[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[March 1, 1992]
[Pages 359-362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Bush-Quayle Campaign Welcome in Savannah, Georgia

March 1, 1992
    Thank you very much, Mayor. And may I be bold enough to say I think 
Savannah has a first-class new Mayor, and I'm glad to have her here at 
my side today. And thank you all for this warm welcome. It's great to 
see so many friends. Standing next to me over here is one of the great 
Governors across our country, Governor Carroll Campbell of South 
Carolina. And I am very much indebted to him for his support. Alec 
Poitevint is the chairman of the party here, doing a first-class job. 
Fred Cooper is our statewide chairman for Bush-Quayle. And of course, 
Newt Gingrich, doing a superb job for this State and for our country in 
Washington, DC.
    May I thank the band over there from Bradwell. And somewhere out 
here is Vida-

[[Page 360]]

lia, right over there, thank them. And may I single out all the veterans 
of Desert Storm here today and to every one of you who have come down to 
the Riverfront to show your support. I'm glad to see all this activity. 
You'll notice I brought along my newest mode of transportation, 
``Riverboat One'' right back here. [Laughter]
    Well, we're here today because we believe on big issues and we 
believe that we're on the right side of these big issues, on the issues 
that shape the world and on the values that are close to home. I'm 
talking about jobs. I am talking about family. I am talking about world 
peace, for ourselves and for all of our kids. Jobs, family, and world 
peace.
    And I believe all the people of Savannah and all the people of this 
great State believe that parents, not the Government, ought to make the 
decisions that matter in life. Parents, not Government, should choose 
the children's schools. And when it comes to child care, parents, not 
the Government, should choose who cares for the children. And I also 
think on this Sunday, and my views will never change on this, I believe 
there is a place for voluntary prayer in our children's classrooms. And 
I think, on this gorgeous family day, on this beautiful Sunday here in 
Savannah, I think we should put it this way: America is first as long as 
we put the family first.
    Let me just say a word about the number one issue facing our country 
today: It's the economy; it's jobs. And that's what's keeping people up 
late at night, worrying about how they're going to pay the bills and put 
food on the table and care for their kids and still manage to put away 
something for their retirement. We've got to get this Nation's economy 
moving. That's why in that State of the Union Message I gave, I laid out 
a two-part plan to spark economic recovery, to create jobs: a seven-
point short-term plan to stimulate the economy as early as this spring 
and then a longer term plan to keep America growing tomorrow and into 
the next century.
    And because I know Congress tends to drag its feet, I set a deadline 
to help them along the way. But regrettably, the liberals that control 
the Congress had other ideas. Instead of passing my plan, they pushed 
through one of their own. Here's what's in it: a tiny tax cut, 25 cents 
a day for every person, but in exchange for $100 billion in taxes. If 
you feel the way I do, tell the Congress, ``Keep the change, and keep 
your hands off the taxpayer's wallet.''
    If the liberal Democrats decided to make their two-bit tax cut 
permanent, they'd have to jump up the tax rate for every American making 
more than $35,000 a year. You've heard that right, $35,000. Now, go tell 
that to some schoolteacher that's working her or his heart out for our 
kids. That is not fair, and I am not going to let it happen. They're 
going to tax the middle class for the same reason Willie Sutton robbed 
banks, because that's where the money is. And I'm not going to let them 
do that to you the taxpayers of Savannah. But listen, you saw that bill 
the other day, so let me make it very clear, with one of our great 
leaders standing next to me, if that tax-and-spend plan reaches my desk, 
I am going to send it right back. I will veto it fast; it will make your 
head spin. They want to raise the taxes, and I want get this country 
back to work.
    And there's one critical part of our economic future that I want to 
talk to you about today, and that's really the kind of legacy we leave 
these young ones, our children. The world our kids call home will be far 
different than the world that we grew up in. The competition now comes 
from around the world, not just down the street. In that new world, 
there's a new economic reality. If we want to succeed economically at 
home, we've got to lead economically abroad.
    And if this Nation needed any proof of what I just said, it's right 
here in Savannah. Statewide, Georgia's export business is booming, 
nearly $14 billion in 1991 for manufactured exports alone. Look around 
the Riverfront. More and more ships pass in and out of this harbor, 
saluting the Waving Girl. Today and every day this bustling hub of 
international trade puts jobs in your communities, money in your 
pockets, and dinner on your tables. Nearly 13 million tons of goods, 
billions of dollars in international trade, flow through your wonderful 
port. And in the port of Savannah alone, all

[[Page 361]]

that trade traffic adds up to 58,000 jobs for Georgia.
    The world is at Savannah's doorstep. We've got to keep the door 
open, and I'm confident that we will. And that's why I've fought every 
day of my administration to open foreign markets and to guard against 
the siren's call of isolation and protection. Georgians are reaching 
out; they are not pulling back. Give you a little detail that I think is 
good for the rest of the country. Right here, we're creating additional 
opportunities for U.S. exports, companies like Savannah Foods and Fort 
Howard Paper and Union Camp--the V.P. is with us, Sid Nutting is with us 
here today. And their people are working hard to compete, and we're 
behind them all the way.
    But the opponents are not about to let that fact intrude on fantasy. 
They are peddling protectionism; they are peddling a retreat from 
economic reality. Now, you cut through all the patriotic posturing, all 
the tough talk about fighting back by closing out foreign goods, and 
look closely: That is not the American flag they're waving; it is the 
white flag of surrender. And that is not the America that you and I 
know. We don't cut and run in this country; we compete. Never in this 
Nation's long history have we turned our back on challenge, and we are 
not about to start right now. So I put my faith in the American worker. 
I say: Level out that playing field, and the American worker will 
outthink, outproduce, outperform anyone, anywhere, anytime. And let me 
add this: America is in it to win.
    Think back one year, one year ago today, to the calm after Desert 
Storm. Ask any one of the proud sons and daughters of Georgia who became 
a liberator of Kuwait, and they'll tell you: Military strength doesn't 
mean a thing without moral support right here at home. Georgia did its 
part and more. This port handled over 200,000 tons of cargo for Desert 
Storm. Nearly 10,000 sons and daughters of Georgia were called up 
through the Reserves and the National Guard, and thousands more answered 
the call from Fort Stewart or from Hunter Army Airfield.
    And I'll never forget my visit to Fort Stewart during those 
difficult days, the wives and the parents that I talked to, people with 
their loved one in harm's way, many of them gone for months. Their quiet 
courage said it all: Never would this country tuck tail and let 
aggression stand. America would do what was right and good and just. And 
America would prevail.
    There were those who did not support us then, and there are those 
who second-guess us now. But not the good people of Georgia. In those 
difficult days, when our kids laid it all on the line, Georgia never 
wavered. Georgia kept its faith in freedom. Georgia said with me: 
Aggression will not stand. And I say thank you to the people of this 
great State.
    And now we're locked in a political struggle, and I'm going to try 
to keep it above the fray. I've got to continue to be the President of 
this great country; honored to be that President. And I've been trying 
to keep things on a positive plane. But let me just say this to you: 
From next Tuesday through the first Tuesday in November, we're going to 
take our message all across this country. And my view is, if you want to 
send a message to Washington, send this President back for 4 more years, 
and send more good Georgia Republicans to the Congress.
    People know that we're in a battle for the future. It's about jobs. 
It's about family. It's about world peace and about the kind of legacy 
we're going to leave our kids. And so, let some opponents sign the 
retreat, run from the new realities, seek refuge in a world of 
protectionism or high taxes or even bigger Government. That's not the 
future we want for our kids. And we believe in our country. And we 
believe we will move forward with open markets and low taxes and less 
Government, all focused on creating and preserving jobs. So we need your 
support.
    Let me just close today with a few words from the heart. Barbara and 
I are blessed, blessed to serve this great Nation of ours at a moment in 
history when so many of the old fears have been driven away, when so 
many new hopes stand within our reach. Old fears: When I see these young 
kids, I think we're fortunate that they go to bed now worrying less 
about a nuclear holocaust than happened 5 or 10 years ago. We are

[[Page 362]]

blessed that we brought peace to this world. And because we've stood 
strong, we've beaten back aggression.
    But since the day I took the oath of office, I've made it my duty to 
work for what's right for America. I go back, I guess we all do, to what 
our families say. I go back to what my mother says: Try your hardest. Do 
your best. Well, let me tell you something, I'm not done yet. I say to 
the good people of Georgia: Together we are going to make a great new 
beginning. I'm going to take this message to the United States Congress 
for change. Change that Congress, and give the values that you believe 
in a real chance come November.
    Thank you for this very warm welcome back. And may God bless the 
people of Georgia and the people of the United States of America. Let us 
count our blessings on this gorgeous day. Thank you, and God bless you 
all.

                    Note: The President spoke at 1:20 p.m. at the 
                        Savannah Riverfront. In his remarks, he referred 
                        to Susan Weiner, Mayor of Savannah.