    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [July 17, 2004]
    [Pages 1363-1364]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    July 17, 2004

        Good morning. Every day in America, parents struggle to raise their
    children in a culture that too often glorifies instant gratification and
    irresponsible behavior. During this time of great change in our Nation,
    Government must stand with families to help them raise healthy,
    responsible children.
        Yesterday, the Federal Government released its annual report called
    ``America's Children in Brief.'' This report collects a broad range of
    statistics that tell us about the promises and challenges facing
    America's young people. The good news is, is that we have made
    significant progress during the past decade. Strong families and
    communities are instilling responsibility and character in our children,
    and we are seeing encouraging results.
        Violent crime among our teenagers has decreased dramatically. From
    1993 to 2002, the rate of teens committing violent crimes dropped 78
    percent, and the rate of teens becoming victims of violent crimes
    dropped 74 percent. Among our youth, smoking and illicit drug use have
    declined. Teen birth rates have fallen to the lowest levels ever
    recorded, with the greatest progress occurring among African American
    teenagers.
        Studies tell us that children raised in a household with married
    parents are far less likely to live in poverty, fail at school, or have
    behavioral problems. Fortunately, after a decades-long downward trend,
    the percentage of children living with married parents has remained
    steady since 1995. And through our proposed Healthy Marriages
    Initiative, my administration is committed to ensuring that more of our
    children grow up in a stable home with a married mother and father.
        We are headed in the right direction, but we still have work to do,
    so my administration is acting to encourage teens to make healthy
    choices. Although teen drug use has decreased, we can and must do more.
    We know that random drug testing in schools is effective, and it allows
    us to identify kids who need help. In my most recent budget, I proposed
    spending an additional $23 million for school drug testing. And although
    teen birth rates have declined, about 3 million of our teenagers
    contract sexually transmitted diseases each year. So we've requested a
    doubling of Federal funding for abstinence-only education programs. We
    have also requested $25 million for our Character Education Initiative.
    This program will encourage schools to develop curricula that promote
    good character and help children develop a sense of responsibility to
    their community. Today I urge the Congress to act on all these important
    initiatives.
        When parents, schools, and government work together, we can counter
    the negative influences in today's culture and send the right messages
    to our children. As yesterday's report shows, we are making progress in
    changing the culture of America from one that said, ``If it feels good,
    do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a
    culture in which each of us understands we are responsible for the
    decisions we make in life. The decisions our children make now will
    affect their health and character for the rest of their lives. And when
    they make the right choices,

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    they are preparing themselves to realize the bright future our Nation
    offers each of them.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:16 a.m. on July 16 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on July 17. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    July 16 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of
    the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this
    address.