[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
[January 5, 2002]
[Pages 15-16]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
January 5, 2002

    Good morning. The events of September the 11th left America sadder 
and stronger, and they clarified some important goals for our country. 
We have a war to wage and a recession to fight. Defending our country 
and strengthening our economy are great priorities for 2002. We must be 
determined, and we must keep our focus.
    This Saturday, I'm traveling in Oregon and California, talking with 
people who have been hit hard by the economic downturn. When I return to 
Washington on Monday, I will be meeting with my economic advisers and 
other officials to discuss the latest economic data and work for a quick 
recovery for our economy.
    My administration has offered our ideas for creating new jobs. I've 
proposed speeding up the tax reductions Congress passed last year 
because the faster tax rates come down, the faster our economy will 
grow. I have proposed tax refunds for lower and moderate income families 
to put money in the hands of people with kids to support and bills to 
pay. I have proposed reforming the alternative minimum tax so employers 
and entrepreneurs no longer see their taxes rise as their profits 
shrink. In tough times, we need to encourage entrepreneurship and small-
business growth, not punish it. I've proposed better tax treatment for 
employers and entrepreneurs who invest in new equipment, which will help 
the hard-working people who use the equipment, and those who manufacture 
the equipment. The Council of Economic Advisers estimates that these 
ideas could save at least 300,000 threatened jobs.
    I'm also calling on Congress to act immediately to help the 
unemployed workers. I've proposed extending unemployment benefits by 13 
weeks, and I've supported tax credits to protect the health insurance of 
workers who've been laid off.
    But we can't stop there. It is important to help workers who've lost 
their jobs. It is even more important to help workers find new jobs. In 
tough times, people need an unemployment check, but what they want is a 
paycheck. Americans want the independence of a job and the satisfaction 
of providing for their families, themselves. A job is more than a source 
of income; it is a source of dignity.
    I made my proposals to create new jobs and help dislocated workers 
on October the 4th, 3 months and 943,000 lost jobs ago. The House of 
Representatives accepted my proposals, but the Senate Democratic 
leadership would not even schedule a vote. Some in the Senate seem to 
think we can afford to do nothing, that the economy will get better on 
its own, sooner or later. I say that if your job is in danger or you 
have a loved one out of work, you want that recovery sooner, not later.
    We need a plan to lengthen unemployment benefits; we need a plan to 
shorten the recession. The Senate should act on both. America's workers 
cannot afford more delay.
    Thank you for listening.

[[Page 16]]

Note: The address was recorded at 9:20 a.m. on January 4 at the Bush 
Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 5. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
January 4 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
this address.