[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 17 (Monday, May 1, 2006)]
[Pages 781-785]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Luncheon for Congressional Candidate Jon Porter in Las 
Vegas, Nevada

April 24, 2006

    Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Thank you, Jon, for your 
kind introduction. First of all, I want to thank you all for supporting 
Jon Porter. I've gotten to know him well. He's the kind of person who 
does in office that which he says he's going to do on the campaign 
trail. He's a straight shooter, plain talker, who is getting the job 
done for the people of Nevada, and you need to send him back to the 
United States Congress.
    You know, when you find somebody who can get the job done, somebody 
who focuses on results, somebody who doesn't play that Washington, DC, 
game of empty rhetoric and harsh talk and severe condemnation, it seems 
like it makes sense to give him a chance to continue to serve you in the 
United States Congress. This is a man who has performed while in office. 
And there's no doubt in my mind, he's one of the rising stars in the 
United States Congress. Jon Porter deserves to be reelected.
    I not only feel that way, but Laura feels that way. She sends her 
very best. The truth of the matter is Porter said, ``Why don't we invite 
Laura and leave you at home, George W.'' [Laughter] The guy has got good 
taste. But Laura is doing great. She sends her very best to our friends 
here in Nevada. I'm a lucky man to have her by my side during these 
incredibly important times. And I'm lucky to have a fellow like Jon 
Porter in the United States Congress to work together to make this 
country more secure, more prosperous, and more hopeful for all our 
citizens.
    So, I appreciate the elected officials from this great State being 
here, starting with your Governor. Governor, it's great to see you. 
Thanks for serving. Kenny Guinn, good buddy, good friend, who's done a 
fine job for this important State. I also am proud to be here with the 
United States Senator John Ensign. Senator Ensign, I appreciate you 
being here. Thanks for bringing Darlene. Appreciate you coming, Darlene. 
Ensign is a straight shooter too. He's a really good man. He deserves to 
be reelected to the United States Senate from this important State.

[[Page 782]]

    Congressman Jim Gibbons from up north--good to see you, Jimmy. 
Thanks for coming. Proud you're here. The Lieutenant Governor Lorraine 
Hunt is with us. Madam Lieutenant Governor, thank you. The secretary of 
state, Dean Heller--it's good to see you, Mr. Secretary. Thanks for 
coming. Former Governor Bob List and his son Robert is here. Governor, 
thanks for coming. Party Chairman Paul Adams--I'm glad you're here, Mr. 
Chairman.
    I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. You're 
the people who are going to be putting up the signs and making the phone 
calls and turning out the vote. See, what matters in these elections is, 
obviously, ability to get yourself on TV, but equally important is the 
need to make sure people go to the polls. And it's really important to 
rally those at the grassroots. And I want to thank you for the work that 
you have done, and I thank you for the work you're going to do to make 
sure this good man gets reelected to the United States Congress.
    I also thank you all very much for contributing to Jon's campaign. 
Those of us who have run for office know full well that you can't 
possibly win without the support of people. And I've been blessed to 
have a lot of good folks here in the State of Nevada support my 
candidacies, for which I am most grateful. As I look around the room, I 
see many of you who have been to some of these fundraisers before on my 
behalf, and I thank you for keeping coming back for Jon's sake. But I 
really appreciate you helping him. It's not easy to serve in public 
office these days, but it makes it a lot easier when good folks such as 
yourself are willing to stand by good people who are willing to run for 
office. And so thanks for coming. Thanks for supporting Jon.
    We've got some things to do. I appreciate a person who runs for 
office because he wants to get some things done. The most important 
thing we've got to do is to protect the American people. Our most 
important job--[applause]--as we learned firsthand on September the 
11th, there's an enemy that lurks, that would like to destroy America 
because of what we stand for. And they're tough, and they are vicious. 
There's no need to try to ration with them or sit down and have 
discussions with them. The only way to deal with this enemy is to stay 
on the offense and bring them to justice, which is precisely why I need 
Congressmen like Jon Porter by my side.
    Today we saw again that the terrorists are willing to try to define 
the world the way they want to see it. There was bombings today in 
Egypt. I strongly condemn the killings that took place, the innocent 
life lost in Egypt. It was a heinous act against innocent civilians. The 
United States sends our condolences to the families of those who were 
killed. We keep those who were injured in our thoughts and prayers. And 
I assure the enemy this: We will stay on the offense; we will not waver; 
we will not tire; we will bring you to justice for the sake of peace and 
humanity.
    I need people in Congress who understand the nature of this enemy. 
There are some that kind of feel like maybe these folks are just kind of 
angry citizens of the world who occasionally lash out. No, these folks 
are bound by a common ideology. They're totalitarian in nature. They've 
usurped a great religion to justify their acts of murder. They have 
territorial ambitions. They have designs. They believe that those of us 
in free societies are weak, and it's just a matter of time before we 
lose our nerve and withdraw. I am not going to lose my nerve. I'm going 
to stay on the offense. I will protect the American people. And I need 
people like Jon Porter who understand the stakes and stands by my side.
    The central front on the war on terror is now Iraq. It is the place 
that the enemy has decided to fight the forces of freedom and liberty 
and peace. It's really important for those of us who represent you to 
take seriously the words of the enemy. The enemy has made it clear that 
it's just a matter of time before the United States leaves Iraq so that 
they're able to achieve their objective, which is to have a safe haven 
from which to launch attacks against moderate Muslim nations, and from 
which to launch attacks against the United States of America and our 
allies. That's what they have said.
    The bad news for the enemy is that there are thousands and thousands 
and thousands of Iraqis who want to be free, who want to live in a 
unified society free of violence so

[[Page 783]]

their children can grow up in a hopeful world. I happen to believe--and 
a lot of my foreign policy is driven by my strong belief that liberty is 
universal, that all people desire to be free, and that when you free 
people it is the best way to defeat an ideology of hate and 
hopelessness. Free societies will be peaceful societies. Free societies 
will listen to the hopes and aspirations of their people. And one of the 
most amazing things that's happening now is that a country that was 
under the thumb of a brutal tyrant is now emerging as a young, strong 
democracy. And the United States of America stands with them.
    When I was in Palm Springs, I had the opportunity and the privilege 
to speak to the President of Iraq, the new Speaker of the Iraqi 
Assembly, and the Prime Minister-designate. One is a Kurd, one is a 
Sunni, and one is a Shi'a--all three of whom expressed their great 
appreciation for America and the sacrifices this country has made. All 
three of them talked about unifying their country to achieve a grand 
objective, and all three of them talked about the responsibility they 
have to make sure that the 12 million people who went to the polls are 
represented by a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people.
    We're on our way to victory. The only way that we will lose in this 
central front on the war on terror is if we lose our nerve, is if we 
don't understand the great values that can help transform the world. 
It's important for me to have people in the United States Congress who 
don't listen to polls and focus groups but stand strong for what they 
think we're doing right. What we have done in Iraq is right, and we will 
achieve victory in Iraq, and Jon Porter understands that.
    And finally, it's really important to have people in Congress who 
understand that when we put a man or a woman in harm's way, they deserve 
the full support of the United States Government. I want to thank 
Congressman Porter for standing strong for those who wear our uniform. 
We will make sure our troops have got the best training, the best pay, 
the best possible equipment so they can achieve their mission. The 
people of the 3d Congressional District of Nevada must make sure you 
have a Congressman like Jon Porter who understands the obligations of 
the Government to support the United States military.
    We've not only had some big challenges abroad, challenges that we 
will continue to confront head on, but we've had challenges here at home 
too. You might remember, although it may seem like a long time ago, but 
this country's economy has been through a lot. We went through a 
recession, a stock market correction, corporate scandals, a terrorist 
attack on our country, a war in Afghanistan and Iraq, major natural 
disasters. But we acted. Some of them like to talk in Washington, but we 
acted. We cut the taxes on the American people. We cut the taxes on 
small-business owners. We understand most jobs are created by small-
business owners and that when somebody has more money in their pocket to 
save, invest, and spend, this economy grows. Our progrowth economic 
policies are working.
    Today, the United States of America is growing faster than any major 
industrialized nation in the world. Our unemployment rate nationwide is 
4.7 percent; the unemployment rate in the State of Nevada is 3.8 
percent; 5.1 million new jobs have been added since August 2003. Real 
after-tax income, the income in the working people's pockets, is up over 
8 percent for Americans since 2001. Productivity is high. Small 
businesses are growing. More people own a home than ever before in our 
Nation's history. This economy is strong, and we intend to keep it that 
way.
    Oh, you're going to hear all kinds of talk out of Washington, DC, in 
this campaign--``Oh, don't worry, all we're going to do is just tax the 
rich.'' We've heard that kind of rhetoric before. Here's what I think we 
ought to do to keep this economy growing: I think we need to make the 
tax cuts we passed permanent, and Jon Porter understands that. You wait 
till these campaigns get going here around the country--``Well, we need 
to balance the budget by raising your taxes.'' That's not the way it 
works in Washington, DC. Yes, they'll raise the taxes all right, but 
they'll figure out new ways to spend your money. The best way to balance 
this budget is to keep progrowth economic policies in place and be wise 
about how we spend your money, and Jon Porter understands that.

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    I also want to thank you for helping on the line-item veto. That 
makes a lot of sense, doesn't it, to give the President the chance to 
make sure that the taxpayers are well represented in Washington, DC. I 
need fiscally sound people in our Nation's Capital, and Jon Porter is 
just such a Congressman.
    Let me talk about another issue right quick. I spent a little time 
in California, which, by the way, was a fantastic experience. One of the 
problems that I'm concerned about is a nation that loses our nerve--that 
we become isolationist and protectionist, that we don't want to have any 
competition with anybody else, that we begin to wall ourselves off. 
That's not what I think. I think it's really important that we remain 
the economic leader in the world, for the sake of our folks, that we 
want to be preeminent when it comes to economic policy.
    And so I was spending time talking about two issues that I think 
you'll find interesting. I know Jon is a strong supporter. One is to 
make sure that we're the technology country of the world, that we're on 
the leading edge of change. The Federal Government needs to double its 
commitment to basic research--research in the basic sciences, so that 
we're continuing to be the innovative--innovators of the world. We've 
got to be technologically competent. We've got to continue to lead.
    We need to make the research and development tax credit a permanent 
part of the Tax Code. And we got to make sure that our kids have got the 
basics in math and science, so that the jobs of the 21st century stay 
right here in America. And Jon Porter understands the call.
    We also got to do something about oil. You know, I know gas prices 
are high. There's no magic wand to wave. We'll make sure that the energy 
companies are pricing their product fairly. If we catch them gouging, if 
we catch them--unfair trade practices, we'll deal with them at the 
Federal Government. That's what you expect the Federal Government to do. 
But it's a sign for the American people to understand that we got to do 
something about our dependence upon oil.
    Now, I appreciate Jon supporting the energy bill that we passed, 
which is a good, comprehensive approach. But there's more to do. I'm 
absolutely convinced that we're on the breakthrough of major 
technologies that will enable us to have plug-in batteries and hybrid 
vehicles that will enable you to drive your first 40 miles without using 
a drop of gasoline; that we'll be fueling our cars as a result of fuels 
made from switch grass--we're already doing it from corn--but from other 
raw materials; that we'll have hydrogen-powered fuel cells within a 10-
year period of time. I need people in the United States Congress who are 
farsighted, who understand the power of technology to make sure we 
become less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
    Finally, let me talk right quick about health care, and then I'll 
liberate you. There's a stark choice in Washington, DC, amongst the 
elected officials there. There's a group of folks up there who believe 
that the Federal Government ought to make all the decisions for health 
care. They ought to tell you who the--what doctor you see and what 
procedures you can get. And they'll pay for it, of course. And that 
sounds really attractive, but I strongly reject that federalizing 
medicine will make our health care system better. And Jon joins me in 
that. The best health care system is one that takes care of the elderly 
and the poor and leaves the decisions in health care between the 
patients and the doctors. And that's the kind of health care system we 
strongly support.
    Now, I understand hospitals being crowded, emergency rooms being 
crowded with people, and that's not a good use of our health care 
system. And that's why Jon and I are strong supporters of community 
health care centers. These are really important facilities where the 
poor and the indigent can get primary care without straining the 
emergency rooms of the hospitals.
    We also understand we got a commitment to our seniors. Listen, the 
Medicare system was really an important system, but it needed reform; it 
needed a change. We'd pay $28,000 for ulcer surgery but not a dime for 
the pharmaceuticals that would prevent the ulcer surgery from being 
needed in the first place. It made no sense to have a health care system 
that was stuck in the past when medicine was becoming so modern.

[[Page 785]]

    I joined with people like Jon and the other Senators and Congressmen 
here to modernize the system. And thanks to our leadership, seniors now 
have got prescription drug coverage in Medicare.
    But there are some other--there are practical things we need to do 
to deal with the cost of health care. One of them is to make sure that 
information technology becomes a crucial part of our medical systems all 
across our country. Jon Porter is one of the leaders in helping to 
modernize medicine. They say that we can probably trim the costs of 
health care by 30 percent when we bring information tech--now, think 
about this, we got doctors writing down their words on paper--they don't 
write very well to begin with--[laughter]--and they're passing the paper 
from one file to the next. Things get lost. Things are illegible. It's a 
very inefficient system, and we need to introduce information 
technology, starting at the Federal Government. And we're doing that, 
and Jon Porter is leading the way.
    Secondly, health savings accounts work. Health savings accounts are 
a way for small-business companies to be able to afford health care. The 
uninsured--I remember the debate, Jon, when we were proposing health 
savings accounts, which are tax-free savings accounts coupled with 
catastrophic health care--with low-premium catastrophic health care. And 
they were saying, ``This is only good for the rich.'' It's typical 
rhetoric out of Washington, of course, you know. It's just everything is 
kind of trivialized. They said, ``Well, this is only good for the 
rich.'' Well, as a result of reforming health care, we now have got 3 
million people who are now owners of health savings accounts, most of 
whom have got incomes of $50,000 or less, about a third of those who've 
signed up. The uninsured are finding a good product and a good way to 
insure themselves at affordable costs.
    Thirdly, we've got to make sure small businesses, many of whom are 
having trouble paying--getting health care for their employees, have the 
capacity to pool risk across jurisdictional boundaries so they can buy 
insurance at the same discount big companies get to do. We're strong 
supporters of association health plans.
    And finally, if you want to have a medical system that is affordable 
and available, we have got to do something about these junk lawsuits 
that are running good doctors out of business and running the prices of 
medicine up.
    We got ideas about how to solve our Nation's problems. We do more 
than just think, though; we act. We get things done. We see problems, 
and we solve them. And I need people in the United States Congress who 
get rid of all the silliness in Washington, DC, and focus on solving our 
Nation's problems, and John Porter is such a man.
    Thank you for coming, and God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 12:42 p.m. at the Venetian Resort Hotel 
Casino. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Kenny C. Guinn of Nevada; 
Darlene Ensign, wife of Sen. John Ensign of Nevada; President Jalal 
Talabani, Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, and Prime 
Minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki of Iraq.