[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[March 14, 2001]
[Pages 236-238]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 236]]


Remarks During a Tour of the Youth Entertainment Academy and an Exchange 
With Reporters in Plainfield, New Jersey
March 14, 2001

    The President. It talks about armies--there is an army of compassion 
in America, too. That's what I'm here to highlight, not only the 
technology but the hearts.
    One of the things our Government is going to do is to recognize the 
way faith-based initiatives--they take place in neighborhoods all around 
America. And I believe strongly that Congress ought to fund programs 
that will allow for low-income parents to access after-school programs 
that can be run by faith-based programs as well as secular programs.
    We ought to ask the question, does it work? And if it works, we 
ought to empower those who are making it work.
    One of the problems we face in society is, Government cannot make 
people love one another. I wish we could. But we darn sure can find 
those who do love their neighbor and facilitate programs that will 
change people's lives.
    So I'm honored to be here, and I want to thank you for your 
compassion and your love.

[At this point, the tour continued.]

    The President. I'm honored, and I can't thank you all enough for 
providing a little haven of love and haven of hope. And I want to thank 
you all for your fantastic music. But more importantly, I want to thank 
you for the example you've set. All of us who are in positions where 
people look at us must understand we've got to set examples.
    And the drummer was telling me not only was he learning how to hone 
his skills, but he's learning how to send the right signal to people in 
his church and in his family about making the right choices, lessons 
he's learned here. And I am so grateful for your love and your 
compassion.
    Our Government must serve as a spawning ground for social 
entrepreneurs, many of whom have heard the call to help a neighbor in 
need through their religion. We ought to welcome faith-based programs 
into our society, not fear them. And I have come to this program to not 
only herald what you do but to say to others who are wondering whether 
or not the Government is going to thwart efforts or enable, that we 
intend to be enablers.
    So thank you for letting me come. And Governor, thank you for your time, appreciate your support. And 
Congressmen and Mayor and Buster--[laughter]--Madam 
President, thank you all.

[The President took questions from reporters.]

National Economy

    Q. Mr. President, on the economy, sir, how concerned do you think 
Americans should be--how concerned are you about the turmoil in the 
markets and the state of the economy in general? And do you think it's 
time to start talking the economy up?
    The President. Well, I'm concerned that a lot of Americans' 
portfolios have been affected; people that put aside money in the stock 
market are now seeing their asset base decline. But I've got great faith 
in our economy. I've got great faith in the entrepreneurial spirit. And 
I believe the plans we're putting in place by working with the Congress 
are going to serve as a second wind for economic growth.

Carbon Dioxide Regulation

    Q. Why did you change your mind on making carbon dioxide--regulating 
carbon dioxide?
    The President. We'll enforce our--this administration will enforce 
the clean air

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laws of the country. We will work with our utilities to encourage better 
efficiency, so as to clean up the air. We've got an energy crisis in 
America that we have to deal with in a commonsense way. It is important 
to not only encourage conservation, but we need to increase the supplies 
of energy, so as to make sure that our consumers and small businesses 
and large business have got the energy necessary to not only heat their 
homes but to run their businesses.
    Q. What has changed, though, since the campaign, when you said we 
should regulate it, so now when you say we shouldn't----
    The President. We're in an energy crisis now. We're going to have to 
recognize--our country has got to recognize that we need more 
powerplants, that we--50 percent of our fuel source for our utilities 
comes from coal. I'm confident, with better efficiencies, we'll keep 
improving our air quality. But this is an administration that will 
address our problems in a commonsense way, and we've got an energy 
crisis.
    Q. How do you respond to criticism, sir, that you have gone back on 
a campaign promise here?
    The President. Ours is an administration that will deal with the 
problems of the day. We've got an energy crisis in America. We use a lot 
of coal, and we need a lot of coal to fuel our plants, to make sure 
Americans have got the ability to heat and cool their homes.
    Q. Are you feeling a lot of pressure from industry on this issue?
    The President. I was responding to reality. And reality is, the 
Nation has got a real problem when it comes to energy. We need more 
sources of energy. We need more powerplants. We need more exploration 
for natural gas, and we need clean coal technology.
    I am concerned that if we don't act in a commonsense way, that our 
people will not be able to heat and cool their homes. And I'm worried 
about--a failure of an energy policy could affect our economy, and we're 
dealing with it in a commonsense way.

New Jersey Gubernatorial Election

    Q. This is the first time you've been back to New Jersey since the 
election, and we have a Governor's race coming up. How often are you 
going to come back, and are you going to campaign for the new acting 
Governor?
    The President. Well, everybody knows the new acting 
Governor is my good friend, and I 
value his friendship. I will be back in the general election to help him 
win, if he wants me. [Laughter]

Faith-Based Initiative

    Q. Mr. President, your charitable choice proposals are probably not 
going to be in the legislation that goes to the Senate. Are you 
disappointed about that?
    The President. First of all, the reports about our charitable choice 
legislation not going full steam ahead is just simply not true. We're 
moving on a timetable that we're comfortable with. And part of our 
Faith-Based Initiative was to make sure we take a full inventory of 
programs that now exist within the Federal Government.
    So we'll move our package, and I'm confident it will get passed. So 
I really appreciate the bipartisan effort that has taken place. Joe 
Lieberman has said some very positive 
things, for example, about our program. Americans are--want to see the 
Government welcome faith-based programs and a compassionate delivery of 
health.
    So we're going to have a good package, and I'll be signing a good 
bill.
    Q. It's not a setback, sir, that they've decided that there's a 
little too much controversy on that for now?
    The President. I'm not sure what report you're referring to. But the 
reports I get is that there is bipartisan support for the Faith-Based 
Initiative. And I'm pretty confident we're going to get a very good 
bill.

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And I appreciate those Members who are working with us on it.

Note: The President spoke at 10:45 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church. In 
his remarks, he referred to Acting Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco and 
Secretary of State DeForest B. ``Buster'' Soaries, Jr., of New Jersey; 
Mayor Albert T. McWilliams of Plainfield, NJ; and Rev. LaVerne Ball, 
president, Plainfield Interfaith Neighborhood Council for Housing. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.