LETTERS: CLINTON'S RECORD

To the editor:

March was Women's History Month, and we want to highlight the Clinton administration's accomplishments on behalf of women and their families.

The first bill President Clinton signed was the Family and Medical Leave Act allowing 43 million workers to care for children or sick loved ones without losing their jobs. He also cut red tape to better protect public health and the food we eat, and he advocates a violence chip on TV so parents can better control the programs their children watch.

The Clinton administration put children first by investing in education and adding 32,000 children to Head Start in 1996, initiating Goals 2000 to reform education by establishing national standards for more than 8 million children in 17,000 schools, and cutting red tape in the student college loan program, which saved taxpayers and students $6.8 billion.

The Democratic administration has helped more women achieve economic security by increasing Small Business Administration loans to women, assisting those in low-paying jobs by expanding the earned-income tax credit, and made the federal government a model employer in enforcing child-support payments.

President Clinton made sure women's health was a priority by increasing funding for breast cancer research by 65 percent, lifting the gag rule so women can have the information they need to make reproductive choices and supporting programs to help reduce teen pregnancy and discourage teen smoking.

Finally, under President Clinton's leadership, women's safety has increased through the Violence Against Women Act, the first comprehensive federal effort to fight domestic violence, and the Brady Bill, which keeps handguns out of the reach of criminals.

These accomplishments are why President Bill Clinton has our vote in 1996.

SUSAN ESTES, President

Cape Girardeau County Democratic Women's Club