CHICAGO (NBC News Channel) -- NBC News has exclusively obtained video of a conference held at Loyola University/Chicago in October 1998, about city government and public policy, in which then-Illinois State Senator Barack Obama talked about making government more efficient.
Barack Obama/Illinois State Senator/1998:
"I think the trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution because I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody's got a shot. How do we pool resources at the same time as we decentralize delivery systems in ways that both foster competition, can work in the marketplace, and can foster innovation at the local level and can be tailored to particular communities."
