    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 5, 2002]
    [Pages 1736-1744]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Community in Manchester, New Hampshire
    October 5, 2002

        Thank you all very much. Please be seated, except for those of you
    who don't have a chair. [Laughter]
        I've been here before. This was the site of the great pancake flip-
    off. [Laughter] A lot of time has passed since I was flipping pancakes
    in this armory. [Laughter] And I want to thank you all for coming. I
    want to thank my fellow citizens for taking time out of your day to give
    me a chance to come and talk about issues that confront our country, and
    my strong desire to work

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    with all who live in America to make America a safer, a stronger, and a
    better place.
        My dream is for this country to be a strong country, as importantly
    a safe country, and a country in which each of us who live here realizes
    the great American potential belongs to everybody.
        I want to thank you for bringing your families out to say hello. I
    want to thank you for sending some good people to Washington, DC. I'm
    proud to call Judd Gregg my friend. He's doing a
    great job as the United States Senator.
        I'm honored that Governor Shaheen is here
    today. I appreciate her taking time out of her schedule to come and pay
    her respects to the Presidency. I appreciate the mayor of
    Manchester. I appreciate members of the
    congressional delegation, Congressman Charlie Bass and Congressman John Sununu,
    for joining us as well.
        I'm glad--I am glad that your mayor, the mayor of Manchester, Mayor
    Baines, is with us today. Mr. Mayor, thank
    you for coming as well. Ray Wieczorek
    is here, who is on the New Hampshire Executive Councilor. I appreciate
    Ray.
        But most of all, I appreciate my fellow citizens. I appreciate those
    of you who are here to work hard to make your community and New
    Hampshire a strong place.
        I want to tell you one of the things on my mind, and it's: I worry
    about people being able to find work in America. Anytime anybody who
    wants to work and can't find a job says to me, we've got a problem, and
    we must do everything we can to grow our economy--that all of us
    together must work to do that which we can to enable our environment,
    our economic environment, to prosper, so people can find work. I want
    Americans to be able to put food on the table.
        And we've got an issue here in the country, and we've got to work
    together to solve it. Now, you've got to know something: I am optimistic
    about our economic future. First of all, I understand the American
    spirit. We've got the best workers in the world. We've got the best
    entrepreneurs in the world. Our productivity is the best there is.
    Interest rates are low. Inflation is low. The foundation for growth is
    solid. But it's not good--going good enough.
        Yesterday we had a good report: The unemployment rate dropped across
    the country. It's still not good enough, and we ought to continue to do
    that which is necessary to grow our economy. And I've got a couple of
    ideas, and Congress can help. I readily concede my vision of Government
    is not to create wealth but to create an environment in which the small
    business can grow to be a big business, in which the entrepreneur can
    realize his or her dreams, in which our producers can find markets. The
    job of Government is to create an environment in which growth is
    possible.
        That's why I am such a strong believer and strong advocate of
    letting people keep more of your own money. You see, it is when times
    are slow that you let people have money in their pocket. When somebody
    has more money in their pocket, they're more likely to demand a good or
    a service. And in the marketplace, when somebody demands a good or a
    service, somebody is likely to produce the good or a service. And when
    somebody produces a good or a service, somebody is more likely able to
    find work.
        Tax relief came at the absolute right time. But the reason I'm still
    talking about it, the reason we have to talk about it is because there
    is a quirk in the Senate rules. On the one hand, they giveth; on the
    other hand, they taketh away, because after 10 years the tax relief
    package ends. All the relief that had happened resorts back to the way
    it was prior to last year. I know that's hard to understand. That's one
    of those Washington things.
        But for the sake of economic vitality, Congress needs to make the
    tax cuts permanent. People need to be able to plan. Part of an
    environment which will encourage economic growth means people--there's
    certainty. And there needs to be

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    certainty in the Tax Code. You can't have a Tax Code that's one way for
    a while and reverts back; that's not certainty.
        The tax relief plan is incredibly good for small businesses. Most
    small businesses are sole proprietorships. Most small businesses are
    limited partnerships, which means the small business pays taxes at the
    income tax rate--personal income tax rates. And so therefore, when you
    reduce all rates, you inject needed capital into the small-business
    sector. Seventy percent of new jobs in America are created by small-
    business owners. For the sake of job creation, for the sake of
    certainty, for the sake of the growth of our small-business sector,
    Congress needs to make the tax cuts permanent.
        A stronger America--a stronger America is one in which people can
    find work. We have got a problem when it comes to construction projects
    in America. The terrorists hit us, and now--lot of folks who want to put
    steel in the ground can't get insurance. We need the Congress to act on
    terrorism insurance. We need to have Congress act as a stopgap for those
    who want to put construction projects forward. There's over $15 billion
    of construction projects which are now on hold because we can't get
    terrorism insurance done. They've been talking about it, but we can't
    get it out of the--can't get it out of what they call the conference
    committee. Fifteen billion dollars' worth of projects are stalled, which
    means 300,000 jobs.
        My call to Congress, before they go home, for the sake of jobs, for
    the sake of putting hardhats back to work, for the sake of letting
    people have a chance to put food on their table, we need a terrorism
    insurance package which does not reward trial lawyers but does reward
    the hardhats of America.
        Like you, I'm concerned about the fact that 401(k)s are being
    affected, that people's savings have been eroded. I'm concerned about
    that. We need to create an environment in Washington which promotes
    growth and certainty.
        One thing that will send a good message to markets and to our fellow
    Americans is if Washington can show some fiscal discipline. And that
    starts with understanding whose money we spend in Washington. We're not
    spending the Government's money. We're spending your money in
    Washington, DC.
        See, we need to set priorities. We need to set clear priorities:
    Winning this war on terror and protecting the homeland, making sure our
    kids get educated. We ought to set priorities, but we ought not to spend
    beyond those priorities. And here's the danger: There is no budget in
    the United States Senate. You see, if you don't have a budget, guess
    what can happen, particularly in an environment in which every idea
    sounds like a great idea? See, in Washington, every idea is--sounds
    wonderful. The problem in that town is, is that the price tag usually
    runs in the billions. Without a budget, there is a danger that the
    Congress will overspend.
        I submitted a budget that shows us getting back to balance in a
    reasonable period of time if there's fiscal sanity in Washington. For
    the sake of job creation, for the sake of improving the economic
    environment here in America, the United States Congress must fund our
    priorities, must not try to get re-elected with extraneous spending, and
    must remember whose money we spend in Washington--and it is the people's
    money.
        I will continue to work to make America a stronger country by
    working hard to improve our economy, by working hard to help people find
    work, by working hard to bring confidence back into the American system.
        And by the way, that started with me having the honor of signing the
    most significant corporate reforms since Franklin Roosevelt was the
    President. Here's the message: If you're running a corporation in
    America, we expect you to be open; we expect you to be honest; we expect
    you to treat your shareholders with respect; we

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    expect you to treat your employees with respect. If you break the law,
    we're going to come and get you; you're going to spend hard time.
        And we're going to work hard to make sure America is a stronger
    place, but my most important job is to make America a safer place. I'm
    reminded of that every time I come and give a speech and see the little
    ones here. I'm also reminded, since some of them are going to sleep, to
    keep my speeches shorter. [Laughter]
        I want you to know that I say we have to work to make America a
    safer place because there is still an enemy out there who hates America.
    And they hate us because of what we love. They hate us because we love
    freedom in America. We love freedom to the point we will never back down
    and relinquish our freedoms. We love the idea of anybody in America
    being able to worship an almighty God any way he or she sees fit. We
    love the fact that in our society there is discourse about elections and
    politics. A free society has open debate. We love that. We love a free
    press. We love everything about our freedoms. And that's why the enemy
    hates us.
        It's hard for some youngsters to understand that. But you've just
    got to know there are people that don't value life, either. See, that's
    one of the things that differentiates us. America says, ``Everybody
    counts. Everybody matters. Every life has worth. Everybody is precious
    in the eyes of the Almighty.'' And our enemy is willing to hijack a
    great religion and murder innocent life without caring. And so long as
    they're out there, we must do everything we can as a nation, as
    governments at the Federal, State, and local level, to protect the
    American people. It is our most important and solemn job, and I take it
    seriously.
        I want you to know there are a lot of good people working incredibly
    hard on your behalf. We're doing a much better job of sharing
    information than we had in the past. I mean, after all, we now know that
    America is a battlefield. Anytime we get a hint, anytime we get an idea
    that somebody might be trying to do something to some American
    somewhere, we are moving; we're acting on it. We take every threat
    seriously. We are on alert as a nation. Times have changed, and you just
    need to know we have changed with the times.
        Now, I have asked Congress to join me on creating what I call a
    Department of Homeland Security, and I want to share right quickly why I
    did that. There's over 100 agencies in Washington involved with securing
    the homeland, or 100 agencies involved with some aspect of doing their
    job that I expect them to do.
        But the problem is, is that with so many agencies scattered around,
    it's hard to align authority and responsibility. It's hard to have
    accountability. It's hard to make sure the cultures of the agency are
    aligned properly. It's hard to make sure their number one job is to
    protect you. And so therefore, I said, ``Let's create this Department so
    that we can say to the American people, we're doing everything we can to
    protect you.''
        The House passed a good bill. The Senate is still debating it. And
    here's the issue. The issue is whether or not the Senate is going to
    micromanage the executive branch and future Presidents or whether or not
    this President and future Presidents and the Cabinet Secretaries will be
    able to move the right people to the right place at the right time to
    protect the American people. The question is this: Are we going to have
    rules, civil servant rules, which will make the process so cumbersome
    that we can't respond?
        I'll give you an example. The Customs Service thought it appropriate
    that our inspectors wear radiation detection devices on their belts.
    That makes sense. If you're worried about weapons of mass destruction
    coming into America, you want your inspectors to have the tools
    necessary to do their job. The union said that they needed to have a
    negotiating session; they needed to go to collective bargaining as to
    whether

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    or not the inspectors ought to be told to wear this, whether or not it
    would be involuntary or voluntary. That would take a long time to
    settle.
        Nothing wrong with collective bargaining rights, I'm all for them.
    But what I'm not for is work rules that prohibit us from doing the job
    of protecting the American people.
        This is a chance for people of both parties to come together and
    leave behind a legacy, because this enemy isn't going away anytime soon.
    And protecting the homeland is going to be an important job of future
    Presidents. So for the sake of the security of our country, I ask the
    Senate to be reasonable, to be realistic, and to understand their job is
    to leave a legacy behind that will allow those of us who have gotten the
    position you've elected us to, to do the jobs you expect us to do.
        But the best way to secure the homeland in the short term and in the
    long term is to chase the killers down, one person at a time, and bring
    them to justice. And that is what we're going to continue to do. This is
    a different kind of war. We're not used to this kind of war we fight. In
    the old days, it used to be you could destroy an enemy's tanks or
    airplanes or ships, and you're making progress. The people we fight
    don't have tanks or airplanes. These are coldblooded killers who hide in
    caves or the dark recesses of certain cities and send youngsters to
    their suicidal deaths. That's why I say our job is to hunt them down,
    one at a time.
        The doctrine that says, ``Either you're with us, or you're with the
    enemy,'' still stands. And as a result, there's still a coalition of
    freedom-loving countries that are after the killers. And we're doing a
    good job. Sometimes you'll see the progress on your TVs, and sometimes
    you won't, in this new war.
        The other day, you saw progress when this fellow named bin al-
    Shibh, he popped his head up. [Laughter]
    He's no longer a threat to the United States and our friends and allies.
    He was the man who thought he was--wanted to be the 20th hijacker,
    bragged about the fact that he wanted to be one that was able to kill
    thousands of our citizens.
        We're calling them in one at a time. I bet you we've captured over a
    couple of thousand of them. And a like number haven't been as lucky, and
    like number weren't as lucky because we have got a fantastic United
    States military. I want you to know I have great confidence in the men
    and women who wear the uniform of the United States. I have great
    respect for the men and women who wear the uniform. For the loved ones
    of those who wear the uniform, I thank you as well for your sacrifice,
    along with theirs, on behalf of a grateful nation.
        I submitted to the United States Congress the largest increase in
    defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the President. I did so for two
    reasons: One, anytime we send our youngsters into harm's way, they
    deserve the best pay, the best training, and the best possible
    equipment. And secondly, I wanted to send a clear message to friend and
    foe alike that when it comes to the defense of our freedoms and values
    we hold dear, the United States is in for the long haul. There is no
    calendar on my desk that says, by such-and-such a date, we pretty well
    had it, time to quit. When it comes to the defense of that which we
    love, which is our country, when it comes to doing our duty, which is to
    protect the future for our children and our children's children, when it
    comes to the defense of the peace, the United States of America will
    stay the course.
        I have sent that bill to the Congress. It hasn't made it to my desk
    yet. We are at war. I expect to get the defense bill, the defense
    appropriations bill, on my desk before the Congress goes home. For the
    sake of sending the right message, Congress should not play politics
    with the defense appropriations bill.

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        Our job is to keep the peace. Our job is to make the world a more
    peaceful place. And sometimes it's a pretty steep hill to get there.
    Sometimes we're going to have to cross some hurdles. Sometimes we're
    going to have to anticipate problems before they become so acute that it
    will be difficult to keep the peace. One such area, where the Nation is
    now beginning an important national discourse, is with Iraq. This is a
    country which, 11 years ago, promised the world they would have no
    weapons of mass destruction. And yet, for 11 years they have lied and
    deceived the world community. This is a country run by one of the most
    brutal dictators in modern history. On Monday
    night, I will make the case to the country on TV yet again, but I want
    to share some of my thoughts with you here.
        I want you to remember that this is a man
    who kills his opponents in cold blood. This is a person who suppressed
    people. This is a person who has used weapons of mass destruction on his
    own citizens. This is a person who has used weapons of mass destruction
    on people in his neighborhood. This is a person who hates America and
    yet still possesses weapons of mass destruction.
        At one time, inspectors had a free hand in Iraq, like they should
    have, and they determined that had this man
    not been checked in the early nineties, he would have had possession of
    a nuclear weapon. He still wants to have a nuclear weapon. This is a man
    who has used weapons of mass destruction. This is a man who hates so
    much, he's willing to kill his own people, much less Americans. This is
    a man who would be a tremendous threat to world peace and security if he
    ever were to have and possess a weapon of mass destruction as
    devastating as a nuclear weapon.
        I went to the United Nations the other day because I wanted to make
    it clear, a couple of things. One, I want the United Nations to be
    successful. We face a new threat for world peace. We're dealing with
    these treacherous terrorist organizations who have designs and desires
    to hook up with nations such as Iraq that have developed weapons of mass
    destruction. See, old Saddam might not have
    to show up, but he might get a surrogate who could do it for him.
        In order to deal with those new threats, in order to deal with the
    reality that America is no longer protected by two vast oceans, it
    seemed like--sense to me that we should give the United Nations--to be
    an effective peacekeeping body, somebody who would keep the peace,
    somebody who was strong enough. Well, I've told the United Nations,
    ``Either you can be the United Nations, or you can be the League of
    Nations; your choice.''
        Sixteen different times the United Nations, an important world body,
    has said, ``You must disarm.'' Sixteen times, and he's defied them all 16 times. He's lied, and he's
    deceived. And so now the choice is the United Nations to make. The
    choice is also Mr. Saddam Hussein's to make. See, there's no
    negotiations; there's nothing to talk about. We don't want you to have
    weapons of mass destruction. You agreed to that; you said you would
    agree to that. Now you've got to show the world you don't have them.
    It's up to you, Mr. Hussein.
        Nobody likes war in America. We're a peaceful nation. Nobody wants
    there to be war. On the other hand, a lot of folks--Republicans and
    Democrats, people who could care less about political parties--now are
    beginning to understand the true threat. In order to keep the peace, Mr.
    Hussein and the world community must work to
    disarm him. And if they won't, I will lead a coalition of nations, like-
    minded nations to send the world that we long for peace--send a message:
    We long for peace in this world, and we will not let the world's worst
    leaders threaten, blackmail, hurt America, our friends and allies, with
    the world's worst weapons.

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        We owe this to our children. We owe it to peace. We owe it for a
    peaceful world to deal with the threats we see. We cannot ignore
    history. We must not ignore reality. We must do everything we can to
    disarm this man before he hurts one single
    American.
        I am proud--I was proud the other day to stand in the Rose Garden
    with members of both political parties who agreed that this man is a
    threat--both political parties. We had the Speaker, and we had Dick Gephardt. From the Senate we had Trent Lott
    and Joe Lieberman and John
    McCain and Evan Bayh,
    Republicans and Democrats alike. We're working on a resolution so this
    country can speak with one voice when it comes to the defense of our
    freedoms and our desire for peace.
        This is not an issue of political parties. This is an issue of
    national concern. I look forward to hearing the debate. I welcome the
    voices on all sides. I understand the need for there to be a good and
    honest and open discourse on peace and security and freedom.
        And as we work to secure the peace and to make the country a
    stronger and safer place, we've always got to remember to make America a
    better place, too, a better place for every single citizen who lives in
    this country. That starts with making sure that every child in America
    gets an education--not some but every child.
        I was honored to work with Judd and Ted
    Kennedy. Believe it or not--[laughter]--
    it's amazing what can happen when people put their minds to do what's
    right for America and cast aside all the nonsense of the politics and
    focus on what's right.
        I signed a really good education bill. I want to share it with you
    because it's your responsibility, by the way, to make sure the citizens
    in this community get educated. See, I believe in local control of
    schools; that bill said that. But let me tell you two other things it
    said.
        It said two other things that are really important. It said, in
    America, we believe each child can learn. And therefore, we must set
    high standards and high expectations. As a nation, if we want America to
    be a better place, we must challenge the soft bigotry of low
    expectations.
        And you see, if you believe every child can learn, if you believe
    that--you've got to believe it; you just can't say it; you've got to
    believe it. You've got to believe our inner-city kids can learn. You've
    got to believe that a child whose parents may not speak English as a
    first language can learn. You have to believe it.
        And if you do believe that, like I believe it, then you want to
    know. Then you want to know whether or not the children are learning.
    And therefore, in return for Federal money, we have said, ``Show us, New
    Hampshire. You show us. You show us whether our children are learning to
    read and write and add and subtract. You chart the path to excellence,
    and you measure. In return for the biggest increase in education
    spending in a long, long time, we expect every child to be educated. And
    when you find children in schools which will not teach and will not
    change, in order to make sure no child is left behind, you've got to
    demand something different. You've got to demand excellence in your
    schools for every single child.''
        A better America is one that says, we're going to help people in
    need, but we want them to work. Any good welfare reauthorization must
    have work as its central component. We'll help you, fine. We'll train
    you. But work leads to dignity. Work gives people a hopeful future.
        A better America is one that recognizes that medicine has changed,
    but Government programs like Medicare haven't. Medicine is modern;
    Medicare isn't. For the sake of a better America, our seniors need to be
    treated with a Medicare program that includes prescription drugs and is
    a modern program.
        But see, one of the things that you've got to understand about
    Government: Government can hand out money, but what

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    Government cannot do is put love in a person's life. What Government
    cannot do is put hope in hearts. And that's why, in order to make sure
    that America is a better place, we've got to really unleash the great
    strength of America. And the great strength of this country is the
    people of this country. The great strength of America lay in the hearts
    and souls of our fellow Americans.
        Today we are honored--and I was honored at the airport there--to
    greet Bonnie Monahan and Patrick
    Fraser. They are two of our fellow citizens.
    Bonnie is the vice president of the Timberland Company, and Patrick
    works for the City Youth--City Year Youth Service Corps. And the reason
    I bring them up is, there's two examples about what I'm talking about,
    about the great strength of the country. Timberland offers employees 40
    hours of paid leave to volunteer in their communities. This good
    company, this company, which is doing their best to look at the bottom
    line, also understands the bottom line is more than just dollars and
    cents. The bottom line is being a good citizen. They provide paid leave
    for people to be involved with helping our community be a better place.
    They've got City Year Youth Service Corps, where Freedom Corps
    volunteers--kids who understand we can save America, one heart and one
    soul at a time--working in Timberland. I want to thank the City Corps,
    and I want to thank Timberland for coming.
        I want to thank you all for being here. See, it's an important
    signal that one person can't do everything, but one person can do
    something to be a part of changing America. People have often asked me,
    ``What can I do to help in the war against terror?'' You can join the
    war against terror and fight evil by loving your neighbor just like
    you'd like to be loved yourself.
        A better America is an America which understands that in the midst
    of our plenty, there are people who hurt. There are pockets of despair.
    There's loneliness. Some communities you say, ``Hey, American Dream,''
    and they go, ``What does that mean? I don't know what you're talking
    about.''
        If one of us hurts, we all hurt. And therefore, we must do
    everything we can to make this country a better place, a more optimistic
    place. And it starts with each of us. If you want to be a part of a
    change of America, all you've got to do is put your arm around a
    neighbor in need and say, ``I love you.'' Mentor a child. Start a Boy
    and Girls Club. Feed the hungry. Help house the homeless.
        And it's happening in America. The amazing thing about September the
    11th--a day in which we still grieve as a nation--we still send our
    prayers to those whose lives were completely disrupted. But this Nation
    is so strong and so confident and so good, instead of being cowed by the
    enemy, we rose up. Out of the evil done to America is going to come some
    incredible good. I don't know what was in the mind of the enemy. They
    must have thought we were so selfish and materialistic and self-absorbed
    that when they attacked us, we might file a lawsuit or two. [Laughter]
        Instead, what they're finding out about this country is, we love our
    freedom. And if we remain strong and focused and tough when we need to,
    if we continue to speak clearly about right from wrong and defend the
    values, which are not American values but God-given values, we can
    achieve peace. We can achieve peace in the world. We can achieve peace
    for our citizens.
        And here at home, if we remember the definition, a patriot is
    something more than just putting your hand over your heart--the
    definition of a patriot in the face of the evil done to America is to
    serve something greater than yourself in life, is to help somebody in
    need, is to love a person, one at a time, as we remember that--which I
    know we will.
        The enemy will have hit us, but America will be a stronger, more
    compassionate,

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    better place for all of us. There's no question in my mind that we can
    meet our goals, that we can meet this challenge, because, my fellow
    Americans, this is the greatest nation, full of the finest people, on
    the face of the Earth.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you all, and may God bless
    America.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:32 a.m. at the National Guard Armory. In
    his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; Mayor
    Robert A. Baines of Manchester; Raymond J. Wieczorek, New Hampshire
    Executive Councilor for District Four; and President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq.