[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[October 15, 2003]
[Pages 1306-1311]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Fresno, California
October 15, 2003

    Thanks for the warm welcome. It's great to be back in California. 
It's great to be back in Fresno. I was trying to figure out, since I've 
been running for President, this is either my third or fourth time here. 
And every time I come, I'm better off for it. [Laughter] It kind of 
reminds me of where

[[Page 1307]]

I was raised--good people, except you've got water and trees. [Laughter]
    I know there's been some interesting changes here in the State of 
California. [Laughter] And tomorrow I have the honor of congratulating 
the Governor-elect in Riverside. And 
today I want to thank you all for your contributions and for your 
support. See, what we're doing is, we're laying the groundwork for what 
is going to be a great national victory in 2004.
    I want you to know that your contributions are important, but so is 
your grassroots support. And by that I mean, when you go to the coffee 
shop--and I know there's a lot of farmers here who go to the coffee 
shops--[laughter]--tell everybody, or when you go to your community 
centers or your places of worship, you tell them that this 
administration is dedicating its efforts to making sure our country is 
hopeful for every citizen, that our message is optimistic, because we 
believe in the future of this country. That's what I'm counting on you 
to do.
    And I'll do my part, but the political season is going to come in 
its own time. I'm warming up, and I'm getting ready, but I've got a job 
to do. I've got a job to do for our country, and there's a lot on the 
agenda. And I'm going to continue to work hard to earn the confidence of 
every American, regardless of their political party or where they're 
from, by keeping this Nation strong and secure and prosperous and free.
    I bring greetings from First Lady Laura Bush. 
She is--[applause]--you got the B team. [Laughter] She has been in the 
Dominican Republic recently, meeting with the First Ladies of the 
different countries in our hemisphere. I'll be meeting her tomorrow in 
Riverside as we take off to Tokyo, and I'll be getting some advice from 
her about diplomacy. [Laughter] You may remember the picture of her trip 
to France. [Laughter] I went to France. [Laughter] And they were kind to 
me, but they--I wasn't treated that way by Jacques Chirac. [Laughter] But she is great. I am a lucky man that 
she agreed to marry me, and she's a fabulous First Lady.
    I appreciate my friend Brad Freeman, who is 
the State finance chairman. I appreciate my friend Mercer 
Reynolds from Cincinnati, Ohio, who is the 
national finance chairman. These are two very capable, able business 
people who are taking time out of their lives to make sure this campaign 
is well funded.
    I want to thank Members of the Congress who are here. George 
Radanovich is with us today. He is a 
good friend and a fine Congressman, as is Devin Nunes, and I appreciate Devin being here as well.
    I had the honor of traveling from the airport out to Ruiz Foods, by 
the way, which was a fantastic experience, going out there. I love the 
story of America. I love the fact that people started with nothing and 
have built a fantastic food processing business. The Ruizes are here with us today. 
They were great hosts. They now process 3 million burritos a day. Are 
you having burritos for lunch?
    But on the way out to the facility, Alan Autry was traveling with me, the great mayor of Fresno, 
California. And I appreciate him being here today, and I thank him for 
his friendship. Chuck Poochigian is here, 
the State senator, who's been a longtime friend of mine. And it's great 
to see his wife, Debbie. Bob 
Waterston is the supervisor of the Fresno 
County Board of Supervisors--all politics is local politics, and thank 
you for coming, Bob. My friend Bill Jones is 
here. He's a Fresno lad who has made a name for himself here in the 
great State of California. It's great to see you again, Bill. Thank you 
for coming.
    Gerry Parsky is with us today; he's the 
State campaign chairman. Rosario Marin is with 
us today, the former Treasurer of the State--of the country. I want to 
thank all the cohosts for working so hard to make this event a 
recordbreaking event.

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    I appreciate Lance Corporal Nolan Cochran, 
who gave the Pledge of Allegiance. He's a brave young guy. He served his 
country with distinction. I had the honor of meeting him at the Bethesda 
Naval Hospital as he came back from the battlefields. And I was pleased 
to see his mom and dad. I'm glad to know his spirits are high and that 
he understands that he was making our country more secure in his 
sacrifice.
    And finally, I want to thank JoAnna Dias, 
who sang the national anthem.
    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 and not let them slip away. This 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 that we're 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. And so we 
increased the defense budgets 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.
    Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And 
then the attacks came on our country, and we had a march to war to 
defend ourselves, and we had scandals in corporate America, all of which 
affected the people's confidence. But this administration acted. We 
passed two 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.
    Here's what I know. I know that when people have more take-home pay, 
more money in their pocket to save or to spend or invest, the whole 
economy will grow and someone is more likely to find a job. I also know 
this: I understand whose money we spend in Washington. We don't spend 
the people's money--I mean, we don't spend the Government's money; we 
spend the people's money. [Laughter] So we're returning more money to 
families. We've increased the child credit. And we said, ``The check was 
in the mail,'' and it was in the mail. We reduced the taxes on dividends 
and capital gains to encourage investment. We gave small businesses 
incentives to expand and to hire new people.
    With all these actions, by the fact--because we led, we are laying 
the foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs so that 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 acted. 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 insisted on high standards for every public school 
because we believe every child can learn.
    Because we believe every child can learn, we're now saying that in 
return for Federal money, you must measure to determine whether every 
child is learning. We're challenging the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. We believe every child can learn the basics of reading and 
math. And we expect every public school in America to teach reading and 
math so that not one single child is left behind.
    We reorganized our Government, the largest reorganization of any 
time in our Government's history since the Defense Department was 
reorganized. We created

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the Department of Homeland Security to better safeguard America.
    We passed trade promotion authority to open up new markets for 
California farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs. Listen, I understand 
free trade, and the cornerstone of free trade is not only for us to open 
up our markets but to make sure the playing field is level. We're really 
good at growing things in California. I want California farmers selling 
their crops overseas.
    We passed budget agreements in Washington that is helping to 
maintain spending discipline. On issue after issue, this administration 
has acted on principle; we have kept our word; and we have made progress 
for the American people.
    The Congress deserves credit. We've got a great Speaker in Denny 
Hastert and a great majority leader in 
Bill Frist. I appreciate the Congressmen who are 
here with us today. See, we're working to change the tone in Washington. 
There's too much politics in the Nation's Capital, too much zero-sum 
activity. And the best way to do that is to focus on the people's 
business and to focus on results. And those are the kind of people I've 
attracted to my administration. I think you can judge a President by the 
kind of people that he brings to Washington to serve the people, and I 
have put together a great team to serve the American people. We've had 
no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. 
Mother may have a second opinion. [Laughter]
    In 2\1/2\ years--in 2\1/2\ years--we have done a lot, and we have 
come far, but our work is only beginning. I have 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 has a chance to work and succeed and 
to realize the 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. We 
will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed. And we are 
confronting that danger in Iraq, where Saddam 
holdouts and foreign terrorists are desperately trying to throw Iraq 
into chaos by attacking coalition forces, by attacking international aid 
workers, and by killing innocent Iraqis. They know that the advance of 
freedom will be a major defeat in the cause of terror.
    This collection of killers is trying to shake the will of the United 
States. They're trying to frighten us. They do not understand our 
country. We will not be frightened. We will stay on the offensive. We're 
aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them there so we 
will not have to face them in our own country.
    We're calling other nations to help Iraq to build a free country. A 
free and peaceful Iraq will make the world more secure. And we'll stand 
with the Iraqi people, the long-suffering Iraqi people--they are people 
who put up with torture chambers and rape rooms and mass graves. We will 
help them assume more of their own defense and move as rapidly as 
possible toward self-government. These tasks are not easy, but they are 
essential tasks. And we will finish what we have begun. We will win this 
essential victory in the war on terror.
    But I understand this: 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.

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    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, this great Nation, this strong Nation, is 
committed to bringing the healing power, the healing power of medicine 
to millions of men and women and children now suffering with AIDS. I am 
incredibly proud of the fact that this great land is leading the world 
in the important work of human rescue.
    We've got challenges here at home, and our actions will prove equal 
to those challenges. So long as somebody in our economy--in our country 
is looking for a job, I will continue to try to create the conditions 
for job growth, to foster the entrepreneurial spirit, to make it easier 
for the small businesses who hire most new workers to be able to grow 
and to expand. I want everybody in this country finding a job.
    And we have a duty to keep our commitment to our seniors by 
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. A few weeks ago, the Congress 
finally passed some Medicare reform. The House passed a version, and the 
Senate passed a version. For the first time since the creation of 
Medicare, both Houses have passed reforms to increase the choices for 
seniors and to provide a much needed prescription drug benefit. It is 
time for both bodies to reconcile their differences and to do their 
duty, not only for today's seniors but for those of us who will be 
seniors, to modernize the Medicare system.
    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 doc 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, therefore, 
affect the Federal budget: Medicare goes up; Medicaid goes up; veteran 
health care costs go up because of the frivolous lawsuits. Medical 
liability reform is a national issue which requires a national solution.
    And so I proposed a good, strong piece of legislation. The House 
passed it. It is stuck in the Senate. The Senate must act on behalf of 
the American people, and they must hear loud and clear that no one has 
ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit.
    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 of the Members of the United States Senate to 
stop playing politics with American justice.
    Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan. This 
Nation must promote energy efficiency and conservation and develop 
cleaner technology to help us explore for energy in environmentally 
sensitive ways. But for the sake of economic security and for the sake 
of national security, we need to 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 by 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 the Government and become 
independent through hard work. We must build on the successes of the 
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.

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    And both Houses should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative, 
so we can support the armies of compassion that are mentoring children, 
that are caring for the homeless and offering hope to the addicted. Our 
Government must not fear the influence of faith in our communities. We 
must welcome faith programs to help solve the intractable problems of 
our society.
    A compassionate society promotes 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 homes. Today I discussed the minority 
homeownership gap. I described a plan that we put before Congress to 
close that gap. We want more people to own and manage their own health 
care plans. We want people to own and manage their own retirement 
accounts. We want more people owning their own small business in 
America, because we understand that when a person owns something, he or 
she will have a vital stake in the future of this country.
    In a compassionate society, people respect one another, and they 
take responsibility for the decisions they make. We're changing the 
culture of this country 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 that we are responsible for the decisions 
we make. If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you're 
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. 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 a responsibility to tell the truth to your 
shareholders and your employees. And in this new responsibility society, 
each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to 
be loved ourselves.
    We see the culture of service and responsibility growing around us. 
Right after September the 11th, 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 charities are strong. Our 
faith-based organizations are vibrant. Police and firefighters and 
people who wear our Nation's uniform are reminding 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 and for our cause, the best days lie ahead.
    Thank you for coming. God bless. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 1:09 p.m. in Exhibit Hall South at the 
Fresno Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Governor-elect 
Arnold Schwarzenegger of California; President Jacques Chirac of France; 
Brad Freeman, California State finance chairman, and Mercer Reynolds, 
national finance chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Bill Jones, former 
California secretary of state; Gerald L. Parsky, chairman, Team 
California, California Republican Party Board of Directors; former U.S. 
Treasurer Rosario Marin; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.