    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [July 14, 2005]
    [Pages 1215-1222]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Indiana Black Expo Corporate Luncheon in Indianapolis,
    Indiana
    July 14, 2005

        Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. Be seated. It
    is an honor to be here. Thanks for having me. I can't tell you how
    thrilled I am to be here with the men and women of the Indiana Black

    [[Page 1216]]

    Expo as you celebrate your 35th anniversary.
        You know, I was reading about this organization--it is a--it shows
    the entrepreneurial spirit deep within the hearts of the founders of
    this organization and the people who are carrying on the proud
    tradition. I appreciate the fact that you provide scholarships, support
    programs that are transforming local communities, and as a result,
    you're lifting up thousands of citizens. I appreciate the example of
    leadership you set, and it's my honor to join you. Thanks for having me.
        I was proud to be introduced by Governor Mitch Daniels. I knew he'd amount to something one of these
    days. [Laughter] And I'm particularly thrilled to be with his wife,
    Cheri, the fine first lady of the State of
    Indiana. Laura sends her love to both you and
    Mitch. She is, by the way, still on the continent of Africa. She'll be
    coming home tomorrow. She's probably expecting me to fix the dinner.
    [Laughter] I hope she's not hungry. [Laughter]
        I want to thank Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman for being here. I want to thank Congresswoman Julia
    Carson for being here today. [Applause] It
    looks like they still remember you here, Julia. She was on Air Force
    One, and I went back to have a visit with her. Now, if you've never had
    a visit with Julia--[laughter]--she's got a lot of wisdom. [Laughter]
    And she's not afraid to speak her mind. She kind of reminds me of my
    mother. Thanks for being here. Thanks for
    coming down.
        I want to thank the mayor, Bart Peterson,
    of the city of Indianapolis for joining us today. Mayor Peterson,
    appreciate you. Thanks for coming.
        I thank Arvis Dawson and Joyce
    Rogers and Jim Cummings for this fantastic invitation to come. And I want to thank
    you for your leadership. Appreciate you all being here.
        They tell me Quinn Buckner is here--
    somewhere out there. There he is. I appreciate you coming. I'm old
    enough to remember--[laughter]--the good old days in Indiana. [Laughter]
    Thanks for being here, Quinn. I'm honored you're here.
        I appreciate the fact that Vernice Williams came out to the airport today. I don't know if you
    know Vernice or not, but I find it very interesting--her story
    interesting, and it's a good example for all of us to listen to. Vernice
    has been a volunteer with Black Expo for 35 years. In other words, once
    this association got started, she said, ``I want to volunteer to help.''
    She's involved with the IBE Youth Corps program, all aimed at helping
    at-risk youth to achieve academic achievement, to instill in them the
    desire to excel. In other words, she's a soldier in the army of
    compassion. And I appreciate the example that Vernice has set. And if
    you want to serve your State and serve our Nation, help somebody in
    need.
        It's an honor to be here with so many charitable and civic leaders.
    You see, we share a belief in the founding promises of this Nation, a
    sense of optimism about our future, the future for all citizens,
    including African Americans. We believe in the power of the human spirit
    to lift communities and to change lives. Together, we're working to
    achieve a great national goal, making our country a place where
    opportunity and prosperity are within reach for all Americans.
        I see an America where all our children are taught the basic skills
    they need to live up to their God-given potential. I see an America
    where every citizen owns a stake in the future of our country and where
    a growing economy creates jobs and opportunity for everyone. I see an
    America where most troubled neighborhoods become safe places of kinship
    and community. I see an America where every person of every race has the
    opportunity to strive for a better future and to take part of the
    promise of America. That's what I see. And I believe the Government has
    a role to play in helping people gain the tools they need to build lives
    of dignity and purpose.

    [[Page 1217]]

    That's at the heart of what I call compassionate conservatism.
        To ensure that the promise of America reaches all our citizens, we
    must begin with education. I don't believe you can succeed in America
    unless you get a good education. Our Nation took an historic step toward
    that goal of making sure every child is educated--3 years ago when
    Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the No Child Left Behind
    Act. The No Child Left Behind Act is based on this straightforward
    principle: We'll spend money, but we want to make sure we get results.
        See, if you believe certain children can't read and write and can't
    possibly learn, then you don't care about results. But if you believe
    every child can read and every child can learn to write and add and
    subtract, then you want to know, don't you? How can you solve a problem
    unless you measure? And so as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act, we
    raised the bar. We raised the standards, and we said to local school
    districts, ``Show us. That's all we want to know. We want to know
    whether or not a child can read.''
        And we're making good progress as result of this new way of
    thinking. This morning the latest scores for the long-term National
    Assessment of Educational Progress were announced. See, this test is
    called the Nation's Report Card. It measures student achievement at age
    9, 13, and 17, across the country with the same set of standards. In
    other words, we want to know how students are doing in California,
    Texas, and Indiana. So we measure on the same set of standards. You see,
    measurement helps us understand how we're doing. You can't guess when it
    comes to a child's life. You got to measure.
        And the test results were released today. I'm proud to come here to
    talk about the new results. They're from the first long-term test, by
    the way, since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. Over the
    last 5 years, American children have made significant gains. Math scores
    for 13-year-olds have increased by 5 points. Math scores for 9-year-olds
    have increased by 9 points. And reading scores for 9-year-olds jumped 7
    points. America's 13-year-olds have earned the highest math scores ever
    recorded. Nine-year-olds posted the best scores ever in reading and
    math.
        What I'm telling you is, across America, more children are learning.
    And the success of young students is setting them on the path to a
    lifetime of achievement, and we're making big differences in the lives
    of African Americans. I say ``we''--let me get this straight--I'm
    talking about good teachers and good principals and engaged parents.
    This is not the Federal Government. It is the people at the local level
    who are making a huge difference in the lives of their students.
        We've had an achievement gap in America, and we need to do something
    about it. The No Child Left Behind Act is helping to do something about
    it. See, I refuse to accept this belief that certain people can't learn.
    I called it the soft bigotry of low expectations. Think about that
    phrase. It says if you lower the standards, you get lousy results. I
    believe you need to challenge that soft bigotry of low expectation, and
    we are. The Nation's Report Card shows that reading scores for African
    American 9-year-olds have jumped 14 points over the past 5 years. Math
    scores have jumped 13 points in the same period of time. These are the
    highest scores ever in the history of the test. The achievement gap is
    starting to close, and that's good for the future of America.
        The gap between white and African American 9-year-olds in reading is
    the narrowest it's ever been in the history of the 30-year test. These
    results show that when performance is measured and schools are held
    accountable, every child can succeed. That's what it shows. And we're
    making progress toward achieving a dream where every single child in
    America gets a good education and not one child is left behind.

    [[Page 1218]]

        No Child Left Behind is making a difference in the elementary and
    middle schools, and I believe we need to expand this process to our high
    schools. Do you realize that according to the most recent data, only 68
    out of every 100 students entering our public high schools make it to
    graduation 4 years later? That is an unacceptable statistic for America.
        See, here's what I think we need to do: I think we need to measure
    and determine why. You can't solve a problem unless you diagnose the
    problem. I think we need to measure to make sure we understand what is
    going wrong and correct the problems early, before it's too late. And I
    believe the Federal Government has a role in providing money for early
    intervention for students falling behind. I know we need to do this. We
    need to make sure a high school diploma is the ticket to success.
        Most new jobs in the 21st century are filled by people with at least
    2 years of college. Think about that. Most new jobs in America today are
    filled by people with at least 2 years of college. And so we need to
    make higher education more affordable. And I proposed to the United
    States Congress that we reform the student aid system and increase
    college assistance for low-income students through the Pell grant
    program. I think we need to increase the maximum award for Pell grants
    and make them available to students year-round so they can be used for
    summer school as well.
        We'll expand access to community colleges so more Americans can
    develop the skills and knowledge they need. And to help African American
    students get a higher education, we have continued to fund Historically
    Black Colleges and historically black graduate institutions at record
    levels.
        My point to you is that if you're willing to work hard and stay in
    school, the Federal Government will take your side and help you. To
    ensure that the promise of America reaches all our citizens, we're
    working to build an ownership society in which more of our citizens have
    a personal stake in the future of our country. When you own something,
    your life is more secure. When you own something, you have more dignity.
    When you own something, you have greater independence. The more people
    who own something in America means this country is better off. So we've
    been working to promote an ownership society. I want more people from
    all walks of life, including African Americans, to have a chance to own
    their own business.
        You can't expand businessownership unless you have a growing
    economy, and our economy is growing. It is the fastest growing of any
    major industrialized nation in the world. Our unemployment rate is down
    to 5 percent. In the last 12 months, we've created more than 2 million
    jobs. More Americans are working today than ever before in our Nation's
    history.
        I believe the Federal Government can play a positive role in helping
    African Americans achieve the goal of owning their own business. Last
    year, the Small Business Administration increased the number of loans to
    African American businesses by 28 percent, and we're on track to beat
    that number this year. We're also working to ensure minority businesses
    are getting a better chance to compete for Federal contracts. We've
    provided $8 billion in new market tax credits to boost investment and
    community development in low-income areas. Because of sound policy and
    low taxes, by the way, and the hard work of our citizens, we're getting
    results. African American businessownership is at an alltime high in
    America today.
        We got some interesting ideas on how to build on this progress.
    We're working on a new initiative to help more African Americans and
    other minorities become businessowners. My administration is joined with
    the Urban League, the Business Roundtable, the Ewing Marion Kauffman
    Foundation, and others to create what we call the Urban Entrepreneur
    Partnership. I think it's a smart idea. This partnership

    [[Page 1219]]

    will develop one-stop economic empowerment centers in many of our
    Nation's poorest communities. In other words, we're trying to reach out
    and help people understand what it means to become a small-business
    owner, through training and access to financing contracts for minority
    entrepreneurs. And the first pilot center will open next Monday in
    Kansas City and will serve as a model for the rest of the Nation. I hope
    Black Expo, in its leadership position, will take a look at these kind
    of programs. I think you're going to find it really interesting.
        Listen, the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in the African American
    community. It's strong. There's a lot of great business leaders today,
    and there's a lot of would-be great business leaders tomorrow, just with
    some help. And what I'm telling you is, through good economic policy and
    through good social policy, this administration, in working with others,
    is willing to help. We want more people owning their own business.
        And we want more people owning their own homes. I like the idea of
    homeownership, and I hope you do as well. Three years ago, I set a goal
    of creating 5.5 million new minority homeowners by the end of this
    decade. And we're getting results. We've already added 2.3 million new
    homeowners, minority homeowners, putting us ahead of schedule. Today,
    nearly half of all African Americans own their own homes, and that's
    good for our country.
        And there's more we can do. We're going to provide downpayment
    assistance for families, counseling for new homebuyers. I don't know if
    you've ever seen one of those contracts, but the print's really small.
    We need to help people. Perhaps a good project for Black Expo is to join
    with Alphonso Jackson and the Housing of
    Urban Development to help people understand what's in the print so it
    doesn't--that small print doesn't frighten them off from becoming a
    first-time homebuyer.
        I believe we ought to have tax credits to encourage construction of
    more affordable housing in low-income areas. See, what I want is more
    and more people from all walks of life, including our African Americans,
    opening up the door where they live and saying, ``Welcome to my home.
    Welcome to my piece of property.''
        And I believe that we also got to expand ownership through our
    retirement system. We got a problem in Social Security. If you've
    retired, you have nothing to worry about. You're going to get your
    check. Believe me, there's enough money there for you. It's just for the
    younger folks coming up, you're going to be paying--you're going to be
    paying payroll taxes into a system that simply cannot sustain itself.
    It's going broke. I know some in Washington don't like to hear that.
    They kind of wish the issue would go away. It's not going away. In my
    judgment, now is the time to address it. The job of the President is to
    confront problems, not pass them on to future Presidents or future
    generations. And we got a problem.
        I put some ideas out there. I hope both Republicans and Democrats
    forget politics for once in Washington, DC, and focus on what's good for
    the younger folks in America. But I got another idea to make the system
    work better. I think younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of
    their own money and set it aside in a personal savings account that they
    can call their own.
        Now, this isn't a new idea. See, this isn't a new idea. I wasn't the
    one who thought about it. Guess who thought about it first? Members of
    the United States Congress. See, they get to have their own retirement
    system, and so do Federal employees. And you can invest some of your own
    money, if you so choose, in a conservative mix of bonds and stocks, so
    you get a good rate of return on your money over time. See, it's your
    money. You get to watch it grow. My idea is this: If this idea is good
    enough

    [[Page 1220]]

    for Members of the United States Congress, it's good enough for working
    people all across the United States of America.
        To ensure that the promise of America reaches all of our citizens,
    we must do more to improve the safety of our most troubled
    neighborhoods. It is difficult for a young person to study and to learn
    and grow in the midst of violence, addiction, and despair. So we're
    fighting the scourge of drugs that destroys lives and wounds families
    and tears our community apart. We're aggressively prosecuting drug
    dealers and gun criminals. We're after them. You expect us to enforce
    the law. We're enforcing the law, because we don't believe people should
    be allowed to commit crimes with guns. And people ought not to be
    allowed to sell drugs on the streets. And as a result, violent crime is
    at its lowest point in 30 years.
        As we work to combat crime and keep our streets safe, we must ensure
    our criminal justice system is fair and effective. Americans of all
    races and backgrounds must be able to trust the legal system. They must
    be able to trust it so that no person is held to account for a crime he
    or she did not commit. We're dramatically expanding the use of DNA
    evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. See, progress for African
    Americans and, for that matter, all Americans depends on the full
    protection of civil rights and equality under the law.
        To ensure that the promise of America reaches all our citizens, we
    must encourage those who are healing our neighborhoods with good works.
    We must stand with people of faith, not stand against them at the
    Government level. See, Government can hand out money, but it cannot put
    hope in a person's heart or a sense of purpose in a person's life. That
    happens when somebody puts an arm around somebody and says, ``I love
    you. What can I do to help you? How can I be a part of making your life
    a better way?''
        See, the Nation's faith-based and community groups bring kindness
    and acts of charity to harsh places across America. I call these folks
    the social entrepreneurs of America. They're trying to figure out ways
    to listen to that universal call to love a neighbor just like you'd like
    to be loved yourself and help heal the broken heart. And oftentimes,
    those programs are a heck of a lot more effective than Government
    programs. And therefore, it seems like to me that instead of just
    applauding the leaders, we got to support the leaders. And one of the
    most important initiatives that I put out is to say to faith-based
    programs, ``You can access Federal money. You have the right to be able
    to apply for grants without having to take the cross off the wall or the
    Star of David off your wall. You can interface with Government without
    losing your mission.''
        And we're making a difference. We're getting results. Last year, we
    awarded $2 billion in competitive grants to faith-based institutions
    that are transforming our Nation and our neighborhoods one heart and one
    soul at a time.
        Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. Here in
    Indianapolis, the Zion Tabernacle Apostolic Church is reaching out to
    neighbors and helping lift up their communities. A social entrepreneur,
    a leader of the effort is Bishop Farris,
    who is with us today. Let me tell you what the Bishop has in mind and
    how he's going to be helped by the Federal Government. Secretary
    Alphonso Jackson, by the way, is a
    believer when it comes to the faith-based and community-based
    initiative. And so the Department of Housing and Urban Development has
    entered into a collaborative effort with his church, and they plan to
    break ground in October on 49 housing units for low-income elderly. And
    their new development will provide residents with shuttle services to
    stores and counseling and doctor appointments.
        I think this is a good use of taxpayers' money. I think it's a good
    way to say, we're going to try to help improve people's lives. And the
    delivery systems don't have to be

    [[Page 1221]]

    Government. They can be people of compassion, people who have heard the
    call, people who want to make somebody's life better. So I want to thank
    you, Bishop, for doing what you're doing.
    And by the way, there's thousands of examples just like the Bishop's all
    across the country.
        As we ensure that America's promise reaches all our citizens, we're
    defending the freedom that makes this progress possible. Our foreign
    policy is tough, and it is compassionate. The bombings in London last
    week are a grim reminder that free nations face dangerous enemies who
    hate our freedom and who'll kill in cold blood. We're on the offense
    against these terrorists overseas. We will bring them to justice so they
    don't murder more of our citizens and other citizens around the world.
        And as we hunt down the terrorists, we're offering an alternative to
    their hateful ideology. You see, we're spreading freedom and hope to
    millions. Because we acted, more than 50 million people--50 million--in
    Iraq and Afghanistan now live in freedom. And across the broader Middle
    East, many are claiming their liberty as well. By spreading freedom in a
    troubled region, we're making this country more secure. We're laying the
    foundation of peace for generations to come. I believe that freedom is
    not America's gift to the world; it is the Almighty God's gift to each
    man and woman in this world.
        I believe that human rights are not determined by race or
    nationality or diminished by distance. As Americans are moved to
    action--we are moved to action when we see millions in Africa who are
    facing famine or dying of malaria or the AIDS pandemic. Last year, the
    United States of America provided nearly 60 percent of the global food
    aid to the continent of Africa. We're supporting an aggressive campaign
    to cut the mortality rate of malaria in half.
        We're taking the lead when it comes to compassion around the world.
    And since 2003, the United States of America has led the world. We've
    undertaken an historic initiative to help the nations of Africa combat
    HIV/AIDS. So far, thanks to the leadership of a former Hoosier, Randy
    Tobias, we have delivered lifesaving
    treatment to more than 230,000 people on the continent of Africa, and
    there's more work to be done.
        We seek progress in Africa because our conscience demands it and
    because we have an interest in the long-term stability of the continent.
    Instability and lawlessness in any distant country can bring danger to
    our own shores. That's the lesson that we're learning in the 21st
    century. The United States of America will help Africa's leaders bring
    democracy and prosperity and hope, and this will bring security to our
    country and peace to the world.
        Today, we live in the most hopeful time in human history. These are
    exciting times. The hope of liberty is spreading across the world. Just
    watch what's happening. And the hope and opportunity is spreading across
    our country as well. We will continue to work for the day when the
    blessings of freedom reach everybody who lives in this country.
        The reason I've come today is because your work shows the dignity
    and equality and potential of every person. I'm here to herald the good
    works of good people of good heart. You've inspired Americans with your
    commitment to serve us in education and opportunity. You're helping to
    unite people of all races. I'm proud of your work. May God continue to
    bless your families, and may God continue to bless our great Nation.
        Thanks for letting me come.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:51 a.m. at the RCA Dome. In his remarks,
    he referred to Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana and his wife, Cheri; Lt.
    Gov. Becky Skillman of Indiana; Arvis Dawson, chairman of the board of
    directors, Joyce Rogers, chief executive officer and president, and
    James C. Cummings, cofounder and former president, Indiana

    [[Page 1222]]

    Black Expo, Inc.; Quinn Buckner, vice president of communications,
    National Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers; and Joseph D. Farris,
    pastor, Zion Tabernacle Apostolic Faith Church.