President Clinton visits Kansas
Leader speaks at K-State about national and international relations
Former president honors troops in audience from Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth for their efforts and commitment.
Monday, March 5th, 2007
Photo by Amanda Sellers
President Clinton lectures Friday at Bramlage Coliseum at Kansas State University about his concern for global issues. He said that every citizen has the responsibility of improving the world.
MANHATTAN — Former President Bill Clinton said his lecture was going to be a trip through his mind.
“It might be scary,” Clinton said during his visit to Bramlage Coliseum at Kansas State University.
Clinton spoke to about 9,000 people Friday in Manhattan about national and international relations. He said the line between the two was fading. Clinton said every concerned citizen, regardless of political party or anything else, needed a framework for understanding how local actions affected global issues and vice versa.
“I think we have to take care of us too, but we can’t take care of America’s next generation unless we take care of the world,” he said.
Clinton said he questioned himself regularly about how his actions affected a changing world. He said interdependence and sustainability were always outcomes he tried to reach.
“The world we live in today, we just, we can’t keep going this way,” he said.
Clinton cited top-soil erosion and under-stocked fishing areas as evidence of climate change, which he said was the predominant reason for instability.
He also said that unlike the previous century, Americans constantly felt vulnerable because of Sept. 11 and fear of incurable diseases like the bird flu.
He said America needed a strong security policy to enforce and help create a more sustainable world. Then, he pointed to a group of several hundred soldiers from Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth who attended the lecture.
“We have to have a security policy like these people,” Clinton said, and the coliseum erupted into applause.
He then said that during times of conflict, the military could only be successful if the U.S. had strong diplomatic solutions and strove for peace at the same time.
We can’t keep going with the health care system we’ve got.
-former President Bill Clinton
“You always got to have politics at work with the military,” he said.
That part of the lecture hit home for Spc. Robert Mather, who is stationed at Fort Riley.
Mather said he liked that Clinton gave soldiers a lot of credit during his speech. He particularly enjoyed when Clinton pushed for diplomacy instead of violence when dealing with a restless Middle East.
“That means we don’t have to leave our families and go do a bunch of nonsense,” Mather said.
Another big issue for Clinton was universal health-care coverage.
“We can’t keep going with the health care system we’ve got,” Clinton said.
He said that 60 percent of an American’s income was spent on health care, and that no other developed nation spent more than 11 percent. He also said the U.S. insured 84 percent of its citizens while all other developed nations were able to insure all of their citizens.
Clinton also touched on public education, job growth and the increasing role of technology in the workplace while fielding several questions from the audience.
He ended his lecture by asking the audience who was responsible for improving the world.
“Whether in or out of government, you are,” Clinton said.
Kansan staff writer Tyler Harbert can be contacted at tharbert@kansan.com.
— Edited by Carissa Pedigo
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