Changes

Shortly after he was inaugurated, Clinton sought removal of the longstanding ban on homosexuals in the military.  But the Democrats in Congress refused to lift the ban, and instead a policy of "don't ask, don't tell" was implemented.  Gays would not be expelled from the military unless they actively promoted ("tell") their lifestyle.  That policy remains in force to this day, and Barack Obama campaigned by promising to lift the ban.  But will the House of Representatives, which face elections every two years, risk angering voters by caving into the homosexual activists?

Shortly after he was inaugurated, Clinton sought removal of the longstanding ban on homosexuals in the military.  But the Democrats in Congress refused to lift the ban, and instead a policy of "don't ask, don't tell" was implemented.  Gays would not be expelled from the military unless they actively promoted ("tell") their lifestyle.  That policy remains in force to this day, and Barack Obama campaigned by promising to lift the ban.  But will the House of Representatives, which face elections every two years, risk angering voters by caving into the homosexual activists?

Enjoying big Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, Clinton aggressively pushed other liberal issues.  In 1994, he signed a federal gun control bill into law known as the "Brady Bill," which imposed a national five-day waiting period for handgun purchasers and required a criminal background check.  He signed into law the "Violence Against Women Act," which authorized women to sue institutions like colleges in federal court over alleged incidents that were never charged or proven as crimes (this provision was later held unconstitutional), and authorized the spending of billions of dollars in taxpayer money to encourage women to charge men with crimes.  He signed into law the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993, which created a "free-trade zone" encompassing Mexico, Canada, and the United States and submitted the United States to control by an international tribunal to decide disputes in trade.  This resulted in a big increase of importation of illegal drugs (like cocaine and marijuana) from Mexico, and was later used to order the United States to allow mostly never-inspected trucks to enter from Mexico to flood the American highways.  NAFTA was unable to obtain the 2/3rd vote required in the Senate to be ratified as a treaty, and instead it was (perhaps improperly) passed as an ordinary federal law with mere majority votes.

Enjoying big Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, Clinton aggressively pushed a liberal agenda.  He raised taxes on both individuals and businesses.  In 1994, he signed a federal gun control bill into law known as the "Brady Bill," which imposed a national five-day waiting period for handgun purchasers and required a criminal background check.  He signed into law the "Violence Against Women Act," which authorized women to sue institutions like colleges in federal court over alleged incidents that were never charged or proven as crimes (this provision was later held unconstitutional), and authorized the spending of billions of dollars in taxpayer money to encourage women to charge men with crimes.  He signed into law the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993, which created a "free-trade zone" encompassing Mexico, Canada, and the United States and submitted the United States to control by an international tribunal to decide disputes in trade.  This resulted in a big increase of importation of illegal drugs (like cocaine and marijuana) from Mexico, and was later used to order the United States to allow mostly never-inspected trucks to enter from Mexico to flood the American highways.  NAFTA was unable to obtain the 2/3rd vote required in the Senate to be ratified as a treaty, and instead it was (perhaps improperly) passed as an ordinary federal law with mere majority votes.

In the "midterm elections" in 1994 (called "midterm" because it is halfway between the presidential elections), there was a voter backlash against the liberal policies of President Bill Clinton.  Republicans swept to victory in a landslide, and captured large majorities in both the House and Senate.  Then, in a "lame duck" session of the Democratic House and Senate in December 1994, they passed a law requiring the United States to join the World Trade Organization.  Like NAFTA but on a world-wide scale, the WTO aims to promote world trade by lowering by lowering trade barriers.  In practice, it forces the United States to submit to the authority of an international tribunal comprised mostly of nations hostile to America, and that court has ruled against the United States in nearly every trade dispute.  Also like NAFTA, the WTO was passed as a regular federal law rather than obtaining the 2/3rd vote required to pass treaties.

In the "midterm elections" in 1994 (called "midterm" because it is halfway between the presidential elections), there was a voter backlash against the liberal policies of President Bill Clinton.  Republicans swept to victory in a landslide, and captured large majorities in both the House and Senate.  Then, in a "lame duck" session of the Democratic House and Senate in December 1994, they passed a law requiring the United States to join the World Trade Organization.  Like NAFTA but on a world-wide scale, the WTO aims to promote world trade by lowering by lowering trade barriers.  In practice, it forces the United States to submit to the authority of an international tribunal comprised mostly of nations hostile to America, and that court has ruled against the United States in nearly every trade dispute.  Also like NAFTA, the WTO was passed as a regular federal law rather than obtaining the 2/3rd vote required to pass treaties.

On April 19, 1995, domestic terrorism hit the United States when Timothy McVeigh exploded a massive truck bomb in front of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  This caused the building to collapse and kill 168 people, including children in a day care center that was in the building, and injured over 800.  Reportedly McVeigh was angry at the federal government for a raid that it conducted against a group in Waco, Texas, which occurred exactly two years earlier and resulted in the deaths of dozens of citizens.  Speculation that McVeigh had foreign help for this attack was never proven, and McVeigh himself was executed after a lengthy trial that included testimony by a friend who described how McVeigh intended to do this.  A jury did not grant the prosecutor's request to impose the death penalty on a colleague of McVeigh, who instead received life imprisonment.

On April 19, 1995, domestic terrorism hit the United States when Timothy McVeigh exploded a massive truck bomb in front of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  This caused the building to collapse and kill 168 people, including children in a day care center that was in the building, and injured over 800.  Reportedly McVeigh was angry at the federal government for a raid that it conducted against a group in Waco, Texas, which occurred exactly two years earlier and resulted in the deaths of dozens of citizens.  Speculation that McVeigh had foreign help for this attack was never proven, and McVeigh himself was executed after a lengthy trial that included testimony by a friend who described how McVeigh intended to do this.  A jury did not grant the prosecutor's request to impose the death penalty on a colleague of McVeigh, who instead received life imprisonment.

Clinton's approval rating increased based on his response to this terrorism, and based on an improving economy.  In 1996, the Republicans nominated the aging Senator Bob Dole, a moderate Republican, to run against Clinton.  Clinton, along with his Vice President Al Gore, won reelection easily.

Clinton's approval rating increased based on his response to this terrorism, just as the future President George W. Bush's approval rating soared after the terrorist attack in 2001.  Clinton also benefited from an improving economy, which increased his changes of being reelected.  In 1996, the Republicans nominated the aging Senator Bob Dole, a moderate Republican, to run against Clinton.  Clinton, along with his Vice President Al Gore, won reelection easily but failed to attain 50% support by the voters.  Ross Perot ran again, but did not do as well as he had in 1992.

By the 1997 the internet was becoming very popular, and the nation began to experience the "dot-com" boom that would last until 2000.  The <>

By the 1997 the internet was becoming very popular, and the nation began to experience the "dot-com" boom that would last until 2000.  An internet craze swept the nation, and speculators (short-term investors) bought up the stock of new internet companies and drove up their price to high levels far above what was reasonable.  The stock market, particularly the high-tech NASDAQ exchange, reached record levels.  The economy benefited from all this, and the first budget surplus in decades was achieved by the federal government.  But just as in 1929, the boom was followed by a "bust" that occurred in mid-2000.

Bill Clinton Monica Lewinski sex scandal; 1st budget surplus in years

Bill Clinton should have enjoyed immense influence during this good time.  But his personal immorality caught up with him, in what became known as the "Monica Lewinsky" sex scandal.  Clinton had a sexual relationship with this young woman, who worked for the White House as an "intern".  When Clinton was asked about this under oath during a lawsuit, he lied about it.  That was perjury, a serious crime, and the House impeached Clinton near the end of 1998 for it.  But like President Andrew Johnson about 130 years earlier, the Senate did not reach the 2/3rd vote needed to remove Clinton from office.

 

Monica Lewinsky 1998: Clinton lied about his relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky; led to his impeachment (but not his removal)

Columbine High School "1999: two anti-Christian bigoted high school students killed 12 students, one for believing in God, and a teacher"

Columbine High School "1999: two anti-Christian bigoted high school students killed 12 students, one for believing in God, and a teacher"

== 21st Century ==

== 21st Century ==