    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [August 18, 2004]
    [Pages 1703-1721]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in a Discussion in Hudson, Wisconsin
    August 18, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Please be seated.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Thank you all. That's what I'm here to tell you. I'm
    ready to go. There's more work to be done. I'm here asking for 4 more
    years.
        Thank you all for coming. I think we've got a pretty interesting way
    to explain why I'm running for President again today. What I thought I
    would do is spend some time talking about some issues with some of your
    fellow citizens here, who will help explain why I make decisions the way
    I do. Then if we've got time, I'd like to answer some questions from
    you. Then I've got to go across the river----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. They vote too. [Laughter] I want to thank you all for
    coming. I really am out asking for the vote. I think it's really
    important to travel the States that are key States and ask people--and
    tell people why you're running. And that's what I'm doing today in your
    great State. You know, we came close last time in Wisconsin. This time
    we're going to win it.
        I want to thank you all for your help. Listen, I know there's some
    people here

    [[Page 1704]]

    who volunteer for the campaign, and I want--let me tell you what that
    means. It means signs. It means making phone calls. It means encouraging
    people to register to vote.
        You know, I like to tell people an interesting story about
    Afghanistan, and I'll talk about that a little more later on, but there
    was some doubt in people's minds as to whether or not, once free, the
    Afghan people would participate in democracy, particularly after the
    Taliban drug some people off one of the buses--women--off the buses and
    executed them because they happened to be holding voter registration
    cards. Today in that country, 3\1/2\ years after being brutalized by the
    Taliban, over 9 million people have registered to vote. See, they are--
    it's a great statistic, isn't it?
        We have a duty in this country to vote. So I hope you register your
    friends and neighbors. Tell them they have a duty to vote. And when you
    head them--get them headed toward the polls, tell them if they want the
    country safer, stronger, and better, put old George Bush and Dick
    Cheney back in.
        I'm sorry Laura is not here. Gosh, she would
    love this beautiful part of the world. She is in Colorado campaigning,
    and then she's headed to Texas. And after my speech tonight, I'm heading
    down to Crawford as well. But the reason I bring her up is she is--I'm a
    lucky man. She is a great mom. She's really a wonderful wife, and she's
    doing a great job as the First Lady. She has come to realize what I have
    realized, that simple gestures of kindness to people really can affect
    their lives in positive ways, that when we've been given this awesome
    responsibility and a high honor of serving our country, it really
    doesn't take much to help lift somebody's spirits. And Laura goes around
    the country talking to teachers and thanking them for teaching, and
    talking to people who are involved with literacy programs and thanking
    them for their literacy programs.
        I remember when she did the radio address and
    spoke to the women of Afghanistan. The feedback on that was fantastic.
    People were just so grateful that somebody in a high position in America
    would speak to their hopes and aspirations. Her job satisfaction level
    is high. I hope there's a lot of reasons you want to put me back in, but
    perhaps the most important one is so that Laura will be the First Lady
    for 4 more years.
        A couple of things. I want to thank my friend Mark Green, Congressman Mark Green, for traveling today. He's a good
    fellow. Thank you, Congressman. He's a good, smart, honest guy with whom
    I've got a great working relationship.
        I've also been traveling with Dale Schultz.
    He's going to make a fine United States Congressman. I appreciate him.
    He's working hard. He's knocking on a lot of doors, which is what you
    have to do if you're going to--if you intend on winning. I think he'll
    be a great Congressman.
        Mr. Mayor, thank you for coming. I'm proud
    you're here. Where are you? There he is. Mr. Mayor, thank you. Thanks
    for coming.
        You know, I said I want the country to be stronger and safer and
    better. Let me start with what it means to be a better country. A better
    country is a country that makes sure every child is educated. One of the
    reasons I'm running again is because there's more work to do to make
    sure that the philosophy behind No Child Left Behind is fully
    implemented. What that philosophy said was--is that we're going to
    challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. See, if you have a
    system that doesn't expect the best, it's a system that tends to quit on
    kids too early and just shuffles them through, grade to grade. And guess
    who gets shuffled through? These so-called hard-to-educate. And that's
    not good enough for America. And so what we did in Washington is we
    said, ``We'll spend more Federal dollars, and, in return for Federal
    dollars, we'll finally start asking the

    [[Page 1705]]

    question, have you achieved the goals?'' See, we'll start to measure.
    And the reason you measure is not to punish. The reason you measure is
    to correct problems early, before it's too late.
        And so the No Child Left Behind Act sets high expectations and high
    standards. It believes in local control of schools. It believes in
    empowering parents. But it also says, ``Let's measure to determine
    whether curriculum works, to determine whether or not our children are
    learning to read.'' And if not, let's correct the problem before it is
    too late. And we're making good progress. These test scores are
    beginning to rise. The achievement gap is beginning to close. And what
    I'm telling you is there's more work to do when it comes to the
    education. I want the high school diploma to mean something. We need to
    focus on math and science to make sure our youngsters have the skills
    necessary to compete in this world. I like to tell people we've--we're
    getting the job done when it comes to our schools. And by making our
    schools work, America will be a better place.
        I'll tell you what else will make America a better place. It's a
    place where those of us in Government understand the limitations of
    Government. See, money can hand out--Government hands out money, but it
    cannot put hope in a person's life. That happens when people who have
    been called to love a neighbor step up and put their arm around a lonely
    soul or somebody who hurts or somebody who needs compassion and says,
    ``What can I do? How can I help you?'' And so I'm running again to
    continue to rally the armies of compassion, to encourage people who want
    to love a neighbor like they'd like to be loved themselves to continue
    to do so. And equally as well is to open up Federal monies, Federal
    grants to faith-based organizations, people that are able to--
    [applause].
        One of the examples I like to use is, if somebody is addicted to
    drugs, sometimes a counselor can work. But a lot of times it requires a
    change of heart in order to change life. And the faith-based programs
    are those programs that are able to help a person change their heart, to
    get them less hooked on drugs or alcohol. And so there's a--part of my
    vision is for a better country. I want everybody in America to realize
    the great promise of this land.
        This is a fantastic country we have. And the values are--when I'm
    talking about changing America one heart and one soul at a time, I'm
    talking about Scout masters who take time to work with these kids to
    pass on good, solid values. I'm talking about people who go see a
    neighbor and a shut-in. See, we can change and will change America one
    heart at a time, one soul at a time. Listen, I recognize somebody can't
    do everything, but somebody can do something to help this country be a
    compassionate, hopeful place.
        I'm here to talk about making the country a stronger country. That
    starts with making sure our economy is strong. Listen, we want people
    working. That's what we want in America. And we've been through a lot.
    When you're out there campaigning and talking to people, remind them
    what we have been through as a country. We've been through a recession.
    That means we're going backwards. That means it's hard to find work. It
    means if you're a small-business owner, you're nervous about making
    payroll.
        And then we went through a terrorist attack. They estimated it cost
    us, after that attack, about a million jobs. It hurt when the enemy hit
    us. We also went through corporate scandals, which affected us. I mean,
    look, we're a country that depends upon honesty. I mean, when people--
    when you're an investor or when you're looking at balance sheets, you
    expect there to be good, honest numbers. And when we started to uncover
    the fact that some didn't tell the truth, it began to affect our
    confidence. It just did. We acted. I mean, it's real clear right now
    that if you are dishonest in the boardrooms of America,

    [[Page 1706]]

    there's going to be a consequence. But we've overcome these obstacles.
        And one of the reasons why I believe we overcame the obstacles is
    because of tax relief. I believe by cutting the taxes, it helped. And I
    want to thank the Congressman for his work on
    that. We did it, I think, the fair way. We said, ``If you pay taxes, you
    get relief.'' We raised the child credit to help people with children.
    We've mitigated the consequences of the marriage penalty. We believe
    that the Tax Code ought to encourage marriage, not discourage marriage.
        We helped our small businesses--we're going to talk to two
    entrepreneurs today about what the tax relief meant for their business.
    They can explain it better than I can. After all, they're the ones--
    they're the risktakers; they're the people who are on the frontline of
    when it comes to hiring people.
        Before we talk to them and talk to some others who are benefiting
    from the tax relief and have got some interesting things to talk about,
    I do want to talk about what else needs to be done. You know, there's
    concern about jobs going overseas. I share the concern. We want people
    working here. We want our jobs here. And the best way to do so is to
    make sure this is the best place to do business in the world. The best
    way to make sure jobs are here is, this is a place for risktakers, feel
    comfortable taking risk, and you're able to do so without getting sued
    right and left. So we need tort reform.
        And you know, I got to tell you, the plaintiff's attorneys are tough
    politically. But I believe it's the right thing to have a justice system
    that's fair, that you're not--that the legal system doesn't look like a
    lottery, but in fact, if somebody gets hurt, they've got their day in
    court. But if we keep having frivolous and junk lawsuits that threaten
    our employers, it's going to be hard to keep the job base active and
    alive here. So we need tort reform. We need less regulation.
        In order to make sure that our economy continues to grow and jobs
    stay here, we've got to have free and fair trade. Let me tell you about
    the trade issue and my point of view on that. Most Presidents believe
    that it's important to have our markets open for foreign goods. Why?
    Because if you're a consumer, the more goods you have to choose from,
    the more likely it is you're going to get better quality at a better
    price. That's how the market works. And so administrations from both
    parties said, ``Let's open up our markets for the good of consumers.''
    My attitude is, is that if we treat a country by opening our markets,
    they ought to treat us the same way. That's good trade policy. We open
    up our markets; you open up yours.
        And it's paying off. Our trade policy is paying off. Look at the
    agricultural sector here in America today. It's strong. You know why?
    Because our farmers can compete with anybody, anyplace, anywhere. All
    they needed was markets opened up to sell their products.
        We need an energy plan. If we want to have jobs here, you know,
    we've got to have energy. And right now, we're too dependent on foreign
    sources of energy. That's just the way it is. I submitted an energy plan
    to the United States Congress over 2 years ago. It was a plan that said
    we've got to diversify our energy supply, but we've got to be--and we've
    got to be wise about how we use the energy we have. We need clean coal
    technology to make sure we can use precious coal. We can explore in
    environmentally friendly ways. We need alternative sources of energy
    like ethanol and biodiesel. We need to be better at conservation. We
    need to promote technologies which change habits and uses, like
    hydrogen-driven automobiles. But for the sake of economic security and
    for the sake of national security, I need an energy plan on my desk to
    make us less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        Health care is obviously an issue that matters as to whether or not
    we can keep

    [[Page 1707]]

    jobs here at home. Listen, most people receive their health insurance
    through their jobs. And most--a lot of small businesses are having
    trouble affording health care. And what we need to do is allow small
    businesses to pool together so they can be able to purchase health care
    at the discounts that big businesses are able to do. It's prohibited now
    from doing that. It's called association health plans.
        You'll hear me talk about health savings accounts in a minute, as an
    innovative way for people to be able to make sure that the
    decisionmaking process is between them and their doctors, and it's a way
    to hold down costs. We've got somebody here who has actually used a
    health savings account that has worked. There are things we can do to
    help people who can't help themselves. My philosophy of government says
    government ought to help people who can't help themselves and help
    people help themselves. And part of helping people who can't help
    themselves is to expand community health centers so low-income people
    can get primary care in places other than emergency rooms in your
    hospitals.
        We delivered on a promise. As I said when I was campaigning, we'd
    modernize Medicare, and was able to get that through the Congress. The
    Medicare system was--is a really important system, but it was old and
    wasn't working that well. Think about this. We would pay for the heart
    surgery of a senior, and we wouldn't pay for the medication to prevent
    the heart disease in the first place. I didn't think that made much
    sense for the taxpayers and for the seniors. So I went to Congress and
    said, ``Well, look, let's do our duty. Let's kind of set aside all this
    bickering and why don't we focus on what's good for the seniors.''
        And I was proud to sign a Medicare reform bill that, first of all,
    provides drug discount cards for seniors. And if you're a senior here, I
    would strongly urge you to look into the drug discount cards for savings
    for your prescriptions. Secondly, in '05, we're now going to pay for
    screenings, preventative screenings, for the first time for our seniors,
    so we diagnose early, before it's too late. And in '06, a system will
    show up where seniors actually have choices. If you want to stay in the
    system as it is, you can do so, and you get prescription drug coverage.
    If you want choice in the marketplace, you're able to design the program
    that meets your needs. So in other words, we're doing good work when it
    comes to health care.
        And one thing I want to assure you, in all the discussion about
    health care, we're going to make sure that the doctor and patient are
    the decisionmakers, not bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
        I'll tell you a national issue that's an important issue when it
    comes to health care is medical liability reform. Green informed me that he had helped pass medical liability
    reform here in the State of Wisconsin. And it may not be nearly as big
    an issue here as it is elsewhere, but a lot of these lawsuits are
    driving docs out of business. I'm telling you, in State after State, one
    of the biggest complaints I hear from people is that, ``My doc is
    leaving the business,'' or ``His premiums are so high to stay in
    business, he's running up my cost.''
        Now, look, I don't think you can choose--I mean, I know you have to
    choose between patients and doctors and plaintiff's attorneys. You have
    to make a choice. You can't be for both. And my opponent made his choice, and he put him
    on the ticket. [Laughter] I made my choice. I'm for medical liability
    reform now, for the sake of affordable and available health care.
        Finally, let me talk about two quick things, and then we're going to
    talk to some of your fellow citizens here. One, education is really
    important for workers. If we want to keep jobs here in America, we
    better have a system that enables people to become retrained for the
    jobs which exist. That's why I'm a big backer of the community college
    system, and it's a system that's working. It's a system that is
    available and

    [[Page 1708]]

    affordable. They're everywhere, at reasonable price, and there's plenty
    of Government aid to help.
        So I travel the country a lot. And let me tell you an interesting
    story. I met a lady in Phoenix, Arizona, went to Mesa Community College.
    She had worked for 12 years as a graphic artist. She decided to go back
    to college, got a little help to do so, went back and got an associates
    degree. And her--in other words, she enhanced her skills. And her first
    job out of the community college paid more in her first year than she
    was making in her 12th year as a graphic artist. In other words, what
    education does is it makes you a more productive worker. And Government
    has got to encourage people to go back to community college by helping
    them to do so.
        And if we want to keep jobs here, we've got to train people for the
    jobs which actually exist. This is a changing world. The economy is
    changing. I was thinking about down in North Carolina where some of
    these textile plants have moved out because they couldn't compete, but
    the health care industry was strong. And so the compassionate thing to
    do is to help people who have lost their job gain the skills necessary
    to work in a field that is dynamic, and you make more money doing so.
        Now, finally, I want to talk about fiscal discipline and fiscal
    sanity in Washington, DC. In order to keep the job base expanding so
    people can find work here, we must not overspend your money. And we must
    keep your taxes down. See, running up the taxes right now will hurt our
    economy. And we'll talk to some people that--when we run up--if their
    taxes get--they're not going to get run up; the guy is not going to win. And so it's--but your fellow
    citizens ought to worry about somebody who is out there making promise
    after promise after promise, like over $2 trillion worth of new promises
    and not telling you how he's going to pay for it. You know, he says,
    ``Well, we can pay for it because we'll tax the rich.'' Well, we've
    heard that kind of language before. And you know what happens with this
    kind of tax-the-rich deal. That's why they've got accountants and
    lawyers. [Laughter] So the rich figure out ways not to pay, and you get
    stuck with the tab. That's not going to happen in 2004.
        Old Mike Shaver is with us. Where are you,
    Mike? Mike is a small-business owner. He owns Hudson Machine and Tool.
    Before you say something, Mike, I want to tell people how you're
    organized, if you don't mind. He is a Subchapter S corporation. You know
    what that means? He pays taxes at the individual income-tax rate. So
    when you hear somebody saying, ``Tax the rich,'' I want you thinking
    about small-business owners.
        Most of small businesses in America are Subchapter S corporations or
    sole proprietorships. They pay tax at the individual income-tax rate.
    Therefore, when we said, ``Let's cut taxes on everybody who pays
    taxes,'' we're also talking about small businesses. Seventy percent of
    new jobs in America are created by small businesses. And if you're
    worried about people find work--finding work, it makes sense to
    stimulate the small-business sector of our country.
        So here's a Subchapter S. All right, tell us about your company.
    Here's your chance. [Laughter]

    [At this point, Mike Shaver made brief remarks.]

        The President. How many did you hire? How many did you hire?
        Mike Shaver. We hired about half a dozen
    people, eight people, maybe.
        The President. Yes, that's it. Let me tell you something. He hires eight. Another vibrant small business hires eight,
    and all of a sudden, you got people working in America. That's what I'm
    talking about.
        Go ahead.
        Mr. Shaver. But what made it possible for us
    to hire these people is the policy that you put in place has enabled me
    to

    [[Page 1709]]

    purchase capital equipment, and if I purchase capital equipment, I have
    to have people to run it.
        The President. Let me tell you something. Part of the tax relief for
    small businesses was not just cutting the rates. We also incentivized
    people to buy equipment. In other words, if he bought equipment,
    he got a little extra help in the Tax Code.
        And so what did you buy?
        Mr. Shaver. We bought a horizontal machining
    center, and we added on to the building too.
        The President. See, buys a horizontal machining center. [Laughter]
    But somebody had to make it, right? [Laughter] You see, we give--
    he makes a decision because the Tax Code said,
    you know, ``It's in your interest if you do,'' which was to buy a
    machine. And somebody had to make the machine. And so what he just told
    you was, by buying a machine, it enabled him to hire two people. And by
    buying the machine, it also made the machine manufacturer more likely to
    either keep an employee or add one to help meet his demand. I think
    that's the way it works, don't you?
        Mr. Shaver. That is correct.
        The President. Yes, I understand it. Tell me about--he's got an interesting idea. First of all, are you planning
    on investing again?
        Mr. Shaver. Yes, we've already--I've bought
    a--we spent about $150,000 this year so far on a new truck and a
    vertical machining center.
        The President. You got the horizontal machining center--[laughter].
    Education is really important. [Laughter]
        Tell me about your--you got an interesting idea. See, one of the
    things that's important about having a vibrant small-business sector is
    that there's some really great ideas that happen through these
    entrepreneurs.
        And so tell me about your apprenticeship program.

    [Mr. Shaver made further remarks.]

        The President. See, job training takes place in community colleges;
    job training takes place on the floors of small businesses. It's really
    important to make sure the small-business sector of the country is
    dynamic. The role of a Government is not to create wealth. The role of
    Government is to create an environment in which people like Mike
    Shaver feel comfortable about expanding the job
    base of America.
        And I want to thank you for coming.
        Mr. Shaver. Thank you very much.
        The President. Appreciate you.
        Doug Richardson is with us.
        Doug Richardson. Right here, Mr.
    President.
        The President. Yes, you're the same guy
    I met recently. [Laughter] He is the co-owner--you know, one of the
    things I love to talk about is ownership in America. I love it when guys
    like Mike and Doug own their own business. I love the idea of more
    people owning their own home. Do you realize that homeownership rates in
    America are at an alltime high? Isn't it wonderful to think about a
    country where more people own something. They open up their front door
    and say, ``Welcome to my home.'' This guy Doug Richardson is co-owner,
    which is--I love the ring--he's an entrepreneur.
        Tell us what you do.
        Mr. Richardson. You stand up too.
        The President. He's the other owner?
        Mr. Richardson. The other owner is here
    too, Tim McCormick.
        The President. Well, we've got you here because you're better
    looking. But anyway--[laughter]--let me tell you, Dick Cheney is not the prettiest guy in the race. [Laughter] Of
    course, I didn't pick him because of his looks. I picked him because he
    can do the job. He probably picked you
    because you're a great co-owner. [Laughter]
    God, I hope he's still for me. Anyway--[laughter]. Sorry, Doug, I didn't
    mean to dis your guy here.

    [[Page 1710]]

        Mr. Richardson. That's okay. I do it all
    the time. [Laughter]
        The President. What do both of you do?
        Mr. Richardson. Well, you talk about
    risk. We bought Parco Manufacturing, which--we manufacture vinyl windows
    and patio doors. Talk about increasing business, I'm sure a number of
    you are in need of windows around here.
        The President. This guy is a marketing
    genius. [Laughter] Except, you need to look over there for the cameras;
    it's a much bigger crowd.

    [Mr. Richardson made brief remarks.]

        The President. Are you investing at all?
        Mr. Richardson. We invested about
    170,000 in equipment over the last 2 years----
        The President. Horizontal or vertical? [Laughter]
        Mr. Richardson. Neither.
        The President. Yes, that's good. What do you buy, seriously?
        Mr. Richardson. We buy delivery trucks.
        The President. Good.
        Mr. Richardson. We buy manufacturing
    equipment to build our windows. And we've also invested a half-million
    dollars into property and another factory.
        The President. Great, congratulations. Classic small business: two
    guys, two buddies,
    said, ``Let's get after it.'' They take a risk. That's part of how the
    economy works; they're willing to take risk. And because they're
    dreamers and doers, people are working. And the role of Government is to
    encourage through good tax policy. We don't need to be running up the
    taxes. Look, let me remind you all, when you hear, ``Tax the rich--oh,
    don't worry, we're just going to raise the top rates,'' it's going to
    affect the entrepreneurial class of America because most small
    businesses are Subchapter S corporations. We need to keep the taxes low
    on the small businesses of America, in order for them to feel
    comfortable about expanding the job base.
        Thank you. Good job. I appreciate you coming.
        Roger Ripplinger is with us. Hey, Rog,
    how are you?
        Roger Ripplinger. Doing great.
        The President. Good. Well, me too. He is a--what do you do?
        Mr. Ripplinger. I hire people.
        The President. Yes, my kind of guy. Get after it, will you?
    [Laughter]

    [Mr. Ripplinger made brief remarks.]

        The President. Yes, good. In other words, you're good at what you
    do. They hired you. Did you make any more money?
        Mr. Ripplinger. I make a lot more
    money.
        The President. Yes, see, what's happening is, is that, you know,
    it's an interesting world we're in--people are changing jobs, and that's
    a little unsettling. But if you're able to upgrade your skills or be
    good at what you do, a lot of times when people change jobs, they can
    make more money.
        Now, one of the things that--let's see, you got a little tax relief.
    How much? Got to turn on his mike. I'll say
    that. He got a lot, he said. I'll be your interpreter. [Laughter]
        Mr. Ripplinger. We got a check last
    July. And it was just in time--there we go--and it was just in time for
    back to school shopping, when all the sales hit, so we could even
    stretch it even farther. It was wonderful.
        The President. He saved about $2,400 in
    his taxes last year. That's a lot of money for a family. And it's--you
    see, my philosophy--thank you, Rog--my philosophy is that Government
    meets priorities; once it meets its priorities, then the people can
    spend their money better than Government can. And I want Roger having
    that 2,400 in his pocket, because it helps the economy grow.
        Did you do anything with it?
        Mr. Ripplinger. Yes, we actually--we
    invested some.
        The President. Good. That's a good thing.

    [[Page 1711]]

        Mr. Ripplinger. Yes, and we bought a
    new vehicle.
        The President. That means there's more capital, by the way,
    available for people when they go out an buy horizontal machines.
    [Laughter] That's how the economy works. When he says ``investing,''
    it's part of saving. Go ahead.
        Mr. Ripplinger. And we bought a new
    vehicle as well.
        The President. Good, yes, well, somebody had to sell it to you. And
    then somebody had to make it. By the way, parts of the tax relief
    package expire. See, the tax relief was not permanent--a permanent
    fixture. They said, ``We'll give you tax relief for a while.'' And the
    child credit goes down to $700 a child this year if Congress doesn't
    act. The marriage penalty goes up if Congress doesn't act. The 10-
    percent bracket is affected if Congress doesn't act. This guy will pay
    $1,100 more in taxes if Congress doesn't act. So when you hear me going
    around the country saying, ``Let's keep the tax cuts permanent,'' that's
    what I'm talking about, not taking money out of his pocket.
        All right, Rog, thanks for coming.
        We got the Garzas
    with us. There they are. Oh, yes. Who you got with you?
        Jesse Garza. This is Page.
        The President. Page.
        Mr. Garza. Say, ``Hi, Mr. President.''
        The President. Yes, I know how you feel sometimes. [Laughter] Thanks
    for coming. Kate and Jesse are workers--both of them in the workplace?
        Mr. Garza. My wife is a hospice social
    worker here in----
        The President. Thanks. Thanks for doing that.
        Mr. Garza. Yes, no problem.
        The President. No, I'm talking to her.
    [Laughter] Thanks for doing that--we'll try it again.
        Kate Garza. My husband works for his family
    business and manages that.
        The President. Great. The reason I've asked them to come is to talk about tax
    relief again. See, oftentimes in the course of the discussion about tax
    relief, we talk numbers. And people seem to forget--particularly in
    Washington--that tax relief affects people's lives in incredibly
    positive ways. How much relief did you get, 1,200? Yes. Isn't that
    right?
        Mr. Garza. Yes, we did.
        The President. And this year about $1,700, they tell me?
        Mr. Garza. I hope so.
        The President. She wants to talk.
        Page Garza. Hi, Mr. President.
        The President. There you go. [Laughter] All education begins at
    home, by the way.
        So what has it meant for you, tax relief? Explain. Here's your
    chance to tell people who say, ``Oh, tax relief only benefited certain
    people.''

    [Mr. Garza made brief remarks.]

        The President. Oh, fantastic. See, it helps people. It helps them
    with their lives. They improved their home because they've got another
    child coming. Tax relief helps families in tangible ways, and Congress
    needs to make it permanent. We don't need to be taking money out of the
    pockets of our small businesses and the working people here in America.
        Mr. Garza. Mr. President----
        The President.  Yes. Go ahead.
        Mr. Garza. If you want to help our family
    and the families out here, just do one thing: Win.
        The President. Thank you, sir. I intend to.
    Thank you all. Thanks for coming.
        Finally, we've got Kris Walker with us.
    There he is.
        Kris Walker. Mr. President.
        The President. Yes. I'm George Walker Bush. He's old, just plain Kris Walker. [Laughter] Cousin.
        Mr. Walker. Right on.
        The President. Kris has done something; he's
    bought a health savings account. I've asked him to come because I want
    him to explain what it means. It's an interesting way for people to take
    care of their own health care needs. It's a very interesting

    [[Page 1712]]

    concept, by the way, for small-business owners who are struggling with
    affordable health care.
        Go ahead and tell us what it is.

    [Mr. Walker made brief remarks.]

        The President. Now, let me tell you what that is. Here's the way it
    works. He goes out and buys a high deductible,
    catastrophic plan, which means that after the deductible, insurance
    takes care of the health care needs. And then the health savings account
    says you've got your high deductible and then you can contribute, tax-
    free, to cover from zero to the limits of your deductible--tax-free. And
    the money stays in your account and earns interest, tax-free. And you
    can take the money out, tax-free. And so in other words, it is an
    incentive program that he has used, and it is $700 a month less
    expensive.
        Mr. Walker. [Inaudible]--dollars less. And
    for me, it's a great thing, and I think for the 35 million Americans
    that are uninsured, it's a fabulous way to be insured. And for small
    business, it's a great way to be competitive in the market.
        The President. Yes, it really is. I appreciate you saying that.
    What's really interesting about this plan, by the way, is that it's--you
    see your own money. See, you put your own money in, tax-free. It's your
    money. You can save it over time if you don't spend it, obviously, and
    therefore, it provides an incentive to make better choices about health
    care needs. And all of a sudden, Kris starts
    saying, ``Well, you know, I may not need this''--doc says you think you
    need it--``I may not need it.'' In other words, he is directly involved
    with the pricing and purchasing of health care, which I think is a vital
    component to make sure that health care decisions are aligned properly
    and that a health care market begins to adjust to consumer demand. And
    that's really what health savings accounts do. I really want to thank
    you for sharing with us his idea.
        By the way, he got tax relief, and he got a
    tax relief big enough to make the cash contribution equal to his
    deductible. So in other words, it's--smart guy. I appreciate you sharing
    that with us.
        Mr. Walker. Thanks for having me. Good luck
    in '04.
        The President. Yes, thank you, sir. I
    appreciate you coming.
        Listen, I want to thank you all for coming. I hope you found this to
    be an innovative way to talk about how to keep the country stronger. Let
    me talk about how to keep it safer.
        I tell people that if this country shows weakness and uncertainty in
    this decade, the world will drift to tragedy. It's not going to happen
    on my watch. Our country changed on September the 11th. Our whole
    perspective about security and peace must change with the lessons of
    September the 11th. Let me share some of the things I've learned as the
    President.
        First, we face an enemy that is--that has no conscience. They are--
    they'll cut off a head just like that and not care. They will take
    innocent life in order to achieve a dark vision. That's the reality of
    these people. That's why I tell people you cannot negotiate with them.
    You cannot hope for the best with them. In order to secure our country,
    we must stay on the offense and bring them to justice, defeat them
    elsewhere so we do not have to face them here at home.
        That is the reality of the world we live in today, and it's a stark
    reality, but it's necessary. It's a reality that is in the forefront of
    my thinking. The Government has a solemn duty to protect us, and so when
    you hear talk about staying on the offense, that's why. And we're making
    progress. We're dismantling the Al Qaida network. And it's a hard work.
        It's a different--I see some great vets here with us today. This is
    a different kind of war that we're in. It is a--[applause]. Thanks for
    coming, men. But it is a different kind of war than you're used to.

    [[Page 1713]]

    It's a war where there is a patient, ruthless enemy that hides and waits
    for countries to lower their guard and then strikes. And they're trying
    to intimidate us. This is really--the war on terror is an interesting
    way to describe the world in which we live. It's really a battle and a
    struggle against ideological extremists who have hijacked a great
    religion and used terror as a weapon to intimidate people of good heart
    and good soul and good conscience. I clearly see the task at hand.
        Secondly, in this new kind of war, we must not only deal with the
    terrorists; we must send clear signals to those who would harbor
    terrorists. See, we've got to disrupt their capacity to find safe haven.
    And when an American President speaks, he better speak clearly and mean
    what he says. If a President sends mixed signals, the world will drift
    toward tragedy.
        And so I said to the Taliban, ``Give them up, or face serious
    consequences.'' ``Give them up'' meant give up Al Qaida. They defied.
    They said, ``America really doesn't mean what it says.'' But I did. And
    so we put together a coalition, and we routed the Taliban. We upheld the
    doctrine. We said--[applause]. And the world is better for it. America
    is safer as a result of our action.
        I told you about the people showing up to vote in Afghanistan. It is
    amazing to me, at least, to think that 3\1/2\ years ago, the Taliban,
    these unbelievably barbaric people, by the way, were running the
    country. They would take a woman out in the public square and whip her
    because they didn't think she conformed to their dark view of the world.
    If you dared speak out, if you dared exercise your religion in a way you
    were comfortable with, you were punished. And now they're headed toward
    a democracy. People are showing up to vote. The world is more peaceful
    as a result, and Afghanistan is an ally. They're an ally in the war on
    terror.
        You know, I was in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago, and I was there
    to kick off the International Children's Games. And right there to my
    right as I stood up to say welcome to America, was the Afghan girls
    soccer team. It was amazing. It was a very emotional moment for me. I
    was so proud of our country that, in acting in our own self-interest, we
    acted in the interests of those young girls, who would not have been in
    our great country to play soccer had it not been for our willingness to
    uphold doctrine, to defend our security, and to liberate people.
        Another lesson of September the 11th which is a vital lesson, and
    it's a lesson that's very important for our security, is that we must
    take threats seriously, before they fully materialize. See, I'm
    confident no--very few Americans would have ever felt that a President
    would have needed to stand up and say that, except September the 11th
    came. We used to think oceans could protect us. If we saw a threat
    overseas, we could say, ``Gosh, well, there's a threat. We may have to
    deal with it, may not have to deal with it, but it's unlikely to cause
    us any harm.'' That's what happened on September the 11th--we no long
    have that luxury of thinking our security is afforded by protection from
    oceans.
        And so I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein.
    I looked at his history. He had used weapons of mass destruction. He had
    the capability of making weapons of mass destruction. He harbored
    terrorists. Remember Abu Nidal? He's the guy that killed Leon
    Klinghoffer. His organization was harbored there in Iraq.
    Zarqawi, we knew, was in and out. He's
    the guy who beheads people now and brags about it on Arab TV, trying to
    intimidate us. He was in and out of Iraq. He funded families of
    suiciders. That's an unconscionable act, and yet this guy said, ``We'll
    provide a little financial incentive for you.'' He killed thousands of
    his own people. He's a dangerous man.
        And remembering the lessons of September the 11th, I went to the
    United Nations and the Congress. I said to the Congress, I said, ``Look,
    he's a threat. The

    [[Page 1714]]

    intelligence shows he's a threat. His history shows he's a threat. And
    we've got to remember the world we live in.'' And the Congress
    responded. Members of both political parties looked at the same
    intelligence and data and came to the conclusion I came to. By far, the
    vast majority of Members of the Senate and the House--including my
    opponent, by the way--looked at the same
    intelligence and said, ``Saddam Hussein was a threat.''
        I then went to the United Nations, and I did for a reason--one, I
    want that organization to be effective. And so I basically said, ``Look,
    you can either be an empty debating society or an effective
    international organization. When you say something, you mean it.'' And
    secondly, they had said year after year after year, resolution after
    resolution after resolution, ``You're a problem, and we'll deal with
    you,'' and they never did, which, in my judgment, emboldens a tyrant. It
    certainly didn't frighten the tyrant.
        So I went to the United Nations and said, ``Look, this is a
    different era. The world changed. We see a threat. Do you?'' And in a 15
    to nothing vote in the United Nations Security Council, they said,
    ``Saddam is a threat. Disclose, disarm, or
    face serious consequences.'' That is what the free world said.
        And so we--but as he had for decades--a decade, Saddam
    Hussein defied the demands. He wasn't about
    to listen to the demands of the free world. As a matter of fact, we
    agreed to inspectors. We thought they would be a good thing.
        Let me say something. Let me step back. The reason I thought
    diplomacy was important and the inspectors were important is because the
    use of military is the last option of the President. It's serious
    business when the President puts people into harm's way. It is the
    toughest decision a Commander in Chief can make, to say to moms and dads
    and husbands and wives, ``I believe it's necessary for your loved one to
    defend our security.'' And so I was hoping that we could solve this
    diplomatically and peacefully.
        You know, he deceived the inspectors. So
    I'm confronted with a choice at this point. Having tried diplomacy,
    working with the United States Congress, and seeing the deception taking
    place, do I forget the lessons of September the 11th and trust the word
    of this madman and hope for the best, or do I take action to defend the
    country? I will tell you, given that choice, I will defend America every
    time. [Applause] Thank you. A couple of other points I want to make.
    [Applause] Thanks. Thanks a lot. I appreciate that.
        You know, we didn't find the stockpiles with thought we would find,
    but I want to remind you, he had the
    capability of making weapons. And had he once again defied the world, he
    would have made them. And having that capability, it also gave him the
    opportunity to pass them on to an enemy. It's a risk we just simply
    couldn't take. Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same
    decision. I firmly believe America and the world are safer with Saddam
    Hussein sitting in a prison cell.
        Let me talk about three more points, then I'll answer some questions
    if we have time. Sometimes I can get a little windy. [Laughter]
        We put together a vast coalition, nearly 40 countries in Afghanistan
    and nearly 30 in Iraq. And it's important we work with others in this
    war on terror because you've got to share intelligence, and you've got
    to work to cut off money. And when we find a threat, it's important to
    be able to pick up the phone and call a friend like Great Britain and
    say, ``Pick this person up, please,'' because--``and here's the
    evidence.'' In other words, there's got to be a collaborative effort.
    And we are. And we're working closely with countries around the world.
    I'll continue to work on this coalition when I'm your President for 4
    more years. But I will never turn over our

    [[Page 1715]]

    security--national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        I'm proud of the coalition we've put together. And it's very
    important for those of us with the microphones to be singing the praises
    of the coalition partners and thanking the moms and dads from Great
    Britain, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Poland, from all around the world,
    for the same contributions that the families of our troops have made.
        And speaking about our troops, I made a pledge to those who wear the
    uniform and their loved ones: They'll have all the support that we can
    give them from the Federal Government. And we met that duty. I don't
    know if you know this, but military pay is up by 21 percent since I've
    been the President. Housing is better for those who--for the loved ones
    of those who wear the uniform. We're transforming our military, which is
    important.
        You know, we were configured--our troops deployments were configured
    for the cold war. We were configured to fight an enemy that no longer
    exists. The Soviet Union doesn't exist, and yet we had troops stationed
    around Europe, for example, with the equipment necessary to take on the
    Soviet Union. That's why at the VFW the other day, I said, ``Wait a
    minute. Let's be smart about how we deploy our troops. Equipment has
    changed since the Soviet era. We can replace tanks with Stryker Brigades
    and achieve the same objective. We don't need as many troops stationed
    overseas anymore because the Soviet era is no longer a threat.''
        When you can replace land troops with more effective aircraft, it
    means people are stationed at home, that they can be deployed rapidly,
    and it means less unsettling times for our troops, less rotations, less
    pressure on the system, plus taxpayer savings. We're doing wise things
    with our military. We're funding the military and we're transforming the
    military to meet the threats of a new era. And it's important for the
    Commander in Chief to see clearly how best to align our military to keep
    the peace.
        When it came to funding our troops, we have a difference of opinion
    in this campaign. I put a supplemental up to the Congress in September
    of last year. It was money for body armor and spare parts, ammunition,
    and fuel, that which is necessary when you've got people in combat in
    both Afghanistan and Iraq. And I want to thank the members of both
    political parties for their strong bipartisan support. We had great
    bipartisan support, so much so that only 12 United States Senators voted
    against it, 2 of whom are my opponent and his
    runningmate. It's an issue in this campaign.
    He--when pressed, my opponent said, you know, ``I actually did vote for
    the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' It's kind of an
    interesting explanation. People around here are plain talkers. And then
    he went on, when pressed, to say, ``Well, gosh, it was''--you know, ``I
    did the right thing,'' or he's proud of his vote, I think he said, and
    then said, ``It's a complicated matter.'' Now, there's nothing
    complicated about providing for our troops in combat. I will continue to
    be a Commander in Chief who supports our troops.
        Two quick points. One, the goal in Iraq and Afghanistan is for there
    to be democratic and free countries who are allies in the war on terror.
    That's the goal. We will meet that goal by providing security so that
    their political processes can work. There will be Presidential elections
    this fall in Afghanistan. There will be elections in Iraq. There are two
    leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq who believe in the aspirations of their people. These
    are people who are committed to democracy. It's--we will stay there to
    get the job done.
        It's--the Iraqis--it's tough to go from tyranny to freedom. You can
    imagine a society in which, if you stepped out of line, you were either
    done in or tortured. And so people in Iraq are watching us carefully.
    They wonder whether or not America is going to honor its word. That's
    why the

    [[Page 1716]]

    other day I took exception when my opponent said,
    if he's elected, we'll substantially reduce the troops in 6 months. He
    shouldn't have said that. See, it sends a mixed signal to the enemy, for
    starters, so the enemy hangs around for 6 months and 1 day. It sends a
    mixed signal to our own troops, and it says something to the Iraqis. It
    says, maybe America isn't going to keep its word. It's vital when we say
    something to the Iraqi people, we keep our word, so that they begin to
    take risk toward a free society. They want to be free--they want to be
    free.
        And so what the strategy is, to stay there as long as it takes to
    get the job done and not one day longer. That's the message I send to
    the people of Iraq and our troops and the enemy.
        And you'll see an Afghan army grow up, and you'll see an Iraqi
    police force and army grow up to take care of those who want to stop the
    advance of freedom, and that's really what we're talking about.
        Just real quick, I believe freedom changes societies, and I believe
    a free society is a peaceful society. And therefore, it is in our
    national interests to promote a liberty in a part of the world that is
    full of hatred and resentment and intolerance.
        I talk about a dinner I had with Prime Minister Koizumi, and I think I talked about that today with some
    people on Air Force One, if I'm not mistaken. And anyway, so I'm having
    dinner with Koizumi, and we're talking about North Korea. See, I made
    the decision that no longer can we convince Kim Chong-il to disarm if it's only the United States talking to the
    North Koreans. I felt it was important to bring other countries into the
    mix, like China and Japan and South Korea and Russia, so there's now
    five countries saying to the tyrant in North Korea, ``Disarm--disarm.''
        And so I'm talking to Prime Minister Koizumi about that. Really what I'm talking about is how to
    keep the peace, how to use U.S. influence and Japanese influence, in
    this case, to keep the peace. He's the Prime Minister of a country that
    my dad went to war with. It's amazing,
    isn't it, that, gosh, half a century later, after a young Navy pilot--
    and I'm sure your dads or granddads might have fought in the same
    theater--we're back talking peace with a former enemy. You know why?
    Because after World War II, my predecessor and others believed that
    liberty had the capacity to transform an enemy into a peaceful partner,
    and that's what happened.
        There were some doubters and skeptics. ``The reconstruction effort
    wasn't going well,'' or, ``It was too tough over there, and maybe, maybe
    the Japanese don't have the capacity to self-govern.'' But somebody that
    served in Government had great faith in liberty and didn't abandon the
    concept that we hold dear. And here I am, sitting down with the Prime
    Minister of Japan talking about the peace.
    Someday, when we complete our job in Iraq, an American President is
    going to be having dinner with an elected leader from Iraq talking about
    peace, and the world will be better for it.
        I want to talk--just real quick, a story, and then I'll be glad to
    answer your questions. Let me say also, when I say liberty, by serving
    the cause of liberty, I tell people, serves our security interests. It
    also serves something which I believe is part of the American soul.
    Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty
    God's gift to each man and woman in this world. We believe that in
    America. I think it's one of the most noble aspects of our national
    character, is that we believe in human dignity, no matter the religion
    of the person.
        Let me tell you an interesting story, and then I promise to answer
    some questions. [Laughter] If Laura were here,
    she'd be giving me the hook. [Laughter] That's the way it is. [Laughter]
        Anyway, the Oval Office door opens up and in walks seven men from
    Iraq, all of whom had had their right hands cut off

    [[Page 1717]]

    by Saddam Hussein. They had been to Houston,
    Texas, where a newscaster had--a quite famous
    newscaster--had raised money and set up a foundation to help people. He
    saw their story through a documentary, and he flew them to Houston to
    get new hands. So these guys come walking in the Oval Office--I mean, it
    was a powerful moment. The Oval Office is a--it's a shrine to democracy,
    and it tends to take everybody's breath away who walks in--except Mother's--[laughter]--who is still telling me what to
    do. [Laughter] And I'm listening--about half the time. [Laughter]
        Anyway, so these guys walk in, you know, and I was emotional. They
    were emotional. And I said, ``Why you?'' He said, ``The Saddam dinar had devalued and''--he was a merchant, a small-
    business man; I don't know if he was a Subchapter S corporation or not,
    but he was a small-business man. And he had sold dinars on a particular
    day to buy another currency, euros or dollars, so he could buy gold to
    manufacture his product. And because the Iraqi* dinar had devalued,
    Saddam Hussein plucked this guy out of society to punish him and six
    other small merchants, for the devaluation of their currency. He just
    summarily said, ``You're it, come here,'' and cut his hand off.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        *White House correction.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Isn't it an amazing contrast, to think of a country that was ruled
    by a tyrant who just said, ``We'll cut the
    hands off of people to make me look better,'' and a country that has got
    a compassionate individual who is willing to
    pay for their way to America to get a new hand? That's what we're
    talking about. It's such a stark, vivid contrast about a country that is
    compassionate and strong and decent and noble and a country run by a
    tyrant, where seven poor individuals had their lives severely affected
    until rescued by an American.
        The guy takes a Sharpie. He holds the pen, and he writes ``God Bless
    America'' in Arabic. It was a powerful moment in my Presidency. I told
    him, I said, ``Welcome to the Oval Office.'' I said, ``I want you to
    understand that the Office of President is bigger than the individual,
    and when you have a free society in Iraq and have the institutions
    bigger than the people, no longer will a thug be able to summarily
    affect your life the way Saddam Hussein
    did.'' He said, ``Thank God for America.'' He said, ``You're my
    liberator.'' I said, ``No, I want you to walk out and look in the
    camera, and I want you to thank the moms and dads of our service people
    and the taxpayers of America for liberating you and making you free.''
        These are historic times--these are historic times. I'm asking for 4
    more years to spread freedom and peace.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Let me answer some questions right quick.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. You can chant that, or I'll answer questions.
    [Laughter] Yes, sir. Sit down, please. First of all, great color shirt.
    [Laughter] Go ahead and yell it. If I don't like it, I'll just change
    the question. [Laughter]

    Praying for the President

        Q. On behalf of all--thank you and God bless you. We're praying for
    you.
        The President. Thank you. He said he's praying for me. I appreciate
    that. Thanks. And by the way, I appreciate the prayers. It's an amazing
    country, where people pray for me. It really is. It's great. Thank you.
        Go ahead. Do you have a question?

    The President and Labor Unions

        Q. Yes. Being that Wisconsin and Minnesota are swing States and----
        The President. Minnesota and Wisconsin are swing States, I agree
    with that.
        Q. Thankfully, I believe, because of talk radio.
        The President. Yes.

    [[Page 1718]]

        Q. But in addition to that, they're also big union States.
        The President. Sure, union States.
        Q. Being in a union----
        The President. You're a union member. Good, see, I'm interpreting
    faithfully. [Laughter]
        Q. But being a union member, I have had a lot of feedback that
    you're not 100 percent for unions, and I'd like you----
        The President. Yes, he said--the question is, do I like unions?
        Q. Well, that's one of--yes, that is the question.
        The President. I respect everybody's right to unionize if they so
    choose. But let me tell you what's equally important. When you cut
    taxes, you cut taxes on people whether they're in a union or not. Your
    union members have got more money in their pocket, thanks to what I did.
    This wasn't a union-nonunion tax cut. This was a tax cut for everybody.
    And when you're securing America, you're securing it not only for union
    people but nonunion people. But go ahead. You tell your workers I
    respect unions, and I respect the people who work for unions.
        Yesterday I was in Ridley, Pennsylvania, at a Boeing plant, a
    unionized plant, was warmly received on the shop floor by union workers.
    Go ahead. This is kind of like a dialog, you know. [Laughter]
        Q. They believe the reason why is because of your views or your
    regulations on immigration, and I----

     Immigration Policy

        The President. Yes. He's asking my views on immigration. Thanks.
    Here's what I believe. I believe that we have a policy today that is not
    working, and my responsibility is to address problems. We have a
    situation where we've got willing employers who can't find workers here
    in America to fill jobs, who are looking for people who are coming
    across the border. Talk to some of your farm workers--they know what I'm
    talking about--or your--people--meatpackers. I mean, there's a lot of
    workers--lot of employers who can't find workers. Interestingly enough,
    there's a lot of people who want to improve themselves, and so they're
    willing to walk miles to work. And so I believe a good policy is for a
    willing employer, who can't find a U.S. citizen to fill the job, to be
    able to look in a legal fashion for somebody who's willing to fill the
    job.
        I think that's an important part of keeping the economy growing. I
    also know it's an important part of being a compassionate America. I
    mean, why would you want to have a system where the employer is illegal,
    the worker is illegal, and if the worker gets harmed, he or she is
    fearful of bringing a complaint, for fear of not being able to fulfill
    their function.
        Look, I was the Governor of the great State of Texas. We had a--
    [applause]--thank you, ma'am. We had a--there you go. We had a--we
    obviously had an issue with this. There's moms and dads who live in
    Mexico who feel an obligation to work to feed their kids, and if they
    can make $5 in America as opposed to 50 cents in Mexico, they're going
    to come. And so, therefore, in order to, in my judgment, to better
    enforce our borders, which we must do, we need a temporary-worker
    program that says to people--again, I repeat, if you can't find a
    worker, let's have it legal so you can find somebody to do the job.
        Now, this will enable somebody to go back and forth to their
    country. There will be a--you know, looking forward to working with
    Congress on limiting this. This doesn't mean automatic citizenship. I
    don't think you ought to penalize people who have been waiting in line
    for citizenship with somebody who has got a temporary-worker card. But I
    think the system needs to be changed, and that's what you can tell your
    union buddies, that this is a system that says we can't--if you can't
    find a worker, then you ought to be able to legally be able to hire
    somebody who's willing to do the job.

    [[Page 1719]]

        Let me also tell you something. One reason I'm for trade in our
    neighborhood is because I know ultimately the way to keep pressure off
    our borders is for people to be able to find work close to home, that
    people want to be able to work close to home. You got to understand,
    moms and dads in Mexico have the same desire as moms and dads here to
    put food on the table for their families. And if they can find work at
    home, it's going to take the pressure of our borders. And the best way
    to do so is to have free and fair trade in our neighborhood as well.
        Yes, sir.

    Culture of Life

        Q. Could you tell us how you intend to cultivate what you call the
    ``culture of life'' in America?
        The President. He wants to know about culture of life. Well, culture
    of life says that, Mr. President, sign the partial-birth abortion bill,
    in order to discourage the brutal practice of partial-birth. Encouraging
    a culture of life is to encourage parental notification laws.
    Encouraging a culture of life is to say that if a pregnant mom is
    killed, that that person who killed that mom is also equally culpable
    for the death of their child. In other words, it's to pass reasonable
    laws that begin to say to people, life matters in America.
        Now, cultures change slowly, and this is still a very--it's a very
    heartfelt debate on behalf of--in the political process, on the abortion
    issue. And my attitude is, is that I'll sign laws that begin to change
    people's perception of life and, at the same time, speak out for a
    culture of life, because I think a culture of--a society that embraces a
    culture of life is a much more hospitable, generous, and compassionate
    society. [Applause] Thank you.
        Yes, what you got? The mike holder has got a question.

    Drug Use/Faith-Based and Community Initiative

        Q. What I would like to ask----
        The President. Here I'm standing by the speaker. Kind of blew me----
        Q. Well, first of all, is that I agree with this gentleman. I'm glad
    that we're all praying for you.
        The President. Thank you.
        Q. I'm a local youth minister, recently hired. And one of the
    things--two of the things we've talked about today are enemies and
    freedom. And I believe that the enemy that we need the greatest freedom
    from right now happens to be Satan, and it's the enemy that we also
    don't necessarily always see. There's so many people who are being
    attacked on every level. A lot of those people are youth that are in our
    middle schools and our high schools. And I was just wondering how we can
    do more for faith-based initiatives for children, before they're drug
    addicts?
        The President. Yes. I appreciate you saying that. Look, well, first
    of all, it's for me to call upon people such as yourself to interface
    with children early, before it's too late. You answered the question by
    your actions. But in terms of reducing demand for drug--you ask a
    specific issue on drug use, for example. We've got a collaborative
    effort with faith-based groups, community groups, neighborhood groups
    all aimed at sending the same message you're sending. And it's a kind of
    universal effort necessary to say to a child, ``Drugs will destroy
    you.'' And it's working, frankly. We've reduced drug use by 11 percent
    in 3\1/2\ years--it's not ``we,'' it's community groups have done so in
    3\1/2\ years.
        You're right, there needs to be a positive message sent to our
    youth. There also needs to be a focused effort on helping the drug
    addicts who consume most of the drugs. A percentage of--a relatively
    small percentage of the people consume most of the drugs, and that's why
    I'm working with Congress to fund a drug recovery program,

    [[Page 1720]]

    of which an integral part of that will be a Faith-Based Initiative. And
    the way it works is, is a person gets a voucher that he or she can
    redeem at the program he or she chooses that meets her own or his own
    needs. And that includes the ability of faith-based programs to become
    involved, as I told you, with helping people change their hearts and,
    therefore, change their lives.
        Thank you for what you do. I appreciate you being a youth minister.
    Thanks.
        Yes, ma'am. You're not nervous, are you? [Laughter]

    Funding for the Arts

        Q. No, not at all.
        The President. You kind of look like it. [Laughter]
        Q. Mr. President--[inaudible]--pray for you.
        The President. Thank you.
        Q. ----I realize what you've done, and I was curious to know what
    your--[inaudible]--is for funding leaders involved across the United
    States.
        The President. Funding the arts? Well, we do that through the
    National Endowment of the Arts, is the best way to do that. It's the
    vehicle that we use in Washington, DC.
        Q. [Inaudible]
        The President. Sure. You're welcome. Glad you're here.
        Yes, ma'am.

    Prescription Drug Costs

        Q. [Inaudible]
        The President. Yes. Great question. Her question was about the cost
    of drugs. Well, one is to expedite generic drugs on the market. Generic
    drugs are sold at a vast discount from brand-name drugs. And we put
    through, in the Medicare bill, as well as executive action through the
    FDA, a way to speed generics to the market so people are able to buy the
    very same drug that's sold at 50 at 10.
        Secondly, I believer that part of good marketing is for people to
    have exposure to price of drugs. So one of the things we've done is
    we've put a virtual market right on the computer for people to look up
    the different costs of drugs at their local pharmacy, so that there's
    better selection when it comes to purchasing.
        Thirdly, we are studying whether or not importation will work. I put
    together a committee to make sure that--look, what I don't want to do is
    be the President that says, ``We'll allow for importation,'' and all of
    a sudden, drugs that are manufactured somewhere else come in over the
    Internet, and it begins to harm our citizens. But I'm looking at this.
    There is a lot of pressure in Congress for importation. So I think it
    makes sense for us to make sure that we can do so in a safe way. If it's
    safe, then it makes sense.
        But again, I repeat to you, I have an obligation to--for the safety
    of our citizens. And what I don't want is somebody to say, ``Oh, gosh,
    I'll be able to buy a cheaper drug from Canada,'' and that drug ends up
    coming from another country without proper inspection and proper safety.
    I believe--I know Government has an obligation to make sure, before we
    put policy in place, that that which somebody buys is actually the
    product they think they're buying and it's safe. We have an obligation
    to do that.
        So there are some of the decisions that will make--hopefully help
    keep the cost--but by far, the most effective way to help on drug costs
    is to move generics to the market faster. People say, ``Well, why aren't
    they moving fast?'' Well, first of all, you want people to be able to
    recoup investment. I mean, part of allowing for a drug company to be
    able to price a drug at a higher rate for a while is so that they can
    recoup research and development. And we want our pharmaceutical
    companies to be on the leading edge of change. I mean, they've come up
    with some amazing cures

    [[Page 1721]]

    for diseases through research and development. And it's an incentive for
    them to be able to recoup that investment.
        But for a while, until we got in there, they were able to deny or
    delay generic drugs from being able to come on the market to compete
    with the brand-name drug through all kinds of interesting head fakes, I
    guess, is the proper way of putting it. In other words, they'd say,
    ``Well, there's a patent issue here or a patent issue there,'' and they
    would delay, delay, and delay. And so what we've done is we've said,
    ``Here's a reasonable time for you to recoup your investment, and then
    generics are coming behind.'' And there's a lot of generics coming on to
    the market. And part of making sure that people get drugs at a
    reasonable price is for there to be consumer information available. And
    that's also a response of the--responsibility for Medicare bureaucracy.
        Listen, I've got the hook. I got the sign to go. We could be here
    for hours, but the problem is there's about 15,000 people waiting
    somewhere else--[laughter]--equally as important as you all. They vote.
    It's an important State, as the guy said. He said, ``It's a swing
    State.'' We intend to not only carry Wisconsin but Minnesota as well.
        I want to thank you all for coming. I hope you've enjoyed this as
    much as I have. Thank you for your help. God bless. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:28 p.m. at Lakefront Park. In his
    remarks, he referred to Dale Schultz, candidate for Wisconsin's Third
    Congressional District; Mayor Jack Breault of Hudson, WI; former
    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al
    Zarqawi; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan; Prime Minister Ayad
    Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
    of Japan; and Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea.