It was and is a good question, and if I had to ask myself this question the answer would be an unqualified yes! But am I the exception or the rule? And were Clinton Administration policies responsible for that success, in part or in whole?
Eight years ago I was in the military; good work, honorable work, but I was barely making it financially despite my twelve years of service. When I took early retirement at the end of 1994, I was making slightly under $30,000 a year after 15 years in the Navy
Six years later, I am happy to report that my income has steadily risen to a point where I am comfortable by most standards, and able to afford at least some of the American Dream, if not all of its promises. What accounts for my success? Mostly my own drive and determination to make it, despite the odds, and world blocks set before me. But I had help as well. I am self-educated for the most part; I taught myself my current profession, computer science and engineering, in my spare time. And when it became time to leave the service I was skilled enough in these areas to get an entry-level position in the industry with a leading IT corporation. Except for a few minor bumps in the road, my career path has been a smooth one. But I had help.
Did President Clinton's tenure in the White House have anything to do with my success, or the current economic boom America is currently reveling in? I would say yes, at least in partially. President Clinton did bring a spirit with him into office that is hard to ignore. And that spirit probably had a lot to do with Americans' feelings of optimism and well being around the country. That spirit (along with Alan Greenspan and the rest of the Federal Reserve) helped usher in the economic abundance we have been basking in for the last decade. And it is through Clinton's leadership that the Federal Government now enjoys record budget surpluses!
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