    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [June 23, 2003]
    [Pages 677-681]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in New York City
    June 23, 2003

        Thank you all very much. It's nice to be back in this great city of
    New York City. Thank you for your warm hospitality. I'm going to come
    back. [Laughter] And I look forward to having the Republican Convention
    right here in the great city of New York.
        Thank you all so very much for your help in the campaign. You're
    laying the foundation for what will be a national victory come November
    of 2004. I'm getting loosened up. [Laughter] I'm getting ready.
    [Laughter] But I'm going to need your help. I'm going to need your help
    not only to lay the foundation at the grassroots, but I need your help
    to pass our message, our inclusive, positive, hopeful message for all
    American citizens.
        I say I'm ready--the political season will come in its own time.
    There will be plenty of time for politics. Right now I'm focused on the
    people's business in Washington, DC. We have a lot on the agenda, and we
    will continue to work hard to earn the confidence of our fellow citizens
    by keeping this Nation secure, keeping this Nation strong, keeping this
    Nation prosperous, and keeping this Nation free.
        My only regret tonight is that First Lady Laura Bush didn't come. I know, you drew the--you drew the short
    straw. [Laughter] I'm proud of her. I love her. She is a fabulous First
    Lady for America.
        I want to thank Governor George Pataki for
    not only being a friend but being a great Governor for the State of New
    York.
        I appreciate so very much that my Secretary of Commerce, Don
    Evans, is with us tonight. I appreciate him
    coming.
        I had a chance to visit with the mayor. I want to thank Michael
    Bloomberg for the job he's doing on behalf
    of the citizens of this great city, and I want to thank him for his
    friendship as well. He probably said he's going out to throw a first
    pitch out at the minor league park. I know something about throwing out
    pitches. [Laughter] And I would suggest he goes with a fastball, not his
    slider. [Laughter]
        I want to thank Congressman Vito Fossella
    for coming as well. He's part of that New York delegation that's making
    a difference.
        I want to thank people from the statehouse who are here. The
    Lieutenant Governor, Mary Donohue, is with us
    today.

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    Mary, thank you for coming. Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and Assembly Minority Leader Charlie Nesbitt are with us as well. Thank you for coming.
        I'm proud that my friend Mayor Jim Garner
    from Hempstead, New York, who is the new president of the U.S.
    Conference on Mayors, is with us. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
        I want to thank my friend Rudy Giuliani for being the cochairman of this--[applause]. Rudy and I
    and his new bride traveled from the
    helicopter pad together, and it's clear, like me, he married above
    himself. [Laughter]
        It's good to see former Senator Alphonse D'Amato here. Thank you for coming, Alphonse. I appreciate
    Mr. Chairman, Sandy Treadwell,
    ``Sandy'' for being here. Sandy, thank you for your
    leadership and your help. And the chairman of the New York Conservative
    Party, Mike Long, is with us as well. Michael, thanks for coming. Most
    importantly, thank you all for being here. It means a lot. I really
    appreciate your help and your support.
        In the last 2\1/2\ years, our Nation has acted decisively to
    confront great challenges. I came to the office of the Presidency to
    solve problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future
    generations. I came to seize opportunities instead of letting them slip
    away, and we are meeting the tests of our time.
        Terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and war is
    what they got. We have captured or killed many key leaders of Al Qaida,
    and the rest of them know we're hot on their trail. In Afghanistan and
    Iraq, we gave ultimatums to terror regimes. Those regimes chose
    defiance, and those regimes are no more.
        Fifty million people in those two countries once lived under
    tyranny, and now they live in freedom. Two-and-a-half years ago, our
    military was not receiving the resources it needed, and morale was
    beginning to suffer. We increased the defense budget to prepare for
    threats of a new era. And today, no one in the world can question the
    skill and the strength and the spirit of the United States military.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. Then
    the attacks on our country and scandals in corporate America and the war
    affected our people's confidence. But we acted. We passed tough new laws
    to hold corporate criminals to account.
        And to get our economy going again, we have twice led the Congress
    to pass historic tax relief for the American people. Here is what we
    believe and here is what we know: When Americans have more take-home pay
    to spend, to save, or to invest, the whole economy grows, so people can
    find work. We understand whose money we spend in Washington, DC. It is
    not the Government's money. It is the people's money.
        We're returning more money to the people who are raising their
    families. We're reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains to
    encourage investment. We're giving small businesses incentives to expand
    and hire new people. With all these actions we are laying the foundation
    for greater prosperity and more jobs across America, so every single
    person in this country has a chance to realize the American Dream.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education
    reform, but there wasn't much action. So I called for and the Congress
    passed the No Child Left Behind Act. With a solid bipartisan majority,
    we delivered the most dramatic education reforms in a generation. We're
    bringing high standards and strong accountability measures to every
    public school in America. We believe every child can learn the basics of
    reading and math, and we believe that every school in America must teach
    those basics. We are challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations.
    The days of excuse-making are over, and now we expect results in every
    classroom in America so that not one single child is left behind.

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        We reorganized the Government and created a Department of Homeland
    Security to safeguard the borders and ports and to protect the American
    people. We passed trade promotion authority to open new markets for
    America's farmers and ranchers and manufacturers. We passed a budget
    agreement that is helping to maintain spending discipline in Washington,
    DC. On issue after issue, this administration has acted on principle,
    has kept its word, and has made progress on behalf of the American
    people.
        The United States Congress has shared in these great achievements.
    And I do want to thank the Members of the Congress who have worked hard
    on behalf of the people. We'll continue to work together, work together
    to change the tone in Washington, DC, by focusing on results. That's
    been the nature of the folks that I've asked to serve the United States
    of America. I've assembled a fantastic Cabinet and an administration,
    people who understand their job is to represent all of America. There
    has been no greater Vice President for the United States of America than
    Dick Cheney. Mother
    might have a second opinion. [Laughter]
        In 2\1/2\ years, we have come far, but our work is only beginning.
    We have great goals worthy of this great Nation. First, America is
    committed to expanding the realm of freedom and peace. And secondly, in
    our own country, we must work for a society of prosperity and compassion
    so that every citizen has a chance to work and succeed and realize the
    great promise of America.
        It is clear that the future of peace and freedom depend on the
    actions of America. This Nation is freedom's home and freedom's
    defender. We welcome this charge of history, and we are keeping it. Our
    war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and
    neither are we. This country will not rest; we will not tire; and we
    will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed.
        Yet, our national interests involves more than eliminating
    aggressive threats to our safety. Our greatest security comes from the
    advance of human liberty, because free nations do not support terror.
    Free nations do not attack their neighbors, and free nations do not
    threaten the world with weapons of mass terror.
        Americans believe that freedom is the deepest need and hope of every
    human heart. And we believe that freedom is the right of every person
    and the future of every nation.
        America also understands that unprecedented influence brings
    tremendous responsibilities. When we have--we have duties in this world.
    And when we see disease and starvation and hopelessness and poverty, we
    will not turn away. On the continent of Africa, America is now committed
    to bringing the healing power of medicine to millions of men and women
    and children now suffering from AIDS. This great land is leading the
    world in the important work of human rescue.
        We face challenges at home, and our actions prove that we're equal
    to those challenges. I will continue to work hard on our economy until
    everybody who wants to work and can't find a job today can find work.
        We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
    strengthening and modernizing Medicare so they have more choices and
    better access to prescription drugs. The time has arrived for Congress
    to pass Medicare reform, and that reform must give seniors good options
    that meet their needs. Members of Congress and their staffs get a choice
    of health plans. Seniors ought to have the same kind of choices,
    including the choice to keep their Medicare coverage the way it is. If
    choice is good enough for Members of the United States Congress, it is
    good enough for the seniors in America.
        And for the sake of our health care system, we need to stop the
    frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. People

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    who have been harmed by a bad doctor deserve their day in court. Yet,
    the system should not reward lawyers who are simply fishing for rich
    settlements. Because frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health
    care, at the Federal level, liability reform is a national issue that
    requires a national solution. Our fellow citizens must understand that
    no one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. We need medical
    liability reform today.
        I have a responsibility as President to make sure the judicial
    system runs well, and I have met that duty. I have nominated superb men
    and women for the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not
    legislate from the bench. Some Members of the Senate are trying to keep
    my nominees off the bench by blocking up-or-down votes. Every judicial
    nominee deserves a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote on the Senate
    floor. It is time for some Members of the Senate to stop playing
    politics with American justice.
        The United States Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy
    plan. Our Nation must promote energy efficiency and conservation and
    develop cleaner technologies. But for the sake of our national security,
    we must produce more energy at home.
        Our strong and prosperous Nation must also be a compassionate
    Nation. I will continue to advance our agenda of compassionate
    conservatism, applying the best and most innovative ideas to the task of
    helping our fellow citizens in need. There are still millions of men and
    women who want to end their dependence on Government and become
    independent through hard work. We must build on the success of welfare
    reform to bring work and dignity into the lives of more of our fellow
    citizens.
        Congress should complete the ``Citizen Service Act'' so more
    Americans can serve their communities and their country. And both Houses
    should finally reach agreement on a Faith-Based Initiative to support
    the armies of compassion that are mentoring children, caring for the
    homeless, and offering hope to the addicted.
        A compassionate society must promote opportunity for all, including
    the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This
    administration will constantly strive to produce an ownership society in
    America. We want more people to own their own homes. We want more people
    to own and control their retirement accounts. We want more small-
    business owners in America, and we want people to own and manage their
    own health care plan. We understand that when somebody owns something,
    he or she has a vital stake--a vital stake--in the future of this
    country.
        In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take
    responsibility for the decisions they make. We're changing the culture
    of America from one that said, ``If it feels good, do it, and if you've
    got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in which each of us
    understands that we are responsible for the decisions we make in life.
        If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you are
    responsible for the well-being of your child. If you're concerned about
    the quality of education in your community, you are responsible for
    doing something about it. If you are a CEO in America, you have a
    responsibility to tell the truth to your shareholders and your
    employees. And in a responsibility society, each of us is responsible
    for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves.
        We can see the culture of service and responsibility growing around
    us here in America. I started the USA Freedom Corps to encourage
    Americans to extend a compassionate hand to a neighbor in need. And the
    response has been strong. Our faith-based charities all across the
    country are strong and vibrant, and bringing hope and healing to our
    fellow citizens. Policemen and firemen and people who wear our Nation's
    uniform are reminding us what it

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    means to sacrifice for something greater than yourself. Once again the
    children of America believe in heroes, because they see them every day.
        In these challenging times, the world has seen the resolve and the
    courage of America. And I have been privileged to see the compassion and
    the character of the American people. All the tests of the last 2\1/2\
    years have come to the right Nation. We're a strong country, and we use
    our strength to defend the peace. We're an optimistic country, confident
    in ourselves and in ideals bigger than ourselves.
        Abroad, we seek to lift whole nations by spreading freedom. At home,
    we seek to lift up lives by spreading opportunity to every corner of our
    country. This is the work that history has set before us. We welcome it.
    And we know for our country and for our cause, better days lie ahead.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you. And may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:28 p.m. in the Imperial Ballroom at the
    Sheraton New York Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Michael
    Bloomberg of New York City; former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York
    City and his wife, Judith; and Alexander F. ``Sandy'' Treadwell,
    chairman, New York Republican State Committee.