    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [August 13, 2001]
    [Pages 959-960]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing Agriculture Economic Assistance Legislation in
    Crawford, Texas
    August 13, 2001

        Please be seated. Thanks. I want to thank you all for coming. And I
    have the honor of signing a piece of legislation that was passed out of
    the House and the Senate in record time. It's a piece of legislation to
    provide economic assistance to the ag communities all across America.
    It's $5.5 billion in total. This money is on top of the monies in the
    2001 farm bill. And it's necessary. It's necessary for our ranchers and
    our farmers.
        First, I want to thank my neighbors for coming. This is, I guess,
    maybe the first bill signing ceremony ever in Crawford, Texas.
    [Laughter] I don't think it will be the last. It's a meaningful piece of
    legislation for this part of the country because a lot of people make
    their living on the farm and on the ranch. And we want our families to
    be on the farms and ranch. After all, farm families represent the best
    of America. They represent the values that have made this country unique
    and different: values of love of family; values of respect for nature--I
    always tell people that every day is Earth Day when you own your farm,
    when you're working the land; values in understanding that there's some
    things beyond our control, that the Almighty controls the weather,
    sometimes in ways we like and sometimes in ways we don't like; values of
    hard work; values of the entrepreneurial spirit; and values of private
    property. These are really important values that make America different
    and America unique, and values that we need to keep intact.
        I'm worried about the fact that the ag economy suffers, because
    agriculture is a part of our national security mix. If we can't grow
    enough food to feed our people, we've got a problem. It will complicate
    our foreign policy, needless to say. Well, we've got to make sure our ag
    economy stays strong and healthy, and this supplemental is a way to help
    do that.
        And so I want to thank you all for coming. I was hoping it would
    start raining in the middle of this little talk--[laughter]--and then I
    could take credit for it.
        I think one of the things, as well, that I really appreciate about
    the Crawford area is the fact that there is a concept of neighborliness.
    People say, well--I go downtown, and I have a nice burger the other day
    with some people, and they say--they walk

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    up and say, ``I'm your neighbor.'' That's an important concept for our
    country because a neighbor means more than just somebody living next
    door to somebody else. A neighbor means that there's somebody around
    willing to help somebody.
        I tell people all the time that the great strength of this country
    is in the fact that we've got such loving and decent people all across
    America who, when they find a neighbor in need, are willing to help out,
    are willing to help that neighbor. And that doesn't require any
    Government law; you can't pass a law that says, ``Thou shalt love thy
    neighbor,'' or ``You will be neighborly.'' That's because America is
    full of just such decent people.
        And so I want to welcome my neighbors, and I want to thank you all
    for coming. And it is my honor now to sign this piece of meaningful
    legislation that should make the lives of the people who farm and the
    people who ranch much better off.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at noon at the Bush Ranch. H.R. 2213, approved
    August 13, was assigned Public Law No. 107-25.