[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
[January 22, 2003]
[Pages 73-78]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the National Economy in St. Louis, Missouri
January 22, 2003

    Thanks for the warm welcome--[laughter]--more inside than outside, I 
might add. [Laughter] But thank you all very much for giving me a chance 
to come and share some thoughts about this great land and some of the 
challenges that face us.
    I'm particularly thrilled to be in a place where the entrepreneurial 
spirit is strong, and that is JS Logistics. It is strong because of the 
spirit of the guys who run the company, John  
Jr. and Greg, and the people that 
work with them to provide good service and product.
    It's important for our fellow Americans to understand that the 
strength of our country, the strength of our economy really depends upon 
the strength of the small-business community all across America. And 
that's why I'm here today in this small business, to remind people about 
the importance of small business.
    I brought Hector Barreto, who is the 
Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Thank you for 
coming, Hector. I know there's a lot of other small-business owners here 
from around the State of Missouri. I'm honored you came. Thank you for 
lending your support to what I am going to describe today as a way to 
make sure people can find work in America.
    I want to thank the employees of this good company for putting up 
with the small entourage I travel with. [Laughter] I want to thank the 
folks that came to the roundtable today. Not only were some employees of 
JS, but there's some folks who are running their own businesses and 
companies. We heard from single moms, newly married

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couples, people that are working hard to make sure the three-person 
company stays afloat. It was a good discussion, and I'm going to share 
some of the stories from that discussion with you in a minute.
    I want you to know that this country has got some big challenges 
ahead of us. There's no question in my mind that we're going to meet 
every challenge. One of the challenges we have is to make sure that 
every American, from every walk of life, has a chance to succeed in this 
country. That's an important challenge, where I spend a lot of time 
talking about education, to make sure every child is educated, to make 
sure we insist upon high standards for our schools, to make sure that we 
measure to understand whether those standards are being met, and to make 
sure we solve problems early, before it's too late. No child in America 
should be left behind in this country.
    Today I had the honor of meeting Dezzie Houston, who came out to Air Force One to say hello. She is a 
volunteer with the Missouri Mentoring Partnership. Where are you, 
Dezzie? Oh, there you are. Thanks for coming. The reason I bring this up 
is, part of making sure people aren't left behind in our society, we've 
got to recognize in our plenty there are people who hurt, and there are 
some who wonder whether or not the so-called American Dream is meant for 
them. And so long as any of us hurt, we all hurt. And one way to help 
heal hurt and encourage hope is to mentor somebody in need. You see, I 
like to remind people, Government can hand out money, but it can't put 
love into people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That 
happens when some caring individual finds somebody in need and says, 
``Can I help you? What can I do to help you make a better life?''
    And this society of ours is filled with all kinds of heroes, 
American citizens doing their duty. And Dezzie is one such person. She told me that she has mentored 
three people, three teens, encouraging them to either go to college or 
how to find a job. I'm told, recently one of your mentorees graduated 
from college. It must have made you feel incredibly proud to know that 
you had a hand in encouraging that person to reach for the best in 
America, you had a hand in encouraging that person to realize that his 
or her God-given talents should be used to the fullest on the short time 
we have on Earth.
    I want to congratulate you for being a mentor. I call upon any 
American who is concerned about the future of our society to find 
somebody who needs a hand and surround that person with your love and 
your talents. Thank you for being here, Dezzie. 
    A big challenge we face is how to make sure that this world is a 
peaceful world and make sure our country is a secure country. I still 
remember September the 11th, 2001. It was a time in which history 
changed for America. When I was coming up in Texas, it used to be that 
oceans could protect us. We wouldn't have to worry about gathering 
threats abroad. We could pick and choose problems as they arose because 
we felt we were safe and secure. We felt that our history was such that 
the future would be secure and safe. But that's not what happened. 
September the 11th changed the stakes for America. It changed the 
attitude we must have if we're going to make sure our children can grow 
up in a safe and secure world.
    Even though September the 11th is--appears to be distant in our 
rearview mirror, our country is still under threat. We're under threat 
because of terrorists who don't value life like we value life in 
America. See, in this country, we say, ``Everybody is precious. 
Everybody counts. Everybody has got values.'' The enemy we face doesn't 
feel that way. They don't care about innocent life. They don't believe 
every life has value. They only believe the lives that have values are 
those who bow to their sick ideologies.

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    And so we're still on guard here in America. And we're running these 
terrorists down, one by one. It's a different kind of war that we fight. 
It's a war in which the enemy hides in the recesses of the world. It's a 
war in which they try to get inside caves in remote regions of the 
world. But you need to know that America is on the hunt. There is a 
cave--there's no cave deep enough or corner of the world dark enough for 
them to hide from the long arm of justice of the United States of 
America.
    We're making progress. Sometimes you'll see about it; sometimes you 
won't. And progress comes in different kinds of ways. Our friends in 
Great Britain have recently uncovered and have arrested a group of Al 
Qaida that they think were intending to poison the British people. 
Slowly but surely, we're rounding them up. That coalition of freedom-
loving people still stands: Either you're with us and those of us who 
love freedom, or you're with the enemy.
    We've got an obligation to our children to hunt these people down. 
We've also got an obligation to our children to address problems before 
they come back to America, and in my judgment, in my considered 
judgment, there is a real risk to America and our friends and allies in 
Iraq.
    The dictator of Iraq has got weapons of 
mass destruction. He has used weapons of mass destruction. He can't 
stand America and what we stand for. He can't stand our friends and 
allies. He's a dangerous, dangerous man with dangerous, dangerous 
weapons. And that's why the world came together at the United Nations 
Security Council and said Mr. Saddam Hussein must disarm. The message 
was as clear as can possibly be delivered: Mr. Saddam Hussein must 
disarm.
    And the first step of that disarmament was for him to make a declaration of his weapons. Twelve thousand 
pages of deceit and deception were placed at the U.N. Security Council. 
We know what it means to disarm. We know what a disarmed regime does. We 
know how a disarmed regime accounts for weapons of mass destruction. 
Saddam Hussein is not disarming, like the world has told him he must do. 
He's a dangerous man with dangerous weapons. He's a danger to America 
and our friends and allies. And that's why the world has said, 
``Disarm.''
    But Saddam Hussein has learned lessons 
from the past. See, the first time he was told to disarm was 11 years 
ago. He is adept at deception and delays and denying. He asked for more 
time so he can give the so-called inspectors more runaround. He's 
interested in playing hide-and-seek in a huge country. He's not 
interested in disarming.
    I hope the world has learned the lessons from the past, just like 
Saddam Hussein has learned the lessons from 
the past but in a different way. It's time for us to hold the world to 
account and for Saddam to be held to account. We must not be fooled by 
the ways of the past. After all, we just discovered undeclared chemical 
warheads in Iraq. It's incredibly troubling and disturbing for a man--
that is evidence of a man not disarming.
    He wants to play a game. For the sake of 
peace, we must not let him play a game. And so the resolutions of the 
Security Council will be enforced.
    My hope is that Saddam Hussein will 
disarm voluntarily. That's my hope. I take seriously the commitment of 
any troop into combat. I desire peace. But in the name of peace, in the 
name of securing our future, if Saddam Hussein will not disarm, the 
United States of America and friends of freedom will disarm Saddam 
Hussein.
    And should that path be forced upon us, there will be serious 
consequences. There will be serious consequences for the dictator in 
Iraq, and there will be serious consequences 
for any Iraqi general or soldier who were to use weapons of mass 
destruction on our troops or on innocent lives within Iraq. Should any 
Iraqi officer or soldier receive an order from Saddam Hussein or his 
  Uday or any of the 
killers who occupy

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the high levels of their Government, my advice is, don't follow that 
order. Because if you choose to do so, when Iraq is liberated, you will 
be treated, tried, and persecuted as a war criminal.
    And there will be serious consequences--should we be forced into 
action, there will be serious consequences for the Iraqi people, and 
that's freedom, freedom from oppression--freedom from oppression, 
freedom from torture, freedom from murder, freedom to realize your God-
given talents.
    And so we've got a lot of challenges when it comes to keeping the 
peace. But this great, mighty Nation, this kind, generous, compassionate 
Nation will lead the world to peace, so that not only our children but 
children in the far reaches of our globe can grow up in a peaceful 
society.
    And here at home, we've got economic challenges. Think about what 
this economy of ours has been through. In a short time, we've had a 
recession. I--first three quarters of my Presidency were negative 
growth. That's the definition of a recession. And then before we could 
get our head above water, the enemy hit us and hurt us. It took 
thousands of innocent lives and, at the same time, hurt our economy.
    And we acted. We acted on the recession by letting you have more of 
your own money. We enacted the largest tax cut in a generation, and it 
helped. It helped bottom out that recession. You see, when people have 
more of their own money, they tend to spend it. And when they spend it, 
it means somebody is going to produce the product or the service in 
which they're spending their money, which means, then, somebody is 
likely to find work.
    We acted after the enemy hit us. We made sure our airlines got 
moving, and we passed a terrorism insurance bill to encourage large 
construction projects to move forward, so our hardhats could find work 
here in America. We got the stock markets up and running. We acted.
    And then the confidence of our country was affected when it turned 
out some of our corporate leaders didn't tell the truth, that they 
fudged the books, that they thought in this--they thought it was okay to 
deceive their employees and shareholders. And they found out that it's 
not okay. We're going to find them and prosecute those who don't tell 
the truth.
    We've taken action, but there is more to do, because there's still 
people looking for work. There's still uncertainty about the economic 
future of this country. Anytime somebody is looking for work and can't 
find a job says to me, we've got a problem. And so today I want to talk 
to you about how I think it's best to address the problem, what Congress 
can do to make sure that the environment for job growth is strong in 
America. And it starts with accelerating the tax relief plan we've 
already passed.
    The tax plan that passed doesn't take effect until--finally take 
effect until years from now. The rates in 2006--dropping the lower rate 
from 15 percent to 10 percent in out-years, getting rid of parts of the 
marriage penalty, raising the child credit from 600 to $1,000, all these 
plans have been approved by the Congress. And yet our economy is still 
bumping along. For the sake of economic vitality and growth, the 
Congress needs to accelerate the tax plans. If the tax relief is good 
enough 3 years from now, surely it's good enough today.
    And when they act--because I'm confident they'll hear the voices of 
the people--and when they act, we will then make sure that the tax 
relief takes effect of January of this year, to immediately get money in 
your pockets and into the economy.
    You hear a lot of talk about fairness, and there ought to be 
fairness in our society. That's one of the great things about America: 
We try to be fair. A family of four with an income of $40,000 will 
receive a 96-percent tax cut. That's fair, and it's good for the 
economy. It's the right thing to do. Ninety-two million Americans will

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keep an average of $1,083 more of their own money when this tax plan 
goes through, and that's good for the economy.
    But there is a difference of opinion about who best to spend your 
money in Washington, DC. Sometimes they forget whose money you're 
spending. Listen to the rhetoric, you know. ``The Government's money,'' 
they say. The money in Washington is not the Government's money. It's 
your money, and you can spend it just as good or better than the 
Government can.
    In order to make sure people can find work, we've got to strengthen 
our small-business environment. And one of the things that gets lost in 
this debate about tax relief is the effect of tax rate reductions on our 
small businesses. Oh, sure, you hear the typical class warfare rhetoric, 
trying to pit one group of people against another. But lost in all the 
rhetoric is the fact that a significant number of small businesses pay 
taxes at the individual income-tax rate, starting right here with JS 
Logistics. They are organized such that they pay taxes on the company 
profits at the individual tax rate. So therefore, when you reduce all 
rates on the income-tax code, you're affecting small business, like JS.
    The best way to encourage job growth is to let companies like JS 
keep more of their own money so they can invest in their business and 
make it easier for somebody to find work.
    Twenty-three million small-business owners will receive an average 
tax cut of $2,042 under this plan. Now, some will say, you know, in 
Washington, of course, ``That's not much money.'' It's a lot of money to 
somebody who has got two employees. It's a lot of money to somebody 
making a decision whether or not to expand a business. It's a lot of 
money. And when you multiply the effects of that money throughout our 
society, with all the individual decisions that are being made to 
strengthen these small businesses, it is going to have an incredibly 
positive effect on job growth in America.
    And to make sure that job growth at the small-business level is even 
more significant, we ought to allow small firms to write off as expenses 
up to $75,000 a year, instead of the limit of $25,000 a year.
    So I met a guy today named Joe. He runs 
Software To Go. He's got three employees. He said, ``I looked at your 
plan.'' Where are you, Joe? There you are. He said, ``I looked at your 
plan.'' He said, ``By allowing businesses to expense up to $75,000, it 
means somebody is more likely to buy a copying machine,'' or in this 
case, an architectural fancy machine. [Laughter] But the point is, is 
that he then has more business opportunity, even though this tax relief 
doesn't affect him directly. It affects his customers. It makes his 
customers more likely to buy a product. And when Joe's customers are 
more likely to buy a product, he's more likely to be able to employ 
people.
    It is important for Congress to understand that the revitalization 
of the small-business sector is incredibly important to the job growth 
of the United States of America.
    One aspect of the tax relief plan that I haven't mentioned yet, 
which is important to small-business owners, is the elimination of the 
death tax. A lot of people work all their lives to build up their 
business or their farm or their ranch. And after they're gone, their 
heirs are unable to keep their assets because of the death tax. It's 
unfair. It taxes a person's assets twice. It means that family farms 
leave the family sooner than the owners of the farms would have liked. 
It means small-business owners like Joe may 
have problems passing their business off to a child or somebody they 
choose to pass their business off of.
    We put it on its way to extinction. Unfortunately, the law--the 
rules of the Senate are such that after 10 years from the time of the 
passage of the bill, they could conceivably come back. For the sake of 
certainty, for the sake of fairness, the Congress needs to make all the 
tax reliefs not only

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happen now but to make sure the tax relief is permanent.
    I also believe we ought to end the double taxation on dividends in 
America as well. Dividends are important for our seniors. Many seniors 
rely upon dividends to help them in their later years. Ending the double 
taxation on dividends will encourage capital to flow into our markets. 
Capital equals jobs. Ending the double taxation on dividends makes the 
Tax Code more fair.
    Let me talk to you about one aspect of what I mean when I talk about 
helping seniors. More than 40 percent of the people who receive 
dividends make under $50,000 a year. Many of them are seniors. Three-
fourths of the people in America who receive dividends make less than 
$100,000 a year. Dividends help our fellow citizens deal with their 
retirement years.
    Dividends are a part of the savings of America. Double taxation of 
dividends deprives people of needed money. It has bad effects. The 
average savings for somebody 65 years and older, if we get rid of the 
double taxation on dividends, will be $936 per year per tax return in 
America. Getting rid of the double taxation of dividends helps Americans 
from all walks of life.
    When this tax plan is passed--and I expect Congress to hear from the 
American people and pass it--we will be putting $70 billion in the 
economy over the next 16 months. That's how to make sure this economy is 
growing jobs so people can work. That's important. It's called 
stimulative effect.
    The Council on Economic Advisers said these proposals over the next 
3 years will create 2.1 million jobs, and that's important. This is a 
commonsense plan that trusts the people with their own money, that 
recognizes that--that there are ways and things we've got to do to make 
sure this economy is growing.
    Part of making sure our economy is strong is more money in your 
pockets. Part of making sure the deficits don't balloon is for Congress 
to hold the line on spending, and I expect them to be wise with your 
money.
    I mentioned early on that I recognize there are hurdles, and we're 
going to achieve those hurdles. There's no doubt in my mind we will, 
because of the nature of this country. The entrepreneurial spirit in 
America is strong. Look right around you, right here in JS. It's one of 
the things that makes us a great nation. There are thousands of 
Americans from all walks of life who are realizing their dream of owning 
their own business, and that's incredibly positive. And the Government 
can help create an environment where that makes--is more possible.
    There are thousands of our fellow citizens who are loving their 
neighbor just like they'd like to be loved themselves. That doesn't 
require a Government program. It requires answering a higher calling. 
The compassion of this country runs deep in our soul, and there are 
thousands of Americans who are willing to serve overseas in the name of 
peace and liberty. If you've got a relative in the United States 
military, the Commander in Chief is proud of their skills, proud of 
their service, and proud of their commitment to peace and freedom.
    May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 11:13 a.m. in the warehouse at JS 
Logistics. In his remarks, he referred to John Cochran, Jr., president 
and co-owner, and Greg Hantak, vice president and co-owner, JS 
Logistics; Joe Balsarotti, owner and president, Software To Go; and 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also 
released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.