THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, membersof Congress, honored guests, my fellow Americans: Tonight, I havethe honor of reporting to you on the State of the Union. Let me begin by saluting the new Speaker of the House,and thanking him, especially tonight, for extending an invitation totwo special guests sitting in the gallery with Mrs. Hastert: LynGibson and Wei Ling Chestnut are the widows of the two brave CapitolHill police officers who gave their lives to defend freedom`s house.(Applause.) So with our budget surplus growing, our economyexpanding, our confidence rising, now is the moment for thisgeneration to meet our historic responsibility to the 21st century. Our fiscal discipline gives us an unsurpassedopportunity to address a remarkable new challenge -- the aging ofAmerica. With the number of elderly Americans set to double by 2030,the baby boom will become a senior boom. So first, and above all,we must save Social Security for the 21st century. (Applause.) Early in this century, being old meant being poor. WhenPresident Roosevelt created Social Security, thousands wrote to thankhim for eliminating what one woman called the stark terror ofpenniless, helpless old age. Even today, without Social Security,half our nation`s elderly would be forced into poverty. Today, Social Security is strong. But by 2013, payrolltaxes will no longer be sufficient to cover monthly payments. By2032, the trust fund will be exhausted and Social Security will beunable to pay the full benefits older Americans have been promised. Specifically, I propose that we commit 60 percent of thebudget surplus for the next 15 years to we must aim higher. They should be made thisyear. So let me say to you tonight, I reach out my hand to all ofyou in both Houses, in both parties, and ask that we join together insaying to the American people: We will save Social Security now.(Applause.) Now, last year we wisely reserved all of the surplusuntil we knew what it would take to save Social Security. Again, Isay, we shouldn`t spend any of it -- not any of it -- until afterSocial Security is truly saved. First things first. (Applause.) Second, once we have saved Social Security, we mustfulfill our obligation to save and improve Medicare. But, again, we should aim higher. We must be willing towork in a bipartisan way and look at new ideas, including theupcoming report of the bipartisan Medicare Commission. If wework together, we he loss of foreign markets have devastated too manyfamily farms. Last year, the Congress provided substantialassistance to help stave off a disaster in American agriculture. AndI am ready to work with lawmakers of both parties to create a farmsafety net that will include crop insurance reform and farm incomeassistance. I ask you to join with me Thank you and good evening. -President Bill Clinton ©