I was trying to develop a national message for...
I was trying to develop a national message for the Democrats, and the effort fueled speculation that I might enter the presidential race in 1992During the recent campaign, I had said on more than one occasion that I would serve out my term if electedThats what I thought I would doI was excited about the coming legislative sessionThough I strongly disagreed with many of his decisions, like killing the Brady bill and vetoing the Family and Medical Leave Act, I liked President Bush and had a good relationship with the White HouseAlso, a campaign to defeat him looked hopelessSaddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait, and the United States was beginning its buildup for the Gulf War, which in two months would drive the Presidents approval ratings into the stratosphere

On the morning of January 15, 1991, with ten-year-old Chelsea holding the Bible for me, I took the oath of office in Little Rock for the last timeFollowing the custom, I delivered my informal address in the crowded chamber of the House of Representatives, then, at noon, made a more formal address at the public ceremony, which was held in the Capitol rotunda because of inclement weatherThe new legislature had more women and blacks than everThe Speaker of the House, John Lipton, and the see by chloe bag president pro tempore of the Senate, Jerry Bookout, were progressives and strong supporters of mineJim Guy Tucker was lieutenant governor, probably the ablest person ever to hold the job, and we were working together, rather than at cross-purposes, for the first time in years

I dedicated my inaugural address to the men and women from Ar-kansas serving in the Persian Gulf, and noted that it was appropriate that we were making a new beginning on Martin Luther King Jr birthday, because we must go forward into the future together or we will all be limited in what we achieveThen I outlined the most ambitious program I had ever proposed, in education, health care, highways, and the environment

In education, I proposed a big increase in adult literacy and training programs; apprenticeships for non-college-bound youths; college scholarships for all middle-class and low-income kids who took the required courses, made a B average, and stayed off drugs; preschool programs for poor kids; a new residential high school for math and science students; conversion of fourteen vo-tech schools into two-year colleges; and a $4,000 raise for teachers over two yearsI asked the legislature to raise the sales tax half a cent and the corporate income tax half a percent to pay tiffany knockoff for them

There were also several reform measures in my package, including health insurance for pregnant women and for children; the removal of more than 250,000 taxpayers, more than 25 percent of the total, from the state income tax rolls; and an income tax credit to offset the sales-tax increase for up to 75 percent of the taxpayers

And for the next sixty-eight days, I worked to pass the program, bringing legislators to my office; going to their committee hearings to argue personally for bills; cornering them in the halls, at nighttime events, or early in the morning at the Capitol cafeteria; hanging around with them outside the chambers or in the cloakrooms; calling them late at night; and bringing opposing legislators and their allied lobbyists together to hammer out compromisesBy the end of the session, virtually my entire program had passedThe tax proposals received between 76 and 100 percent of the vote in both houses, including the votes of a majority of Republican lawmakers

Ernest Dumas, one of the states most distinguished and astute columnists, said, For education, it was one of the best legislative sessions in the states history, arguably the bestDumas noted that we also passed the largest highway program ever; greatly expanded health louis vuitton neo care for poor families; improved the environment by passing proposals for solid-waste recycling and reduction and for weakening the hand of polluting industries at the states pollution control agency; and spurned a few religious zealots by providing school health clinics in poor communities

The legislature had its biggest fight over the school health clinicsI favored allowing the clinics to distribute condoms if the local school board approvedThe more conservative House was devoutly anti-condomFinally the legislature adopted a compromise offered by Representative Mark Pryor, who in 2002 became Arkansas junior Usenator: no state money could be used to buy condoms, but if bought with other funds, they could be distributedBob Lancaster, a witty columnist for the Arkansas Gazette, wrote a hilarious article chronicling the struggle of the condom CongressHe called it, with apologies to Homer, the Trojans War

The legislature also passed the National Rifle Associations bill to prohibit cities and counties from adopting local gun-control ordinances, the same measure I had vetoed in 1989No southern legislature could say no to the NRAEven in the more liberal Senate, this bill passed 267At least I got the Senate to pass it late, so I could veto it after cartier clock they went home and they couldnt override itAfter the bill was sent to me, I had an extraordinary encounter with the young NRA lobbyist who came down from Washington to push the billHe was very tall and well dressed and spoke with a clipped New England accentOne day he stopped me as I was crossing the rotunda from the House to the Senate side of the CapitolGovernuh, Governuh, why dont you just let this bill become law without your signature? I explained for the umpteenth time why I didnt support the billThen he burst out, Look, Governuh, youre going to run for President next year, and when you do, were going to beat your brains out in Texas if you veto this billI knew I was getting older and more seasoned when I didnt slug himInstead, I smiled and said, You dont get itI dont like this billYou know gun control will never be a problem in ArkansasYouve just got a chart on the wall in your fancy office in Washington with this bill at the top and all the states listed belowYou dont give a damn about the merits of this billYou just want to put a check by Arkansas on that chartSo you get your gun and Ill get mineWell saddle up and meet in TexasAs soon as the legislature went home, I vetoed the billSoon afterward, the NRA began running television ads attacking chanel cambon bag