[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[March 6, 1992]
[Pages 390-394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Bush-Quayle Rally in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

March 6, 1992
    The President. Thank you, Senator Nickles, for that kind 
introduction. May I salute our State chairman, Clinton Key, and finance 
chairman, Ed Lawson. And I'm pleased to share this stage this morning 
with some of this State's finest: State Representative Larry Ferguson, 
Mayor Norick of Oklahoma City, Mayor Randal Shannon of Edmond, and 
Commissioners Watts and Bob Anthony. Welcome to all of them and, last 
but not least, Treasurer Claudette Henry. And I also want to express my 
deep appreciation to your hometown Congressman, Mickey Edwards, who 
couldn't be here today because he's back in Washington participating in 
the budget debate and helping me hold the line on Federal spending.
    And may I also salute two friends of long standing, Ed and Thelma 
Gaylord. This square is a fitting tribute to Thelma, and I think we're 
all very grateful to them. And finally, let me note what a great host 
Terry Johnson has been today. And a special thanks to George Wesley, who 
we just heard doing a superb job singing the national anthem. But most 
of all, thanks to every one of you who got up at all hours this morning 
to come to Edmond, from Elk City to Enid and towns all across Oklahoma, 
to show your support. And a special welcome to all the students here 
from Oklahoma Christian. One question. One question, just one question: 
Is it too late to audition for the spring sing?
    Well, let's talk about our country. We are in a battle for our 
future, and I am determined that America should leave young people like 
you the best possible legacy. And we want America to lead the world in 
good jobs with productive work. And we want to remain a force for world 
peace and

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freedom. And we are fighting--and we will continue to--to protect our 
most basic institution, which is the family. And that's why this year of 
decision is so important for America.
    In next Tuesday's primary election and November's general election, 
you will hold this future of this country, your future, in your own 
hands. And I'm asking you to get out to vote and create a resounding 
mandate for transforming America. Let's nominate and elect men and women 
who share our values. We've got much more to do to get America on the 
right track. So, I'm asking you for 4 more years as your President of 
this great country.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. This country was built on faith, family, and freedom, 
and we must renew those sources of our strength. And we must allow 
common sense to prevail.
    For example, in our welfare system, restore the connection between 
welfare and work. Americans are not cold-hearted. We're a caring people. 
Americans support welfare and families in need. But we want to see 
government at every level work together to track down the deadbeat 
fathers, the ones who can't be bothered to pay their child support. And 
most important, we've got to break the cycle of dependency that destroys 
dignity and passes down poverty from one generation to the next. That's 
wrong. That's cruel. And we're working to change it. The way we're doing 
that is to encourage States to innovate with workfare and plans that 
help people break that dependency, begin learning work skills. Let's 
help those families.
    And we will continue to fight for the parents' right to choose their 
children's schools, school choice. We've got a great education program, 
and school choice is at the heart of America 2000, our strategy to 
literally revolutionize American education.
    Today, March 6th, is a World Day of Prayer. And I think it says 
something that the World Day of Prayer is observed a lot more frequently 
here in this community than it is in Washington, DC. You know there's 
something wrong when our kids cannot participate in voluntary prayer in 
the classrooms across this country. The Senate and the House, and they 
need it, I'll admit, open their sessions every day with prayer. Why 
can't we have a voluntary prayer in the classroom?
    And let me be clear: Parents, parents, not some bureaucrat in 
Washington, DC, knows what is best for the kids. And that's why we 
worked hard to win a child care bill that provides parents the right to 
choose who provides the care. We know America is first as long as we put 
the family first.
    Now, back to Congress, regrettably. For 3 years I've had to fight 
the liberal leadership of the Congress, one party having controlled that 
Congress for most of the last 50 years. And I will continue to stand for 
principle no matter how daunting the odds. We have fought; we've put 
judges on the bench who know their rule is to interpret the law, not to 
legislate from the Federal bench. And I'm going to keep on doing that.
    And let me be clear to those here and those that are not here but 
might be listening: I will use the veto when I have to, to stand for 
principle, to stand up for family values. Sometimes even my friends said 
I was flirting with defeat by casting a veto instead of cutting out a 
deal. But we've never lost a veto fight, and I will never hesitate to 
use the veto when principle is at stake.
    And so, here we go again. The liberal leadership of the Congress is 
once again on a collision course with my veto. You remember when I asked 
Congress to pass tax cuts and incentives to really stimulate this 
economy, to get it moving, to get real estate up and running, to reward 
risk takers who create good jobs. It's time to quit punishing people who 
create jobs. We ought to cut the tax on the capital gains.
    But as Don Nickles knows because he's fighting against them every 
day, instead of passing my plan, the big spenders who control the 
Congress had other ideas, and they pushed through one of their own. And 
here's what's in it for you: a tiny temporary tax cut, 25 cents, a 
quarter a day for each man, woman, and child. And here's the catch: You 
can keep that quarter in exchange for $100 billion in new taxes. The 
Democrats call that new revenue, and I call it your money. And we are 
not going to let

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that happen.
    If you feel the way I do, write your Congress, and then tell him to 
keep the change and keep your hands off of the taxpayers' wallets. 
Unless I haven't been clear. If they send me the bill, anything like the 
one that came out of the House, I'm going to veto it faster than an 
Oklahoma twister and send it right back.
    And remember, I have set a deadline to the Congress: March 20th. And 
I have said to the Congress: Pass our plan, get our economy moving, set 
the politics aside for just a minute--and then we can fight about it 
politically from now on--and do something for the American people.
    You've probably got some Will Rogers students around here, but I 
know Will Rogers once said it was better to have termites in your house 
than the legislature in session. [Laughter] But this time there's no way 
around it. Congress has got work, its work to do to get this country 
moving.
    And I know full well how difficult times have been in the past few 
years in this State for the people in the oil and gas business, for 
example. And our domestic oil and gas industry is important to our 
national economy. It's important; it is vital to our national security. 
And all of us share an interest in a national energy strategy that will 
keep America strong and keep us competitive. And it's a commonsense 
plan, ours is, that will help both consumers and producers. Congress has 
been slow to act on our energy strategy, but finally it's beginning to 
move. And so, I'd like to ask all of the people of Oklahoma to join me 
and Don Nickles and Mickey and help us put the heat on Congress to get 
our energy initiatives in place.
    Without getting too technical, I also want action on an issue 
absolutely vital to Oklahoma energy producers. This is technical, but 
it's important. The alternative minimum tax as applied to the energy 
industry is hurting our economy and helping no one. It is unfair to the 
independent producers. And it's costing us jobs. And Don Nickles 
understands this problem, and he's been in the lead to get it solved. 
And so, let me assure you, I will work with Don to get the Congress to 
reform this tax provision and restore fair treatment to our energy 
producers. It is in the national security interest of the United States 
to do this.
    I am not going to sit around waiting for the congressional 
leadership to help the economy, though. Our administration has been 
reviewing what we can do under existing laws to help. And in the natural 
gas industry--help that get moving again as well. And so, today we're 
going to announce several new actions that will eliminate some of the 
regulatory barriers that have hampered the gas industry. And these 
actions will provide significant relief to industry, but they are no 
substitute for prompt action by Congress to pass my energy legislation.
    We're going to fight as we must, and we will win. And in the world 
today, if we want to succeed economically right here at home, we've got 
to lead economically abroad. Each day, more and more American jobs are 
tied to trade, to international trade. And that's the case here in 
Oklahoma. In the past 4 years, Oklahoma's exports have jumped by 75 
percent.
    And today, 75,000 Oklahoma jobs are tied to trade. And remember, 
every billion dollars more in manufactured exports means 20,000 new jobs 
here. And each extra billion dollars in agricultural exports means 
thousands more jobs on Oklahoma ranches and farms and in the Oklahoma 
agribusiness.
    And so, some of my opponents are out there peddling protectionism, a 
retreat from economic reality. And you cut through all the patriotic 
posturing and the political promising and all the tough talk about 
fighting back by shutting out foreign goods. Well, look closely. That is 
not the American flag they are waving; it is the white flag of 
surrender. And we must not have it. That is not the America that you and 
I know. We don't cut and run; we compete. And never in this Nation's 
long history have we turned our backs on a challenge. And we are not 
going to let them start doing it to us now.
    I put my faith in the American worker. Level the playing field, and 
the American worker will outthink, outproduce, and outperform anyone, 
anywhere, anytime. So, let's back those workers with free and fair 
trade.

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    We're strong. We're strong because we value faith, family, and 
freedom. We are the world's greatest power because whenever our values 
are threatened, we fight to defend them. And we need to keep our 
defenses strong. In my State of the Union Message, I proposed far-
reaching but still responsible cuts to bring our Armed Forces into line 
with the new realities of the world. These cuts were based on 
recommendations from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from Colin Powell, from 
Secretary Cheney, all who have performed superbly. But now the liberals, 
true to form, want to put down this scalpel on that kind of cut and pick 
up a meat ax. And I am not going to let that happen. We are going to 
keep America strong. And you can count on it.
    You see, as President, and I'm sure all of you all know this, I have 
a constitutional responsibility for the national security of this 
country. And as long as I am President, I guarantee you we will have 
defenses strong enough to meet our responsibilities. We were ready last 
year, and an unforeseen situation arose when Iraq's brutal dictator 
invaded Kuwait. And we will be ready when we face the next crisis. Do 
not let them cut the heart out of our defenses.
    We must let the world know this: Whatever the challenge, America 
will stay strong. We are in it to win. And make no mistake about this, 
don't listen to these politicians on the other side who tell you we're 
in decline. You travel anywhere around the world, and you will find we 
are the undisputed, respected leader of the free world. And we're going 
to stay that way.
    Think back to a year ago, the calm after Desert Storm. Ask any one 
of the proud sons and daughters of this great State of Oklahoma, ask any 
of the young people from this campus who became liberators of Kuwait. 
And they'll tell you military strength doesn't mean a thing without 
moral support right here at home. And let me say America is proud of the 
Oklahoma 45th, the 45th Brigade, and proud of the decision this week to 
keep that brigade in service.
    Of course, there are those who didn't support us then; I can 
understand that. There are those who second-guess us now. But not here, 
not in Oklahoma. When I drew that line in the sand, you stood with me. 
And never would this country tuck tail and let aggression stand. And 
America did what was right and just and good, and America prevailed.
    And we're bringing that same spirit to the fight that we face today. 
And so, let my opponents go out there and tell us everything that's 
wrong about our country. Let them try to win by tearing down our great 
fabric. My opponents sound the retreat, run from realities, seek refuge 
in a world of protectionism and high taxes and big Government. Let them 
drone on about what's wrong in America. We know what is right about the 
United States of America.
    Once again, I'm proud to be on this campus. And let me close with 
just a couple of words right from the heart. In the first place, I think 
my wife is a fantastic First Lady of the United States. But we are 
blessed. She and I are blessed to serve this great Nation of ours at a 
moment when so many of the old fears have been driven away, when so many 
new hopes stand within our reach. And since the day I took the oath of 
office, I made it my duty always to try to do what is right for this 
country. And I've given it my level-best. And I am not done yet.
    You and I have more work ahead before we've finished our mission. 
And it's a battle for our future. It's about jobs for your future. It's 
about the family. It is about world peace.
    And together, I think we've made a great beginning to renew the 
miracle of American enterprise and to strengthen our values of family, 
faith, and freedom. And I am counting on Oklahomans, you young people 
especially, to reject the ugly politics of hate that's rearing its head 
again: anti-Semitism, bigotry. They have no place in the United States 
of America.
    And now we're approaching an hour of decision next week. Don't wait 
until November. I'm asking you to vote on Tuesday in the Republican 
primary. Give me your vote in this important election next Tuesday, and 
help me win 4 more years to lead the fight for the values we share.
    Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America, the 
freest and

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fairest and strongest country on the face of the Earth.
    Thank you very, very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 9:13 a.m. at Oklahoma 
                        Christian University. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Edward L. Gaylord, president of 
                        Oklahoma Publishing Co., and his wife, Thelma; 
                        and J. Terry Johnson, president of Oklahoma 
                        Christian University of Science and Arts.