Mocking the nation's political leaders, conservative journalist and founder of the National Review William F. Buckley, Jr. spoke to a near-capacity crowd in Webster Hall last night.
In a speech called "Reflections of Current Disorders", Buckley addressed President Bill Clinton's health care reform proposal, the large increase in the number of illegitimate births in the nation, especially among blacks since 1950, and the decline in the quality of American education.
"The American education system is bankrupt," Buckley said, including statistics on the ignorance of high school and college students that made the audience laugh. For example, Buckley said 50 percent of Texas high school students could not identify Mexico as the country bordering the state to the south.
Buckley ridiculed proposals which would allow illiterate people to vote, saying that the public should "discourage the vote of the ignorant."
The highly educated were not spared Buckley's barbs either.
Given a choice between allowing the doctorate staff at Harvard or the first 2,000 names listed in the Boston phone book to govern the nation, Buckley said he would prefer the latter. Most audience members applauded the statement.
Buckley focused much of his speech on his belief that the increase in illegitimate children has contributed to "the greatest single rise in poverty," as well as crime, unemployment and illiteracy.
Blacks, Buckley said, have accounted for the greatest portion of this increase in illegitimacy. The percentage of blacks producing an illegitimate birth rose from 38 to 68 percent in the past 20 years, he said, while the percent rise for whites was nominal.
On health care, Buckley again gave a plethora of statistics refuting the viability of Clinton's health care proposal. He then attacked the President himself, mocking Clinton's claim that his first goal for health care was to make a simple plan.
He also said Clinton is "illogical" and a master of glib speech without substance.
Buckley's closing brought a standing ovation from some in the audience.
After the speech, Buckley fielded questions from audience members.
One audience member began his question by saying, "A friend of mine said he pitied the poor liberal who stood up to you to ask you a question."
"He's right," Buckley replied. The response brought another set of laughs and applause.
Finishing his question, the audience member said to Buckley that "it seems to me that ideas like caring and compassion have no part in your ideology."
"Well, you're probably right," Buckley said.
Buckley's speech was presented by the conservative group the Ernest Martin Hopkins Institute and the Dartmouth Speakers Union as the first annual Jeffrey Hart Lecture.
