    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [May 17, 2005]
    [Pages 810-815]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Republican National Committee Dinner
    May 17, 2005

        Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Thanks for coming.
    Please be seated. [Laughter] Thank you for the warm welcome. Thank you
    for supporting the Republican Party. I am proud to be here today to not
    only offer my thanks but to remind you that our party has a positive,
    hopeful, optimistic vision for every single person who is fortunate
    enough to be an American.
        We are driving the debate on all key domestic and foreign policy
    issues. Because of our achievements, the American people see the
    Republican Party as the party of reform and optimism, the party of
    ideals and vision. And one of the reasons I asked

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    Ken Mehlman to serve as the chairman of
    our party is because he is a man of vision; he is an idealistic soul. He
    is willing to take our message to every neighborhood in the United
    States of America. He did a fabulous job in managing my campaign in
    2004. I'm proud to call him chairman of the Republican Party.
        The comedienne in chief--[laughter]--is tied up, but she sends her
    love. Many of you know Laura as a friend. I'm
    fortunate to know her as a wife. She is a great mother and a fabulous
    First Lady for the United States. If you ever want to get a laugh, all
    you have to do is poke fun at the President and his mother. [Laughter]
        I want to thank my Secretary of Interior; Gale Norton is with us.
        I want to thank the Members of Congress who are here. I just had a
    chance to shake hands with Leader Bill Frist,
    who's doing a fabulous job. I enjoy working with the leadership of the
    House. Denny Hastert is a great Speaker of
    the House. Tom DeLay is a fine majority leader.
    Roy Blunt is a great whip. I thank all the Members
    of the Senate who are here, Members of the House who are here.
        I appreciate my friend Governor Haley Barbour from the great State of Mississippi, who has joined us.
        I want to thank Dwight Schar, the RNC
    finance chairman, and his wife, Martha. And
    I want to thank all the committee who is up here for working so hard to
    make this a successful evening. I appreciate your leadership. I
    appreciate your hard work. I appreciate your contributions. I want to
    thank Jo Ann Davidson, the RNC cochairman.
        I appreciate my friend Ambassador Mercer Reynolds, who is here. You might have heard from Mercer--
    [laughter]--in the course of the 2004 year. [Laughter] I appreciate his
    hard work on my behalf.
        I want to thank The
    Spinners, and
    I want to thank Ricky Skaggs.
        But most of all, I thank you all. I want to thank you for supporting
    this event, and I want to thank you for supporting our party over the
    past years.
        You know, we took on the 2004 campaign with good ideas and a bold
    agenda. But the reason the people listened is because we did a lot in
    2000 and 2002--2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. In other words, we came to
    Washington, DC, to solve problems. We came with some principles on how
    to solve those problems. And most importantly, we have shown the
    American people we're capable of delivering results that are good for
    the American people.
        I mean, we understand that when you face economic hard times, the
    best way to get out of a recession is to let people keep more of their
    own money. We understand that when entrepreneurs and small businesses
    have more money in their treasury, they're more likely to hire somebody.
    And the economic policies we put in place during rough economic times
    are paying off. Our economy is growing. Since May 2003, we've added 3\1/
    2\ million new jobs. More people are working in America today than ever
    before in our Nation's history.
        We came to Washington to challenge the status quo when it came to
    education. A lot of us were appalled at a system that just simply
    shuffled kids through the system. And so we wanted to challenge the soft
    bigotry of low expectations. And we successfully have challenged the
    soft bigotry of low expectations by insisting on high results and
    measurement so we can determine whether or not every child is learning
    to read and write and add and subtract. Because we acted, test scores
    are rising in America, the achievement gap for minority students is
    closing, the door of opportunity in our great country is opening more
    and more to every single child. No child will be left behind in America.
        We came to Washington to help keep commitments. Our Nation has made
    a commitment to health care for our seniors. And yet the Medicare system
    that was available for our seniors was old and antiquated. We

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    modernized Medicare. We said to seniors that you've got to have a
    medicine--a medical system that is up to date and current. Because we
    acted, we have given our seniors the medicine and pharmaceuticals that
    they deserve and they need to have good health care in their elder
    years.
        And we believe in ownership. We want more people owning something in
    America. We want more entrepreneurs owning their own business. Do you
    realize, today, more people own a home than ever before in our Nation's
    history. More minority families own a home than ever before in our
    Nation's history. Our party likes the idea when somebody opens their
    door and say, ``Welcome to my house. Welcome to my piece of property.''
    We understand that when you own something, you have a vital stake in the
    future of the United States of America.
        No, we came to Washington to solve problems, and a major problem was
    presented to us, and that was the problem of a terrorist attack. But we
    acted. We put together the Homeland Security Department. It's the
    largest reorganization of Government in nearly a half a century. And I
    put good people in positions of responsibility and authority. I've asked
    them to streamline our Government so that I can look you in the eye and
    tell you, ``The United States Government is doing everything we can to
    protect the people of this country.'' But the best way to protect the
    people of America is to stay on the offense against the terrorists and
    bring them to justice.
        We have supported the United States military, and I can't tell you
    how proud I am to be the Commander in Chief of such a fine group of men
    and women. We've closed down terrorist networks and cells. We've
    disrupted their finances. We have chased their leaders down in mountains
    and deserts. We have been relentless, and we will stay relentless.
        Our most important duty is to protect the American people from these
    coldblooded killers. And when the American President speaks, he must
    mean what he says. And I meant what I said, ``If you harbor a terrorist,
    you're equally as guilty as the terrorist.'' And I was speaking directly
    to people like the Taliban. And because we acted, not only did we uphold
    doctrine and enhance the credibility of the United States of America,
    but we freed nearly 30 million people from the clutches of one of the
    most barbaric regimes in the history of mankind. And I took great heart
    in recognizing that the first voter in the first Presidential election
    in years in Afghanistan was a 19-year-old woman.
        Because we acted, the Middle East and the world are rid of Saddam
    Hussein and his murderous regime. And like
    you, I was overwhelmed by the courage of the over 8 million Iraqis who
    defied the suiciders and car bombers and assassins to cast their vote in
    the country's first free and democratic election in decades. We were
    successful. We delivered results because we stayed true to our
    principles, and we were not afraid to push forward with new ideas.
        Let me put it to you this way: I do not need a poll or a focus group
    to tell me where I need to lead this country. In the midst of the Civil
    War, the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, said, ``As our
    case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.'' And we continue that
    proud tradition today, as we're heading into the second term.
        Many of the most fundamental systems, the Tax Code, pension plans,
    health coverage, legal systems, and public education, were created to
    meet the needs of an earlier time. In the next 4 years, we'll reform
    these institutions to meet the needs of a new century. See, we have a
    duty. The job of the President is to confront problems, not to pass them
    on to future Presidents and future generations.
        And that's why I'm talking about Social Security, and the debate has
    only just begun. But I believe the side of reform is going to prevail,
    because the American people now are beginning to realize we

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    have a serious problem when it comes to Social Security. And that
    problem begins with people like me. See, I'm fixing to retire.
    [Laughter] As a matter of fact, I turn retirement age in 2008. It turns
    out to be a convenient time. [Laughter] But there's a lot of people like
    me; there's a lot of baby boomers getting ready to retire. As a matter
    of fact, when we fully retire there will be over 70 million people
    retired. To put that in perspective, today there are 40 million
    retirees. So there's a lot of us who will be receiving greater benefits.
        They used to say when you're running for Congress, ``Vote for me.
    I'm going to increase the benefits.'' [Laughter] Sure enough, people got
    elected--[laughter]--and they increased the benefits. [Laughter] To
    compound things even worse, we're going to live longer. I urge you to
    exercise on a daily basis. [Laughter] You got a lot of people receiving
    greater benefits, living longer, with fewer people paying into the
    system. In 2017, the Social Security system goes into the red.
        See, somebody--as I travel the country--and I'm going to go to
    Milwaukee here later on this week for yet another stop--this is an
    education program. I've got to educate people about the truth, about the
    reality. See, a lot of people think there's a lockbox--[laughter]--that
    we take your money, and we save it for you. This is a pay-as-you-go
    system. You pay your payroll taxes, and we go ahead and spend it here in
    Washington, DC. [Laughter] In 2017, the system goes into the red. In
    2027, we're $200 billion short on what we owe people like me, relative
    to the payroll taxes. In 2041, the system goes bankrupt. We've got a
    serious problem.
        We don't have a problem for those people receiving Social Security
    today. As a matter of fact, if you were born prior to 1950, the system
    is in good shape. You're going to get your check. We have a problem for
    generations to come, and now is the time to act. Now is the time for
    people to come together and solve this problem once and for all.
        Not only do we need to save Social Security permanently for younger
    generations, we've got to make it a better deal for people coming up.
    That's why I believe younger people ought to be able to take some of
    their own money and set it aside in a voluntary personal savings
    account, so they can get a better rate of return on their money than the
    Government can get for them. But this idea has got more benefits to our
    society than just better rates of return. See, I don't subscribe to the
    notion that only certain people are a part of the investor class. I
    believe every American should be a part of the investor class. I believe
    every American should be encouraged to own assets, so they can pass it
    on to whomever they choose, assets that the Federal Government can never
    take away.
        Our party is the party of growth, and we're showing the country
    we're also the party of spending restraint. That's why I submitted the
    first budget to actually cut nonsecurity discretionary spending since
    Ronald Reagan was in office. Congress is on track to hold
    nondiscretionary--nonsecurity discretionary spending below last year's
    levels. And that's an important message to send. And the message is
    this: We're going to spend your money wisely, or we're not going to
    spend it at all.
        Our Tax Code is out of date; it is incoherent. [Laughter] We spend
    too many hours trying to figure it out. So I've appointed a bipartisan
    panel to examine the code from top to bottom. And when their
    recommendations are delivered, we're going to work together to put
    together a Tax Code that is progrowth, pro-entrepreneur, easy to
    understand, and fair to all.
        I've been spending some time talking about a subject that I know is
    dear to your heart. See, you've been going to the gasoline pumps lately.
    This country needs a--we need an energy plan. I submitted a

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    plan to the Congress when I first arrived here. Four years of debate is
    enough. We need a plan that encourages conservation, encourages
    environmentally sensitive exploration for oil and gas in our own
    hemisphere, in our own country. We need a plan that encourages the use
    of renewables. We need a plan that makes wise use of coal and nuclear
    power. We need a plan that allows us to diversify away from
    hydrocarbons. We need a plan that is good for economic security and
    national security, a plan that makes us less reliable on foreign sources
    of energy.
        I put that plan to the United States Congress. The House passed a
    good bill. Now it is time for the United States Senate to follow suit.
    And I expect them, for the sake of this country and for the sake of our
    economy, to get me a bill by the August recess--a bill that I can sign.
        We're going to continue to work to free our businesses, small and
    large, from needless regulations and to protect honest job creators from
    the junk lawsuits. We're making progress. I signed a bill that passed
    both the House and the Senate, for class-action reform and bankruptcy
    reform. Now we need to pass asbestos litigation reform. And for the sake
    of good medical care, we need to stop these junk lawsuits that are
    running good docs out of practice and running up the price of your
    medical bills.
        We've got a clear agenda to make health care more affordable and to
    give families greater access to coverage and more control over their
    health care decisions. We're going to move forward to improve
    information technology. We're going to continue to expand health savings
    accounts. Congress needs to pass association health care plans so small
    businesses are able to pool risk and buy insurance at the same discounts
    that big business is going to do. One thing we're not going to do is
    we're not going to allow the Federal Government to make the health care
    decisions for patients and doctors in America.
        We'll continue to pass along to future generations time-honored
    values that sustain freedom and personal responsibility here at home.
    One of the most important initiatives I've laid out, and that we're now
    implementing, is our faith-based and community groups initiative. It's
    an initiative that understands that in parts of our country, people of
    faith and people of good will are able to heal broken hearts. The
    Federal Government should not fear faith-based institutions. We ought to
    welcome the healing works of the faith community in America.
        This party of ours will continue to promote a culture of life, and
    we will defend the institution of marriage from being redefined forever
    by activist judges.
        And speaking about judges--[laughter]--in the last two elections,
    the American people made clear that they want judges who faithfully
    interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. I have a duty to
    nominate well-qualified men and women to the Federal judiciary. I have
    done just that, and I will continue to do so.
        The Senate also has a duty to promptly consider each of these
    nominees on the Senate floor, discuss and debate their qualifications,
    and then give them the up-or-down vote they deserve. And speaking of
    confirmations, the Senate should also promptly confirm Mr. John
    Bolton, my nominee to be our Ambassador to
    the United Nations, so we can get on to the business of reforming that
    vital institution.
        Over the next 4 years, we'll be relentless in tracking down the
    terrorists. We will confront them abroad so we don't have to face them
    here at home. And as we do so, I want you to understand, I understand
    that the best way to make America more secure is to spread freedom and
    democracy.
        Freedom is on the march, because I believe etched in everybody's
    soul is the desire to be free. I don't care what your religion is. I
    don't care where you're from. Deep in your soul is the desire to be
    free. I believe every mother across the globe

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    wants to raise her child in a peaceful and free society. I believe
    everybody wants to be able to express themselves freely and worship
    freely without fear of government.
        People in the Palestinian Territories cast their ballot against
    violence and corruption. The people of Lebanon are rising up to demand
    freedom and independence. The people in Egypt are taking its first steps
    on the path to democratic reform. The people in the Ukraine have stood
    strongly for their rights. I was in Georgia recently, the site of the
    Rose Revolution, where people stood in the town square and said, ``Let
    us be free.'' Freedom is on the march, and the world will be more
    peaceful as a result of it.
        We have a duty for future generations. We have a duty to leave this
    world more peaceful. We have a duty to reform the institutions that are
    old and tired. That's our duty.
        You know, political parties can take one of two approaches to great
    problems. One approach is simply to do nothing, to deny that a problem
    exists or delay solutions or refuse to take responsibility. The
    political parties that choose this option will not gain the trust of the
    American people. The other approach is to lead, to focus on the people's
    business, and to take on the tough problems. And that's exactly what
    we're doing here in Washington, DC. We're focusing on the people's
    business, and we are taking on the tough problems. And that's why the
    American people have entrusted us with the leadership of this Nation at
    an historic time.
        It's a great privilege to serve the American people, and it carries
    great responsibilities. You see, the actions that we take today will
    shape the course of events for the next half-century. We've set big
    goals, and they're not always easy to achieve. The truth of the matter
    is, if they're easy, somebody else would have already done it.
    [Laughter] But we're going to continue to be the party of idealism and
    reform. And we'll continue to lead, no matter how tough the challenge.
        We'll trust the American people. We'll continue to give them a clear
    choice. And so long as we stay true to our values and our ideas, we will
    do what Americans have always done, and that is to build a better world
    for our children and our grandchildren.
        Thanks for coming. God bless. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:56 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. In his
    remarks, he referred to Kenneth B. Mehlman, chairman, Republican
    National Committee; Mercer Reynolds, former Victory national finance
    chairman, Bush-Cheney '04 campaign; entertainers The Spinners and Ricky
    Skaggs; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. He also referred to
    the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform.