[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[August 5, 1992]
[Pages 1304-1307]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Convention in New 
York City
August 5, 1992

    Thank you very, very much for that warm welcome. Thank you, ladies 
and gentlemen. Please be seated, and thank you all. May I salute Virgil 
Dechant, my friend of long standing, and thank him for that most 
generous welcome here. Your Eminence, Cardinal O'Connor, it is a great 
pleasure, an honor, sir, to see you again. May I salute Cardinal Baum, 
Cardinal Gagnon, Bishop Daily; another old friend, Ambassador Tom 
Melady, who is doing a superb job for our country, representing us at 
the Vatican; and the clergy and ladies and gentlemen. May I salute a man 
who used to be--whose house made him a neighbor, Archbishop 
Cacciavillan, from Washington, the Nuncio there, a good man, a good 
friend. Nice to see you. I'm glad you're here, sir.
    I have only one regret, Virgil. My timing was such that I did not 
hear the fitting and warm and wonderful ovation that you gave Mother 
Teresa yesterday. I understand it was really fantastic.
    A report came across my desk the other day. It stated that most 
people in the Western world ``felt exceedingly gloomy about the 
future.'' It said that ``institutions were decaying, well-meaning people 
were growing cynical.'' These are exact quotes.
    My first thought was that's what happens when people spend too much 
time watching the evening news. [Laughter] I'm going to pay for that one 
tonight on that first 20 seconds. [Laughter] Just kidding, Dan. 
[Laughter]
    No, but what I was reading was not a report about 1992. It was a 
history of public attitudes in Europe in 1492. Public moods are prone to 
change, of course. We know that the gloom of 1492 was not to last for 
long. It was dispelled by the achievement of a man of humble birth, a 
man of vision, of courage, a man named Christopher Columbus.
    Now, I know that every speaker comes before you and says they 
identify with Columbus. But I really mean it. Think about it. The guy 
was faced with questions at home about whether his global efforts were 
worth a darn. Some critics wanted him to cut his voyage short. He even 
faced the threat of mutiny. [Laughter] And yet Columbus persevered and 
won; not a bad analogy in my view. So I know this isn't political. 
[Laughter] Now, I admit, Columbus also had to worry at the time about a 
lack of wind. I don't have that problem with Congress. [Laughter]
    This year, as in Columbus' time, we hear a lot of talk about change. 
Sure, change is natural. But maybe a better word for the United States 
of America is renewal because the changes we need must be based on 
principles that never change.
    I think my parents were like yours: They brought me up to understand 
that our fundamental moral standards were established by Almighty God. 
They taught me that if you have something for yourself, you should give 
half to a friend. They taught me to take the blame when things go wrong 
and share the credit when things go right. These ideas were supported by 
society.
    Only recently--His Eminence and I were talking about, not in this 
detail, but talking about this subject just a few minutes ago--only 
recently in America have we seen the rise of legal theories and 
practices that reject our Judeo-Christian tradition. Cardinal O'Connor 
eloquently describes this as an ``invasion of values.'' It's a deeply 
disturbing trend, and it is diametrically opposed to my idea of the kind 
of change that's good for our great country.
    Last month, just 12 blocks from here, there was another convention. 
Now, I was very lucky, I did not--and this is the honest truth--I didn't 
hear any of the speeches. I

[[Page 1305]]

was out fishing in Wyoming with Jim Baker. But I understand one of the 
speakers, known for his florid language, called me ``the captain of the 
ship of state.'' I'm not sure he meant it as a compliment, but believe 
me, as a Navy man at a Knights of Columbus convention, the term suits me 
just fine. [Laughter]
    I look at this office that you've entrusted with me as a lot of 
things, as more than managing the economy, more even than being 
Commander in Chief. I stake my claim to a simple belief: The President 
should set the moral tone for this Nation.
    All around us, we see evidence that America's moral compass has gone 
awry. We seem to be moving away from the enduring idea of taking 
responsibility for our actions. Our city newspapers are filled with 
stories of drive-by shootings, the taking of human life made more 
horrible by the awful anonymity through which it is accomplished. 
Recently I read a story of a kid from a good neighborhood charged in a 
gun store robbery. He told the police who caught him, ``It's not like 
I'm a criminal. I'm on the dean's list.''
    What is happening to America? As a nation, we face enormous 
challenges in education, crime, drugs. Yet each of them come back to the 
challenge of pointing our moral compass in the right direction. So I 
believe that a central issue of this election year should be, who do you 
trust to renew America's moral purpose? Who do you trust to fight for 
the ideas that will help rebuild our families and restore our 
fundamental values?
    I believe, and I've tried hard on this, I believe I've earned your 
trust. I am committed to fighting for ideas that help repair this great 
Nation's moral fiber.
    Welfare is one example. We all know that our welfare system has 
literally destroyed the concept of personal responsibility, tearing 
families apart, with no incentives for people to work and save and 
improve. I want something different. I have fought for a new welfare 
system that says ``yes'' to human potential.
    Today, as we speak, we are granting waivers to States so they can 
change welfare rules, encourage families not to fall apart, not to live 
apart, but to stick together. States are saying to recipients, either 
you get training, or you don't get a check. Some States are even going 
so far as to make a very tough call of saying to parents, if you can't 
afford another child, don't expect the taxpayer to pick up the added 
costs. Now, these are tough choices. These are very tough choices, but 
they're all intended by the States to promote responsibility.
    The other side says they agree with the ideas. But if you look 
close, some argue that ultimately the only solution to welfare is a 
guaranteed Government job for every recipient. I ask, is this any way to 
promote responsibility? If we guarantee everyone a Government job, how 
can we reward initiative? Our reforms may sound tough, but not as tough 
as a lifetime of despondency and despair, a lifetime that strips every 
recipient of his or her dignity. Let's give people hope. Let's give them 
opportunity.
    Let's take a look at education. We know that to renew America, we 
literally must renew our schools. I happen to believe that competition 
can be the greatest force for change in our schools in an entire 
century.
    The other side says they agree, almost. The ``almost'' is what 
troubles me. Remember how old Henry Ford used to tell his customers they 
could have any color Model T that they wanted, so long as it was black. 
[Laughter] Well, the other side says their ideal is that parents could 
choose any school for their kids, so long as it's run by the government.
    If you'll excuse one blatantly political comment in which you'll 
have to concede has so far been a nonpartisan, almost, speech--
[laughter]--my opponent won the teachers union endorsement by saying 
he's ``unalterably opposed,'' those are his words, ``unalterably 
opposed'' to letting Catholic parents and other private school parents 
have a fair share of education benefits.
    I believe that it's time to have the courage to fight for a 
different approach. Right now, if you want an alternative to public 
schools, you have to pay twice, first for tuition and again through 
taxes. A couple weeks ago I was in Philadelphia, hosted by Cardinal 
Bevilacqua. And a group of parents told me, ``We want our kids to go to

[[Page 1306]]

Catholic school, but we just can't afford it.'' So my solution is 
something called the ``GI bill'' for kids. Like the original GI bill, my 
new approach offers scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any 
qualified school, not only public schools but Bible schools, yeshivas, 
Catholic parish schools. When it comes to schools, I say let the parents 
choose public, private, or religious.
    What about promoting religion as a force for good in our society? 
I'm reminded of the story of a small boy who once began a prayer this 
way: ``God bless Mother and Daddy, my brother, my sister. And God,'' he 
said, ``do take care of yourself. If anything happens to You, we're all 
sunk.'' [Laughter] Maybe there's some doubts, but America is still the 
most religious nation on Earth. I want to strengthen our faith further.
    Again, there are wide differences. Some think it's okay to hand out 
condoms in schools but oppose amending our Constitution to allow our 
kids to put their hands together to say a prayer. I disagree. I call 
again on the Congress to pass a constitutional amendment restoring 
voluntary prayer to our classrooms. The Senate opens its meeting with a 
prayer. The House of Representatives opens its meeting with a prayer. 
Nobody doubts that they both need it. [Laughter] But let's allow the 
faith of our fathers back into those schools.
    And there's a national tragedy: More than a half a million abortions 
in this country every year. We know there's got to be a better way, 
human alternatives like adoptions and abstinence. Seven times I have 
ignored the polls and acted on what I believe is fundamental principle 
and vetoed, as Virgil very generously pointed out, abortion legislation. 
And I promise you again today, no matter the political price, and they 
tell me in this year that it's enormous, I am going to do what I think 
is right. I am going to stand on my conscience and let my conscience be 
my guide when it comes to matters of life. [Applause] Thank you very 
much.
    Here's something else that bothers me. In some places, a 13-year-old 
girl cannot get her ears pierced without parental permission, without 
bringing her mother and father along. But some believe that the same 
girl should be able to get an abortion without parental consent. I think 
most Americans believe this idea is crazy, and I'm going to fight to see 
that that doesn't happen.
    So these issues, they all come up in an election year. They'll be 
part of campaigns in the fall all across the country. Today I make the 
same appeal to you that I'll make to every voter. Look beneath the 
rhetoric. Take a look at the ideas to determine who has the courage to 
stand up for changes that are morally right for America. I'm going to 
take my case to the American people. And if you're looking to restore 
America's moral fiber, why buy synthetic when you can get real cotton? 
[Laughter]
    But I do believe America needs a leader willing to do what's right, 
not merely what is politically popular at the moment. Nowhere is it more 
clear in the decisions a President must make every day to build real 
peace, to establish freedom and democracy, not the mere, simple absence 
of war.
    Saint Ignatius said, ``Work as though all depended upon yourself, 
and pray as though all depended on God.'' The practice of that motto 
conquered communism. Ceaseless prayer and tireless work halted the cold 
war and spared us from the catastrophe of a third world war. Believers 
behind the Iron Curtain defied persecution; believers in the West defied 
indifference.
    Over four decades, our servicemen trained, our taxpayers paid $4 
trillion to keep our defenses strong. As a consequence, the Iron Curtain 
is no more, and our kids no longer go to bed at night worrying about 
that dreadful specter of nuclear war. But while the Soviet bear is no 
more, there are still plenty of wolves in the woods. When we faced our 
first big challenge after the cold war, we didn't shrink. We stood up to 
Saddam's aggression and expelled him from Kuwait. We protected the 
people of Israel and Saudi Arabia. Now we've brought age-old adversaries 
to the peace table for the first time. His Holiness Pope John Paul has 
spent many days and nights at work and in prayer for peace in the Middle
East. As long as I am President, I assure you I will do everything I can 
to bring
about that peace that so many pray

[[Page 1307]]

for.
    And so, in conclusion, let me say this: This is the year of change, 
change, change. The election will all be about change because change 
really is the natural condition of our land. This isn't something new. I 
believe that now we've changed the world, we are poised and ready to 
change America, to make America even better. But we must keep something 
important in mind. Now that our moral values are victorious around the 
globe, we cannot and we will not abandon them at home.
    We didn't stand together to see courageous moral values rise in 
Russia only to be ignored here at home. We did not sacrifice so that 
personal responsibility could triumph in totalitarian regimes, only to 
become passe here in this great Nation.
    It's time to get back to some basic American values. So I am going 
to defend the principles for which you stand so firm. We will keep our 
sights on what's good in America. We will keep our focus on the 
potential in our families and, most of all, in our young people, in our 
kids. We'll keep a reliable compass. We'll put our ship of state in 
finest sailing trim, and as this Nation has so many times before, we 
will sail on to shining new horizons.
    Thank you. May God bless you and our beloved country, the United 
States of America. Thank you very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:04 a.m. at the 
                        Marriott Marquis Hotel. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Virgil C. Dechant, Supreme Knight, 
                        Knights of Columbus; John Cardinal O'Connor, 
                        Archbishop of New York; William Cardinal Baum, 
                        Patrimony of the Holy See; Edouard Cardinal 
                        Gagnon, president, Pontifical Committee for 
                        International Eucharistic Congresses; Thomas 
                        Daily, Bishop of Brooklyn; Archbishop Agostino 
                        Cacciavillan, Papal Nuncio; Mother Teresa of 
                        Calcutta, founder and superior of the 
                        Missionaries of Charity; Dan Rather, CBS News; 
                        and Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of 
                        Philadelphia.