    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [July 19, 2003]
    [Pages 899-903]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Houston, Texas
    July 19, 2003

        Thank you all very much. It's such an honor to be here. Laura and I are glad to be home. First, let me say it's great
    to see so many familiar faces. A couple of them scolded me when I was a
    kid. I see old--[inaudible]--over there. [Laughter] A lot of the people
    in this room worked hard to see to it that I became

    [[Page 900]]

    the Governor, and I want to thank you all for your continued friendship
    and your support. I want to thank you for your loyalty to our country. I
    want to thank you for coming tonight.
        This is the first time we've been back to Texas since our trip to
    Africa. You may recall, we went to a park in Botswana. It's where I
    learned a lot about our party's mascot. [Laughter]
        I want to thank you for all your help. You see, you're laying the
    groundwork for what is going to be a great national victory in November
    of 2004. And we're going to need your help. We're going to need your
    help at the grassroots level. We're going to need you to talk to your
    neighbors and send out the flyers and put up the signs and turn out the
    vote and remind people that this message--the message of this
    administration is hopeful for every single person who lives in this
    country.
        And I'm getting ready, and I'm loosening up. [Laughter] But the
    truth of the matter is, there's 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. We will continue to work hard to earn the confidence of all
    Americans by keeping this Nation secure and strong and prosperous and
    free.
        And I'm glad Laura is here tonight. In my
    book, she's a fabulous First Lady. And I love her a lot, and I hope she
    loves me a lot for dragging her out of Texas.
        I'm also honored to be introduced by Rick Perry. He is the right guy to be Governor of Texas. They had a
    good session, because he watched the people's money very closely. He's a
    good Governor, and I'm proud to call him friend. And I appreciate you,
    Rick.
        I want to thank Fred Meyer, the Texas State
    finance chairman, and Jeanne Johnson Phillips and Nancy Kinder for putting
    on this party tonight. You all did a fantastic job.
        I want to thank all who helped. This is a fantastic turnout, and I
    know it requires a lot of effort to get people to come, particularly on
    a Saturday night. [Laughter] So I want to thank all those who worked
    hard, and I really appreciate your support.

        I want to thank my friend Tom DeLay for being
    here. Congressman DeLay is a leader in the House of Representatives. I'm
    pleased that our Lieutenant Governor, David Dewhurst, is here--thank you, David, for your leadership--and the
    speaker of the house, from Midland, Texas, Tommy Craddick. Thanks, Tom. And I know we've got two State senators with
    us, Teel Bivins and Kyle Janek, and State Representative Joe Nixon. I appreciate you all coming.

        And finally, I want to thank the Houston Children's Chorus for
    lending their beautiful voices to this event.

        In the last 2\1/2\ years, our Nation has acted decisively to
    confront great challenges. I came to this office 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. 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 on their trail. In Afghanistan and in
    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. Today, 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 the 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.

    [[Page 901]]

        Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And
    then the attacks on our country and scandals in corporate America and
    war affected the people's confidence. But we acted. We passed tough new
    laws to hold corporate criminals to account. And to get the economy
    going again, we have twice led the United States Congress to pass
    historic tax relief for the American people.
        We know that when Americans have more take-home pay to spend, to
    save, or to invest, the whole economy grows, and people are more likely
    to find a job. We understand whose money we spend in Washington, DC. It
    is not the Government's money. It is the people's money.
        We are returning more money to the people to help them raise their
    families. We are 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 that
    every single person in this country can 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 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
    single public school in America. We believe that every child can learn
    the basics of reading and math, and we expect every school to teach the
    basics of reading and math. We are challenging the soft bigotry of low
    expectations. The days of excuse-making are over. We expect results in
    every classroom, so that not one single child in America is left behind.
        We reorganized the Government and created a Department of Homeland
    Security to safeguard our borders and ports and to better protect the
    American people. We passed trade promotion authority to open new markets
    for America's entrepreneurs and farmers and ranchers. 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 for the American people.
        The United States Congress has shared in these great achievements,
    and I appreciate the hard work of the Members of the Congress. I
    appreciate being able to work with Speaker Hastert and Leader DeLay and Senator
    Frist. And we will continue to work together to
    change the tone in Washington, DC, by focusing on the people's business
    and by focusing on results.
        And that's the nature of the men and women I have asked to serve in
    my administration. I have put together a really fine administration on
    behalf of the American people. Our country has had no finer Vice
    President than Dick Cheney. Mother may have a different thought. [Laughter]
        In 2\1/2\ years we have come far, but our work is only beginning. We
    have great goals worthy of this Nation. First, America is committed to
    extending the realm of freedom and peace for our own security and for
    the benefit of the world. And second, 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 our country.
        It is clear that the future of freedom and peace 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 interest involves more than eliminating aggressive
    threats to our security. Our greatest security comes from

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    the advance of human liberty because free nations do not support terror,
    free nations do not attack their neighbors, 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. We have duties in the world, and when we
    see disease and starvation and hopeless poverty, we will not turn away.
    On the continent of Africa, America is now bringing the healing power of
    medicine to millions of men and women and children now suffering with
    AIDS. This great land is leading the world in this incredibly important
    work of human rescue.
        We face challenges at home as well. And our actions will prove that
    we are equal to those challenges. I will continue to work on our economy
    until everybody who wants to work and who cannot find a job today is
    able to do so.
        We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
    strengthening and modernizing Medicare. Recently, the Congress took
    historic action to improve the lives of older Americans. For the first
    time since the creation of Medicare, the House and the Senate have
    passed reforms to increase choices for our seniors and to provide
    coverage for prescription drugs. The next step is for both Houses to
    work out their differences and to get a good bill to my desk as soon as
    possible.
        For the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on the
    frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. I appreciate the
    very fine work of the Governor and the Lieutenant
    Governor and the speaker for passing real, meaningful medical liability reform
    here in the State of Texas. The State Representative Nixon, who is here with us today, was the author of that bill,
    and I appreciate your hard work, Joe.
        Look, we understand a person who has been harmed by a bad doctor
    deserves his or her day in court. Yet, the system should not reward
    lawyers who are fishing for rich settlements. Because frivolous lawsuits
    drive up the cost of health care, they affect the Federal budget.
    Therefore, medical liability reform is a national issue that requires a
    national solution. The House of Representatives has passed a fine bill.
    It is stuck in the United States Senate. The Senate must act on behalf
    of the American citizens.
        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 like Priscilla Owen to 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 in the Senate floor. It is time for
    some of those Members in the Senate to stop playing politics with
    American justice.
        The Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy plan. Our Nation
    must promote energy efficiency and conservation and continue to develop
    technology so we can explore in a more environmentally friendly way. But
    for the sake of our economic security and for the sake of our national
    security, we must be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        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.

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        Congress should complete the ``Citizen Service Act'' to encourage
    more Americans to serve their communities and their country. And both
    Houses should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to support
    the armies of compassion that are mentoring our children and 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. My administration
    will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in America. We
    want more people owning their own home. We want our fellow citizens to
    own and manage their own health care plan and to own and manage their
    own retirement accounts. We want more of our citizens, our
    entrepreneurs, to own their own small business. We understand that when
    a person owns something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of
    our country.
        In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take
    responsibilities for the decisions they make. We're changing the culture
    of America from one that has said, ``If it feels good, do it,'' and ``If
    you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to one in which each of us
    understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life. If you
    are a mom or a dad, if you're fortunate enough to be a mom or a dad, it
    is you who is responsible for loving your child. If you're concerned
    about the quality of the education in the community in which you live,
    you're responsible for doing something about it. If you're a CEO in
    America, you have the responsibility to tell the truth to your
    shareholders and your employees. And in this new responsibility society,
    each of us is responsible for loving a neighbor just like we'd like to
    be loved ourself.
        We can see the culture of service and responsibility growing around
    us. I started the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans to extend a
    compassionate hand to neighbors in need, and the response has been
    fantastic. As I travel our country, I also see the vibrancy of many of
    the faith-based organizations, the neighborhood healers that are
    concerned about saving lives. I also know that policemen and
    firefighters and people who wear our Nation's uniform are reminding us
    once again what it means to sacrifice for something greater than
    ourselves. Our children 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've been privileged to see the compassion and
    character of the American people. All the tests of the last 2\1/2\ years
    have come to the right nation.
        We are a strong country, and we use that 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 America. This is the work that history
    has set before us. We welcome it. And we know that for our country and
    for our cause, the best days lie ahead.
        May God bless America. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:55 p.m. at the Westin Galleria. In his
    remarks, he referred to Texas House of Representatives Speaker Tom
    Craddick; and Fred Meyer, Texas State finance chairman, Jeanne Johnson
    Phillips, Texas State finance vice chairman, and Nancy Kinder,
    fundraiser, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.