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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Focus Economy Opinion Culture Features Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Who cares about perjury?
Just bribe the poorPRESIDENT Bill Clinton delivered his annual State of the Union Address amid much pomp and fanfare, as his team of lawyers addressed the Senate, defending the president against charges of "perjury" and "obstruction of justice". While the president boasted of how well the country had done under his leadership and how the American people had progressed since he took office in 1992, US senators were debating whether or not to remove him from office.
photo: AFPOn foreign policy, Clinton stressed the importance of fighting what he termed "global terrorism". He also urged the Senate to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, arguing that America must expand cooperation and assistance to Russia and other former Soviet republics to strengthen the safety and security of nuclear stockpiles.
In a desperate attempt to ignore the drama unfolding on Capitol Hill, Clinton said his fiscal 2000 budget, which will be announced next month, will seek tax incentives to encourage Wall Street to invest in rural and inner-city communities. Clinton also embraced a higher minimum wage proposal sponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy, a Massachussetts Democrat.
The Clinton administration's educational priorities were also outlined: to hold states and school districts accountable for the achievements of students and teachers. Clinton's threat to withhold some federal education money from states that fail to set standards won the enthusiastic approval of a key labour constituency: the American Federation of Teachers. Clinton proposed a tax credit of up to $500 per child, age one or younger, to offset costs for parents who stayed at home to look after their kids. The proposal is part of a larger child care package that seeks $18 billion over five years to help poor working families.
In this picture, the First Lady, the staunchest backer of her husband's education and pro-poor policies, looks on (approvingly?) as he speaks to the nation.
