    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 4, 2004]
    [Pages 1899-1900]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    September 4, 2004

        Good morning. America is the home to the most dedicated, innovative,
    and decent workers in the world. And thanks to their effort and
    enterprise, America's economy is strong and growing stronger.
        This past week we learned that we added 144,000 new jobs in August
    and nearly 60,000 more jobs in June and July than previously estimated.
    Overall, we've added about 1.7 million new jobs since last August. And
    the unemployment rate has fallen to 5.4 percent, nearly a full point
    below the peak last summer and lower than the average rate of the 1970s,
    1980s, and 1990s. Our Nation is proud of all our workers, and on this
    Labor Day weekend, we say thank you.
        The world is changing dramatically for American workers. The global
    market is expanding, creating new markets for our goods and new
    competition for our people. Workers are changing jobs more often, and
    they need new skills to stay ahead. This time of change can be a time of
    great opportunity for American workers, and Government must take their
    side.

    [[Page 1900]]

        To create more jobs in America, we must make sure that America
    remains the best place in the world to do business. That starts with
    encouraging investment and expansion by restraining Federal spending,
    reducing regulation, and making tax relief permanent. We also need to
    make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, to expand
    trade, and to level the playing field for American goods and services
    across the globe. And we must protect workers and small-business owners
    from the frivolous lawsuits that threaten jobs across America.
        Another drag on our economy is the Tax Code, which is a complicated
    mess filled with special interest loopholes and saddling our people with
    more than 6 billion hours of paperwork and headache every year. American
    workers and their families deserve a simpler, fairer, progrowth system,
    so I will lead a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the Federal
    Tax Code.
        In this time of change, many workers want to go back to school to
    learn new or different skills, so we will double the number of people
    served by our principal job training program and increase funding for
    our community colleges. We will change outdated labor laws to make the
    workplace more family-friendly and give workers more control over their
    schedules through comp-time and flex-time.
        I also have a plan to create American opportunity zones to help
    communities that have lost manufacturing, textile, and other jobs. In
    these areas we'll provide tax relief, investment incentives, and
    regulatory relief specifically designed to attract new businesses and
    create new jobs. We will also improve housing, job training, and
    education in opportunity zones so these communities in transition have
    all the resources they need to succeed.
        We'll also work to build an ownership society in America. Our Nation
    is stronger when more people own their homes, their own health plans,
    and a piece of their retirement. We will strengthen Social Security by
    allowing younger workers to save some of their taxes in a personal
    account, a nest egg they can call their own and Government can never
    take away.
        With all these proposals, we'll provide American workers with a path
    to greater opportunity, more freedom, and more control over their lives.
        American workers built this country, and they continue to build our
    prosperity today. They have our gratitude and our confidence. And all
    Americans have my best wishes for a safe and enjoyable Labor Day
    weekend.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 4:25 p.m. on September 3 at the Crowne
    Plaza Five Seasons Hotel in Cedar Rapids, IA, for broadcast at 10:06
    a.m. on September 4. The transcript was made available by the Office of
    the Press Secretary on September 3 but was embargoed for release until
    the broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.