    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [January 22, 2002]
    [Pages 98-105]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Employees of the Cecil I. Walker Machinery Company in Belle
    January 22, 2002

        Thank you very much. Well, thank you for that warm welcome.
    Steve, I appreciate the fact that everybody who
    works here has got a uniform on with my middle name. [Laughter] I don't
    know if he'll claim me as a relative, being a Walker. [Laughter] But
    hearing how you like to sing at parties in West Virginia, I'm not so
    sure I want to claim you. [Laughter]
        But I'm honored you all would have me. I appreciate small-business
    owners, entrepreneurs, people who work hard, people who build a team. I
    want to thank the workers here for such a warm greeting. I also
    appreciate you for your high-quality work. You know, American workers
    are the best in the world, and Walker employees are some of the best
    workers in the world, too.
        I can't think of a better place to talk about economic security than
    at a place that works hard to create jobs and helps people keep a job
    and makes sure that people who work here are treated well, treated with
    respect.
        At its core, an economic security plan for every American has got to
    be the goal of our Government, and it begins with a good education and
    ends with secure retirement. And in between, much of one's life depends
    on being able to find work, good, steady work. And that's how I approach
    decisions about our economy. I ask, are we creating an environment in
    which people can find work? My economic plan is summed up in one word:
    jobs. And that's what all of us in Washington ought to be asking: How do
    we create jobs for people who want to work in America?
        I want to thank members of the West Virginia delegation who are with
    me. Shelley traveled with me from
    Washington. We flew down together; we had a good visit. Every time I
    talk to her, she constantly talks about West Virginia. Every time I talk
    to her, she doesn't necessarily do everything I tell her to. She's got
    kind of a West Virginia independent streak to her. [Laughter] But I'm
    proud to call her friend, and I'm also proud to call Jay
    Rockefeller friend. He and I are
    different political parties, but that's okay. We both love America.

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        The other day I had the honor of signing a piece of legislation at
    the White House, called the Safe and Stable Families Act. It's a really
    good piece of legislation. It's legislation that promotes adoption,
    legislation that helps foster care children. It's a legislation
    sponsored by Republicans and Democrats. Senator Rockefeller was one of
    the sponsors, and I sung his praises there, and I'm happy to come on his
    home turf and sing his praises here for this piece of legislation. So
    thank you, Senator Rockefeller, for
    doing it.
        Every job begins with one decision, and that is the decision by
    somebody to say, ``I want to hire you.'' It comes as a surprise to some
    in Washington, though, when you think about that, that most of the
    hiring does not take place at the Government level. Of course, we create
    jobs by hiring people at the Government level. Most hiring takes place
    at small businesses. Most hiring takes place when an employer in the
    private sector says, ``I need you to work for me.'' And so the job of
    the Government, if you think about it, is not to try to create wealth.
    That's not the job of the Government. The job of a Government is to
    create an environment in which more people are willing to hire more
    workers.
        If jobs are the most important part of one of my jobs, then I'm
    going to insist that people ask the question, how do we encourage people
    to hire more people? That's what we ought to be asking. And that's the
    role of Washington, DC.
        It starts with making sure everybody is well educated. You know,
    every new product, every new service starts with a good idea. And then
    that needs to be carried out by talented, skilled, educated people. With
    a better educated workforce, our businesses, small and large, all across
    America are going to be able to innovate and make improvements. A better
    educated workforce will mean America is more productive, and higher
    productivity means more jobs and higher paychecks.
        So we've got to get it right when it comes to education. And I'm
    proud to report this is one issue where a handful of us in Washington
    decided to put aside our political parties and focus on what was right
    for America. I had the honor of signing a very good piece of education
    legislation sponsored by, of all people in the Senate, Ted
    Kennedy. Now look, I traveled the country
    saying the guy is not a bad guy. [Laughter] I think I put him in shock.
    [Laughter] I know I put the people in Crawford, Texas' coffee shop in
    shock. [Laughter] But on this issue we worked well together, Republicans
    and Democrats. We showed the country that party is all right--I'm a
    proud Republican--it's not nearly as important as the education of our
    children.
        One of the roles of Government is not only to create an environment
    that is good for jobs but to remove obstacles, if they exist, for people
    having jobs. One of the obstacles that exists in our society is a public
    school system that simply shuffles children through the schools. It's so
    much easier to quit on a child, one that's supposedly hard to educate.
    And in some schools, in some school districts, and in some States, we've
    had the practice of just moving children through.
        And that's not right in America. It is not right to quit on kids.
    And so now, as a result of this piece of legislation that both the
    Members here voted for, we asked--we say, ``Look, if you get Federal
    money''--and we're going to spend money, by the way, on certain areas in
    education, out of the Federal Government--``but if you get it, you've
    got to show us whether or not the children can read and write and add
    and subtract.''
        I'm asking the simple question, are we getting results with your
    money? And if not, do something different. If we're spending money, we
    expect children to learn to read. And if they can't, you'd better
    change, or otherwise, we're going to give parents different options, so
    that there is no child

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    trapped in a school that will not teach and will not change.
        I want to assure you, I remembered where I came from. I trust the
    people of West Virginia to run the schools of West Virginia, so we
    passed power out of Washington to the States. But we expect high
    standards and high accountability and results. If what we're worried
    about is jobs, we've got to remove the obstacle for people finding good
    work by educating every child who lives in America.
        But education doesn't just stop at the elementary school level or
    high school or college. This Nation has got to understand, as technology
    changes, we've got to make sure the workforce changes with it. And
    that's why I strongly support local job training programs.
        We're increasing--significantly increasing the amount of job
    training in our--in the budget I submit to Congress. It recognizes there
    are a lot of good, hard-working people in America who received an
    education, that were skilled in one area, but the job base has shifted,
    and therefore, we better educate people to make sure that they can shift
    with the technologies. And as well, my 2003 budget increases funding for
    Job Corps, which is an effective program that will help disadvantaged
    young people learn how to work.
        So one thing we can do to make sure that people find a job is to
    make sure our education system works well throughout its entirety.
    Another thing to make sure there's an opportunity to create more jobs is
    to have good tax policy that allows people to keep more money, more of
    their own money, that you can put more of your own money in your own
    pocket, and you can spend it.
        When workers have more money--and by the way, it's your money to
    begin with. It's not the Government's money. Somebody said the other
    day, ``Well, the Government is giving back the money.'' Well, it's not
    the Government's money; it's the people who work for a living's money.
    If you have more of your own money, it means you're going to spend more.
    And if you spend more, somebody is going to have to make more of what
    you're spending it on, which means more likely somebody is going to find
    work. That's how the economy works.
        The same with Walker. I want the Walkers to
    have more money to reinvest in their business. I want the Walkers to be
    able to have more cashflow so they can upgrade the equipment which the
    workers here use. It means it's more likely that somebody is going the
    find a job for the long term.
        Now, there is kind of a wacky economic theory going around
    Washington. It says, ``The more they take in your taxes, the better off
    you'll be.'' [Laughter] It doesn't make any economic sense. It doesn't
    make any dollars and cents. And here in West Virginia, like they do
    elsewhere, they've got to know this is nonsense.
        This economy started slowing down last March. And so the tax cut we
    put in place for everybody who pays taxes came right at the right time.
    If you want to encourage an economy to recover, you let people keep more
    of their own money. If you want to slow down an economy, you stop tax
    cuts. You, in essence, take money away from people, and that's not
    right, folks. I'm worried about job security. The more money people
    have, the more likely it is you're going to be able to find work.
        Now, I'm also worried about people who lost work because of the evil
    ones who attacked us. And I look forward to working with members of both
    political parties to extend unemployment benefits to those who lost
    their job and to help them with health care. Surely, we can come
    together to do that.
        But any good economic stimulus plan must ask the question, how do we
    create more jobs? And one way to do that is to accelerate tax relief for
    workers, and the other way to do that is to make sure the Tax Code
    doesn't punish companies like

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    Walker. We ought to allow them to accelerate the depreciation schedule
    so it is more likely they will buy more equipment. And we've got to
    reform a Tax Code that makes them pay more taxes even though their
    profits are going down.
        And it is time for a vote. It's time for people to set aside who's
    going to benefit on the nightly news, you know, whose picture is going
    to look the best. Let's get a vote up. Let's pass this bill. Let's quit
    talking about it, and let's get the bill going. Congress is coming back
    tomorrow, and I'm confident, if they listen to the people out there,
    they'll know it's time to get a piece of legislation moving that will
    help create jobs and help workers who got affected as a result of 9/11.
        The next opportunity is to make sure that this Nation has an energy
    policy. This Nation needs an energy policy. Jobs depend on affordable
    energy. If there's a price spike or a disruption in supply, people may
    not have work. And it's also in our Nation's national security interests
    that we become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        And we're dependent. We're dependent on energy from some parts of
    the world where sometimes they like us and sometimes they don't. And we
    need to do something about it. We need an energy bill. We passed one out
    of the House of Representatives, and it's now time for the United States
    Senate to pass a good bill. It's one that says, ``Of course we'll
    conserve more.'' All of us want to have new technologies that will make
    conservation a part of our life. And we can do a better job in America.
    One of these days, we're going to be driving automobiles that are fueled
    differently. And that's going to be exciting times for America. In other
    words, there's new technologies coming down, and we can encourage those
    technologies. So conservation, technological development have got to be
    an integral part of energy.
        But folks, we need more supply. You know, I'm walking back here in
    the back, and they said, ``I'm now repairing a machine that digs for
    coal.'' We need to use coal. We've got a lot of it, and we need to make
    sure that we've got coal.
        A lot of people don't realize that good energy policy means jobs.
    Bad energy policy means we might lose jobs. Good energy policy means we
    can create jobs.
        I was with Jimmy Hoffa the other day, of
    the Teamsters, in his headquarters. I know, I mean, people don't expect
    a Republican to be hanging out with the Teamsters. [Laughter] But he and
    I share something in common: We worry about people who want to work. He
    worries about it as the head of a mighty union. I worry about it as the
    President.
        See, I'm the President of everybody, not just a few. I'm the
    President of people whether they voted for me or not. I'm the President
    of union and nonunion. I'm the President of Republicans and Democrats
    and independents. And I share something in common with Jimmy, and that is how best to get jobs. That's why he and
    I both know that the energy bill ought to make sure we can explore for
    natural gas and crude oil in Alaska. It's good for jobs. He knows what I
    know: That means work for people.
        There's going to be a lot of work. And he knows what I know, as
    well: that we can do so in an environmentally friendly way, that we can
    have a footprint in this vast tundra that will not affect the
    environment and, at the same time, make us less dependent on foreign
    sources of energy.
        Listen, finding oil and gas and coal in our own hemisphere--and
    nuclear power, for that matter--in our own hemisphere is in our national
    security interest. And I ask the Senate to put aside all the politics
    and get me a good energy bill. It's in the best interests for people
    trying to find work, and it's in the best interests of the United States
    of America.
        We can create more opportunities by selling more products overseas.
    You know, I spent a lot of time as the Governor of

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    Texas with the farmers. The agricultural sector is an incredibly
    important part of our economy. And one of the benefits we have as a
    nation is, we can feed ourselves. That's good for the national security
    interest, by the way. But we produce more food than we need. We ought to
    be selling it overseas. The more markets available for U.S. products,
    the more likely it is somebody is going to find work.
        It is so important for America to understand that we're good at what
    we do. We can compete with anybody in the world. We've got the most
    productive workforce on the face of the Earth. Therefore, let's open up
    markets to sell our products. The Senate has got to give me the ability
    to do that. It came out of the House; it's bottled up in the Senate. I
    ask them to pass that bill called the trade promotion authority.
        In order to create good jobs, we've got to have a legal system
    that's fair and balanced. I want people who have got a good case to be
    able to make their case in court. But I'm going to tell you, the Walker
    boys fear frivolous and junk lawsuits. I don't know them that well, but
    I can guess they do. [Laughter] And we don't need a lot of regulation
    either. The Federal Government ought to be wise about how we enforce
    standards but not overregulate those who are trying to create work.
        We can do some smart things in Washington to create jobs. One of the
    things the Government needs to do is to spend money on research and
    development. The more research and development there are, the more
    likely it is we'll find interesting answers to energy problems or health
    problems or national security issues. And that translates into jobs.
        And so my budget for 2003 spends $110 billion on Federal research--
    on grants for research and development. It makes sense. The more we know
    today about the future, the more likely it is we're going to be able to
    have a workforce that's steadily employed.
        And finally, we've got to make sure that we have retirement
    security, that if part of a secure economic environment begins with
    education, it's got to end with making sure that our Medicare system
    works well, that people are given options, that it's a modern system
    that reflects the modern ways of medicine, and that we have a Social
    Security system that fulfills the promise to the elderly but recognizes
    we better reform her for the younger workers so that they will have a
    Social Security system, one that says if you're relying upon Social
    Security today, nothing changes. The promise we have made you will be a
    promise this Government will keep.
        But if you're a younger worker, we've got to trust you to manage
    your own money, if that's what you choose to do. You see, ownership is a
    part of what it means to have a society that is vibrant, that is a
    society based upon economic security. I want people to own their home,
    and so we've got plans to encourage ownership from renters. I want
    people to be able to manage their own money. I want people to be able to
    own and start their own business. I want them to be able to pass their
    farm or ranch or business from one generation to the next. That's why I
    was so insistent we get rid of the death tax in the Tax Code. Ownership
    is what makes America unique and different. And if we're asking about
    how to make sure we have a secure environment for workers and families,
    let's encourage people to own their own home and business and their own
    retirement accounts. And we can do that.
        As a matter of fact, I'm confident in our economy, confident in--
    because I'm confident in the American way of life. You know, they hit us
    on 9/11, but Walker was running before 9/11, and it's running after 9/
    11. I mean, some certainly have gotten affected as a result of the
    attacks. But they didn't diminish the entrepreneurial spirit of America.
    They didn't diminish the drive by small-business owners to expand and
    grow and to create jobs. Now we've got--the

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    underpinnings of growth are with us. And our job in Washington, DC, is
    to encourage that growth and to always remember that jobs are the
    cornerstone of good economic policy.
        But these are unique times in America, which means we've got to
    really deal with the problem that came upon our shores. The truth of the
    matter is, the best thing I can do for the economy is to make sure the
    enemy doesn't hit us again. And I'm proud of the--[applause]. Every
    morning I wake up, walk into the great Oval Office. Well, first I take
    Barney and Spot outside. [Laughter] But I go into this fabulous office--
    by the way, it is just a--it's a shrine to our great democracy--and I
    read a threat assessment. You know, the intentions of the enemy are to
    hit us again. And I make a vow every morning that I will do everything
    in my power and encourage those of us in positions of responsibility not
    to let that happen.
        You need to know our Government is on full alert, and I hope you
    are, as well. People say, ``What does that mean?'' Well, if you see
    something odd happening, let somebody know--something out of the
    ordinary. It's just like that stewardess on the airplane that time when
    the shoe man showed up. She saw something
    was odd. [Laughter] She thought something was different, and she brought
    him in. That's what Americans must do now as a result of the evil ones
    hitting us. We've got to be on our toes.
        The FBI has changed its culture. The FBI is now focused on
    preventing another attack. We've got agents all across the country
    working day-in and day-out to sniff out any lead, any idea, because our
    biggest job is to prevent them from coming at us. They may come at us,
    but they're not going to get us.
        I want to thank the local law enforcement officers here in West
    Virginia who are working hand in hand with State officers and working
    with our Federal people, too. But the truth of the matter is, the best
    way to make sure that we secure our homeland is to find the enemy where
    they hide and bring them to justice, and that's exactly what we're going
    to do.
        Many of you have got relatives in the military, and I want to thank
    you, and you thank them on behalf of their Commander in Chief. Put the
    military to a task, and the military has performed brilliantly.
        We told the world, I told the world, our Government has told the
    world, our country has told the world, that this compassionate, generous
    Nation will not let terror stand, that wherever we find terror, we will
    deal with it. We put a great coalition together, people who understand
    that this is an historic opportunity and a moment in which those who
    love freedom must not blink and must not tire, that--I made it clear
    that if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, we're going to
    treat you like a terrorist.
        And the Taliban learned that lesson because of our United States
    military. They're not in power. And by routing them out of power, this
    great Nation not only defended freedom, not only sent a clear message
    about our intention, but this great Nation liberated a people. We
    liberated women and children. We freed people from incredible
    oppression. What a proud moment for America, that we stood for what we
    believe and, in so doing, gave people a better chance for life.
        I want to thank you all and thank the American people for your
    patience. If we tire, the world will tire. If we get impatient, the
    terrorists win. Yet our great Nation is bound by such a love for freedom
    and the desire not for revenge but for justice that we're not going to
    tire, that we will stay the course.
        Families in America have suffered the greatest sacrifice of all, the
    loss of a loved one. But in this case, the cause is noble, and it is
    just. We fight for freedom and the ability for our children and
    grandchildren to grow up in a peaceful world, one that does not fear
    murderers coming

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    onto our shore and killing through acts of terror.
        This country must not yield. We must seize this moment of history.
    It is this generation's calling, and we are not going to let the world
    down. We're ready; we're steady; we're resolved. And we will rout out
    the terrorists, no matter what cave they think they can hide in, and
    bring them to justice.
        You know, I was floored to think about the attitudes of the enemy
    when they thought we were soft. I couldn't figure out which TV show they
    had been watching. [Laughter] I mean, can you imagine somebody saying
    the great United States won't respond, or the great United States really
    doesn't care, won't commit the resources necessary to rid the world of
    evil? But my oh my, did they make a huge mistake.
        They also didn't understand the character of the country. They don't
    understand how good we are. They don't understand America's values: the
    values of freedom of worship no matter what religion you choose, freedom
    to speak, freedom to run for office, freedom to vote, freedom to be--to
    work for your family so your family can live in a peaceful world. They
    don't understand that. They must not understand it.
        I'm asked all the time, ``What can I do to help?'' Well, what you
    could do to help for a while was to travel, and it looks like we're
    getting better. Airlines are filling up, and people are going to
    different destination places. But the truth of the matter is, if you
    want to fight evil--and make no mistake about it, this is good versus
    evil--if you want to fight evil, do some good.
        If you're interested in fighting evil, tell your children you love
    them every day this year. If you want to fight off evil, get involved in
    the school system and make it as good as it can be. Teach a child to
    read. If you want to fight evil, go to your church or synagogue or
    mosque and start a program that will love a neighbor. If you want to
    fight evil, go see a shut-in and say, ``What can I do to help?''
        You see, the great character of America is not defined necessarily
    by our military actions, although that counts. The great character of
    America is defined by millions of acts of decency and kindness that take
    place every day all across our country.
        The evil ones struck, but out of this will come incredible good. The
    world will be more peaceful when we accomplish our mission. And this
    country will be more compassionate and more decent and more loving.
        It's such an honor to be the President of a land that has achieved
    so much but with much more to do. Thank you for giving me the chance to
    come, and thank you for giving me the chance to be your President.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 1 p.m. in the Engine Rebuild Center of the
    Walker Machinery Co. Powertrain and Engine Rebuild Facility. In his
    remarks, he referred to Steve Walker, president and chief executive
    officer, Cecil I. Walker Machinery Co.; James P. Hoffa, general
    president, International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and Richard C. Reid,
    a passenger on American Airlines Flight AA63 who allegedly tried to
    ignite an explosive device in his shoe while en route from Paris to
    Miami on December 22, 2001.

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