Proclamation 7356.
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114 STAT. 3399 Proclamation 7356 of October 6, 2000 National Children’s Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Children hold a special place in our lives, and raising healthy, happy children is the greatest success any parent can hope to achieve; it should also be an important goal of every member of society, because children are profoundly influenced by the people and environment around them. The strongest influence, of course, is often child’s family; but good schools and nurturing communities also play a vital role in helping children reach their full potential.
Over the past 7–1/2 years, my Administration has worked with families and communities across the country to meet the needs of America's children, and we can be proud of what we have accomplished together. We have made education one of our highest priorities, to ensure that every child is empowered with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve personal fulfillment and success. By expanding Head Start and Early Head Start for preschoolers: promoting high academic standards, smaller class sizes, teacher quality, and charter schools for primary and secondary school students; and providing loans, scholarships, and tax credits so that millions of young Americans can attend college, we are building a world-class education system that will serve our children well.
We have achieved other important legislative victories for children and families, including a $500 child tax credit, a $1 per hour increase in the minimum wage, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, passing the Family and Medical Leave Act. enacting the largest expansion of health insurance for children ever, and creating incentives to move more children from foster care to safe, loving, and permanent homes. As a result of these victories, the child poverty rate in our country has dropped by 22 percent since 1993; millions of working parents have taken time off to care for a new child or sick relative; child immunization rates are at an all-time high, with 90 percent of toddlers receiving crucial vaccinations; and adoptions increased nearly 65 percent between 1996 and 1999.
We have shown our commitment to ensuring that every child grows up in a safe and nurturing environment through additional measures such as teen pregnancy prevention efforts, welfare reform that moves families from economic dependency to self-sufficiency, expanded access to affordable housing and homeownership, and responsible fatherhood initiatives to ensure that fathers provide both the financial and emotional support their children need. And, to help working families provide for their children, we are continuing our efforts to improve access to high-quality, safe, and affordable child care.
We know that from infancy through adolescence, in child-care settings and after-school programs, children can learn and thrive with the right care, attention, and education. We owe them no less. As we observe National Children’s Day this year, let us recommit ourselves to using every resource in this time of unprecedented prosperity to build a bright future for all our children. Let us show our love for them not only through our words, but also by making the tough deci-114 STAT. 3400sions and important investments necessary to give them the opportunity to achieve their dreams.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 8, 2000, as National Children’s Day. I urge all Americans to express their love and appreciation for children on this day and every day throughout the year, and to work within their communities to nurture, love, and teach all our children. I invite Federal officials. State and local governments, and particularly all American families to join together in observing this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to honor our Nation’s children.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7357 October 6, 2000 Columbus Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7357 of October 6, 2000 Columbus Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation During this first year of the new century, the American people have devoted time and thought to the people and events of our Nation's past so that we might better prepare for the challenges of the future.
While Christopher Columbus’ epic voyage took place almost three centuries before the founding of our democracy, his journey helped shape our national experience and offers important lessons as we chart our own course for the 21st century. One of the most valuable of those lessons is the importance of sustaining our spirit of adventure, our willingness to explore new concepts and new horizons. Columbus, after careful study and planning, rejected the conventional thinking of his time, sailed for the open seas, and succeeded in opening up a New World for the people of Europe.
Like Columbus, our founders rejected the familiar paths of the past and ventured boldly to create a new form of government that has profoundly shaped world history. Explorers, pioneers, inventors, artists, entrepreneurs—all have found a refuge in America and a chance to achieve their dreams. Today we have other worlds to explore—from the deepest oceans to the outermost reaches of space to the genetic code of human life. The same adventurous spirit that propelled Columbus’ explorations will enable us to challenge old assumptions, acquire new knowledge, and broaden the horizons of humankind.
Columbus’ story illustrates the importance of diversity. Columbus was born and raised in Italy; he learned much of his seafaring knowledge and experience from Portuguese sailors and navigators; and he put those skills in service to the King and Queen of Spain, who funded his explorations. By establishing a safe, reliable route between Europe and 114 STAT. 3401the New World, Columbus opened the door for subsequent explorers from Spain, France, and England and for the millions of immigrants who would be welcomed by America in later centuries.
But the encounters between Columbus and other European explorers and the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere also underscore what can happen when cultures clash and when we are unable to understand and respect people who are different from us. While more than 500 years have passed since Christopher Columbus first sailed to these shores, the lessons of his voyage are still with us. Brave, determined, open to new ideas and new experiences, in many ways he foreshadowed the character of the American people who honor him today.
In tribute to Columbus’ many achievements, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934 (48 Stat..657), and an Act of June 28, 1968 (82 Stat. 250), has requested the President to proclaim the second Monday in October of each year as “Columbus Day.” NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2000, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of Christopher Columbus. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7358 October 6, 2000 Leif Erikson Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7358 of October 6, 2000 Leif Erikson Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This year, as we mark the beginning of a new millennium, we also celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Europe’s first contact with North America.
At the turn of the last millennium, the legendary explorer Leif Erikson—son of Iceland, grandson of Norway—sailed across the cold waters of the Atlantic from his home in Greenland to the eastern coast of North America, completing the first documented voyage of Europeans to the New World. In the ensuing centuries, millions of other men and women followed the lead of these brave Vikings—some seeking riches, some seeking adventure, all in search of a new and better life. Families from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway would make their new homes in communities like New Sweden, Delaware;
Oslo, Minnesota; and Denmark. Iowa, bringing with them a reverence for freedom and a deep love of democracy that stemmed from their own egalitarian traditions. More than 10 million Americans today can trace their roots to the Nordic countries, and their family ties, traditions, and values have 114 STAT. 3402strengthened the warm friendship our Nation has always enjoyed with the people of Scandinavia. In celebration of this friendship and our shared pride in Leif Erikson’s exploits.
Americans have joined with the Nordic countries to commemorate this special anniversary. The Smithsonian Institution sponsored a traveling exhibit earlier this year to highlight the Viking explorations of North America: the Library of Congress hosted an international symposium on the ancient texts of the Icelandic Sagas, many of which were displayed in the United States for the first time; and we joined Iceland in creating our first jointly issued coin to commemorate Leif Erikson’s historic voyage.
These cultural initiatives reflect the strong ties and long history between the United States and the Nordic countries, and we continue to cooperate on many mutual goals. The Nordic countries are our full partners in the Northern Europe Initiative (NEI), which we launched in 1997 to build on the dramatic progress toward a free Europe that occurred following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Through the NEI, we are working together to promote democracy, stability, and prosperity in the Baltic nations and northwest Russia, to facilitate their fuller integration into Western institutions, and to cooperate on such cross-border issues as energy, health, law enforcement, and the environment.
In addition, many of the best and brightest entrepreneurs in America and the Nordic countries are collaborating to encourage trade and the spread of innovative ideas and technologies around the world. Americans and Nordics alike value courage, independence, energy, and resourcefulness; working together in this new millennium, we are charting a new course for our people just as exciting and full of promise as the one Leif Erikson traveled a thousand years ago. In honor of Leif Erikson and of our Nordic American heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88–566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized and requested the President to proclaim October 9 of each year as “Leif Erikson Day.
” NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 9, 2000, as Leif Erikson Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to honor our rich Nordic American heritage. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7359 October 10, 2000 Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Impeding the Peace Process in Sierra Leone By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
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- Pub. L. 88-566
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