[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 20, 2004]
[Pages 2608-2620]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in a Discussion in Rochester, Minnesota
October 20, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all. Please be 
seated. I might just decide to take off my jacket. We've got some work 
to do.
    As you can see, I'm joined on the platform here with some of your 
fellow citizens. We're going to talk about economic policy and ownership 
and ways to make America a more hopeful place. And we'll be having a 
dialog here in a minute, but I've got something I want to tell you 
first.
    I'd like your help in this election. We're coming down the stretch, 
and I'm here to ask for your help in turning out the vote. Get your 
friends and neighbors to go to the polls. We have a duty in this country 
to participate in our democratic system by voting. And get them going to 
the polls, and when you get them headed there, remind them that if they 
want a safer America and a stronger America and a better America, put me 
and Dick Cheney back in office.
    It is nice to be back in Rochester, and it's great to be back in the 
great State of Minnesota. And there is no doubt, with your help, we will 
carry Minnesota and win a great victory on November the 2d.

    Laura said for me to send her best. I'm sorry 
she's not here. You know, when I--we went to the seventh grade together 
at San Jacinto Junior High in Midland, Texas. And then we got to know 
each other again later on, and she was a public school librarian. And I 
asked her to marry me, of course, and she said, ``Fine, but never make 
me give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, if that's one 
of the conditions, you got a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to 
that promise. She's giving a lot of speeches, and when she does, the 
American people see a strong, compassionate, warm, great First Lady. I 
love her dearly. We are enjoying ourselves on this campaign. It's really 
a lot of fun to travel with her, and it's really a lot of fun to travel 
with our daughters, Barbara and Jenna. They're now out campaigning. You know, I told them when 
they were kids, ``We'll go on the great family camping trip.'' This is 
it. [Laughter]

[[Page 2609]]

    I'm proud to be here with your United States Senator, Norm 
Coleman. I appreciate you, Senator. He's a good 
man. I enjoy working with him. He represents Minnesota in fine fashion. 
And I'm also proud to be here with Gil Gutknecht, the United States Congressman for this area, and Mary--
where is Mary? Oh, hi, Mary, good to see you 
again. Thanks for coming.
    I want to thank--the Governor is not 
with us. He's doing a great job, though. I appreciate Tim. I enjoy him. 
I like him. I trust him, and so should you. He's doing you a good job. 
I'm sure he's out working a phone bank, turning out that vote. I want to 
thank all the local and State officials who are here.
    I really want to thank the grassroots activists. You never get 
thanked enough for putting up the signs, for making the phone calls, for 
doing all the hard work. I know how hard you are working. I want to 
thank you in advance for the great victory we're going to have here in 
the State of Minnesota.
    I met Sister Chabanel Hayunga today. 
Where are you, Sister? I know she's--you got a terrible seat. [Laughter] 
You would have thought a soldier in the army of compassion would have 
gotten a better seat. I'm going to talk to the advance person here. 
[Laughter] The reason I bring her up is because she is active with the 
Senior Companion Program through Catholic Charities.
    The strength of this country is the hearts and souls of our 
citizens. That is the strength of America. We've got a great military, 
and we'll keep it strong. We've got a world-class economy that's 
growing. We'll keep it strong. But the true strength of this society of 
ours is the fact that there are millions among us who love a neighbor 
just like they'd like to be loved themselves. America can change and 
will change, one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time, because of 
the deep compassion of people like the Sister. She, of course, says--typical of a true soldier in 
the army of compassion--out here on the runway when we had our picture 
taken at Air Force One, she said, ``I am here representing the thousands 
of people in Minnesota who volunteer to make society a better place.''
    You have set such a clear example, for which we are grateful. Thank 
you, Sister, for what you do.
    The President's job is to solve problems. We had a serious problem 
when it came to our economy. The stock market had been in significant 
decline 6 months prior to my arrival--I want you to remind your friends 
and neighbors of that--which foretold a recession that took place. And 
then we had some corporate scandals which affected our economy. We 
passed tough laws that made it clear to people we will not tolerate 
dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. That ought to be now abundantly 
clear. And then we got attacked, and those attacks cost our economy one 
million jobs in the weeks after September the 11th.
    But we acted. I led; the Congress responded with tax relief. And the 
tax relief was vital. The tax relief encouraged consumption. It 
encouraged investment. And the recession was one of the shallowest in 
American history.
    And the facts are clear. When you get through all the political 
noise, the facts are clear. Our economy is growing at rates as fast as 
any in nearly 20 years. We've added 1.9 million new jobs since August of 
2003. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which is lower than 
the average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. Your 
unemployment rate in Minnesota is 4.5 percent. The farm income is up. 
Homeownership is at an alltime high. We're moving forward. We have 
overcome problems. There's more work to be done, but think about where 
we have been and where we're going. And we're not going to go back to 
the days of tax and spend. We're not going to go back to the days of the 
policies that stifle the entrepreneurial spirit.
    So the fundamental question in this campaign, after I've shown 
people I can lead

[[Page 2610]]

and solve problems is, what else are we going to do? I'll tell you what 
else we're going to do. We're going the make sure we get an energy 
policy to my desk. I proposed a plan over 2 years ago that encourages 
conservation, that uses renewables like ethanol and biodiesel, that uses 
technologies for clean coal technology, that says we can explore for 
environmentally friendly ways for natural gas, a plan that recognizes we 
must become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    In order to make sure this economy grows, we've got to keep opening 
up markets for Minnesota farmers and entrepreneurs and small-business 
owners. See, the tendency in American politics is to fall prey to 
economic isolationism. That would be bad for our workers. It would be 
bad for our consumers. The Presidents before me have opened up our 
markets, and I'm happy to open up markets too. It's in our consumers' 
interests. If you have more products to choose from, you're likely to 
get that which you want at a better price and better quality. See, it's 
in your interests. And so I'm saying to places like China, ``You treat 
us the way we treat you. You open up your markets just like we've opened 
up our markets.'' And I say that with confidence because we can compete 
with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as the rules are fair.
    And I want our soybean growers here in Minnesota to understand that 
one reason your prices are such that you can make a living is because 
you're selling soybeans to China. See, they're using your soybeans. It's 
essential you have a President who understands what free trade means to 
people from all sectors of our economy.
    I'll tell you what else we need to do to make sure jobs stay here in 
America and the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We've got to do 
something about the regulations that plague our business and job 
creators and something about these frivolous lawsuits that are making it 
hard for small businesses to expand their businesses.
    To keep jobs here, we've got to be wise about how we spend your 
money and keep your taxes low. And taxes are an issue in this campaign. 
See, I'm running against a fellow who has 
promised $2.2 trillion worth of new spending. That's a lot. That's with 
a ``T.'' [Laughter] That's a lot even for a Senator from Massachusetts. 
[Laughter] So they asked him, ``How are you going to pay for it? How are 
you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, we'll just tax the rich, raise 
the top two brackets.'' Let me tell you at least two things--three 
things wrong with that. First of all, you got to believe him that he's 
going to tax. You know, he's one of the first--one of the few 
Presidential candidates to ever promise raising taxes in a Presidential 
campaign, and that's a promise most politicians are happy to keep.
    First of all, you can't pay for $2.2 trillion worth of new spending 
by raising the top two brackets. You fall short by about $800 billion. 
There's a gap between what is promised and what is deliverable. 
Actually, it's 1.4 trillion you fall short, beg your pardon, and so 
guess who usually gets to fill that gap between what is promised and 
what is capable of delivering? You do.
    Secondly, when you're taxing the rich, you're taxing about 900,000 
small-business owners. Most small businesses are Subchapter S 
corporations or limited partnerships. And they pay tax at the individual 
income-tax level, which means you're running up the taxes on the job 
creators. We're about to talk to somebody, you know, one of these people 
who are going to be affected by the top two brackets.
    Thirdly, the rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason: to 
stick you with the tab. We're not going to let him tax you, because we're going to win Minnesota on November 
the 2d and carry this country.
    Let me talk about a couple of other issues. I want to talk about 
health issues. This is a good place to talk about health. Mayo Clinic, 
one of the great clinics--we

[[Page 2611]]

always want our country to be on the leading edge of change when it 
comes to providing good medicine for our people. My mother keeps telling me what to say when it comes to Mayo 
Clinic. [Laughter]
    So there is a fundamental difference of philosophy in this campaign 
about health care. I believe health care ought to be a commonsense 
approach, not one that increases the scope and power of the Federal 
Government. We ought to be worried about a health care system that moves 
people from private care to federally controlled health care because 
what that will lead to is rationing, bad decisionmaking. It will take 
the consumer totally out of the equation. Other countries have tried 
centralized health care, and it has failed. And the health care systems 
have slowly but surely declined in the quality of health care.
    I have a different--and make no mistake about it, my 
opponent's program does that. He actually--he 
said in the camera at one of our debates, he said, ``My plan is not a 
Government plan.'' You know, I could barely contain myself. [Laughter] I 
understand the nature of his plan. When you increase Medicare--Medicaid 
availability, it provides an excuse for small-business owners to no 
longer provide insurance for their employees because the Government will 
pick it up. See, 8 out of 10 new people subscribed to health care under 
his plan would end up on Federal rolls. That is an increase in the role 
of the Federal Government.
    Here's a different approach. One, we'll make sure health care is 
available. We'll take care of the poor and the indigent through 
community health centers. Every poor county in America ought to have a 
community health center, places where people can get good preventative 
and primary care. It is a good use of your money to make sure the poor 
and the indigent get good primary and preventative care. We'll make sure 
our programs for children in low-income families are fully subscribed 
to. But to make sure health care is affordable--that's what we need to 
address, the cost of health care.
    Part of the reason health care costs are high is because third-party 
payers make the payment. There is no market discipline. There is no real 
demand--focus on demand in health care. That's why I believe in health 
savings accounts, tax-free plans to allow the decisionmaker to be you, a 
plan you own, a plan you carry with you from job to job, a plan in which 
you're totally in charge of.
    Secondly, health care costs are up because of lawsuits. Make no 
mistake about it, junk lawsuits against our doctors are running up the 
cost of your health care. They're making it hard for small businesses to 
be able to afford insurance, and they're running good doctors out of 
practice. You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, and pro-trial-lawyer at 
the same time. You have to choose. You have to choose. My 
opponent made his choice, and he put a 
personal injury trial lawyer on the ticket. I 
made my choice. I am standing with our doctors and our patients. I 
support medical liability reform--now.
    Two other ways to address the cost of health care: One is speed up 
generic drugs to the market. Plus, I support these Minnesota 
Congressman and Senator's idea of importation of drugs from Canada, so long as 
it's safe. We want you to take drugs that cure you, not harm you. I have 
a duty--it's easy for some in Congress to be calling for importation. 
I'm just going to make sure, before they come in, we know exactly what 
we're importing. You want to make sure that that which comes in from 
Canada is actually manufactured in Canada. You don't want to be buying 
something from a Third World country. And so we want to be safe. We want 
to make sure we do the right thing.
    And fourthly, medicine, in all due respect, is like going back to 
the horse-and-buggy days when it comes to the use of information 
technology. I mean, you know, there's a lot of files that are 
handwritten

[[Page 2612]]

still, and you can't even read a doctor's writing most of the time. 
[Laughter] So I believe in electronic medical records. I know we need to 
have a common language all across the medical field. They estimate that 
over 20 to 30 percent of the costs can be wrung out of the system with 
the proper use of information technology. This is an exciting new era 
available for medicine. You just need a President who understands how to 
address the root causes of costs going up. And that's how you avoid 
federalizing health care, and that's how you put in place commonsense 
policies that makes sure the decisions are always made by doctor and 
patient, not by officials in our Nation's Capital.
    A couple of other points I want to make very quickly--kind of 
getting wound up here--[laughter]--you notice the temperature in the 
room is rising. [Laughter] One, education is vital to make sure that we 
have a hopeful America. The No Child Left Behind Act that we passed is a 
great piece of legislation. It challenges the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. It increases Federal spending but in return says, ``Show 
us. Measure and let us know whether a child can read and write and add 
and subtract.'' And we've got to find that out early. We cannot have a 
system that just simply shuffles kids through the system and hope we get 
it right. We need to know if we're getting it right. You can't solve a 
problem unless you've diagnosed it, and now we're diagnosing problems 
early. We're providing extra money for at-risk students and students who 
need extra help.
    And there's an achievement gap closing in America, and it's vital. 
You know how we know? We measure. We can determine whether a child can 
read. And reading scores are going up for kids that have generally been 
shuffled through the school system. And we're not going to go back to 
the days of mediocrity and low standards. We're making progress, and 
America is better off for it.
    So we're going to talk about education today. See, one of the things 
we've got to do is make sure education is not only strong for our kids; 
we've got to make sure education is available for all our citizens, 
because in a changing world--and the world is changing--the jobs of the 
21st century oftentimes require a new skill set. For those of you 
involved with medicine know exactly what I'm talking about. Medicine is 
changing, and there constantly needs to be an upgrading of skills. And a 
great place to do that and a wonderful way to make sure people have got 
the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century is through our 
community college system. I'm a big backer of the community college 
system, and we're going to talk to a community college student here 
today about what it means to go back to school.
    One other thing I want to talk about right quick, and that is Social 
Security. A President must solve problems, must confront problems, not 
pass them on to future Presidents or future generations. We have a 
problem in Social Security, and that is, when baby boomers like me 
retire, younger workers are going to have trouble paying for us and, 
therefore, have money available when they retire. That's just the facts.
    Now, first, I want to address kind of the typical old-style, stale 
politics, and that is the politics of scare tactics towards Social 
Security. When I ran in 2000, I suspect here in the State of Minnesota--
I know in other States--they ran ads saying, ``If George W. gets 
elected, the seniors will not get their checks.'' I want you to remind 
your friends and neighbors, the seniors got their checks. Nobody's going 
to take away the Social Security check from our seniors. The fund has 
got enough money, and baby boomers like me are in good shape.
    But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when 
it comes to Social Security. Social Security will not be there when they 
need it if we don't think differently. That is why I believe younger 
workers ought to be able to take some of

[[Page 2613]]

their payroll taxes and set up a personal savings account, a personal 
savings account that will earn a better rate of return than the current 
Social Security trust, an account they call their own, an account the 
Government cannot take away.
    You know, I like to tell people that no one ever washes a rental 
car. [Laughter] There's wisdom in that. If you own something, you tend 
to wash it. If you own something, you have a vital stake in the future 
of our country. You know, one of the most heartwarming things about our 
society is when I hear people own something. They've started their own 
business, for example, or own their own home. We're going to talk to an 
owner right here, and that would be Jon Eckhoff.
    Jon, thank you for coming. Please tell us 
the name of your company, and are you the owner? And if you're the 
owner, how did you end up owning it? [Laughter]
    Jon Eckhoff. Thank you for the introduction. 
Thank you. I am the owner of Venture Computer Systems, along with three 
other people, two of which are in the audience. And how did it get 
started? Well, that could be a complex story, but let's just say that I 
came to Rochester 16 years ago to work for the Mayo Clinic, a dream job 
for a kid from Iowa. And it was a great job, but I was always restless. 
I always wanted to do something on my own. So in an unfinished corner of 
my basement, I put up a whiteboard, and I bought a computer, and I 
started meeting. Some of the people in this room probably were in my 
basement in the beginning of Venture Computer Systems.
    The President. It's a classic, right, the old kitchen table, the 
garage, in this case, the basement. [Laughter] That's what happens. 
Don't you love to live in a country where old Jon says, you know, ``I've got a dream. I want to start my 
own business''? The role of the Government is to create an environment.
    What do you do? I mean, like, here's your chance to sell some 
products. [Laughter] It's a marketing opportunity.
    Mr. Eckhoff. Let's take it. Well, Venture 
Computer Systems sells computers, network security products to 
businesses like the ones that people in this room own. In fact, I 
recognize many of my customers, and if you're not my customer, give me a 
call after the--[laughter].
    The President. No wonder he's successful. He 
gets on the President's time and sells some products. [Laughter]
    So, let me ask you something. How many employees you got?
    Mr. Eckhoff. We have 30 employees in Venture 
Computer Systems.
    The President. See, that's classic small business, isn't it? Thirty 
employees. Did you hire any this year?
    Mr. Eckhoff. We're going to add three more 
before December 31st.
    The President. Three more? For the year?
    Mr. Eckhoff. For the year.
    The President. Yes, see, that's what's happening all across America, 
by the way. When the entrepreneurial spirit is strong, when people are 
upbeat about the future, they hire people. Do you realize 70 percent of 
new jobs in America are created by small businesses like Jon's--70 
percent. The job creators in America are the small-business owners of 
America. So let me ask you something. How are you organized legally?
    Mr. Eckhoff. Well, we're an S corporation.
    The President. S corp. See, now let me explain what that means. 
That's legalese. I'm not even a lawyer. Anyway--but I do understand 
facts. If you're an S corporation, they pay tax at the individual 
income-tax level. So when you hear my opponent 
say, ``Oh, we're just going to tax the rich''--that means anybody that's 
got income over $200,000 a year--I want you to remind your friends and 
neighbors he's talking about taxing job creators. It makes no sense to 
run up the taxes on somebody like Jon

[[Page 2614]]

and his company as they're gaining steam, as they're hiring new people. 
If you take money out of his treasury, it's less 
likely he's going to hire somebody.
    Let me ask you something--one other point I want to make. Part of 
good tax policy encourages good decisionmaking. And so part of the tax 
policy we had, we said, if you invest--in other words, if you purchase 
something--you're going to get a little tax break for small businesses.
    Did you purchase anything?
    Mr. Eckhoff. Yes, sir, we did. We purchased 
a variety of things. We used that money to buy a new truck. A lot of 
people have seen the Venture Computer Systems truck in the neighborhood.
    The President. Always selling. Go ahead. [Laughter] Go ahead, what 
else did you buy?

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

    The President. What he's doing is he's 
buying equipment to make his workforce more productive. And when the 
workforce becomes more productive, A, it means the worker is going to 
make more money, and B, it means he's going to stay in business. See, a 
open market is one where you compete, and you're constantly trying to 
get better. It's in the consumer's interest that he gets better. It 
means he gives a better product. Tax policy encouraged him to make 
certain decisions. He said he bought a truck. Well, remember, somebody 
has to make the truck. And when somebody makes the truck, it means the 
decision he made means that somebody is more likely to keep a job.
    The tax policy we passed not only helped in a large sense; the tax 
policy we passed made the entrepreneurial spirit shine even more 
brightly in America. And more and more people are starting their small 
businesses today, which is great for our country.
    Michele Clements is with us. All right, 
Michele, what did you used to do?
    Michele Clements. I was a full-time 
employee at a local electronics manufacturing plant here in Rochester. 
And in February of 2003, they laid us all off and sent our jobs 
overseas.
    The President. Right. So this is the classic case of somebody being 
affected by jobs going overseas. The fundamental question is what does 
society do about it without harming our markets and our economy? What do 
you do about it? Well, the first thing you do about it is you make sure 
this is the best place in the world to do business. You make sure it's 
the best place for jobs to continue to grow here. You make sure 
Jon is optimistic so he continues to grow his 
jobs. But also, you've got to help people.
    And so what happened?
    Mrs. Clements. Well, after we found out 
we were losing our jobs, we--shortly after that we found out we 
qualified for retraining programs through the Dislocated Worker Program, 
if we wanted to go back to school to further our education and get back 
into the workforce.
    The President. Right. Right. And so, like, you hadn't been in school 
for a while. I'm not going to ask you how long. [Laughter]
    Mrs. Clements. It's been a while.
    The President. It's been a while. You had a husband and two 
daughters, been a mom and everything, and you go back to school. Where?
    Mrs. Clements. Right here at RCTC in 
Rochester.
    The President. Yes, very good. So what was it like? I mean, I'm sure 
people are listening out there who wonder whether or not they could go 
back to school at this point in their life. Was it as tough as you 
thought?
    Mrs. Clements. It was a big step.
    The President. Yes.
    Mrs. Clements. It was not easy to go 
back, but it was well worth it. I'm in the law enforcement program here 
at RCTC. Law enforcement was something that I always wanted to get into, 
but because of

[[Page 2615]]

financial and family commitments, I wasn't able to do so. And if it 
wasn't for the funding I received through the retraining program----
    The President. Trade adjustment assistance, retraining programs--
listen, the Federal Government has got ample money to help people go 
back to school. [Applause] Don't clap for me; clap for her. She's the one who made the decision to go back to 
school. Yes, we can't pass a law that says somebody has got to want to 
improve themselves. But the role of Government is to say, ``Here's an 
opportunity. Here's a chance.''
    And so, you're now doing something--you're being trained for 
something you've always wanted to do, law enforcement. Well, it's a 
noble profession. Thank you for doing it.
    And secondly, what's interesting is, I asked her--kind of none of my business, but you know, 
anyway--I asked her anyway, ``Are you going to make more money?''
    Mrs. Clements. Yes, sir, hopefully at 
least 50 percent more than what I was making at the plant.
    The President. Yes, listen to that. I want everybody to hear that. 
With a little education--in other words, improving skill sets, you make 
more money. By going back to a community college, with Government help, 
you become a more productive worker. And when you become a more 
productive worker, your wage goes up. And her wage went up.
    Let me tell you something else interesting. You know, when we cut 
the taxes, we cut them for everybody who paid taxes. I was one--I'm a 
fellow who believes, if you pay taxes, you ought to get relief. We ought 
not to try to pick and choose winners when it comes to tax relief. But 
we also helped our families. We raised the child credit to $1,000 a 
child. We reduced the penalty on marriage. The code ought to encourage 
marriage, not discourage marriage.
    And this family saved $1,700 a year in 
tax relief, see, and the fundamental question in this campaign is who 
can spend the $1,700 better, this family or the Government? I believe 
this family can spend their money better.
    Good job. Thank you.
    The homeownership rate in America is an alltime high. More and more 
people from all walks of life are owning their homes for the first time. 
And Jill Wooten is with us. She is a first-time 
homeowner. First of all, you work.
    Jill Wooten. I work. I'm a teacher at Gage 
Elementary School--love it.
    The President. Fabulous. Thank you for teaching. Husband, 
Jesse.
    Mrs. Wooten. He's the cute guy in the front 
row right there. [Laughter]
    The President. Having trouble finding one. Oh, there he is. [Laughter] I agree, yes. It's an election year--
anyway. [Laughter] We just embarrassed Jesse----
    Mrs. Wooten. I know. He's beet-red. 
Shouldn't I be the one red up here?
    The President. No, you're doing great. So why did you all decide to 
buy a home?

[Mrs. Wooten made further remarks.]

    The President. Isn't that wonderful to hear? You know, there's 
nothing better in a society, where more and more people open up the door 
where they live and say, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of 
property.'' If you own something, you care a lot about a lot of things, 
like your future. That's why we want to have people own their own 
savings account--health savings account, so they can manage their health 
care, or own a piece of their retirement, if you're a younger American, 
or own your own business or own your own home. A hopeful America is one 
in which ownership is spread throughout all our society.
    We've got good plans to help people own their home. By the way, this 
family will save $2,500 in 2004 on tax relief. You know, you hear this--
it matters. The tax

[[Page 2616]]

relief helps. It helps the American family be able to realize their 
dreams like owning their own home. And by the way, my opponent voted against every one of these tax reliefs that I 
talked about--voted no when American families were on the line, voted no 
when it came to raising the child credit, voted no when it came to 
reducing the marriage penalty.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. There is a big difference in this campaign. Make no 
mistake about it. Make no mistake about it. There is a different 
philosophy, a different attitude. He trusts 
Government. I trust the people.
    Good job. Really good job.
    The platform wouldn't be complete without a farmer, Duane 
Alberts, Pine Shelter Farms.
    Duane Alberts. That's correct.
    The President. Good, yes. And you do what?
    Mr. Alberts. Well, Mr. President, it's 
time to kill the death tax. I just want to start out that way.
    The President. Well, he's got--the man's 
got an opinion. We've got it--it's on its way to extinction. 
Unfortunately, it pops back up. It's going to be an odd year in 2010. 
You can imagine people--I mean, it goes away in 2010; it pops back up in 
2011. So people are going to have some weird choices in 2010 when it 
comes to the death tax, but never mind. [Laughter] It's a little morbid.
    So why are you that concerned about it? Here's a farmer, a dairy 
farmer, got a lot of money tied up in inventory and land.
    Mr. Alberts. That's correct. I farm in--
I'm a fifth-generation farmer, a fifth-generation dairy farmer. Some of 
the sixth generation is sitting out here in the second row.
    The President. Let me guess. Oh, yeah.
    Mr. Alberts. I farm in partnership with 
my--in partnership with my father and my two brothers, and we milk 550 
cows. Now, I used to have----
    The President. By hand?
    Mr. Alberts. Not anymore. Not anymore. 
[Laughter] You could ask my father about that, I suppose.
    The President. Good. I just wanted to tell you there's a new kind of 
way to milk if you do.
    Mr. Alberts. But we--but I used to have 
another partner. My uncle passed away 7 years ago, 7 years ago now. It's 
hard to believe it's been that long. But while my Uncle Myron was alive, 
he paid all the taxes, income taxes, Social Security taxes, payroll 
taxes, property taxes, sale taxes. He was loaded with taxes. And when he 
died, the estate tax bill came, and that came to $1,000 per cow.
    The President. See, you can understand why people who farm the land 
or small-business owners that have got their assets--I mean, their money 
tied up in assets are worried about a tax that causes them to have to 
liquidate a herd to pay for it, I guess is what you're saying.
    Mr. Alberts. That's right. That's right. 
It's hard to believe that a tax can be so huge, actually, that farmers, 
ranchers, and small-business men have to buy insurance to pay for it.
    The President. Yes. And so what we've done is we've put the death 
tax on its way to extinction. But I'm telling you, it's coming back, 
unless you have the right President. I think we need to get rid of the 
death tax forever--once and for all.
    People talk about simplifying the code. By the way, the Tax Code 
needs to be simplified. It's a complicated mess. A major portion of the 
Tax Code is the death tax. Once we get rid of that once and for all, it 
will help simplify the code. We need to do more work, don't get me 
wrong. But I want to thank you for sharing.
    People have got to understand the death tax hurts our farmers, hurts 
our small-businessmen. People say we've got to protect the family 
farmer. You can't be a family farmer if you have to liquidate your farm 
in order to pay the death tax.

[[Page 2617]]

    You got something else you want to say? Good job.
    Mr. Alberts. I do want to stress that my 
uncle did his estate tax planning. He did everything right. He bought 
the insurance, but the annual premiums were $25,000 a year.
    The President. Yes, see, when you get rid of the death tax, you 
don't have to worry about lawyers, and you don't have to worry about 
premiums and insurance. All you've got to worry about is who you want to 
leave your property to. And that is a fundamental American right. You 
ought to be able to leave your property to whoever you want to leave 
your property to. Thank you, sir.
    I've got something else on my mind--two other things on my mind. I 
told you it's a changing world. Some things don't change, the values we 
try to live by, courage, compassion, reverence, and integrity. Our basic 
beliefs don't change. We stand for a culture of life in which every 
person matters and every being counts. We stand for marriage and family, 
which are the foundations of our society. And we stand for the 
appointment of Federal judges who know the difference between personal 
opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
    Let me talk about the security of our country right quick. Please be 
seated. This may take a little longer than you hope. [Laughter] The most 
solemn duty of the American President is to protect you, is to protect 
the American people. In this dangerous world--in this dangerous world, 
if our country shows uncertainty or weakness, this world will drift 
toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
    I want to share with you some of the lessons of September the 11th. 
First, we face an enemy that has no conscience. They are coldblooded 
killers. They would just as soon kill in a schoolhouse as they would 
bomb the Twin Towers with our airplanes. Therefore, we can never 
negotiate with them. We can never hope for the best. We can never say, 
``Oh, gosh, well, maybe if we change our behavior, they'll change their 
ways.'' The only way to deal with them is to find them and bring them to 
justice before they hurt us again.
    Secondly, we are fighting a different kind of war, but it is a--this 
war requires a complete strategy. Not only will we continue bringing Al 
Qaida and like terrorists to justice--and by the way, three-quarters of 
them have been brought to justice, and we're after the rest of them--but 
we also must make it clear to others that if you harbor a terrorist, 
you're just as guilty as the terrorist. And when the President says 
something, I think the President must speak clearly and mean what he 
says in order to keep the peace.
    And so I meant what I said to the Taliban who were harboring Al 
Qaida. Remember, thousands of people had been trained in Afghanistan 
under the--with the consent of the Taliban. And so I said to the 
Taliban, ``Get rid of Al Qaida. Join the community of free nations.'' 
They ignored our demand, and as a result of the brave actions of the 
United States military, the Taliban have been routed from power, Al 
Qaida training camps were destroyed, and 25 million people lived in a 
free society.
    I want our youngsters here to think about what has happened over a 
course of 3\1/2\ years. Something amazing has taken place, truly 
amazing, in Afghanistan. You know, it wasn't all that young ago that 
young girls couldn't go to school. Two-and-a-half years is really 
nothing in the march of history, when you think about it. And their 
mothers were taken into the public squares and whipped if they didn't 
toe the ideological line of the Taliban, those ideologues of hate. 
Because we acted in our self-interest, because we upheld doctrine, the 
people of Afghanistan went to the polls to vote for a President. The 
first voter was a 19-year-old woman. Think 
about that.
    There weren't a lot of people who believed 3\1/2\ years ago that 
Afghanistan would ever be free, but Afghanistan is free now.

[[Page 2618]]

And it's in our interests that they are free. Not only did we uphold 
doctrine, but a free society is one that is now an ally in the war on 
terror. A free society sets such a hopeful example for others. Free 
societies do not export terror. Free societies help defeat the 
hopelessness that enables terrorists to breed. Free societies equal 
peaceful societies.
    The second--the third lesson is that when we see a threat, we must 
deal with it before it fully materializes. Saddam Hussein was a threat. He was a threat because he hated 
America. He was a threat because he was shooting missiles at American 
airplanes. He was a threat because he harbored terrorists. He was a 
threat because he invaded his neighbors. He was a threat because he had 
used weapons of mass destruction. He was a threat.
    Now, we didn't find the stockpiles we all thought were there. That 
includes me and my opponent. But we did 
realize that he was gaming the Oil for Food Programme to get the world 
to turn a blind eye, to continue to weaken the sanctions so he could 
reconstitute his weapons programs. And the danger America faces is the 
nexus of terrorist organizations and weapons of mass destruction. That's 
a danger. It is a threat.
    We cannot hope for the best in this world--in the post-September the 
11th world. We must deal with every threat. Military is always the last 
option. That's why I went to the United Nations. I was hopeful that 
diplomacy would work. But the 17th resolution failed just like the first 
16 resolutions. We passed the resolution, but Saddam wasn't afraid of a resolution. He wasn't worried about 
the United Nations or the will of the free world, because the will 
didn't mean anything to him in the past. And so he ignored the demands. 
I have a choice to make: Do I trust 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.
    And now we're--Iraq is headed toward elections. Remember the 
skepticism about elections in Afghanistan? I do. Well, the same 
skepticism exists about Iraq. Can they ever be free? Do they ever want 
to vote? Of course they do. People want to be free. People love the idea 
of a free society. And so we're headed toward elections, and there are 
people there who are trying to stop them. Freedom is the greatest fear 
these terrorists have. That's why Zarqawi is fighting--Zarqawi who had been in Afghanistan, routed 
out of Afghanistan when his training camp was destroyed, comes to 
Baghdad, gets medical help in Baghdad, working with people in northern 
Iraq, prior to our arrival, on poisons and chemicals, and he's now 
fighting to stop the advance of freedom. He's a known killer.
    And this is where my opponent and I 
disagree. He said, after September the 11th he wasn't fundamentally 
changed. I mean--and it reflects in his policies. He believes that this 
is a war only for intelligence and law enforcement. It is a limited 
point of view, which is a dangerous point of view in the world in which 
we live. He said that Iraq is a ``diversion'' from the war on terror. 
What does he think, Zarqawi has become 
a peaceful citizen? Does he think Zarqawi is going to change his ways? 
Zarqawi wants to destroy American life. Zarqawi was plotting and 
planning to attack us. It is essential we defeat Zarqawi there so we 
don't have to face the likes of him here at home.
    You cannot win a war when you don't believe we're fighting a war, 
and that's the problem with my opponent's 
policies. They're limited in view, and that would lead to a danger for 
America. We must use every asset at our disposal. We must fully 
understand the nature of the enemy. We must take threats seriously 
before they materialize in order to do our duty to protect the American 
people. If we should uncertainty or weakness, this world will drift 
toward tragedy. And the American people

[[Page 2619]]

can count on me to show no uncertainty or weakness in protecting you.
    A couple of other points I want to make, and then we'll get out of 
here. When you have troops in harm's way, we have a duty to support 
them. That's why I went to the Congress and asked for $87 billion of 
supplemental funding to support our troops in combat, really important 
money. I want you to remind your friends and neighbors that there were 
only 4 United States Senators--4 out of 100--that voted to authorize the 
use of force and voted against supporting our troops in combat, 2 of 
whom were my opponent and his 
runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Voted to authorize force and wouldn't support the 
troops. People wonder why he made the vote. 
Well, I'll tell you why: Howard Dean was gaining 
in the Democrat primary. A Commander in Chief has got to stand on 
principle, not on the shifting sands of political convenience.
    Audience member. Whoo!
    The President. Undecided voter. [Laughter]
    I want to share one other thing with you. I have a firm belief in 
the power of liberty to transform societies. At the heart of much of 
what I believe is this strong and unshakeable belief in the ability of 
freedom to change the world.
    Let me share an experience with you that I've had over time as your 
President, and that is my relationship with the Prime Minister of Japan, 
Prime Minister Koizumi. He's a friend of 
Laura and mine, really interesting guy. I like 
him a lot. He's a lot of fun to be around. When I saw him at the United 
Nations, I said, ``You know, I'm traveling our country talking about 
you. I hope you do not mind.'' He said, ``No, go ahead and talk about 
me.'' I didn't ask his permission to tell you Elvis was his favorite 
singer, though--but anyway. [Laughter]
    And it probably doesn't sound too unusual to you that I would say 
that the Prime Minister of Japan is a 
friend, but think about our history, our recent history. Japan was the 
sworn enemy of the United States of America some 60 years ago. My 
dad fought against the Japanese. I suspect 
somebody in this crowd might have fought against the Japanese. I know 
somebody's relative fought against the Japanese. They were the sworn 
enemy of the United States of America, and it was a brutal war. All war 
is brutal, and we suffered a lot in that war. Families were disrupted. 
Loved ones were lost. Hearts were broken.
    And after World War II, Harry S. Truman, one of my predecessors, 
believed that liberty could transform an enemy into an ally. And so he 
set policy to say we'll help Japan become a democracy.
    Now, there were a lot of skeptics in America about that, and you can 
understand why, about that decision. ``Why would you want to help an 
enemy,'' some probably said. ``How could an enemy possibly become a 
peaceful, self-governing nation? These people can't be a democracy,'' 
others would say. There was enormous skepticism.
    But my predecessor and others had belief. And as a result of 
believing that liberty could transform an enemy into an ally, I now sit 
down at the table with my friend Prime Minister Koizumi, talking about how to keep the peace we all want, 
talking about how to make this troubled world a more stable, peaceful 
place.
    Someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly 
elected leader from Iraq, and they will be talking about the peace in 
the Middle East, and our children and our grandchildren will be better 
off for it.
    I believe people want to live in a free society. I believe women in 
the Middle East want to live in freedom. I know moms and dads want to 
raise their children in a free and peaceful world. I believe millions 
plead in silence for their liberty. And I believe this not because 
freedom is America's gift to the world; I believe this because

[[Page 2620]]

freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
    I'm running again because I want to make sure hope and opportunity 
spread throughout the land, through good economic policy, through 
encouraging ownership for all people in our society. I'm running again 
because I hold certain values dear that I think are important for this 
country. And I'm running again because I fully understand the risks we 
face, and I have a strategy to protect the American people.
    We're going to win on November the 2d, with your help. May God bless 
you. May God bless our great country. Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 12:10 p.m. in the Rochester Aviation Hangar 
at Rochester International Airport. In his remarks, he referred to Mary 
Gutknecht, wife of Representative Gilbert W. Gutknecht; Gov. Tim 
Pawlenty of Minnesota; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; senior 
Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; and Prime Minister Junichiro 
Koizumi of Japan.