[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[December 4, 2001]
[Pages 1471-1484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Townhall Meeting in Orlando
December 4, 2001
The President. Thank you very much. Please be seated. Thank you all
very much. I'm really happy to visit Florida. The weather is beautiful.
There's a lot of interesting things to do here. I recommend people from
outside of Florida to come and take a look at Florida. It's a nice place
to visit and a great place to live. One reason why is because you've got
a great Governor. I'm not very objective.
[Laughter]
I also--I'm proud to be traveling today with two members of my
Cabinet. First, somebody who made a living and raised his family right
here in Orange County, and that's Mel Martinez of the Housing--[applause]. There's no better person to
help promote a significant part of the American Dream--that being
homeownership--than somebody who came to our country from a country that
doesn't encourage homeownership, somebody whose parents had the
foresight to encourage him to be extricated from a tyrannical society,
somebody who understood Fidel Castro doesn't trust people to own
property; and that's Mel Martinez. We're working together to make sure
homeownership becomes a reality for any citizen in America who shares
that dream, regardless of where they live or their background.
I'm also traveling today with the Secretary of Labor, Elaine
Chao. And there's a lot of Members of the
United States Congress who have traveled here: homegrown Congressman Ric
Keller; Ander Crenshaw
is with us--thank you for coming, Ander; Congressman Mark Foley, I appreciate you; Congressman John Mica.
I recently worked closely with John and
other Republicans and Democrats to forge an airport security bill which
will allow the Federal Government to supervise the security of our
airports, to make sure that those who travel are comfortable with the
fact that we're doing everything in our power to make air travel as safe
as it can possibly be. Thank you, John, for your leadership on that
issue.
Congressman Adam Putnam--I had to check
to make sure he was old enough, but Adam, thank you; Congressman
Dave Weldon--thank you, Dave, for being here;
Congressman Cliff Stearns, from Florida, as
well.
And finally, I want to thank the mayor, Glenda Hood, and all those who helped encourage you all to come so that
I can answer any questions you may have about what's going on in the
country and the world today.
Before I answer a few questions--and I thought it was right. I know
a lot of citizens in Florida and around our country may have some
questions to the President, and I'm more than happy to answer some.
Before I do, I do want to say a few comments.
One of the other reasons I came here is to herald a program called
``Operation Paycheck.'' It's a program that Jeb has
put in place to help displaced workers find the training necessary to
find work, to help displaced workers around this part of the world, to
help those who want to help themselves find the training necessary to
allow them to learn new skills to find work again.
[[Page 1472]]
There's nothing that hurts me more than to know, as we head into the
holiday season, that some of our citizens and some of their families
hurt because they've been laid off as a result of 9/11. And we have a
role in the Government--in the State Government, in the Federal
Government--to provide immediate help as part of an economic security
package, is to provide immediate help. And so one of the things I did
was announce a grant for the State of Florida to encourage programs like
Operation Paycheck, one-stop centers for people to find help. And today
I was pleased to announce that grant on behalf of the Federal
Government, but there's more to be done.
You probably read about the fact that we're working with Congress.
And I must say, relations with Congress are a heck of a lot better than
they have been in the past, because Congressmen and Senators of both
parties are interested about what's doing right for the American people.
And part of an economic security package is to make sure that we
extend unemployment insurance benefits for those who have been laid off
as a result of 9/11 and provide money--monies to help those who have
been laid off with things such as child care or health insurance or
transportation to a community college, to enable them to learn a new
skill. We have a role to play. And I urge the United States Congress to
stop talking and to get an economic security bill to my desk.
The House has acted, and for that I'm grateful. And there's always--
the Speaker can tell you--there's always a
difference of opinion sometimes between the House and the Senate,
whether it's at the State or Federal level. But the Senate needs to get
a bill, get it reconciled, and get it to my desk, so we can say we're
doing the people's business in a way that will make you proud.
The truth of the matter is, economic security, however, the long-
term, depends upon our ability to get our economy cranked up again, so
new jobs are being created. We've got to think about how to stimulate
job creation. The question that needs to be answered is how to create
more jobs, and I've laid out a blueprint to do just that.
I think we ought to--and help people with more money as we head into
the Christmas season, by making sure that those who filed but didn't pay
taxes get a rebate, just similar to the rebates you all have just
recently received. That will help low- and moderate-income Americans. We
ought to accelerate the tax cuts that we have in place. More money in
people's pockets mean more economic activity.
We ought to reform the corporate income tax system. This current
system says that as you lose money, you begin to pay more taxes. That
doesn't make any sense if we're worried about job creation. I don't
think we ought to be looking back for a decade, but I do think we ought
to reform the system as we head forward, to make sense. And finally, I
think we ought to provide incentives for corporate America to buy more
plant and equipment. That will encourage job creation.
We ought to ask the question in Washington, what's it take to create
more jobs, so hard-working Americans can be able to put food on the
table? That's what we ought to be asking.
Two other points I want to make before I answer your questions is,
there's no question, as well, that in order to make sure our economy
recovers and people are able to find work, we've got to do everything we
can to prevent the enemy from hitting us again. We've got to be
diligent. And so we're following every hint, every lead, every
possibility, within the confines of the Constitution. My job is to
provide security for the American people. My job is to make sure that we
use the assets at our disposal to ferret out those who might hurt
America and to bring them to justice.
We can protect our homeland by beefing up law enforcement, by
encouraging the
[[Page 1473]]
FBI to focus on prevention, by working closely with local authorities,
and we're doing that. But in the long term, the best way to make sure
America is safe is to find those who would commit terror against
America, no matter where they run or where they hide, and bring them to
justice. And that's exactly what we're doing.
For those of you who are the parents or the spouse or the brother or
sister of a member of our military who may not be home during the
holiday season, first, I want to thank you for your sacrifice but let
you know that the cause is just. And I know you're as proud as I am of
how our military is fighting the war on terror.
We rescued humanitarian aid workers. We're slowly but surely
demolishing the Government that felt comfortable in housing and abetting
and feeding and hiding those who committed murder in America. And slowly
but surely we're tightening the net on Usama bin Laden and Al Qaida.
They think they can run, and we'll tire. They think they can hide,
and we will tire. But they have sorely misunderstood America. They don't
understand our will and our determination. This great land is united to
bring freedom to the world. We will bring them to justice, and we will
prevail.
And so I'm honored that such a huge crowd would turn out. I want to
thank you all for coming. I look forward to answering your questions. I
want to thank you for your prayers, thank you for your love for the
country. And now, if you've got any questions, I'm here to answer them.
Yes, sir.
Job Training and Unemployment Benefits
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Since the September 11th tragedy, many
Americans with college degrees, including myself, have been laid off.
What are some of the things you're doing to help people like me, who
have been out of work for the past few months?
The President. Well, first of all, there's a lot of money spent from
the Federal level to help--to help with reeducation. And one of the
programs that I just mentioned is the use of Federal monies to empower
State Governments to provide opportunities for reeducation.
I just went by a center today. I sat next to a TWA pilot, highly
skilled, college-educated man who got laid off as a pilot. His dream is
to go back to a local community college, become reeducated to become a
computer programmer. In other words, the idea is to mate those with
skills with jobs that actually exist.
The problem with the kind of Federal approach and only Federal
approach is, is that we may encourage you to become trained in a job
that doesn't exist. And so the real thing is, is there money available
for job training? Is there money available from the Federal Government
to say to Governor Bush of Florida, ``Here is some
dough. Set up a system that will actually match people with skills and
jobs that exist.'' There are jobs in Florida, and the fundamental
question is, how do we encourage those with skills, to funnel those with
skills into those jobs?
Secondly, I do believe we ought to extend the amount of time one can
receive unemployment insurance benefits. I think that's important. And I
also believe that we need to have what's called national emergency
grants, which are basically Federal expenditures to States to allow
people to help, for example, make health care payments. And one of the
things I worry about and I'm deeply concerned about is, somebody who has
had a good health care plan is no longer able to afford health care. And
so we ought to help people be able to afford those premiums and those
benefits until they're able to get back to work.
The long term, though, is--and I keep repeating it--is, let's
stimulate job growth. The best thing for you to be able to find a job is
for there to be more jobs available. And I believe--I believe we're on
the verge of doing just that.
[[Page 1474]]
I mean, we've got great tax policy in place. We cut taxes this year;
we've got taxes cut for the next years coming, which will stimulate
economic growth. Alan Greenspan has got
monetary policy in such a shape that interest rates are low. Energy
prices are reasonable. And so, we've got the framework for growth. And
by the way, the same entrepreneurial spirit that existed in America
prior to September 11th still exists today. They can't take that away
from us.
Responsive Government
Q. Mr. President, we appreciate you coming to the community and
putting a great spotlight on the tourism industry. For the past 16
years, I own a small transportation company here, 10 of which I operate
at the Orlando International Airport. Due to the slowdown in the economy
and certainly the events of September 11, I was forced to close my
doors, putting 252 employees out of work, not to mention their families
and others who support my business. We have taken advantage of some of
the programs you've put into place, such as the SBA disaster loan plan.
We've been monitoring that and found out that the application is bogged
down in the bureaucracy of the system. What can you do to help us, as
small business, speed that process, as our window is closing rapidly on
us? Thank you for your answer.
The President. Well, first get your card, and find out why your case
is bogged down in bureaucracy. I can't stand bureaucracy. I appreciate
the hard-working people who work for the Federal Government. I
appreciate people who care enough to work for the Government to make
people's--to do their job. I like that. But what I don't like is systems
that get so cumbersome that those who are trying to help you don't get
the product out.
I put a good man as the head of the SBA, and I believe that he's
doing everything he can to make sure that applications don't get stuck
in a system, that hard-working Federal employees are able to match their
desires to help you with the ability to do so.
So to answer your question, I need to know your case, and I'm going
to send a man right out here to ask you. Where's Logan?
Advice to Youth
Q. First of all, I'd like to thank you for being here today, Mr.
President Bush. My name is Adam Hallsman, and I'm a seventh grader at
Shelley Boone Middle School in Haines City, Florida. I'd like to know
what the children and the small--and the young people in America, how
can they help the economy?
The President. Listen to your mother. I'm still listening to mine.
[Laughter]
I'll tell you what you can do; I'll tell you how you can help the
economy: Study hard; learn a skill; have ambition; make the right
choices in life so that when you get old enough, you're a productive
citizen. That's the absolute best thing you can do.
But there are other things you can do. I see women of cover here,
and I want to thank you for coming from the Muslim community here in
America. Right after the attacks, I went to a mosque to send the signal
that the war against terror had nothing to do with the Muslim faith. It
has everything to do with evil, evil people. What you can do to help
America, beyond the economy, is to remind people that regardless of our
religious beliefs, we're all, first and foremost, Americans; that this
is a country--[applause]
And you know what else you can do? You can find somebody in need and
give them a hand. I'm worried about the fact that charitable giving in
America has dropped off as a result of 9/11. It didn't drop off because
of 9/11; it dropped off because a lot of people gave money to help the
victims, which is great. But there's an aftermath to the attacks that
we've got to worry about. There are still people in
[[Page 1475]]
America who hurt. They were hurting before September 11th; they hurt
today. And one of the things you can do as a seventh grader, and all of
us can do, is remember that and give of time and money to help fellow
Americans in need. I can't think of any way better to make sure our
country remains strong in the aftermath of the terrorist attack, is to
help; is to ask the question, ``What can I do''; is to not only honor
the values of America but honor the values of a good neighborhood, which
is neighbor helping neighbor in need.
Small Business
Q. Good afternoon, Mr. President. First of all, it is an honor to be
here with you, and we want to thank you for your godly leadership in
serving this country. My name is Irma Yapur. And my question today is in
regards also to small business and self-employment. As many Americans
are losing their corporate jobs and are going into business for
themselves, is the Government planning to provide assistance to the
self-employed in small business who do not have the tangible collateral
and livelihood to support a loan approval?
The President. Well, we do. We've got an SBA whose job it is to
encourage entrepreneurial growth. Evidently, it may be somewhat bound in
paperwork, unnecessary paperwork requirements. [Laughter] It's good to
get out of Washington to get the real story--[laughter]--but the job--
but that's what the SBA is for. It's to encourage--and you're bogged
down in paperwork, as well, I take it? Okay, my man Logan--[laughter].
Look, the Government can never guarantee success in the private
sector. That's not what happens in a system based upon free enterprise.
We can help people, but there are no guarantees about business. We're a
risk-and-reward-oriented society. And so the best thing we can do is
help you to get your business started. But it's up to you to have a good
product; it's up to you to understand the market; and it's up to you to
fashion a game plan that will work. And what we can do is help there,
and there all kinds of ways to do that.
You're next. Yes, sir.
Tax Rebates
Q. The first one is a thank-you from all of our employees and many
people who have worked. When the taxpayer rebates came, for many of
them, they said they don't know what they would have done if it hadn't
been for those. So very much a sincere thank-you for that.
The President. Thank you very much.
Terrorist Attacks in Israel
Q. The second one is a question. What are we doing right now to
assist our allies in Israel during their time of terrorist attacks?
The President. Yes. The question is about Israel. I had the Prime
Minister of Israel in my office on Sunday. He
was coming Monday but decided to come sooner because of the attacks. And
I commiserated with him, because a lot of innocent people had been
killed or hurt as a result of terrorist activity.
The terrorist attacks on Israel--first of all, Israel has got no
better friend than the United States, as far as I'm concerned. Israel is
a democracy. We share a lot of values with Israel. I have a dream; I
can't think of anything better than to have a dream for peace for
Israel. I think the Israeli people want to have peace.
But we learned in such a vivid way that there are elements in the
Middle East that hate the thought of peace and will be willing to use
terror to derail any type of peace process. And so the spotlight now
flashes on the Middle East in a terrible way, obviously. But it also
reminds people around the world that if we want peace, that it's
important for those advocates of peace to help rout out terror and to
bring it to justice. It is incumbent upon Mr. Arafat now to respond forcefully, to rout out those who
killed. It's incumbent upon other friends
[[Page 1476]]
and allies of ours around the world to help bring those terrorists to
justice if we want peace in the Middle East, which I do--which I do.
We've got to bring the terrorists to justice.
We cannot let a few--we cannot let a few prevent the many from
achieving a dream which is lasting peace in the Middle East. I hope that
happens. I hope it happens for the sake of Israel. I hope it happens for
the sake of the Palestinians, who suffer because of the lack of job
opportunity and killing and war. I hope it happens. But first things
first. We must rid the world of terror.
Worker Benefits/Economic Stimulus
Q. Thank you, President Bush. It's great to have you here in the
State of Florida. I work at the airport at the Hyatt Hotel. And I'm
worried--I have, luckily, kept my job, but now we're getting our hours
cut and stuff. And they're trying to do the best that they can, and I'm
in jeopardy of losing my benefits. Now, I'm a single mother of three
kids, and I can't be without benefits, like health insurance, per se.
The President. Right. Well, I think that one of the things that we
need to work on during the next session is how to make sure that the
working uninsured have benefits. I proposed a plan through the tax
credit system to provide just that--to make sure that you don't lose
your benefits if this were to happen.
Of course, the key thing--again, I keep harking back to this--is,
we've got to grow our economy, is we've got to put a stimulus--security
package--a stimulus package in place that encourages job growth.
Now, the Government did act quickly when it came to your industry.
After all, we provided a significant amount of loans and grants for the
airline industry to make sure the airplanes, which were directly hit by
the attacks, continue to fly. And I hope that the measures we have put
in place, financial measures plus the security measures, will convince
the American people to get on airplanes and come down to Florida so that
your hotel has got customers.
Education
Q. Mr. President, I'm an educator for the Orange County Public
School System. And, first of all, I'd like to thank you very much for
your ethics and integrity, because that's what we're all about in
education.
The President. Thank you.
Q. I'd like to share that I am very appreciative of the focus that
you and the First Lady have brought to your administration on reading
instruction. And we were very happy when that took place. And we can
also appreciate the fact that since 9/11, your energy and your focus has
been diverted to issues that are to protect our country, and we thank
you very much for that. But the reality is that 9/11 has also impacted
education. We are about to experience one of the biggest cuts that we
have experienced in many years here in Florida, and we're very concerned
about our children and about our teachers and their future, as well. And
I would just like to hear from you where you are today with education,
in terms of your focus and energy.
The President. You bet. Thank you very much. I appreciate that
question. Education needs to be the number one priority of any State.
I'm convinced it's the number one priority of this Governor here. I believe that there needs to be a clear role for
local people, State people, and a limited role for the Federal
Government, because I do not believe one size fits all when it comes to
educating children.
Now, having said that, I do believe that the Federal Government has
got responsibilities for providing funds for disadvantaged and for
beefing up reading programs around the country. So one of the things
that we're going to do is to work with Jeb and
other States on enhancing reading programs. There's no question about
it, that if a child can't read, all the rest of the subjects are
basically irrelevant. Reading is the absolute gateway to knowledge, and
[[Page 1477]]
therefore what needs to be done is a comprehensive national reading
agenda.
To answer your question, it's about to happen when the Congress
passes the education reform bill and the education bill, the funding
mechanism necessary for education. But education is a priority not only
here, but as my good wife reminded everybody on
the radio, it's got to be a priority around the world. There is no
excuse for the Taliban Government to have treated women and young girls
the way they have and not educated people.
Education is a domestic priority. No question about it, it's a
domestic priority. And we're increasing education spending at the
Federal Government to help local districts. But we also have got to
remind people around the world, if we want peace in the world, other
nations must do a better job of treating people with respect by making
sure that they are educated, as well.
Speaking about education, you go to school, don't you? Let's hear
your question.
President's Visit
Q. Hi. My name is Ashley. I just wanted to--I don't have a comment,
but I have a question. Actually, I don't have a question; I have a
comment.
The President. Okay. [Laughter]
Q. You've been doing a good job for the United States. Can you shake
my hand?
The President. Yes. I will in a minute. Oh, you want to do it right
now? I'll do better; I'll give you a kiss. You're a sweet girl. Thank
you.
Q. Thank you very much for coming to Florida. We love you.
The President. Thanks.
Local Economies/International Trade
Q. And God bless you. This area is so dependent on tourism. Since 9/
11, as you know, everyone knows it's so bad. Is there anything that the
Government is doing to attract other industry into our area and to other
areas that are so dependent on this?
The President. I think--I would actually get Governor Bush to answer that question. [Laughter] I'm afraid to share
the mike with him; he might never give it up, though. [Laughter]
Absolutely, there is a diversification program. There is. And Jeb is
wise enough to understand that this part of the world needs to be
diversified. And tourism will always be an integral part of the central
Florida economy, but there is a lot of interesting diversification going
on here.
Now, the Federal Government's role is not to tell States how to
diversify their economies; the Federal Government's role is to provide
an overall picture for economic vitality and growth. Our job is to think
about how best to grow the entire national economy and let States figure
out and local districts and communities figure out how to diversify.
One of the interesting battles we've got going in Congress is trade.
We need to be able to trade freely, it seems like to me, in the world.
We've got the best farmers in the world in the United States--the best
farmers. It seems like it makes sense to open up other people's markets
so we can sell our products around the world.
Now, that is the place where the Federal Government, it seems like
to me, has got to address job growth and diversification through large
national issues. I'm sure the Congress--these Congressmen understand the
value of free trade. I look forward to working with them when it comes
to trade promotion authority, if it ever makes it to my desk. But it
requires wise Governors and local officials to understand the
opportunities through diversification. And I believe you've got a good
Governor. I keep hating to tout the guy too much,
because they'll think I'm not very objective, but I'm not. [Laughter]
Yes, ma'am.
[[Page 1478]]
Health Insurance
Q. Hi. President Bush, we'd like to thank you for coming here today.
And just to help you out with her question about--I wanted to tap our
Governor on about, because we do have a program for people that--I'm
self-employed, and I don't make a lot of money, but we do have a program
in this State for people like ourselves who--we can buy insurance
through the State for our children, in case you lose your job. So I
wanted to tap our Governor on that----
The President. It's the CHIPS program.
Q. No, it's Florida Healthy Kids here.
The President. Same thing.
Q. Right. [Laughter] She said she don't qualify, but if you lost
your job, you would.
The President. All right.
Yes, sir.
Travel Industry/Military Tribunals
Q. First of all, thank you. Second of all, I work in a Hard Rock
Hotel here in Orlando, and we love to have people come through our
doors, just as every hotel and every theme park here does. My question
is for the Federal Government: Not just for Orlando but for everywhere,
what is being done to encourage travel? I've seen a few commercials, not
just within the country but abroad. We're a great place to come----
The President. Well, there's a marketing plan. One of the things--if
you noticed how I started off my talk here--I've got a rather large
microphone these days, and I've been encouraging people to travel. I
think the best thing we can do in America to--first of all, you can't
make people do what they don't want to do. I mean, if they're not
interested in traveling, they're not going to travel.
On the other hand, if they're worried about security on airplanes,
we can do something about that. That's why we've rallied guard troops
all across the country in airports. Until we have the new security plan
in place, we're putting guards in place. And we've sped up the training
and placement of air marshals on airplanes. I want the American people
to know that if you want to travel and if that's your desire, if you're
planning to do this in your budget and you've been thinking about it,
air travel is getting safer and safer and safer. And that's the best
thing the Federal Government can do.
Now, we can--we're not going to, you know, pick one part of the
region over another. I don't think that's the role of the Federal
Government. But--and therefore, that's why Jeb and
other States, my old State of Texas, for example, is trying to
encourage, always trying to compete for people who want to travel to
come to our respective States. But the Federal Government can help by
making sure things are more secure and people feel safe. That's really
our fundamental responsibility right now, is the safety of the American
people.
I know a lot of people have got some concerns about how safe we can
make the country, and if we're doing--are we doing things within the
Constitution. I want to talk about a couple of things to put your mind
at ease. I'll ask myself a question: Why are you having the opportunity
to have a military tribunal?
Now, I want you to remember that we are at war. The United States of
America is under attack. And at war, the President needs to have the
capacity to protect the national security interests and the safety of
the American people. And so I asked, what are all my options as your
Commander in Chief? What are the options to protect America? What do I
need to know about what might occur to make sure that I can come in
front of the folks in Orlando, Florida, and say we're doing everything
in our power, or we have every option in our power to keep you safe?
Well, one of those scenarios is military tribunals. No one has been
tried in a military tribunal; except I, by Executive order, provided
myself with the option of having a military tribunal, which will be used
for--
[[Page 1479]]
no American citizen will go to a military tribunal. They would only be
used for those who aren't American citizens.
And let me give you one example of why it may be necessary, why it
may be necessary to use such a tribunal. What happens if, in the course
of this war, that we apprehend or capture an enemy and we want to bring
him to justice? In the course of bringing him to justice, what if the
information necessary to bring him to justice would compromise our
capacity to keep America safe?
In a court of law, there would be all kinds of questions that might
compromise our ability to gather incredibly important intelligence to
prevent the next attack from happening to America. It seems like to me
that the President of the United States ought to have the option to
protect the national security interests of the country and, therefore,
protect America from further attack.
You've probably read about the interviews that are taking place.
There are countries that we're certain of where people who come from
those countries are likely to commit a terrorist act against America.
And they're here on our soil--certain citizens from those countries, on
our soil. We're a free country. They're here because we're a great
country. And we've got liberties that we'll protect. But we're asking
those who are here as guests, enjoying our freedom, to voluntarily
participate in helping us understand how best to protect the country.
Nobody is being forced into an interview. People are being--``Why
don't you help us? Why don't those of you who are guests in our country
help us make the land more secure? It's in your interests, and it's
certainly in our interests. If you know somebody or know something, help
us.''
We're in the business now of gathering as much information as we
possibly can gather, and we're acting on that information. People are
detained in America under material witness claims. It's against the law,
by the way, to publish the name of those people before they get up in
front of a grand jury. We've got people that we've pulled aside because
of who they may or may not know, and it turns out they violated their
immigration status. It turns out, as we're looking for leads, we've
found people who have actually committed other crime.
All of them in America are entitled to a lawyer. All of them in
America are entitled to make phone calls. We're the freest society in
the world. That's what America is all about. And at the same time, we're
doing what's necessary to protect the people at home.
Airline Industry/Hospitality Industry
Q. How are you doing, Mr. President?
The President. Pretty darn good. [Laughter]
Q. Thanks for coming to Florida and talking to us. You've given
billions of dollars to the airline industry, to try to help get them
stimulated and get them going. Are you going to do any kind of grants or
any type of benefits for the hospitality industry, as we're struggling
to get by?
The President. Well, part of the key is, is that the first industry
deeply affected after 9/11 was the airline industry. And without an
airline industry, there is no hospitality--oh, there may be a
hospitality industry, certainly not as vibrant a hospitality industry as
we would like.
It is the first major industry affected. And so our strategy was to
make sure that we provide the industry that actually affects hospitality
directly the means necessary to stay in business. To me, that seemed
like the most important initial leg of a strategy. And in the meantime,
we're trying to help those workers who have been affected within the
hospitality industry.
I am hopeful that as a result of a airline stimulus package, or
airline security package, as well as a safety package and an economic
stimulus package, this economy will come back; people will have the
money
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necessary to travel; people will feel safe to travel; and the
hospitality industry to recover.
But to answer your question directly, no, the answer is that the
first step, and we think the primary step, needed to be what we've
already done.
Yes, ma'am.
Q. Mr. President, what about tax incentives----
The President. Tax incentives for travel? That hasn't made it to my
radar screen yet. [Laughter]
Yes, sir.
Youth, Education, and the Faith-Based Initiative
Q. [Inaudible]--and my wife and my mother-in-law and friends,
they're in the tourism industry. Yes, my family has been very well
affected by 9/11. But I have a question about the youth. Is there
anything that you or your brother, Governor Bush, can do to give the
youth the drive and will to look for a better future? Because it seems
like a lot of them don't--it seems as if they don't have anything to
lose, so they don't have anything to drive for.
The President. I can think of a couple of things. One is to remind
moms and dads of America that no matter what you're doing during the day
job, your most important job you'll ever have is to love your children,
is to tell your children you love them.
Secondly--it goes to this lady's point right here--is to make sure
that every child in America is well educated, starting with every child
learning to read. There's nothing like an education to provide hope for
people. Part of the reason why people are discouraged is because they
lose hope. They say, ``Well, this society isn't meant for me.'' A
hopeful society is an educated society. And so we've got to make sure we
get it right, we have an education--a focus on education, understanding
that education is the gateway to such great freedom and opportunity.
And finally, one of my initiatives that I'm most proud of, that
passed the House of Representatives and I think will have a significant
impact in America, is to rally one of the great strengths of our
country, and that is the faith-based initiatives and faith-based
programs which exist all across the country.
I want to talk about one. I want to talk about a couple. First of
all, governments shouldn't worry about faith. We ought to welcome faith.
We ought to understand that--we ought to welcome those programs that
exist because somebody will say, ``What can I do? What can I do to help
a neighbor in need? What can I do?''
And it's not a particular faith I'm talking about. I'm talking about
the Muslim faith; I'm talking about Judaism; and I'm talking about
Christianity. No, the faith doesn't have a lock on a certain religion.
I'm talking about people who have heard a call. And there all kinds of
programs all around America based upon faith. And many of them have
asked the question, what can I do to surround a child with love? What
can I do to make sure that a child has got--somebody has got their arm
around them saying, ``Somebody loves you.''?
There's a lot of children who have no love in their life. Imagine
what it would be like growing up in America, how tough it would be if
your mom or your dad were in prison. How tough is that? The degree of
difficulty for success is incredibly hard for a person. And we've got a
program that we hope to get out of Congress--the House passed it; get it
out of the Senate--that says, we want to fund, make monies available for
mentoring programs, faith-based or not, but mentoring programs, the sole
purpose of which will be to take a son or a daughter of a person in
prison and encourage some loving soul to say, ``I love you. America is
meant for you. This country belongs to you. Get educated and go after it
with all your heart and all your soul.''
[[Page 1481]]
So there's a lot that can be done in society. You know, Government--
Government must not fear these programs that exist in neighborhoods all
around the country, based upon faith. We must not fear. We must fear
Government embracing religion. We fear a state religion; that's not what
we're for. We don't want for one government or religion. Government will
never say, ``This is the religion.'' We're a free society for religion.
But Government can embrace programs started because of faith and
religion and encourage those programs to foster in neighborhoods all
across America. I'm passionate on the subject because I understand the
power of faith in people's lives, and I understand what it can mean.
Energy Policy
Q. Mr. President, early in your administration there was a lot of
discussion of drilling for oil in Alaska and the Gulf. Now that prices
are low at the pump, what are you doing to ensure that?
The President. Yes--well, I'm trying to get an energy plan out of
Congress. [Laughter] The House of Representatives--the House of
Representatives passed a good energy bill. It is stuck in the Senate.
And I believe it is in our national interests to have an energy plan, to
have a strategy to get us less dependent on foreign sources of crude
oil.
Part of that energy plan means that we've got to enhance
conservation. We've got to encourage technologies that will enable us to
conserve better, and we can do that with the proper incentives. And this
plan of ours that passed the House has got incentives to encourage
conservation. And we're making great strides in our society, by the way,
of conserving. We're doing a much better job, and we can do an even
better job.
Part of it also recognizes that we need more supply. And there are
several places we can find supply. One is, I believe that the nuclear
industry is safe enough now to encourage more nuclear power in America.
I believe that is necessary. I also strongly believe that we can explore
for natural gas in Alaska without damaging the environment. And I
believe that's necessary, to do that.
You know, when the vote came up in the House, a lot of people came
forward to work on behalf of the vote because they understood not only
did it mean energy security, it also meant jobs. I was pleased to report
that the Teamsters, for example, led by Jimmy Hoffa, Jr., was out campaigning for--or lobbying or working for
this bill, because it meant jobs.
But I've got great faith in the technology and the ability of our
country, if given proper incentive, to become less dependent and more
wise about how we develop our energy sources; I truly do. But we need a
bill, and we need to get it out of the Senate. Energy prices are low,
but that doesn't mean we shouldn't worry about our future. Because if
the economies of the world come back, we might be in a tight again, in
which case we're going to be wondering where was the energy policy that
the President was arguing for back in the year 2001.
Yes, ma'am.
Families and American Values
Q. Hi, Mr. President.
The President. I'm not nervous as you are. [Laughter]
Q. I wrote it out, because I thought I would be nervous, and I'm
here with my sister, Maggie, and my family, and----
The President. Good. Hi, Maggie. [Laughter]
Q. And I'm Caitlin. Our family wants to help out our country, and we
think that making families strong will make our country strong. My
parents believe that eating meals together will do that. Is it something
that you did when you were a kid, and that you and Mrs. Bush believe in?
The President. I did eat with my family, so long as my mother wasn't cooking. [Laughter] Wait a minute. Just
kidding, Mom. [Laughter] She was one of the great
[[Page 1482]]
fast food cooks of all time. [Laughter] Just kidding, Mom. We ate a lot
together. We did. And I think it's important to do that. That's a very
interesting question.
You know, we live in a society that's a busy society. We live in a
society where it's so easy to forget the fundamentals. But one of the
really positive things that has come out of the evil of 9/11 was that
people are beginning to ask, what's important--what's important?
I think you've touched on something really important, and that's
family. And the idea of a mom and dad prioritizing family is all about
not only enhancing the quality of life of their children but,
collectively, making America so much stronger and so much better after
the evils.
There has been--this is an unbelievably great country we live in.
The values of America are so strong; the people are so real and so good.
And 9/11 has brought out, in many instances, the best in America. Part
of that is the individual--the decisions individual families make about
setting new priorities in their lives. A lot of it has to do with
helping people in need.
I'll never forget the story of people in a Midwestern city, when
they heard me on TV talk about how distressed I was that women of cover
would not leave their homes for fear of some other American treating
them harshly, and then Jewish citizens and Christians alike getting on
the phone and saying, ``We want to help you. We want to take you to the
neighborhood store. This isn't the America we know.''
No, the country--this country is a fabulous country. They thought
they hurt us, the evil ones. They have made us stronger, more real, and
a better land.
Role of Religious Leaders
Q. Mr. President, we thank you for coming, on behalf of the clergy
of Orlando. We're going to be having a summit this next week, 12/12
summit, and I'm a pastor. And we want to know what we can do--we're
praying for strategies of how we can assist you in our Government and
assist our communities.
The President. First thing you can do is make sure people of all
faiths are represented at your prayer session. It sends such a strong
signal--it reminds people of the greatness of America. The evil people
we fight, they don't believe in religious freedom. They want it their
way or no way, and if you're not their way, they'll treat you harshly.
That's why, by the way, when we liberated cities throughout Afghanistan,
people lined the roads and cheered out of joy and happiness.
Secondly, you need to pray for the good Lord to protect America,
provide a shield over our country, to prevent us from harm.
September 11
Q. Hi, Mr. President. I want to say, they haven't won. I got in my
car today, and I'm in the same building with you, speaking to you. They
have not won.
The President. Thank you very much.
Q. And would you say hello to my son Jordan and my daughter
Patricia.
The President. Jordan and who?
Q. Patricia.
The President. Hi, Patricia. How are you? How old is Patricia?
Q. Five, and Jordan is in third grade. And Jordan has a question, if
I could give him the microphone.
The President. You bet. Your mother is relaying the mike to you,
Jordan.
Q. One thing, Mr. President, is that you have no idea how much
you've done for this country. And another thing is that, how did you
feel when you heard about the terrorist attack?
The President. Thank you, Jordan. Well, Jordan, you're not going to
believe what State I was in when I heard about the terrorist attack. I
was in Florida. And my Chief of Staff, Andy Card--actually, I was in a classroom talking about a
reading program that works. I was sitting outside the classroom waiting
to go in, and I saw an
[[Page 1483]]
airplane hit the tower; the TV was obviously on. And I used to fly,
myself, and I said, ``Well, there's one terrible pilot.'' I said, ``It
must have been a horrible accident.'' But I was whisked off there. I
didn't have much time to think about it. And I was sitting in the
classroom, and Andy Card, my Chief of Staff, who is sitting over here,
walked in and said, ``A second plane has hit the tower. America is under
attack.''
And Jordan, I wasn't sure what to think at first. You know, I grew
up in a period of time where the idea of America being under attack
never entered my mind--just like your daddy's and mother's mind,
probably. And I started thinking hard in that very brief period of time
about what it meant to be under attack. I knew that when I got all of
the facts that we were under attack, there would be hell to pay for
attacking America.
I tried to get as many facts as I could, Jordan, to make sure I
knew, as I was making decisions, that I knew exactly what I was basing
my decisions on. I've got a fabulous team. A President can't possibly be
President without a good team. It starts with having a great wife, by the way.
And so, I got on the phone from Air Force One, asking to find out
the facts. You've got to understand, Jordan, during this period of time,
there were all kinds of rumors floating around. Some of them were
erroneous. Obviously--for example, there was a news report saying that
the State Department had been attacked. I needed to know what the facts
were. But I knew I needed to act. I knew that if the Nation's under
attack, the role of the Commander in Chief is to respond forcefully to
prevent other attacks from happening. And so, I've talked to the
Secretary of Defense; one of the first
acts I did was to put our military on alert.
An interesting thing happened shortly thereafter. Condoleezza
Rice, who was not with me but was with the
Vice President because they were in the White
House compound, called me on Air Force One after that and said that she
had gotten a call from Russia, from Vladimir Putin, who understood why we were putting our troops on
alert and therefore wasn't going to respond. That was an important phone
call, because when I was coming up, and a lot of other older-looking
people here who were coming up with me--[laughter]--that would never
have happened in the past. An alert by the United States would have
caused Russia to go on alert, which would have created a complicated
situation. But that wasn't the case.
By the way, we're heading into a new era. One of the positive things
that comes out of the evil was, we're reassessing relationships in order
to make the world more peaceful. I believe it's important for us to have
positive relations with our former enemy and to rethink the defenses of
the United States of America.
At any rate, I knew I had a job to do. And I was quoted in the press
the other day as saying I haven't regretted one thing I've decided. And
that's the truth. Every decision I made, I stand by. And I'm proud of
the decisions I've made.
Support for the Muslim Community
Q. Mr. President, peace and blessings be unto you. I'm representing
the Muslim community of Orlando. And I would really like to thank you
for being such a great role model, practicing what this country believes
in, the higher ideals that this country believes in, your support to the
Muslim community in combating racism. I am an educator; I'm a mother;
and I have a strong faith. Thank you so much for holding these values
high and trying to wipe the stereotypes that the Taliban has been
represented of Muslim women. I am an educator, educating Muslim children
in this Orlando city. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
The President. God bless. Thank you.
Listen, I've got a job to do. [Laughter] I've got to get back to my
temporary home. By the way, my address is in Washington; my home is
going to be back in Texas
[[Page 1484]]
one of these days. But I am--I have got to go back. I wish I could stay
and answer questions all night, but I've got--I'll be right there,
ma'am. He's fine. I've got to get back and go to work.
I can't tell you what an honor it is to have been here. I want to
thank you all for your great questions and for your incredibly warm
reception. It's a huge honor to be the greatest--to be the President of
the greatest country in the world.
God bless you all, and may God bless America.
Note: The President spoke at 3:20 p.m. in the Orange County Convention
Center. In his remarks, the President referred to President Fidel Castro
of Cuba; Mayor Glenda E. Hood of Orlando; Governor Jeb Bush of Florida;
Presidential Aide Logan Walters; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida
terrorist organization; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; Chairman
Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority; James P. Hoffa, Jr., general
president, International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and President
Vladimir Putin of Russia. The military order of November 13 on
detention, treatment, and trial of certain non-citizens in the war
against terrorism is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.