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Q. Aside from people who are rich, will any group of Americans get less under either a Tsongas or Clinton presidency? Farmers, welfare recipients, anybody? Or is this a free ride?
TSONGAS: No. I have a gasoline tax that says we need an energy policy. The fact is that you have to have energy policies, you have to pay for your mass transit. I have paid the price politically for that. Who else would be hurt? Dan Quayle would be hurt. I don't think he could make that kind of money in the private sector.
CLINTON: I would ask you not to set false dichotomies. It's not who gets less or more. My plan will create more millionaires, but they will only make money the old-fashioned way -- by investing in our people and our products. What I want to do is offer everybody more opportunity and demand more responsibility.
If you are in business and you run a big company, I will say, "We are going to give you more incentives to invest in this country, fewer incentives to move your plants overseas or to have unwarranted executive compensation unrelated to corporate performance."
I want to say to workers, "I want to give you affordable health insurance, lifetime training and education, sensible economic policy. You have got to change the work rules, and you have got to be willing to continually educate yourself, or there is nothing I can do for you. You will still lose your jobs or have lower income." I want to say to people on welfare, "I want to give you more education and training, but you have to go to work when you can."
So it's not, Are you going to get less or more?; it's, How are we all going to get more? And the answer is, You have got to have opportunity and responsibility, and you have got to have policies that recognize the global economy.