    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [March 8, 2002]
    [Pages 365-370]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Employees of America II Electronics in St. Petersburg
    March 8, 2002

        Thank you for that warm welcome. I love to be introduced by my
    brother. [Laughter] I know I'm not supposed to say
    this, but he's doing a great job as Governor. He's really--[applause].
    I'm really proud of him, and it seems like a lot in Florida--a lot of
    people here are proud of him too. But it's good to see you, Jeb. Thanks,
    and I hope you're still listening to Mother. [Laughter]
        For all of you out there who have got children, I want you to know
    that you can tell them the President said, listen to their mothers--
    [laughter]--because I'm still listening to ours--[laughter]--whether I
    want to or not. [Laughter]
        I'm so honored that we could come to America II. I was impressed by
    what I read on the briefing paper before I arrived at the company. I am
    doubly impressed, having talked to Mike and
    the people who work here, about the incredible culture that exists in
    this fine company, a culture that recognizes the worth of the people who
    work for the company. And Mike, I want to thank you for letting us come.
        One of my jobs is to remind people, the role of Government is not to
    create wealth but an environment in which the

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    entrepreneurial spirit can flourish. Here's a guy that started off with 5 employees and no children--
    [laughter]--now has 4 children and 500 employees. [Laughter] And so I
    want to congratulate you all, and thanks for your hospitality.
        I also appreciate the members of the Florida congressional
    delegation for flying down today. We had really a good talk about issues
    that matter to our national security as well as issues that matter to
    Florida. Congressmen Bilirakis,
    Davis, Miller,
    Putnam, and the chairman, Congressman Bill
    Young, thank you all for coming.
        And I want to thank the mayor. Mr. Mayor, you
    did a fine job of getting America II prepared for just a little visit
    from the President. [Laughter]
        I want to spend a little time talking about the big challenges our
    Nation faces, starting with an unrelenting drive to defend our freedom.
    We were attacked by a ruthless enemy who must not have understood
    America. They must have thought we were soft and so incredibly
    materialistic and self-absorbed that we would not find the will to fight
    and sacrifice for that which we hold dear. And they have made a huge
    miscalculation.
        In the beginning, I told the American people we were in for a long,
    difficult struggle, that I wasn't sure how long this was going to take.
    But I really wasn't concerned about the calendar. I'm concerned about
    our future. And I'm concerned about this Nation leading the world to
    rout out terror wherever it exists, so our children and grandchildren
    can live in freedom. That's our concern.
        I told the world that you're either with us, or you're against us. A
    lot of people are now with us. [Laughter] And it's important that we
    remain strong and determined and focused, to remind people that we're
    fighting for freedom, the right to worship freely, the right to express
    your opinion in the political process, the right for there to be a free
    press--freedoms we hold dear. And these freedoms are not just American
    freedoms; they're universal freedoms. And we must stand strong.
        I also said, if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if
    you hide a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the murderers who killed
    thousands in America. And the Taliban found out what I meant. The
    Taliban found out about what we meant by justice. The Taliban found out
    that we've got a fabulous military. And they found out that our military
    and our coalition were not conquerors; we're liberators. We liberated
    the people from the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in the
    history of mankind, people who refused to educate young girls, people
    who mistreated women. No, this great country of ours not only defends
    our freedom; we liberate people so they can enjoy their own freedoms.
    I'm proud of the United States military.
        Next Monday will mark the sixth month, the date of 6 months from
    September the 11th. That's not a very long time. It seems like a long
    time for a lot of people, I know, but when we look back at history, 6
    months is a pretty short period of time in the war against terror. And
    we've accomplished a lot, but there are still dangerous missions left
    ahead. You see, the Al Qaida killers trained thousands of people who
    hate America, who hate what we stand for, who resent our freedoms, who
    want to harm us still, who want to make sure that our alliance is weak.
    They're looking for soft spots to exploit, and we're not going to let
    them.
        We found a bunch of Al Qaida killers recently, bunched up in
    Afghanistan. And our military went after them, and we're making good
    progress. It is a sign of what's going to happen for a while. And my
    fellow Americans must understand that, that we'll be relentless and
    determined to do what is right.
        And we will take loss of life, and I'm sad for loss of life. And
    today we've got the mom and dad of a brave soldier who lost his life,
    and a brother. God bless you. Thank you all for coming. I know your

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    heart aches, and we ache for you. But your son and your brother died for
    a noble and just cause. May God bless you. May God bless you.
        I hate it, to know that young soldiers are at risk. But I want to
    assure you and all those loved ones whose sons and daughters are at risk
    that not only is the cause just and important and noble, but our United
    States Government will provide the United States military with whatever
    it needs to win this war against terror.
        And I want to thank Chairman Young,
    chairman of the Appropriations Committee, for joining and supporting the
    budget I submitted to the United States Congress, which sets this
    priority: The national defense of our country is the number one priority
    in this budget. We will give our soldiers the best material, the best
    supplies, the best training, another pay raise. The price of freedom is
    high, no doubt about it, but the price of freedom is never too high, as
    far as I'm concerned. My job is to protect the American people. It's the
    job of the American military, and I take that job really seriously.
        We've got a homeland defense strategy that's making the borders more
    secure, preparing for bioterrorism attack, a homeland security strategy
    that will work with first-time responders, should we need them. We're on
    it, and I want you to know that our law enforcement officials are
    running down every possible lead, every hint. I mean, if we get a whiff
    of somebody fixing to do something to America, we're on them. We are
    doing everything we can. The Nation is on alert, as it should be,
    because there is still an enemy there.
        But I want to remind my fellow citizens, the best way to secure the
    homeland is to find the killers wherever they hide, wherever they try to
    flee, wherever they think they can find safe sanctuary. We're after
    them. We will not allow this Nation to be threatened. We will protect
    the homeland. We will defend freedom no matter what the cost. I'm proud
    of my fellow citizens. We're united. We are determined, and we are
    patient--much to the chagrin of the enemy.
        And I'm proud of my fellow citizens when it comes to enduring some
    hardship at home as well. I mean, not only were we attacked, but the
    attacks of September the 11th hurt our economy. Now, you'll hear a lot
    of number-crunching going on and people saying, ``Well, you know, this
    was the number; that was the number.'' Look, I don't care about the
    numbers. I know the facts, and people's lives were affected. People lost
    jobs. People were worried about their future. People were deeply
    concerned about what the terrorist attacks did to our economy.
        And so long as somebody can't find work who wants to work, I'm
    worried about it. And therefore, I'm going to stay focused on how best
    to create more jobs in America; what can you do to do to help people
    find work? It's one thing to help people that are unemployed, and that's
    fine. Unemployment checks are good and important, but that's not what
    folks want in America. They want a permanent paycheck, and that ought to
    be the policy of this Government.
        And today the United States Senate passed a stimulus package, one
    that the House passed yesterday. That is a good piece of news for
    American workers and American entrepreneurs. I'm going to sign it as
    soon as it gets to my desk.
        The best kind of public policy is one where we don't play party
    politics but focus on what's right for the country. It's kind of hard to
    get them thinking that way up there, but nevertheless, we're making
    pretty good progress. And I think--I think America is beginning to see
    that by changing the tone and by focusing on people and by heralding
    what we can do, as opposed to what we can't do, we're making progress in
    Washington, DC.
        This is a good piece of work by the House of Representatives. The
    Speaker of the House deserves a lot of
    credit. The

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    Members of the House deserve a lot of credit for staying with this
    initiative. And I'm pleased the Senate has reacted and passed the bill,
    and now I'm going to sign it. It is good for America.
        But I also want to remind you that we took some action ahead of
    this. This is going to help as we go down in the out years. But when I
    traveled your State, I talked about the need for tax relief. I said that
    it's really important for our Government to understand the dynamics of
    economic growth, and when you let workers keep their own money, it gives
    them something to spend. And when they spend it, it encourages somebody
    to produce a product. And when somebody is encouraged to produce a
    product, that means jobs.
        We cut taxes at exactly the right time, and I can't tell you--I'm
    going to mightily resist anybody who tries to undo the tax relief for
    the American people. Sometimes in Washington people get confused about
    whose money we're dealing with. They think it's the Government's money.
    No, it's the people's money. And the more you have of it in your pocket,
    the better off you will be and, therefore, our economy will be as well.
        I'm pleased to hear Mike's firsthand
    report about sales beginning to improve. I think that is good news. I'm
    pleased to see, you know, the unemployment figures today got better, and
    that's good news. But as far as I'm concerned, the economy is not strong
    enough. As far as I'm concerned, when people are looking for work and
    can't find it, I'm going to keep focused on jobs. I'm not going to let
    the numbers lull me to sleep.
        I want you all to know that out of this evil is going to come some
    good. It may be hard to realize it right now; it's got to be. But out of
    evil will come good in America. I believe when we stay strong--you know,
    so long as I'm the President, we're going to be after them, without
    blinking. If we remain steadfast and steady and determined and strong,
    the world will be a more peaceful place. Out of the evil will come some
    good.
        And at home, out of evil is coming some good. People are beginning
    to say--take a new look at their life, take an assessment of what's
    important in life. There is a period of responsibility beginning to take
    hold here, and that begins--that's twofold: One, personal
    responsibility; and one, corporate responsibility.
        I'm here because this is a company led by a man who understands
    corporate responsibility. They lose 40 percent of their sales and didn't
    lay off one citizen. Mike built a culture
    of respect. I felt it when I was talking to the employees. People
    respect each other. They love the idea that he's aligned authority and
    responsibility. He is a good corporate citizen, because he understands
    the responsibility that comes with leadership.
        All people involved in our capitalistic system must assume
    responsibility for leadership. In the publicly held corporations, the
    world of publicly held corporations, there are laws and regulations
    which hold people accountable. They need to be clear, and they need to
    be tough when people misuse the public trust. We've got thousands of
    citizens who own shares of publicly held companies, many in pension
    plans, mutual funds, a lot of them direct ownership. And this country
    must hold corporate CEOs--CEOs of publicly held companies to the highest
    of high standards.
        I talked yesterday--I want to review with you right quick what I
    believe we ought to do. First of all, anytime a chief executive officer
    of a publicly held company signs a financial statement, he is personally
    vouching--he's personally saying the numbers are correct and accurate.
    And if one were to receive a bonus, any corporate officer receive a
    bonus and the numbers are misleading as a result of misconduct, the
    bonus needs to go back to the treasury on behalf of the shareholders.
    These guys should not be allowed to keep their bonuses. And if they get
    caught doing it, they

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    ought never to be an officer of a publicly held corporation or a board
    member of a publicly held corporation again. They ought to be--anytime
    an officer of a publicly held company sells stock, we ought to know
    within 2 days. We ought to know, ``we'' being shareholders and
    employees. There needs to be openness and transparency for the good of
    the capitalist system.
        And the auditors, those who analyze the numbers for publicly held
    companies, ought to be held to high standards as well. And they ought to
    make sure that we can have confidence in their numbers by making sure
    there are no conflicts of interest involved.
        In order to usher in a period of responsibility in America, a
    culture of responsibility, corporate America must be responsible, must
    make sure that there are no shenanigans or sleight of hands, must make
    sure there is an openness and disclosure about true liabilities and true
    assets. And if they don't, they must be held to account.
        And I believe Americans, as a result of taking an assessment of
    what's important in life, are ushering in a period of personal
    responsibility as well. I think--I believe we're feeling a cultural
    shift, one from the days when it said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead
    and do it,'' to a period when each of us understands we're responsible
    for the decisions we make in life, that we're responsible for loving our
    children with all our heart and all our soul, and we are responsible for
    loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself.
        Today we've got one such person with us. You know, I like to define
    America's compassionate citizens as soldiers in the armies of
    compassion. And we've got one such soldier here that I can recognize--
    I'm sure there are many soldiers in the armies of compassion here with
    us--and her name is Roxanne Hunt. She works for
    the City of Pinellas Park Police. Roxanne, do you mind standing up real
    quick? [Applause] Thank you, Roxanne.
        Without being asked or told, Roxanne has
    adopted a family for Christmas. Roxanne has fed the homeless. Roxanne
    has been involved in environmental cleanup activities here. Roxanne
    sponsored a bike rodeo, saved a little guy's life who was choking on a
    hot dog--at least it wasn't a pretzel. [Laughter] Roxanne is a soldier
    in the armies of compassion, armies which exist in every community
    across America.
        People say to me, ``What can I do to help? What can I do to fight in
    the war against terror?'' And my answer is, do some good. You see, for
    every act of kindness, people are doing something to fight evil. If
    you're good to a neighbor in need, you stand firm in the face of evil.
    It's the gathering momentum of millions of acts of kindness and
    compassion and decency which define the true face of America.
        They hit us. They thought we had quit. We're not going to quit.
    We're strong, and we're steady. They hit us, and out of this evil can
    come incredible good, as Americans show the world their compassion by
    loving a neighbor, by caring for somebody in need, by focusing on the
    values that matter, faith and family.
        I'm so proud to be the President of a country of such decent and
    caring and strong and--people willing to sacrifice for a greater good.
    May God bless you all. May God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:32 a.m. in the warehouse at America II
    Electronics. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida;
    Michael Galinski, founder and chief executive officer, America II
    Electronics; and Mayor Rick Baker of St. Petersburg.

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