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1996 State of the Union Address: Crime/Drug War (Paragraphs 49-58) Summary

Street Cleaners

  • In the early '90s, high rates of violent crime became a big issue for voters. Clinton begins this by pointing to statistics showing murder rates falling.
  • Clinton touts the successes of the 1994 crime bill, which funded the hiring of thousands of new police.
  • He adds a note about the Brady bill. In a later presidential debate with Bob Dole, Clinton would brag about taking on the National Rifle Association, the nation's most powerful firearms advocacy group.
  • Clinton urges stricter enforcement of sentences for felonies, and suggests strengthening prosecutions against adult teenagers for violent crimes.
  • It's time to talk about drugs. Clinton praises programs like D.A.R.E., which focuses on drug-use prevention at the grade-school level.
  • Clinton appoints Barry McCaffrey as his new drug czar. A "czar" is a name for high-level cabinet members in charge of the president's various programs (in this case, waging the War on Drugs).