[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 9 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H340-H344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

  The PRESIDENT. 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, 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 our 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 
its 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. I will send you a budget that holds that 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: taxpayer 
dollars 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, tests 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 women and 
minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulations 
and protect honest job

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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 
liabilities 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 plants 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 codes. I 
have appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax codes 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 balance 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 sound and fiscally strong. 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 did not 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 is only about 3 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: 13 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 to keep the system afloat. And by 2033, the annual 
shortfall would be more than $300 billion. By the year 2042, the entire 
system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not to avert that 
outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically 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 a long way off. But those 
dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you have a 5-
year-old, you are already concerned about how you will pay for college 
tuition 13 years down the road. If you have got children in their 
twenties, 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 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 of 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 basic 
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 paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of 
today's retirees. If you are a younger 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 the 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 will be able to pass along the money that is 
accumulating 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

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your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your 
retirement. We will make sure a personal account cannot be emptied 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 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 
their 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 redefined 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 treats the weak and 
vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical research 
can help us reach that goal by developing treatments and cures that 
save lives and help people overcome disabilities, and I thank the 
Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutions of 
Health. To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific 
advances always serve 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 or 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 legislate 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, and I 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. 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 3\1/2\ years since September 11, 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 Qaeda 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 regions 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 the 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 the governments in Asia to convince North 
Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and 
nine other countries have captured or detained al Qaeda 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 own neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to 
peace.
  That advance has great momentum in our time, shown by women voting in

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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 now 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 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 by expanding 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 reprocessing, 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. 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 vitally 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 last September, ``Ordinary Iraqis 
are anxious to shoulder all the security burdens of our country as 
quickly as possible.'' That is the natural desire of an independent 
nation, and it is also 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 Nation 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 have done your job, Mom. Now it is 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.

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  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 of Providence is uneven and unpredictable, yet we 
know where it leads: it leads to freedom.
  Thank you, and may God bless America.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  At 10 o'clock and 4 minutes p.m. the President of the United States, 
accompanied by the committee of escort, retired from the Hall of the 
House of Representatives.
  The Deputy Sergeant at Arms escorted the invited guests from the 
Chamber in the following order:
  The members of the President's Cabinet.
  The Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
  The Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corp.

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