THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all, thanks for coming. Elaine, thank
you very much. I appreciate the job you're doing. And thank you for
that kind introduction. I want to welcome you all here to the White
House, the people's house.
It's an honor to welcome those who have heeded a great call: to
love your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. It's a
universal call, and it's a call that has been applicable throughout
history. It's really needed right now.
And so I want to thank you for coming to help discuss a very
important issue, an important piece of legislation, a part of making
sure the future of our country is hopeful for everybody who lives
here.
Part of the reason you're here is so we can unleash your talents
and energy on the Hill. (Laughter.) And I appreciate your willingness
to be practical in Washington. Because there is a piece of legislation
that I hope you work on. It's an urgent time for you to act. And I
think it's going to help America.
This really isn't about any political party, I want to assure you.
It's a way to make sure America is as hopeful as we possibly can be. I
want to thank all those who are here on stage with me, besides the
Secretary of Labor. Thank you for coming. I appreciate you being
soldiers in the armies of compassion.
I want to thank Senator Santorum, who is the author of the
legislation I'm going to talk about, and Senator Brownback from the
state of Kansas for coming. As the author of the bill, I thought you
might have gotten a better seat. (Laughter.) Sam got your seat
because he was on time. (Laughter and applause.) I'm still for your
bill. (Laughter.)
Both senators are fine people and good members. And I want to
thank you all for coming.
I appreciate Cardinal McCarrick for being here as well, my longtime
friend. And I want to thank you all.
I don't know if you've met my confidant, Jim Towey, who is here.
He works in our Faith-Based Office. There he is. Hi, Jim, how are
you? Jim is a remarkable soul who I was able to convince to leave the
private sector to come and work. And if you've got any complaints
about how charitable choice is working or suggestions about how to make
it work better, he's available. His job is to work with the faith
community to make America a better place. He's Mother Teresa's
lawyer. He worked for Democrats and Republicans. This is not a
political guy, you'll be pleased to hear. And he'll do his job in a
way that will make you proud.
The events of September the 11th were an incredibly dark moment.
But the thing I'm most proud about is, through the darkness, our
character shined. This is really an unbelievable country we live in.
It was heros who risked their lives, and Americans responded with
incredible generosity. I mean, our heart was united with those who
lost their, those who -- families grieved. It was a remarkable
moment, it really was. It was a test of our character. People
prayed. All faiths were praying for our country. People grieved
together. All the racial issues went away, because we all realized we
were Americans, with everything at stake -- everything at stake.
The organizations directly related to the relief efforts received
$2 billion during that quick period of time. The goodness of the
country is overcoming the evil done to us. We're overcoming the evil
done to us, as well, through military action. And we will take
action. I want to assure you we don't seek revenge, we seek justice.
And I believe that if we're patient and resolved and united, that out
of this evil will come lasting peace -- peace in regions of the world
that might appear now that cannot be peaceful.
I believe we can achieve peace by being strong and to lead the
world toward peace. Peace is the cornerstone of this nation's foreign
policy; it's what we aim for. It's going to be some tough moments
achieving that peace. But you need to know that we're going to be
plenty tough when we need to be tough. And we're going to stay focused
on keeping our homeland safe, hunting down barbaric killers one by
one. That's our call. History has called us into action, and we must
and we will respond. (Applause.)
But we need to do more than just make the world more secure. We
need to make the world and our country a better place. In order to
really battle evil, we must be more than just a military might. We
must be a -- we must show our might through our compassion for our
fellow citizens.
I gave a speech in Monterrey, Mexico, the other day, talking about
how this nation will help in the development of nations who are poor
and who suffer. I was proud to give that speech.
At home, though, we also have got to recognize even though we're a
rich and powerful nation, there are pockets of despair and
hopelessness. There are too many people in America who wonder whether
or not America is meant for them. And so part of our fight to make our
country more secure must be one also to make the country a better place
for all of us. And the place to start is understanding that the
country can be changed one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
One person can't do everything. But a person can do something to
help somebody. And your jobs as social entrepreneurs and people deeply
committed to our future is to gather that love and compassion which
exists. And you're doing a great job of doing that, and I want to
thank you.
My job is to continue to address the spirit of the countries to
call upon the best, and I will do so. I will remind people if they
want to fight evil, they must do some good. And it's also to recognize
problems when they exist and work to solve those problems, to eliminate
the hurdles and barriers that prevent the neighborhood healers and
helpers from doing their jobs.
The past seven months have shown how much our country depends on
charities. Yet, today, America's charities face very difficult times.
It's ironic to me that in the immediate aftermath of September the
11th, we responded and, yet, there are too many charities hurting.
Part of it is because of a recession; I recognize that. Part of it is
that a lot of money has gone into those charities directly involved
with the relief efforts. And that's good; but it's not good enough for
the future of our country that many charities suffer today, and we're
going to do something about it.
If there is any doubt, let me just quote a few statistics to you,
to make my point. America's Second Harvest, the country's largest
hunger relief charity, reports that more than 80 percent of its
affiliates face increased demands for food, while 40 percent have seen
a significant drop in food donations and funding. That's a problem.
In Northern California the United Way is facing an unprecedented
fundraising shortfall for 2001. Giving was 14 percent below the year
before. That's a problem. The group's leader said this, "I don't
think we've ever had a drop-off of this magnitude. It affects our
ability to serve our community." And I agree.
The United Way in Orlando was forced to lay off 17 percent of its
staff in February because it fell significantly short of its
fundraising goal. Many people in this room, many people whose sole
purpose is to help an American in need, are confronting greater needs
with fewer resources. And our government must recognize the problem
and deal with it in a constructive way.
First, as I mentioned, my job is to call upon Americans to love a
neighbor like they'd like to be loved themselves, to understand that
being a citizen is more than just a spectator, it's a participant in
your community. And I will continue to -- I will continue to call
upon Americans to serve. And I will continue to talk about the pockets
of despair and hopelessness so that it is clear to those who may be
comfortable that they have a -- there are some who aren't. And we
need their help.
And I'm going to make sure that our government passes legislation
that does a couple of things. One, that encourages more private sector
giving, that makes giving to the armies of compassion a more profitable
venture for the individual by allowing the people to deduct from their
income taxes all charitable gifts. (Applause.)
The issue is for those who do not itemize. They don't get to deduct
their gifts. And we ought to allow that. We ought to encourage giving
by allowing the non-itemizers. Listen, charitable giving is important
for all of the people in our country, not just the wealthy. Everybody
ought to be encouraged to give. (Applause.)
What's called the CARE act, the charity aid recovering empowerment
act, sponsored by Rick Santorum and Joe Lieberman, have this as a part
-- as a core part of the bill. It is an important part of the
legislation, and I urge you all to take your message to the Finance
Committee in the United States Senate that has something to do with
this type of legislation. (Laughter.) I'm sure they'll respond.
You probably know that the House is passing a good piece of
legislation already. J.C. Watts and Tony Hall were the sponsors. It
passed. And now, so the focus -- that's why the focus is on the
United States Senate.
The CARE act as well recognizes -- oh, by the way, just so the
people understand the extent of what we're talking about, 84 million
Americans don't itemize, and therefore don't have the opportunity to
deduct. And we really believe -- and I know you agree with me --
that changing the tax laws, providing incentive for the $84 million,
could and probably will substantially raise the amount of giving in
America, which will be really helpful and hopeful and positive.
The other thing the federal government must not do is worry about
the role of faith-based programs in providing help to people in need.
Let me put it a little more bluntly: the federal government should not
not discriminate against faith. (Applause.) There must be a level
playing field available. When we have federal monies, people should be
allowed to access that money without having to lose their mission or
change their mission. We need to know that in our society, faith can
move people in ways that government can't.
I mean, government can write checks, but it can't put hope in
people's hearts, or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That is done
by people who have heard a call and who act on faith and are willing to
share that faith. And I'm not talking about a particular religion --
I'm talking about all religions under the Almighty God. And we should
not fear those kind of programs.
The program for someone's addiction may be more likely cured
because of faith. Programs that are willing to go into the prison
systems -- you know, programs that said, well, stamping license
plates is okay, but it may not change somebody's life for the better.
Programs in which they surround a child with love because of faith and
provide a blueprint based upon -- a future based upon love for a
child. That's what we ought to recognize happens.
Listen, some of the greatest welfare programs in America are on the
street corners of inner city America in a house of worship.
(Applause.) Some of the best places where lost souls find hope are in
our synagogues. Mosques provide great hope for people who wonder
whether America is meant for them. And our government must recognize
the power of these programs. These programs don't have giant
bureaucracies, and endless rules in which they become entangled. They
keep their focus on their mission. They don't keep hours.
(Laughter.) They're open when needed.
There's been some anti-crime programs based upon faith, like
Brother Rivers, out of Boston, Massachusetts, who has done a fantastic
job. And so this act recognizes that part of the mosaic of aid and
comfort in America comes from the faith community, and that we
shouldn't fear faith, we ought to welcome it in our society. I urge
that the CARE act get passed out of the Senate by Memorial Day.
(Applause.)
I want to thank the neighborhood healers who are here. One of the
things I brag about is the entrepreneurial spirit in America. But
people have got to understand, the entrepreneurial spirit just doesn't
pertain to starting a business. Our entrepreneurial spirit also
pertains to helping people. And one of the great joys of being a
candidate, and eventually President, is the opportunity to see these
little programs that start up because somebody has heard a call. I
mean it's an unbelievable part of the fabric of our nation. Somebody
has heard the -- said, I think I'm going to take my energy and my
talent into a neighborhood where nobody else has dared walk.
And it's changed people's lives. And it is amazing what happens,
amazing what happens when you start off -- Brother Lusk here started
off with -- I don't even think, well, it might have been a building,
it looked like a building. (Laughter.) But now he's got this
magnificent place in inner city Philadelphia, because he had a vision
and a dream to make something happen.
But it is the effect, and why I feel so strongly about this mission
that we're all on, is because when that one soul who decides to do
something changes a heart, it is likely that heart that's been changed
is willing to change another heart. And it's that effect that will
have an incredibly profound effect on all of us.
In order to fight evil, we must do good. It is the gathering
momentum of millions of acts of kindness and compassion which define
the true face of America, that shows what this country is truly made
out of. On the one hand, we are strong and tough militarily. But, on
the other hand, that is -- we are a nation that is compassionate and
decent and caring. And no evil, no terrorist can extinguish that
light.