Clinton marks his library's 5th anniversary

By By Chuck Bartels, The Associated Press

Bill Clinton marked the fifth anniversary of his presidential library Wednesday with a call for the nation to reform its health care system and energy use, and for Americans to “do what the times demand.”

Clinton said an impediment to change is that the nation’s health and energy institutions are too rigid to reform. He said that in poor countries he visits, often what communities need are “elemental health systems” rather than specific treatments for disease.

In wealthy nations, the systems themselves are often the source of problems.

“They’ve had the institutions for so long that the people running them have forgotten what they were set up to do in the first place. They are more interested in preserving the prerogative of the institution than advancing the purpose for which the institution was established,” Clinton said. “It has been a common problem since the dawn of civilization.”

Clinton said he wants visitors to his library, no matter their political views, to leave with a sense that the political process is important.

“There really are consequences to who’s in government. It matters who does what,” Clinton said. “Cynicism is not an option.”

He told the audience of 1,000 that the nation has to be willing to make major changes in its economy and government, or otherwise throw hundreds of billions of dollars away on an inefficient health care system and on antiquated energy use.

“The legacy of this library is, the American people can always be forever young as long as they’re not afraid to do what the times demand,” Clinton said.

The library, which opened in 2004 to great fanfare but in a cold, drenching rain, added a large tent for Wednesday’s ceremony.

“Five years ago, that was a real character builder. I was trying to think of what the cosmic significance of the flood was,” Clinton said. “Some crank said (the library building) looked like an elevated house trailer, and when it had rained enough I said I wished it looked like Noah’s ark because we were going to need it.”

No rain fell during Wednesday’s ceremony, but temperatures were in the 40s under cloudy skies.

Other speakers, including many area leaders on a video presentation, noted the effect the library has had on Little Rock, helping build the economy and enhancing the cultural reputation of the community. Clinton noted that 13 saplings from the tree that the young Holocaust diarist Anne Frank saw from her attic hideout are being distributed, and that two are to be planted in Little Rock: one at his library and one at Central High School.

“That ought to tell you something about the message all of you have been sending out,” said Clinton, who added he didn’t lobby for the saplings.

The former president said that he wants his library to be the site of more conferences in the next five years, helping to promote ideas on lifting people out of poverty and improving health.

He also announced that work will start next year on improving the old Rock Island Railroad bridge, which spans the Arkansas River at the library grounds. The bridge will be converted to a pedestrian walkway, another link in the chain of trails that go through cities and wilderness on both sides of the river.

The library building has won awards for its energy-saving design, and Clinton said he wants to improve on that in the years ahead.

“I will never be fully satisfied here until this whole area is self-contained in terms of the production of clean energy or (is) more efficient,” he said.

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quiet4us2 says...

And the shame this state and country has had to live with since he was first elected. And now an even bigger moron is driving in the last nail to close the lid on the coffin holding this country hostage. I use to be a proud American. Not anymore.I don't even fly my flag in my front yard anymore. I will in 2012 when we can finally get this occupation over with. Please Mike Huckabee consider running for president and save this country while we still can. God not that make believe pagan god allah will bless this country soon. Very soon.

November 18, 2009 at 9:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

afunguy1 says...

Bill Clinton and his entourage were at Vino's last night. Everybody had a wonderful time and he did a reading of Dotty Oliver's "Mistress of the Misunderstood". He said it was one of the best books that he has read lately. Say what you want about Bill Clinton, but it was during his presidency that I prospered economically the most. He also knows how to enjoy life!!

November 19, 2009 at 7:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

marvincampbell_ca.rr.com says...

I too prospered most vigorously during Bill's tenure as POTUS.
His two biggest mistakes were the Telecommunications Act Of 1996, and NAFTA, but everybody's jumping off that global bandwagon these days. Seems that "service economy" never really panned out, for us, anyway. Too bad nobody listened to Ross Perot as there certainly was a huge "sucking sound" as all the jobs left this country.

November 19, 2009 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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