    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [May 7, 2004]
    [Pages 808-823]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
    May 7, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. I better take off
    my jacket. Listen, thank you all for coming. They told me we were
    coming--please sit down. It may take a while. [Laughter] They told me I
    was coming to Cabela's, and I said, ``All right, fine. I'm looking for
    some power worms.'' [Laughter] I like to be in hunting and fishing
    country.
        I thought what I'd do is share some thoughts with you, I'd talk to
    some of the citizens of this part of the world about what life has been
    like as a small-business owner or a family trying to raise their
    children and then, if we've got time, answer some questions. And then
    we've got to get on the bus and head up the road.
        First, I want you to know I'm asking for your vote. I'm here to--it
    may seem like a little early to start. It may seem like the election is
    pretty far away. But if you really want to win, like I want to win, you
    can't start too soon. And I want you to know that my purpose after this
    is to let you know I have a reason for running. I know where I want to
    lead the country. And we've got a job to do together to make this
    country safer and stronger and better. We've got a mission together.
        Probably the best reason to put me back in there is so that
    Laura has got 4 more years as the First Lady. We
    were both raised in Midland, Texas, which is a relatively small west
    Texas town. And when I met her later on in life--we actually went to San
    Jacinto Junior High together in the seventh grade--and then when I saw
    her afterward, after we'd both gone to college and did some things, she
    wasn't particularly fond of politics or politicians. [Laughter]
    Fortunately, she said yes when I asked her to marry me, and now she is a
    fabulous First Lady of our country.
        She has come to realize what I know, that in
    this office that we both occupy, President and First Lady, that we can
    make an enormous difference in people's lives, that we can help people
    help themselves. It's such an honor to be the President of such a great
    country. It really is, and I'm so proud that Laura is standing by my
    side with such calm and dignity and love.
        I really appreciate the
    Cabelas for being here. You'll hear me talk
    about the entrepreneurial spirit, and, Ms. Cabela, you are a true
    entrepreneur. You had a dream. You counted on good people to help you
    realize that dream, and you built one of the great companies in America.
    And we're proud to be here at the Cabela site in this part of Wisconsin.

    [[Page 809]]

        And I know this: I know that if Mr. Cabela were standing up here, he'd say, ``Yes, I had a good idea,
    but it's the people that worked with me that have made this company
    grow.'' I want to thank the folks who work here at Cabela's for your
    hospitality. Thanks for letting us disrupt your day. [Laughter] Thanks
    for making sure the fishermen and hunters of the country have got--well-
    equipped.
        I'm here to ask for your help as well. I hope I give you some
    reasons to go out and turn to your fellow citizen and ask them to make
    sure they vote. I think you ought to talk to everybody from all
    political parties, people who don't even like politics. You need to tell
    them to show up and do their duty in democracy. I'd start, if I were
    you, by telling them that a President has got to put together a good
    team of people to serve the country, which is what I've done. I've
    surrounded myself with excellence, people from all walks of life, people
    from different backgrounds, people who have come to Washington, DC, to
    serve their country and not their self-interest.
        I'm running with a fabulous guy in Dick Cheney. He is a great Vice President of the country. I, one
    time, said in front of my mother, I said,
    ``Dick Cheney is the finest Vice President our country has ever had.''
    [Laughter] She said, ``Wait a minute, buster.''
        I want to thank Steve Freese for
    coming. Mr. Speaker, thank you. I'm proud you're here. I want to thank
    all the other--thanks for coming over. I want to thank Gabe
    Loeffelholz for coming as well. I'm honored
    you're here. I appreciate the local officials who have come out. We had
    the mayor of Lancaster show up. We did an
    impromptu stop. There were people in the town square there, so we
    stopped the bus just to say hi. The mayor was there. I said, ``Mayor,
    I've got some advice for you: Fill the potholes.'' [Laughter] I don't
    know if he appreciated the advice or not.
        I'm here to talk about ways to make this country safer and stronger
    and better. My biggest duty and most solemn duty is to protect America
    and--from another attack. And you've just got to know there's an enemy
    out there that still hates us. September the 11th changed the country.
    It changed how we've got to look at our future. September the 11th made
    us realize that oceans would not protect us from people who would want
    to do our citizens harm.
        There are some other lessons that we must learn in order to protect
    the country: One, that we face a killer that has no conscience. The
    people of this country have a conscience. The people we face don't.
    Secondly, these are not religious people, in my judgment. These are
    people who have hijacked a great religion. This is a battle between good
    and evil. These are people that are so evil that they will kill innocent
    life, trying to shake the will of the United States of America, trying
    to get us to retreat from our duties in the world.
        There was another lesson on September the 11th, and that is, when
    the American President says something, he better mean it. I told the
    American people this is a different kind of war than we were used to. I
    have an obligation to remind the American people, no matter how painful
    it may be to some, that we're still at war. That's my duty, to remind
    people that we're--there's still danger. And remember, the enemy only
    has to be right one time, and we've got to be right 100 percent of the
    time to protect the country.
        You need to know there's a lot of really good folks that are working
    really hard to protect the homeland. We've got wonderful people in law
    enforcement at all levels of government, the local level, the State
    level, the Federal level, that are talking like they have never talked
    before, sharing intelligence like they have never shared intelligence
    before, nor were allowed to share intelligence, by the way, prior to
    September the 11th, in some cases.

    [[Page 810]]

        I don't know if you know this. There's a lot of talk about what they
    call the PATRIOT Act, but the PATRIOT Act was passed to allow the
    criminal division of the FBI to be able to talk and share intelligence
    with the intelligence division of the FBI. Prior to September the 11th,
    they couldn't even talk together. How could you possibly defeat an enemy
    that is able to slide in our country if you can't share intelligence
    among law enforcement?
        At any rate, there are good people working hard. We've got people
    that are doing a better job of guarding our borders and our ports. You
    know, they're making you take off your shoes at the airports. [Laughter]
    I know it's a pain, but it's necessary to do everything we can to
    protect the homeland. But the best way to protect the homeland is to
    stay on the offense and bring these killers to justice before they hurt
    us again. [Applause] Thank you.
        I told the American people that we would go on the offense and we
    would stay on the offense, that we would do so with firm determination
    and resolve. And that's what I want to do. If I'm fortunate enough to
    become your President for 4 more years, I will continue to lead this
    great Nation in utilizing every asset we have, not just a few or some
    but every single asset we have to protect the American people. That's
    our most solemn duty.
        I also said right after September the 11th that if you harbor a
    terrorist, you're just as guilty as a terrorist. I want to tell you
    something which is true about this job: When you speak you better mean
    what you say. The President has got to speak clearly so there's no
    ambiguity about what his words mean, and then when he says something,
    he's got to act on it. In order to keep the world--make the world more
    peaceful, the President must be sincere about when he says something.
    And so when I said that I was--I meant it, and we told that to the
    Taliban.
        The Taliban were these awful characters that were running
    Afghanistan. I say awful--look at the movie ``Osama,'' and you'll know
    what I'm talking about. Let me put it to you this way: They were so bad
    that they would not allow many young girls to even go to school. They
    were so backwards, so barbaric that they literally enslaved people to an
    empty ideology. And so we said, ``You're training Al Qaida. You're
    harboring Al Qaida. Give them up.'' They said no, and they're no longer
    in power. And the world is better off for it. The United States of
    America is better off for it, and so are the people of Afghanistan.
        I want you all to know that because we enforced doctrine, because we
    worked to make our own country more secure, we liberated people. People
    now have a chance to realize their dreams. Free societies are peaceful
    societies.
        A cornerstone of my vision in foreign policy is the understanding of
    the power of freedom and what freedom can mean for people. I believe
    free societies are peaceful societies. I know that where people do not
    have hope, freedom can change that. And so we have freed the people of
    Afghanistan, and a peaceful society is beginning to emerge.
        The other lesson on September the 11th that's very important to
    understand is that when we see a threat, we must not allow it to gather.
    In other words, when we see a threat, we've got to deal with it. In the
    past, if you didn't feel like you were a battlefield in the war on
    terror, you could see a threat and maybe hope that it would go away, but
    you were pretty certain it wouldn't affect you. 9/11 changed that. It's
    essential for the President of the United States to understand the
    realities we face, and the reality is that there's an enemy out there
    that is able to train and gather and equip and gets help from different
    places.
        And so I looked at the intelligence after September the 11th and saw
    a threat in Iraq. And the United States Congress looked at the very same
    intelligence, and they came to the same conclusion I did,

    [[Page 811]]

    that there was a threat in Iraq. I want to remember--I want to remind
    you of the history. The United Nations Security Council looked at the
    same intelligence, and they saw a threat. The Security Council saw the
    threat, and the members on the Security Council saw the threat. These
    are nations like France and Russia and other countries that looked at
    the same intelligence--Saddam's a threat. And
    so the world said, ``Disarm, or face serious consequences.'' And of
    course, we said the same thing. If America says something, you better
    mean what you say.
        The reason why I believe that the world reacted the way they did is
    because not only did they look at the intelligence, they remembered what
    Saddam Hussein was like. He attacked
    countries in his own neighborhood. He paid terrorists to go kill
    innocent Israelis. In other words, he was funding terrorist activity.
    Suiciders would receive money from him. He had terrorist connections.
    And by the way, we're still seeing some of the people that were in Iraq,
    still moving in Iraq right now, a guy
    named Zarqawi--he used weapons of mass destruction against people in
    neighboring countries, and he used weapons of mass destruction against
    his own people.
        So the world remembered the history. We remembered what he was like, and I remembered the lessons that we learned
    on September the 11th. We saw a threat. I had a choice to make. Either
    trust the decision of a madman, a tyrant, a torturer, a hater, or to
    protect America. And given that choice, I will protect America every
    time. [Applause] Thank you all.
        Because we acted, torture chambers are closed. Because we acted,
    countries like Libya understood we meant business, and they voluntarily
    disarmed. Because we acted, there is a democracy beginning to grow in a
    part of the world that needs freedom and hope. Because we acted, this
    man's weapons programs will never be. Because we acted, our country is
    more secure. Because we acted, the world is more free.
        We've got hard work to do in Iraq now. It's really hard work. And
    the reason it is, is because there are people who want to stop the
    advance of freedom. Freedom frightens terrorists. Freedom frightens
    people who believe that they can impose their will through acts that are
    unconscionable, through killing innocent people. That's what you're
    seeing.
        You're seeing a mixture of supporters of a young Shi'a named Sadr
    who is a--he's promoting lawlessness. You're seeing people that used to
    be loyal to Saddam Hussein who realized that
    there's no hope for them unless there's anarchy and the rule of law
    doesn't prevail. And you're seeing the influence of foreign fighters,
    like this guy Zarqawi. That's what
    you're seeing. You're also seeing incredibly brave action by American
    troops as we stay on the offensive.
        The enemy wants us to quit. That's what they want. The Iraqi
    citizens who long for freedom are worried that we will. See, some people
    don't want to take a risk for peace, if they think they do, and then
    they're--and then they were punished if there's not security. And the
    enemy is trying to shake our will. My job as your President is to stand
    strong. My job as your President is to be as--to show utmost
    determination in our belief that freedom will prevail. And it will
    prevail.
        I believe that freedom is embedded in everybody's soul. I believe
    people want to be free. I believe moms and dads want to raise their
    children in a peaceful environment. I believe moms and dads want their
    children to be educated and to be able to grow up and realize their
    dreams. I believe that is the aspirations of all people. I know freedom
    is not America's gift to world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to
    each man and woman in this world. And I believe this strong and generous
    and compassionate nation must work to continue to spread freedom, not
    only for our own security but for the sake of others who have been
    enslaved by tyrants.

    [[Page 812]]

        I've told the Iraqi people this, and I mean it: We will transfer
    sovereignty to the Iraqi people on June the 30th. Of course, I know
    I'm--American citizens hear, ``Well, maybe the Iraqis don't want us to
    occupy them.'' Who wants to be occupied? Nobody wants to be occupied.
    People do want to be liberated. The Iraqis want us there to help with
    their security, but they want to run their own country. And I don't
    blame them. And so on June the 30th, we'll start the--we will transfer
    sovereignty and start a process that will allow them to have elections
    in January 2005.
        The closer we come to sovereignty, the more the enemy will make us
    want to leave, and I know how hard it is. I know how hard it is for moms
    and dads who have got troops overseas. I know how hard it is for a mom
    or dad to lose a son. It's tough. And nobody in America--America suffers
    when one of us suffers, is the best way to put it. But I've told those
    mothers and dads when I've had the opportunity to see them, ``We will
    finish what we have begun. Your son or daughter will not die in vain.''
        I see we've got some troops here. I want to thank you all for
    coming. I have the duty to make sure they get what they need. When we
    put somebody in harm's way, those of us in positions of responsibility
    have the duty to make sure they've got the best possible equipment.
    That's why I asked Congress to vote for an $87 billion, what they call,
    supplemental. That just means $87 billion available, 67 of which is
    available to the troops to make sure they have the best equipment.
        I don't want to get too political here, but my opponent voted against it, and they asked him why. His answer
    was, ``I voted for the 87 billion, right before I voted against it.''
    Let me tell you something: This country doesn't need double talk; it
    needs plain talk; and it needs people to be able to support these
    troops.
        I'll just say one other thing about our troops--a couple other
    things. I told our commanders, ``Tell me how many you need on the
    ground, and you'll get it.'' This war is going to be--the decisionmaking
    part about what the troops need in this war is going to be made by
    generals, not politicians. The people in the Army, the Marines, and the
    Air Force will be making the decisions. The President sets the strategy.
    The President sets the goals, and our commanders on the ground tell us
    what it takes to meet those goals.
        The second thing I want to say about our military, I'm just as
    disgusted of those pictures you've seen on TV as you are. This isn't the
    America we know. Let me tell you something: Those few people have
    stained the honor of this country. They have put--they've helped paint a
    picture of the country that doesn't exist. The men and women we have
    sent into harm's way for our security and for freedom in the world are
    the finest of citizens in this country. [Applause] Thank you all. And I
    can't tell you how proud I am to be their Commander in Chief.
        I want to say one other thing about this, these horrible pictures
    and what we've seen. In a free society, we will find out the truth, and
    everybody will see the truth. In a society that is a free society, there
    will be transparency in the process. People will testify. There will be
    fair trials, if there are trials. The truth will be known. In societies
    run by tyrants, you never see the truth. You never find out the truth.
    This country honors every individual. We believe in human rights and
    human dignity, and the example we will set for the world will confirm
    that.
        Now, let me talk a little bit about how to make the country
    stronger. You make the country stronger by making sure the
    entrepreneurial spirit in this country is strong so that people can find
    work. The role of Government is to create an environment in which small
    businesses can grow to be big businesses, in which people can realize
    their dreams by starting their own business, so that people can find
    work.

    [[Page 813]]

    That's the role of Government. That's what I want to talk a little bit
    about today.
        First, I can't tell you how optimistic I am about our economy. In
    fact, we had a pretty good job increase today--just came out at 288,000
    new jobs for the month of April has just been posted. We're growing.
    That's 1.1 million jobs since last August have been created. That's
    really incredibly good news.
        When I find out people are looking for work, it troubles me. So my
    job is to work to make an environment such that people expand their
    businesses so people can work. That's what we want. We want people
    working. We want people realizing their dreams of being able to put food
    on the table for their families, and it's happening.
        But let me remind you right quick what we have overcome. I think it
    will help make these numbers even more amazing to you. This country, in
    a very brief period of time, overcame the stock market decline, starting
    in March of 2000. If you're a saver, that affected your outlook in life.
    If you're a retired citizen that has stock that you're relying upon in
    your retirement, it affects your outlook.
        Then we went to a recession. Starting in early 2001, we went through
    a recession. That means we're going backward. That means if you're a
    worker, you're wondering about whether or not you're going to keep your
    job. That means if you're a small-business owner, you're wondering
    whether it makes sense to make investment. It is a negative period.
        And then, just as we were coming out of that recession, the enemy
    hit us. I've talked to you about what it means from a foreign policy
    perspective. It also meant we lost jobs and work. It affected our
    economy. It just did. Any time your country gets attacked as
    significantly as it was, it affected the economy. We overcame that.
        Then we had another problem in our economy, one that shook the
    confidence of the American people, and that is we had some people forget
    to tell the truth. There's some corporate CEOs who fudged the numbers
    and didn't tell the truth, and it affected us. We acted on that, by the
    way. I worked with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to pass
    tough law--tough law. The message is real clear in America. If you're in
    a position of responsibility, you behave responsibly when it comes to
    shareholders and employees, or you'll be held to account. We're not
    going to tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America.
        Then of course, I've talked about my decision to go into Iraq. But
    remember, on your TV screens it said ``March to War'' during that period
    of time. That's something the economy had to overcome because when you
    read about marching to war, it is negative. People who are making
    capital decisions or decisions to expand take a look at that and say,
    ``Gosh, I'm not sure I want to expand if we're marching to war.'' Now
    we're marching to peace.
        Things have changed. Our economy is growing. It's strong, and it's
    getting stronger. Witness the numbers today. And what it really speaks
    to is the fact that the entrepreneurial spirit in this country is
    strong, that small businesses are vibrant and strong. Seventy percent of
    new jobs in America are created by small businesses. And if you've got
    your job base growing as fast as it is, it means somebody is growing the
    job base. We're going to talk to a couple of small-business owners here
    today.
        I'd like to take a little credit for the progrowth that's happening
    today because of the tax cuts. See, I believe that when you give people
    more of their own money--and notice I said ``more of their own money''--
    it's not the Government money we're passing back. It's the people's
    money we take in the first place. We're going to talk about the effect
    of tax cuts on some families here. But when you've got more money in
    your pocket, you're likely to demand an additional good or a service,
    and when you demand an additional good or a service in our marketplace-
    type

    [[Page 814]]

    economy, somebody will produce it. And when somebody produces the good
    or a service, somebody is more likely to keep a job or find work. That's
    just the way it works.
        The tax cuts were important economic policy. They also helped
    families because we've increased the child credit. We reduced the
    marriage penalty. My attitude about that is, why do you want to penalize
    marriage? You ought to encourage marriage and family. And we helped
    small businesses. But the tendency in politics is to focus on the now.
    My job is to focus on the future, to make sure that we're the most
    competitive place to do business in the world. In other words, it's a
    good place to do business so that the job base expands. So the question
    is: What do we need to do to make sure we're the leader in the world?
        Let me tell you a couple ideas. I want to talk about one other
    thing, and then I'm going to talk to some of our citizens here.
        First, I believe there needs to be certainty in the Tax Code. We
    should not raise the taxes on the American people right now, in order to
    keep this economy growing, and it's an issue in the campaign. I'm
    telling you, it's an issue. We've been counting the number of new
    promises the fellow I'm running against is making. He's up to $1.9
    trillion so far, of new promises. And we got a long way to go in the
    campaign. Pretty easy to stand up in front of people and say, ``Well, I
    promise you this, and I'll spend that,'' and then it begins to mount up
    after a while. So the question is, how is he going to pay for it?
        And the answer--his answer, of course, is taxing rich people, but
    the problem is there's not enough tax revenue to be generated to pay for
    $1.9 trillion worth of new spending by taxing rich people. And so
    there's a tax gap, and I'll you how he's going to fill the tax gap. You
    get to fill the tax gap. In order to fulfill the promises, the only way
    he can do so is to tax the hard-working people of America. The good news
    is, we're not going to let him do it.
        Right quick, let me tell you how you have a vision--how you
    implement a vision to make sure people can find work. One, education
    matters a lot. We got to make sure our children learn to read and write
    and add and subtract early so that they're better able--this No Child
    Left Behind Act I've signed is good, really good. I'll tell you why: It
    raises the bar. We spent more money at the Federal level for Title I
    kids, and for the first time the Federal Government says, ``Please show
    us whether or not the children can read and write and add and
    subtract.'' If they can't, we'll find out early and get the kids extra
    help. If they can, we'll praise the teachers for doing the work that we
    expect them to do. If the curriculum works, we'll find out. If it
    doesn't work, we'll find out.
        We'll find out a lot through making sure that the facts are known as
    to whether or not children are learning. The way to make sure you
    challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations is to raise the bar and
    measure and correct problems early, before they're too late.
        A second challenge for education is, is that technology races
    through our economy. It's one of the facts of the 21st century. There's
    new technologies happening all the time. Take the health care field.
    It's changing dramatically in a very rapid period of time. And there's a
    lot of communities looking for health care workers, but a lot of times,
    the worker doesn't have the skill necessary to fill the job. And so
    we've got to be really wise about how we use places like the community
    college system, to make sure that they match willing workers with people
    looking for work, with the skills necessary for the jobs for the 21st
    century. By reeducating people for the jobs which actually exist, we
    also increase the productivity level of the workforce. And a more
    productive workforce is a workforce that makes more money.

    [[Page 815]]

        Let me give you an example. I've been to a lot of community colleges
    around the country because I believe so deeply in their value, and
    they're important. Again, the economy changes, and we're in a period of
    change now, and we better make sure the workforce has got the skills to
    change with it. And so I met a lady in Mesa Community College in
    Arizona, and she was telling me her story. She went back and got an
    associate's degree with a high-tech emphasis. And she had been a graphic
    design artist and, after 12 years, she was making X number of dollars,
    went back to the community college--and by the way, there's money
    available to help people. There's trade adjustment assistance. There's
    Pell grants. There's money, and that's good. The Federal Government
    wants to help retrain people. And she got retrained, and she made more
    money in her level entry job, having gotten an associate's degree, than
    she made after 12 years of being a graphic artist. In other words, going
    back to school makes the citizen more productive, and they make more
    money.
        Secondly, there's a lot of talk about trade. When you're good at
    something, you want to promote it. And we're in farm country here. We're
    really good about growing things in America. We've got the best farmers
    in the world. We've got the most productive--and where we're from, we
    think we're pretty good about raising cows. [Laughter] But if you're
    good at it, you want to open up markets rather than close markets. Farm
    income is strong now. A lot of it has to do with the fact that we're
    selling more farm product overseas than ever before. Trade policy needs
    to be confident, not pessimistic, in the ability for Americans to
    compete.
        Most Presidents have opened up our markets for other countries.
    That's good for consumers. If you've got more product from which to
    choose, you're likely to get a better price and better quality. In other
    words, the more choice you get, the more that people will meet demand
    with better product at a price you can afford.
        But the problem is, other countries haven't responded. And so rather
    than becoming economic isolationists, for the sake of long-term job
    growth, this country must say, ``Treat us like we treat you.'' With a
    level playing field, we can compete with anybody, anyplace, anywhere.
    Good trade policy is necessary to make sure jobs exist not only in the
    short term, in the long term.
        We need to make sure we do something about the cost of health care.
    I'm for health savings accounts, association health care plans, and
    medical liability reform at the Federal level so that health care costs
    make it--don't make it impossible for small businesses to continue to
    employ people.
        Two other quick points, then one other point. [Laughter] Laura said, ``Keep it short. The bus might leave.''
    [Laughter] She's been hearing me give a lot of speeches for a long time,
    which means she's a pretty patient lady.
        We need tort reform. If you're a businessowner, somebody expanding
    the job base of small business, a frivolous or junk lawsuit makes it
    awfully hard on you as a businessperson. Remember, jobs are created when
    businesses expand. And if people are afraid to risk capital, which is
    how you expand, because of a junk lawsuit, it makes it very hard. We
    need justice in America. But we've got to make sure the justice--the
    scales of justice are balanced and fair.
        And finally, it is very important for us to have an energy policy in
    America. We've got to increase supply in this country. We have got to--
    we've got to utilize--of course, we want to work on the demand side by
    encouraging conservation. That's important. And we've got things in the
    bill that will encourage conservation. But you can't conserve your way
    to a lack of dependence on foreign sources of energy. You've also got to
    increase supply so that you don't have to rely upon foreign sources

    [[Page 816]]

    of energy. And one of the things we've got in the energy bill is the
    continued expansion of the use of soybeans and corn to diversify the
    energy supply. It makes a lot of sense to do so.
        I'm a supporter of biodiesel and ethanol because I understand the
    practicality of it. At some point in time, we're going to say, ``Gosh,
    the yields on corn are real good, and now we're less dependent.'' We
    need clean coal technology. We've got a lot of coal. We need to expand
    clean coal technology. We need--in my judgment, we need to have a safe
    nuclear energy program in order to expand. We need to be drilling for
    natural gas in environmentally friendly ways. What I'm telling you is,
    in order to make sure that we're a good place to do business, so we can
    expand the job base, we need to become less reliant on foreign sources
    of energy.
        The other strategy is to make America a better place. The Government
    can help, but Government is not love. Government is justice and law.
    Love comes from the hearts and souls of citizens. And that is--which is
    the true strength of the country, by the way. We talk about our
    military, and it's an important part of our strength, and we'll keep you
    strong. We talk about our wealth, and that's an important part of our
    strength, and we want to continue to expand our economy. The true
    strength of this country is the hearts and souls of the American
    citizens.
        Let me tell you what I mean by that. That happens--the strength
    happens when somebody takes time out of their life to love somebody who
    hurts. In the land of plenty, there are people who are--who hurt. There
    are people who are addicted, people who are homeless, people who are
    hungry. And the best way to cure that aspect of our society's ills is to
    rally the armies of compassion. See, society can and does change one
    heart, one soul at a time.
        I want to be your President for 4 more years, not only to keep the
    country safe and stronger but to continue to rally the spirit of
    America, to call upon our fellow citizens to heed the universal call,
    the call of all religions, to love your neighbor just like you'd like to
    be loved yourself.
        You know what I'm talking about. You know how societies can change.
    You've seen what happens in your communities when people take it upon
    themselves to help those who hurt, to build a home for the homeless
    through Habitat for Humanity, who take time out to instill values in Boy
    Scouts and Girl Scouts. You've seen what it's like when people say,
    ``I'm going to be a coach in a Little League to help a kid learn a team
    sport and, at the same time, sportsmanship.'' You know what it means
    when you've seen church groups come together and say, ``Let's go feed
    this family that hurts.'' You have seen what happens when the great
    compassion of this country wells up and starts saving lives. The
    strength of this country lies in the hearts and souls of our fellow
    citizens, which makes us such a fabulous nation.
        I've asked some folks to come today. Paul Darley is a small-business owner, W.S. Darley. He is the
    president and chief operating officer.
        Tell us what you do.
        Paul Darley. Our company is a 96-year-old
    family business. We manufacture firefighting equipment, specifically
    firetrucks, fire pumps, that we distribute all over America and around
    the world.
        The President. Based right here?
        Mr. Darley. We're based in Chippewa Falls,
    Wisconsin. We just last year built a $3.8 billion plant. And
    additionally, we bought equipment worth over $1 million, which we were
    able to do as a result of the tax relief that took place over the last 2
    years.
        The President. One of the important parts of the tax relief that I
    hope people understand is this: Most small businesses, like this good
    man's business, pay tax at the individual income-tax level. A lot of
    citizens don't know that. But if you're a

    [[Page 817]]

    Subchapter S corporation or a sole proprietorship, you pay tax at the
    individual income-tax level. So when you heard us talking about reducing
    individual income taxes, not only, obviously, did it affect citizens, it
    affects small businesses. And so when you hear people say, ``We're going
    to tax the rich by running up some of those income taxes,'' they're
    taxing small businesses. It's important for people to understand that.
        The other thing we did was we helped with what they call bonus
    depreciation. In other words, if you make an investment, you get to
    deduct more money. In other words, there was an incentive in the Tax
    Code.
        So what did you do with the money? You built a----
        Mr. Darley. We built a new $3 million plant.
    We also built about a million dollars' worth of equipment. But
    additionally, we were able to take that money, through less--because we
    had less dividends to pay out because our tax burden was less, we were
    able to reinvest that money back into our business. We were able to
    create jobs. We were able to train our employees. We were able to
    compete in a global environment.
        The President. Yes. See, when he builds
    something, like expands his plant--I think he needed to add employees?
        Mr. Darley. We did.
        The President. So when you hear--the reason I bring this up is when
    you hear that tax relief encourages investment--there's two aspects to
    investment--two effects of investment. First, when he buys equipment, new equipment, somebody has got to make
    it, right? If somebody makes it--some business makes it, some laborer
    who is making the product for the business is more likely to keep a job,
    or if the demand is greater, they'll add jobs to make the new equipment,
    orders for new equipment.
        Secondly, when he says he's invested in his
    company because of the tax incentives, he's got to have people to work
    that additional plant and equipment. So when you hear ``investment
    equals jobs,'' that's how it works. He makes a decision. Somebody
    produces the product for him, and as he expands his business, he hires
    new people.
        Is that what happened? So how many people did you hire last year?
        Mr. Darley. I think 24 in the last 2 years
    and then, additionally, 9 since the beginning of January this year, and
    we plan to hire 14 or 15 more in the next 7 months.
        The President. That's good news. It's good news if you're somebody--
    thank you, Paul.
        There's a lot of small businesses like Paul's, a lot of companies. See, the entrepreneurial spirit is
    strong. You heard him say, ``I'm thinking about hiring 14 more.''
    There's a lot of people out there feeling the same way now. That's
    really encouraging.
        And so the key is whether or not the the workforce is trained to be
    able to do the jobs he's looking for. You heard
    him say, ``I took some of the savings so that we could train workers.''
    There's all kinds of ways workers get trained. I mentioned the community
    college, but a lot of times, businesses train their own workers too. And
    tax relief has helped make his workforce more productive.
        I want to thank you for hanging in there. Thanks for expanding your
    business.
        Jim Hutchison is with us as well. Jim is
    the owner--when did you start your business, and what does it do?
        Jim Hutchison. 1994. And first of all,
    thank you for coming to Prairie du Chien, Mr. President.
        The President. Well, I'm glad to be here.
        Mr. Hutchison. We started in 1994.
        The President. Thanks for the excuse of getting out of Washington.
    [Laughter]
        Mr. Hutchison. And it's a nice drive for
    you too.
        The President. It's beautiful. It really is--a little different from
    Midland, Texas--

    [[Page 818]]

    [laughter]--which is flat and in the desert. Go ahead.

    [Mr. Hutchison, owner, Prairie Industries, made brief remarks.]

        The President. Did you start this?
        Mr. Hutchison. I started it in 1994. We
    started with seven people.
        The President. How did you think of it?
        Mr. Hutchison. Well, I heard some people
    from the 3M company were shipping a lot of work out of the area. They
    didn't have anyone to package for them. And I was able to get an
    interview with them. I thought it would last 15 minutes. It lasted 4
    hours. And 300 people later, here we are.
        The President. That's in 10 years. Good. I don't want to hog the
    spotlight, but the entrepreneurial spirit--you just heard it.
    He just defined what that means. The guy had
    a dream. He said, ``I can do something better than that which was being
    done. Give me a chance to compete.'' And the key is for policy to
    encourage those dreams to go on, for people to say, ``Look, with a good
    idea and hard work, I can achieve a dream.''
        Go ahead.

    [Mr. Hutchison made further remarks.]

        The President. Sixty employees this year--see, it's happening.
    Here's an optimistic guy. He stands in front
    of the President and the cameras and people and says, ``Look, I'm
    optimistic. I'm growing my business. I want to compete, and I'm
    investing so I can become more productive.'' That's how the economy
    works. Good tax policy encourages this.
        By the way, if the Congress doesn't act on some of this tax policy,
    the taxes go up. And to me, if the taxes start going up at this point,
    it changes the attitude of those who are risking capital. So I've told
    you we don't need to be raising taxes right now. I'm trying to put a
    face as to why we don't need to. See, it's one thing for me to stand up
    there and say it. They'll say, ``Sure, he's running for office.'' But
    the reason--I have a reason to say it, and these small-business owners
    helped me make the case.
        Thank you both
    for coming. I'm proud of your entrepreneurial spirit. Good job, real
    good.
        Christine and Mark Seeley are with us. I'm proud you all are here. They're a
    family of--they got three kids. And the reason I've asked them to come,
    along with the Hendricksons, is so that people can hear what tax relief
    has meant to their life. Again, it's easy for us to spew numbers in
    Washington, but tax relief affects people in such positive ways that
    it's important for people who don't agree with the tax relief or are
    willing to take--raise the taxes on people to understand the
    consequences. And that's why they're here.
        First of all, what do you do?
        Mark Seeley. I'm an athletic trainer with
    Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital right here in town.
        The President. Good. My knee hurts. [Laughter]
        Mr. Seeley. See me afterwards. [Laughter]
        The President. Yes.
        Mr. Seeley. And Christine is a stay-at-home mom.
        The President. That's good. Congratulations.
        Christine Seeley. Thank you.
        The President. Because we raised the child credit, expanded the 10-
    percent--reduced--created a 10-percent bracket, and relieved the
    marriage penalty, this couple saved 2,200?--$2,200 in '03 and in '04. That may not
    seem like a lot to people who are throwing around a lot of zeros in
    Washington, but I bet--well, I'll let them tell you if it means anything
    to them. I'm like--I'm not a lawyer, you'll be happy to hear, but I
    realize I'm leading the witness. [Laughter] Tell us about the money.
        Mr. Seeley. Well, what we were able to do
    with that refund is basically invest it right back into our house. We
    were having

    [[Page 819]]

    a couple issues with some leaky roofs, so we hired a couple----
        The President. Right. Pretty hard to raise a family with a leaky
    roof.
        Mr. Seeley. That's right. You have to keep
    the roof over their heads, so we hired a couple of contractors to come
    in and repair our roof. And that's where that money went.
        The President. Good. Somebody had to come over. In other words, you
    got the relief, and you said, ``We better get on the phone and call
    Joe's Roofing Company.'' Is that who it was? [Laughter]
        Mr. Seeley. Randy Jones Construction.
        The President. Randy. All right, here's
    Jones' chance. Did you do a good job? Did he do a good job?
        Mrs. Seeley. Oh, fabulous.
        Mr. Seeley. Yes, he did a great job.
        The President. Great job. Good. I don't know where Jones is. If he's listening, he just got a plug for business.
    Anyway, he came over. I presume he didn't do it by himself.
        Mr. Seeley. No, he had actually two other
    crew members, and then we had another company that put on some rubber
    roofing in back of the house. And I think they employed--had four guys
    with them.
        The President. Yes. Let me tell you what happens if Congress doesn't
    act. These folks
    pay a $1,000 tax increase, see? That's the debate in Washington. You're
    hearing this debate about whether to make the tax relief permanent.
    That's not the way to look at it. The way to look at it is, if Congress
    doesn't act, instead of $2,200, they're going to be $1,000 less than
    that. It's like a tax increase. That's $1,000 less money in their
    pocket. I like to remind people that this economy is cranking and
    beginning to grow because the people have spent their money far better
    than the Government would have.
        Now that you've got the floor, you can say anything you want.
    [Laughter] Thanks for coming.
        Mr. Seeley. Thank you.
        The President. Glad you're here. I appreciate you taking time out of
    your life. Where are the little ones? Are they here?
        Mr. Seeley. They couldn't make it.
        The President. They're at home?
        Mrs. Seeley. Yes.
        The President. Too little.
        Mrs. Seeley. Yes.
        The President. Afraid the President would speak too long. [Laughter]
    I understand.
        Tina and Mike Hendrickson are with us as well. Oh, there they are. Good. Thank
    you all for coming. They are--what do you do, Michael?
        Michael Hendrickson. I work for the
    highway county department.
        The President. Good. So when I said, ``Fill the potholes,'' you knew
    what I'm talking about. [Laughter]
        Mr. Hendrickson. That's right.
        The President. I wasn't speaking to you. I was speaking to the
    decisionmaker. Maybe you are the decisionmaker?
        Mr. Hendrickson. No, I get told to
    go fill the potholes. [Laughter]
        The President. That's right. And Tina
    is a worker.
        Tina Hendrickson. Yes, I work at
    Prairie Industries. I'm a warehouse manager.
        The President. Thank you. Great. Thanks for coming. I'm proud you're
    both here. They've got two young children. So when we increased the child
    credit to $1,000, it affected them. And they're married, and so we've
    reduced the marriage penalty--it affected them, and so did the expansion
    of the 10-percent bracket, all of which will go away next year unless
    Congress acts.
        The tax savings were?
        Mr. Hendrickson. I forget--$3,000,
    something like that.
        The President. Less.
        Mrs. Hendrickson. 1,900.
        The President. 1,900--well, 1,900 here, 3,000 there. [Laughter] And
    so what--how does it affect you? What do you do? When you get a $1,900
    check, less taxes, how does it affect your thinking?

    [[Page 820]]

        Mrs. Hendrickson. A lot. Well, we've
    been able to start saving for college for the kids.
        The President. Good.
        Mrs. Hendrickson. That's a plus.
        The President. Doing their
    duty as a mom or a dad, taking that
    extra money, it makes it easier for them to fulfill their obligations.
    And I appreciate that.
        What else?
        Mrs. Hendrickson. We went to St. Louis
    in April--short vacation.
        The President. Good. And I presume--you stayed in a motel, or what?
        Mrs. Hendrickson. Yes.
        The President. Yes. So the clerk at the motel was able to keep a
    job, because if the motel was empty, there wouldn't be a need to have a
    clerk.
        Yes, thank you all for coming. I'm glad you're here.
        The reason why--this tax relief affected people. It increases their
    confidence about the future. It enables them to better raise their
    families. These people are working hard to raise their two sons. They're
    thinking about, ``How can we put money aside for college,'' which is a
    vital part of the duty of being a parent, isn't it? And you want your
    children to be able to realize their dreams, and college is an important
    part of it. The tax relief matters, and Congress does not need to be
    raising the taxes on these people.
        The reason I've asked them to come, both small business and
    individuals to come is, I hope it helps you better understand the
    progrowth package, how it works, and the philosophy behind the decisions
    we made.
        I think I've got a little time to answer some questions. This is
    called ``Ask George Bush,'' so you might as well start asking so at
    least we fulfill the promise of the program's name. But I'll be glad to
    answer. Ask some questions.
        Yes, what have you got? This is a written question. [Laughter] This
    isn't exactly off the top of your head, is it? [Laughter]
        Q. I was afraid I couldn't read my own writing, so I did go ahead
    and type it. [Laughter]
        The President. Are you a doctor?

    Freedom of Speech and Religious Freedom

        Q. No, I'm not. [Laughter] Mr. President, as a member of the local
    clergy of this city, I'm appalled at the different lengths of political
    correctness that has affected religious rights in Canada, Australia,
    France, and other European nations. Laws are being passed to limit
    offensive speech. If reelected, what will your administration do to the
    rights--to help the rights of conservative Christians so that courts in
    America can't limit our free speech when it comes to offensive speech
    toward different groups?
        The President. Yes. Look, here's the thing. Freedom to speak is a
    valuable part of our country, and a President has got to protect that.
    People ought to be allowed to speak the way you want to speak, but there
    are limits. And it is very important for our society to work with those
    that push the limits without abridging anybody else's freedom to speak.
        Let me talk about freedom of religion as well, which is an
    incredibly important part of our society. My job as the President is to
    make sure--this may get to your question, by the way, besides speech--an
    incredibly important part about what you're asking is, can people
    worship freely as well? Yes. That's the part of the job of the
    President, is to make sure that people can worship any way they want--
    any way they want. And they can choose any religion they want, or they
    can choose no religion. You see, you're just as big a patriot--as good a
    patriot as the next fellow if you choose not to worship. It's your
    choice to make. And the freedom of this country is that you can choose
    to do any way you want. And it's important that we keep that freedom
    real and intact.

    [[Page 821]]

        I happen to believe that it would be very difficult to be the
    President without believing. I believe that--I know it's been an
    important part of my Presidency. And I appreciate the fact--but what I'm
    answering to you is, is that we've got to be very careful about
    tampering with freedoms in America, the freedom to speak or the freedom
    to worship. It is the thing that sets us apart from other parts of the
    world, that people can come to this country and express themselves the
    way they see fit.
        Obviously, there's a line to cross when it comes to speech. That's
    been a difficult challenge for our country, to figure out where it is
    and where it isn't. You know, sometimes on TV, there are things you
    don't want to see. But that's why you put an off-on button on there. You
    just kind of turn it off. You don't have to watch it. You can also pay
    attention--and there are other things we can do to make it easier for
    parents to make sure their children aren't watching garbage. And there
    are things you can do on the Internet to make sure that garbage doesn't
    get in your living room. But it's very important that we remain a
    country of free speech and free religion.
        Anybody else got something? Yes, ma'am.

    Steel Industry/International Economy

        Q. Hi. I'm from LaCrosse. My name is Karen Heffner. My husband and I own a small steel fabricating
    business.
        The President. Oh, good.
        Q. I know. You'd like that one, right? [Laughter]
        The President. Well, first of all, I'm glad you own a business. How
    long have you owned it?
        Q. Since '92.
        The President. Good.
        Q. And we have been growing steadily too. We started with about six
    employees--but a couple of setbacks along the way. I just want to know--
    my question is, with the steel market so volatile, what can we do to
    help stabilize that and all the construction trade?
        The President. Yes. She is referring to
    the fact that the price of steel, which was very low at one point, is
    now higher. And the reason why is, is because the world's economies are
    beginning to grow. For a period of time, the world was in recession. We
    were recession--in recession, and other countries were. And all of a
    sudden, the world is beginning to come out of its recession. There's a
    cyclicality to economies, and the cycle is now coming on an upswing.
        In a country like China, it's really booming, and they're absorbing
    a lot of the supply of steel in the world, which is, in fact--I believe
    you're referring to the price of steel getting higher, which is making
    it more difficult for you to work. I believe that the higher price of
    steel will serve as an incentive for people to produce more steel, and
    that--it's a price-driven industry, as you know, and that as people
    produce more steel, it should take--relieve the pressure.
        It's just like what's happening in the energy markets today. For a
    while, there was excess supply because the world's demand was depressed.
    And now the world is growing, very much like the steel prices. And by
    the way, I'm sure the energy prices affects your business too, I would
    think, which is high and hard to deal with, I fully recognize. We're
    seeing it at the gasoline pumps as well, and that's not positive for
    American consumers and American people.
        It has to do with the fact that the demand is increasing relative to
    supply and that when you get these countries beginning to grow and
    they're not very fuel-efficient to begin with, like China, they're
    taking a lot of world oil off the market in order for their economy to
    grow, and it's affecting our prices.
        That's why we need an energy bill. That's why we need to be
    diversified. I believe there will be an increase in fuel supply in
    response to price, which would make it--which would then begin to ease
    off.

    [[Page 822]]

        About 3 years ago, if I'm not mistaken, the price of your product
    was significantly different than it is today. And I guess what I'm
    telling you is you're going through a rough cycle. But I don't think the
    Government policy can say, ``Okay, fine''--you know, make people go out
    and produce more product to relieve the price. I think the market is
    going to have to adjust to do that.
        And I also suspect you're a little nervous about reliability of
    electricity. I hear from small manufacturers all the time, and a part of
    the energy bill that's stuck in the Congress, by the way--I've been
    trying to get it moving for the good of the country. It's stuck. Part of
    it is to make sure that our electricity systems are modern, that the
    electricity systems have got maximum reliability standards from these
    sellers of electricity as well as modern ways to attract capital to
    expand the electricity systems and modernize them.
        That was a very good question on steel. Commodity prices go up and
    down, and the thing that our country must not do, as I mentioned to you,
    in response to economic conditions, is wall ourselves off from the rest
    of the world. I think it would be a terrible mistake to become isolated
    from the rest of the world. Economic isolationism is pessimistic, and it
    does not lead to a hopeful future. Again, I'm going to repeat what I
    said about not becoming isolated from the rest of the world. If you're
    good at something, and we're very good at things, with a level playing
    field we can compete. And as we compete, people are more likely to find
    a job.
        Anybody got anything? Yes, ma'am.

    Education

        Q. I'm an eighth grade teacher and----
        The President. First, thanks for teaching.
        Q. You're welcome. Typically, when I'm discussing education policy
    and, specifically, funding with my colleagues, I'm pretty much in the
    minority with a conservative view. What can I tell my colleagues that
    the Bush administration is pro-education?
        The President. Sure. You can tell them we've increased Title I--
    elementary and secondary education spending since I've been in office,
    from 2001 to today, by over 47 percent. That's a healthy increase in
    spending. On the other hand, I believe that spending--the Federal
    Government ought not to try to run the schools. I believe the best
    spending decisions are made by State and local people.
        I believe the ratio between the Federal Government and the State and
    local people is a good ratio, something about 94 to 6 or 93 to 7
    percent--7 percent coming from the Federal Government. We're more than
    happy to encourage spending. I just want to make sure that the spending
    works.
        And so you can tell the folks that our approach has changed,
    literally changed how people--what people--not what people can do with
    the money but what they must achieve with the money. You notice I used
    the word ``achieve.'' In other words, we expect results. If you don't
    measure, if you don't get--if you don't ask for results, it is likely
    you won't get results or at least you won't know. How do you know--tell
    your friends, how can you possibly know whether or not a child can read
    unless you're willing to measure?
        Secondly, tell your friends that when we find--in the No Child Left
    Behind Act, early on when we discover that a child doesn't have the
    tools necessary to read, he or she gets extra help. Third, that if a
    school perpetually fails, parents get different options in order to make
    sure that people respond to the moms and dads and to the needs of the
    children.
        We've got a really good record on public education. And the No Child
    Left Behind Act is a strong piece of legislation which I believe will
    make the public school systems work better, not worse.
        What else? Yes, sir.

    [[Page 823]]

    Support for the President

        Q. I don't have a question, sir. I just wanted to thank you. I
    served in the United States Air Force for 10 years. I just love the love
    that you have for our troops and admiration you have for our troops, and
    I salute you.
        The President. Thank you, sir.
        Q. ----and the First Lady as well.
        The President. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thanks for saying that.
        I'm a fellow who knows a good exit line. [Laughter] We're getting on
    the bus and heading up the road. I want to thank you all for coming. I
    hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have. I'm glad to get out of the
    Nation's Capital and come and be with you all. I've really enjoyed our
    dialog and our discussion. I hope you can tell I have a reason why I
    want to be your President for 4 more years. I hope you can tell I'm
    counting on you to go to your neighbors and let them know I have a
    reason. And I hope you can tell I'm incredibly optimistic and hopeful
    about the future of this country, because I understand the strength of
    this country is the people who live in America.
        May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless our country.
    Thanks for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at approximately 1:40 p.m. at Cabela's
    Distribution Center. In his remarks, he referred to Richard N. Cabela,
    chairman and director, Cabela's Inc., and his wife, Mary; Wisconsin
    State Representatives Stephen J. Freese and Gabe Loeffelholz; Mayor
    Jerry Wehrle of Lancaster, WI; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq;
    senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; and Muqtada Al Sadr,
    Iraqi Shiite cleric whose militia engaged in an uprising in Iraq in
    early April. The transcript released by the Office of the Press
    Secretary also included the remarks of the First Lady, who introduced
    the President.