    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [February 4, 2005]
    [Pages 154-162]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in a Discussion on Strengthening Social Security in Little Rock,
    Arkansas
    February 4, 2005

        The President. Please be seated. Thanks for coming. It's great to be
    back in Little Rock. Thanks for inviting me. Thanks for coming. I've got
    something on my mind, which is how to make sure this country is safe for
    generations to come and how to make sure this country is financially
    secure for generations that are coming up.

        So thanks for coming. As you can see, I'm joined on the stage here
    by some fellow citizens who are willing to discuss the Social Security
    issue. But before I get there, I've got some other things on my mind I
    want to share with you. First, I want to thank the Governor, Mike
    Huckabee, for doing such a fine job as the
    Governor of the State of Arkansas. I want to thank his Lieutenant
    Governor, Win Rockefeller, for doing such a
    fine job. Thank you all for being here.
        I know we got members of the statehouse who are here, the State
    senate and the State legislature. I appreciate you all serving. I
    appreciate you all coming. I hope you find this dialog as interesting as
    I think you're going to. This is going to be an interesting discussion
    about a big issue, and I believe those in the legislative branch
    appreciate somebody from the executive branch who is willing to set a
    big agenda. See, the job of the President and the job of a Governor is
    to confront problems, not pass them on to future generations, future
    Congresses, or future Presidents. And that's what we're here to discuss
    today.
        I want to thank Mayor Pat Hays from
    North Little Rock for joining us. I appreciate you coming, Mayor. I want
    to thank all the local and--thanks for coming, Mayor. Fill the potholes
    and everything will be fine. [Laughter] Huckabee is probably

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    saying, ``Send me the money.'' Anyway--[laughter]--I really thank you
    for coming.
        When I landed today, I met Katya Lyzhina. Where is Katya? There she is. Thanks for coming. Katya--let me tell you
    about this story. I want to--because it is, I think, representative of
    the true spirit of America. Katya was adopted by Jan. Where's Jan? Thanks for coming, Jan. Katya, you see, was
    born and raised in Russia, and her parents died. And Jan, out of deep
    compassion for a fellow human being, adopted Katya, and here she is in
    America. She came as an 11-year-older. She's a teenager. I'm not going
    to tell you her real age. Let me just say she's under 20. But guess
    what? She has raised 4,000 books to help build libraries for after-
    school programs. She helps raise money for food banks in the Little Rock
    area. She started Hope's Miracle to help raise money for other--to pay
    for help for families who are adopting a child.
        This little child has come from a faraway
    land and is repaying the love and compassion of her stepmom and her country by serving as a volunteer in the army of
    compassion. She represents what many others here and around our country
    represent, and that is the strength of America. The strength of America
    is found in our hearts and souls. We can and we will change America, one
    heart, one soul, one conscience at a time, by surrounding those who hurt
    with love and willing to dedicate our time to making our communities a
    better place.
        Thank you, Katya, for the example you've set.
        We'll talk about a couple of other things, and then we'll get to
    Social Security. I enjoyed giving the State of the Union. Interestingly
    enough, the day after the State of the Union, we had a National Prayer
    Breakfast. And when asked to speak, I said it seemed like the State of
    the Union was a moment of prayer--these Members were praying that I'd
    keep my speech short. [Laughter] But I enjoyed giving it, and I enjoyed
    reminding our Nation we're still at war. And for every--every time one
    of our brave soldiers brings to justice somebody who's trying to hurt
    America, we are safer. And that is why I said with confidence that we
    will stay on the offense until we have won this war. And I reminded our
    Congress, so long as we've got soldiers in harm's way, they deserve the
    best support. And I'm confident we'll get that support out of the
    Congress.
        And I want to thank the good folks from Arkansas whose sons and
    daughters have gone overseas to defend our freedom. I know a lot of
    people from Guard units, Reserve units, and on active duty from this
    great State have served. And I'm proud of the service, and I know you
    are as well.
        Every time a country goes from tyranny to freedom, we are safer as
    well. On the one hand, we'll stay on the offense, working with our
    friends and neighbors and allies to bring people to justice. On the
    other hand, we'll continue to spread freedom.
        Think about what has happened in a quick period of time. People in
    Afghanistan voted for the President, the first
    time in 5,000 years. That's a long time. And we're better off for it.
    The world is better off when a society goes from tyranny to freedom.
    When a society is free, it has to listen to the demands of its people.
    Moms and dads universally want to raise their child in a peaceful
    environment. People just want the best for their kids when they grow up.
    They want the world to be peaceful. When governments listen to the
    demands of the people, it is more likely that peace will prevail. The
    Palestinians elected a new leader. He's showing signs that it's necessary to fight
    terror so that we can achieve peace with Israel. The Ukrainian people
    elected a new leader. Think how far
    that society has come. And last Sunday, the Iraqi people, in the face of
    incredible odds, went to the polls.
        And it's important--that's an important moment. It's an important
    moment in history because it showed that a few tyrants

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    and terrorists and killers cannot stop the will of men and women. See,
    what we believe in America is that freedom is universal because freedom
    is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world. That's
    what we believe.
        And it is very important for people in Arkansas and around the
    country to understand that a free Iraq is in our national interests. If
    part of our duty is to leave behind a more peaceful world for our
    children and grandchildren, a free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East
    will set a powerful example for others who long for freedom. We have a
    chance to continue this incredible march of history toward free and
    democratic societies.
        I thought the most important moment of the State of the Union, of
    course, was when the mom from Pflugerville,
    Texas, hugged the woman, the human rights advocate from Baghdad. It said--it was a powerful moment for
    people to see the gratitude of the Iraqi people expressed in a hug
    toward a mom who suffers as a result of her son sacrificing his life not
    only for our freedom but for the freedom of people far away. It spoke
    volumes to me. It said that people want to be free. And I think the
    freest nation on the face of the Earth has a duty to help those who
    desire and long for freedom to achieve that dream. And in so doing, this
    world of ours will be more peaceful.
        In Iraq, we'll continue to stand with those--they said to me, ``Are
    you going to have a timetable?'' Timetables are the wrong thing to put
    out. All the timetable says--it says to the enemy, ``Go ahead and
    wait.'' No, the timetable is this: We will continue training the Iraqis
    as fast as possible so they have the capacity to meet their will, which
    is to defeat these terrorists. See, they voted in overwhelming numbers
    in the face of terrorism. I'm convinced that when given the tools, they
    will defeat the terrorists. And when the Iraqis are ready to defend
    themselves, our troops are coming home with the honor they have earned.
        A couple of other things before we get to Social Security. I was
    heartened to see today that we added 146,000 new jobs in the month of
    January. The national unemployment rate went down to 5.2 percent. We're
    making progress. I assure you, however, we will not rest on our laurels.
    There's more things we can do to create an environment in which jobs
    continue to expand--for example, be wise with your money. Monday, I'm
    submitting a budget. It says that if the program doesn't make sense, it
    doesn't meet priorities, it doesn't make results, we're either going to
    cut it back or eliminate it.
        I think we can get us an energy bill, finally. We've been talking
    about it for a--we've been wasting a lot of energy talking about it.
    [Laughter] Now we can get a commonsense bill that says let's conserve
    more, let's spend money on research to be able to use coal in clean
    ways. Why don't we promote safe, clean nuclear energy? We need to do
    things like advance research on ethanol and biodiesel. Can you imagine,
    someday it will make sense for a President to say, ``Gosh, the crop
    report looks strong; it means we're less dependent on foreign sources of
    energy.'' There's a lot of commonsense things we can do and must do to
    keep this economy growing and make us less dependent on foreign sources
    of crude.
        I can just hear Laura now: ``Keep it short;
    let everybody else talk.'' But she's not here. So anyway, I'm going to
    keep going. [Laughter] I know she wishes she were here. By the way, she
    is a fabulous woman. I'm lucky she's my wife, and she's a great First
    Lady.
        A couple other points I want to make on the domestic scene. If
    you're a small-business owner, I think you ought to be allowed to pool
    risk across jurisdictional boundaries. That means if you're a
    restauranteur in Little Rock, you ought to

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    be teaming up with a restauranteur in Austin to be able to buy insurance
    for your employees so that you can better afford insurance. Congress
    needs to let small businesses do that so we can get insurance to our
    people who work for small businesses.
        I tell you something else we need to do--and I feel very strongly
    about this when it comes to health care--I am deeply concerned about the
    number of lawsuits that are running up the cost of medicine and running
    good doctors out of practice. You may not think that people in my
    position are able to get out and listen to people, but we actually are
    able to do so. And one of the common complaints I heard about our
    current legal system around the country was from ob-gyns and expectant
    moms. Because these lawsuits are running ob-gyns out of practice, too
    many expectant moms are nervous about whether or not they're going to
    get good health for themselves and their babies.
        We have a real problem in America with these junk lawsuits. It's
    like a legal lottery, and it's costing our citizens, patients, and
    doctors a lot of money, and it's costing Federal Government a lot of
    money. I believe medical liability is a national problem. I have
    proposed a national solution, and I call upon Congress and Members from
    the United States Senate and the House of Representatives from Arkansas
    to support doctors and patients with good liability reform.
        I got the message--get to the point: Social Security. First of all,
    I think it should interest you that a President is traveling the country
    talking about Social Security. And a--see, I see a problem, and I'm
    about to describe it to you. And I have a duty, therefore, to make the
    problem as clear as I can to as many people as I can. I started that the
    other night at the State of the Union, and I'm traveling to my fourth
    State. I'm going to Florida from here--five States, two days--with this
    message: We have a problem, and I intend to lead the Congress to fix it.
    But I understand problems sometimes don't get fixed until the people of
    the country start saying, ``We see the problem, and you go fix it.'' And
    that's what we're here to talk about.
        And so here's the problem. The problem is that the mathematics of
    Social Security has changed significantly since the program was
    designed. Franklin Roosevelt designed the program. It was a system where
    the money came in and was supposedly going to accumulate, and passed out
    when people retired. And there were a lot of workers for every
    beneficiary. By 1950, there were 16 workers paying into the system for
    every beneficiary. In other words, there was quite a few people whose
    payroll taxes went into the system to meet the promises the Government
    had made to the retiree. And that's fine.
        And by the way, during that era, life expectancy was around 60 years
    old. Now, what has changed is this. First of all, we're living longer. I
    mean, I hope to make it past 60; I got 3 more years to go. The life
    expectancy is 77 years now. Mom and Dad are 79 and 80. You know what I'm
    talking about. People are living longer. And therefore, the whole
    formula--part of the formula doesn't hold up. The longer you live, the
    more benefits you receive. And when you couple that with the fact that
    the baby boomers, like me, are fixing to retire--not only are we living
    longer and therefore receiving benefits longer than anticipated when the
    system was designed, more of us will be living longer, receiving more
    benefits. Plus, the benefits are scheduled to rise dramatically. So
    you've got more people living longer, receiving benefits longer at a
    greater level of support. Plus, the number of payers into the system
    have declined from 16 per beneficiary to 3.3 per beneficiary. And in
    relatively short order, it's going to be two people paying in per
    beneficiary. Now, that's a problem because the system can't sustain
    itself.
        And as this chart shows you, in the year 2018, the Social Security
    system goes into the red. That means more money going

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    out to baby boomers, who are living longer with greater benefits
    promised than coming in in payroll taxes. See, it starts to go negative.
    Up to now, it's been positive. Up to now, we've been receiving more in
    payroll taxes than have gone out to pay. But the dynamics shift
    dramatically when the baby boomers start coming into the system.
        And in 2027, that deficit will be 200 billion a year. It grows every
    year: 2018 is small; by 2027, it's going to require 200 billion extra to
    pay off the promises; 2033--these are just examples of how it increases
    on--the deficit increases on an annual basis--2032, I believe it is,
    comes out to be about 300 billion. So you can see the problem. We're
    short. In order to fulfill the promises for the number of people paying
    in the system, we're going to have to come up with 200 billion a year in
    2027, and more the next year, and more the next year, and more the next
    year--unless we do something about it.
        Now, I know there's some people saying, ``Uh-oh, how does that
    affect my check? I'm on Social Security now.'' You're fine. You don't
    have a thing to worry about. The Social Security system is sound for
    those who are--have retired and those who are near retirement, people
    born before 1950. It is in good shape. Nothing will change.
        And part of the problem with dealing with this issue, part of the
    problem is seeing the problem and coming up with a solution is, a lot of
    people in political life are afraid of talking about it because they're
    afraid somebody in their State is going to say, ``Well, when you talk
    about Social Security, really what you're doing is taking away my
    check.'' You know what I'm talking about. You've seen those campaigns:
    ``Old so-and-so is going to take away my check.'' Well, that's just not
    reality. Those are scare tactics. Senior citizens are just fine.
        It's the younger folks that ought to be saying, ``What're you going
    to do about it, Mr. President? My generation is now going to be saddled
    with 200 billion in 2027, and more the next year, and more the next
    year, until the system gets bankrupt in 2042. How about doing something
    about it now before it is too late?''
        That's why I think--you see, the dynamics have shifted. It used to
    be, people were afraid to talk about Social Security. Now I think people
    should be afraid not to talk about Social Security and start coming up
    with some solutions. It's one thing for the President to say we've got a
    problem; now I believe I have a duty to help lead Congress toward a
    solution. Let me just say right off the bat I'm open for any idea except
    raising payroll taxes to solve the problem. If anybody has got an idea,
    bring it forth. I don't care if it's a Democrat idea or a Republican
    idea or an independent idea, I'm interested in working with the people
    who end up writing the law to come up with a good idea.
        And so all options are on the table, as I said in the State of the
    Union the other night. Bring them on, and we'll sit down and we'll have
    a good discussion about how to get something done. I think it's really
    important that the Congress understand that's how I feel. And we're not
    going to play political ``gotcha.'' Dealing with our--dealing with the
    security of our youngsters is vital. And now is not the time to make
    this issue a highly partisan issue. I really mean that when I say that.
        Now, I've got some interesting ideas, and I think they're worth
    listening to. And one of the most interesting ideas of all is whether to
    allow a younger worker to be able to set aside some of her--his or her
    payroll taxes into a personal retirement account. I think younger
    workers ought to be allowed to do that.
        I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why I think they ought to be
    allowed to do that: because I understand that with a conservative mix of
    stocks and bonds, a person can earn a rate of return which is
    significantly greater than the rate of return that person's money now
    earns in the Social Security trust. And that's important because over

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    time, when your money compounds and the rate of interest compounds your
    money, it means a younger worker will be able to accumulate a lot more
    money per dollar in than he or she would if the money stayed in the
    Social Security trust. In other words, it grows better. And that's
    important. It's important for a younger worker to be able to grow his or
    her money, particularly given the fact that there's some significant
    cash deficits headed our way.
        Secondly, I like the idea of encouraging an ownership society. I
    think people ought to be encouraged to own something in America. You'll
    be owning a part of your retirement account. It's actually your money to
    begin with. It's not the Government's money. You're paying it in. I
    think it makes sense for people to be given a statement on a quarterly
    basis: ``Here's your money, and here's how it's growing.''
        Now, there are some legitimate questions regarding this system. One,
    can you take your money and put it in the lottery? No. [Laughter] The
    answer is not only no, but heck no. [Laughter] You can't take it and
    play dice with it; you can't take it to the track; you can't gamble on,
    you know, fly-by-night stocks. You can only put it in a conservative,
    Government-prescribed mix of stocks and bonds, just like the Federal
    employees get to do.
        See, we have done this before. It's called the Federal thrift plan.
    Federal employees are given five programs from which to choose. The
    individual gets to choose what--the mix of stocks and bonds. But they're
    conservatively planned. And obviously, the more conservative a mix of
    stocks and bonds, the less risk you'll have. But it doesn't take much
    risk to get a better rate of return on your money than that which is in
    the Social Security trust.
        Secondly, can you take it all out when you retire? No, it's there as
    part of your retirement. You're going to get some money out of the
    Social Security trust, and that money coming out of your personal
    account will be combined with the money out of the Social Security so
    that you can have a good retirement.
        Thirdly, can you leave it to who you want? You bet. And that's
    what--where all of a sudden the plan begins to differ. Right now you
    can't. Right now you can't leave a dime of the money you put in the
    Social Security system to anybody. And under this plan, you will.
        And so this is something I'm asking Congress to consider. Now, I
    understand it's hard. It's a new idea. It's a new way of thinking. But
    it's a--one good way to make sure this system is around for our younger
    workers. And there's a lot of benefits to it. And I'm looking forward to
    continue traveling our country talking about these ideas. That's one of
    my duties as the President: confront problems, say, ``We got a
    problem.''
        And as you know, I'm here in Little Rock. And I was in Omaha and
    Fargo and in Montana; I'm heading down to Florida. And the idea is to
    say, folks, we got a problem; now let's work together. And sometimes in
    Congress, if they start to balk--or in the Senate, they balk, maybe it
    helps to have the people say, ``I agree with the President. He says we
    got a problem. He showed the chart. And now let's--why don't we all come
    together and get something done?'' And that's why I'm here, besides
    being able to be with the good folks of Little Rock, Arkansas.
        Okay. Andrew Biggs is with us. He is the
    Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy of the Social Security
    Administration, Washington, DC. In other words, he is an expert on the
    subject.
        Andrew, step forth. Let the people of
    Arkansas--no, sit forth--let the people of Arkansas--[applause].
        Andrew Biggs. Thanks very much.
        The President. Tell them whether or not we got a problem or not,
    from your perspective.
        Dr. Biggs. Put simply, we do, in fact,
    have a problem.

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        The President. By the way, this guy--Ph.D. See, I was a C student. [Laughter] He's a Ph.D, so he's
    probably got a little more credibility. I do think it's interesting and
    should be heartening for all the C students out there, notice who's the
    President and who's the adviser. [Laughter] All right, Andrew, get
    going. Andrew's got a good sense of humor.
        Dr. Biggs. Thank you very much.
    [Laughter]

    [At this point, Dr. Biggs made further remarks.]

        The President. Thank you, sir. Good job. Erma Fingers Hendrix--she introduced me one time right here on the
    banks of the river, isn't that right?
        Erma Fingers Hendrix. That's right.
        The President. Eloquent then and still eloquent now. Thanks for
    coming.
        Ms. Fingers Hendrix. Thank you, Mr.
    President.
        The President.  Proud you're here.

    [Ms. Fingers Hendrix made brief remarks.]

        The President. Thank you, Erma. Let
    me--it's very interesting--I think Erma's discussion here is important
    because she basically said, ``I'm fine.'' And that's important for every
    senior to understand. She gets it. In other words, the--whatever the
    numbers and the talk and everything, it is clear that you have analyzed
    the situation and understand that nothing would change for Erma. And
    that's important.
        There's a lot of--this system is a great system. It's worked for a
    lot of people. It is a very important part of our society. And
    therefore, those folks who use their Social Security check to help bring
    security in their retirement need to know that nothing is changing.
        The interesting dynamic is that she
    has asked her grandson, who is 30, ``What do you think?'' See, that
    discussion never happened when I was 30. [Laughter] Think about that. I
    don't remember anybody calling me and said, ``Are you worried about
    Social Security,'' because it was assumed everything was right--until
    our society changed, 'til the boomers began to retire, 'til the benefit
    promises were raised, until the number of payers paying in declined. And
    that's why it's important to take the idea that Franklin Roosevelt came
    up with, which is a--which worked well for a lot of people and make it
    work better for your grandson.
        Thank you for coming, Erma.
        Gloria Bennett. Where are you from,
    Gloria?
        Gloria Bennett. I'm from De Queen,
    Arkansas.
        The President. That's right next to ``De King.'' [Laughter] All
    right, what do you do?
        Ms. Bennett. I'm a part-time USDA food
    inspector. And as a part-time inspector, I do not get benefits for
    retirement. And I'm also a single parent.
        The President. Yes.
        Ms. Bennett. And being 43 years old, I
    fall somewhat in between where the Social Security will be there, but it
    will decline. So this personal account will benefit me. And also, if I
    pass away, it will also benefit my children where it could go to them--
    --
        The President. Yes.
        Ms. Bennett. ----and it could go to their
    retirement, towards their retirement, or they could get the money right
    then. So my fears of if they will have retirement is just diminished
    right now because I know there is a plan. And with a plan there, and we
    put it in action, I don't think we will have any problem.
        The President. Yes, well, listen, it's a very interesting point she
    says--she brings up this point, and that is
    that if she were to pass away and her children are over a certain age,
    the money she's put--or anybody put into Social Security just goes away.
    It goes on to the beneficiary, not your particular beneficiary but a
    promised beneficiary.
        Now, think about that system. So work--somebody works hard, doesn't
    live long

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    enough to get the benefits, dies earlier than the national average, and
    that money that they put in the system--unless you've got younger kids--
    just is gone, goes to help somebody else. But it doesn't pass on to
    anybody that you decide you get to pass it on to. And that's what
    Gloria wisely pointed out is a flaw in the
    current system.
        Now, you'll hear some people say, ``Well, maybe some people don't
    know how to manage their account.'' I just don't buy that. I think we
    can help with financial literacy. But I'm going to tell you, the
    guidelines are going to be strong enough that people will be able to put
    their money in safe accounts. And that's important. I repeat, we have
    done this before--Federal employees. Not you--I imagine you're kind of
    hot about that, aren't you?
        Ms. Bennett. Yes. [Laughter]
        The President. Federal employees get a Thrift Savings Plan. They get
    to choose to put some of their money--and by the way, this is voluntary,
    is the other thing that--shouldn't we say to people, if it makes sense,
    give people a chance to make the decision as to whether or not they want
    this option so they can pass it on to relatives?
        All right, Mark Darr, Benton, Arkansas.
        Mark Darr. Yes, sir.
        The President. Welcome. What do you do?
        Mr. Darr. I'm an insurance agent here in
    Little Rock, Arkansas.
        The President. Good.
        Mr. Darr. And I deal with risk every day. And
    to me, it's a whole lot riskier not to do anything on this plan, to let
    it go. These numbers back here, it gets red really quick. The only red
    we like to see is Razorback red.
        The President. Yes, you're going to bring up the Texas-Arkansas game
    a couple of years ago. But that's all right, you know? [Laughter] Go
    ahead.
        Mr. Darr. But for us to just sit back and see
    these numbers go in decline is really stupid. And give us the chance to
    have a retirement. By the year 2042, the fund is gone. And that's about
    the time I'm going to retire. And I have two small kids, and if there's
    nothing for me or even if it's at a lower level, what it's going to be
    for them when they get ready to retire? And that gets kind of scary.
        The President. Yes, that's an interesting--again, I'll repeat what I
    said earlier--I find it interesting then, this--I've traveled a lot and
    talked to people, but there's a lot of 30-year-old people like
    Mark who just say, ``Why don't you listen to us
    all of a sudden when it comes to Social Security, because we don't think
    we're going to see anything?'' In other words, a lot of people
    understand the numbers.
        And it's not that hard; it's not that big a leap of logic to think
    about a system where more people living longer, getting greater benefits
    are supported by fewer people, like Mark. And the system just can't
    sustain itself. And a lot of young people know that in America. That's
    what has shifted in the politics, by the way. That's what Members of the
    Congress and the Senate must understand, that senior citizens are coming
    to the conclusion that nothing is going to change for them, but there's
    a lot of younger citizens saying, ``What about me? What about somebody
    listening to my point of view on Social Security?--like Mark, because he
    understands that these numbers spell disaster.
        And it's not only having no retirement system; it is how are we
    going to pay for people like George W. when he gets ready to retire?
    That's as big a burden as having no system at all, see? And that's the
    dilemma we're faced with.
        Again, I repeat to you, these numbers are real; they're justifiable.
    You can ask the experts; the Social Security Administration has blessed
    them. These aren't created in some back room. These are transparent,
    open numbers, that says, every year, starting in 2018, we're going to
    have to come up with additional money to meet the deficits, in order to
    meet the promises. And

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    where that money comes from is either going to be your wallet or
    somebody else's wallet in the form of reduced benefits or great debt.
        So now is the time, as Mark said, to be
    dealing with the problem. All options are on the table. I want Congress
    to come together, but I also want them to understand as they look at all
    options, one option is to allow young workers like Mark to start putting
    aside some of his own money in an account that gets a better rate of
    return than the current trust so he is likely to be able to get as close
    to the promised benefits as possible when it comes time for him to
    retire. That's what we're here to talk about.
        Got anything else you want to say? How many kids you got?
        Mr. Darr. I've got two kids.
        The President. Are they here?
        Mr. Darr. No, my wife is here, but we let the
    kids stay with somebody else today.
        The President. That's good, probably. They get a little wiggly.
    [Laughter] Afraid the President would go on too long, like the State of
    the Union. [Laughter]
        Listen, I've enjoyed this. I want to thank our panelists. All of us
    who have been fortunate enough to serve our country have a duty to
    confront problems and to debate in an open and honest way, be inclusive
    in our discussions, to welcome interesting ideas. This is a significant
    problem that we've got to deal with now. And I intend to keep reminding
    Congress about our duty. I intend to keep traveling our country, talking
    to the American people, reminding them they have a chance to influence
    the debate. And I'll keep calling upon the best spirit of those of us in
    public service to put our politics aside and to leave our generations to
    come better off with a security system that works.
        We're headed toward peace in the world, more freedom at home. And
    that makes a guy feel pretty darn good, who's lucky to be your
    President.
        God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. at the Robinson Center
    Auditorium. In his remarks, he referred to President Hamid Karzai of
    Afghanistan; President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian
    Authority; President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine; and Janet Norwood,
    mother of Sgt. Byron Norwood, USMC, who was killed in Iraq on November
    13, 2004, and Iraqi citizen and political activist Safia Taleb al-
    Suhail, both of whom were guests of the First Lady at the President's
    State of the Union Address on February 2.