Pete Wilson for President 1996 Campaign Brochure

‘REAFFIRMING LIBERTY’

The Power of Ideas

The Courage to Make Them Happen

A FORMER MARINE AND U.S. SENATOR, PETE WILSON IS NOW SERVING HIS SECOND TERM AS GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.

LIBERTY AND OPPORTUNITY ARE AT THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

Liberty gives us the power to achieve and the freedom to follow our dreams. It's the American standard by which all other nations on earth are measured.

But for America to endure as the land of opportunity, we need to reaffirm our commitment to liberty, personal freedom -- and personal responsibility.

We must ensure that Americans who work hard, pay taxes and live peacefully are served by government, not bankrupted by programs that make no sense, or victimized by a criminal justice system that fails to protect them.

We must stop giving special privileges to some Americans based solely on race and gender, at the expense of equal opportunity for all other Americans.

We need to break the devastating cycle of welfare dependency, which puts an unreasonable burden on taxpayers while cheating recipients of the freedom to grow as individuals.

My campaign for President is based on a simple truth -- that if we reaffirm our belief in the power of liberty and opportunity, we will usher in an unprecedented new era of prosperity for all Americans.

Please join me in this effort.

-Pete Wilson

PETE WILSON WAS THE FIRST GOVERNOR IN AMERICA TO SIGN A "THREE STRIKES" LAW AGAINST VIOLENT CRIMINALS. HE ALSO SIGNED A "ONE STRIKE" LAW AGAINST RAPISTS AND CHILD MOLESTERS.

No Governor in America has taken tougher action against crime and criminals than Pete Wilson.

He's the first California governor in 25 years to carry out the state's death penalty. He also changed state law to make felons serve at least 85% of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

He knows that a society remains free only if individuals are held accountable and law-abiding citizens are protected.

Pete Wilson was the first American leader with the courage to fight illegal immigration.

Pete Wilson sent the California National Guard to reinforce the U.S. border patrol and campaigned successfully for a ballot initiative preventing illegal aliens from collecting taxpayer-financed benefits. He even sued the federal government to force tighter control of the border between California and Mexico.

Pete Wilson was the first Governor in America to stop special preference quotas.

Because he believes quotas are fundamentally unfair and are destroying America's commitment to excellence, Pete Wilson was the nation's first governor to sign an executive order ending state affirmative action hiring quotas, and the first to end racial preference quotas for college admission. To ensure equal opportunity for all Americans, he supports Head Start, Healthy Start, pre-natal care and enforcement of civil rights laws.

IF WASHINGTON HAD CUT FEDERAL SPENDING AS DEEPLY AS PETE WILSON HAD CUT STATE SPENDING, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE A BUDGET SURPLUS TODAY -- NOT A DEFICIT.

Pets Wilson has cut state spending by $1.6 billion -- without cutting the muscle from needed programs.

As Governor of California, Pete Wilson has cut state spending so deeply and so effectively that the state’s budget was $1.6 billion less after his first four years in office.

Pete Wilson has used his line-item veto to protect taxpayers by slashing more than $800 million in wasteful spending while making more money available for schools, law enforcement, new prison construction and other vital programs.

He believes government should take less, so taxpayers can do more for themselves and their families.

Pete Wilson's welfare reform program is breaking the cycle of dependence and putting people back to work.

Welfare grants in California have fallen 15% since Pete Wilson became Governor in 1990.

To fight welfare fraud, he hired nearly 400 new inspectors and launched the nation's first program to fingerprint welfare recipients. He also took action to eliminate automatic cash increases for women who have additional children while on welfare.

His welfare reform program has been so successful at putting people back to work that the Los Angeles Times calls it "a model for the nation."

My campaign for President is based upon a simple truth -- that if we reaffirm our belief in the power of liberty and opportunity, we will usher in an unprecedented new era of prosperity for all Americans.

-Pete Wilson