Subject: Vice President says America is on the right economic track

Vice President Al Gore says the economic policies of the Clinton Administration have been good for the country. He called on business leaders to help pass the administration's balanced budget plan.

Speaking to about 120 Des Moines, Iowa, civic and business leaders, Gore said critics who claim the president's economic blueprint would not work were "dead wrong." Gore said we have had the longest sustained economic expansion in the history of the U.S.

The vice president also discussed the administration's two tax provisions unveiled Wednesday, stating they will provide new fuel for startup companies and for the growing ranks of self-employed Americans.

Gore praised the ranking member of the Ways and Means committee, Rep. Charles Rangel's proposal, saying it embraces the central elements of the president's education tax cuts, to make the first two years of community college free, to provide a large tax deduction to offset the cost of college tuition. Gore said cited the addage, "in the future what you earn will depend on what you learn."

Gore said "America's new economy" requires lawmakers to balance the federal budget, to invest in education, and to open new markets abroad.