Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / May 19 the Federal Government fails to act, the best We know what works. Our schools, our edu- of these practices will spread, but much more cators have shown us what works. It is time slowly. Just remember, it took 100 years for to put that as a condition of success in the laws mandating universal education to spread investment of Federal aid in every child in from a few States to every State. That pace America. And I want to thank the Secretary of change might have been all right in the 19th of Education and Mr. Reed and everyone else century; it won’t do in the 21st. We do not who has worked on this program. have the luxury of waiting and continuing to Thank you very much. subsidize failure. Nothing we can do will more surely unite NOTE: The President spoke at 8:40 a.m. on the our people and strengthen our Nation than giv- South Lawn at the White House, prior to his de- ing all of our children a high-quality education. parture for New York City. Remarks at the Launching of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation in New York City May 19, 1999 Thank you very much. Chairman Gargano, stopped Pat Moynihan from bringing this day Governor, Secretary Slater, thank you all for all to pass. you have done to make this day come to pass. Throughout his public career, which has I thank the leaders of Amtrak, the MTA, the spanned so many different jobs in so many dif- Port Authority, the Post Office; Mr. Peck, the ferent places in the United States and abroad, Commissioner of Public Buildings; the distin- Senator Moynihan has always cared about pre- guished architect who has drawn a beautiful serving our history and our spirit through our plan. Speaker Vallone, Mr. Green, Senator great buildings. Nearly 40 years ago, President D’Amato, thank you for pushing this. And Mrs. Kennedy challenged him to revitalize Washing- Moynihan, you haven’t yet been acknowledged, ton’s Pennsylvania Avenue, to bring back civic but you had a lot to do with the arm twisting pride to the heart of our Nation’s Capital. He on this, and I thank you, too. Thank you very never gave up on that goal, a job he completed much. with the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Build- Senator Moynihan has been called the Na- ing a year ago this month. tion’s best thinker among politicians since Lin- Thirty-five years ago, when I went to Wash- coln, and its best politician among thinkers since ington, DC, for the first time as a wide-eyed Jefferson. Today we might say he also may be college student, Pennsylvania Avenue was a the best arm twister since Farley. [Laughter] mess and a disaster. Today, it is a tribute to You know, it was said that Jim Farley actually our history, to our values, and to our future, knew the names of 50,000 people by heart. Pat thanks to the vision of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan knows 50,000 ways to get any politi- Moynihan. cian to do what he wants. [Laughter] Many people also forget that in addition to I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the helping to rescue Union Station in Washington fact that he gave me an opportunity to be a and Grand Central Station here—which he was small part of this day and this project. For dec- whispering in my ear about while we were wait- ades he has worked to give voice to the dreams ing for our turn—back in 1962 he authored of New Yorkers, to create a new Penn Station the wise principles that guide the Federal Gov- truly worthy of the name and of this wonderful ernment’s architecture decisions today. In the city. words of your distinguished architect, David If I can borrow a few words from the famous Childs, Senator Moynihan is a true inspiration inscription on this building: Neither snow, nor to everyone working in architecture and urban rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night could have design. 805 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 11:57 Mar 19, 2001 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00805 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 C:\99PUBPAP\99PUBPAP.TXT txed01 PsN: txed01 May 19 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 This latest project also, as he and others have come to the old Penn Station in the afternoon said, is an example of how this Senator and just to dream about what it would be like to his allies have also fundamentally changed the get on the train, and watching the crowds go way we invest in transportation. He has secured by. vast resources not simply for concrete and for When I was a young man, I used to go to mass transit but for communities, for historic train stations and watch people and wonder preservation, and for advanced technologies to what they were doing, where they were going, meet the 21st century needs of America. and I always felt better when I walked out than I thank him and Senator D’Amato and Sec- when I walked in. I’ll bet nearly everybody here retary Slater for fighting to see that we did has had a similar experience. not turn the transportation bill in Washington Now, Mr. Childs’ design is not intended to into just another road-building bill, without any replicate the old Penn Station, but it will have, concerns for the needs of urban America and as you see, the same stunning effect for every- others who need mass transit, intermodal trans- one. Here in this beautiful McKim, Mead, and portation, and a broader vision of how we will White building the Postal Service has graciously reconcile our desire to have livable, sustainable now agreed to share, this design will take the communities and to get around in a hurry. He best elements of the past and create a remark- did that, along with the others, and I thank able station for the future. them all. New York can be very, very proud Of course, there will be some hurdles—the of every one of them. environmental and historic preservation require- Let me finally say that this Penn Station— ments, which I’m quite certain will be met— I was astonished by how brief Senator Moynihan but the other hurdle is money. One of Clinton’s was, but I noticed that the closer he comes laws of politics is, if someone stands up and to getting his way, the shorter his speeches get. shakes his finger and says to you, ‘‘This is not [Laughter] Back in ’93, when he first talked a money problem’’ he is almost always talking to me about it, I got the whole load of wax, about someone else’s problem. [Laughter] I man. [Laughter] I knew everybody—I knew the want to do what I can to help close the funding people who had planted the explosives on Penn gap. I will ask the Congress to increase the Station in the sixties. [Laughter] I knew the Federal commitment to this project by $60 mil- whole history of the thing. And as we made lion over the next 3 years. progress, you know, his words became fewer As a tribute to Senator Moynihan, and be- as his satisfaction increased. But I think it’s cause it’s the right thing to do, I hope that worth noting that this journey to this moment Members in both parties, in both Houses, will has not only been a public service but a point join with me to secure this funding. We’re not of personal pride for this quintessential New quite there yet. Others will have to do more Yorker and American. as well. But if we all do our part, we can honor Senator Moynihan grew up in this neighbor- one of the first great buildings of the 20th cen- hood, shined shoes around the corner. As a tury and create the first great public building young ensign, he used to fall asleep in the rooms of the 21st century. In so doing, New York off Penn Station’s grand ticketing hall as he once again can provide a model for the entire waited for his train back to Norfolk. Grand pub- Nation. lic buildings like the old Penn Station and the The First Lady and I have worked very hard New York Public Library became like home, to help communities to honor the past and pre- especially for a boy whose family kept moving serve it as part of our gift to the new millen- to a new apartment just about every year. nium. Just today she awarded the first Save I tell you this story not only to capture what America’s Treasures grants to help meet urgent this journey must mean for him but to remind preservation needs across our Nation, from con- us of the fundamental significance of our great serving the second largest collection of Thomas public buildings, because whether you are a Jefferson’s personal correspondence to restoring wealthy industrialist or just a person with a few Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Ebenezer Baptist dollars to your name, you can feel ennobled, Church. as people did—ordinary citizens and great ones I know our Nation is still young, and some- alike—in the old glass and steel cathedral that times still we lose sight of the enormous value was Penn Station. People without tickets could of the history that is embodied in our buildings, 806 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 11:57 Mar 19, 2001 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00806 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 C:\99PUBPAP\99PUBPAP.TXT txed01 PsN: txed01 Administration of William J.