and they want to shake things up and create the public private partnerships and the partnerships between government at all levels to really make it happen. now, why should this be such a priority? i think there are a couple reasons, and these are pretty obvious. anybody here can probably spell this out as well or better than me. first is, we're in an information age. we've all talked about it. it's obvious when you open the want ads and you see the

descriptions of the jobs that are open, and they ask for the ability to operate some software or some complicated computerized machine and you have to have education to take on that training. it's affecting every job. the second reason is, then52ñ generation of young people 18 and under, as of last summer just passed by the baby boom generation, and now they're the largest generation in american history. that's kind of disconcerting, chris. we were always told we were the biggest generation ever in american history. >> when i get on the scales, i'm not so sure. >> i remember a doonesbury strip from a few years ago when one character said to the other, when will we know when the baby boom is over with? and the other character said, when you read articles in the newspaper about the hot new trends in funeral homes.

i saw one of those articles the other day. i sure did. i did. well, when the baby boomers went into the schools, they were overcrowded. the world war ii veterans,3e fr from winning the war got busy and passed the g.i. bill, built new schools, hired new teachers, gave them the training, and that investment has paid great dividends for america. we need to do no less. in fact, we need to do more. so that's the single most important investment. let me just make a couple more points quickly. empowering individuals with education and job training is crucial. but it's high time we also recognize the crucial role that families play. because too often when we try to address problems and seize opportunities, we focus on the individuals and we ignore the role their families are playing in providing them support in places where healing can take i'll give you a quick example. yesterday in portsmouth, i had a

wonderful forum on long-term care. a woman who was taking care of a relative with a very difficult problem needs relief. she's the primary caregiver. she wants adult daycare, respite care, just so she can recharge her batteries, so she can get a little break. but if she does that, then her husband loses eligibility for some of the medical benefits that can help defray the expenses. why? because the programs are both focused on the individual and don't take into account the crucial role that the family is playing, and the family needs help and support, recognition and respect. that's true in our hospitals, it's true in our schools, it's true of our communities all across the board. i believe we can make those changes. one of the things families need is access to quality health care. that's one of the reasons why i want to pass this health care

patients bill of rights. [ applause ] >> somebody told me a story the other day, chris, about three neighbors who died and went to heaven. it wasn't on this block. and they met st. peter at the gate, and st. peter interviewed the first one and said, what did you do on earth? and she said, i was a doctor. i cured the sick all my life. st. peter said, well, come on in. interviewed the second one, what did you do? he said, i was a teacher. i taught children all my life. st. peter said, come on in. went to the third one, what did you do on earth? he looked a little sheepish and he said, i ran an hmo. and st. peter paused and thought about it. he said, well, come on in, but you can only stay three days.

[ applause ] >> the republicans have heard you on this subject, and so they quickly come up with their own bill of rights. but it's not real. they don't cover 100 million americans, they don't give a right to appeal. it's a bill of goods, as others have said, rather than a bill of rights. so distinguish between the two and remember the difference, and when you see theirs, think of the old story about the t taxidermist and the veterinarian who went into business together, and they put a sign out in front of their joint establishment that said, either way you get your dog back. there is a difference. we want the real one. and it's time these life and death decismxx are no longer made by hmo bureaucrats who

medicine and who don't have a right to play god. we want these decisions made by doctors. [ applause ] >> we need support for long-term care, and help for family services who need these mental health care services. they should be more widely available. now, final point. we also need to respect the right of families to help shape the communities where they live and the regions where their communities are located and to have clean air, clean water, a beautiful environment of the kind that attracts a lot of new businesses here in new hampshire and brings in the tourism dollars. the economy and the environment are connected. we need livable communities and a livable world.

part of what that means is focusing investment in the heart of our cities and not soaking the taxpayers to replicate expensive water and sewer power lines out in the cornfields and pasture land and pull the lifeblood away from the heart of the cities and create more congestion and traffic and hurting the quality of life there and putting pressure on the farmers and eating up the open space. we can have a more sensible, smart growth in our country. last point. i believe that what we're facing right now is not only the beginning of a new century, the beginning of a new millennium, but really and truly the beginning of a whole new era in human history. i really believe that. it's not only the information age, the world is coming together. and we're seeing people on every continent look to the united states for leadership. we can see the old passing away

arrivi. i feel it in my own life arrivi. because, as i told a group a couple weeks ago, i lost my father three months ago. he lived his 91 years all in the 20th century, and this june our oldest daughter is expecting our first grandchild at the end of june. i was talking to some of you about that as i went around the room. the kind of world that these children, who will live almost their entire lives in the 21st century, the kind of world they live in is up to us. the united states of america is unique in the world in its mandate to form a more perfect union, to reach out for the values upon which our nation is based and which live in our hearts. we care about the kind of people we are and the kind of country we are. we have a chance in this election in the year 2000 to start this new era with a fresh

determination, to make of our nation what our founders knew it could one day become and what we know in our hearts itu'suñ must become. i would like to be your president to lead us toward that future. [ applause ] >> questions, comments? yes. >> mr. vice president, is there anything that can be done to make college more affordable to the average family? >> absolutely. >> what? >> well, we have right now -- we've expanded the pell grants, we've expanded student loans, we've lowered the interest rate, we've put hope scholarships into effect, tax credit.

we've tried opening access to junior colleges, universities and colleges of all kinds to every single family. i would be glad to follow up with you personally. i have people here who can help to locate particular options. but i believe that it's an investment that pays off just as the ones i'm talking about for elementary and secondary school. and we want to make it possible for every family to afford higher education. yeah. right here. >> while i agree with your vision that lower class sizes are very important, i'm not sure that i can agree that they're always the most important from the aspect of providing quality education for our kids, primarily because the federal government in its wisdom over the last few years has been developing things which they call special education laws,

which they keep mandating on our school districts and then. [ inaudible ] has somebody considered allowing the school districts to spend this money that the federal government wants to give the districts to develop quality education to spend in the way they feel is appropriate? >> i don't think we should put the special education needs and the needs for improving the quality of education for all students into conflict one with another. [ applause ] >> it is true that when the special education programs were passed, the promise was held out to local districts that the federal government would bear a larger share of the burden. and i think it should. and i think when we elevate the priority placed on education, we will be able to help more with

these particular challenges. but bear this in mind as well. some of the new efforts that we have started and the ones that i want to start, like early education and preschool t)x accessible to all will sharply reduce the need for special education because it will[p)hñ identify and correct a lot of the problems that later require special education when they can still be prevented and remedied early on. they shouldn't be in conflict. they should both be pursued together. but i want you to know i'm keenly aware of the concerns you have as a school board member. i know the burdens you're laboring under, and i would like to see the national government in partnership with you to help with those burdens. yes. >> thank you. this is a lob for you. >> a tennis lob.

okay. >> there is a wide belief that there is overwhelming cynicism about the political system. and it's linked to the way financing campaigns affect the legislative process. and you probably know there is a guy running for the same thing you are as a democrat, and he's got some support in new hampshire. democrats, people i know who think he offers an alternative because he plans to follow a regime of campaign financing that is different fromxe+$ the . how do you answer those concerns of these people who are worried about the legacy of campaign financing? >> well, first of all, i announced at the beginning of my

effort that i would go beyond the requirements -- only the requirements of the law and that i will refuse to accept any political action committee contributions, and as the law requires, of course i will refuse to accept any contributions of more than $1,000 per vaf,qperson. i will accept those. but beyond that, they are stricter laws, even stricter than those required by the law. but i think the law needs to be upgraded and reformed dramatically. i served as a representative for eight years, and i served in the senate for eight years, and in both those jobs, i drafted and introduced campaign legislation. one of the positions i called

for in my legislation was to say that television and radio broadcast stations ought to be required as a condition of their license to give free time for the discussion of campaigns. because more than half of all the money in campaigns goes to buy back the public's airwaves 30 seconds at a time. and so if during election years, this was made available for the exercise of our democracy, that would go a long way toward solving the problem. i also believe that we ought to sharply reduce, and in many cases, eliminate some of the pac and special interest funding that's part of other campaigns, not mine. so i'm very strongly in favor of campaign finance reform, and if you give me your vote as president of the united states, i will make that a priority and we will work to make it happen.

now, over here. yes.d7çu >> the administration put forward the recommendation of a milli million dollars defense budget. (jt)jt technology and t would come back to society. things like that are part of the defense budget so they can actually move things forward. >> yes, they are. some elements in the defense budgets do address some of the new technologies that will have other uses beyond military uses. but we're also pursuing these new technological breakthroughs in other ways. i personally negotiated an  three big auto companies to create a new kind of automobile that gets three times the fuel efficiency,

and maybe better than that, at the same price and the same comfort level as current automobiles. and you may have noticed, in fact, just last week, daimler chrysler came out with this new fuel cell car, and the pollution it emits is water and air. that's okay. that's okay. i don't worry about that. and this is important not only for the environment but also for the economy. because as i mentioned at the start, the world is changing radically. one of the changes that has big implications for us is that the world is gaining a billion people net every 10 years now, and 95% of them -- that's another china every decade. and 95% of them are in the urban areas of the less developed countries. and in a lot of those mega cities, lagos, nigeria, brazil,

bangkok, thailand, jakarta, they óx poll. and the health burdens are quite acute. they won't hire standards of living without adding to the pollution. new technologies play a prominent role in all of their plans. where are they going to buy the technology? we would like to make it and sell it to them and create a lot of good, new jobs here in new hampshire and around the country. new hampshire has the highest percentage of high-tech jobs of any state in the union today. so investing in these -- do we have a technology company over here? anyway, i went to the new expansion of pc connection over in dover yesterday. yes, please. >> i attended an epa conference in boston that was talked about.

first of all, i was overwhelmed by the attendance. there were probably over 1200 people at that conference, and i know epa is sponsoring that. we recognize in the state the governor, and i believe our legislature is recognizing that we need to do something. our communities are starting to recognize that. is the federal government going -- would you suggest that the federal government become a partner with us by helping us out with funding of these purchases of open space so that we can maintain our liveability? >> absolutely. i have proposed, and the administration has put forward in the budget better america bonds which will give local communities enhanced financial ability to preserve open space and to preserve environmentally valuable areas and to limit the kind of sprawl that really hurts the quality of life in communities. in addition, we're aggressively

pushing proposals that will stimulate5)úcñ the development so-called brown fields. in every city you've got these areas, buildings or lots that have some kind of environmental problem. they've been vacant for a long time, they're eyesores. nobody wants to invest them or near them because it looks like the place is going downhill. but when you turn that around and clean them up adequately to predictable standards, then all of a sudden it becomes the most valuable real estate in the community because it's in a prime location. and then it becomes a magnet for new investment and new jobs. i mentioned the stop in dover where the pc connections, the shield environmental and some of the other companies that were there. that's in an old mill building that's 175 years old. and now it's coming back to life, all knees youthese young

high-tech companies excited about what they're doing, earning good pay, and it's expanding rapidly. and it's in the heart of the city. if you have the investment in morocco hee co here ens -- cohe. then you don't have a company giving more money for pastureland when it already exists in the city, and you're not adding to the traffic and the sprawl in the suburbs that crowds them out and hurts their quality of life. it's an economic benefit to the community and an environmental benefit. you bet, we want to be partners with communities that are pursuing it. yes? >> a little bit of change of pace, if i may. >> sure. is this a lob or a drive?

>> we were in washington last weekend and we went by your residence. as we went by, i happened to think of all the changes you and your family have experienced in the past six years. i wonder from a positive aspect, what has been the most pleasant surprise as vice president? what is something oyou've been very surprised at? >> i guess the most meaningful experience i've had is one that billy shaheen went through two years ago also, when i was the father of the bride. and now we're both expecting our first grandchildren this summer, and that's by all odds the most important. we have watched our four children grow up, we've watched three of them leave our home, two are still in college. we have one in high school still at home. and it's a great blessing. tipper and i will celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary this

coming may. [ applause ] >> she's been out in california today speaking in sacramento at the democratic state convention, and she's on the airplane flying back to washington right now, and she and i are going to get back there just about the same but those are the changes that have been most important, most significant to me. itself, it's been very fulfilling to be able to take on a lot of work that you know is making a difference for people. and one of my favorite parts of the bible is where it says, whatsoever the hand finds to do,

do it with=ñ thy might. this job makes it feel like you do a lot for people, and i love it. it's very fulfilling. but i know how much more good you can do as president. i would like to thank all of you for coming. i appreciate the standing ovations. i do want you to know that i'm grateful to you not only for your presence here, but for your participation in the process. you know, in the last election in november, only 36% of americans went out to the polls. you are actively involved. it means so much. we need to reconnect the american spirit with the body politic. we need to reestablish the universal belief by americans and the integrity of representative democracy. and the fact that it has deep meaning for the way each of us

can shape the future of this nation. i know in my heart that with your help and your confidence, i can bring that to pass in this country. those of you who are supporting me, thank you. those of you who have come here uncommitted, i want your support. i want your vote. i would like you to talk to others and>u ask them to suppor my candidacy for president of the united states. i need your help, and i promise you that with your help, we will create in this nation the kind of 21st century our children deserve. thank you for coming. [ applause ] >> this sunday night on q & a,

michael ramirez on his career and his recent book on satirical cartoons. >> i have this figure that's kind of a conglomeration of extremist israeli settlers and ÷ palestinian figure. if you'll notice, he's on a prayer rug, but he has his shoes on, so both these figures are sort of utilizing a false religion for a political purpose. so it just proves that once again i am an equal opportunity offender. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific. on cspan's q & a. this weekend on c-span's cities tour along with our comcast cable partners, we'll explore the history and literary life of oakland, california. on book tv we'll visit marcus books, known as the oldest, independent black bookstore and talk with blanch richardson

about the history of the store and its importance in the community as a symbol of the women's rights movement. >> it was started in 1960 by my parents, doctors ray and julian richardson. their purpose was to offer this resource to the community feeling that black people needed a place to go where they could learn about themselves from other black people, mostly. and so it was a service they were providing to the community but also to the community at large because the more1:r othe cultures knowqhf@ñ about black people, the better it is for everybody as well. >> on american history tv, take a trip to oakland's chinatown neighborhood and learn about the history of the chinese in the east bay area. william g. wong, author of "yellow journalist," shares the

history of the area and his experience as a chinese american growing up in the chinatown neighborhood. >> in april of 1906, a huge earthquake on the san andreas fault destroyed records at san francisco city hall, birth and death records. here is an opportunity for chinese in the bay area of san francisco and oakland to say, hey, our birth records and death records, whether they were there in san francisco or not, are no longer existent. maybe we can come up with some ideas and some plans and some schemes to tell the government that we were born in san francisco. that began the entire paper sun's scheme that allowed chinese living in the united states to say that they were born here in the united states, and that they had children in china and they would like to

sponsor those children in china and family in china to come to the united states. so a number ofrr chinese came during the post-1906 earthquake period, including my father. >> this weekend watch c-span cities tour to oakland beginning on saturday at noon eastern, and sunday afternoon at 2:00 on american history tv on c-span3. the c-span cities tour working with our cable affiliates and visiting cities across the country. each week until the 2016 presidential election, american history tv brings you archival candidates. next on "road to the white house rewi rewind," we look back to the 1988 campaign and republican donald rumsfeld discussing his presidential aspirations at a meeting of the eastern states sign council in manchester, new

hampshire. mr. rumsfeld dropped out of the '88ry presidential race about three weeks after this event. [ applause ] >> dick, i thank you very much for that fine introduction. ladies and gentlemen, i'm delighted to be with you for the eastern states sign"1ñ council seminar. i listened to that introduction and it reminded me that i mentioned one time that i was a new grandfather. i think the granddaughter was born in august of last year, so six months, something like that. and a man came up to med4ps afterwards and he said, mr. rumsfeld, how old is your granddaughter? i said, two or three months old. and she said, you're not a grandfather. i said, what do you mean, i'm not a