Gore Advocates Empowerment

Vice President Al Gore '69 introduced a three-step plan to empower inner-city and poverty-stricken communities in a speech yesterday at the Kennedy School of Government.

"Communities are suffering from a vicious tautology: failure that feeds upon failure," Gore said. "The result: communities where drug dealers are role models and where kids plan their own funerals."

Before an audience of more than 500 students and faculty from the College and the Kennedy School, Gore unveiled plans to decentralize the government and eliminate bureaucracy.

"We don't have bad federal workers. We do have workers trapped in bad systems," Gore said. "That's got to change. America doesn't have a person to waste."

Gore praised a $3.5 billion package to support 9 empowerment zones and 95 communities that was recently passed by Congress. In January, communities will begin to propose plans that will fulfill a set of criteria for revitalization devised by the administration, the vice president said.

Gore said all communities should pursue their plans, even if they don't receive federal funding. The vice president compared the situation facing these communities to the story of Dumbo and his magic feather.

"One day [Dumbo] dropped the feather--and discovered he could fly anyway," Gore said. "The secret wasn't his feather--but his big ears."

Audience members erupted in laughter at the line, and Gore later said he was not intentionally mocking 1992 presidential candidate Ross Perot.

In addition, Gore compared his plan to improve each community differently to a good-fitting suit.

"Until this decade, social services have come in only a few sizes," he said. "We don't have to do that anymore. We think we have the capacity to empower each community with a tailor-made response."

Gore also emphasized the importance of investing in the "human infrastructure of America: our workforce."

Government programs for family preservation, immunization, education and especially health care must receive public and financial support to ensure the future success of the country, Gore said.

The vice president said those who doubt the possibility for change should consider that "A decade ago, who would have thought that the Berlin Wall would have fallen? That Nelson Mandela would be free? That Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat would shake hands on the White House lawn?"

The vice president concluded his speech by saying that students must continue the process of improving their communities by learning from the mistakes made currently by government.

"And if part of learning is the knowledge thatthere is no magic feather," said Gore, "Well, partof it is also learning that there really are waysto fly."

The speech was followed by a question andanswer session in which most questions wereunrelated to the community empowerment issues.

Students interviewed said they generallyapproved of Gore's plan.

"I was really impressed," Bianca E. Regalado'94 said. "He made me believe that thisadministration is really committed to gettingthings done."

"He chose to publicly unveil his proposal, andit was neat to be a part of it," said Trey Grayson'94, the vice chair of the student advisorycommittee of the Institute of Politics

"And if part of learning is the knowledge thatthere is no magic feather," said Gore, "Well, partof it is also learning that there really are waysto fly."

The speech was followed by a question andanswer session in which most questions wereunrelated to the community empowerment issues.

Students interviewed said they generallyapproved of Gore's plan.

"I was really impressed," Bianca E. Regalado'94 said. "He made me believe that thisadministration is really committed to gettingthings done."

"He chose to publicly unveil his proposal, andit was neat to be a part of it," said Trey Grayson'94, the vice chair of the student advisorycommittee of the Institute of Politics