[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[March 26, 2004]
[Pages 468-474]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in a Discussion on Homeownership in Phoenix, Arizona
March 26, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thanks a lot. Thank you all very much.
I appreciate Doug McCarron's leadership
in terms of making sure people have the skills necessary to work in the
jobs of the 21st century. Actually, you look like you're dressed the way
a president should be--[laughter]--and I'm dressed like a carpenter--
[laughter]--which isn't all that bad a deal.
I want to thank you for having me here. I appreciate Mike
McCarron for opening up this facility. Thank
you, Mike, for inviting us. He invited us here so we can have a
discussion on job training skills and homeownership.
Before we have the discussion, I do want to say a couple of things.
First, I want to recognize some people in the audience. Two great United
States Senators, John McCain and John Kyl, are with us. I don't know if you know this, Doug, but
John McCain was telling me on the way over from the airport that he was
here when they opened this facility. He told me--he said, ``You're going
to find a magnificent training facility.'' He forgot to tell me how
magnificent it is. This is quite a place--quite a place. I know you're
proud of it.
I appreciate Members of the Congress who are here, J.D.
Hayworth, John Shadegg, Jeff Flake, Trent Franks. Thank you all for coming.
It's such an impressive place, they even brought old Ron Lewis from
Kentucky, who's a Member of the House, with us. Ron, thank you for being
here, glad you came. There he is.
Mr. Mayor, Phil Gordon, is with us. Thanks for coming, Mr. Mayor. I
appreciate you being here.
I want to thank members of the Carpenters Union who have opened up
this beautiful facility to us. Thank you for working hard. Thank you for
being responsible citizens who love your family and love your country.
Most of all, I'm honored to be in your presence. Thanks for building the
stage. [Laughter]
Today when I landed, I met a lady named Barbara Lockwood. Barbara, where are you? There she is. Thanks for
coming, Barbara. Barbara is a volunteer of Keep Phoenix Beautiful. The
reason I bring that up is, communities are really strong when people are
willing to volunteer, willing to take time out of their lives to improve
the community in which you live. There's all kinds of ways to do so.
Keep Phoenix Beautiful is one such idea. Mentoring a child is an idea.
Loving a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself is an idea on how
to make sure your community is good. I know that many of your members
work hard on the day job and volunteer to help
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somebody's life. See, America can change for the better, one heart and
one soul at a time.
And the reason I want to bring up Barbara is that she sets such a good example by taking time
out of her life to make Phoenix, Arizona, a better place. Barbara, thank
you for your service, and thank you for the example you have set for
others.
The housing industry is booming, which means more people own their
home, and that's positive. It means more carpenters are working, and
that's positive. It's an amazing statement to say that, given what this
country has been through. We've been through a recession. We've been
through an attack on America, and that attack on America affected us. We
lost jobs after the attack on America. It also changed our way of
thinking about how we look at the world. We used to think oceans could
protect us, where we could kind of sit back and see threats gather and
could deal with them if we felt like it or ignore them if we wanted to,
because oceans protected us. But that changed on September the 11th.
We're doing everything we can to secure the homeland. I want to
thank those who are involved with the first-responders or our police and
firefighters for working hard to be ready. But the best way to protect
America's homeland is to stay on the offense and bring these people to
justice before they hurt us again. [Applause] Thank you.
The Nation is strong. We refuse to be intimidated by these killers.
And we started to recover, and then we found out that some corporate
citizens forgot what it meant to be responsible citizens. You know who
I'm talking about, the people who didn't tell the truth to their
shareholders and their employees. We passed tough new laws. I want to
thank the Members of the Senate who are here and the members of the
congressional delegation for joining together to pass tough laws that
sends this message: We're not going to tolerate dishonesty in the
boardrooms of America. That dishonesty affected us. It was another
hurdle we had to cross. It kind of shook the confidence of the people.
And then we had another hurdle we had to cross. As I told you,
September the 11th changed how we should view the world. We must deal
with threats before they fully materialize. When we see a threat, we've
got to deal with it. I looked at the intelligence in Iraq, and I saw a
threat. The Congress looked at the same intelligence, and it saw a
threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at the same
intelligence, and it saw a threat as well. We said to Saddam
Hussein, ``Everybody thinks you're a threat,
so you disarm.'' We gave him yet another choice. It was his choice to
make. We said, ``Disarm, for the sake of freedom and peace,'' and he
defied the world again.
And therefore, I had a choice to make: Do I trust the word of
somebody who had used weapons of mass destruction on his own people? Do
I trust the word of a madman? Or do I take
actions necessary to defend America? Given that choice, every time, I
will defend this country. [Applause] Thank you all.
When you're marching to war to defend the country, it sends a
negative signal. If you're a homebuyer, it doesn't instill a lot of
confidence in the future if you think your country is going to war. If
you're somebody trying to build homes, marching to war is a negative
thought, not a positive thought. Now we're marching to peace. The world
is more peaceful.
But these are hurdles we have overcome as a country. Think about
these statistics: We're the fastest growing major industrialized nation
in the world; the unemployment rate right here in Arizona has gone from
5.9 percent last year to 5.2 percent this year; inflation is low;
interest rates are low; manufacturing activity is up. No, this economy
has gone through a lot. And you know why? Because the American workers
and the American people and the American
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entrepreneurs are strong, steady, and resolute.
I'm going to tell you another statistic, which is an amazing
statistic given what we've been through: Housing starts in 2003 were the
highest in a quarter of a century. Homeownership sales were the highest
ever. Sixty-eight percent of homeownership--the homeownership rate is
the highest ever, and that's fantastic news for America.
We want more people owning their own home. There's nothing like
saying, ``This home is my home.'' There's nothing better than somebody
over there saying, ``Welcome to my home.'' And we're about to talk to
some first-time homeowners. And I want to share their stories with you.
They're going to share their stories with me, and you're going to get to
hear it.
I do want to talk about a challenge for our country, and there is a
minority homeownership gap in America. Not enough minorities own their
own homes. And it seems like to me, it makes sense to encourage all to
own homes. And so we've done some interesting things. Again, I want to
thank the Congress, but we passed downpayment assistance programs that
will help low-income folks buy their own home. A lot of times, if you're
trying to buy your own home, you never bought one, the downpayment seems
like a little much. Some of you know what I'm talking about. It seems to
make sense if one of the things we're trying to do is to get--to close
the minority homeownership gap and to get 5.5 new--million new minority
homeowners into homes over the next 5 years, that we ought to help with
downpayments, and we have.
The State of Arizona is going to have $2.6 million to help people
with downpayments. I proposed that mortgages that have FHA-backed
insurance pay no downpayment. That will help 150,000 new homeowners.
What we're trying to do is make it easier for somebody to own a
home, and there's practical ways the Government can help. We've got
what's called HUD Section 8 programs that are generally rent programs.
We've converted those rent programs to self-sufficiency programs, where
people are helped to be able to set aside money for downpayments. We're
about to hear somebody who has benefited from such program.
We've got HUD's home program that provides grants to States to help
counseling. That's really important. Have you ever seen some of the
contracts? There's a lot of fine print. And if you've never bought a
home before, it kind of makes you nervous to sign off on something with
a lot of fine print. There are counselors all over the State of Arizona
who are willing to help people understand what it means to sign a
contract, to understand what it means when they're buying their first
home, what it means to be a homeowner, what the obligations are.
I want to thank the counselors who are here. I want to thank the
people who are here who work with first-time homebuyers. We need to make
sure that there's affordable houses around the country. That's why I
proposed a $2.5-billion tax credit for rehabilitation of inner-city
homes and for the building of affordable homes for low-income citizens.
We want homes. We want people owning their own home. Ownership is an
important part of the American experience.
One other thing I've done is I've called on private sector mortgage
banks and banks to be more aggressive about lending money to first-time
homebuyers. And the response has been really good. There's a lot of
people in this--our communities around the country that deeply care
about the issue of homeownership, and they've been responsive.
Senators Kyl and McCain
told me about a fellow named Jerry Bisgrove
here in Arizona. He's not a part of a mortgage banking deal. He's just a
decent citizen. But like the mortgage bankers who have helped new time--
first-time homeowners, Bisgrove is a
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successful businessman, evidently, has turned back and said, ``I want to
help people with affordable housing.'' It's that kind of effort--effort
at the Federal level, effort at the charitable level--that's going to
make a big difference in closing the minority homeownership gap, and
when we do, America will be a better place.
The thing I like about Doug is he
understands that when you give somebody additional skills, it will
improve their lifestyle. You see, when a worker becomes more productive,
that worker is going to make more money. And we're about to hear a story
that verifies that point--Jorge. Anyway--not
yet. [Laughter] Casi.
But Doug is an innovative leader.
And as he mentioned to you, I've had the honor of going to some of his
training facilities around the country, and they're impressive. They're
impressive because they're so humane, and they take a person who wants
to work, give him a little additional help, and they become well-paid,
more able to do their duty as a mom or a dad. So, Doug, thanks. I
appreciate you having me.
[At this point, Douglas J. McCarron, general president, United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, made brief remarks,
concluding as follows.]
Mr. McCarron. Mr. President, the men
and women that I represent have shown that they are willing to work
hard. They are willing to train hard. And they are willing to compete.
Now, I know, Mr. President, over the next few months, you'll hear from
advisers and pundits, but speaking for the Carpenters Union, let me tell
you, the most important issue for us is jobs.
The President. Doug, let me say
something. Yes. The most important issue for me is jobs.
[Mr. McCarron made further remarks.]
The President. One of the things I forgot to mention to
Doug and to congratulate Doug and the
union on was the work at the World Trade Center after September the
11th. A lot of his members went to help clear the rubble. And they went
in there, and they worked long, long hours, and there was not one
accident. They did an unbelievable job, and I want to thank you and
thank the membership----
Mr. McCarron. That's good union
labor, Mr. President.
The President. Good job. All right. Jorge Sotelo. Jorge is a family man, hard-working guy. Jorge, tell us
about yourself.
[Jorge Sotelo, foreman, DPR Construction, Avondale, AZ, made brief
remarks.]
The President. So in other words, let me make sure I understand.
Before you came here, what were you doing?
Mr. Sotelo. I was doing the same thing. You
know, I was in construction but at less wages. You know, I didn't----
The President. You were just out there working hard and less wages.
And how did you hear about this facility?
Mr. Sotelo. They went to the place where we
were working before, and they told us about the union. And you say,
``Yes, it's time for a change. I want to learn something. I want to--
better skills for myself and get a better life for my family.''
The President. And so, let me ask you something, Jorge. Were you working during the day and coming here at
school at night?
Mr. Sotelo. Yes. After work.
The President. And how long did it take for you to get the skills
necessary to get another certification?
Mr. Sotelo. It depends how many hours--we
got the program for 18 hours, 20 hours. It's just how many hours you can
give me here.
The President. Somebody told me, like this--you bought a home this
year.
Mr. Sotelo. Yes.
The President. First home?
Mr. Sotelo. Actually, it was the second
home, but it's a better home now.
The President. Better home?
Mr. Sotelo. Yes.
The President. So you upgraded?
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Mr. Sotelo. Yes, definitely.
The President. The lesson is, is that you can improve your quality
of life if you work hard, one, and two, you're willing to go back to
school.
I remember coming to Mesa Community College a while ago.
Doug, I think you'll find this
interesting. It's the same exact principle that you employ here. And I
met a woman who had worked for--as a graphic design artist for 15 years,
went back to a Mesa Community College technical training program,
graduated, and got out. And in her first year, she made more money than
she did after her 15th year as a graphic design artist. She gained
skills. She upgraded her ability to be a productive worker, and she
improved her quality of life dramatically.
And that's exactly what Jorge did. And
that's one of the reasons why we're heralding programs like this. If
people are looking for work, you can find work in Phoenix, Arizona. And
if you're really interested in improving yourself, you can do so by
going to programs such as the one Doug
sponsors here or at the one at Mesa Community College.
Now, Emily is with us. Are you ready?
Emily McElhaney. Yes, sir.
The President. Emily McElhaney. How many
homes have you owned in your life?
Ms. McElhaney. This is the first one.
The President. Would you mind telling us your story?
[Ms. McElhaney, first-time homebuyer, Mesa, AZ, made brief remarks.]
The President. See, this is a story that's repeated all throughout
the country. It's a family of five, and they wanted their own home. They
want a place to say, ``This is my home,'' a place where they raise their
kids, in their own home. And you had trouble with the downpayment--like,
you kind of looked at it, ``It might be a little too high for us.''
So what happened? You went to a HUD home program?
Ms. McElhaney. The Housing for Mesa was
able to set us up with a realtor and a lender, and they gave us
downpayment assistance to help us through that. And then they walked us
through every step of the program and explained all those contracts that
we had to sign that you were mentioning earlier.
The President. Slightly intimidating, aren't they?
Ms. McElhaney. Exactly, yes.
The President. It's what we call ``the fine print.'' [Laughter]
Ms. McElhaney. That's right.
The President. And they explained it all to you?
Ms. McElhaney. We had a counselor that
was assigned specifically to us. And she, even before we went to the
title agency to sign all the papers, she went over each of them with us,
because you can't read all of those in that short amount of time, and so
we knew what we were signing when we got there.
The President. See, that's a very important part of being a
homeowner, is you've got to help people understand what they're doing. I
mean, it's an intimidating process. For some, it might seem like a
natural process. But here's Emily. She was
slightly intimidated by the size of the contract, and a good soul
stepped up as a result of probably--I know Federal money helped,
probably State money as well--and provided a counseling service. Had the
counseling service not been there, in all likelihood--I'm not predicting
what you would have done, but I suspect you might not done it.
Ms. McElhaney. That's correct. We
wouldn't have.
The President. Is the counselor here? No.
Ms. McElhaney. Yes, she is.
The President. She is here? Where?
Ms. McElhaney. Edna McLaughlin is right
here.
The President. Well, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for doing that.
It must
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make you feel pretty good to know you've helped this family realize
their dreams.
Edna McLaughlin. Very good.
The President. Yes. She said, ``Very
good.'' [Laughter]
Monica Mims is with us. Hi, Monica.
Monica Mims. Hi.
The President. Hi. Do you own a home?
Ms. Mims. Yes, I do.
The President. How many have you had?
Ms. Mims. This is my first home.
The President. Tell us about yourself.
[Ms. Mims, first-time homebuyer, Mesa, AZ, made brief remarks.]
The President. The Section 8 housing program was a rental program,
and it was important to help people rent. But remember, we want people
owning. That's what we want. The more people that own their home, the
more carpenters are going to be working. But more importantly, the more
people that own their home, the more satisfaction there will be in
America, in the American experience.
And so they took the Section 8 program, and what she just told you was they helped her, through Section 8
money, get the credit necessary and the planning necessary and the
ability to buy her own place. Section 8 helped with the downpayment a
little bit too, didn't it?
Ms. Mims. Yes, they did. What they do is
every time you pay your rent, they set a little money aside for you in
an account. And that helped me with my downpayment. My downpayment was 3
percent. So as long as you also show that you can save your money, you
want to show that you can establish your credit, but you can also show
that you can save some money also. So my downpayment, it wasn't that
bad, but I was kind of nervous about it.
The President. Yes. The fine print get you, too?
Ms. Mims. The fine print got me. So I went
through a lot of classes, the first-time homebuyers class, through
Housing for Mesa. And I went through it twice so I could make sure I
understood. And they also get you prepared to know what you're going to
get yourself into, that you're going to have to pay your water and the
sewer and stuff like that, when you're not used to doing that when you
live in an apartment.
The President. Right. Practical lessons, maybe some help on
budgeting and understanding what it meant to budget.
Ms. Mims. That's correct.
The President. You know, I bet somebody is listening out there and
wonders whether or not he or she can buy a home. I bet there's somebody
saying, ``Gosh, I don't think a homeownership is--even though I want a
home, I'm not so sure I'm able to do so.'' I hope you hear the story of
Monica and Emily.
These are people that had a dream and found help and are now realizing
their dreams. It's the greatness of America, you know that?
Jorge is sitting here. He's got a family to
raise, gets a little extra help, making more money, got him a second
home, upgrading, family is better off.
What we want is we want this dream to be extended to every
neighborhood in America. We want people owning their own home. We want
people getting the skills necessary to make a living.
Doug, again, thanks for having us.
It's an honor to be here. Doug said, ``You look a little antsy. Are you
heading over to the ranch?'' [Laughter] I said, ``I'm not telling you,
but I'll be fishing tomorrow.'' [Laughter]
I'm honored to be here. God bless you all, and God bless America.
Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at 2:02 p.m. at the Carpenters Training
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Mike McCarron, executive
secretary treasurer, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters; Mayor
Phil Gordon of Phoenix, AZ; Jerry Bisgrove, founder, Stardust
Foundation; and Edna McLaughlin, director of education and counseling,
Housing for Mesa.
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