[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 18 (Monday, May 9, 2005)]
[Pages 731-739]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in a Discussion on Strengthening Social Security at the Latino 
Small Business Economic Conference

May 4, 2005

    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Please be seated. 
Sientese. Thank you, Hector. Thank you for the job you're doing with the 
Small Business Administration. Thank you all for coming today to hear 
this conversation about how to make sure a very important part of our 
society functions well for a young generation of Latinos and people from 
all walks of life.
    So today we're here to discuss Social Security and the importance of 
Social Security. And I want to thank our panelists for joining us. I 
want to thank the Latino Coalition for hosting this reception. As I look 
out into the crowd, I see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of friends. 
It's great to see you all again. Thank you for coming.
    I want to thank Roberto de Posada, the chairman and president of the 
Latino Coalition. Thank you for hosting this event.
    I am honored to be joined today by--or we are honored to be joined 
by the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee from Bakersfield, 
California. It's relevant he is here. After all, it's his committee that 
is going to write the reforms necessary to make sure the Social Security 
system works for a younger generation of Americans. I have worked 
closely with Chairman Thomas on a lot of crucial issues. When he says he 
can get the job done, he means he can get the job done and has proven 
over the past 5 years that he can get the job done. Mr. Chairman, thank 
you for joining us.
    As well Congressman Chris Cannon from Utah is with us. Thank you for 
coming, Congressman; honored you're here.
    Before I talk about Social Security, though, I want to remind you 
the war on terror goes on. And today's report on the capture of a top Al 
Qaida operative, Abu Faraj al-Libbi,

[[Page 732]]

represents a critical victory in the war on terror. Al-Libbi was a top 
general for bin Laden. He was a major facilitator and a chief planner 
for the Al Qaida network. His arrest removes a dangerous enemy who was a 
direct threat to America and for those who love freedom.
    I applaud the Pakistani Government for their strong cooperation in 
the war on terror. I applaud the Pakistani Government and President 
Musharraf for acting on solid intelligence to bring this man to justice. 
The fight continues. We'll stay on the offensive until Al Qaida is 
defeated.
    Franklin Roosevelt did a wise thing when he set up the Social 
Security system. A lot of people throughout the last decades have 
counted on a Social Security check to help them in retirement. As a 
matter of fact, I'm sure you know people in your communities that rely 
upon their Social Security check completely to make sure they have 
dignity in their retirement. It was a wise idea to set up the system, 
and I am mindful that when anybody in Washington talks about Social 
Security, a wave of fear ripples through the senior community because 
they think somebody is about to take their check away.
    So I want to open my comments to you all to assure you that your 
loved ones who count on Social Security will get their check. Nothing 
will change for today's seniors who are getting a Social Security check. 
If you--as a matter of fact, if you were born prior to 1950, nothing 
will change. The system is solvent enough to keep its promises. And 
that's very important for people to hear. So when you hear all these ads 
and propaganda saying, well, you know--this talk about making sure the 
Social Security system is modern and the seniors are not going to get 
your check, just know it's not true, and please assure seniors it's not 
true, because it's not.
    The safety net will work for them, but there is a hole in the safety 
net for a younger generation of Americans coming up. And here's why--
first, let me just describe the nature of the system, and that is, it's 
a pay-as-you-go system. You pay in payroll taxes, and the Government 
takes care of retirees and, with money left over, spends it on other 
programs. And all that is left is a file cabinet with IOUs. See, some in 
our country believe that the system works this way: You pay into the 
system; we hold your money for you; and when you retire, we give it back 
to you. That's not the way it works. It's a pay-as-you-go system.
    Now, the reason there's a hole in the safety net for people who are 
going to be paying into the pay-as-you-go system is because there are a 
lot of people getting ready to retire. We are called baby boomers. I 
happen to be one. I'm retiring in 4 years--at least I'm eligible for my 
retirement. [Laughter] I turn 62 in 4 years. There are about 75 million 
baby boomers who will be retired when it's all said and done. There are 
40 million baby boomers--I mean, retirees today. So think about that. We 
have 40 million retirees today, and in relatively quick order, there's 
going to be over 70 million retirees. So we've got a lot more people 
that younger workers are going to have to pay for.
    Secondly, we are living longer. I plan to live a long time. 
[Laughter] It's why I'm exercising a lot. [Laughter] It's why I'm making 
right choices about what I put in my body. And I suggest all Americans 
exercise more and be wise about what you eat and what you drink. It'll 
help you live longer, they tell me. But a lot of us are going to live 
longer, and we've been promised greater benefits than the previous 
generation.
    So if you're a younger worker out there, you're now looking at more 
people retiring, who will be living longer--in other words, you have to 
keep paying more monthly benefits over time--who've been promised 
greater monthly benefits. And there's going to be fewer of you paying 
into the system. In 1950, there were 16 workers for every beneficiary. 
Today, there is 3.3 workers for every beneficiary. In short order, there 
will be two workers for every beneficiary. So young workers are going to 
be paying for more people living longer, getting greater benefits.
    And the pay-as-you-go system goes negative in 2017. In other words, 
there's more money going out than coming in. And in--and every year it 
gets worse. That's just the way it's going to work. And so in 2027, 
you're going to be $200 billion in the hole, for example. It will be 300 
billion in the 2030s, and the system is going to be broke in 2041. So 
you've got people who are starting to pay into

[[Page 733]]

the system now who are paying into a system that's not going to be 
around.
    And I don't want to make younger workers a lot of--nervous in 
America. The people who ought not to be nervous are the older Americans. 
You're going to get your check. It's the people paying for baby boomers 
like me who are going to retire who ought to be paying attention to this 
issue, because the system is insolvent.
    So I have an obligation to encourage Congress to act. And Chairman 
Thomas knows what I'm about to say: The longer we wait, the more 
expensive it's going to be. If Congress chooses to do nothing on this 
problem, you're either going to have to raise your payroll tax to, some 
estimate, 18 percent or cut benefits dramatically by 30 percent. So now 
is the time to get after it, in my judgment.
    Obviously felt that way because in the State of the Union, I spent a 
lot of time talking about it and subsequently have spent a lot of time 
talking about it. I'm going to continue traveling our country making it 
clear to people we've got a problem, because, see, once they figure out 
we've got a problem, the next course of action is going to be to say to 
Congress, ``How come you're not doing anything about it? How come you're 
allowing partisan politics to prevent good people from coming together 
to solve the problem?''
    I have an obligation to put some things on the table, and I've been 
doing that. First, I believe that future generations must receive 
benefits equal to or greater than the benefits of today's seniors. 
Secondly, I believe this country needs to set a goal that says if you've 
worked all your life and if you paid into the retirement system, to 
Social Security, you should not retire in poverty. To me, that's a noble 
goal. Frankly, it's the kind of goal that Franklin Delano Roosevelt 
would strongly support.
    And so in my press conference the other night, I proposed a way of 
calculating future benefits for future retirees that said, ``If you're a 
low-income worker, your benefits ought to raise--rise with wage 
increases, and if you're an upper income worker, your benefits ought to 
rise with inflation.'' Seems fair to me. Seems like a noble calling for 
the United States of America, to recognize a lot of people work really 
hard and don't make a lot of money, but when it comes time to retire, 
there ought to be dignity in retirement. I also believe that younger 
workers--and by the way, what--that plan alone, that part of a plan, 
solves the majority of the solvency issue for a generation of Americans 
coming up.
    In other words, what I'm talking about, making sure that we 
permanently solve the Social Security problem, can be done. And I have 
an obligation to advance the process by putting out some ideas that I 
think are important. And I want to thank Chairman Thomas for his 
willingness to work with us on this issue, and I'll work with him on 
this issue.
    Now I want to talk about something else that I think the country 
ought to consider, and this pertains to younger workers. I think younger 
workers--first of all, younger workers have been promised benefits the 
Government--promises that have been promised, benefits that we can't 
keep. That's just the way it is. And I believe I have the duty as the 
President to be willing to confront that fact, to tell people the truth. 
The younger people in America got to understand that. We've given you 
promises we just can't keep.
    But one way to make a permanent solution to the Social Security 
system a better deal is to allow younger workers to take some of your 
own money and set it aside in a personal savings account that you can 
call your own. And the reason why that's important is because if you 
watch your money grow with a reasonable rate of interest, you know it 
compounds over time. There's a compound rate of interest, which means 
money grows and grows, bigger and bigger and bigger. For example, if 
you're making $35,000 all your life, and you're allowed to take a third 
of your payroll taxes and set it aside in a conservative mix of bonds 
and stocks that have a reasonable rate of return, then when you get 
ready to retire, you'll have $250,000 as part of a retirement plan. 
You'll get your Social Security check, whatever the Government can 
afford, plus money off of your nest egg.
    Money grows. And the current system doesn't encourage, doesn't take 
advantage of compound interest. And so step one is, letting a younger 
person own their own--manage their own money in a conservative mix

[[Page 734]]

of bonds and stocks will mean you get a better deal on your own money. 
This payroll tax is your money. And the Government ought to say you get 
a better deal on your money, and you can watch it grow.
    Secondly, I like people owning something. The more people own 
assets, the better off America is. I reject this notion that the 
investor class is limited to only a certain kind of person. The more 
moms and dads accumulate assets, the better off it is for American 
families. I want more people being able to say, ``This is mine. The 
Government can't take it away. The Government can't spend it. It's not a 
part of a pay-as-you-go system.'' And when you pass away, you can leave 
it to whomever you choose. That's a part of America. And more people 
that have that--this idea, I think, is fair. It means you get a better 
deal on your own money. It's fair. It encourages ownership.
    Listen, the system today is a lousy deal for widows. The way it 
works today is, if you and your spouse are working and one of you dies 
early, then the spouse upon retiring gets to choose the survivor 
benefits that your spouse has paid into the system or your own benefits, 
which is ever higher, but not both. So think about that. Somebody may 
have died at age 52, started working at age 22, worked 30 years and put 
all that money in the system, and his or her spouse ends up having to 
choose, to decide what retirement account he or she wants, the one she 
contributed to or the one he contributed to, but not both. In other 
words, the money goes away.
    In a personal savings account, as you watch your money grow, a 
worker sets aside money in an asset base. That asset can go to help the 
widow or the surviving spouse. The system isn't fair today, and we need 
to make it fair. And we can make it more fair for people at the lower 
end of the income scale.
    Now, I want to--and during this conversation, some things will come 
out that I think probably--hopefully some questions will come out that 
are on your mind.
    I want to address a couple of things. One, I understand there is a 
need for more financial literacy in America, and so I've instructed the 
FDIC and the SBA and the Treasury Department to work with the Latino 
Coalition and the Hispanic Chamber and other groups to help make sure 
that financial literacy is more widespread in all neighborhoods and all 
communities. FDIC has got the Money Smart financial workshop program. 
They're going to work with the Latino Coalition. SBA has got a 
negocios.gov program on the web page. Treasury has got all kinds of 
financial learning materials that we can spread out. And we need your 
help.
    Secondly, what I'm talking about, though, is happening in America 
already. In other words, I'm not inventing something new to say to 
somebody, ``You can invest your own money.'' When I was coming up, there 
wasn't a lot of talk about 401(k)s or IRAs. There wasn't any. And 
today--yesterday I had an interesting experience. I went down to the 
Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, and it was a very diverse audience, 
a lot of assembly line workers. And I said, ``How many of you all have 
got your own 401(k)?'' I mean, the number of hands that went up was 
astounding. You've got people from all walks of life managing their 
money already. People are getting used to it.
    Matter of fact, this was such a good idea that the United States 
Congress a while ago decided in the Thrift Savings Plan, the Federal 
Thrift Savings Plan, to allow Federal workers, Members of the United 
States Congress, and Members of the United States Senate to manage their 
own personal account. See, and the reason why is, I'm confident, they 
took a look at the rate of return the Government can get versus the rate 
of return that you can get in a conservative mix of bonds and stocks and 
decided they'd want their money to grow--they'd want to watch their 
money grow faster than that available through the Government. And so 
they said--they just decided, ``We'll get to do this, too.''
    If it is good enough for a Member of the United States Congress to 
set aside some of his or her own money in a personal savings account so 
they get a better rate of return, they can pass it on to whomever they 
want, it ought to be good enough for workers all across the United 
States of America.
    I am honored to be joined by Fidel Vargas today. Fidel is an 
interesting man. He's already been a--he's 36, and he's already been

[[Page 735]]

a mayor of a California city. Did a fine job there.
    You know, when I first got elected, I recognized that the Social 
Security issue was going to be an issue that was going to require some 
sound thought and reasoning. People needed to be coming together to help 
think about this issue. And so I set up a Commission. Daniel Patrick 
Moynihan, the former Senator from New York, Democrat Senator, was the 
Chairman of it, and I asked Fidel to join.
    And welcome, Fidel. Thanks for coming. He is a--well, you'll see. He 
knows what he's talking about.

[At this point, Fidel Vargas, managing director, TMG Advisors, Baldwin 
Park, CA, made brief remarks.]

    Mr. Vargas. And I'm a little embarrassed to say, but I think I'll 
share with the President that the first time he ran, I didn't vote for 
the President. So excuse me for that, sir. But I'm sure--[laughter].
    The President. Turns out a lot of other people didn't, either. 
[Laughter]

[Mr. Vargas made further remarks.]

    The President. Great job. Thanks for coming. The fact that you went 
to Harvard bothers me more than the fact that you didn't vote for me. 
[Laughter]
    Mr. Vargas. We both went to HBS.
    The President. That's right. I forgot that part. Anyway--laughter]--
good job. Thanks for coming.
    The message here is really important, that it doesn't matter whether 
you're a Republican or a Democrat on this issue; what matters is, do you 
care about the future of the country, and are you willing to set aside 
partisanship and work in a constructive way to get something done?
    If you're a senior, you're going to get your check. You know what's 
happening now? A lot of grandmothers and grandfathers, when they finally 
absorb that message, are beginning to say, ``What about my grandkids, 
Mr. President? It seems like there's a big problem coming for them. What 
are you going to do about?'' And now is the time to do something about 
it.
    Fidel, I appreciate your tone; I appreciate your constructive work 
on this issue. Thanks for coming.
    Our next guest is Russell Ybarra. He's un Tejano.
    Russell Ybarra. A true Tejano.
    The President. A true Tejano. Those are the best kind. [Laughter] A 
businessman--tell everybody what you do, Russell.
    Mr. Ybarra. Well, first of all, yes, I was born and raised in the 
Lone Star State, so we're neighbors.
    The President. Very good.
    Mr. Ybarra. Again, my name is Russell Ybarra, and I tell people the 
first three words I learned in Spanish was lechuga, tomate, y cebolla, 
because that was the order we put them on the tacos at my family's 
restaurant when I was growing up. [Laughter] So anyway, I'm the 
president and CEO of Gringo's Mexican Kitchen. We operate six stores in 
the Houston area and one in San Antonio.
    The President. Good. How are you doing? Making a little----
    Mr. Ybarra. We're paying our taxes--on time. [Laughter]
    The President. How about your ownership? You paying any of that?
    Mr. Ybarra. A little bit.
    The President. A little bit, that's good. Well, in other words, 
you're in business.
    Mr. Ybarra. Exactly.
    The President. That's good.
    Mr. Ybarra. We have a duty.

[Mr. Ybarra made further remarks.]

    Mr. Ybarra. Again, the 401(k) program in the food service industry 
is an exception, not the rule. And I thought, okay, we have a 401(k) 
program implemented, in place, and so we should just have everybody 
lining up to join the plan. Well, it didn't work out that way. We have 
very low participation and for good reason: Many of those that work for 
us are what you would consider low-wage earners.
    The President. Can't afford the contribution.
    Mr. Ybarra. Right. Exactly.
    The President. Payroll tax.
    Mr. Ybarra. Well, and that's just it. They're already paying 12.4 
percent, basically, and have little or no disposable income

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to set aside for future retirement. So this really impacts them 
dramatically.

[Mr. Ybarra made further remarks.]

    The President. The best thing is to let them take their payroll 
taxes they're paying into the system and have a plan that allows their 
money to grow just like a 401(k) can. That's the best thing to do for 
low-income workers. That's why the Social Security reform is a vital 
reform for people at the lower end of the wage scale. It's really 
important.
    Anyway, go ahead. Sorry to interrupt.

[Mr. Ybarra made further remarks.]

    The President. Right. Remember, and this is important for people to 
hear, this is not the Government saying, ``You have to do this.'' This 
is Government saying, ``If you so choose to set aside some of your own 
money, you ought to be allowed to do so.'' It's optional. It basically 
says that Government is not going to dictate; Government just says, 
``Here's an option to trust people with their own money.''
    And a couple of points I want to make on Russell. One, the 
entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America, and we need to keep it that 
way. Congratulations on starting your own business.
    Mr. Ybarra. Thank you.
    The President. This is a chance--you volunteered to come up here, so 
anybody listening on C-SPAN in the Houston area, looking for a good 
restaurant, Russell--[laughter].
    Mr. Ybarra. I'm currently also the Greater Houston Restaurant 
Association president.
    The President. Oh, good, yes.
    Mr. Ybarra. And I don't know if you know this or not, but the 
National Restaurant Association endorses your plan.
    The President. Well, thanks. I appreciate it.
    If you're making $8 an hour over your life, and you start having a 
personal account when you're 21 years old, and at the age 63 you'll end 
up with a $100,000 nest egg. That's if you stay at 8 all your life. In 
other words, that's how money grows. Wouldn't it be fantastic if a lot 
of folks who work for Russell's company were able to say, ``Here's my 
money. Here's the nest egg I built up for my family.''
    The more ownership there is, the more assets passed on through a 
community, the better off the community is going to be. And the idea of 
owning something ought to be spread throughout all America. That's the 
great promise of America. That's what we're all about. You come here; 
you work hard; you realize your dreams; and you have a chance to build 
something for your family. How many people--you said your dad and mom 
came. I suspect there's a lot of first generation of Americans here 
because their parents came over here because of dreams and hopes.
    By the way, speaking about restaurant employees, we've got to have a 
rational policy when it comes to immigrants coming to this country. I 
believe if there's--somebody is willing to employ somebody, and they 
can't find an American worker, and somebody is willing to do the job, we 
ought to make that connection a legal connection. People come here to 
work.
    And this, by the way, will make our borders more secure. As opposed 
to people having to get in the back of 18-wheelers and sneaking across, 
you know, Texas borders or trying to walk across the desert to find 
work, if you've got a pass that says, ``I'm a willing worker willing to 
work for a willing employer,'' it means they can just walk across 
normally and not have to try to sneak across. We'll be able to defeat a 
whole industry of document forgers and smugglers and coyotes, and it 
means we'll be able to uphold the dignity of persons around the world.
    Anyway, it's called diverting off the topic.
    Audience member. [Inaudible]
    The President. Por nada.
    Mr. Ybarra. One last point, Mr. President, and I think this is a 
profound one. The underlying benefit of what you're proposing is a lot 
like what we did with our core beliefs, reinvesting in our associates 
and local community. I feel by doing this, the American productivity 
will increase dramatically.
    The President. That's right. Well, basically, what he's just said 
is, ``If you own something, you have a vital stake in the future.'' I 
mean, think about how great it's going to be when Jose and Jessica, as 
they have an investment account--they're young, new married; we're about 
to talk to them here.

[[Page 737]]

But on a monthly basis, a quarterly basis, daily basis in some cases, 
you watch your assets grow. You open up a statement and say, ``Here is 
what I own.'' That encourages people. If they're seeing something they 
own grow, that the Government can't take away from them, it encourages. 
And it will enhance productivity, and it will enhance the spirit in a 
lot of communities.
    Good job. Thank you, Russell.
    Mr. Ybarra. Thank you.
    The President. It's great to see you.
    Jose. Jose and Jessica, welcome. Thank you all. Newlyweds?
    Jessica Gomez. No, 5 years.
    The President. See, not newlyweds. [Laughter] I'm glad you're here. 
Give us a sense of who you are, what you're doing.
    Jose Gomez. It's an honor to be here with you. My name is Jose 
Gomez. This is my lovely wife, Jessica. We've been married for almost 5 
years. We have three beautiful kids. I currently attend DeVry 
University. I'm a full-time student.
    The President. Yes? What are you studying?
    Mr. Gomez. I'm studying network system administrator.
    The President. Network systems administrator--would you like to try 
to describe what that means to the technologically illiterate? 
[Laughter]
    Mr. Gomez. Basically, I will be taking care of a network in a 
business or something. But I, personally, want to own my own business.
    The President. Want to own your own business? That's great.
    Mr. Gomez. Yes, I want to start my own business later on, in the 
future.
    The President. Do you have any idea what it's going to be yet, or 
are you just getting the skills necessary----
    Mr. Gomez. Still getting the skills----
    The President. ----and the confidence necessary to launch?
    Mr. Gomez. That's correct. That's what I'm currently----
    The President. That's wonderful, though, isn't it? A guy sits up 
here with the President, ``I want to own my own business.'' [Laughter] 
You may take a few tips from Russell.
    Mr. Gomez. Currently I work in a job part-time, and they don't offer 
the 401(k). And I work basically on a check-to-check basis.
    The President. Yes.
    Mr. Gomez. What I like about your plan is it will give me the 
opportunity to start saving and looking for the future, for our 
retirement, and if we choose to, pass it on to our kids for a nest egg.
    The President. That's an interesting thought. You've got three 
little kids. Jessica, you want----
    Mrs. Gomez. I have three beautiful children: Joslynn, who is 4; 
Jovanni, who is 2; and Isabella, who is one.
    The President. Good, I'm looking forward to meeting them afterwards.
    Mrs. Gomez. They're looking forward to it too. I worry more about 
their future, as any other mother does. I worry about that if the system 
continues the way it is, as you said before, by the time they work, 
they're going to be working twice as hard to take care of us when we 
retire.
    The President. That's right.
    Mrs. Gomez. So then when they--it's time for them to retire, they're 
going to just be so worn out, they're not going to--they're going to be 
broke, both emotionally and financially.
    The President. Interesting thought, isn't it? Mom is sitting here, 
saying, ``I've watched--listened to the data.'' You know, the system 
starts to go broke 2017; 2041, as Fidel said, there's nothing left. And 
she's got little kids. She's going to be paying into that system, and so 
are they. It's a troublesome thought for moms and dads to think about 
the system as it is, and it's got to be just as troublesome to think 
that the Government is not--hasn't done anything about it. Now is the 
time to do something about it.
    You know, a lot--I talk to a lot of young folks like Jose and 
Jessica. There was an interesting survey once that somebody pointed up 
to me that said younger people think it's more likely they're going to 
see a UFO than get a Social Security check. [Laughter]
    Well, if you feel that way and you watch that money come out of your 
check every month, it's a little discouraging, isn't it, to be paying 
into something that you're not sure is going to be around. Yes, so this 
is a young person issue. Older people, the grandmoms

[[Page 738]]

and granddads, they don't have a thing to worry about. We're going to 
keep the promise. But it's the youngsters who are working hard, the moms 
and dads who are working hard, and the moms and dads who are worried 
about their children when they're coming up--that's what this issue is 
about, folks.
    And it is amazing to me that we're living in a town where people 
oftentimes say, ``Well, we can't cooperate with each other because of 
party politics.'' You heard a good Democrat sit up here and say he 
believes a reformed system will help his children and his community. 
That's the spirit that's needed. And we here in Washington, we need to 
think about people like Jessica and Jose, young kids, working hard, 
wants to start his business, got young kids, mom sitting up here saying, 
``I'm worried about it.'' She's really saying this, ``You people in 
Government, how come you can't do nothing about it''--``or anything 
about it?'' [Laughter]
    I've learned to correct myself early before it gets on the record. 
[Laughter] Fortunately, the First Lady is not here. [Laughter] She'd 
probably have some joke about it. [Laughter]
    Anyway, thank you all for coming. You got anything else you want to 
add? Well, I appreciate you letting us use you as an example. Looking 
forward to meeting the kids.
    Mr. Gomez. Thank you. It's been an honor.
    Mrs. Gomez. Thank you. It's very nice to be here.
    The President. Well, thanks for coming.
    Our final guest is Elizabeth Fernandez. Elizabeth, welcome. Tell us 
what you do.

[Elizabeth Fernandez, member, Latino Coalition Social Security Task 
Force, made brief remarks.]

    The President. Yes, that's an important concept--sorry to interrupt, 
but you're right. To run up the payroll-tax rate is going to hurt a lot 
of small businesses. One of the things we've got to always be mindful of 
in Washington is how do you make sure the entrepreneurial spirit is 
strong. And one way to make sure it's not strong is to overtax the small 
businesses. And so I appreciate you bringing the payroll taxes in; it's 
a significant burden on many small businesses. And it's really, really 
an important point. Thank you.

[Mrs. Fernandez made further remarks.]

    Mrs. Fernandez. I don't know--do you have a financial literacy 
program, an education program set up to help----
    The President. Yes, we do. That's--the FDIC, Treasury Department, 
SBA are very much involved with making sure people feel comfortable--I 
appreciate you bringing that up again, Elizabeth--people feel 
comfortable about what it means to invest. I recognize some people get 
nervous about it. You heard a Harvard man said he got--if he'd gone to 
Yale, he wouldn't have been so nervous, but nevertheless--[laughter]. 
But he said--no, but it's a new thing. You know, some worry about it, 
but people need to be assured that there are thousands of their fellow 
citizens who are comfortable now investing their own money. They hadn't 
been doing it in the past.
    In other words, there's a new culture in America today. A lot of 
older Americans are saying, ``Well, this is too difficult for some, 
perhaps.'' But there's a lot of younger Americans who are getting 
comfortable with managing their own money through a series of programs 
such as 401(k)s or IRAs, defined contribution plans.
    And so--but you're right. We need to make sure people become more 
financially literate. And by the way, in terms of what you can invest 
in, you cannot take your money to the lottery. In other words, there's a 
conservative mix of bonds and stocks. And there are people to explain 
what it means.
    And you get to decide. If you're a younger worker, you may decide to 
have a more--a greater mix of stocks and bonds. As you get older, you 
may decide to diversify. But you're constantly making decisions for your 
own money. The Government doesn't make those decisions for you. The 
Government makes options available for you. And then when it comes time 
to retire, you can go into a Treasury bond account, a perfectly safe 
investment--all of which, by the way, all those investment vehicles 
yield a better rate of return than you're getting on the Government's 
money.
    I remember campaigning with John McCain on this issue, and he said 
that his Thrift Savings account--I think he said something like 7 
percent rate of return on

[[Page 739]]

the money, as money grew over time. And that's compared to 1.8 percent 
in the current Social Security system. And that 5.2 percent difference 
in interest makes a huge amount of money--makes a huge difference for 
you in the amount of money available over time.
    So thanks for bringing it up. Elizabeth, anything else on your mind? 
You're awfully articulate. [Laughter]
    Mrs. Fernandez. No, I just--thank you for the opportunity to be able 
to share our concerns, and thank you for your efforts in this area.
    The President. Well, one of the things that Elizabeth said that 
triggered a thought here is that she said, ``This is a complex issue. 
There's a lot of misinformation.'' And I understand that. There's a lot 
of moving parts, as they say, which says to me I better keep working on 
it. And I'm going to. I'm just getting started. This is an issue that--
I'm going to spend a lot of time talking about this issue. I will spend 
as much time as necessary.
    Congress has an obligation to act. I appreciate you saying I brought 
up an issue that I didn't need to bring up. I needed to bring it up. 
That's my job. The President's job is if--when he sees a problem, is to 
say, ``Let's deal with it,'' not to shirk the duty, not to pass it on.
    Fidel mentioned President Clinton--he started the process. I 
remember watching the townhall meeting you all had in Albuquerque in 
1996, I think it was, and it was a fascinating discussion. Michael 
Boskin, who I think was on the commission then--I remember Mike, my 
buddy, talking about it. And I can't remember if you presented there or 
not.
    Mr. Vargas. I was there.
    The President. Did you present?
    Mr. Vargas. No.
    The President. Whew! [Laughter] I thought I might have dissed you 
there for a minute. [Laughter] But my only point is, is that that's what 
the President does. The President confronts problems, and now is the 
time to take this problem on.
    Mr. Chairman, I thank you for being here. Chairman Thomas would not 
be here if he didn't realize this was a very vital issue to people from 
all walks of life. And he wouldn't be here if he didn't believe that it 
was important to work together in a collaborative spirit to get 
something done. And so thank you for letting us advance the issue. I 
appreciate you providing the forum. I'm honored our panelists came here. 
Thank you all for being here again.
    May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless our country.

Note: The President spoke at 10:31 a.m. at the J.W. Marriott Hotel. In 
his remarks, he referred to Hector V. Barreto, Administrator, Small 
Business Administration; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida 
terrorist organization; President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan; and 
Michael J. Boskin, senior fellow, Hoover Institution, who participated 
in a national Social Security forum townhall meeting with President 
William J. Clinton in Albuquerque, NM, on July 27, 1998. The Office of 
the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these 
remarks.