[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 5 (Monday, February 7, 2005)]
[Pages 154-162]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in a Discussion on Strengthening Social Security in Omaha, 
Nebraska

February 4, 2005

    The President. Thanks for being here. Thanks for inviting me back. 
One of the last times I was here, I remember, I was out there with 
Senator Hagel, and he said, ``Give them your best fastball.'' [Laughter] 
This wasn't a political moment; this was the College World Series. 
[Laughter] I finally remember the college--Mr. Mayor, I appreciate you 
being able to extend the contract for the College World Series here to 
Omaha, Nebraska.
    We're not here to talk baseball today, and we're certainly not here 
to talk college football--[laughter]--if you know what I mean.

[[Page 155]]

[Laughter] We're here to talk public policy, about how to make America a 
better place.
    I want to thank the Governor for joining us today. Governor, where 
are you? Thanks for coming. I appreciate you being here. I guess you 
kind of like my decisionmaking. I'll be frank with you; I didn't ask 
Johanns to join my Cabinet to make you Governor, although--[laughter]--
I'm sure you're going to do a fine job. I did it because, one, he's a 
fine guy; two, agriculture is important to this country, and no doubt 
he's going to be a fine Secretary of Agriculture.
    I am pleased to be working with Senator Chuck Hagel. He is a smart, 
capable man. He loves his country. He loves Nebraska. Looking forward to 
working with you, Chuck, for 4 more years. I'm proud that Senator Ben 
Nelson is here. He is a man with whom I can work, a person who is 
willing to put partisanship aside to focus on what's right for America. 
Senator, thanks for coming. Working my way through. Congressman Lee 
Terry is with us today. Congressman, proud you're here. Thanks for 
coming. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry is with us today. Thank you, 
Congressman--[applause]--sounds like they've heard of you. And of course 
Congressman Tom Osborne is with us today.
    Mayor, thanks for coming--former Mayor Hal Daub is with us today. 
Mayor, thank you for being here. He, by the way, is Chairman of the 
Social Security Advisory Board. The President needs a lot of advice. The 
country needs advice on Social Security, and that's what we're here to 
talk about after a while.
    By the way, Tom Osborne and I had the honor of being at the National 
Prayer Breakfast Thursday. He gave a fantastic talk. He's a humble, 
decent guy. I reminded people that the State of the Union was kind of 
like a giant prayer session--Members of Congress were praying I'd keep 
my speech short. [Laughter]
    It's good to be here on the--right after the State of the Union. 
See, I believe one of my responsibilities is to travel our country 
talking about problems and how we intend to solve them, reminding people 
that the job of a President is to confront problems, not to pass them on 
to future generations and future Presidents.
    One of the problems we face is the war on terror. The war on terror 
goes on. And it's important as the Commander in Chief that I speak as 
bluntly and frankly as I can about the perils we face. That's why I told 
the Congress it's important for the Congress to continue to support our 
men and women who wear our Nation's uniform as they pursue the 
terrorists around the world.
    It's important for us to continue to work with our allies and 
friends to make the world a safer place. Every terrorist we bring to 
justice makes our children and grandchildren safer, and every country 
that accepts democracy as a way of life makes our children and 
grandchildren safer.
    This has been a remarkable time in history. It has been an amazing 
time. In Afghanistan, millions went to vote in a country where, 3 years 
earlier, people had doomed those people to the life under the Taliban. 
Millions of people voted for a President for the first time in 5,000 
years. It's an amazing moment in the history of mankind. And that 
matters. That matters to future generations of Americans because the 
more free countries there are in the world, the more likely it is we'll 
have peace.
    The Ukraine voted for a President. The Palestinian people elected 
Abu Abbas [Abu Mazen].* And now I believe peace in the greater--in the 
Middle East is within our reach. I know that we'll achieve peace when 
the Palestinians develop a truly free, democratic society, which is what 
we're going to help them achieve. And then we'll be able to achieve a 
goal, two democracies living side by side in peace, Israel and the 
Palestine.
    * White House correction.
    And finally, last Sunday an amazing thing happened in what used to 
be a dark and discouraged part of the world. Tyranny was firmly 
rejected, and the people of Iraq went to the polls in spite of violence, 
in spite of the ambitions of a few. They showed the United States of 
America, our coalition, and the whole world that deep within the soul of 
every human being is the desire to be free.
    I was incredibly touched at the moment when the mom of the fallen 
marine hugged the woman from Iraq who had been given a chance to vote 
because of the sacrifices of

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this woman's son and people like her. It was a reminder that the people 
of Iraq truly appreciate the chance to live in freedom. It was a 
powerful moment when the country could see two women from different 
cultures embrace for the sake of peace.
    We're making progress in Iraq because the Iraqi people do want to be 
free. Our strategy is clear. We're going to help the Iraqis defend 
themselves. We'll accelerate training. We'll make sure there's a chain 
of command so that the troops that are trained can effectively operate. 
We'll help them stand up a high-quality security force. And when that 
mission is complete and Iraq is democratic and free and able to defend 
herself, our troops will come home with the honor they have earned. And 
we will be able to look back and say that this is a part of a more 
peaceful future for our grandchildren. You see, free societies will be 
peaceful societies. And peace in the greater Middle East will be a 
legacy that our generation can be proud of for generations to come.
    I was pleased to see our economy added 146,000 new jobs in the month 
of January. That's a good sign. More people are going to work around our 
country. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.2 percent. But we shouldn't 
be content. I'm looking forward to working with the Members of Congress 
to create the conditions for continued economic expansion.
    Look, I'm worried about a society in which there's too many 
lawsuits. I believe all these lawsuits make it hard for people to form 
capital. I've called upon Congress for legal reform, reasonable, 
commonsense legal reform to keep our economy growing. But I also 
understand what these lawsuits are doing to health care. Whether it be 
rural health care or urban health care, we've got too many lawsuits that 
are running up the cost of medicine and running too many good docs out 
of practice.
    We've got to get us an energy plan. We've been talking about it for 
4 years. Now is the time for Congress to get a good plan to my desk. I'm 
looking forward to working with Members of Congress on both sides of the 
aisle to encourage conservation, to encourage renewable sources of 
energy whether it be ethanol, biodiesel, or clean nuclear power. We're 
going to spend money on new technologies that will help us leapfrog the 
old command-and-control debate, so we can burn coal in clean ways that 
people couldn't imagine 20 years ago. I mean, there's things to be 
moving this process forward in a practical way. But one thing is for 
certain: We need an energy plan to make us less dependent on foreign 
sources of energy.
    I'm going to submit a budget on Monday. They've been--the people in 
Congress on both sides of the aisle have said, ``Let's worry about the 
deficit.'' I said, ``Okay, we'll worry about it again.'' My last budget 
worried about it; this budget will really worry about it. And I'm 
looking forward to working with Members of Congress to make tough 
choices. As I said in the State of the Union, we're going to eliminate 
or vastly reduce 150 programs that aren't meeting needs, aren't meeting 
priorities, and are not getting the job done. It's time to be wise with 
the people's money.
    Anyway, we got work to do, and I'm looking forward to it. We got a 
lot of work to do when it comes to fulfilling the promises of our 
society as well. I talked about Social Security in the State of the 
Union. Now, that should signal that we got a problem. Otherwise, most 
Presidents have shied away from talking about Social Security--except to 
make the benefits better. I see a problem, and I used time at the State 
of the Union to speak directly to the American people about the problem. 
That's why I've come to Omaha--besides saying hello to friends--is 
talking about the problem.
    And here's the problem. When the Social Security system was 
designed, the average life expectancy was about 60 years old, and 
benefits were at a certain level, and the number of payers into the 
system were significantly greater than they are today. As a matter of 
fact, in 1950, some 14 years after the system was designed, there were 
16 payers into the system for every beneficiary, as that chart says. And 
that's important, because the more beneficiaries there are paying into 
the system, the more likely it is a beneficiary is going to get paid.
    Secondly, what has changed since then is that we're living longer. 
The life expectancy is now 77 years old. And as a result of living 
longer, you've got people who have been

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made promises by the Government receiving checks for a longer period of 
time than was initially envisioned under Social Security. Secondly, the 
benefits that had been promised are increasing, so you've got more--and 
thirdly, baby boomers like me and Hagel and a bunch of others are 
getting ready to retire. So you've got more people retiring, living 
longer, with the promise of greater benefits.
    The problem is, is that the number of people putting money into the 
system is declining. So you can see the mathematical problem, right? 
Greater promises to more people who are living longer, with fewer 
payers. That's a problem, particularly when you start doing the math. 
And it's summed up by this chart that says in 2018--the facts are, in 
2018, that the amount of money going out of Social Security is greater 
than the amount of money coming into Social Security. And as you can see 
from the chart, it gets worse every year. That's what that red means.
    So, like, for example, in 2027, the amount of money required for the 
Government to come up with to meet the promises is 200 billion above the 
payroll taxes collected. And some 13 years later, the system is broke. 
In other words, in 2042, it is flat bust. So, because more people are 
receiving higher benefits and living longer, with fewer people paying 
into the system, the system goes into the red in a pretty short order. 
And every year it gets worse--200 billion in 2027, about 300 billion in 
2032. And so it just accumulates. And if we wait, it gets worse. In 
other words, it's more costly to solve the problem. So we have a 
problem.
    And I'm going to spend a lot of time traveling our country talking 
about the problem, because I fully understand that in the Halls of 
Congress, if people do not believe we have a problem, nothing is going 
to happen. There's no need to take risk on a solution if you're not 
willing to address the problem.

[At this point, there was a disruption in the audience.]

    The President. We love free speech in America. I think it's 
important for people to be open about the truth when it comes to Social 
Security. That's what we're here to talk about. And I also have an 
obligation to help come up with solutions. It's one thing for a 
President to say we've got a problem. A President, in my judgment, also 
needs to come up with solutions. At the State of the Union, I said there 
have been some interesting suggestions, all of them on the table. I'm 
willing to work with anybody, Republican or Democrat or independent, who 
wants to come in and discuss ways to solve the problem. Everything is on 
the table except raising payroll taxes.
    I came up with an interesting idea that I want to discuss with you. 
I know some of our panelists will discuss it with you as well. I believe 
that younger workers ought to be able to set aside some of their own 
payroll taxes in what's called a personal retirement account. And let me 
tell you why. I'll tell you why I think it makes sense. First of all, a 
personal retirement account will earn a greater rate of return than that 
which your money earns in the Social Security trust. That's an important 
point for people to understand. If you invest your money in conservative 
stocks and bonds, you're likely to get around a 4 percent rate of 
return, which is greater than double than the money you're earning right 
now in the Social Security trust. And over time, that means your own 
money will grow faster than that which is in the Social Security trust. 
In other words, you'll have more money when it comes time to retire. 
That's what that means.
    And that's an important concept, and it's going to take a while to 
explain to people, but it's called the compounding rate of interest. And 
it means your money grows.
    Some people say, ``Well, sure, that's easy for the President to say, 
`It's going to grow,' but what happens if somebody puts it in the 
lottery--you know, `I hope it grows really big'--or shoots it in dice or 
something like that?'' Look, there's going to be guidelines, and that's 
important for people to understand. If we ever get the concept of 
personal retirement accounts started, there will be investment 
guidelines. You cannot take risks with your money. In other words, there 
will be certain mixes of stocks and bonds that are conservatively 
constructed to help get a better rate of return than that which is in 
the Social Security trust and, at the same time, helps manage risk.

[[Page 158]]

    Secondly, people say, ``Well, can you draw it all out at some 
point?'' No, it's like a part of the Social Security system. It's your 
retirement account, but you can only draw money out on a regular basis 
to help complement the money you'll be receiving from the Social 
Security system.
    Thirdly, there are ways to mitigate risk for market downturn. But 
the truth of the matter is, when you look at the history of the stock 
market, over time the market has always increased with a conservative 
mix of stocks and bonds.
    Fourthly, this makes sense to me because it gives people an 
ownership. We want people owning more things in America. This is your 
account. Government cannot take it away from you. It's a part of your 
legacy to your family.
    And so just some guidelines to make what I think is a practical plan 
to make Social Security more available for younger workers. And it will 
be phased in over time. I know you have all these wild estimates of 
costs--``Bush wants to spend this, that, and the other.'' Look, this 
plan needs to start slowly and gradually so, one, workers can get used 
to it, and, two, we can better afford the plan within projected cashflow 
needs.
    It makes sense to me, and I want the Congress to seriously debate 
it. And one of the things--one of the reasons I'm traveling the country 
is not only to say, ``We got a problem. Let's come together and fix it. 
Here's an interesting part of the solution.'' I fully recognize a 
personal retirement account is not the only thing needed to make--to 
solve Social Security permanently. But it's a part of a solution. And I 
believe I have a responsibility, as someone who has put the issue on the 
table, to be a constructive voice in coming up with a solution that will 
save Social Security for younger workers.
    Let me say one other thing, and then we're going to have a 
discussion. It's probably hard to tell these panelists are here to be 
able to talk with me, talking as much as I am. One of the problems that 
people in the political world have is dealing with the issue of our 
seniors who have already retired. In other words, seniors hear ``Social 
Security'' and they say, ``Really what he's going to do is take away my 
check or part of my check.'' It is really important for our senior 
citizens, those who've retired and those near retirement, to know 
nothing changes. When I talk about a Social Security trust going 
bankrupt in 2042, there is enough money in the system to take care of 
the promises for those who have retired and those who are near 
retirement. That's a fact. We can argue about a lot of other issues, but 
one fact is certain: Social Security is in good shape and will meet its 
promises to those who've retired or nearly retired.
    The problem exists for younger workers. And that's why in my State 
of the Union, I put this issue in a generational context. I said to 
Congress, we have a duty to leave behind a better America for 
generations to come, and part of that duty is to make sure the 
retirement system is sound and solvent.
    All right, I've been talking enough. If Laura were here, she'd have 
said I've been talking way too much. [Laughter] By the way, she sends 
her best regards. What a fabulous woman she is. She's a--she's doing 
great.
    Syl Schieber is with us. Syl, where do you live and what do you do?
    Dr. Sylvester ``Syl'' Schieber. I live in--just outside of 
Washington, DC, in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
    The President. Yes, good.
    Dr. Schieber. And I have worked on retirement issues for some 30, 35 
years now----
    The President. Wrote a book.
    Dr. Schieber. ----and wrote several books on this, two on Social 
Security so far--may write another one someday.
    The President. Good. Nonfiction. [Laughter]
    Dr. Schieber. I've tried my best. There's a lot of fiction--a lot of 
fiction in this area.
    The President. That's good. Syl is an expert on the subject. In 
other words, he's spent a lifetime studying Social Security. I've asked 
him to come so he can maybe explain what I just tried to say--in 
English. [Laughter] Take Texan and convert it to English. [Laughter] Why 
don't you let her rip? Let people know what's on your mind on this 
issue.

[Dr. Schieber, vice president of research and information, Watson Wyatt 
Worldwide, Chevy Chase, MD, made brief remarks.]

[[Page 159]]

    The President. Good job. Thanks for coming.
    Rose Davis.
    Rose Davis. Yes, sir.
    The President. Welcome, Rose.
    Ms. Davis. Thank you.
    The President. What do you do?
    Ms. Davis. I'm a college professor at Metropolitan Community 
College.
    The President. Community college, yes--big backer, by the way, here 
of community colleges. I think they're really important.
    Ms. Davis. I know you approve of them.
    The President. Yes, they're doing--they're good.
    Ms. Davis. I teach social science, human relations, and criminal 
justice.
    The President. Good. Thanks. Do you want to be known as ``Rose'' or 
``Professor''?
    Ms. Davis. Beg your pardon?
    The President. Rose or Professor?
    Ms. Davis. Rose is fine.
    The President. Rose is fine, good. [Laughter] You have had an issue 
with Social Security. Why don't you describe to the people your view.

[Ms. Davis made further remarks.]

    The President. Yes. What she's saying is really an interesting 
point, isn't it? Mom dies at what age?
    Ms. Davis. She died at 67.
    The President. Sixty-seven, so she really didn't live long enough to 
take advantage of the money she had put in the system. And yet, because 
of survivors--and there are survivor benefits, but there's an age limit 
on survivor benefits--the survivors receive nothing. And so Mom's 
lifetime of savings went into the system to pay for somebody else. And 
one of the benefits of personal accounts, a personal retirement account 
is that you leave something behind for your children or grandchildren.
    And I think it's fair. I think there's a group--the life expectancy 
of certain folks in our country is less than others, and that makes the 
system unfair. In other words, if you're dying earlier than expected, 
the money you put in the system simply goes to pay somebody else. One of 
the benefits of an ownership society is you could decide what to do with 
your own assets. Remember, it's your money to begin with. You've worked; 
it's payroll tax.
    Ms. Davis. That's why it's important to say that you're not lying to 
the American people because I'm living this right now.
    The President. Right.
    Ms. Davis. You're not lying.
    The President. That's right.
    You know, one of the interesting things, by the way, again, on 
personal accounts--admittedly, new concept, hard for some to understand, 
and it's just going to take a while for people to hear the debate and 
get used to the concept. The principles are easy to understand: your 
money; you own it; you can pass it on to whoever you want; you get a 
better rate of return. But it's been done before. In other words, this 
isn't the first time the thought of a Thrift Savings Plan has been 
advanced. As a matter of fact, Federal employees can now take some of 
their own money and put it into five different conservative portfolios 
of stocks and bonds as a part of their retirement package. It's an easy 
statement to say, but something I believe is if it's good enough for 
Federal employees, it ought to be good enough for younger workers.
    Mary is with us. Mary Mornin. How are you, Mary?
    Mary Mornin. I'm fine.
    The President. Good. Okay, Mary, tell us about yourself.
    Ms. Mornin. Okay, I'm a divorced single mother with three grown, 
adult children. I have one child, Robbie, who is mentally challenged, 
and I have two daughters.
    The President. Fantastic. First of all, you've got the hardest job 
in America, being a single mom.
    Ms. Mornin. Thank you.
    The President. You and I are baby boomers.
    Ms. Mornin. Yes, and I am concerned about--that the system stays the 
same for me.
    The President. Right.
    Ms. Mornin. But I do want to see change and reform for my children 
because I realize that we will be in trouble down the road.
    The President. It's an interesting point, and I hear this a lot--
``Will the system be

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the same for me?'' And the answer is absolutely. One of the things we 
have to continue to clarify to people who have retired or near 
retirement--you fall in the near retirement.
    Ms. Mornin. Yes, unfortunately, yes. [Laughter]
    The President. Well, I don't know. I'm not going to tell your age, 
but you're one year younger than me, and I'm just getting started. 
[Laughter]
    Ms. Mornin. Okay, okay.
    The President. I feel great, don't you?
    Ms. Mornin. Yes, I do.
    The President. I remember when I turned 50, I used to think 50 was 
really old. Now I think it's young, and getting ready to turn 60 here in 
a couple of years, and I still feel young. I mean, we are living longer, 
and people are working longer. And the truth of the matter is, elderly 
baby boomers have got a lot to offer to our society, and we shouldn't 
think about giving up our responsibilities in society. Isn't that right?
    Ms. Mornin. That's right.
    The President. Yes, but nevertheless, there's a certain comfort to 
know that the promises made will be kept by the Government.
    Ms. Mornin. Yes.
    The President. And so thank you for asking that. You don't have to 
worry.
    Ms. Mornin. That's good, because I work three jobs and I feel like I 
contribute.
    The President. You work three jobs?
    Ms. Mornin. Three jobs, yes.
    The President. Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is 
fantastic that you're doing that. Get any sleep? [Laughter]
    Ms. Mornin. Not much--not much.
    The President. Well, hopefully, this will help you get your sleep to 
know that when we talk about Social Security, nothing changes.
    Ms. Mornin. Okay, thank you.
    The President. That's great.
    Jerry Rempe is with us. Jerry, tell them what you gave me.
    Jerry Rempe. I came today because I'm married and have three 
children----
    The President. No, tell them what you gave me as--to make me look 
good at the household.
    Mr. Rempe. I work for Omaha Steaks, so we presented the President 
with Omaha steaks today.
    The President. They know something about beef in this State, isn't 
that right?
    Mr. Rempe. We know a little bit here.
    The President. About beef. That's the good thing about Johanns is he 
knows something about beef too. And he'll--[laughter]--he'll make sure 
the cattlemen as well as the grain growers and soybean growers all 
across the country are well represented in the Ag Department.
    Anyway, sorry to interrupt you, but I was just trying to get you 
kind of a subtle plug. [Laughter]
    Mr. Rempe. We appreciate that.
    The President. Yes.

[Mr. Rempe, quality assurance assistant manager, Omaha Steaks, Omaha, 
NE, made further remarks.]

    The President. Yes, it's interesting--I want to--a real interesting 
point he made, when our folks were coming up, there wasn't anything like 
a 401(k). That was just numbers and a letter in the alphabet. [Laughter] 
And his dad, interestingly enough, said, ``Join.'' In other words, 
there's been a shift of attitude in our society over time. The 401(k) 
represents that shift, where more and more people are saving for their 
own. In other words, savings used to be done by third parties. Social 
Security is saving by a third party, the Federal Government. Here, what 
he's talking about is the company plans encourage individual savings, 
empower the individual to make decisions, had the individual look at the 
portfolio decisions, had the statement of the person's savings go 
directly to the individual on a quarterly basis.
    And basically what we're talking about here is helping evolve the 
Social Security system, modernize the system to reflect the current ways 
people save. And your dad was wise to give you that advice.
    Mr. Rempe. I appreciate it.
    The President. Yes, and you were wise to listen----
    Mr. Rempe. It looks amazing now.
    The President. ----as you now know. What he's also talking about is, 
over time a person's assets grow with the compounding

[[Page 161]]

rate of interest--as $1,000 earns a 4 percent rate of return, for 
example, that accumulates over time. The base is bigger the next year, 
and the 4 percent means more, and it continues to grow. And that's what 
he's witnessing here.
    Now, we've got Amanda Temoshek with us. Amanda, thank you for 
coming. What do you do?
    Amanda Temoshek. I own my own company, which is called Heartland 
Campaign Management.
    The President. Good--which does what? Heartland Campaign Management.
    Mrs. Temoshek. It does fundraising campaigns, consults on 
fundraising campaigns for nonprofit organizations.
    The President. For nonprofits--great, thank you for doing that. You 
know, one of the great strengths of the country is the fact that we're a 
compassionate nation. Many nonprofits exist to help heal broken hearts, 
and if you're a part of that effort, thank you for being a soldier in 
the army of compassion.
    Mrs. Temoshek. Well, you're welcome. I love the opportunity to help 
the nonprofits.
    The President. I also love the entrepreneurial spirit in America. 
It's strong. I mean, the truth of the matter is, a way forward for many 
minorities and women is through owning their own business. And we've got 
to promote entrepreneurship in America. So, good going.
    Mrs. Temoshek. Thank you.
    The President. Why are you sitting here? [Laughter]
    Mrs. Temoshek. Well, the reason why I'm interested in Social 
Security--first of all, because I do own my own business, I'm not only 
paying my portion of the Social Security; I'm paying the employer's 
portion. So I'm paying the whole portion of Social Security, and I write 
out that check myself. Right out of my company checkbook, I write that 
check.
    And I was married last year to my husband, Darren.
    The President. Where is he?
    Mrs. Temoshek. He is right back there.
    The President. Darren, good going. You did well. [Laughter]

[Mrs. Temoshek made further remarks.]

    The President. This is an interesting question many young Americans 
are asking, ``Will there be benefits available?'' I don't remember 
asking that question when I was your age. I don't think many baby 
boomers were sitting around saying to their moms and dads or elected 
officials, ``Was Social Security going to be around?'' We never asked 
that. Actually, we were asking, ``Are they going to keep increasing 
benefits?'' We never said--and there was no doubt in our mind.
    And what's shifted on Social Security--and I saw this firsthand 
during my campaigns for the Presidency--what has shifted is there are a 
lot of younger folks in America who wonder out loud, who come right here 
on the stage with the President and say, ``Will the Social Security 
system not only be around for me, but will it be around for my 
children?'' That is what's shifted in the debate. Millions of younger 
Americans wonder whether or not the Social Security system will be 
healthy. And once we assure senior citizens nothing changes, or those 
who are soon to be senior citizens--well, not that soon, but one of 
these days will be senior citizens--nothing changes, the debate should 
really shift to those who've got the most at stake in inaction. The 
status quo is unacceptable to younger workers, and younger workers 
understand that in America.
    I want to thank our panelists--did a fine job. [Applause] Yes, 
thanks for coming. I hope you've enjoyed this discussion. I certainly 
have. I look forward to--I like to get out of Washington. It's good to 
get out of the Nation's Capital and get out amongst the people. It's--
the accommodations are nice there in Washington, but it's nice to get 
moving around and to be in front of folks. And I'm going to spend a lot 
of time over the course of the next couple of months describing the 
issue of Social Security in as plain of terms as I can--not only saying 
we've got a problem and pointing it out in different charts and facts 
and figures and getting experts and other citizens to join me but also 
calling Congress to work with the administration to come up with a 
solution.
    Now, they've said, ``Well, this is a hard issue. Why are you doing 
this, Mr. President, it's too hard an issue.'' Well, we got a job to do. 
It doesn't matter how hard the issue

[[Page 162]]

is. As a matter of fact, the harder the issue, the bigger the challenge, 
and the more exciting it's going to be when we get the job done.
    I want to thank you all for coming. I appreciate you being here. May 
God bless our great country.

Note: The President spoke at 8:40 a.m. at the Qwest Center Omaha Arena. 
In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Mike Fahey of Omaha, NE; Gov. Dave 
Heineman of Nebraska; President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the 
Palestinian Authority; 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.