[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 26 (Monday, July 2, 2001)]
[Pages 981-985]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the President's Dinner

June 27, 2001

    Thank you all. Please be seated. Mr. Vice President, 11 months ago I 
made the smartest decision I could make when it came to politics. I 
picked you to become the Vice President. What a good man this guy is, 
and what a great job he's done for America.
    I think you're the one over there with the light shining off your 
head. [Laughter] Oh yes, there you are. But I do know you're sitting 
next to a fabulous woman. Lynne Cheney is a great friend of Laura and 
mine, and we're real proud that she is a part of our team, as well.

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    Speaking about Laura, I can't tell you how proud I am of the job 
she's doing on behalf of the citizens of America. She is not only a 
fantastic mother and wife but a truly wonderful First Lady for America. 
We would like to stay for dinner, but we've got to go home and feed 
Barney the dog. [Laughter]
    I'm really proud to be here at what used to be called the House-
Senate Dinner. And I'm glad to have something to do with the name 
change. [Laughter] But this name--the dinner's name wouldn't have 
changed without the help of a lot of people in this room. And I want to 
thank you and the American people for giving me a chance to be the 
President of the greatest Nation on the face of the Earth.
    I want to thank Roger Enrico for his hard work. I want to thank 
Tommy Loeffler and George Allen and Jim McCrery, as well. I want to 
thank my friends, the Speaker of the House and soon-to-be majority 
leader of the Senate, Speaker Hastert and Trent Lott. It is such a 
pleasure to be able to work with two men to try to do what's right for 
America. And I want to thank you all for coming. Make no mistake about 
it, this dinner has one goal in mind, to make sure Denny Hastert remains 
the Speaker of the House and to make sure Trent Lott is the majority 
leader of the United States Senate. And we've got a reason why.
    This just isn't politics. There's a reason why we need to make sure 
we remain strong in the Senate--and I want to thank the Senators who are 
here tonight--and the reason why we need to remain strong in the House--
and I want to thank the House Members who are here tonight--and the 
reason why is because we have an agenda that is positive for America. We 
have a philosophy that is conservative and compassionate. Ours is a 
party that stands on principle, and ours is a party that's getting 
things done for the American people.
    You know, there's a lot of talk in this town--people like to hold 
press conferences; people like to call people names. Well, what I like 
to do is to point out that when we work together, we can make some 
serious progress on behalf of the American people.
    Take tax reform. Gosh, I remember in the campaign--Dick will tell 
you--when we used to talk about tax reform, and there would be a 
collective yawn by the people that made the news. Our opponents said it 
was a foolhardy effort. But as a result of working together, and as a 
result of listening to the American people, I was able to sign in the 
White House, in record time, the first broadbased tax relief in a 
generation.
    It would not have happened had the Speaker and the leader and 
Members of the Senate and House been willing to work together to do 
what's right for America. And what's right for America at this point in 
history is to trust the people with their own money. What was right for 
America is to understand these projected surpluses were not the 
Government's money; it was the people's money. And we've got to trust 
the people with their own money.
    We worked together to put a plan out that was fair. Gosh, I remember 
all the old, tired talk in Washington about targeted tax relief. It 
meant that a handful of people got to decide who the winners and losers 
were in the Tax Code. We didn't think that was fair. We came with the 
simple principle that, if we were going to have tax relief, everybody in 
America who paid taxes ought to get tax relief. And so the bill I signed 
reduced all taxes on every taxpayer in America.
    We recognized the marriage penalty was unfair. After all, what kind 
of Tax Code is it that penalizes marriage? Ours is a party that stands 
for strong families in America. And so we did something about the 
marriage penalty, and we did away with the death tax in the Tax Code.
    Ours was a plan based upon principles. The role of Government is not 
to create wealth; the role of Government is to create an environment in 
which the small business can grow or the entrepreneur can flourish. Tax 
relief sent a clear message that we understand the role of capital in 
our society, and we want to provide capital for small-business owners 
regardless of their background, regardless of where they're from, 
because the American Dream is really about owning something.
    And to the entrepreneurs all across the country, we say loud and 
clear, we understand what you're going through, and we want to stand 
side by side with you. Tax relief

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was principled, in that it said, we trust the people of America. We said 
loud and clear, when it came to budgeting, we would budget a fair amount 
of money for the Federal Government; we'd meet the basics, which we did. 
But with any money left over, we wanted the American people to have the 
right to spend their own money. You see, we trust the people of America. 
We'd rather the American people be making decisions for their families, 
as opposed to the Federal Government.
    We also had a plan that was necessary at this point in our economic 
history. Oh, you're hearing all kinds of second-guessing now about the 
tax relief plan. But what you can't second-guess is that our economy has 
slowed down. And one of our jobs--the Vice President's and my job is to 
solve problems. And a way to handle an economic slowdown is through 
good, sound fiscal policy and by passing money back to people this 
summer through tax rebates. And by reducing the rates on everybody who 
pays taxes, we've sent a clear message to entrepreneurs and capital and 
workers all around the country: We're going to do something about the 
economic slowdown. Tax relief is important to provide second wind for 
the economic growth of the United States of America. I want to remind 
people it was conservative to cut taxes, but it was compassionate, as 
well.
    I remember traveling our country endlessly, seeking the vote. And 
nearly every stop, there were people there that were tax families, hard-
working Americans who were struggling to get ahead, people who were 
trying to cope with their high energy bills or trying to get out from 
underneath their credit card debt, moms and dads who were hoping for a 
bright future for their children. I can remember looking in the eyes of 
our fellow citizens at every stop and saying to myself, I can't wait to 
go to Washington and to work with Congress to pass money back, so these 
good folks have got more of their hard-earned dollars to spend on their 
families.
    Tax families made a huge impact on me as I campaigned across the 
country. I can't wait to get on the phone and see whether or not they 
like their tax rebate check when they start getting them this summer. I 
suspect they will.
    And I remember traveling our country to hundreds of classrooms all 
across America, as well, and meeting dedicated teachers. And one of the 
things Laura is doing is, she's traveling the Nation recruiting 
youngsters and people who have just gotten out of the military to become 
a teacher. We need more teachers in America. We need to thank our 
teachers all across our land.
    But we've also got to make sure we have an education system that's 
focused on results, an education system that holds up every child, an 
education system that believes every child can learn. And so we worked 
with the United States Congress to pass meaningful, real education 
reform. It's a reform package that says not only should we set high 
standards, but we ought to trust local people to chart the path for 
excellence for every single child. It's an education plan that focuses 
on each individual by insisting that school districts and States 
measure, so that we know. The old way used to say, ``How old are you? 
And if you're 10, we'll put you in the fourth grade, and if you're 12, 
we'll move you here, and if you're 14, gosh, you're supposed to be 
here.'' But once we get this bill out of the Senate and the House 
conference committees and on my desk, America will start to ask the 
question, ``What do you know?'' And if you don't know what you're 
supposed to know, we'll make sure you do, early, before it's too late. 
There are no second-rate children in America, as far as we're concerned, 
and there are no second-rate dreams.
    Mine is a job that will leave us with vivid memories and great 
experiences. There's no vivid a memory than I had when the EP-3 crew 
came to the White House. They were all dressed in their sparkling 
whites. They were proud to be Americans, and I was proud to welcome them 
to the most sacred office in our land. I was really proud to be able to 
tell the pilot what a fantastic job he did of taking a damaged aircraft 
and saving the lives of his crewmembers.
    Whether it be greeting the EP-3 crew or inspecting the troops as 
Commander in Chief, I'm reminded of what one of my principal jobs is, 
and to make sure the world is a more peaceful place. And we believe it 
starts with having a military that's properly paid, properly housed, and 
properly trained:

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prepared to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening 
in the first place.
    Today I submitted up to Congress an amendment to the 2002 budget, 
which will increase military spending by 32.6 billion over the 2001 
budget. It is my administration's commitment to a strong national 
defense. And at the same time, I'm proud of my Secretary of Defense's 
review of our military, to make sure that we're focused and make sure 
that taxpayers' dollars go into weapons systems that will be needed to 
keep the peace as we head into the 21st century.
    I had the honor of representing our Nation recently in Europe, where 
I had a chance to explain what it meant to develop new weapons systems 
to keep the peace. Perhaps the most meaningful discussion I had was in a 
beautiful country called Slovenia. You ought to go there sometime. It is 
picturesque. I told the President I'd put a plug in for him. [Laughter] 
It is unbelievably beautiful country. And there I had the honor of 
meeting President Putin of Russia.
    It was a fascinating discussion. I explained to him that ours was a 
peaceful nation. We didn't view Russia as an enemy. Mine is an 
administration that wants to discard the old way of thinking that took 
place during the cold war. In the old days, peace was achieved by 
figuring out how many weapons we could point at each other. But I 
explained to President Putin, Russia is no longer the threat. The threat 
to Russia or the threat to the United States or the threat to freedom-
loving people will come as a result of a leader of a rogue nation having 
weapons of mass destruction. And therefore, to keep the peace, we must 
think differently.
    I explained to him that history, past history was no longer relevant 
to the future, that two young leaders should seize the moment and make 
the world more peaceful by discarding that part of the ABM Treaty that 
prevents the United States from doing the research and development 
necessary to deploy effective antiballistic missile systems to keep the 
peace.
    And it's been my honor to travel our country and to see the great 
acts of compassion that take place every single day, without one 
Government law telling people what to do. I remember going to Tampa, 
Florida, for a Habitat for Humanity building site. I had the privilege 
of raising the wall. For those of you who have built a Habitat For 
Humanity home, you know the great pride you have when you nail a bunch a 
nails and not hit your finger--[laughter]--and then stand side by side 
with good, decent citizens, including the homeowner, to raise the wall. 
It was such a meaningful moment, because it reminded me about the great 
strength of America. And the great strength of America is America's 
people.
    Ours is a compassionate land, a decent land, a land where people are 
motivated by good will, good heart, and strong faith. And so one of the 
most important initiatives that we're are discussing in the Halls of the 
United States Congress is an initiative which will gather the true 
strength of America, a faith-based initiative that says there are people 
in America who suffer; they suffer from want and need; they suffer from 
love and compassion. It makes sense for our country to welcome community 
and faith-based groups into the compassionate delivery of care and help 
if we want the American Dream to extend its reach throughout every 
neighborhood in America.
    One of my favorite stories is an old story about a grandfather and 
his grandson walking along a beach that was chock-full of starfish. And 
the young boy picked one of them up and threw it in the ocean. And the 
grandfather, looking down the beach, seeing all the starfish, said, 
``That's not going to make any difference.'' And the young boy looked at 
his grandfather and said, ``It makes a difference to that one.'' And 
that's how you change America--one heart, one soul, one conscience at a 
time.
    And we can also change America, for those of us fortunate enough to 
hold positions of responsibility, by setting good examples, by working 
hard to usher in a period of personal responsibility. We must reject the 
old cultures which said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do it; 
and if you've got a problem, blame somebody else.'' Ours is a group of 
citizens caring about America who want to work together to usher in a 
period of personal responsibility, a period where the moms and dads of 
America understand our

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most important job will be to love our children with all our hearts and 
all our souls, a period when each of us must turn to a neighbor in need 
and say, ``What can we do to help?''--a period of time when those of us 
who have been elected to office understand the high responsibilities of 
the offices to which we have been elected.
    I welcome a cultural shift in America. I'm going to work hard to 
call all those who care about our Nation to join me in changing the 
culture and join me in ushering in a period of personal responsibility. 
And I want you to know that assuming the responsibility of President is 
a high honor, an honor I hold dearly, an honor I hold sacred, and an 
honor I will not abrogate to the American people.
    Thank you for coming tonight, and God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington Convention 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Roger A. Enrico, vice chairman of 
the board, PepsiCo., Inc.; Tom Loeffler, vice chairman of regents, 
University of Texas at San Antonio; U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Shane Osborn, 
USN; President Milan Kucan of Slovenia; President Vladimir Putin of 
Russia.