[House Document 109-3]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
109th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 109-3
STATE OF THE UNION MESSAGE
__________
MESSAGE
from
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
transmitting
A REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE UNION
February 8, 2005.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the
Committee on the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to
be printed
To the Congress of the United States:
Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress,
fellow citizens:
As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected
branches of Government share a great privilege: we have been
placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And
tonight that is a privilege we share with newly elected leaders
of Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Ukraine, and a
free and sovereign Iraq.
Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and
renewed the commitment of our Nation to the guiding ideal of
liberty for all. This evening I will set forth policies to
advance that ideal at home and around the world.
Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more
Americans going back to work, with our Nation an active force
for good in the world--the state of our Union is confident and
strong. Our generation has been blessed--by the expansion of
opportunity, by advances in medicine, and by the security
purchased by our parents' sacrifice. Now, as we see a little
gray in the mirror--or a lot of gray--and we watch our children
moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the
state of their Union?
Members of Congress, the choices we make together will
answer that question. Over the next several months, on issue
after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and
build a better world for our children and grandchildren.
First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew
the great institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens
rely.
America's economy is the fastest growing of any major
industrialized nation. In the past 4 years, we have provided
tax relief to every person who pays income taxes, overcome a
recession, opened up new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate
criminals, raised homeownership to the highest level in
history, and in the last year alone, the United States has
added 2.3 million new jobs. When action was needed, the
Congress delivered--and the Nation is grateful.
Now we must add to these achievements. By making our
economy more flexible, more innovative, and more competitive,
we will keep America the economic leader of the world.
America's prosperity requires restraining the spending
appetite of the Federal Government. I welcome the bipartisan
enthusiasm for spending discipline. So next week I will send
you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending
below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track
to cut the deficit in half by 2009. My budget substantially
reduces or eliminates more than 150 Government programs that
are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do
not fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear:
a taxpayer dollar must be spent wisely, or not at all.
To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must
prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st
century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are
higher, test scores are on the rise, and we are closing the
achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand
better results from our high schools, so every high school
diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional
200,000 workers to get training for a better career, by
reforming our job training system and strengthening America's
community colleges. And we will make it easier for Americans to
afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell
Grants.
To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America
must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of
entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement,
especially for womenand minorities, so we must free small
business from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from
junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by
irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims--and I urge
Congress to pass legal reforms this year.
To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must
make health care more affordable, and give families greater
access to good coverage, and more control over their health
decisions. I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive
health care agenda--with tax credits to help low-income workers
buy insurance, a community health center in every poor county,
improved information technology to prevent medical errors and
needless costs, association health plans for small businesses
and their employees, expanded health savings accounts, and
medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs,
and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need.
To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies
of affordable, environmentally responsible energy. Nearly 4
years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that
encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized
electricity grid, and more production here at home, including
safe, clean nuclear energy. My Clear Skies legislation will cut
power plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens.
And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge
technology--from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to
renewable sources such as ethanol. Four years of debate is
enough--I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America
more secure and less dependent on foreign energy.
All these proposals are essential to expand this economy
and add new jobs--but they are just the beginning of our duty.
To build the prosperity of future generations, we must update
institutions that were created to meet the needs of an earlier
time. Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic,
incoherent Federal tax code. I have appointed a bipartisan
panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when
their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work
together to give this Nation a tax code that is pro-growth,
easy to understand, and fair to all.
America's immigration system is also outdated--unsuited to
the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We
should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people
who want only to provide for their families, and deny
businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border. It
is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest
workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects
amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country,
and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists.
One of America's most important institutions--a symbol of
the trust between generations--is also in need of wise and
effective reform. Social Security was a great moral success of
the 20th Century, and we must honor its great purposes in this
new century. The system, however, on its current path, is
headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to
strengthen and save Social Security.
Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social
Security benefits, and millions more are nearing retirement--
and for them the system is strong and fiscally sound. I have a
message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let
anyone mislead you, For you, the Social Security system will
not change in any way.
For younger workers, the Social Security system has serious
problems that will grow worse with time. Social Security was
created decades ago, for a very different era. In those
days people didn't live as long, benefits were much lower than they are
today, and a half century ago, about 16 workers paid into the system
for each person drawing benefits. Our society has changed in ways the
founders of Social Security could not have foreseen. In today's world,
people are living longer and therefore drawing benefits longer--and
those benefits are scheduled to rise dramatically over the next few
decades. And instead of 16 workers paying in for every beneficiary,
right now it's only about three workers--and over the next few decades,
that number will fall to just two workers per beneficiary. With each
passing year, fewer workers are paying ever-higher benefits to an ever-
larger number of retirees.
So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018,
Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And
every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than
the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the Government
will somehow have to come up with an extra 200 billion dollars
to keep the system afloat--and by 2033, the annual shortfall
would be more than 300 billion dollars. By the year 2042, the
entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not
taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be
drastically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and
severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other Government
programs.
I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem like a long way
off. But those dates are not so distant, as any parent will
tell you. If you have a five-year-old, you're already concerned
about how you'll pay for college tuition 13 years down the
road. If you've got children in their 20s, as some of us do,
the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does
not seem like a small matter. And it should not be a small
matter to the United States Congress.
You and I share a responsibility. We must pass reforms that
solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for
all.
Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open,
candid review of the options. Some have suggested limiting
benefits for wealthy retirees. Former Congressman Tim Penny has
raised the possibility of indexing benefits to prices rather
than wages. During the 1990s, my predecessor, President
Clinton, spoke of increasing the retirement age. Former Senator
John Breaux suggested discouraging early collection of Social
Security benefits. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
recommended changing the way benefits are calculated.
All these ideas are on the table. I know that none of these
reforms would be easy. But we have to move ahead with courage
and honesty, because our children's retirement security is more
important than partisan politics. I will work with members of
Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I
will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer. We must,
however, be guided by some principles. We must make Social
Security permanently sound, not leave that task for another
day. We must not jeopardize our economic strength by increasing
payroll taxes. We must ensure that lower income Americans get
the help they need to have dignity and peace of mind in their
retirement. We must guarantee that there is no change for those
now retired or nearing retirement. And we must take care that
any changes in the system are gradual, so younger workers have
years to prepare and plan for their future.
As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility
to make the system a better deal for younger workers. And the
best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal
retirement accounts. Here is how the idea works. Right now, a
set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your
paycheckto pay for the Social Security benefits of today's retirees. If
you are a young worker, I believe you should be able to set aside part
of that money in your own retirement account, so you can build a nest
egg for your own future.
Here is why personal accounts are a better deal. Your money
will grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the
current system can deliver--and your account will provide money
for retirement over and above the check you will receive from
Social Security. In addition, you'll be able to pass along the
money that accumulates in your personal account, if you wish,
to your children or grandchildren. And best of all, the money
in the account is yours, and the Government can never take it
away.
The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will
set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We will make sure
the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and
stock funds. We will make sure that your earnings are not eaten
up by hidden Wall Street fees. We will make sure there are good
options to protect your investments from sudden market swings
on the eve of your retirement. We will make sure a personal
account can't be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out
over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security
benefits. And we will make sure this plan is fiscally
responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts
gradually, and raising the yearly limits on contributions over
time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside 4
percentage points of their payroll taxes in the accounts.
Personal retirement accounts should be familiar to Federal
employees, because you already have something similar, called
the Thrift Savings Plan, which lets workers deposit a portion
of their paychecks into any of five different broadly based
investment funds. It is time to extend the same security, and
choice, and ownership to young Americans.
Our second great responsibility to our children and
grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that
sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long
journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined
to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the
source of these values, but government should never undermine
them.
Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation
of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For
the good of families, children, and society, I support a
constitutional amendment to protect the institution of
marriage.
Because a society is measured by how it threats the weak
and vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life.
Medical research can help us to reach that goal, by developing
treatments and cures that save lives and help people over come
disbilities--and I thank Congress for doubling the funding of
the National Institutes of Health. To build a culture of life,
we must also ensure that scientific advances always human
dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of
others. We should all be able to agree on some clear standards.
I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not
created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that
human life is never bought and sold as a commodity. America
will continue to lead the world in medical research that is
ambitious, aggressive, and always ethical.
Because courts must always deliver impartial justice,
judges have a duty to faithfully interpret the law, not
legislation from the bench. As President, I have a
constitutional responsibility to nominate men and women who
understand the role of courts in our democracy, and are well
qualified to serve on the bench--andI have done so. The
Constitution also gives the senate a responsibility: Every judicial
nominee deserves an up-or-down vote.
Because one of the deepest values of our country is
compassion, we must never turn away from any citizen who feels
isolated from the opportunities of America. Our Government will
continue to support faith-based and community groups that bring
hope to harsh places. Now we need to focus on giving young
people, especially young men in our cities, better options than
apathy, or gangs, or jail. Tonight I propose a 3-year
initiative to help organizations keep young people out of
gangs, and show young men an ideal of manhood that respects
women and rejects violence. Taking on gang life will be one
part of a broader outreach to at-risk youth, which involves
parents and pastors, coaches and community leaders, in programs
ranging from literacy to sports. And I am proud that the leader
of this nationwide effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush.
Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many
lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage
prevention, and provide care and treatment to the victims of
that disease. And as we update this important law, we must
focus our efforts on fellow citizens with the highest rates of
new cases, African-American men and women.
Because one of the main sources of our national unity is
our belief in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of
all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that
provides justice. In America we must make doubly sure no person
is held to account for a crime he or she did not commit--so we
are dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent
wrongful conviction. Soon I will send to congress a proposal to
fund special training for defense counsel in capital cases,
because people on trial for their lives must have competent
lawyers by their side.
Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave
them an America that is safe from danger, and protected by
peace. We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we
enjoy--and chief among them is freedom from fear.
In the three and a half years since September 11th. 2001,
we have taken unprecedented actions to protect Americans. We
have created a new department of Government to defend our
homeland, focused the FBI on preventing terrorism, begun to
reform our intelligence agencies, broken up terror cells across
the country, expanded research on defenses against biological
and chemical attack, improved border security, and trained more
than a half million first responders. Police and firefighters,
air marshals, researchers, and so many others are working every
day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them all.
Our Nation, working with allies and friends, has also
confronted the enemy abroad, with measures that are determined,
successful, and continuing. The al-Qaida terror network that
attacked our country still has leaders--but many of its top
commanders have been removed. There are still governments that
sponsor and harbor terrorists--but their number has declined.
There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction--
but no longer without attention and without consequence. Our
country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill
many, and intimidate us all--and we will stay on the offensive
against them, until the fight is won.
Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the war on
terror--and I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen
and women with the resources they have needed. During this time
of war, we must continue to support our military and give them
the tools for victory.
Other nations around the globe have stood with us. In
Afghanistan, an international force is helping provide
security. In Iraq, 28 countries have troops on the ground, the
United Nations and the European Union provided technical
assistance for elections, and NATO is leading a mission to help
train Iraqi officers. We are cooperating with 60 governments in
the Proliferation Security Initiative, to detect and stop the
transit of dangerous materials. We are working closely with
governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its
nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other
countries have captured or detained al-Qaida terrorists. In the
next 4 years, my administration will continue to build the
coalitions that will defeat the dangers of our time.
In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved
by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and
ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in
despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds
for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free
nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the
rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is
the force of human freedom. Our enemies know this, and that is
why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he
called the ``evil principle'' of democracy. And we have
declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies
of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East
and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our
world.
The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention
to impose our form of Government on anyone else. That is one of
the main differences between us and our enemies. They seek to
impose and expand an empire of oppression in which a tiny group
of brutal, self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every
life. Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and
independent nations, with governments that answer to their
citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because
democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the
advance of freedom will lead to peace.
That advance has great momentum in our time--shown by women
voting in Afghanistan, and Palestinians choosing a new
direction, and the people of Ukraine asserting their democratic
rights and electing a president. We are witnessing landmark
events in the history of liberty. And in the coming years, we
will add to that story.
The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian
territories are showing the power of freedom to break old
patterns of violence and failure. Tomorrow morning, Secretary
of State Rice departs on a trip that will take her to Israel
and the West Bank for meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and
President Abbas. She will discuss with them how we and our
friends can help the Palestinian people end terror and build
the institutions of a peaceful, independent democratic state.
To promote this democracy, I will ask Congress for 350 million
dollars to support Palestinian political, economic, and
security reforms. The goal of two democratic states, Israel and
Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach--and
America will help them achieve that goal.
To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East,
the United States will work with our friends in the region to
fight the common threat of terror, while we encourage a higher
standard of freedom. Hopeful reform is already taking hold in
an arc from Morocco to Jordan to Bahrain. The government of
Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region
byexpanding the role of its people in determining their future. And the
great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in
the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle
East.
To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must
confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue
weapons of mass murder. Syria still allows its territory, and
parts of Lebanon, to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy
every chance of peace in the region. You have passed, and we
are applying, the Syrian Accountability Act--and we expect the
Syrian government to end all support for terror and open the
door to freedom. Today, Iran remains the world's primary state
sponsor of terror--pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its
people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working
with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that
it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any
plutonium re-processing, and end its support for terror. And to
the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own
liberty, America stands with you.
Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom,
especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honored
in Iraq. That country is a vital front in the war on terror,
which is why the terrorists have chosen to make a stand there.
Our men and women in uniform are fighting terrorists in Iraq,
so we do not have to face them here at home. And the victory of
freedom in Iraq will strengthen a new ally in the war on
terror, inspire democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran,
bring more hope and progress to a troubled region, and thereby
lift a terrible threat from the lives of our children and
grandchildren.
We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own
liberty--as they showed the world last Sunday. Across Iraq,
often at great risk, millions of citizens went to the polls and
elected 275 men and women to represent them in a new
Transitional National Assembly. A young woman in Baghdad told
of waking to the sound of mortar fire on election day, and
wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She said,
``hearing those explosions, it occurred to me--the insurgents
are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. . . .
So I got my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out
and voted together.'' Americans recognize that spirit of
liberty, because we share it. In any nation, casting your vote
is an act of civic responsibility; for millions of Iraqis, it
was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the
respect of us all.
One of Iraq's leading democracy and human rights advocates
is Safia Taleb al-Suhail. She says of her country, ``we were
occupied for 35 years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real
occupation. . . . Thank you to the American people who paid the
cost . . . but most of all to the soldiers.'' Eleven years ago,
Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence
service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to
vote for the leaders of her country--and we are honored that
she is with us tonight.
The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to
democracy, and will continue to attack it. Yet the terrorists'
most powerful myth is being destroyed. The whole world is
seeing that the car bombers and assassins are not only fighting
coalition forces, they are trying to destroy the hopes of
Iraqis, expressed in free elections. And the whole world now
knows that a small group of extremists will not overturn the
will of the Iraqi people.
We will succeed in Iraq because Iraqis are determined to
fight for their own freedom, and to write their own history. As
Prime Minister Allawi said in his speech to Congress
lastSeptember, ``Ordinary Iraqis are anxious . . . to shoulder all the
security burdens of our country as quickly as possible.'' This is the
natural desire of an independent nation, and it also is the stated
mission of our coalition in Iraq. The new political situation in Iraq
opens a new phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of
our commanders on the ground, and in consultation with the Iraqi
government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare
more capable Iraqi security forces--forces with skilled officers, and
an effective command structure. As those forces become more self-
reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its
coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the
end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country--and we will help
that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, ``Tell
America not to abandon us.'' He and all Iraqis can be certain:
While our military strategy is adapting to circumstances, our
commitment remains firm and unchanging. We are standing for the
freedom of our Iraqi friends, and freedom in Iraq will make
America safer for generations to come. We will not set an
artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would
embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us
out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is
democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its
neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is
achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home
with the honor they have earned.
Right now, Americans in uniform are serving at posts across
the world, often taking great risks on my orders. We have given
them training and equipment; and they have given us an example
of idealism and character that makes every American proud. The
volunteers of our military are unrelenting in battle,
unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and
every day they are making our Nation more secure. Some of our
servicemen and women have survived terrible injuries, and this
grateful country will do everything we can to help them
recover. And we have said farewell to some very good men and
women, who died for our freedom, and whose memory this Nation
will honor forever.
One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of
Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on
Fallujah. His mom, Janet, sent me a letter and told me how much
Byron loved being a Marine, and how proud he was to be on the
front line against terror. She wrote, ``When Byron was home the
last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since
he was born. He just hugged me and said: ``You've done your
job, mom. Now it's my turn to protect you.'' Ladies and
gentlemen, with grateful hearts, we honor freedom's defenders,
and our military families, represented here this evening by
Sergeant Norwood's mom and dad, Janet and Bill Norwood.
In these 4 years, Americans have seen the unfolding of
large events. We have known times of sorrow, and hours of
uncertainty, and days of victory. In all this history, even
when we have disagreed, we have seen threads of purpose that
unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has reaffirmed our
confidence in freedom's power to change the world. We are all
part of a great venture: To extend the promise of freedom in
our country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and
to spread the peace that freedom brings.
As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, ``each age
is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth.'' And
we live in the country where the biggest dreams are born. The
abolition of slavery was only a dream--until it was fulfilled.
The liberation of Europe from fascism was only a dream--until
it was achieved. The fall of imperial communism was only a
dream--until, one day, it was accomplished. Our generation has
dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The
road to Providence is uneven and unpredictable--yet we know
where it leads: It leads to freedom.
Thank you, and may God bless America.
George W. Bush.
The White House, February 2, 2005.