[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 6 (Monday, February 11, 2002)]
[Pages 197-202]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in 
Denver, Colorado

February 8, 2002

    Thank you all very much. It's great to be here. Thank you very much. 
Well, thank you very much. I'm really honored to be here. I really 
appreciate my new hat. [Laughter] I'm looking forward to wearing it in 
Crawford. I don't get to spend enough time there, but when I do, I 
really enjoy being around the cows. [Laughter] I find it such a relaxing 
place, a place to stay in touch with what's important in life. And Laura 
and I love what we do. We love our new address. [Laughter] But I can 
assure you, when it's all over, we're going back to the ranch.
    I want to thank my friend Lynn, for inviting me here. And thank you 
all for such a warm greeting and giving us a chance to come. I'm here to 
share with you some thoughts about our Nation, how to improve our 
economy and the strength of our character.
    You know, I gave a State of the Union the other day, and I reminded 
the Nation we're at war. We've got tough economic times. We're in a 
recession, but our Nation has never been stronger. And someone who has 
shown incredible strength and calm during a time of national crisis has 
been my wife, Laura. A lot of it has to do with the fact that she had a 
great mom and a wonderful dad. I think a lot of it has to do with the 
fact that she was born and raised in the West. People around the country 
are now figuring out why I married her. A lot of them are trying to 
figure out why she married me. [Laughter]
    I appreciate so very much traveling today with our Secretary of 
Agriculture, Ann Veneman. Ann's doing a really good job for the country. 
You know, one of the things that concerned me a lot is to make sure that 
hoof and mouth never made it into our land. I talked to Ann a lot about 
it. I said, ``Whatever you do, you make sure we stop it.'' And she did, 
along with a lot of other good folks who work for the Agriculture 
Department. I'm proud of her efforts. I'm proud of her genuine concern 
about the farmers and ranchers of the country, and I appreciate her 
strong leadership.
    I'm proud to be traveling with Members of the United States Congress 
who understand the importance of agriculture in the life of our country. 
One such man is a guy from west Texas. In 1978, I ran for the very seat 
he holds. I lost. He won. [Laughter] He's the chairman of the House 
Agriculture Committee, a really good friend and a good man out of 
Lubbock, Texas, Larry Combest.
    And we brought some other Members along: from the great State of 
Kansas, Senator Pat Roberts; Craig Thomas of Wyoming. I'm spending the 
night in his State tonight, in Jackson Hole. They tell me it's quite a 
spectacular place to look at. He said, ``Don't worry, Mr. President. The 
high is going to be about 9.'' [Laughter] But I'm really looking forward 
to it. [Laughter]
    I appreciate so very much, as well, fine Senators from the State of 
Colorado, Wayne Allard--I hope Wayne comes back up there; he's needed in 
Washington, DC--and Ben Nighthorse Campbell.
    I've spent a lot of time with this other Senator, roaming around 
Iowa. It seemed like everywhere he went, he said, ``You know, old Joe 
owns this 160 acres, and he farms soybeans.'' And then we'd go down the 
road a little bit, and he'd say, ``That's where Harry lives; he farms 
corn.'' This guy knows more about agriculture in the State of Iowa and 
more about Iowa than it could possibly be imagined. He's a fine, fine 
leader. He's the head of the Finance Committee at one time--I'd like to 
get him back to be the head of the Finance Committee--and that's Chuck 
Grassley.
    This State has got an excellent Governor. I'm proud to call Bill 
Owens friend. He knows what he's doing. I think the people of Colorado 
appreciate his leadership--Governor Bill Owens. We've got another Member 
from the United States Congress with us from the State of Colorado, Tom 
Tancredo. Thank you for coming, Tom.

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    And finally, on the way to Wyoming, we're going to stop in Utah. 
[Laughter] I'm really looking forward to opening the Olympics. It's 
going to be a magnificent moment for Utah and our great country. And 
traveling with us today are the two United States Senators from Utah, 
Senator Bob Bennett and Senator Orrin Hatch. Thank you all for coming.
    I appreciate being with people who love the land and appreciate open 
space. I realize there's nobody more central to the American experience 
than the cowboy. But cattle raising is not only a big part of America's 
past; I view it as an incredibly important part of America's future. 
This Nation has got to eat. [Laughter] It's in our national security 
interests that we be able to feed ourselves. Thank goodness we don't 
have to rely on somebody else's meat to make sure our people are healthy 
and well fed.
    I appreciate so very much the fact that the cattleman usually 
doesn't spend a lot of time asking something from the Federal 
Government, except for perhaps lower taxes. But one message that all of 
us on this stage heard loud and clear was this: ``Let us pass our assets 
on from one generation to the next. Let us make sure my son and daughter 
is able to ranch the land that has been in my family for a long time.''
    I'm proud to report that finally--finally enough Members of 
Congress, including the chairman of the Finance Committee, understood 
the punitive nature of the death tax, and we've sent it on its way to 
extinction. But to make sure we finally put it where it belongs, to put 
the death tax to death, we need your help in making sure the Senate and 
the House hears that the tax relief we passed last winter must be 
permanent.
    One thing I appreciate about cattlemen and the cattlewomen, the 
families that ranch our land, is the values, the values represented 
right here in this great hall, the values of hard work, of faith and 
family, the values reflected in the determined attitude of American 
cattlemen, values that frankly represent a part of the American spirit, 
values that are incredibly important for our Nation to uphold during a 
time of national testing.
    And make no mistake about it, this Nation is being tested. You know, 
when the enemy hit us on September the 11th, they must have not figured 
out what we were all about. See, they thought we weren't determined. 
They thought we were soft. They obviously had never been to a national 
cattlemen's convention before.
    Now what they're finding out is this great land is determined and 
patient and steadfast and strong to defend freedom. We've been called 
into action. History has called this Government and our Nation to action 
to defend freedom. And make no mistake about it, that's exactly what I 
intend to do.
    I intend to find the killers, wherever they may hide, and run them 
down and bring them to justice. They think there's a cave deep enough. 
They're wrong. They think they're going to run out of patience. They are 
wrong. Those who hurt America and those who continue to want to harm 
America will not be able to escape the long reach of American justice.
    I'm sure there's many out in the audience today who have got a 
relative who serves in the United States military. I want to tell you 
how grateful we are for the sacrifice and the honor the military has 
brought to the United States. I sent them on a tough mission, and my, 
have they made us proud. We haven't been at this very long, but we've 
accomplished a lot in a short period of time.
    As you remember, I laid out a doctrine for our foreign policy that 
said, ``If you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide 
a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists.'' And the Taliban 
found out what that meant. Our military not only upheld the doctrine, 
but in so doing, I'm proud to report, we liberated a people. We have 
freed women and children from the clutches of one of the most barbaric 
regimes in the history of mankind. I'm so proud of the United States 
military.
    And we're just beginning. Afghanistan is the first theater in the 
war against terror. This Nation cannot afford and must not rest until we 
have done everything in our power to rally our coalition and rid the 
world of terror.
    That not only means those who are associated with the terrorist 
networks of global reach; it also means nations which develop weapons of 
mass destruction aimed at destroying America and attacking our friends 
and our allies; nations that have had, as a

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result of their past, have shown us clearly that they hate freedom, they 
hate transparency, they hate rule of law; nations which, if they were 
able to couple their mad designs with global terrorism, would threaten 
our children and our children's children's future. I will not let it 
stand, and neither will the United States of America.
    And so I sent a budget to the United States Congress. I'm proud to 
report all of them on the stage are with me on this one. It's a budget 
that increases our monies for security, significantly increases defense 
spending. Those who wear our uniform deserve the best, the best 
training, the best equipment, another pay raise. The price of freedom is 
high. The price of security is high, but this Nation will pay it.
    I want you to know it's a huge honor to walk in the Oval Office and 
sit at a great desk in magnificent surroundings. But now my job has 
changed after 9/11. Every morning, I walk in and read threat assessments 
to the United States of America. The enemy would still like to hit us, 
but you need to know that we're doing everything in our power to prevent 
it.
    I'm proud to report that the FBI is well managed by a man named 
Robert Mueller and a great team. We're still interested in spies. We're 
still after white-collar crime. But the primary focus of over 4,000 FBI 
agents is my primary obligation, which is to protect the American 
people, protect American families from another enemy attack. We're 
running down every lead. We're following every hint. We're chasing down 
every opportunity to make the country safe.
    I also want you to know that the Nation is developing a homeland 
security strategy. That's important. It's important not only for the 
short term, but it's important because after we implement the strategy, 
America will be better off for the long term. For example, preparing 
against a bioterrorist attack, we're spending a lot of money to make 
sure the Nation's health care system can communicate better, public 
health works better, that there's medicines available if there were to 
be an attack. Much of the research and development that's going on to 
make America better secure against bioterrorism could conceivably lead 
to cures for diseases that have plagued us for a long period of time.
    We've got money in our budget to make sure our first-responders, the 
heroic policemen and firemen all around the country, have got better 
equipment and can better communicate. As a result of hardening the 
homeland against bioterrorist attack with first-time responders, our 
neighborhoods will be ultimately safer for crime.
    We're making sure our borders are more secure. We want to know who's 
coming in, and we want to know who's going out. We want to make sure 
that we do everything we can to be a hospitable nation. On the other 
hand, we want to make sure if people have overstayed their welcome, that 
they're welcome to leave. [Laughter]
    And we're worried--and I talked a lot today to Senator Roberts about 
this subject, and to Ann Veneman--we're concerned about making sure our 
food supply is safe. We're investing in training and technology at the 
Department of Agriculture to detect biological and chemical weapons and 
agents. We're going to have an even swifter response to food 
contamination. We've tripled the amount of money in the budget to 
prepare America against the very worst.
    But you need to know, we're doing everything in our power. We're on 
alert. We're wise. We're learning more about the enemy. We're looking. 
But the way to make sure America is secure in the long run is to find 
them, hunt them down, and get them. And that's exactly what we're going 
to do.
    We're going to make sure we do everything in our power to win the 
war on terrorism. And we're going to defeat the recession, too. I'm 
deeply concerned about those who lost their jobs as a result of 
September the 11th. There's a lot of people hurting in the country, and 
our Government must respond.
    I appreciate the fact that the Senate passed a bill to extend the 
unemployment benefits for those who have lost their work, and the House 
has already done so. It makes a lot of sense for the Government to 
respond in that kind of way. But the people in America who have lost 
their jobs, they don't want an unemployment check for the long run; they

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want a paycheck. And the best think Congress needs to do is ask this 
question: How do we create more jobs? How do we invigorate the private 
sector to create more jobs so people can find work?
    I know some of them over there--up there decided that the stimulus 
package is dead. The leadership in the Senate said, ``No, we can't get 
anything done.'' I respectfully disagree. It seems like to me that we 
ought to focus on what's best for the country, work together, and get a 
package which provides stimulus for job creation. We want to take care 
of the people who lost their work. We also want to invigorate the job-
creating mechanisms of the United States of America so that people have 
jobs so they can put food on the table. We can't let politics dominate 
Washington, DC. We need to set aside our parties and focus on what's 
right for the country.
    And part of making sure we've got a healthy economic outlook is to 
have a healthy agricultural sector. Our farm economy, our ranchers and 
farmers provide an incredible part of the Nation's economic vitality. I 
mean, if you're not vital, the Nation's economy will suffer. A lot of 
Americans have got to understand this, that food and fiber accounted for 
nearly $1.3 trillion of gross domestic product in the year 2000; $1.3 
trillion of our economy came from farmers and ranchers and all the 
people associated with helping people raise crop and raise beef. And so 
we've got to make sure that our farm economy is strong.
    The farm economy employs nearly 24 million people. That's a lot. And 
therefore, when we work on the farm bill in Washington, we must 
understand that we've got to have a good bill that not only enhances our 
Nation's security by making sure we've got ample food but that we--by 
having good farm policy, good agriculture policy, we can help create 
jobs all across America.
    And so I want to talk to you quickly about the farm bill. One bill 
passed the House; one bill looks like it's getting ready to pass the 
Senate. It will go to what they call conference, and we're going to work 
hard to get a good farm bill out. I'm really looking forward to working 
with Larry Combest and the conferees in the House, as well as looking 
forward to working with the conferees in the Senate, to get a bill that 
meets these principles.
    First, I want farm policy that is generous in our appropriations and 
affordable. Now, we've agreed that our farm bill should cost $73.5 
billion over the next decade. My administration will honor that 
agreement. I know the folks on this stage will honor that agreement. It 
looks like that's pretty well settled in, and that's good for the farm 
sector. But we've got to spend the money without--I guess you could call 
it political gimmickry.
    You see, what we don't want to have happen is, they take the bulk of 
that money and spend it early, so that in the out years the farm economy 
suffers. What we want is to make sure that when the bill is passed, that 
the $73 billion is spent evenly or relatively evenly over the decade. In 
other words, to put it bluntly, what we don't want to do is overpromise 
to farmers and underperform. What we don't want to do is use the 
taxpayer's money to try to cobble together a loose coalition to get 
votes early on which will ultimately hurt the agricultural sector of the 
United States of America.
    A good farm bill must provide a safety net for farmers, without 
encouraging overproduction and thereby depressing prices. By setting 
loan rates too high, we could easily worsen a problem that loan rates 
were supposed to correct. I favor farm policies that strengthen the farm 
economy over the long run, policies that promote independence. But what 
I don't want to do is to provide incentives into the marketplace that 
will hurt farmers. And so we've got to have good loan policy, and I look 
forward to working with the Members on the stage to provide that.
    I want a farm bill that supports trade. Oh, I know there's a lot of 
controversy around America on trade. Let me tell you how I look at it. 
Our ranchers and farmers are the best in the world at what they do. We 
can grow crops better; we can grow things better; and we can raise beef 
better. And if that's the case, it seems logical to me that we want a 
more--want more opportunity to sell that which we're best at, all around 
the world. We want people in China eating U.S. beef.
    No, I know there's some skepticism. People are always saying, 
``Well, you know, every

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President comes along and he talks about agriculture, and then when it 
comes time to negotiating international trade agreements, they seem to 
forget.'' Well, so far, our administration hasn't forgotten. I told the 
people who are interested in this subject, when I was campaigning, we 
were going to make sure agriculture remained at a cornerstone of U.S. 
economic policy, not only at home but internationally.
    I sent a team over there, with Ann and Zoellick, to talk to the 
Chinese. And I--just look at the record. There's huge amounts of 
opportunity for American farmers and ranchers in that vast market. 
There's been some discussions about world trade, and look at the record: 
The United States stood strong when it came to protecting the 
agriculture interests. We want to open up markets, and at the same time, 
we want to make sure others open up their markets for us and to make 
sure that we open up markets in places like Europe for America's healthy 
beef.
    You can help by making sure the Senate hears that message, that the 
Senate passes a trade promotion bill which gives me the authority to 
work hard to open up markets all around the world for those who work 
hard. I need that authority. It's good for America to have that 
authority. It's also going to be good for the world, because America's 
great producers will help feed the hungry.
    I also want to make sure the good farm bill establishes farm savings 
accounts to help farmers and ranchers manage risks that you run. I 
understand how risky agriculture can be. It wouldn't be so risky if we 
could control the weather. That's one of the things we haven't figured 
out how to do yet. It wouldn't be so risky if we could make it rain all 
the time; there'd be hay to feed the cows. Somehow, that doesn't happen 
all the time. I know. I sat through the--as Governor, I watched the 
rains go away in the great State of Texas for many of the months in my 
last years as the Governor. You know, I'm a guy who runs out to my land 
or thinks about my land, and the first thing I ask old Kenneth who lives 
on it is, ``Did it rain? Where's the water?'' But I understand the 
risks.
    And there's a risk of price, and the cycles make it difficult. But I 
think the Federal Government can help mitigate the cycles by giving 
farmers and ranchers the opportunities to establish what we call farm 
savings accounts or ranch savings accounts. We'll give you a chance to 
insure against risk. It makes a lot of sense. I know that Senator 
Grassley has been a big promoter of farm savings accounts, and we look 
forward to getting this additional tool to you all to be able to help 
you help yourselves.
    A good bill finally will offer incentives for good conservation 
practices. Let me tell you exactly what I think about the land and how 
best to manage it. Every day is Earth Day for people who rely upon the 
land to make a living. The best conservation practices happen because 
somebody realizes that it's in their benefit, their own economic 
interest, to practice good conservation in order to raise cows, for 
example.
    I was traveling the ranch one time with Vladimir Putin and Mrs. 
Putin, and we're driving around, showing it off. I'm a windshield 
rancher. [Laughter] And they were asking, ``Well, can you''--I was 
explaining like I like to cut down--trim the new-growth cedar, because 
the new-growth cedar sucks out a lot of water from the--from the 
beautiful hardwoods we have. Many of you know exactly what I'm talking 
about. It enhances the beauty and the value of the land if you can get 
rid of the new-growth cedar. It enables our beautiful native pecans or 
live oaks to flourish, and that's good for the country. And they said, 
``Well, you're allowed to cut down your own trees?'' I said, ``Yes, if 
you're wise about it.'' And obviously there are some county 
restrictions, and of course, I pay attention to all that. But, yes, we--
[laughter]--we trust people to--we trust people to manage their own 
land. We trust people with their own land.
    And they said, ``Well, that's different in some places in Europe. 
You can't do that.'' And I said, ``Well, here's what we think in 
America. We think that the collective wisdom of those who own their land 
is a benefit to the Nation, that when individuals make proper choices 
because they own their own property, that all those decisions in a 
collective way makes better environmental policy, better land use policy 
than if it was dictated from a central source of people, many of whom 
have probably never been on the land.''

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    And so this farm bill has got to recognize the principle I just 
outlined and help ranchers and farmers. I strongly favor expanding EQIP 
program. I think it makes a lot of sense. Good conservation policy in a 
farm bill will enable ranchers and farmers to make better decisions. 
It's an important part of the farm bill, and I hope the Senate hears 
that. And I know the folks on this podium agree, on the stage agree with 
the principle inherent, and not only in that aspect of a good farm 
policy but the other four I described. I just want to assure you all 
that these just aren't opinions of mine; these are commitments of mine, 
commitments to good agriculture policy.
    And so we're, as a nation, are dealing with some tough times, but 
I've never been more confident or optimistic. I think it's because I 
know the true strength of the country, and the true strength of the 
country is our citizens. We're a land of strong, hard-working, 
compassionate people.
    I'm asked all the time, ``What can I do to help in the war against 
terror?'' Well, you've probably figured it out by now that I don't see 
many shades of gray in the war on terror. Either you're with us, or 
you're against us. And it's a struggle between good, and it's a struggle 
between evil. And if you're interested in fighting evil, do some good. 
And by that, I mean, show some compassion to a neighbor in need. You 
know, when people walk across the street to help a shut-in, they're 
doing some good. When people take time to mentor a child, that's doing 
some good. We've got children whose parents are in prison; they wonder, 
``Gosh, I wonder if America is meant for me?'' There's a hopelessness 
that can creep in their lives. What America needs to do in order to 
fight evil is to have mentors all across the country who are willing to 
put their arm around a child and say, ``I love you a lot. America counts 
for you as much as it counts for me.''
    No, if we want to fight good--fight evil with good, we can do so in 
many ways, all across America. My call to America is to help somebody in 
need. Many of you in this audience have probably either been or are on 
your school boards. It's a job tougher than being President; I 
understand that. But by helping your public schools or helping any 
school, it's helping fight evil with good. By being active citizens in 
your church or your synagogue or, for those Muslims, in your mosque, and 
adhering to the admission to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be 
loved yourself, that's how we can stand up. It is the momentum of 
millions of acts of kindness that take place all across America. That's 
how we stand up to evil.
    And if any country can do it, it is this country, because this is a 
nation that is loving and strong, compassionate, God-fearing, a nation 
that will not relent when it comes to our most precious value, and that 
value is freedom.
    Thanks for having me, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 9:41 a.m. in Exhibit Hall A at the Colorado 
Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Lynn Cornwell, past 
president, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and Kenneth 
Engelbrecht, foreman at the Bush Ranch in Crawford, TX. The President 
also referred to EQIP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.