[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 2, 2004]
[Pages 2323-2329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks to the National Association of Home Builders in Columbus, Ohio
October 2, 2004
The President. Thank you all very much. Thank you all.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thanks a lot. Thanks for the warm welcome. I
appreciate being with the homebuilders from all across our country. It's
a good way to spend a Saturday morning. [Laughter] I'm proud to be back
in the State capital of Ohio.
I don't know if you know this or not, but my great grandfather built
a home right here in Columbus, on Roxbury Road. The homebuilder they
hired did a good job. [Laughter] The house still stands. [Laughter] My
grandfather was born in this city back in 1895, so I hope a month from
now the Ohio voters will send a home boy back to Washington.
For millions of our citizens, the American Dream starts with owning
a home. Homeownership gives people a sense of pride and independence and
confidence for the future. When you work hard, like you've done, and
there are good policies coming out of our Nation's Capital, we're
creating a home--an ownership society in this country where more
Americans than ever will be able to open up their door where they live
and say, ``Welcome to my house. Welcome to my piece of property.''
I was in Florida this week. And I've been there quite often because
of the hurricanes, and I want to thank you for the good work that the
homebuilders are doing for the people of that State. Homebuilders have
collected donations of cash and building materials for families that
have lost so much. They've established an online disaster contractor
network to help put homeowners in touch with licensed contractors and
with Government officials who can help those people that have been hurt
by these storms.
The Federal Government is also doing its part, along with State and
local authorities. Florida has been through a terrible time. And so have
many communities here in Ohio, that have suffered severe flooding caused
by the hurricanes. We've issued disaster declarations for 20 counties in
Ohio, making residents whose homes have been damaged or destroyed
eligible for assistance. In Florida, Ohio, and other storm-damaged--
ravaged States, we will not rest until life is back to normal, the
damage repaired, and the homes are rebuilt.
Laura sends her best. When I asked her to
marry me, she was a public school librarian in Texas. [Applause] There
you are. Just wanted to see if any of the home State folks are here.
[Laughter] I know Conine is here. [Laughter] She said, ``Fine, I'll
marry you, just so long as I never have to give a political speech.''
[Laughter] I said, ``Okay.'' [Laughter] Fortunately, she didn't hold me
to that promise. The American people are learning what I know: She's a
compassionate, decent, strong First Lady for our country.
I want to thank Bobby Rayburn
and Annette for their invitation and their
leadership of this important group. I appreciate the board of directors
who are here today. I want to thank the guests who are here today.
I'm traveling today with Senator Mike DeWine
from the State of Ohio, who is a fine United States Senator. I
appreciate you coming, Mike. Congressman Dave Hobson and Carolyn are with us today.
Thank you for coming, Congressman. I appreciate you being here.
Congressman Pat Tiberi is here. Thank you
for coming, Pat. I'm proud you're here. He brought his mother,
Rina, with him.
Yesterday I was in New Hampshire speaking, and Mother showed up. [Laughter] Just wanted to make sure she
could
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continue giving me some instructions. [Laughter] Tiberi, my only advice to you is do what I do, and that's listen
to your mother. [Laughter] I appreciate your
dad, Joe, being here, and your sister.
I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor from this State being here, Jennette Bradley, and happy
birthday to you, Governor. I appreciate it. Betty
Montgomery, the State auditor is here. I
know there's other local officials and State officials. We all
appreciate you being here today.
Today when I landed at the airport, I met Karen Kindron. You've probably never heard of Karen, but let me tell
you about her. She is an active volunteer in what's called Rebuilding
Together of Columbus. She is a soldier in the army of compassion. She is
the kind of person who's heard the universal call to love a neighbor.
She represents the true strength of America, which is the hearts and
souls of our citizens. The program for which she volunteers helps low-
income, elderly, and disabled homeowners. They help them obtain services
such as weatherization and repair work. Since founded in 1988, over 2
million volunteers have rehabilitated 87,000 homes and facilities.
America can change one heart and one soul at a time for the better
because of the volunteers all across our country who are making a
difference. And I want to thank Karen. Where are you, Karen? She's
somewhere. Anyway, she's here, and I thank her for setting such a good
example. Thank you, Karen, appreciate it.
We're nearing an historic national election in 31 days--who's
counting? [Laughter] Americans will go to the polls to determine the
direction of this great Nation for the next 4 years. I'm looking forward
to these final weeks of the campaign. I really am. I like to get out
amongst the people, and I'm going to tell you where I stand and what I
believe and where I'll lead this Nation.
I believe it is the job of a President to confront problems, not
pass them on to future Presidents and future generations. And in the
last 4 years, we have faced some problems. We faced a recession,
corporate scandal. We passed tough laws now that make it abundantly
clear, we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. We
faced a terrorist attack and war. Because we confronted these challenges
with focus and resolve, our Nation is on the path to a better future. If
America shows weakness or uncertainty in this decade, the world will
drift toward tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch.
We're going after the terrorists. We will hunt them down where they
plot and plan, and we're making progress. Today, more than three-
quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates have been brought to
justice. I have the solemn duty to protect the homeland, and we'll do
everything we can here at home to protect you. But the best way to
protect the homeland is to stay on the offensive, fighting the
terrorists overseas so we do not have to face them here in America.
But I understand this: To make sure our children and grandchildren
grow up in a hopeful, peaceful world, this country must continue to
spread freedom and liberty. Freedom in Afghanistan--10 million citizens
in that country that was once ruled by the barbarians, the Taliban, have
registered to vote, 41 percent of whom are women, in the upcoming
Presidential elections. Freedom is on the march.
We'll continue to work for a free society in Iraq. It's hard work
there. You know it's hard, and I know it's hard. It's hard for a reason,
because the terrorists fear freedom. Liberty will transform societies.
Someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly elected
leader of Iraq talking about the peace, and our children and
grandchildren will be able to grow up in a more peaceful world. In the
long run, our interests are served by spreading freedom and liberty and,
therefore, spreading peace.
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There are clear differences in this campaign. In the debate Thursday
night, my opponent continued his pattern of
confusing contradictions on Iraq. After voting for the war, after saying
my decision to remove Saddam Hussein from
power was the right decision, he now says it was all a mistake. Then he
was asked if our troops were dying for a mistake. He said, ``No.'' You
can't have it both ways. You can't say it's a mistake and not a mistake.
You can't be for getting rid of Saddam Hussein when things look good and
against it when times are hard. You can't claim terrorists are pouring
across the border into Iraq yet, at the same time, try to claim that
Iraq is somehow a diversion from the war against terrorism. A President
cannot keep changing his mind. A President must be consistent. A
President must speak clearly, and a President must mean what he says.
In the debate, Senator Kerry also said
something revealing when he laid out the Kerry doctrine. He said that
America has to pass a ``global test'' before we can use American troops
to defend ourselves.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. That's what he said.
[Laughter] Think about this, Senator Kerry's approach to foreign policy
would give foreign governments veto power over our national security
decisions. I have a different view. When our country is in danger, the
President's job is not to take an international poll. The President's
job is to defend America. I'll continue to work every day with our
friends and allies for the sake of freedom and peace. But our national
security decisions will be made in the Oval Office, not in foreign
capitals.
We have hard work ahead to do our duty. But by being steadfast and
resolved, we will prevail. And as we defend our great country, we will
continue strengthening our Nation here at home.
To grow this economy and unleash the spirit of enterprise, to
overcome the obstacles I described earlier, we passed the largest tax
relief in a generation. And that tax relief has made a big difference
for a lot of you all. See, many homebuilders are small businesses. Many
homebuilders are--represent the great entrepreneurial spirit of America.
Among the members of the National Association of Home Builders, 63
percent of you are either Subchapter S or sole proprietorships, which
means you pay your taxes at the individual income-tax rate. Just like a
lot of other small businesses in America do.
And so when we passed tax relief by cutting rates on everybody who
pay taxes, we helped our small businesses; we helped our homebuilders.
We helped you with resources to build or grow and expand and hire more
workers. By cutting taxes on dividends and capital gains, we encouraged
savings and investment, which is crucial to your industry. Tax relief
left more money in the hands of American workers so they could save,
spend, invest, and help drive this economy forward.
The economic recovery plan of ours is working. The results are clear
for all to see. Over the past year, America has added 1.7 million jobs.
We've added 107,000 manufacturing jobs since January. The national
unemployment rate is down to 5.4 percent, nearly a full point below the
rate in the summer of 2003 and below the average of the 1970s, 1980s,
and 1990s.
Inflation is low. Mortgage and interest rates are near historic
lows. Our economy is growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years,
spreading opportunity and prosperity across this country. And the
homebuilders of America have helped lead the recovery in America.
The tax relief has helped many be able to put money down to buy a
home. As well, my administration has worked to expand homeownership in
other ways. Last December, I signed the American Dream Downpayment Act,
which will help thousands of low-income families afford the downpayment
and closing costs on their first home. We want people in every corner of
America owning a home.
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We've doubled funding for education and counseling services to help
first-time homebuyers navigate the lending process, understand the fine
print, and avoid predatory lenders. Homeownership rates are an alltime
high in America, nearly 70 percent. I love that statistic. [Laughter]
Think about that. More and more people own a home in America. More and
more people have a chance to realize the great dream of our country.
Minority homeownership is at record levels as well. In 2002, I set a
clear goal, 5.5 million new minority homeowners by the end of the
decade. And in just 2 years, more than 1.6 million minorities have
become homeowners. America is a stronger country every single time a
family moves into a house of their own.
The fundamental question in this campaign is how do we make the
recovery lasting--to lasting prosperity? To create more jobs in America,
to make sure people can find work, America must be the best place in the
world to do business. That means less regulations on the entrepreneurs.
To create jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy plan. It's a plan
that encourages conservation and renewable sources, but it's a plan that
uses technology so we can burn coal and explore for natural gas. To make
sure our economy remains strong and people can find work in America, we
must become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
To make sure this economy remains strong, we've got to reject
economic isolationism. We have opened up our markets for products from
overseas, and that's good for the consumer. If a person has more
choices, he or she is likely to get the product they want at better
quality and lower price. That's how the marketplace works. So I'm saying
to other countries like China and elsewhere, ``Treat us the way we treat
you. Open up your markets for our farmers, ranchers, and
entrepreneurs.'' We can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long
as the rules are fair.
To make sure that jobs exist here in America people can find work,
we've got to protect our small-business owners and workers from the junk
lawsuits that threaten jobs across America. I don't think you can be
pro-homebuilder, pro-small-business, pro-entrepreneur, and pro-trial-
lawyer at the same time. I think you have to choose. My opponent made a choice. He put a trial lawyer on the ticket. I made my choice. I'm for legal reform to
make sure this economy continues forward.
I've worked with Congress to create opportunity zones, which will
provide extra tax relief and regulatory relief and other incentives for
businesses to help our communities that have lost manufacturing and
textile and other jobs to get back on their feet. We'll keep this
economy growing until prosperity reaches every corner of America.
And I've set another great goal, and that's to build an ownership
society, where everyone has a chance to own a home and a retirement
account or health care plan and to gain a permanent stake in the
American Dream. I believe expanded ownership is necessary for a lot of
reasons, and one of the main reasons is because the times in which we
live and work are changing dramatically.
Think about our society today compared to the society of our
grandparents and parents. The workers of our parents' and grandparents'
generation typically had only one job, one skill, one career, often with
one company that provided health care and a pension. Today, people are
changing jobs and careers quite often, and the workforce has changed.
Women work inside the house and now outside the house. Yet, the
fundamental systems of Government, the health care plans, the pension
plans, the Tax Code, the worker training programs, were designed for
yesterday, not for tomorrow.
I'm running for office to help people be able to realize their
dreams by changing the fundamental systems of Government. And in times
of change, I understand that
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ownership brings stability to our neighborhoods and security to our
families. In changing times, it helps if you own something. It helps
bring security to you. By paying a mortgage instead of rent, by putting
money into your own retirement plan, you're storing up wealth for your
family. And that nest egg grows in value, and you can pass it on to your
children or your grandchildren.
To build an ownership society, we'll help even more Americans buy
homes. Some families are more than able to pay a mortgage but just don't
have the savings to put money down. We'll continue to help them realize
their dreams with a downpayment. So I'm asking Congress to pass my Zero-
Downpayment Initiative. We should remove the 3 percent downpayment rule
for first-time homebuyers with FHA-insured mortgages. This change could
help as many as 150,000 people become homeowners in the first year
alone.
To help low- to moderate-income rural families purchase homes, I've
requested $2.7 billion in loan guarantees and 1.1 billion for direct
loans to low-income borrowers that can't get bank loans. These
initiatives will help thousands in rural communities across America
achieve the dream of homeownership.
Adding more qualified buyers won't accomplish much if there are no
affordable homes to buy. My administration has set a goal of 7 million
more affordable homes in the next 10 years. To help reach that goal,
I've asked Congress to pass the single family housing affordable tax
credit to help you build between 40 and 50 thousand new affordable homes
every year.
I understand that the regulatory barriers at the Federal, State, and
local levels can add as much as 35 percent of the cost to the homes. In
order to make sure there's more affordable homes, we must remove the
regulatory barriers on our homebuilders. I understand there's a need for
sensible regulation, but when you have overlapping regulations that send
confusing signals, when you have the Federal Government, the State
government, the local governments creating obstacles for homebuilding,
it is time to reduce those regulations.
Finally, I believe that the mortgage interest deduction enables more
Americans to achieve the goal of homeownership. It is an important part
of our Tax Code.
To build an ownership society, we should help our fellow citizens
get health care, especially coverage for themselves. More than one-half
of the uninsured in America are small-business employees and their
families. To make sure they get help, we must allow small firms to join
together through association health plans so they can purchase insurance
for their employees at the same discounts that big businesses are able
to do so. And I appreciate your homebuilders--the homebuilders for
supporting this initiative.
We will offer a tax credit to encourage small businesses and their
employees to set up health savings accounts. We'll provide help--direct
help for low-income Americans to purchase health savings accounts.
Health savings accounts--and I urge you to look into them--give workers
the security of insurance against major illness, the opportunity to save
tax-free for routine health expenses, and the freedom of knowing that
you own your own account that you can take with you wherever you--
whenever you change jobs.
And finally, in order to make sure--and another practical
commonsense way to make sure health care is available and affordable, is
to stop these frivolous lawsuits that are running good docs out of
business and running up the cost of your health care. By making this
medical liability issue a significant part of the campaign, by talking
about every single stop, by reminding people about what these lawsuits
do to their health care, I am confident that in the next 4 years, we'll
get medical liability reform out of the United States Senate and the
House of Representatives. In all we
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do to improve health care, we'll make sure the decisions are made by
doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in the Nation's Capital.
To build an ownership society, we've got to reform and strengthen
our retirement system. I remember campaigning in 2000, and people tell
me where they saw the TV ad they were running that said, ``If George W.
gets elected, our seniors aren't going to get their Social Security
checks.'' So I'm going around the country reminding the seniors they got
their checks. [Laughter]
With the baby boomer generation approaching retirement, many of our
children and grandchildren understandably worry whether Social Security
will be there when they need it. Social Security is in good shape for
our seniors, and Social Security is in good shape for baby boomers like
me. But we need to worry about our children and grandchildren. And so I
believe we ought to 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 that the Government cannot take away.
In all these proposals, we seek to provide not just a Government
program but a path to greater opportunity and more freedom and more
control over your own life. And here, as on so many other issues,
there's a big difference between my opponent and me. Senator
Kerry voted against tax deductible health
savings accounts. He voted against expanding personal retirement savings
accounts. He opposes our proposals to strengthen Social Security by
allowing younger workers to put some of their taxes into personal
accounts that they control. He opposes our plan to allow small
businesses to join together to purchase health insurance at the
discounts available to big companies. There's a pattern here. [Laughter]
On just about every proposal to empower the individual instead of
Government, my opponent has voted no.
A few weeks ago, Senator Kerry gave a
speech in Detroit to lay our his economic agenda. Not once in that
speech did he mention expanding ownership, not a word on how we would
help more Americans own their own homes or stocks or savings accounts.
Instead, his agenda focuses on expanding the scope and power of the
Government. He has decided to put his faith in the wisdom of the
Government. I will always put my faith in the wisdom of the American
people.
Senator Kerry has spent almost 20 years in
the Federal Government, and he's concluded that it just isn't big
enough. [Laughter] On the campaign trail, he has proposed more than 2
trillion in new Federal spending so far. [Laughter] And that's a lot,
even for a Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter] And he said--they
asked him, ``Well, how are you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``By
raising taxes on the rich. By raising taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent
of the population.'' We've heard that rhetoric before, ``raising taxes
on the rich.'' There's one problem with that, that the tax increase
would bring only in about $600 billion of revenue. And he wants to spend
more than 2 trillion, so there's a tax gap. And guess who gets to fill
the tax gap? Yes, you do. That's what happens. People make wild
promises, and they can't pay for it, and then they're going to raise
your taxes to pay for it.
He also doesn't understand when he's
saying tax the so-called-rich, he's raising the taxes on the small-
business owners of America. My opponent's plan would raise taxes on over
900,000 small-business owners, the Subchapter S corporations, the sole
proprietorships, people just like you. Small businesses are the engine
of job creation in our country. Small businesses create 7 out of every
10 new jobs. It makes no sense to tax the job creators as our economy is
getting stronger. We should not punish free enterprise. We ought to
encourage free enterprise in America.
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Now, I've got a plan to help this country move forward. I believe
tax--the tax relief we passed ought to be made permanent. I've got a
practical way to make sure Americans get health coverage without
empowering the Federal Government. We've got a clear view of how to make
sure Social Security fulfills its promise to our younger folks. We're
going to help more families find dignity and independence in a home they
call their own. We're going to build an ownership society, where
everyone has a stake in the success of America and everyone has a chance
to realize the great promise of our country.
And you're helping people realizing that success. It must be a
fantastic feeling to be a part of the American Dream. It must be great
to see--it must be magnificent to see somebody walk in to their home and
feel the pride of ownership, the fantastic feeling of saying to a son or
daughter, ``Here's your room. Here's our piece of property.''
I want to thank you very much for what you're doing. I want to thank
you for helping pull our economy through some tough times and helping
this Nation get on that hopeful path for a bright future. I appreciate
your hard work. I appreciate your optimism. I appreciate your love for
America.
May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our country. Thank
you all.
Note: The President spoke at 10:01 a.m. at the Greater Columbus
Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to C. Kent Conine,
immediate past president, and Bobby Rayburn, president, National
Association of Home Builders; Carolyn Hobson, wife of Representative
David L. Hobson; and Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley and Auditor of State
Betty Montgomery of Ohio.