George Bush Sr. on Welfare & Poverty President of the U.S., 1989-1993; Former Republican Rep. (TX)

1968: Supported open housing (against racial discrimination)

George was expected to oppose the Fair Housing Act in 1968. But his Houston district was so safe that he could easily vote for open housing without facing political consequences.

As the years passed, George tended to recall his stand for open housing as if it signaled some lone act of stupendous bravery instead of a rare attempt to do the right thing--and suffer no political repercussions. He had been one of nine Texas congressman to vote for the bill, but he frequently forgot to mention the other eight.

1964: Opposed War on Poverty

1,000 points of light: volunteerism against social ills

It was this very unshackling of volunteerism that President George H. W. Bush had meant by his "thousand points of light," a theme echoed by Newt Gingrich. A society committed to individual responsibility and reliance on God rather than slavish reliance on government gave conservatives a blueprint for genuine reform.

Create enterprise zones, but not via tax increases

BUSH: Our enterprise zones that we hear a lot of lip service about in Congress would bring jobs into the inner city. I went out to South Central in Los Angeles; all of them were saying, "pass enterprise zones." Very difficult to get it through the Congress. But there's going to be a new Congress. And then you can sit down and say, "Help me do what we should for the cities. Help me pass these programs."

Q: Aren't you threatening to veto the urban aid bill, that included enterprise zones?

BUSH: Sure, but the problem is you get so many things included in a great big bill that you have to look at the overall good. If you had a line-item veto, you could knock out the pork. You could knock out the tax increases, and you could create enterprise zones.

CLINTON: That bill pays for these urban enterprise zones by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more, and that's why he wants to veto it. This is not mud slinging. This is fact slinging.

Places of worship lead members to light of service

"In a community of light, people would discover the fulfillment that comes with helping others. In a community of light, each school, business, place of worship, and group would lead its members towards the light of service as equal partners in solving social problems. In a community of light, people would use their ingenuity, experience, and passion to find solutions that work for their neighborhoods, their communities. They would adapt other people's successful efforts to meet their needs, or if necessary, they would craft their own."
(Radio address to the nation on the Daily Points of Light Program.)

Thousand Points of Light: volunteers better than government

1000 points of light: replace spending with volunteers

I am speaking of a new engagement in the lives of others, a new activism, hands-on and involved, that gets the job done.

I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good. I will go to the people and the programs that are the brighter points of light, and I will ask every member of my government to become involved. The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.