    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [August 14, 2002]
    [Pages 1398-1404]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Luncheon for Governor Scott McCallum of Wisconsin in Milwaukee
    August 14, 2002

        Thank you very much. And you know what I think? I think the voters
    of Wisconsin are going to say yes to Scott McCallum as the Governor. I
    am here to help this good man because I believe in him. And I believe
    he's going to win. And I want to thank you all for helping him. I want
    to thank you for being here today. I especially want to thank you for
    what you're fixing to do, which is to man the phones, go to the coffee
    shops, and turn out the vote. You've got a good one in Scott, a good,
    honest, decent, honorable man who is willing to make tough decisions.
    And you need to send him back to the statehouse for 4 more years.
        And I appreciate so very much the first lady of the State of
    Wisconsin, Laurie. It is good to see her
    again, and their children. I want to thank those boys and the girl for
    supporting their dad in his run for the Governor's race.
        I bring greetings from the First Lady of the
    United States. She is actually campaigning today in Texas for a friend
    of ours who is running for the United States Senate in Texas. You drew
    the short straw. [Laughter] But she is doing great. I don't know if you
    remember the story about Laura and me, but when I married her, she was a
    public school librarian. And the truth of the matter is, she didn't
    particularly care about politics or politicians. And now here she is,
    the First Lady of the United States. And she's doing a fabulous job. I'm
    really proud of her. We're working out of Crawford this month. It's a
    nice temperature differential. [Laughter] But she sends her regards and
    sends all her best to Scott and Laurie and
    the family during this really important quest to be your Governor.
        I want to thank very much the Lieutenant Governor, Margaret
    Farrow, for being here as well. I find it
    very interesting that Governor Farrow is breaking the glass ceiling. She
    is the first female Lieutenant Governor in Wisconsin history.
        I want to thank leaders of the statehouse who are here, Mary
    Panzer and Scott Jensen, who is the speaker of the house. Thank you both for
    coming. I want to thank other members of the legislature who are here.
    It is in your interest that this good man win.
        I want to thank Scott Walker. I call him
    ``cousin.'' After all, I'm George Walker Bush. [Laughter] At least I
    call him ``cousin'' so long as he's doing a good job. [Laughter] And
    they tell me he's doing a fine job. Scott, thank you for taking on a
    very important assignment as the Milwaukee county executive. And we wish
    you all the best.
        I had the privilege of meeting the next attorney general of the
    State of Wisconsin, Vince Biskupic, and I
    want to thank Vince for being here as well.
        I want to thank Rick Graber, who is the
    chairman of the Republican Party, a fellow I've gotten to know quite
    well and trust

    [[Page 1399]]

    and appreciate his leadership. I want to thank Mary Buestrin, who is the national committeewoman. And I want to thank
    Craig Leipold, who is the finance chair for
    this fine event. Thank you all for coming.
        I particularly want to thank the--those of you involved in
    grassroots politics. Oftentimes we come to these events and we never
    thank those who have manned the phones to even get the event going in
    the first place. I understand politics well. I know you cannot win
    without people energized at the grassroots. And for those of you who
    have worked tirelessly for Scott and for my behalf as well, thanks from
    the bottom of our hearts. And I hope this dinner serves as a way to
    continue--to get you to continue working, because you're vital to the
    success of any candidate running for public office. So thanks for coming
    today. It's great to see you.
        I like a man who does what he says he's going to do, and that's what
    Scott did. Scott said he was going to deal with the budget in an upfront
    way, but he was going to do so without raising your taxes. A lot of
    folks in politics try to find the easy way out, but Scott stuck to his
    word. He said, ``We've got a budget problem. I intend to work with
    people from both parties to solve the problem, but we're not going to
    solve the problem by raising the taxes in a State whose taxes are
    already too high.'' And he stuck to his word, and Wisconsin is going to
    be better off for having a Governor who sticks to his word.
        I appreciate the fact that he is working to hold down spending.
    That's what I'm going to do in Washington. And yesterday I sent a pretty
    clear signal, I intend to bring some fiscal discipline to Washington,
    DC. We've got a process called the supplemental budget process. It's an
    opportunity for the Congress to fund emergency needs. And we needed
    extra funding for our military, and we needed funding for homeland
    security, and we needed extra funding to fulfill the commitment to the
    citizens of New York. But Congress, in its willingness to spend your
    money, added 5 billion extra dollars. And what made that interesting was
    that in order to spend any of the extra 5 billion, I had to spend it
    all. In other words, ``You either spend all the 5 billion, Mr.
    President, or you don't spend a dime.'' They made their position clear.
    I made mine yesterday clear: We're not spending a dime.
        It is important for those of us who have--in charge of the people's
    money to be fiscally sound and responsible. It's important to set
    priorities and make sure the appropriators stick to those priorities.
    And that's what Scott's done here in the State of Wisconsin. It's an
    important signal to send. During tough times, you've got to have
    somebody who's willing to make tough decisions. And that's what a leader
    does.
        A leader is also somebody who understands that every child must be
    educated. I used to say that education is to a State what national
    defense is to the Federal Government. The most important priority of a
    Governor is to insist that there be quality education.
        We passed a good piece of legislation out of Washington--which
    passes power out of Washington, DC, because I believe in local control
    of schools. But it also says, we're going to set the highest of high
    standards for every child. Scott knows what I know, that if you set low
    standards for children, you're going to get low results. If you expect
    mediocrity, you'll have mediocre students. We believe every child can
    learn and therefore are willing to insist upon high standards for every
    child.
        And as importantly, I insist, and so does Scott, that we measure,
    that we hold people to account. See, if you believe children can't
    learn, you don't measure. But if you believe they can learn, you measure
    to see whether or not they are learning. And if they are, there ought to
    be praise for the teachers. But when we find children trapped in schools
    that won't teach and schools that won't change, it is essential

    [[Page 1400]]

    you have leadership that demands something other than the status quo.
        I appreciate Scott's vision of public education, and I believe under
    his leadership, the public education system here in Wisconsin will
    demand excellence. And by demanding excellence, our children will start
    to learn. No child in this country ought to be left behind.
        I also appreciate Scott's integrity and his decency. He's a down-to-
    earth fellow. As we say down in Crawford, Texas, he doesn't have a bunch
    of fancy airs. What you see is what you get. And that's important.
    That's important for people in politics, to say what they mean and do
    what they say. You know, we've got a lot of good talkers in the
    political process, a lot of people who spin fancy promises. What the
    State needs here and what I believe we need in Washington are people who
    just say what they believe, work hard with people of both political
    parties to achieve it--in other words, be willing to be judged on
    accomplishment. And when people in Wisconsin judge this man on his
    accomplishments, they're going to put him back in the Governor's chair.
        I appreciate Scott's understanding the role of Government is not to
    create wealth; the role of Government is to create an environment in
    which the producer and the entrepreneur can flourish. And that's an
    important distinction between he and how some of the others think. The
    other people think that Government is there to create wealth, that
    Government is the answer. Scott knows what I know, that you've got to
    trust the people. You trust the people with their own money. You trust
    the people with their own ambitions. You create an environment in which
    people, no matter where they're from or what they're like, can achieve
    their dreams. That means good regulatory policy; that means good tax
    policy; that means good fiscal policy. And that's the kind of Governor
    he has been, and that's the kind of Governor he will be.
        Not only do I appreciate the chance to come and talk about Scott, I
    appreciate the chance to come and briefly talk about the hurdles our
    country faces, the challenges we face. Yesterday we had a fantastic
    event in Waco, at Baylor University. As I needled the crowd that came
    down there, I said, ``I appreciate welcoming you to the middle of Texas
    in the middle of August.'' [Laughter] That's a heck of a commitment.
    [Laughter] We had people from all walks of life. We didn't ask their
    party registration. We just said, ``Would you like to come and discuss
    your concerns about the economy?'' We had laboring people and union
    heads and entrepreneurs and small-business people and farmers and
    ranchers, grandmothers. We had all kinds of people. It was a very
    interesting session because it showed that there is a concern. But it
    also showed me that we've got great strength in this country to deal
    with the economic challenges we face.
        I heard over and over again that even though the statistics look
    pretty good these days, that people's confidence had been somewhat
    shaken. Nevertheless, they were confident in the long term of the
    American system. They're confident that so long as we have the right
    policies out of Washington, the entrepreneurial spirit would flourish.
    They were confident, if we make right choices when it comes to tax and
    fiscal policy, the economic growth will continue. I mean, after all,
    when we first got into office, we endured three quarters of economic
    negative growth. And then the last three quarters have been positive. So
    the trend is in the right direction. And interest rates are low.
    Inflation is low. Productivity is up. Consumer spending is strong. I
    mean, the ingredients for economic vitality are there.
        But there are some more things we need to do, we need to make sure
    that not only is Congress fiscally responsible, we need to make sure
    that the tax cuts we passed become permanent. Now, we cut taxes at

    [[Page 1401]]

    the right time. You see, Scott and I understand that if you let a person
    keep more of their own money, the person is going to demand a good or a
    service. If they demand a good or a service, somebody is going to
    produce the good and service. And when somebody produces the good and
    service, somebody is likely to find work. That's how the economy works.
        In Washington, and I suspect here in Wisconsin, there are some who
    say, ``Let's don't trust the people with their own money. Let's raise
    the taxes. Let's prevent tax reductions from going forward.'' There
    would be nothing worse for our economy than to take money away from the
    people who make the economy grow. We need to make the tax relief plan
    passed permanent. I say you need to make it permanent because under a
    quirk in the Senate law, all the work we did ends 10 years from the time
    I signed the bill. That's kind of an odd piece of legislation. It's one
    where you reduce something, and then 10 years later, it pops back up.
    That's why we need to make it permanent.
        And we also need to make the repeal of the death tax permanent. The
    death tax is terrible on entrepreneurs, terrible on Wisconsin farmers,
    terrible on small-business owners. It's a terrible tax when you tax a
    person's assets twice.
        No, I believe our economy is going to make good progress. I
    particularly believe, if Congress does the right thing, that we can make
    substantial progress. They did the right thing on trade, by the way. For
    the first time in a long time, I now have what's called trade promotion
    authority. And I understand good trade policy will yield good jobs. If
    you're confident about something, you try to promote it. I'm confident
    about the American people's ability to outproduce anybody in the world.
    I'm confident that Wisconsin farmers are the best in the world. I'm
    confident that our high-tech entrepreneurs are the best in the world.
    I'm confident that we can compete with a level playing field. I intend
    to use trade promotion authority to sell U.S. products abroad, which
    will be good for high-paying jobs here in America.
        I believe in terrorism insurance. There are over $8 billion of
    construction projects which have been delayed because people can't get
    terrorism insurance. For the sake of hard-working Americans, for the
    sake of visionaries who want to build, Congress must have a terrorism
    insurance bill on my desk as soon as possible, a bill which rewards hard
    work, not trial lawyers.
        We need an energy policy that promotes renewable energy, that uses
    technology to conserve more, but we need an energy policy that
    encourages environmentally friendly exploration at home. It is not only
    important for our economic security that we have an energy policy, it is
    important for our national security that we're less reliant on foreign
    sources of crude oil.
        No, I believe we can make great progress and we'll continue to work
    with people of both political parties to create the environment
    necessary for our entrepreneurs to flourish.
        And one thing is certain and one thing now people understand, that
    if you cook the books, you're going to be held to account. If you do not
    tell the truth to the American people, there is going to be a
    consequence. I signed, as Scott mentioned, the most comprehensive
    corporate reform since Franklin Roosevelt was the President. It should
    send a chilling effect on those who want to fine-print the American
    people. It should send a chilling effect to those who believe they can
    use fancy accounting footwork in order to achieve some kind of short-
    term objective. I've got a Corporate Fraud Task Force that's going to
    find those who have committed fraud, arrest those who have committed
    fraud, prosecute those who have committed fraud.
        The American people have got to trust the books of corporate
    America. I trust by far the vast majority of people who run corporate
    America. I proudly wear a pair

    [[Page 1402]]

    of Allen Edmonds shoes every day. [Laughter] I know my friend who runs
    Harley Davidson is here. These are great corporations; they're
    corporations because the CEO has decided to set the right kind of
    example by not only treating employees with respect but by understanding
    they've got an obligation to shareholder as well. I signed a good piece
    of legislation. We'll enforce the law. And Americans can be confident--
    can be confident that if somebody cheats them, there's going to be a
    consequence. And they need to be confident that by far the vast majority
    of our corporate leaders are honest and decent and honorable people.
        We're making progress on the economic security of the American
    people. We're making progress on the homeland security for the American
    people. My most important job is to do everything we can to protect the
    homeland, is to prevent the enemy from hitting us again. And I sent up a
    pretty significant proposal to do just that. There's over 100 agencies
    in Washington, DC, that have got some part of the responsibility of
    protecting the homeland. It kind of makes it hard to hold people to
    account when there is 100 agencies scattered around. And so for the sake
    of setting priorities and for the sake of changing agencies' cultures so
    that they focus on homeland security, I proposed to Congress that we
    have a Cabinet office, a Cabinet agency involved with protecting our
    homeland--we move key agencies within an umbrella organization.
        And we're making progress there. We're making progress because the
    House of Representatives passed a pretty good piece of legislation which
    will allow me and my Cabinet Secretary to put the right person at the
    right place at the right time in order to protect the homeland.
        And now the Senate must act. But the problem is, the first blush of
    the Senate legislation shows that some Senators are more concerned about
    protecting their turf than they are protecting the American people. Some
    Senators are more worried about special interests than the interests of
    protecting the homeland. I'm not going to accept a piece of legislation
    which gives us a book this thick of bureaucratic rules, thereby
    hamstringing the capacity of this administration to protect the American
    people.
        There's a lot of people--there are a lot of people working hard to
    protect us. There really are. They're working overtime. Anytime we get a
    hint or a piece of evidence, we're running it down. We take everything
    seriously here in America about--as to whether or not somebody might be
    trying to come and hurt American citizens. But the best way to protect
    the homeland is to chase the enemy down one by one and bring them to
    justice. That's the best way to protect the homeland, and that's what
    we're going to do.
        It's a different kind of war than what we are used to. I guess the
    best way to describe it, it's like we're on an international manhunt for
    coldblooded killers. These are people that hide in a cave and send
    youngsters to their death. They don't require a lot of equipment. They
    don't have tanks going across a field or formations of aircraft flying
    around. These are people that don't value life and hate freedom. They
    don't care whether innocent people die, and they hate the fact that we
    value life here in America. They can't stand the fact that we worship
    freely, that we welcome all kinds of religions, that our Government is
    not a Government that promotes a religion. Our Government promotes
    freedom of religion. It irritates them.
        And so long as we hold those values of freedom dear to our hearts,
    we're a target. But we're not going to change our values because some
    international killers don't like us. As a matter of fact, we're going to
    do something different. We're going to chase them down. We're going to
    unleash a great military. We're going to call upon a vast coalition. And
    no matter how long it takes--no matter how long it takes--we'll

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    hunt them down one by one to protect our country and to secure our
    freedoms.
        And we're making good progress. We're making good progress. In a
    little less than a year, we routed the Taliban. We upheld the doctrine,
    ``If you harbor or feed a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the
    terrorists.'' And the Taliban found out what we meant. I want you all to
    tell your children, we went into Afghanistan not as conquerors but as
    liberators. And thanks to the United States and our coalition, young
    girls--many young girls now go to school for the first time.
        And we didn't leave. We're helping that country build a democracy.
    We're helping that country rebuild herself so that she has a chance to
    be a prosperous nation at peace in her neighborhood. But there is still
    Al Qaida there in remote regions, and we've got brave troops who are
    hunting them down. And sometimes you'll read about it, and sometimes you
    won't. We have hauled in over 2,000 of them. One by one, we're finding
    them. It's not only the United States, but the Philippines or Spain, all
    kinds of countries are acting in concert. And a like number weren't as
    lucky.
        But there's more work to do. There's more work to do. And I just
    want to assure you that I haven't forgotten September the 11th. I
    understand that history has called us into action. I'm never going to
    forget the love of freedom that the American States holds dear. I
    believe in our values. And so long as anybody is out there trying to
    bunch up or individually come and hurt us, my job is to act and act
    decisively. And that's exactly what our Government is going to do.
        And so when you read about the defense budget I've submitted, I hope
    I'm giving you a flavor as to why I did ask for the largest increase in
    defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the President. I believe
    anytime you put your troops into harm's way, they deserve the best pay,
    the best training, and the best possible equipment.
        And I know it's important to send a signal to our friends and our
    enemies alike that the United States is in this for the long haul, that
    there isn't a calendar on my desk that says, oh, by such-and-such a
    date, we're going to quit; we're just going to stop. That's not what
    America is about. We love freedom. We understand we have an obligation
    to defend our freedoms.
        But you need to know how I feel. I feel that by leading this
    coalition and by remaining strong and determined and patient, that we
    can achieve peace, peace in parts of the world that have given up on
    peace. I think we can have peace in the Middle East--I really do--by
    being strong and determined, by fighting terror and--on the one hand,
    and promoting democracy on the other. I believe we can achieve peace in
    South Asia. I believe we can achieve peace here at home. And that's my
    goal, and that's my dream.
        See, I believe out of the evil done to America is going to come some
    incredible good. At home I'm already beginning to see the signs of the
    good that's coming. See, people understand that--and people have asked
    the question, what can they do to help in the war against terror? And my
    answer was, love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. If you
    want to fight evil, do some good. If you want to be a part of a war on
    terror, love somebody in need. It's the gathering momentum of millions
    of acts of kindness and decency which show the world the true character
    of America.
        People have said, ``What can I do to help?'' And my answer is, serve
    something greater than yourself. Serve something greater than your own
    personal satisfaction, your own personal bottom line. Being a patriot in
    America, in my judgment, understands that when one of us suffers, all of
    us suffers. But I also understand Government can't do everything. We can
    write checks, but we can't put hope in people's hearts or a sense of
    purpose in people's

    [[Page 1404]]

    lives. That requires neighbor loving neighbor; that requires faith-based
    programs flourishing throughout Milwaukee. You've got some fabulous
    faith-based programs here in Milwaukee. I know; I've seen them first
    hand. I've seen the power of faith work magic in people's lives right
    here in your neighborhood.
        And so my call to you is, if you want to be a patriotic American,
    help a neighbor in need. It doesn't take a lot. Mentor a child. And I
    don't mean mentor a child on a kind of a haphazard basis. I mean, take a
    child and mentor that child for a while, until that child becomes
    literate. Or go into a shut-in's house and say, ``I love you,'' on a
    daily basis or a regular basis. Feed somebody who needs some food. Help
    somebody find some shelter.
        America is going to change, one heart, one soul, one conscience at a
    time. Many in your community understand one person can't do everything,
    but one person can do something to be a part of a cultural change which
    welcomes a new era, one different from the old times when it said, ``If
    it feels good, go ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem,
    blame somebody else,'' to a new era in which it says, ``We're all
    responsible for the decisions we make in life.'' We're responsible for
    loving our children. We're responsible for helping a neighbor in need.
    We're responsible for the quality of the community in which we live.
        Flight 93 was a defining moment in many ways. It was a time when
    people heard that the airplane was going to be used as a weapon. They
    made a conscious decision to serve something greater than themselves, to
    save life. History will note that they said a prayer, told their loved
    ones goodbye. A guy said, ``Let's roll,'' and they took the plane into
    the ground. It's a symbol of what is happening in America, that people
    understand to be a patriotic America is to serve something greater than
    yourself. No, out of the evil done to America is going to come some
    incredible good, a more compassionate, a more decent, a more hopeful
    America.
        I want to thank you all for coming to help this good man. May God
    bless you all, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:55 a.m. in the sports and entertainment
    arena at the Bradley Center. In his remarks, he referred to Laurie
    McCallum, wife of Gov. McCallum, and their children, Zachary, Rory, and
    Cara; Wisconsin State senator Mary E. Panzer; and Craig Leipold,
    financial chairman, McCallum for Governor, 2002.