    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 10, 2004]
    [Pages 1986-2006]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in a Discussion in Portsmouth, Ohio
    September 10, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate you all.
    Thanks. Be seated. I got some work I got to do here. [Laughter] First,
    thank you all for coming. I've got an interesting way of explaining
    today why I have made some decisions I made and what I intend to do to
    lead this country for 4 more years. I've asked some of our fellow
    citizens to come and share with us some stories that may help people in
    this part of the world understand about why we do what we do in this
    administration.
        First of all, I want to tell you I'm here to ask for the vote. See,
    I believe you got to get out among the people and ask for the vote. And
    I want to thank you all for coming. I appreciate you being here. I'm
    glad you invited me to come here to Portsmouth. The murals are
    fantastic. They are beautiful. They said, ``You got to see the murals.''
    I said, ``Okay, take me by them.'' [Laughter] And I'm glad they did.
    It's beautiful. What a special part of your city. Thanks for sharing
    them with me.
        I want to thank--by the way, I always thought Roy Rogers was from
    Texas. [Laughter] I know, I'm wrong. [Laughter] I'm sorry Laura is not here.
        Audience members. Aw-w-w!
        The President. I know. We got on the bus and Zell, who is a
    wonderful fellow and a great friend, says to me, ``You'd be wise if you
    took Laura with you.'' I said, ``Well, I know,
    Zell, but she went to two other States.'' She's
    out campaigning. She's a fabulous woman. You're not going to believe
    this, but--we're about to talk to some schoolteachers here--when I asked
    Laura to marry me, she was a public school librarian.
        Audience members. [Inaudible]
        The President. Public school librarians for Laura here. [Laughter] And so, of course, I went through the
    traditional, ``Will you marry me?'' And she said, ``Yes, just so long as
    I don't have to give any political speeches.'' [Laughter] I said,
    ``Okay, that's fine with me. You won't have to give any political
    speeches.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. [Laughter]
    She gave a heck of a speech the other night in New York City. She sends
    her love and sends her best.
        And Zell gave a heck of a speech the other
    night too. The way I'd like to summarize his speech is that it's okay
    for a Democrat to support me for President. And if you're interested in
    a stronger America, a safer America, and a better America, put Dick
    Cheney and me back into office. And I appreciate
    you being here. I want to thank my friend for coming.
        I know there's a lot of--[applause]--thank you all. Remember I've
    got some

    [[Page 1987]]

    work I got to do, because I want to answer some of your questions too. I
    appreciate the cheers, but let me do my work. [Laughter] See, I know
    this part of the world is like parts of Georgia and like parts of Texas,
    where there's a lot of what we call discerning Democrats who--with whom
    we share a lot. That's what Zell was saying. He
    was saying to people in this part of the world, ``It's okay if you're a
    Democrat to pull the Bush-Cheney lever.'' And we welcome Democrats into
    this election. We want Democrat votes. And so when you're out
    registering to vote, register our fellow Democrats. Register them, and
    turn them out to vote.
        And that's another reason I've come today. I'm asking for your help.
    I hope that you get out and do our duty as citizens and participate in
    the process, register people, and encourage people to go to the polls.
    Tell them we've got a duty in this country to vote. And that's what I'm
    here to ask you to do, and I appreciate your willingness to work and
    turn out the vote. When you do, we're going to carry Ohio again and win
    a great victory in November.
        I want to thank Rita Rice Morris, the
    president of Shawnee State, a University of Opportunity. I appreciate
    you coming. Rita, thank you.
        A little later on, you'll hear me talking about how this is a
    changing America, and Government must recognize that. One of the things
    that's changing here is that in order to find high-paying, quality jobs,
    you've got to have a college degree. Most new jobs in America require 2
    years of college. One in four of our students gets there, which means
    Government must do a better job of intervening early in high schools to
    help at-risk students, emphasizing math and science so people will have
    the skill base necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century, raising
    standards, but also expanding Pell grants so low- and middle-income
    families will be able to send their kids to college and they can start
    with a college degree--start their career with a college degree. And I
    appreciate you coming, Madam President.
        What I'm telling you is, we're going to make our job training
    relevant so we help our workers. We're going to help them in high
    school. We're going to help in the community college as well to gain the
    skills necessary to fill the jobs that are now growing here in America.
    And so this is a great place for us to come and talk about jobs and job
    skills, right here at a place that's training people for the jobs of the
    21st century. I'm proud of your leadership. Thank you for having us.
        I want to thank my friend Rob Portman,
    Congressman Rob Portman. He's a--here's typical Portman. He says, ``Take
    credit for the visitors center.'' I said, ``Wait a minute. You did all
    the hard lifting. All I did was see to it that it happened.'' I want to
    thank the Congressman very much for his work. He cares a lot about the
    people in this city. You're just getting to know him here. You're
    getting to see a really fine guy. He's really a good, solid American.
        I want to thank Mike DeWine, the Senator
    from the great State of Ohio. Where are you, Mike? Probably making a
    phone call. [Laughter] I want to thank Voinovich, who is not here, but listen, put him back in office.
    George Voinovich is a great United States Senator. Proud to work with
    him.
        Doug White is with us from the statehouse.
    Anybody else from the statehouse here, I want to thank you all for
    coming. Appreciate you serving the folks here in this part of the world
    in the statehouse of Ohio.
        I want to thank the mayor, Jim Kalb, for
    being here. Mr. Mayor, I'm honored you're here. Appreciate you taking
    time.
        I want to thank Anthony Munoz, mi amigo.
    Thank you for coming. I met your daughter the
    other day. Yes, Tennessee basketball star. Anthony is a great guy. He's
    helping me in the campaign. He's helping to invigorate the grassroots.
    Those are the people who put up the signs and make

    [[Page 1988]]

    the phone calls and do all the hard work. You're grassroots, I can tell
    it looking right here. But I appreciate your hard work.
        Listen, I had the honor today of meeting with folks from the Piketon
    plant. We got a management guy; we got the head of the union with us,
    two other hard workers. Actually, there are going to be three other
    workers--about to talk to one in a minute. But these four people came on
    the bus. I stopped the bus in the middle of town; they hopped on.
    [Laughter] And we talked about--let me tell you something about what I
    heard.
        First of all, I heard that I fulfilled a promise. In the 2000
    campaign, I said we'd do everything we can to keep the Piketon jobs
    available. Not only the jobs there--this is an expanding operation. I'll
    tell you why it's expanding. It's got enlightened management and
    enlightened leadership. These are people who work together for the good
    of the workforce and, as they do so, working for the good of the
    country. And I appreciate the leadership of the folks at Piketon, and I
    want to thank you for what you're doing. And welcome.
        I'm going to first talk a little bit about our economy in a changing
    world and how we're going to deal with it. And then I'm going to talk
    about how to keep the country safe. As you get out and gather up the
    vote, remind people that this economy has been through a heck of a lot
    recently. We've been through a recession. We've been through corporate
    scandals, and those corporate scandals hurt us. They did, because a lot
    of our economy depends upon trust, and when you have people who are
    supposedly writing good numbers down on paper violating that trust, it
    causes people to wonder. The message is clear now in America: We're not
    going to tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of this country. We're
    going to hold people to account. That attack on September the 11th hurt
    us. Make no mistake about it, it hurt this economy--estimates of a
    million jobs lost in the 3 months after the attack. That meant people
    weren't working. That matters to me.
        And we've overcome those obstacles. That's what I want you to tell
    your friends and neighbors. We have been through a lot, but we're
    overcoming the obstacles. I'll tell you why I think we have: One, we got
    great workers, workers who are productive, workers who work hard; we got
    great small-business owners, people who are dreamers and doers and
    planners and hope for the best, and employing new people; we got great
    farmers in America, people who know how to work the land. I also think
    the tax relief helped a lot, helped to overcome the obstacles.
        We're adding manufacturing jobs here in America. The national
    unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. We've added 1.7 million jobs since
    August of '03. We're growing. The national unemployment rate of 5.4
    percent is lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
        That statistic doesn't help some of the working people here in Ohio.
    I understand that. I know that parts of your great State have lagged
    behind the rest of the Nation in recovery. So long as somebody is
    looking for a job and can't find one means we've got to continue to
    promote progrowth policies.
        I'm fully aware that there's some communities in your great State
    that need help. That's why I proposed opportunity zones. These are a
    fantastic opportunity for cities and counties that have been affected by
    loss of manufacturing jobs to be able to get special tax relief,
    priority when it comes to Federal funding. It's a great opportunity to
    rebuild your communities, and the Federal Government is going to help
    you, so long as you take the initiative. We can't make people--
    [applause].
        People often ask me, what about job creation? Of course we want jobs
    to grow here in America. In order to make sure they grow here in
    America, America has got to be the best place in the world to do
    business. So people say, ``What does that

    [[Page 1989]]

    mean?'' Well, you can't do business here if we don't have reliable
    energy supplies. How can you expect for people to be able to work in the
    United States of America if the employers can't get energy. We're too
    dependent on foreign sources of energy now.
        Two years ago, I proposed to the United States Congress an energy
    plan, and it's stuck because of politics. And this plan encourages
    conservation. It says that we perhaps can add to our energy supplies by
    using ethanol and biodiesel. It says that we can do a better job of
    developing technologies, clean coal technologies. We want to be using
    our coal. Coal makes a lot of sense because we've got a lot of it here,
    and we can use technologies to make this economy grow.
        But I need a plan to my desk that we submitted to make us less
    dependent on foreign sources of energy. That's necessary in order to
    keep jobs here in America. In order to keep jobs here in America, we got
    to cut down on all these lawsuits that are making it harder for people
    to hire people. In order to keep jobs here, we got to have a health
    policy that makes sense. We want health care available and affordable.
    We want the health care decisions to be made between doctors and
    patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
        And there is a big difference of opinion on health care in this
    campaign. If you listen carefully to the plans of my opponent, it's all about strengthening the Federal Government's
    role in health care. And I think that would be a mistake. Our policies
    aim to strengthen the role of the individual and small businesses.
        Now, let me tell you some of the plans I've got. Over half the
    uninsured in America work for small businesses. Small businesses are
    having trouble affording insurance. Rather than Federalizing insurance,
    why don't we be wise about it and allow small businesses to join
    together so they can buy insurance at the discounts that big businesses
    can.
        We're going to expand health savings accounts. Listen, I understand
    there are some people in this country that cannot afford health care.
    That's why we want to expand the community health centers in every poor
    county in America. That makes sense. It's a wise use of your money, as
    far as I'm concerned, to have places where people can get primary and
    preventative care if you can't afford it. It's much better that these
    clinics be available rather than emergency rooms of local hospitals.
        We're going to continue to defend this Medicare program we put in
    place. This is good law. You might remember what the Medicare debate
    used to be like. It was called ``Medi-scare.'' [Laughter] So they would
    lay it out there for somebody to talk about; then they would beat him
    over the head with it. But I went to Washington to solve problems.
    People say, ``Please explain to me as clearly as you can the problem of
    old Medicare.'' Well, here it is. Medicare would pay for somebody's
    heart surgery, which might cost up to $100,000. Medicare wouldn't pay
    for the drugs that would prevent the heart surgery from being needed in
    the first place. Now, that's not a very cost-effective use of your
    money, because the pharmaceuticals would be substantially less in cost
    than the operation. And it's certainly not fair for our seniors to have
    a plan that didn't help them with prescription drugs.
        Beginning in 2005, there is going to be preventative screenings for
    the first time in Medicare. If you sign up for Medicare, you're going to
    get a free checkup. And the reason why that's important is you solve
    problems early, before it's too late. Secondly, in 2006, you've got
    prescription drugs coming your way if you're a senior.
        I'm just getting wound up here. Let me talk about one other issue as
    regards to health care. And one of the reasons why we have working
    uninsured is because small businesses can't afford health care. And one
    of the reasons they can't afford health care is not only the structural
    problem I just

    [[Page 1990]]

    outlined to you before but because there's too many frivolous lawsuits
    that are running up your costs. Make no mistake about it, these
    frivolous lawsuits are running good docs out of practice and are making
    the practice of medicine more costly.
        And we need to do something about it. See, I don't think you can be
    pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital and pro-trial-attorney at the same
    time. I think you have to choose. Now, my opponent has made his choice, and he put him on the ticket. [Laughter] I have made my choice. I'm
    standing with the small-business owners. I'm standing with the docs. I'm
    standing with the patients. I am for medical liability reform--now.
        A couple of other things I want to talk about, then we'll talk with
    some of the citizens who are here. Remember I talked about a changing
    world? Some of the institutions of our Government need to change. Some
    of the systems of Government need to change, is a better way to put it.
    You know, a lot of--if you think about it, the pension plans were
    designed in the past. Health care policies were designed in the past.
    Tax policy is kind of old and stale. And I think we need to change these
    systems in order to make sure people can realize their dreams and so we
    got a better tomorrow.
        The Tax Code needs to be simplified. We need to change it. People
    say, ``Oh, sure, we've heard that before.'' I'm telling you, if I have 4
    more years, I'm going to bring Republicans and Democrats together to
    simplify the code. Here's why we need to simplify it. We spend about 6
    billion hours a year on taxes because the code is too complicated. It's
    a million words long, and there's too many special interest loopholes.
    For the sake of fairness and for the sake of growth, economic growth, we
    need to simplify the Tax Code.
        They say, ``Oh, that's too hard.'' Well, listen. Medicare was plenty
    hard, and we got it done. The No Child Left Behind Act was plenty hard.
    We got it done. The tax relief was plenty hard, and we got it done. This
    administration knows how to get things done, and I'm looking forward to
    simplifying the Tax Code.
        One of the interesting facts about our society is many women work in
    the house and out of the house now. That wasn't the way it was 30 or 40
    years ago. That's the way it is today. And that's why I think we ought
    to change labor laws to allow people flex-time and comp-time so moms can
    have more time to plan their lives, to do their duty with their
    children. Same with dad. In other words, the labor laws were written for
    the past. They ought to reflect the present and the future.
        We ought to make sure that the Social Security system meets its
    promise. Now, if you're on Social Security, forget all the politics.
    Nothing is going to change. You'll hear all kinds of rhetoric, believe
    me. It's the way it is every campaign. Somebody says ``Social
    Security,'' and immediately, people are going to jump up and say,
    ``They're going to take your benefits away.'' Forget it. You're safe.
    Baby boomers like me, we're safe in Social Security. The trust is okay
    for baby boomers. It's the children and grandchildren we need to be
    worried about. The trust fund becomes insolvent down the road.
        And so what are we going to do about it? That's the fundamental
    question. I think we need to think differently. I think we ought to
    allow younger workers to take some of their own money and set up
    personal retirement accounts as a part of Social Security, so Social
    Security exists, something somebody owns. It's something Government
    can't take away, and it's something you can pass on from one generation
    to the next. I repeat, if you're retired, don't listen to the tired
    rhetoric, that political noise about taking away your money. It's just
    not going to happen. If you're a baby boomer, we're fine. But the
    problem is there's a lot of us, and there's fewer payers, and those
    fewer payers is who we need

    [[Page 1991]]

    to worry about, those coming up over the next couple of decades.
        So what I'm telling you is, is that over the next 4 years, I'm going
    to work to change systems that are old and antiquated. That will help
    people. The role of Government is to help people with their lives, not
    try to run their lives. Our philosophy is to say, ``We want to help
    people realize their dreams.''
        The tax relief worked. Now, the problem we have, for those of us in
    Washington, is they always talk about tax relief in terms of numbers--
    this number and that number. So I've asked a family here to join us--
    Jennifer and David Shoupe is with us today. Thank you all for coming. Stand on
    up. It looks like little Shoupe might have heard too much of hot air.
    [Laughter] Laura always warned me not to talk too
    much. [Laughter]
        Listen, thanks for coming. First I want to tell you, these good
    folks from Portsmouth, Ohio, are teachers. And teaching is a noble
    profession. Thank you for doing what you do.
        What grade do we teach? Jennifer, what
    grade do you teach?
        Jennifer Shoupe. First grade.
        The President. First grade. That must be exciting. [Laughter]
    Really, when you think about it, here's a chance--little learners come
    in with their eyes bright and sparkly. I know you focus on reading. It's
    really important we get reading right early. And thanks for teaching.
        And you teach, David?
        David Shoupe. Phys ed and health.
        The President. Yes. And you are the baseball----
        Mr. Shoupe. Baseball coach.
        The President. Yes. I'm a baseball fan. [Laughter] I'm a fan because
    I peaked in Little League. [Laughter] The ball started to curve.
    [Laughter]
        This good family, by the way, in tax relief in 2003 and 2004, saved
    $1,700. That's what tax relief meant to them. The reason why is because
    we cut all taxes. We thought if you're going to have tax relief and you
    pay taxes, you ought to get relief. Secondly, it's because we raised the
    child credit. They've got two children, one awake and one asleep--
    [laughter]--and a granddad holding on. And by the way, we reduced the
    marriage penalty. They're married. It doesn't make any sense to penalize
    marriage in the Tax Code.
        Okay, what did you do with the money?
        Mr. Shoupe. We actually used it to pay our
    homeowners' insurance.
        The President. Good, okay. See, one of the things we want to do is
    encourage people to own their own home. Tax relief helped these people
    realize a dream, didn't it--to own their own home. We want more people
    saying, ``I own my own home.'' A hopeful America in changing times is
    one in which people say, ``Welcome to my home.'' During the Bush
    administration, the homeownership rate is at an alltime high.
        What else--anything else with that money?
        Mr. Shoupe. Yes, we put a little in
    savings.
        The President. Savings? That's good, supposed to save, particularly
    when it comes time to educating these kids. [Laughter] See, here's the
    problem. This tax relief we passed is set to expire, and if it expires,
    these folks have a tax increase. They got their life planned out. They
    saved 1,700 last year, 1,700 this year, 1,700 next year. And here's the
    fundamental question we got in politics is, after we set priorities, who
    should be spending the money? See, I'd rather have David and Jennifer making
    decisions with their money than the Federal Government. Once we--
    [applause].
        That's why I asked them to come, good, hard-working people. They got $1,700
    additional money in their pocket. And one reason our economy is
    recovering is because people have got more money to spend. In Texas they
    call it walking-around money. [Laughter] I call it tax relief money. And
    one of the ways to make sure this economy

    [[Page 1992]]

    not only grows this year, next year, and the out-years is to make the
    tax relief permanent.
        And that's an issue in this campaign. It's an issue. I'm going to
    tell you why it's an issue. I'm running against a fellow who has promised over $2 trillion of new money so--of
    new programs so far--2 trillion. And we haven't even gotten to the
    stretch run yet. [Laughter] It's pretty easy when you get out there on
    the campaign trail, believe me. You'll say, ``Oh yes, I'll spend it on
    that, you know.'' It's easy to make promises. It's just hard to deliver
    them.
        So they said to him the other day, ``How are
    you going to pay for it?'' And he said, ``Well, that's easy. I'm just
    going to tax the rich.'' The problem is, you can't raise enough money
    taxing the rich. We estimate by raising the top brackets like he wants
    to do that you'll only raise 650 billion. So if you promised 2.2
    trillion and you can only raise about 650 billion, you're short. And
    guess what happens when you're short? You get to pay. Yes. Plus, you've
    heard the rhetoric before, haven't you? ``Oh, all we're going to do is
    tax the rich.'' Yes, I know how that works. That's why they've got
    accountants and lawyers. [Laughter] They duck, and you get stuck.
    [Laughter] But we're not going to let him. We're going to win the
    election.
        All right, I've got a man I want you to hear from. Big
    Carl, pick up that mike. This guy, first of
    all, is a really interesting person. He was a timber worker, and he
    dreamed a big dream and now owns his own business.
        Is that right?
        Carl Pertuset. Yes, sir.
        The President. All right. Tell the truth, who's the brains in this
    operation?
        Mr. Pertuset. My wife, Vera.
        The President. Yes, that's what I thought. Same thing in my
    household. [Laughter]
        Mr. Pertuset. Right.
        The President. Vera and Carl started their own business. Isn't that fantastic? It's
    American. It's a dream of the country. I meet entrepreneurs all the
    time, and a lot of the time they say, ``Well, we started it in our
    garage.'' You didn't start this in your garage, did you?
        Mr. Pertuset. No, sir.
        The President. Where did you start it? Kitchen table.
        Mr. Pertuset. In the woods.
        The President. In the woods. [Laughter] What do you do,
    Carl? Tell us what your business--tell us
    about your business.
        Mr. Pertuset. I started out about 22 years
    harvesting timber out of the forest. And then in 2002, we purchased a
    piece of ground that had been abandoned in McDermott, Ohio. And now we
    are manufacturing those woods--it is harvested with--producing crossties
    for the railroads and hardwood flooring, and we also produce mulch. We
    have a grinding facility there that goes all over the United States,
    really.
        The President. See what he's doing? He's
    got a little manufacturing company. He said, ``Do you know anything
    about timber?'' I said, ``Well, we've got some trees in Crawford.''
    [Laughter] ``Plus, we did pass the Healthy Forests Initiative to
    preserve our national forest and, at the same time, recognize that
    forests are renewable resource.''
        How are you organized?
        Mr. Pertuset. We are an LLC.
        The President. Yes, he's not a lawyer, and
    I'm not, either, but let me try to explain it. From tax purposes, it
    means he pays tax at the individual income-tax level. That's what that
    means, see? A lot of people don't know this, but 90 percent of the
    small-business owners in America pay individual income taxes--90
    percent. So when we talk about tax relief, we're talking about affecting
    90--well, in individuals, we're talking about 90 percent--affecting 90
    percent of the small-business owners. And that helps. You know why?
    Because 70 percent of all new jobs in America are created by small-
    business owners. Think about that.

    [[Page 1993]]

    Seventy percent of new jobs in America are created by small businesses.
        You create any jobs?
        Mr. Pertuset. Yes, sir. We started out
    with four when we moved in there. Today, we have 18. And we interviewed
    four yesterday to go to work Monday.
        The President. See you on Monday?
        Mr. Pertuset. Yes.
        The President. He just did it to make the
    President look good. [Laughter] He did it because his business is
    growing. Now, you know, four people added Monday by this small
    business--there's a lot of small businesses across the country adding
    them here and there. And it's an important part of our economic growth.
    Sometimes, the small-business numbers I don't think get counted in the
    big numbers until later on. There's kind of a lag.
        But what I'm hearing is the small-business sector is doing well, and
    the tax relief helped. One of the interesting things we did in this--in
    the tax relief, was we said, ``If you invest, you get a break. If you're
    a small-business owner and you make an investment, you get tax help when
    it comes to that investment.''
        Tell me, are you an investor?
        Mr. Pertuset. Yes, sir.
        The President. What do you buy?
        Mr. Pertuset. We've redone the facility,
    first of all, and then we've put different mills in, different sizes,
    and purchasing grinders. Probably around $750,000 invested in 2003, and
    in 2004, we've invested around 200,000.
        The President. So far. And you bought a grinder. And was it a new
    grinder?
        Mr. Pertuset. Yes, sir, brand new.
        The President. Yes. See, here's how the economy works. If the Tax
    Code says, ``Go out and make an investment; there's an incentive for you
    to do so,'' old Carl says, ``Well, it's going
    to help my business if I do. I'm more effective. My workers are more
    productive.'' And so he goes out and he says, ``Well, I think I'll buy a
    grinder.'' Somebody has got to make the grinder. See, good tax policy
    stimulates demand. It says to Carl, ``It's wise for you to buy the
    grinder,'' and then when he makes a decision to buy the grinder, the
    grinder maker hires somebody. That's how the economy works.
        If you run the taxes up on this guy, it
    has the reverse effect. And when my opponent says
    he's going to tax the rich, he's taxing Carl. See, his individual--with
    the individual rates running up, that means we're going to tax his
    business. We got it now where he's hiring people, where he's investing
    in grinders. The grinder manufacturer is doing better. And if my
    opponent has his way, he's going to run his taxes up on Carl. That's bad
    economic policy if he does that.
        Thank you.
        Chris--Chris, you ready? Yes, he's ready.
    [Laughter]
        Chris Sanford. Sorry, Mr. President. My
    wife was side-tracking me there for a minute. [Laughter]
        The President. Taking care of your--trying to keep him awake for
    Dad's discussion. Oops, just spit his gum out. Anyway--[laughter].
        Mr. Sanford. That wasn't intended for you.
    [Laughter]
        The President. Kept it under your seat. [Laughter] So what do you
    do, Chris?
        Mr. Sanford. Mr. President, I happen to be
    a member of a security protective force up at the Department of Energy
    Gaseous Diffusion Plant up there in Piketon.
        The President. Right. The reason I asked Chris to come, because he's going to--well, he's got a job
    because of the policies we did. Because of good management, good labor,
    and good collaboration with the Government, this guy is working.
        And you came up from where?
        Mr. Sanford. We relocated from west
    Tennessee.
        The President. Yes, Tennessee, good. Nice part of the world.
        Mr. Sanford. Not too bad.

    [[Page 1994]]

        The President. Yes. And you moved your family here.
        Mr. Sanford. Yes, sir. This is my wife,
    Michelle, and my little boy, Ethan, and my daughter, Claire.
        The President. Great. And let me ask you something. How is your pay
    compared to the old job?
        Mr. Sanford. Okay. [Laughter]

    [At this point, Mr. Sanford made further remarks.]

        The President. Well, I appreciate--yes. Listen, Chris, thanks for coming. By the way, his family saved $1,900
    in 2003, about the same in 2004. I'm not a lawyer; I'm going to lead the
    witness. Does it help? [Laughter] Yes, it helps. We don't want to be
    running up the taxes on this guy. He just got his family going. You just
    heard him, ``I bought my first home,'' he says. You know what it's like
    to get into your first home. You're wondering whether or not you can
    make the payments, and you're struggling, and you're dreaming, and
    you're working hard to get there. Why would you want to be taxing this
    family just as they're beginning to realize their dreams?
        Congress needs to make the tax relief permanent. This bill is coming
    up in front of the United States Congress right now, as to whether or
    not to run taxes up on him, whether or not the child credit goes down,
    the marriage penalty goes up, the 10 percent bracket goes away. It would
    be a huge mistake for the Congress not to make the tax relief permanent,
    not only for the sake of our economy but for the sake of this family.
        Bonny Huffman. I couldn't come to this
    part of the State and not talk about coal. Bonny is--she is the chairman
    of the Ohio Coal Association. Accurate? And you work for a coal company.
    As a matter of fact, you're one of the owners of a coal company. So what
    is the name of the coal company?
        Bonny Huffman. Sands Hill Coal Company.
        The President. Good. And what is your--who is your main customer?
        Ms. Huffman. We have several customers--
    American Electric Power. We also supply coal to the Gaseous Diffusion
    Plant here and to----
        The President. That's good. We were talking about that a little
    while ago. Good. We're talking about the need for coal in the energy
    mix. We also need--this country needs to be wise about nuclear power. It
    seems like, if we're worried about being hooked on energy from overseas,
    we ought to be using new technologies to expand the capacity for us to
    use nuclear power as well. But the resource we've got available at hand
    here is coal. And one of the initiatives the Coal Association of Ohio
    and other States--West Virginia and Pennsylvania and other States have
    been working on in Congress is clean coal technology. Do you want to try
    to explain what that means?
        Ms. Huffman. Well, clean coal technology
    is the development of the coal to burn it more efficiently and more
    environmentally safe. It is critical to our future. And natural
    resources has made this country great, and if we don't develop, then we
    will take a step back in our being able to compete internationally,
    globally.
        The President. Right. That's a wise statement. We'll take a step
    back in not being able to compete. I told the people in the country that
    if they elected me, we'd spend $2 billion on clean coal technology. I
    said this 4 years ago. We're on track to do so.
        I'll tell you why I think it's important, is because, as
    Bonny said, that clean coal technology means
    we'll be able to burn coal cleaner. We'll be able to protect the quality
    of our air and protect the quality of our jobs. And I want to--so we've
    been working with the coal associations here--she's been holding my feet
    to the fire to make sure I fulfilled the promise. I've been working with
    her to make sure that we get the right technology in place. And the
    mutual

    [[Page 1995]]

    benefit is the country is able--is being able to grow and less
    dependent.
        By the way, Bonny's coal company--didn't
    you tell me you hired some people recently?
        Ms. Huffman. Yes, we've put on about eight
    people in the last couple months. And that is strictly because the
    economy is improving. We're seeing more need for coal than we have and
    more optimism than we have in the last 10 years.
        The President. That's good. See, people's outlook looking better. By
    the way, Sand Hill Coal--that's the name of the company--you're
    organized----
        Ms. Huffman. S corp.
        The President. S corp. See, that's another fancy word--LLC, one way
    to do it--S corp--that's legalese and accountantese for you pay at the
    individual income-tax level. See, here's another example of what I'm
    talking about. When they say, ``All we're going to do is tax the rich,''
    running up those brackets, that's the rich. You just heard from
    her. That's a small business that has added
    eight, you said?
        Ms. Huffman. Yes.
        The President. Yes, eight. If you tax this little coal company, it's
    likely those eight aren't going to have work. The money doesn't stay in
    the company so people can have benefits and health care. The money goes
    to the Federal Government.
        The small-business sector of this country is important. And I've got
    policies that encourage the growth of small business, and my
    opponent is going to tax small business. And it's
    a clear difference in this campaign. Our policies will cause this
    economy to grow.
        I want to thank you. Good job.
        Let me talk about my most solemn duty, which is to protect the
    American people. Let me share with you some of the lessons I've learned
    as your President. Maybe this is the best way to describe what I intend
    to do over the next 4 years.
        First of all, we're facing an enemy that is so hateful and so
    backward. They have an ideology that is opposite of ours, and they use
    terror to try to intimidate us. That's the reality of the world in which
    we live. These are the people that flew the airplanes. These are the
    people that share the same sentiment of those who took the school over
    in Russia. They're still trying to figure out exactly who did it. But
    nevertheless, it's the mentality I'm talking about, a mentality that
    tries to achieve an objective by killing little kids. It's a mentality
    that takes innocent life because they have no conscience.
        That's the nature of the people against whom we're facing, and which
    says to me there's no negotiations, there's no ``hope for the best,''
    that the task at hand is to bring them to justice before they hurt us
    again. And that's exactly what we're going to do. We must be relentless
    and untiring and unyielding. That's the task at hand. We're making
    progress, by the way. Three-quarters of the known Al Qaida leaders have
    been brought to justice. We're after the rest of them. But we must not
    yield.
        Second lesson is this is a different kind of war. I know there's a
    lot of veterans here, and I want to thank you guys for coming. But it's
    a different kind of war than you faced. It's really different. We're
    chasing an enemy down that hides in caves or lurks in the corners of
    cities around the world, and they're patient. They're plenty tough, you
    know. And they plan and they think and they wait for weakness, and they
    exploit it, which means that in order to make us more secure, we must
    not only deal with the enemy but those who harbor the enemy, those who
    provide safe haven to the enemy.
        And so I laid out a doctrine. I said, ``If you harbor the
    terrorists, you're just as guilty.'' Now, when the President says
    something--two things I want to tell you: One, it has to be easy for
    everybody to understand; and two, you better mean what you say.
        I meant what I said. I understand that part of my job. I mean, when
    I speak,

    [[Page 1996]]

    I better mean it, for the sake of peace. And I meant it when I said to
    the Taliban, ``Get rid of Al Qaida.'' They didn't. And so we got rid of
    the Taliban in Afghanistan. It's--and we put up the--we went in, and we
    just--it was necessary to uphold the doctrine. The world is more
    peaceful because of it.
        Let me spend a little time on Afghanistan. I think it's such a
    hopeful story. First, we're safer. See, Al Qaida trained thousands of
    people in Afghanistan. They found a soft spot, is one way to describe
    it, and they exploited it. And they--Al Qaida loved the Taliban. These
    guys were so backwards, it's unbelievable. They'd whip these mothers in
    town squares, and they wouldn't educate the girls. That's their view of
    the future. Imagine a society that's like that. No wonder these thugs
    were able to burrow in, into that society. They were parasitical. They
    were like parasites with the idea of eventually becoming the host
    themselves.
        And we routed them out of there. And this is a society which, by the
    way, has now registered 10 million citizens--over 40 percent are women--
    to vote in an election coming up next month. Think about that. It's
    amazing, isn't it?
        I went to Cleveland to open up the Children's International Games.
    Right to my right, right on the front row, with all these--intermixed
    with all these kids was the Afghan girls soccer team. It was amazing.
    It's amazing to see the kind of hope in their eyes. They had just come
    from darkness, and now they found light. And the world is better off for
    it.
        A free Afghanistan will help us keep the peace. That's what we want.
    We want peace. A free Afghanistan will prove to others who long for
    freedom that, ``Maybe my freedom is possible.'' See, free societies are
    peaceful societies.
        The short-term objective of this country is to find the terrorists
    and to stop any attack. And they're out there, and they're lurking.
    Believe me, it's a dangerous period. There's a lot of people working
    hard on your behalf. Everyday, people are working. The long-term
    solution is to defeat terror with freedom. That's what we believe.
        The third lesson I learned is that we've got to deal with threats
    before they fully materialize. When we see a threat, we must take it
    seriously. In the old days, which wasn't all that long ago--the old days
    now mean 4 years ago, roughly--we'd see a threat, and we say, ``Oh, we
    don't need to worry about it, maybe, because the oceans were there.''
    It's kind of hard to remember those days, isn't it? But that's what life
    was like. I guess it was 3 years ago. And all the threat could be
    materializing over here in this part of the world, and we could deal
    with it if we wanted to or maybe not, because it couldn't come home to
    hurt us. And that's what changed on September the 11th. It's a really
    important lesson for the American people never to forget.
        And so I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein.
    I'll tell you why I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. He's a fellow who
    had used weapons of mass destruction before. All of the intelligence I
    looked at, my opponent looked at, the Congress
    looked at, said the same thing: He had them. It turns out we haven't
    found the stockpiles yet, but remember, he had the capability of making
    those weapons. He had the capacity to make weapons. And the danger, of
    course, in the world in which we live is that capacity, that capability
    could be passed on to an enemy that had flown airplanes into our
    buildings and killed thousands of our citizens.
        He had terrorist ties. Remember Abu
    Nidal? He's the guy that killed Leon Klinghoffer. He was there in
    Baghdad. So was his organization. Zarqawi and the poisonous network was in Baghdad. Zarqawi is the
    guy that likes to behead people and try to shake our conscience. He's a
    terrorist. Saddam Hussein was paying the families of suicide bombers.
    That's supporting terror. And he was a sworn enemy of the United States
    of America.

    [[Page 1997]]

        I saw a threat. I remembered the lessons of September the 11th, so I
    decided to, hopefully, solve this threat diplomatically. The first thing
    I did was to go to the United States Congress. In other words, I thought
    it was important to act with the Congress, not against the Congress. We
    work in concert with the United States Congress. After all, they're the
    duly elected representatives from districts and States. Congress looked
    at the same intelligence I looked at, came to the same conclusion I came
    to: Saddam Hussein was a threat. And Congress
    voted the authorization of force. My opponent
    voted yes when it came to authorizing force. It's something he sometimes
    hopes we forget.
        I went to the United Nations because before I would commit troops
    into harm's way, I have to be able to tell the loved ones of those
    troops I've tried every avenue to try to deal with the threat. That's
    what you want in your President. And so I tried diplomacy. I was hopeful
    diplomacy would work. I was hopefully--I was hopeful that the free world
    would convince Saddam Hussein to end his
    threatening ways.
        And I'll never forget going to the United Nations and laying out the
    case, talking exactly what I thought was right. And they listened and
    debated the issue. They looked at the same intelligence all of us looked
    at. They remembered the same history all of us remembered and voted 15
    to nothing to say to Saddam Hussein,
    ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.''
        And he ignored the world again. As he had
    for over a decade, he--I guess the best way to put it, he wasn't
    interested in what the free world had to say. We sent inspectors into
    the country. Hopefully, that would solve the problem. History has shown
    that he deceived the inspectors. In other words, he wasn't interested in
    complying with what we said, nor was he interested in letting anybody
    come in and find the truth.
        So I have a choice to make at this time. Diplomacy is not going to
    solve the problem. My choice is based upon the nature of the
    man. Do I trust a madman? Can I, conceivably,
    as the President of the United States, whose major obligation is to
    protect the people of this country, trust a madman? And given the
    behavior of the past, do I forget the lessons of September the 11th? Or
    having tried diplomacy, do we take the action necessary to defend this
    country? Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
        A couple of other points, and then I'm going to answer some
    questions. And then old Zell and I got to get on
    the bus and head down the road. [Laughter]
        One, we've got a great military, and this Government owes the
    military all the resources necessary for them to do the job. I get asked
    all the time, ``Are you for the draft?'' The answer is, absolutely not.
    The All-Volunteer Army works. And it works if this Government supports
    the All-Volunteer Army, and we are. We've raised pay by 21 percent over
    the past four budget--well, when they passed the--they passed it, over
    the last four budget cycles. Housing is a lot better and equipment is a
    lot better. We're transforming the military to make it work better. But
    as well when we've got them in harm--people in harm's way, we support
    them.
        I went to the Congress a year ago and said, ``$87 billion is
    necessary to support these troops.'' And this was a really important
    legislation because it was vital funding. And we got great bipartisan
    support. That means both Republicans and Democrats supported it. It was
    so strong in the Senate that only 12 Members of the Senate voted against
    the funding, 2 of whom are my opponent and his
    runningmate. As a matter of fact, I think it's
    interesting--and people ought to know this--that there was only four
    Members of the United States Senate that voted to authorize the use of
    force but didn't vote to fund the troops they authorized. In other
    words, they said, ``Use

    [[Page 1998]]

    force,'' but, ``No,'' when it comes to funding the troops. And two of
    those four are my opponent and his runningmate.
        I just came from Huntington, West Virginia, where he made his famous statement, ``I actually did vote for the
    $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' Now, you know, I don't know if
    they talk that way at the Piketon Plant or not. I doubt it. I suspect
    the people who work on the floor there tell it the way they see it.
        And so they pressed him, and he went on. He
    finally said, ``The whole thing is a complicated matter.'' There's
    nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        Finally, let me tell you--you're probably worried that I could go on
    all day. [Laughter] I could. Let me tell you something that just--I
    believe in my heart and soul, and I want the loved ones who have got
    somebody in Iraq and Afghanistan to understand. It's really important
    you understand this, that we're changing the world for the positive, for
    the better. See, I believe liberty has got the capacity to transform the
    world. That's what I believe.
        One of my favorite leaders in the world is Prime Minister
    Koizumi. I think he caught my attention
    when I first met him. He said Elvis is one of his favorite singers.
    [Laughter] His favorite movie was ``High Noon.'' [Laughter] He loved the
    values embodied in ``High Noon.'' This is really a good fellow, and
    Laura and I view him as a dear friend.
        We were eating Kobe beef in Tokyo one evening, and just during the
    course of the conversation I was thinking about what an amazing
    experience it is, one, to represent the United States, and two, to be
    talking to this fellow about world
    affairs, because, after all, it wasn't all that long ago that my
    dad was at war with his country. Your dads
    were at war; your grandfathers were fighting the sworn enemy of Japan.
    They were the sworn enemy, and we were at war with them. And after World
    War II was over, a President named Harry Truman believed in liberty,
    believed that liberty had the ability to transform societies. So did a
    lot of Americans, and they worked with the Japanese to develop a
    democracy.
        Now, there's a lot of people in our country during that period of
    time that didn't believe it could happen. You understand why. Imagine if
    your loved one had been overseas, fighting the Japanese. You can
    understand why people said, ``These people can't possibly be our--ever
    be our friend. They're our sworn enemy.'' We lost a lot of lives in that
    theater--I mean, a lot of lives were lost. You could imagine people in
    this country saying, ``Well, I lost my son. There's no way this enemy is
    going to be a friend.''
        But my predecessors believed in the power of liberty, and as a
    result, some 60 years later, I sit down with Prime Minister Koizumi--50 years later, whatever the number--right
    number is. I think it's 50 years since they became a democracy, maybe a
    little less than that--and guess what we talk about? Sitting around that
    table eating Kobe beef, we're talking about the peace. That's what we're
    talking about. We're talking about how to work together to make the
    world a more peaceful place. We're talking about how to work together to
    help on the issue of--for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. We're talking
    about Iraq and how we believe that a free Iraq is in our nations'
    interests. We're talking about fighting an--HIV/AIDS around the world.
    We're talking about helping to feed the hungry. We're talking about
    making the world a better place.
        It's amazing, isn't it, when you think about it, what liberty has
    done. Someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly
    elected leader of Iraq talking about the peace. See, freedom is going to
    transform Iraq from a place of tyranny to a place of hope. It's
    happening.
        I meet with the families of those who have lost a soldier, and
    sometimes they ask me what you said to them. I say, ``Well, I love them.
    We're praying for them. And

    [[Page 1999]]

    we're going to finish the mission so that their loved one didn't die in
    vain.'' The mission is to spread freedom and peace. The short-term
    objective of this country is to find an enemy and bring them to justice
    before they strike us. The long-term objective is to make this world a
    more free and hopeful and peaceful place. I believe we'll succeed
    because freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in
    this world.
        A couple of other points I want to make, and then we got some time
    for some questions. You know, I told you it's a changing world. I
    believe certain things shouldn't change. Values shouldn't change, values
    like courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. I believe we ought
    to support institutions that matter in a changing time, our families,
    our schools. Government ought not to discriminate against faith-based
    programs.
        We stand for a culture of life in which every person matters, every
    being counts. We stand for marriage and family, which are the
    foundations of society. We stand for the Second Amendment. We stand for
    judges who faithfully interpret the law instead of legislating from the
    bench. And we stand for an America that is safer and more hopeful for
    every single citizen.
        Thanks for coming today. Let me answer some of your questions.
    Anybody got any questions? Yes, sir. We got a mike lady right here--two
    mike ladies. Well, two ``yes, sirs.'' Let her rip.

    Financing Campaign Promises

        Q. Hello, Mr. Bush.
        The President. Yes, sir.
        Q. You may not remember this, but in 1964, when you were a freshman
    at Yale, my roommates and I came over and knocked on your door. This was
    Governor George Pataki----
        The President. Oh, yes.
        Q. We persuaded you to join the Yale Republican Club.
        The President. Oh, yes, well----
        Q. Well, Mr. President, you----
        The President. Problem is I never attended any meetings. [Laughter]
        Q. You've become a very good Republican.
        The President. Well, thank you, sir. Welcome. There's no telling,
    given politics, where you were about to take that story. [Laughter]
    Pataki, by the way, did a great job at the
    convention.
        Q. You then went to Harvard Business School, and by your comments
    tonight we can see how you've put together a competent and credible
    business plan, not only for southern Ohio but for the whole country.
        The President. I appreciate that. Thank you.
        Q. In contrast, John Kerry, who also went to Yale with us, did not
    go to Harvard Business School but to the school of flip-flop. [Laughter]
        The President. Okay.
        Q. And I'm wondering how you could address and elaborate a bit on
    this promise gap of how all of these programs and promises that Senator
    Kerry makes that would cost hundreds of billions if not trillions of
    dollars, in a miraculous manner, at no cost to working American
    taxpayers.
        The President. Right. Well, I appreciate that. That's a--the point I
    tried to make about making promises and paying for them, and his plan isn't going to pay for them, unless we tax
    everybody. And that's just the reality. They pressed an economic
    adviser the other day and he said, ``Well,
    we'll let you know how we're going to do it after the election.''
    [Laughter] Seriously. And when you hear that you got to be nervous,
    because that--I put out a budget. Portman has
    seen it, and it's a tough budget. And it's a budget that reduces the
    deficit in half by 5 years. It's a budget that prioritizes defense and
    homeland security, and it's a budget that grows non-discretionary--I
    mean, discretionary, non-homeland--yes, non-homeland, non-defense--

    [[Page 2000]]

    everything other than defense and homeland--[laughter]--at less than one
    percent. But it's necessary if you want to shrink the deficit.
        It requires being wise about the political promises you make. And so
    you're right, there's a promise gap. And I'm going to continue to remind
    people of it here in this campaign. I think it's an issue, because I
    think people need to tell you how they're going to pay for things. If
    they come out here to Ohio and promise you this program or that program
    or this program or this education program, I think it's a fair question,
    ``How are you going to pay for it?''
        I've explained how we're going to pay for it. And my opponent can't explain it because he doesn't want to tell you
    he's going to have to tax you. But he is, and we're not going to let
    him.

    President's Visit/Taxes/Health Care Costs

        Q. Mr. President, I just want to thank you for coming to southern
    Ohio and Scioto County.
        The President. Thanks for having me.
        Q. Also, I'm from Claremont County, and we're working very hard for
    you there, and we want to see you there, if you can squeeze that into
    your schedule sometime. I'd appreciate that.
        The President. Okay, thanks. That's good, used the moment to invite
    me, nothing better than that. [Laughter] A fellow always likes to be
    wanted. [Laughter]
        Q. The other thing I wanted to thank you about, you were talking
    about taxes earlier and a tax break, and I just wanted to tell you how
    it affected me personally. If Al Gore had been elected, I would be in a
    28-percent tax bracket today. But because you are my President, I'm
    making more money, and I'm in a 15-percent tax bracket, thank you very
    much.
        The President. Well, that's good. Yes, I appreciate that.
        Q. The last thing I wanted to say, you were talking about health
    care and the problem with health care costs. And what gets me is the
    audacity that John Kerry has to talk about wanting lower health care
    costs when it's people like his runningmate, John Edwards, that are part
    of the problem, being an ambulance chaser.
        The President. Yes. No, I appreciate that. I think this is an issue.
    I'm telling you, it's a national issue. Everywhere I go people
    understand now the cost of lawsuits. And people ought to have their day
    in court. Don't get me wrong; I mean, if you get hurt, you ought to have
    your day in court. And there's a reasonable way to do so. But frivolous
    lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit causes docs to have to practice
    defensive medicine.
        You know that it costs the Federal Government about $28 billion a
    year because of the practice of defensive medicine. That's why I believe
    it's a national issue. It affects our national budgets. I submitted a
    plan. The House passed it. Of course, it's stuck in the Senate where the
    trial bar is tough. They're one of the most powerful special interests
    in Washington, DC. There's a lot of powerful interests in Washington,
    DC, and the trial bar is one of the toughest.
        One of the reasons I'm running--well, one of the issues I'm making
    during the course of this run is, I want people in Washington to hear
    the voice of the people. It's the great thing about campaigns: You get
    out and you say the same thing a lot of times. And I do. I talk about
    medical liability reform almost every speech I give. You know why?
    Because when I win I want to be able to stand up in front of the
    Congress and say, ``I made it an issue, and the people spoke. Now, let's
    get the job done on behalf of the patients and doctors.''
        Yes, sir.

    Mad Cow Disease/Canadian Beef

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President, and I just want to thank you for the
    privilege of speaking to you.
        The President. Thank you.

    [[Page 2001]]

        Q. I've never been in the same room as the President, and I just
    wanted to have the opportunity to thank you.
        The President. Well, I appreciate it. I hope you view me as just
    like the neighbor next door.
        Q. Good. You just spoke a minute ago about great farmers. Just a few
    hours ago, I was in up to my knees in cow manure. [Laughter] And I've
    been a dairyman----
        The President. No wonder you're sitting way up there. [Laughter]
        Q. I milked my first cow in--when I was 12 years old, 41 years--yes,
    41 years ago. And my wife and I, tomorrow, will celebrate, on 9/11--we
    had no idea was going to happen about emergency numbers or happen in New
    York--but our 33d anniversary is tomorrow.
        The President. Congratulations. I appreciate that.
        Q. And I have a question. I don't know whether you'll like this
    question or not, but it is a farmer's question. Less than a year ago,
    the first part of December, mad cow disease was discovered in Washington
    State.
        The President. Right.
        Q. It was eradicated there and traced by DNA--every offspring--and
    traced to a herd back in Canada. The border was closed and is closed--
    Canadian beef and dairy animals. I just wondered if you could tell me
    about a timetable----
        The President. Sure.
        Q. ----and how it would be done. I know for a fact that there's
    cattle that weighs over 2,000 pounds in Canada that's wasting--waiting
    across the border, and what that will do--impact that will have on the
    United States.
        The President. No, I appreciate that. That's a legitimate question
    on BSE. First of all, thanks for being a farmer. Secondly, we have an
    obligation to make sure the meat supply is safe. I'm sure you understand
    that. And there is a whole process in place that, once we discover
    diseased meat, that kicks into action. And our Agriculture Department
    responded according to the law. And the law was, as you mentioned, to
    make sure the dairy herds are properly--or herds are properly inspected.
    And that's what we have been doing.
        Now, what he is basically saying is, ``Hasn't the inspection process
    gone on too long?'' Certainly, the Canadians think that. And so we're in
    the process--by the way, some beef is moving across the Canadian border.
    Cut beef--cut box beef, I believe--where is the guy? [Laughter] Oh man,
    you got a lousy seat. [Laughter] Cut box beef is moving, right? You
    don't know. It is. And so we're working the Canadians to make sure that
    the herds--the herd is clean enough so that we could get cross-border
    beef moving again.
        I would like to do it as soon as we possibly can. I understand the
    cattle markets fairly well. I think it's in our interest we move
    product. It's also in our interest that we convince the Japanese to
    reopen their beef--their markets to U.S. beef, which they have shut down
    because of BSE--same with the Mexican market.
        So the--our approach is threefold. One is to finish the regulatory
    process that we're required to do to make sure the herd is--the product
    is safe for consumers. Two is to work with the Canadians to get the
    border open again. And three is to get markets back open again that shut
    down as a result of the BSE scare.
        Okay. Yes, sir. Number 22. How old are you?
        Q. Fourteen.
        The President. Good.

    Wheelersburg High School Student President Election

        Q. Well, first of all, it's just an honor to be here, and I'm glad
    to meet you, and you're really a hero to America.
        The President. Thank you, sir.
        Q. My name is Dillon MacDonald. I go to Wheelersburg High School.
    I'm running for student president of my freshman class, and I was
    wondering if I could have your support. [Laughter]

    [[Page 2002]]

        The President. Man, you're heading in the right direction.
    [Laughter] Grab a mike when you find one, and let her rip. [Laughter] I
    assure you, when I was 14, I couldn't have stood up in front of all
    these cameras. Yes, you can have my support.
        Thank you. Good luck. I'll tell you what you do. President--I'll
    tell you what you do. Let Portman know if you
    win. [Laughter] Seriously, write his office. When's the election?
        Q. Monday.
        The President. Monday? Yes, we'll know pretty soon. [Laughter] I've
    got a little longer to go in mine. [Laughter] But seriously, drop
    Portman a line, okay? I'm interested in knowing the outcome. I'll be
    curious. I'll remember you. I'll be watching the election like a hawk.
    [Laughter]
        Yes, sir.

    Cuba

        Q. Mr. President, mi amigo.
        The President. Como esta?
        Q. Muy bien. Muchas gracias. The Cubans in Miami want to know if
    you're going to be the President, going to get rid of Fidel Castro. You
    got rid of Saddam Hussein--[inaudible]--so I hope you'll be the one to
    clean Cuba. Hey, Puerto Rica and Cuba are for you.
        The President. Gracias.
        Q. No hay de que.
        The President. All right, let me tell you what he's talking about.
    Cuba libre.
        Q. Cuba libre.
        The President. Si. Ahora. Here's what he said. We're talking about
    Cuba. Here's my view of Cuba. The people in Cuba want to be free. That's
    my view. And--but I think our policies--this administration has got the
    right policies. There's some pressure, I think, to make the wrong
    decision, and that is to trade with Cuba, for example.
        Now, let me tell you the problem with that. Cuba--Fidel
    Castro does a marvelous job in a controlled
    economy of having certain places where dollars can purchase goods. The
    problem is, is that they pay the Cuban workers in pesos, and there's an
    arbitrage--he's able to split the difference between currency
    valuations. The dollar is a lot stronger than the peso. So we buy goods
    in dollars, or a tourist buys goods in dollars, or an investor buys
    goods in dollars, and yet, the people get paid in pesos, and Fidel
    Castro keeps the balance. And it keeps him strong and keeps him in
    power.
        That's why this administration has taken a view that we're not going
    to lift the embargo on Cuba, that we have got capacity for citizens to
    send some money and food and medicines directly to people, but we're not
    going to empower the Cuban Government through bad--through economic
    policy that would end up having an undesired effect. This guy is a
    tyrant right in our own neighborhood. He's
    not--he's--a while ago, we gave him a chance. I gave a speech down in
    Miami. I said, ``Why don't you allow people to express their opinions in
    referendum and step up and participate in the process, and we'll change
    our policy. Just show some freedom.'' And instead what he did was he
    logged down and imprisoned librarians. This guy will put people in
    prison at a drop of a hat. There is no rule of law.
        And so our policy is to keep the pressure on him and to not allow Fidel Castro and his dictatorial
    society to exploit trade and/or commerce to his advantage and to the
    disadvantage of the suffering people within his country.
        Yes, ma'am.

    Present for the President

        Q. Thank you for coming to our area, first of all.
        The President. Okay, thanks.
        You're next.
        Q. And I have made a promise to my little girl. She got up this
    morning and said, ``Would you give this to the President?'' She drew you
    a picture last night.
        The President. Sure.

    [[Page 2003]]

        Q. And so I want to make sure that you got it, but I gave it to that
    gentleman back there.
        The President. Where is he? [Laughter] Josh? Josh Gatlin? You picked--[laughter]--we grew up in Texas together. By
    the way, his old man is a good friend of mine, Larry Gatlin. Josh is a better--just for the record--hold on, just in
    case his old man is watching--Josh is a better golfer. [Laughter] I know
    him. He'll make sure I get the picture.
        Q. Thank you.
        The President. That's it?
        Q. I just made a promise to her that I'd get it to you.
        The President. Well, you tell her Mom fulfilled her promise. Thank
    you very much for coming.
        Yes, ma'am.

    President's Legacy

        Q. President Bush, we absolutely love you. We love your sincerity.
    We love everything you represent.
        The President. Thank you.
        Q. And my one question for you is, 50 years from now, what would you
    like for your legacy to be?
        The President. Yes, I appreciate you saying that. [Laughter] No,
    it's a great question. It's a great question. It's really an important
    question too. A couple of things. I'd like the reputation to be: He came
    and solved problems and didn't pass them on to future Presidents or
    future generations; that he realized he was fortunate to be the
    President of a mighty country and, therefore, set big goals, not only
    for our own country but for the world. I believe we have an obligation
    to lead. That's what I believe. And I also believe to whom much has been
    given, much is required.
        I would hope that people would look back and say after 50 years of--
    that we put in place a certain momentum that caused more and more people
    to demand to live in liberty and freedom, that people saw that free
    societies could exist in parts of the world where there had been hatred
    and, therefore, violence, that liberty was available and possible.
        I think there are millions of women in the greater Middle East who
    want to live in free societies. That's what I believe. I believe that
    young men would rather have a hopeful life than strapping suicide belts
    on. I believe that there are reformers in the Middle East who watch very
    carefully the words and actions of the United States of America. And I
    would hope that after my time as the President--8 years of it--that
    people say, ``George Bush didn't waver in his belief,'' in my hopes.
        And so one of the legacies would be a peaceful world. That's what we
    want. We want this world to be--that's what we all long for. We've got
    peace in our hearts.
        Secondly, at home, I would hope that people would look back and say
    our society was better off, for two main reasons. One, the education
    system fulfilled its promise. The No Child Left Behind Act is a major
    piece of reform, and I'll tell you why. It--one of my favorite phrases
    is, we're challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. You know, if
    you have low expectations, guess what happens? Kids just get shuffled
    through the school system. And I looked at it as the Governor of Texas,
    and we challenged this low expectations in our schools.
        I believe every child can learn. I believe every child can read. And
    therefore, I expect every child to learn and read. And so we raise
    standards. Rather than lowering standards, we raised them. And we said,
    ``In return for a substantial increase in Federal money''--and there has
    been--``that we expect results.'' And that's the change. We said to the
    people of Ohio, ``Measure. In return for money, you measure. Now, you
    figure out the test, but you measure.'' And here's why you want to
    measure--because you can't solve a problem unless you diagnose it.
        If you think the system of just shuffling the kids through is wrong,
    then the way

    [[Page 2004]]

    you deal with that is you measure early and you solve problems early.
    That's how you raise the bar. The accountability system is crucial to
    making sure that there's a hopeful America. And that's what we're doing.
        One of the integral parts of the No Child Left Behind Act says, ``If
    you're deficient, if you're not meeting the standards in the third grade
    or first grade or second grade, there's extra money''--they actually
    start testing in the third grade--``there's extra money. Or the fourth
    grade, if you're falling behind, there's extra money. The fifth grade,
    there's extra money, so to pull people up.''
        Now, some may believe that you can't read, and therefore, just
    shuffle them through--or learn. I don't believe that. And so another
    legacy, I would hope, is that we've laid the foundation for a new way to
    approach public education so that the public schools meet the dreams of
    every parent and the obligations of our society, so that colleges don't
    become places for remedial education but in fact are places for
    additional education.
        And finally--I know this is too long an answer, but you asked it,
    and I've got some big dreams. Finally, I want people to look back and
    say that George W. Bush understood the power of faith-based programs to
    change America one heart at a time. And here are the policy
    recommendations--policy implications. The question is, should we use
    Federal taxpayers' money for faith-based programs? In other words,
    should faith-based programs have the capacity to apply for Federal
    grants. And it's a legitimate debate on this subject. A lot of people
    say no, because of the issue of separation of church and State. I say
    that you don't have to blur the lines of church and State, and--by
    allowing faith-based programs to bid, so long as they don't use the
    Federal money to proselytize and so long as people of all faiths can be
    treated or saved or helped.
        And let me give you an example of what I'm talking about: drug and
    alcohol rehabilitation programs. Sometimes Government programs work.
    Sometimes, however, in order to convince a person to change their ways,
    you have to change their heart, and Government is not very good at
    changing hearts. As a matter of fact, change of hearts take place in
    faith-based programs. That's why faith-based program exists. That's the
    power of a faith-based program.
        And so I believe that Government ought to welcome faith-based
    programs that work and give them access to Federal monies. As a matter
    of fact, we're changing the culture in Washington, DC, now to get
    Washington well-meaning, hard-working Federal employees not to fear
    faith-based programs. All I'm asking is, ``Does it work,'' see. I'm not
    asking the process question. I don't have time to worry about process in
    Washington. I'm saying, ``Does it work? Does this program to change the
    person's heart and, therefore, causes him to get off drugs--does it
    work?'' If so, we ought to say, ``Welcome. Welcome into our society.
    Welcome to the fabric of social help.''
        And so the legacy is one in which our Government recognizes that the
    true strength of America is in the hearts and souls of our citizens and
    empowers citizens to change America, one heart at a time. And so one of
    the legacies is a more hopeful America. That's what I'm talking about--
    when I say a more hopeful America, I want this society of ours to be
    hopeful for everybody. And I recognize, amongst our wealth there are
    people who hurt and people who weep and people who are hungry and people
    who need housing, and Government can help, but the true help can be
    found as well in neighborhoods, in churches and synagogues and mosques
    that empty out and pour out their love to help save lives.
        Anyway, it's a long answer to a short question.
        Q. Thank you so much.

    [[Page 2005]]

        The President. I don't think a President ought to be planning
    legacy. I think a President ought to be acting and leading, and let the
    legacy thing happen. I don't think you write your history right now. I
    don't think you can worry about how history is written. I think you deal
    with the hand you've been dealt and do the best you can do, not worry
    about polls and focus groups, not worry about the pressure here or the
    pressure there. You make the decision you think is right. You surround
    yourself with capable, competent people and listen to them.
        Let me talk about the capable, competent people I've surrounded
    myself with. My administration has empowered more women than any
    administration. I'm talking about women who have got positions of
    responsibility, people who can march right in there to the Oval Office
    and say, ``Mr. President, you're doing all right,'' or, ``Mr. President,
    you need to change.''
        I've empowered a lot of African Americans when it comes to making
    decisions and policy. My head of my State Department, my National Security Adviser,
    the head of the Department of Education,
    the head of the Housing and Urban Development. I mean, that's--what I'm tell you is--I'm kind of blowing
    my own horn here, for a second. [Laughter] I've got good, capable people
    from all walks of life, and I listen to them. And I listen to their
    advice. And I'm open-minded to their point of view. But when I make up
    my mind, I can make a decision and stay with it and lead this country.
    And that's what is important when it comes to leadership.
        You know what? You got a question? Make it a good one, because this
    is the last question. No, I know--I know, but guess what. I got a bus to
    get on. [Laughter] We got to get on down the road. We got to start
    shaking some hands and get out there and campaign. You want me out there
    seeing as many people as I can see. This election is getting closer by
    the day.
        Yes, ma'am.

    Health Education

        Q. I was wondering, with obesity and disease and all the things that
    are plaguing our youth in our schools today, what you can do as
    President and what you will do as President to promote health education
    back in our school system.
        The President. Well, I appreciate that very much. Let me talk about
    education, putting programs in the school systems. Look, the Federal
    Government's role is to focus on at-risk kids, Title I kids, which we
    do. And we funded a reading program. But the truth of the matter is,
    we're spending about, oh, 9 percent of the money nationwide, and you
    don't want us to have 100 percent of the power. Quite the contrary. You
    want the local schools to be making the decisions here.
        And so you ask the question, what are we going to do to make local
    schools have physical ed--frankly, that's up to your school boards and
    your Governor. I don't want to--I'm not the kind of
    guy who usually passes the buck, but I don't think you want the Federal
    Government making curriculum decisions for you.
        Now, having said that, there's some things we can do. I believe
    that, first of all, I think it's good to exercise at school. But it is
    also good to exercise when you're not in school. And you can--it doesn't
    take much. It doesn't take much.
        As you know, I'm kind of an exercise person. I like to get out and
    work out. It kind of clears out the cobwebs. [Laughter] But if you walk
    20 minutes a day, you're improving your health. If you're--and let me
    tell you, I'm a busy guy, but I make time in my schedule to work out. I
    say to my schedulers, ``I know so-and-so is important to come in here,
    but not nearly as important as giving me the hour to myself so I can
    exercise.''
        And so what I'm--one of my suggestions, and one of the things I will
    continue to do is try to set a good example when it comes to
    prioritizing physical exercise. I

    [[Page 2006]]

    know you can do it, and I know your friends can do it. And sometimes it
    takes turning off the computer or the TV to get it done, and I know
    that's not easy. But nevertheless, one of the roles I can do, a useful
    role, is to set an example, and I'll continue to do so.
        I believe strongly in exercising. And I believe that the American
    people ought to be out there as best they possibly can. And I repeat, it
    doesn't take all that much. As a matter of fact, one of the best things
    we can do to keep health care costs down and to keep--is for people to
    exercise and to make right choices about what you eat, make right
    choices about whether you smoke cigarettes. I mean, there's some things
    that Government can't cause you to do, but we can tell you what you
    ought to do and inspire you to do it. And that's what I think one of my
    proper roles to be.
        Listen, thank you all for coming. I appreciate your interest. God
    bless you. Get to work, and we're going to win. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:24 p.m. at Shawnee State University. In
    his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the
    keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; Ohio State
    Senator Doug White; Mayor James Kalb of Portsmouth, OH; pro football
    Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz and his daughter, Michelle, former
    University of Tennessee women's basketball player who transferred to
    Ohio State University in 2002; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al
    Zarqawi; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; Gov. George E.
    Pataki of New York; and President Fidel Castro of Cuba.