    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [April 5, 2005]
    [Page 559]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Tour of the Bureau of the Public Debt in
    Parkersburg, West Virginia
    April 5, 2005

        The President. See, what's interesting is a lot of people believe
    that the Social Security trust is--the Government takes a person's
    money, invests it, and then pays it back to them upon retirement. It
    doesn't work that way.
        Susan Chapman. That's right. That's
    exactly right.
        The President. This is what exists. And it's very important, then,
    to make sure that in the future that there's real assets for retirees.
        But I want to thank you all for having me come. I want to thank all
    the workers here for representing the mighty United States. I'm proud to
    work with you. I thank you for what you do. And my message here in town
    is that we have an obligation to take the system that Franklin Roosevelt
    created and make it work for a younger generation of Americans. I'm
    looking forward to working with Congress to do that. That's what the
    American people expect. They expect us to modernize the system.
        Anyway, thanks for having us.
        Ms. Chapman. Well, thank you for coming.
    We're proud to have you visit us.
        The President. Thanks.

    Note: The President spoke at 10 a.m. Participating in the tour was Susan
    Chapman, Director, Division of Federal Investments, Bureau of the Public
    Debt. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
    remarks.