[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 4, 2004]
[Pages 1907-1913]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Erie, Pennsylvania
September 4, 2004
The President. Thank you all for coming. Thanks for being here. I
appreciate you all coming out. There's nothing better than taking a bus
trip on a Saturday with your family. [Laughter] Nothing better than
ending the bus trip in Erie, Pennsylvania.
I'm so honored so many came out to say hello. Thank you. I'm here to
ask for the vote. I believe it's important to get out amongst the
people, tell them what's on your mind. And that's what I'm here to do.
But perhaps--I'm going to give you some reasons to put me back in, but
perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more years. Laura is a great
mom, a great wife, and a great First Lady. I'm proud of the job she's
doing. I'm also proud of our daughters, Barbara and Jenna. Thank you for coming.
I'm proud of my runningmate too. I'm running with a good man in Dick
Cheney. I admit he's not the prettiest face on
the ticket. [Laughter] I didn't pick him for his looks. I picked him
because of his sound judgment, his experience. I picked him because he
can get the job done.
It's good to be in old Tom Ridge's hometown.
He's a good friend. He's a good man, and he's doing a heck of a good job
in reorganizing the Department of Homeland Security. Thank you for
raising him the right way. [Laughter]
Glad to be here with Senator Arlen Specter. I hope you put him back in the United States Senate.
He's a good friend. I'm looking forward to working with him just like I
look forward to working with Rick Santorum,
the other Senator.
I'm proud to be in the district of another friend, Phil
English, Congressman Phil English. Thought he'd
have got a better seat. [Laughter] And Congressman John
Peterson is with us as well. Thank you for
coming, John. I appreciate you being here.
Jean Craige Pepper too--she's running
for treasurer of the State of Pennsylvania. My friend Jane Earll is with us today from right here in Erie. John
Evans is with us.
I want to thank all the other State and local officials who are
here. Thanks for serving your State and your community. I thank my
friend John Connolly, the country music
singer, for being here today. I appreciate him coming. Most of all,
thank you all for taking time out of your Saturday to come by and say
hello. I appreciate you being here. It means an awful lot. Somebody
said, ``Well, maybe a couple hundred will show up to say hi.''
[Laughter]
I'm here also to ask for your help. I know many of you are involved
in grassroots politics, which means putting up the signs or making the
phone calls. I want to thank you for that, and I want to thank you for
what you're going to do as we come down the stretch run here. I urge you
to encourage your friends and neighbors to vote. We have a duty in this
country to participate in the democratic process, to register people,
convince people that we have an obligation in a free society to exercise
our will at the ballot box. And when you're registering people, make
sure you register independents and discerning Democrats, people like
Zell Miller. And when you get them headed toward
the polls, remind them 4 more years of George Bush and Dick
Cheney will make this country safer, stronger,
and better.
Over the next 2 months, I'm going to spend a lot of time here in
Pennsylvania. Now, I know what the pundits say, but let me tell you
something. There's no doubt in my mind, with your help, we're going to
carry this great State. I'm going to tell you where I stand. I'm going
to tell you what I believe, and I'm going to tell you where I'm going to
lead this country for the next 4 years.
[[Page 1908]]
I believe every child can learn and every school must teach. We're
making progress. We're challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations.
We're raising standards. We're testing so we can solve problems early,
before they're too late. We're empowering local people to make the right
decisions for their schools, and the minority gap is closing in America.
We're on our way to excellence for every child, and we're not turning
back.
I believe we have a moral responsibility to provide good health care
for our seniors. You might remember the old debate on Medicare. They
called it ``Medi-scare.'' But I went to Washington to make sure that we
provided good health for our seniors. See, the old system, we'd pay
$100,000 for heart surgery but not the medicine necessary to see to it
that the heart surgery wasn't necessary. It didn't make any sense for
you, the taxpayers. It didn't make any sense for our seniors. Starting
in 2006, seniors will get prescription drug coverage in Medicare.
I believe in the energy and the innovative spirit of America's
workers, small-business owners, farmers, and ranchers. And that's why we
unleashed that energy with the largest tax cut in a generation. Because
we acted, our economy is growing. Last--the jobs report yesterday showed
that we increased jobs by 144,000 in the month of August. And when you
couple that with the upward revisions of the two previous months, we
added 200,000 new jobs, which is 1.7 million since August of '03. The
national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, 1 percent lower than last
summer. The national unemployment rate is lower than the average of the
1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Our economic recovery plan is working.
I believe I have the duty as your President to lead. A President
must confront problems, not pass them on to future generations or future
Presidents. I believe the most solemn duty of the President is to
protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in
this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This is not going to
happen on my watch.
I have a positive plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful
America. I'm running with a philosophy called compassionate
conservatism. It says that Government should help people improve their
lives, not try to run their lives. I also understand the world we're
living in is changing. People are changing jobs and careers. Years ago
when our fathers and grandfathers were in the workplace, it was mainly
men working. Today, women are occupying a lot of the important jobs in
America. This is a changing world we live in. And yet--I want you to
hear this--our most fundamental systems, the Tax Code, health coverage,
pension plans, and worker training, were created for the world of
yesterday, not tomorrow. We will transform these systems so all citizens
are equipped, prepared, and thus truly free to make your own choices so
you can pursue your own dreams.
Any good plan means we've got to keep growing our economy, and I've
got a plan to do that. To keep jobs here in America, Congress needs to
get an energy plan to my desk so we can become less dependent on foreign
sources of energy.
To keep jobs here in America, we must open up markets overseas.
Listen, our markets are open, and it's good for you as a consumer. See,
when you have more choices to choose from, you're likely to get a
product that you like at a good price. And so I've told countries like
China and elsewhere, ``You treat us the way we treat you.'' American
workers can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere so long as the rules
are fair.
To keep jobs here, we've got to get rid of these junk lawsuits that
are threatening our small-business owners in America. To keep jobs here,
I propose what's called opportunity zones to help places like Erie,
where you've lost manufacturing jobs, to be able to apply for tax relief
and investment incentives and regulatory relief, all
[[Page 1909]]
specifically designed to attract new businesses and new jobs. To keep
jobs here, we must be wise about how we spend your money and keep your
taxes low.
Running up the taxes on American workers and American small
businesses is bad economic policy. And we have a difference in this
campaign about taxes. I'm running against a fellow who's proposed
already $2 trillion of new programs, see. And so they said to him, they
said, ``How are you going to pay for it?'' And he said, ``Oh, that's
easy. We'll just tax the rich.'' The problem is we've heard that before,
haven't we? Yes. You know what happens. They hire accountants and
lawyers, and you get stuck with the bill. But we're not going to let him
get away with it. We're going to carry Pennsylvania and the country in
November.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Let me tell you what else needs to change. Our Tax
Code needs to change; it's a complicated mess. Americans spend 6 billion
hours on paperwork and headache when it comes to this Tax Code. It's
full of special interest loopholes. In a new term, I will bring
Democrats and Republicans together to reform and simplify the Federal
Tax Code.
We'll make sure our workers have got the skills for the 21st century
jobs. That's why we're going to expand access to our community colleges.
We'll make sure we're able to--make sure the kids of this country are
able to be able to compete in a competitive world. Listen, most new jobs
are filled by people who have been to college for 2 years. That's the
reality of the world we live in, yet one in four of our students gets
there. That's why in our high schools we'll fund early intervention
programs to help students at risk. We'll expand math and science. Over
time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By raising
performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants for low-
and middle-income Americans, we will help more Americans start their
career with a college degree.
In changing times, we've got to make sure health care is available
and affordable. Most of the uninsured in America--about 50 percent of
the uninsured are small-business employees. These small businesses are
having trouble affording health care. In the new term, we must allow
small businesses to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts
that big companies are able to get.
We'll expand health savings accounts to help our workers and small
businesses. We'll expand community and rural health centers to poor
counties all across America. We will improve health care, but as we do
so, we'll make sure the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not
by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
There's another big issue in this campaign as far as health care.
There are too many frivolous lawsuits that are running up the costs of
your health care and running good docs out of business. You've got a
problem here in Pennsylvania with medical liability, and we've got a
problem around the Nation. See, I don't think you can be pro-doctor,
pro-patient, pro-hospital and pro-plaintiff-attorney at the same time. I
think you have to choose. My opponent made his
choice, and he put him on the ticket.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I made my choice. I am for medical liability reform--
now.
In a changing world, if you own something, you can bring stability
to your life. One of the most hopeful statistics of the modern age is
the fact that the homeownership rate is at an alltime high in America.
More minorities own a home than ever before in our country. More people
are opening up their doors saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my
piece of property.'' Over the next 4 years, we'll continue to expand
homeownership.
I want to talk about one other aspect of ownership that's important,
and that's
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Social Security. If you're an older citizen today, nothing's going to
change for Social Security. You're in good shape. If you're a baby
boomer like me, the Social Security trust will take care of us. But if
you're a younger worker, you better listen carefully to the debate on
Social Security. I believe to make sure the Social Security system is
around for younger workers, they should be able to save some of their
own taxes in a personal account that they can call their own, that
Government cannot take away.
Now, this is a changing world. We've got plans to stand side by side
with the people and the families of America so they can realize their
dreams. But in a changing world, some things won't change, the values we
try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. In a
changing world, we must support the institutions that give us purpose,
our families, our schools, and our religious congregations.
We stand for a culture of life in which every person matters and
every person counts. We support marriage and family, which are the
foundations of our society. We support our religious charities that
provide a safety net of mercy and compassion. Our Government must never
discriminate against faith-based programs. And I will continue to
appoint Federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion
and the strict interpretation of the law.
This election will also determine how America responds to the
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September
the 11th, 2001, we have fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for
pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at
stake. Our strategy is clear. We're defending the homeland. We're
transforming our military. We're strengthening our intelligence
services. We will stay on the offensive. We will strike the terrorists
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. We will advance
liberty in the broader Middle East because freedom will bring a future
of hope and the peace we all long for. And we will prevail.
Our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home
base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups;
Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising; Libya was
secretly pursuing nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering threat; Al Qaida
was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. Because we acted, the
Government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is
capturing terrorists; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests; Libya is
dismantling its weapons programs; the army of a free Iraq is fighting
for freedom; and more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and
associates have been brought to justice.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. We have led. Many have joined, and America and the
world are safer.
This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
some tough decisions, and the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
Hussein's history of aggression and support
for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing and using weapons of
mass destruction. And we know that after September the 11th, this
country must think differently. After that horrible day, we must take
threats seriously before they fully materialize.
In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. I
went to the United States Congress, and members of both political
parties looked at the same intelligence I looked at, remembered the same
history that I remembered, and came to the same conclusion that my
administration had come to: He was a threat. My opponent looked at the same intelligence and came to the same
conclusion and voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq.
Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into combat, we must
try all means to solve a problem. That's why I went to the United
Nations, in the hope
[[Page 1911]]
that diplomacy would work. The United Nations Security Council looked at
the same intelligence we looked at, remembered the history we
remembered, came to the same conclusion that we came to: Saddam was a threat. And they pass a resolution that said,
``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' In other words, the
free world, after more than a decade of diplomacy, gave Saddam Hussein
another chance, a final chance, to meet his responsibilities.
But as he had for over a decade, he
wasn't interested in what the free world said. He ignored resolution
after resolution after resolution. As a matter of fact, when they sent
inspectors into his country, he systematically deceived them.
So I had a choice to make, the only--the kind of choice that comes
to the Oval Office, a choice no President wants to make but better be
prepared to make. And the choice was this: Do I trust the word of a
madman and forget the lessons of September the 11th, or take action to
defend this country? Given that choice, I will defend America every
time.
Because we acted--because we acted to defend our country, more than
50 million people have been liberated. Because we acted in our own self-
interest, democracy is now on the march* in the greater Middle East.
Think about this. In Afghanistan, 10 million citizens have registered to
vote in a Presidential election which will take place next month.
Despite ongoing acts of violence, Iraq now has a strong Prime
Minister, a National Council, and national
elections are scheduled in January.
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*White House correction.
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We're standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq because when
America gives its word, it must keep its word. As well we're serving a
vital and historic cause that will make us safer. Free societies in the
Middle East will be hopeful societies which no longer feed resentments
and breed violence for export. Free governments in the Middle East will
fight terrorists instead of harboring them. And that helps us keep the
peace.
So our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We will help the
new leaders train their armies so they can stop the few who are trying
to prevent the many from living in a free society. We will move toward
elections. We will help those countries get on the path of stability and
democracy as quickly as possible. And then our troops will return home
with the honor they have earned.
We have a great military. Our military is full of courageous and
decent and honorable people. I want to thank the veterans who are here
today for setting such a great example for those who serve. We will make
sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions.
That's why I went to the Congress last September and proposed
fundamental--supplemental funding, which is money for armor and spare*
parts and ammunition and fuel--necessary, money necessary so they can do
their work. And we received great bipartisan support. That means both
Democrats and Republicans supported it--except for 12 Members of the
United States Senate voted no.
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*White House correction.
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Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Yes, two of whom are my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Only four United States Senators voted to authorize
the use of force and then voted against funding our troops.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And two of those were my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So they asked him to explain his vote. He said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before
I voted against it.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So they said--they kept pressing, and he said he was proud of his
[[Page 1912]]
vote. And finally he just said, ``The whole thing was a complicated
matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat.
Our allies know the historic work we're doing. We've put together a
broad coalition; nearly 40 countries in Afghanistan, some 30 in Iraq are
working with us to bring peace to the world. Over the next 4 years, I'll
continue to work to build our alliances. But I will never turn over
America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. That's what I
believe. The wisest use of America's strength is to advance freedom. I
like to tell the story about my discussions with Prime Minister
Koizumi of Japan. We sit around the table,
and we talk about peace. It's an amazing conversation, when you think
about it. Wasn't all that long ago in the march of history that my
dad and your dads were fighting the
Japanese as a sworn enemy. And yet, because my predecessor, citizens of
this great country believed that liberty could transform enemies into
allies, we worked with the Japanese after World War II to build a
democracy, a self-governing nation. Someday, if we're strong and
resolute and keep faith in our beliefs, an American President will be
sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq, talking about the
peace, talking about security.
I believe that America is called to lead the cause of freedom in
this new century. I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in
silence for their liberty. I believe that given the chance, they will
embrace the most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I
believe all these things because freedom is not America's gift to the
world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this
world.
The 21st century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom at
home and abroad, we'll build a safer world and a more hopeful America.
Over the next 4 years, we'll continue to work hard to reform systems
that need to be changed so the American people can realize their dreams.
We'll spread ownership and opportunity to every corner of this country.
We'll pass the enduring values of our Nation on to a young generation.
We'll continue to lead the world to make the world more free and
peaceful.
You know, for these years--for all Americans, these years in our
history will always stand apart. There are quiet times in the life of a
nation when little is expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those
times. This is a time when we need firm resolve, clear vision, and a
deep faith in the values that make us a great nation.
Four years ago--well, none of us will ever forget that week when one
era ended and another began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the
ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There were
workers there in hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I
remember trying to console people as best I could. A guy grabbed me by
the arm and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' I wake up every morning
thinking about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in
defending America, whatever it takes.
Four years ago, when I traveled your great State asking for the
vote, I said if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold the
dignity and the honor of the office to which I had been elected. With
your help and hard work, I will do so for the next 4 years.
God bless. Thank you for coming. Thank you all very much. Thank you
all.
Note: The President spoke at approximately 2:45 p.m. at Erie Veterans
Memorial Stadium. In his remarks, he referred to Pennsylvania State
Senator Jane M. Earll; John R. Evans, member, Pennsylvania General
Assembly; Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who
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made the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention;
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. The transcript released by the
Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of the First
Lady, who introduced the President.