    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [November 7, 2003]
    [Pages 1479-1484]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Luncheon in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
    November 7, 2003

        Thanks for your warm welcome. Thank you for coming. I appreciate
    you. Thanks. Thank you all. Please be seated. Listen, it is great to be
    back in Winston-Salem. It's a incredibly beautiful part of our country,
    but more beautiful are the people who live here. And I want to thank you
    for your friendship. I want to thank you for your support. I want to
    thank you for coming today. What we're doing is laying the foundation
    for what will be a great national victory in November of 2004.
        We had a good run in 2000, thanks to you all. And the Vice President
    and I expressed our deepest appreciation for the hard work you all put
    in in the year 2000. We'll do even better in 2004 here in North
    Carolina. I want to thank you for--[applause]. I'm loosening up.
    [Laughter] I'm getting ready, but I've got a job to do.

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    I've got to work on the people's business in Washington, DC. We've got a
    lot on the agenda, and so when you go to your coffee shops, your houses
    of worship, or your community centers, please tell them, Republican,
    Democrat, or independent alike, that the President is focused on the
    people's business and he will keep this Nation secure and strong and
    prosperous and free.
        I regret that Laura isn't with me today. You
    drew the short straw. [Laughter] She's a fabulous wife, a great mother,
    a wonderful First Lady. I'm really proud of the job she has done. She
    sends our very best to our friends here in North Carolina--her very best
    to our friends here in North Carolina. We've got a great friend in the
    Culbertsons. I'm so proud to know the Culbertsons. I want to thank them for their friendship and their
    leadership.
        I appreciate so very much traveling today with Congressman Richard
    Burr. He flew down on Air Force One. There
    isn't much air rage on Air Force One. [Laughter] He is going to make a
    great United States Senator for North Carolina. It's good to see Brooke
    Burr. I appreciate so very much that David
    Burr was here, his dad, who gave the invocation.
        I'm sorry that Senator Elizabeth Dole is
    not here, who, by the way, is doing a really good job for the people of
    North Carolina. I appreciate the Senator whose place she took, a man who
    stood strong, a man who stood on principle, Jesse Helms. Speaking about former Senators, I know Jim
    Broyhill is here. I appreciate you coming,
    Senator. I will pass your best on to your good friend my--I will pass
    your best on to your good friend number
    41--[laughter]--if you know who I'm talking about there--[laughter]--
    who, by the way, is going to jump out of an airplane on his 80th
    birthday. I know it--[laughter]--Mother had the
    same reaction. [Laughter]
        I want to thank very much my friend the mayor of Charlotte, Pat
    McCrory, who is here with us today. Mayor,
    thank you for coming. Good to see you. I know there's a lot of
    statehouse folks here and local government officials. I want to thank
    you all for being here. I appreciate your service to your great State
    and to your communities.
        I've asked a North Carolina graduate to serve as the national
    finance chairman for the Bush-Cheney campaign of '04. Mercer
    Reynolds is doing a fantastic job of working
    hard on our behalf, and I want to thank Mercer for his dedication and
    his friendship. I also want to appreciate--appreciate Dr. Aldona
    Wos, the State chairman for Bush-Cheney.
    Thank you very much for your hard work.
        We've got a lot of grassroots activists who are here, people who are
    actually going to get on the phone and put up the signs and lick the
    envelopes, all necessary to make sure that we run a vibrant campaign. I
    want to thank Ferrell Blount for his
    leadership here in North Carolina. I want to thank all the grassroots
    activists for what you're fixing to do when we're coming down the
    stretch in 2004.
        Chief Linda Davis is here. I'm honored the
    chief is with us. I appreciate the fine job she is doing. It's not the
    first time I have seen the chief. I know you're proud of the job she
    does here in Winston-Salem. I want to thank her for coming.
        But most of all, thank you all once again. It's a great turnout. It
    makes a fellow feel good to see so many people supporting him.
        The last 2\1/2\ years, our Nation has acted decisively to confront
    great challenges. I came to this office to solve problems instead of
    passing them on to future Presidents and future generations. I came to
    seize opportunities instead of letting them slip away. My administration
    is meeting the tests of our time.
        Terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and war is
    what they got. We've captured or killed many of the key leaders of the
    Al Qaida network, and the rest of them know we're on their trail.

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    In Afghanistan and in Iraq, we gave ultimatums to terror regimes. Those
    regimes chose defiance, and those regimes are no more. Fifty million
    people--50 million people in those countries once lived under tyranny,
    and 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. So we increased
    the defense budgets to prepare for the threats of a new era. And today,
    no one in the world can doubt or question the skill or the strength or
    the spirit of the United States military.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession, and
    then our Nation was attacked. And then we had some scandals in corporate
    America, and then we marched to war, war in Afghanistan and Iraq, all of
    which affected the people's confidence. That's tough hurdles to cross,
    when it came to our economy. Yet, this administration acted. We passed
    tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account. And to get the
    economy going again, I have twice led the United States Congress to pass
    historic tax relief for the American people.
        I know that when Americans have more take-home pay to spend, to
    save, or invest, the whole economy grows and people are more likely to
    find a job. So we're returning more money to the people to help them
    raise their families. We're reducing taxes on dividends and capital
    gains to encourage investment. We're giving small businesses incentives
    so they can hire new people. With all these actions, this administration
    has laid the foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs across
    America so every single citizen 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 acted; 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 believe every child can learn to read and write and add
    and subtract. We expect every child to learn to read and write and add
    and subtract. This administration is challenging the soft bigotry of low
    expectations.
        We dramatically increased Title I funding. For the first time, the
    Federal Government is now asking the question, ``Are you succeeding?''
    We're asking the question of every single public school: whether or not
    we're meeting the high standards that we expect. The days of excuse-
    making are over. This country will stay focused on the basics to make
    sure every child learns to read and write and add and subtract so not
    one single child is left behind.
        We reorganized the Government and created the Department of Homeland
    Security to better safeguard our ports and borders and to better protect
    the American people. We passed trade promotion authority to open up
    markets for North Carolina's farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs. But I
    understand that trade is a two-way street, that if we have trade with
    other neighbors and countries, we expect there to be fair trade coming
    the other way. We passed much needed budget agreements to help 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. A lot
    of the credit goes to the Congress, people like Congressman Burr, people with whom we've--people like Speaker Denny
    Hastert, Majority Leader Bill
    Frist.
        We're working hard to focus the town on results, not on senseless
    politics. There's too much politics in Washington, DC. The leadership in
    the administration--we're trying to set a better standard. See, the
    people want us there to do the business. People there want us to do
    what's right for the country. That's what we're working hard to do, to
    change that culture in Washington.
        And those are the kind of people I've asked to serve in our
    Government. I put

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    together a fantastic team of people from all walks of life to serve the
    American people. Our country has had no finer Vice President than Dick
    Cheney. Mother may have
    a second opinion. [Laughter]
        In 2\1/2\ years, we've done a lot. We have come far, but our work is
    only beginning. I've set great goals worthy of a great nation. First,
    America is committed to expanding 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, every single citizen has a chance to work and to succeed
    and to realize the great promise of America.
        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. The
    war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom aren't idle, and neither
    are we. This country will not rest; we will not tire; we will not stop
    until this danger to civilization is removed.
        We are confronting that danger in Iraq, where Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists are desperately trying
    to throw that country into chaos by attacking coalition forces, by
    attacking the people who are there to provide aid to the long-suffering
    Iraqi citizens, and by attacking Iraqi citizens themselves. See, they
    know that the advance of freedom in Iraq would be a major defeat in the
    cause of terror. This collection of killers is trying to shake the will
    of America and the civilized world, and this country will not be
    intimidated.
        Impressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them there
    so we will not have to face them in our own country, we're calling on
    other nations to help. But you see, a free Iraq, a peaceful Iraq, a
    peaceful Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will make the entire world
    more secure.
        We're standing with the Iraqi people, the very capable, competent
    Iraqi people, as they assume more of their own defense and as they move
    toward self-government. These are not easy tasks, but they are essential
    tasks. And we will finish what we have begun. We will win this essential
    victory in the war on terror.
        Our greatest security comes from 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 I believe that freedom is the right of every
    person, and I believe that freedom is the future of every nation.
        America also understands that unprecedented influence brings
    tremendous responsibilities. We have duties in this world. And when we
    see disease and starvation and hopeless poverty, we will not turn away.
    On the continent of Africa, America is now committed to bringing the
    healing power, the healing power of medicine to millions of men and
    women and children now suffering with AIDS. This great, powerful,
    strong, compassionate land is leading the world in this incredibly
    important work of human rescue.
        We face challenges here at home as well, and our actions will prove
    equal to those challenges. So long as any of our citizens who want to
    work can't find a job, it says to me we've got a problem. I will
    continue to try to create an environment of job creation and job growth
    by enhancing the entrepreneurial spirit of America. We've had some good
    news recently about our economy. But we won't rest until everybody who
    wants to work can find a job.
        I'm going to talk today at one of your fine community colleges about
    the need for us to make sure there is adequate worker training programs
    to train--to help train the good citizens of North Carolina for the jobs
    which actually exist in the State of North Carolina.

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        We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
    strengthening and modernizing Medicare. A few weeks ago, 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, reforms which will increase the choices for our seniors,
    reforms which will provide coverage for prescription drugs.
        The next step is for both Houses to reconcile their differences and
    to get a good bill to my desk. We must handle our responsibilities in
    Washington by making sure the Medicare system is vibrant and viable and
    real, not only for seniors today but for those of us who are fixing to
    be seniors tomorrow.
        For the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on the
    frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. People 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 a rich settlement.
    Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health care, and they therefore
    affect the Federal budget. Medical liability reform is a national issue
    which requires a national solution. I put forth a good piece of
    legislation which passed the House of Representatives. It is stuck in
    the United States Senate. It is time for some of the Senators to
    understand that no one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. We
    need medical liability reform--today.
        I have a responsibility as the President to make sure the judicial
    system runs well, and I have met that duty. I have nominated superb men
    and women to serve on the Federal courts, people who will interpret the
    law, not legislate from the bench. Here in Carolina, I nominated Judge
    Terry Boyle for the Fourth Circuit Court of
    Appeals. I nominated this good man, this man of integrity, more than 2
    years ago. We're still waiting for his vote in the United States Senate
    because a small group of Senators is willfully obstructing the process.
    Too many nominees like Judge Boyle are being denied an up-or-down vote.
    These needless delays in the system are harming the administration of
    justice. They're deeply unfair to the nominees and their families
    themselves. It is time for some of the Members of the United States
    Senate to stop playing politics with American justice.
        The Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan.
    Our Nation must promote better energy efficiency, better conservation.
    We must develop clean technology to help us explore in environmentally
    friendly ways. But for the sake of economic security, for the sake of
    national security, this Nation must become less dependent on foreign
    sources of energy.
        A prosperous nation must also be a compassionate nation. I will
    continue to advance our agenda of compassionate conservatism, which says
    we will apply the most innovative ideas, the most effective ideas to the
    task of helping our fellow citizens who hurt.
        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 the welfare reform by bringing 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 reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative
    to support the armies of compassion that are mentoring our children,
    caring for the homeless, and offering hope to the addicted. Oftentimes,
    many of the problems that our citizens face are problems of the heart.
    And Government can hand out money, but it can't put hope in people's
    hearts or sense of purpose in people's lives. That's done when people
    from any faith put their arms around a brother and sister in need and
    says, ``I love you.'' Our Government should not fear the work of our

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    faith-based programs. We ought to welcome faith-based programs and the
    healing of citizens who hurt.
        A compassionate society must promote opportunity for all, including
    the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This
    administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in
    America. We want more people owning their own home. Today in America, we
    have a minority homeownership gap. I've submitted a plan to the United
    States Congress to close that gap. We want more people owning and
    managing their own retirement accounts. We want them owning and managing
    their own health care accounts. We want more people owning their own
    small business in America. 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 each other and people
    take responsibility for the decisions they make. The culture of America
    is changing from one that has said, ``If it feels good, do it,'' and
    ``You got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in which each
    of us understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life.
        If you're fortunate enough to be a mom or a dad, you're responsible
    for loving your child with all your heart. If you're worried about the
    quality of the education in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, you're
    responsible for doing something about it. If you're a CEO in corporate
    America, you're responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
    and your employees.
        And in the new responsibility society, each of us is responsible for
    loving our neighbor just like we would like to be loved ourself. The
    culture of service and the culture of responsibility is growing around
    us here in America. I started what's called the USA Freedom Corps in
    order to encourage Americans to extend a compassionate hand to a citizen
    in need, and the response has been fantastic. People from all walks of
    life are willing to help, willing to stand up, willing to make a
    difference in their communities. Our faith-based programs are strong and
    vibrant and growing. The social entrepreneurship in American is an
    integral part of the fabric of our society.
        You've got policemen and firefighters and people who wear our
    Nation's uniform remind us what it 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 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, the
    best days lie ahead.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at noon in the M.C. Benton, Jr. Convention and
    Civic Center. In his remarks, he referred to Jim Culbertson, North
    Carolina State finance chair, Bush-Cheney `04, Inc., and his wife,
    Germaine; Brooke Burr, wife of Representative Richard Burr; Ferrell
    Blount, chairman, North Carolina Republican Party; and Linda Davis,
    chief, Winston-Salem Police Department.