For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 16, 2004
President's Remarks at "Focus on Health with President Bush" Event
NSC Sports Hall
Blaine, Minnesota
12:45 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for being here today. Pleased be
seated. Please be seated. We got some work to do here. I'm her to
ask for your vote, that's what I'm doing today. (Applause.) I'm here
to ask for your help. (Applause.) I believe everybody has the duty to
vote in America, and I'm asking that you register your friends and
neighbors, encourage them to do their duty in democracy. And while
you're out registering people to vote, make sure you don't overlook
discerning Democrats. You know, people like Zell Miller. (Applause.)
And then after you register them to vote, I know a lot of you are
working hard in the grassroots here -- as you register them to vote,
and election time comes upon us, head them to the polls. And when you
head them to the polls, say, if you want a stronger America, a safer
America, and a better America, put Dick Cheney and me back into
office. (Applause.)
What a great place to spend the day, the great state of Minnesota.
I tell you, what a fantastic bus trip we're having. (Applause.) Just
had a sandwich in Anoka. (Applause.) The Halloween capital of
America. (Applause.) And I started my morning in St. Cloud --
actually, I didn't start my morning in St. Cloud. I started my morning
at the White House. And I said to Laura, I'm heading to Minnesota.
She said, well, tell everybody hello. (Applause.) So I am. The First
Lady sends her best. (Applause.)
This is a true story. Kind of true. (Laughter.) It may have been
slightly embellished at times. (Laughter.) So I said, "Laura, will
you marry me?" She said, fine -- she was a public school librarian, by
the way. And she said, I'll marry you, just so long as I don't have to
give a political speech. (Laughter.) I said, okay. Fortunately, I
didn't -- she didn't hold me to that promise. America got to see a
fabulous mom, a great wife, and a wonderful First Lady in New York
City. (Applause.) I'm really proud of Laura.
Today, at the end of this interesting dialogue we're going to have
on a lot of issues -- we're going to focus mainly on health. We've got
some citizens from the area here who are going to discuss different
aspects of the health care plan we have, so you can better understand
why I believe our plan is the best. But at the end of this, I hope
you'll find there's a reason why I'm running again, that I have a
reason to seek the vote, that I have a vision for this country that is
one that will make the world a safer place and a better country for all
of us. (Applause.)
And I just got off the phone with the FEMA Director, Mike Brown,
who's down in the Southeast. And as you know, Hurricane Ivan hit the
coast very hard. The states of Mississippi and Louisiana, most
particularly Alabama and Florida, were hit hard. And I know the
citizens of that part of the world will be glad to hear that people in
the great state of Minnesota are praying for their safety, praying for
their lives. (Applause.)
I'm running with a good man in Dick Cheney. I'm proud of my
running mate. Now, listen, I admit it, I admit that he doesn't have
the waviest hair in the race -- (laughter) -- kind of like old Weber.
I didn't pick him for his hairdo. (Laughter.) I picked him because of
his experience, his judgment, and he can get the job done. (Applause.)
I'm proud of your Governor. You've got a great Governor in Jim
Pawlenty. (Applause.) He's an innovator; he's a good thinker; he's
got a pretty good sense of the politics here in the state. He told me
something on the bus. He said, "You know something, Mr. President,
you're going to carry Minnesota." And I believe him. (Applause.)
Thank you all. Okay. All of us in the political arena love
applause, but we've got work to do here today. I've got something I
want to share with you. I've got these things on my mind I want to
tell you. Before I do, I also want to thank my friend, Mark Kennedy,
Congressman Mark Kennedy. (Applause.) You've got to put this guy back
in office. He's a great United States congressman. He has earned your
support. And I'm looking forward to working with him in my second term
as President of the United States. We've got a great relationship. I
think it's important to have a congressman who can call over to the
White House and the President answer the phone. I'll answer Kennedy's
calls. (Applause.) I want to thank his wife, Debbie. She is a --
Kennedy is a smart guy. He sends the better half the family out to
campaign on his behalf. (Applause.) Thank you, Debbie, for working
hard.
Jimmy Ramstad -- Congressman. I appreciate you, Congressman.
Thanks for coming. (Applause.) Proud you're here. I'm honored to --
I mentioned Zell Miller a while ago. He's a strong, strong citizen.
You know, Randy Kelly is, as well. I am proud that the Mayor of St.
Paul, Minnesota -- (applause) -- I'm proud to call him friend and
supporter. There are a lot of people just like him out there that
wonder about the future of this country. They forget all the political
noise, and they're looking at vision. That's what they want. They
want somebody who can lead this country to a better tomorrow. Mr.
Mayor, I'm honored to have your support. I'll treasure it.
I appreciate Vin Weber being here. Thank you for coming, Vin --
former congressman. (Applause.) I want to thank all the state and
local folks who are here. Thanks for serving your state and your
cities and counties. I want to thank all the grassroots activists for
what you have done and, more importantly, what you're going to do.
We're coming down the stretch. Now is the time to be getting on those
phones and reminding people that we have a duty to vote. And I'm
honored you do so. When you tell them to vote, tell them that we've
got a vision in this campaign for a safer world and a more hopeful
America.
And a hopeful America really means that you got to have an
understanding that we're living in changing times. Think about how the
times have changed since our dads and grandads were coming up. You
know, in the old days a person would likely have one career, one job,
and mom would be at home. And our society has changed significantly
now. People have more than one career, often; they change jobs several
times. Women are now working in the home and outside the home in the
workplace. These are different times. And yet the systems of
government have not changed. Health plans need to change with modern
times. The pension plans need to change with modern times. The tax
code needs to change with modern times. (Applause.) The worker
training programs need to change. The work rules need to change. The
labor laws are old; they were written in the past. We need to be
thinking about the future.
You say, what do you mean by that? Well, I'll tell you what I
mean. Since a lot of women work outside the home, there ought to be
flex-time and comp-time available for employees so that people can
balance their needs of their family and the needs of the workplace. We
need modern work rules. (Applause.)
Like the Social Security fund. If you're a senior citizen, you
don't have a thing to worry about when it comes to getting your check.
And I don't care what the political rhetoric tells you, the promise is
going to be kept. The Social Security trust has got plenty of money to
fulfill the promise for our seniors. And baby boomers like me and a
couple of others I see here -- (laughter) -- we're in good shape when
it comes to Social Security. So we need to worry about our younger
kids and our grandkids when it comes to Social Security. There's not
enough -- (applause.) The demographics have changed. The Social
Security trust is weak when it comes to our children and
grandchildren.
That's why I believe we ought to allow younger workers to take some
of their own tax money and set up a personal savings account that will
help them realize the promise of Social Security, a savings account
they call their own, a savings account the government cannot take
away. (Applause.)
These are changing times. The nature of the -- the nature of the
jobs are changing in America. You know what I'm talking about. I
mean, the health care industry, for example, is booming in parts of our
country. I suspect it is in this great state of Minnesota. You got
some of the great health care technologies in the world being developed
here. But oftentimes there's a skills gap in America. In other words,
the jobs exist, but the workers aren't trained for the jobs which
exist.
And that's why I'm such a big believer in community colleges, to
make sure that workers have got an opportunity to gain the skills
necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Our worker training
programs need to change to adapt to modern times so people can fulfill
and realize their dreams here in this country. What I'm telling you
is, one of the reasons I'm seeking the office is because I understand
many of the systems of government were designed for the past, and I
think we need to change those systems to stand side-by-side with people
so they can realize their dreams. (Applause.)
Our view of government is that government ought to help people
realize their dreams. I'm running against a fellow who believes that
government ought to dictate to people. And that's a fundamental
philosophical difference.
Now, I want to talk to you about our economy right quick, because
we can change systems all we want; if people can't make a living, it's
not going to matter, see. Now, I -- as you're out gathering the vote,
remind people what we have been through. This economy has been through
a lot in a quick period of time. We've been through a recession. As a
matter of fact, the stock market started to correct -- that means go
down -- five months before we came to office. Then the recession
came. Then we had corporate scandals in America. And make no mistake
about it, those corporate scandals hurt. They shook people's
confidence. We passed tough laws now and it's abundantly clear that
this country will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of
America. (Applause.)
And then the terrorists attacked. And they estimate it cost us a
million jobs in three months after September the 11th, 2001. But we're
overcoming these obstacles. The economy is growing. It's growing at a
rate as fast as any in nearly 20 years. The unemployment rate in
Minnesota is 4.8 percent. The national unemployment rate is 5.4
percent. Let me put that in perspective for you: 5.4 percent is lower
than the average of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. (Applause.)
We're adding manufacturing jobs. People say, why do you think -- I
say, well, I'll tell you why I think -- one, our workers are great;
two, the entrepreneurial spirit is strong; three, the farmers and
ranchers know what they're doing; and four, we cut the taxes.
(Applause.) The question is not what we did to overcome the obstacles;
the question is, what are we going to do to keep the growth; what is
the vision to make sure this economy continues to grow.
My vision is this: In order to keep jobs here in America, in order
to make sure people can realize their dreams through working, America
must be the best place in the world to do business. If you want to
find work here, this needs to be a place where people are willing to
risk capital and employers are willing to expand. That means this:
Less regulations on small businesses,; tort reforms so small business
owners aren't subjected to harassment in the courts -- (applause) -- an
energy policy which encourages conservation, uses technologies to come
up with new ways to use and conserve energy; an energy which uses corn
and soybeans in a wise way with biodiesel and ethanol; an energy policy
which encourages clean coal technology; an energy policy which uses
latest technologies so we can explore wisely for natural gas. In order
to keep jobs here in America, and to keep this economy growing, we need
to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
We need to open up markets in order to keep jobs here in America.
Listen, there is a tendency for people to say, well, I'm going to put
policies out there that will isolate us from the world. That's called
economic isolationism. That would be a big mistake for workers in the
state of Minnesota. It would be a big mistake for Minnesota farmers.
We've opened up our markets, and that's good for you. If you're a
consumer, and you have more product to choose from, you're likely to
get the product you want at a better price and better quality. And so,
what I say to places like China is, you treat us the way we treat you.
And I say that to not only China, but elsewhere, because I believe
America's small business owners, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers,
workers can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as the
playing field is level. (Applause.)
Before we talk about health care, I want to talk about another key
issue, and that's what we do with your money. I believe that -- I know
we will continue to be wise with how we spend your money. In other
words, to keep jobs here, government has got to be wise with how the
people -- how the people's money is spent. That means setting
priorities.
We set priorities in Washington. The priority is defending this
country and supporting our troops in harm's way. That's a priority.
(Applause.) We've increased federal spending on education by 49
percent since I've been the President. We've got plenty of money to do
what we need to do up there if we set priorities. You'll hear me talk
a little bit about tax relief in a minute. But I -- with one of our
panelists here. But the whole philosophy is, is that after we've set
priorities, I think the people can spend their money better than the
federal government can. (Applause.) It's a philosophical difference
--
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, sir, thank you. Now, the other issue is
taxes. This is an issue in this campaign. I'm running against a
fellow who has promised over $2 trillion of new money so far, and we're
just coming down the stretch. It's easy to stand up in front of
audiences and tell them what they want to hear in politics, believe me,
particularly when you're spending somebody else's money. And the
question is how he's going to pay for it. And he's got that answer
we've all heard before -- I'm going to pay for it by taxing the rich.
Now, you've heard that before. Here's the problem: One, you cannot
tax the rich enough to pay for over $2.2 trillion in new spending, so
there's a tax gap. And generally, when there's a tax gap, you get to
fill it.
Secondly, by running up the top two brackets in the tax code,
you're taxing small businesses. Ninety percent of small businesses pay
individual income taxes, because they're classified as a Subchapter S
or sole proprietorship. Ninety percent of the small businesses. Yet
70 percent of all new jobs are created by small businesses. So when
you're talking about running up the top two brackets, really what
you're talking about is taxing the job creators here in America, and
that's bad economic policy. (Applause.)
And finally, when you hear them say, tax the rich, be careful. The
rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason, because they don't want
to pay. And you get stuck with the tab. But we're not going to let
him stick you with the tab. We're going to carry Minnesota in November
and win a great victory. (Applause.)
All right, let me talk about health care. The subject that we're
going to focus on today is health care. We want health care to be
available and affordable. We want people to be able to afford health
care and, therefore, we need to be thinking about -- need to deal with
the rising cost of health care. And we want health care to be
available. Here are some interesting ways to do so.
We're going to talk about Medicare in a minute, with Jerry. Do you
realize that over half of the unemployed in America, working unemployed
-- uninsured, working uninsured -- work for small businesses. Think
about that. That means small businesses are having trouble affording
health care. But over half are employed. And so one way to make sure
that small businesses can afford health care is to allow them to pool
risk, so that they can purchase insurance at the same discounts that
big businesses get to do. (Applause.)
Consumers will be protected under federal law under this plan.
It's a plan to help small businesses afford health care. That's what
we want to do. We want to help them afford health care. Fifty percent
of the people work for small businesses who are working uninsured --
why don't we help the small businesses?
I'll tell you another way to help small businesses afford health
care. It's to do something about these junk lawsuits that are running
up the cost of medicine and running good docs out of business.
(Applause.) This is an issue. See, I don't think you can be
pro-doctor, pro-patient and pro-trial lawyer at the same time.
(Laughter.) I think you have to make a choice. My opponent made his
choice, and he put a trial lawyer on the ticket. I made my choice --
I'm standing with the docs and patients and hospitals. I support
medical liability reform -- now. (Applause.)
We need to promote health information technologies. My hope is
that most Americans have a personal electronic health record within the
next decade. That's a fancy way of saying that when you have a system
where docs who can barely write -- well, they can write, you just can't
read it -- handwrite every file, there's inefficiencies in the system.
One way to help with health care costs is to modernize the health care
industry. We've got a great project going on in Washington, D.C. to
bring technologies into the health care field. It's going to save
money. Another way to help save money is to promote generic drugs to
the market more quickly. We are doing that in Washington, D.C.
(Applause.)
Let me talk real quick about a subject I know is on your mind. I
think it's important for me to tell you what I think about importation
of drugs. Listen, we're studying the issue. I'll tell you why we're
studying it. I don't want people bringing in drugs that will hurt our
seniors. And neither do you. I know it sounds attractive to some,
importation of drugs. And it may work. But, sure enough, if we're not
careful, drugs manufactured in the Third World over which we have no
control could use Canada as a way to get into this state. And then we
got a problem, a safety problem. We have a duty in the federal
government to protect the consumer. And so I've got the -- I've got
Tommy Thompson and his crowd looking to make sure that before we have
an importation program, that you're safe, that we make sure that people
are -- have got a safe product that does what it says it will do.
And in the meantime, we're going to keep promoting the generic
drugs quickly to the market place. And that will help hold down the
cost of drugs. We're going to talk about another way to hold down the
cost of drugs for seniors here in a minute.
Let me talk about, right quick, about -- about what we call
community health centers. And we've got -- Peggy Metzer is with us
today. She is a soldier in the army of compassion. Community health
centers are -- well, I'll let you explain. Where do you work?
MS. METZER: Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen, there
is a story that needs to be told, and it's about the front line of
health care happening every day by committed and dedicated doctors and
nurses and other people at the grassroots level where it makes a
difference. Were it not for the President's initiative, this would not
be happening. The Cedar Riverside People's Center Medical Clinic might
have closed its doors three years ago, after we'd been in service for
over 30 years. Again, were it not for the President's vision, for his
dedication and care that health care does get to the front lines where
it makes the biggest difference, we wouldn't be open today. So I want
to thank you, Mr. President. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Let me ask you some questions. So who shows up?
Who is the clientele? When you open the door, who is likely to walk in
the door at your community health center?
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: What she's saying is -- it just makes sense to me
-- otherwise I wouldn't be doing this. (Laughter.) We're going to
expand these community health centers so poor people have got a place
to find primary care and preventative care. It makes a lot of sense.
I think it's a wise use of your money to expand and increase the number
of community health centers all across America. As a matter of fact,
the goal I've set is every poor county in America has a community
health center.
It's much better, it's much better if folks who need help get help
at the community health center than in an emergency room of a local
hospital. Not only do taxpayers save money, it's a more compassionate
way to help people. (Applause.)
And the interesting thing about community health centers, the
doctors who practice there are exempt from lawsuits because of federal
law. The problem is, is that since the trial lawyers are so strong in
the Senate, we can't get any more liability protection than we've got.
But at least your docs and you --
MS. METZER: We are protected, thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, see, that's important. You've got people who
are OB/GYNs who feel comfortable about practicing there because they're
not going to get sued. It seems like if we're willing to extend legal
liability to these health centers, we ought to be extending legal
liability to private clinics and hospitals, as well, so OB/GYNs can do
their job. (Applause.)
MS. METZER: It's such an honor to be here and to see the person
who was able to see through the middle of the complexities and the
confusion and the confounding situation with health care. And thank
you for seeing through the middle and getting to the bottom line.
THE PRESIDENT: Glad you're here. Good job. (Applause.) Pass
that mike over there.
One of the things I went to Washington for is to fix problems. We
had a problem in Medicare. I'll tell you why we had a problem in
Medicare. Because medicine was changing and Medicare didn't. I'll
tell you what I mean. The Medicare system would pay for heart surgery,
like $100,000 worth -- that's your money -- and it wouldn't pay for the
prescription drugs that would prevent the heart surgery from being
needed in the first place. That didn't seem to make sense to me. It
certainly wasn't very cost-effective, but more significantly, it wasn't
very compassionate for our seniors. After all, we would like to
prevent the heart surgery from needing to occur.
So I worked with Congress to change Medicare -- for the better, so
seniors have got more options to choose from; so seniors, starting in
2006, will have prescription drug coverage. And by the way, in 2005,
for the first time, Medicare is going to pay for screenings, so that we
can prevent disease from occurring now, rather than have to treat it
later. That seems to make sense for taxpayers. (Applause.)
As we waited for the prescription drug coverage to kick in, we
decided to send out prescription drug discount cards. If you're a poor
senior, you get a $600 credit per year for your card. Over 4 million
seniors have signed up for the card. Interestingly enough, it's just
not "a" card, there's a variety of programs from which the seniors can
choose. You know why? I believe people ought to be making choices. I
told you, the difference between what I believe and what others believe
is that government ought to stand side-by-side with people to improve
their lives, not dictate to their lives. If there's only one choice,
it means the government is dictating. If you've got choices to make,
it means you've got a better chance of designing the program that fits
your needs.
Jerry Markie is with us -- aren't you? (Laughter.) So he's here
for a reason, because he's got a drug discount card. I want senior
citizens in the state of Minnesota to hear this story, because I think
you're going to find it very interesting.
Ready to crank it up? All right, let's go.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Listen to what he's saying here. The cards -- this
is good use of -- it seems like to me, good policy to enable this good
man -- I think he saved, like he told me, $350 a month because he's
using this discount card. It's just wise policy. It's a lot better
policy to empower him than have the government dictate to him, like my
opponent would like to do. (Applause.)
* * * * *
MR. MARKIE: And that's the truth. If we didn't have the insurance
card, we would be paying that out of pocket. And that amounts to
$4,200 a year. Just think of that.
THE PRESIDENT: You can use that, can't you?
MR. MARKIE: You betcha.
THE PRESIDENT: Take mom out to dinner more frequently.
MR. MARKIE: More than once. (Laughter.)
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: I'll complete the thought -- any time you can save
money, that's good. (Laughter and applause.) Right?
MR. MARKIE: Yes. You just talked about Celebrex. I have eight
drugs. That's just one. We take the six, as I indicated. And you
save -- $166 -- $15, that's almost $150 right there, per prescription.
THE PRESIDENT: See, here's what we're talking about. We're
talking about a health care vision that empowers people, that helps
people. And that stands in contrast to a vision that's going to
increase the scope of the federal government. Now, listen to the
debate in health care. I want our fellow citizens to listen carefully
to the difference between the plan that I'm talking about and the plan
my opponent is talking about.
I'll give you an example. He believes we ought to increase the
amount of people covered by Medicaid. All that does is crowd out
people who have got insurance plans through small businesses and move
them from the private sector to the public sector. I just think that's
the wrong decision to make, because once you're on the public sector,
making decisions for you in health care, it means you and the doctor
aren't making your decisions, it means unelected officials are making
your decisions. Bureaucrats are deciding health care. The
nationalization of health care would be wrong for the American
citizen. (Applause.)
Let me tell you about a really interesting idea, an idea that has
got a lot of advantages. They're called health savings accounts.
We've got an owner of a health savings account with us, and he and I
are going to explain to you how they work. And he's going to start.
But this is Dan Kelly. He works for Mercury Office Supply. I just
want you -- as he explains how this works, I want you to think about a
philosophy that says, decisions will be made between doctors and
patients, and a philosophy that says, we want people owning their own
health care accounts, so that if they change jobs in this changing
world, the health care account goes with him from one job to the next.
And as they get older and accumulate savings tax-free in the health
savings account, that asset becomes something they own and can pass on
to another generation.
Danny Kelly, straight here from Mercury Office Supplies.
(Applause.)
MR. KELLY: Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: How is the business?
MR. KELLY: It's pretty good. It could be better, but --
THE PRESIDENT: Good. Tell us how a health savings account works.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Here's the way it works, again. He's got it going
right. I'm just trying to add a little emphasis to it. He buys a
high-deductible plan, that says, for example -- I guess yours is -- the
insurance pays for any cost over $5,000.
MR. KELLY: Yes, because it's a family plan.
THE PRESIDENT: Which means the cost of that plan is significantly
less costly than a regular insurance plan. He or his company, whoever
pays for it, is out a lot less money for insurance. Then, if the
deductible is $5,000, the company and Dan put in $5,000 pre-tax. And
the $5,000 earns money interest-free. And the $5,000, if you have to
use it for routine medical expenses, comes out tax-free. And if you
don't spend the $5,000, it rolls over to the next year tax-free. So in
other words, it's his money. Is that right? (Applause.)
MR. KELLY: It's my money. I choose how I want to spend it.
THE PRESIDENT: Say that again.
MR. KELLY: I choose how I want to spend it. I choose the doctors,
I choose the medicine, whatever I feel is best for my family. It's my
choice.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, let me stop you there. Oh, not yet.
(Laughter.) See, the operative words, as far as I'm concerned, are, I
choose. See, it's not somebody in Washington choosing, it's not an HMO
choosing, Danny says, I choose, I make the choice. Now, if somebody
makes a choice, there's a responsibility that comes with that. Think
about this -- this has got a built-in incentive, doesn't it, for right
choices in life. I mean, for example, if you watch that money in your
own account begin to dwindle, you may want to walk a little more on a
daily basis. (Laughter.) Take to the foot in order to make yourself
more healthy. In other words, there's kind of a preventative medicine
built in to a plan when it says, my money, I choose. In his case, he
and the business contribute. The business pays for the entire premium
on the --
MR. KELLY: Correct, half the deductible.
THE PRESIDENT: -- on the catastrophic care, and then you and the
business share on the contributions on what goes into the account.
This is an innovative plan. They're beginning to spread across
America. If you're a small business owner, look into them. Fifty
percent of the uninsured here in America who don't have health care
work for small businesses. And so what I think we ought to do is help
small businesses set up HSAs through tax credits. I think the working
uninsured ought to be given direct tax credits to set up HSAs. I
believe this product is going to help change medicine for the better,
because it keeps the doctor and the patient in charge of health care
decisions. (Applause.)
And guess what else about the -- about Kelly's family that I think
you'll find interesting -- remember the tax relief I talked about
earlier, that kind of got the economy going, I think -- his family
saved $2,400 in '03, and $2,400 in '04. Now, in the land where we're
throwing around zeros like they don't matter -- that would be
Washington -- that doesn't sound like a lot. It's a lot to this guy.
How many kids have you got?
MR. KELLY: I have three kids.
THE PRESIDENT: Three. How old?
MR. KELLY: One is -- well, 11 months, one will be turning three
tomorrow and the other will be turning five in about another month.
THE PRESIDENT: And what did you do with the money, the $2,400?
MR. KELLY: Buy milk. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, good. He has a healthy baby, doesn't he?
See, he's got extra money in his pocket. It could help meet the health
savings accounts needs, so his family has got a health savings account
that works. His money matters. Once government meets its priorities,
I believe families like the Kellys ought to have more of their own
money. The $2,400 tax relief mattered a lot, and Congress must make
the tax relief permanent. (Applause.) Running up the taxes on the
American people right now makes no sense. (Applause.)
Okay, let me talk about one other subject. Thank you all. A
couple of points I want to make. Changing times -- in changing times,
there are some things that aren't going to change. The values we try
to live by won't change -- courage and compassion, reverence and
integrity. In changing times, we must support the institutions that
give us stability, our families, our schools, our religious
congregations. In changing times, we must not be afraid to call upon
our faith institutions to help people who hurt. In changing times, we
must stand for a culture of life in which every person matters and
every person counts. (Applause.)
We stand for marriage and family, which are the foundations of our
society. (Applause.) I'm going to tell you one other thing -- I will
continue to appoint judges who know the difference between using the
bench to write the law and strictly interpreting the law. (Applause.)
Now, I want to talk about one other subject. I'm just getting
started here. (Laughter.) I want to talk about how to make the world
a safer place. I would like to share with you some of the lessons I
learned from September the 11th. The first lesson I learned, and I
hope the country learned, is that we're facing an enemy that has no
conscience. It's an enemy that is just really hard for us to
understand. They will kill like that in order to shake our will. You
can't negotiate with these people. You can't try to sit down and have
discussions with them. (Applause.) You can't -- it's impossible to
try to rationalize with them. And that's why we're using every asset
at our disposal to find them around the world, so we don't have to face
them here at home. (Applause.)
That's the first lesson -- that's our duty. That's the solemn duty
of our government, to protect the American people. I wish I wasn't
giving this talk. We didn't ask for what happened. But we're darn
sure going to respond to it, in order to protect the American people.
(Applause.)
Secondly, this is a different kind of war, and it's important to
understand that. It's a war in which the enemy will try to find a host
nation so they can become an active parasite. And therefore, it's
important for me to make clear a doctrine that says, if you harbor a
terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist.
Now, when the President says something -- hold on for a minute --
when the President speaks he better mean what he says. I meant what I
said. (Applause.) Okay, hold on for a minute. Thank you. Hold on
for a minute, got a lot of work to do.
And so the Taliban heard from us and they rejected what our
government said, and they're no longer in power. A lot of brave
Americans went in and did hard work and removed the Taliban.
(Applause.) Let me explain what happened as a result of that action.
First, al Qaeda has no place to train in Afghanistan. Remember, they
were training thousands of people, thousands, so they could burrow into
societies, including our own, to create havoc.
Let me step back real quick. These are people -- I would call them
ideologues of hatred who use terror as a tool to intimidate. Their
vision is -- is backward. The Taliban -- to indicate the kind of
vision they have for the world, in Afghanistan young girls didn't get
to go to school because of the Taliban. That's backward. Their moms
would be taken into the public square and whipped if they didn't toe
the line of the ideologues of hate.
Not only did we deal with the host that was providing safe haven
for the parasite, al Qaeda, not only will they no longer train there,
but 10 million citizens, 41 percent of whom are women, have registered
to vote for the upcoming presidential election in Afghanistan.
(Applause.) It's amazing. Think about that. It's an amazing thought,
isn't it? You remember a while back when -- remember when the Taliban
pulled these four women off the bus and summarily executed them because
they were involved in democracy? A lot of naysayers thought, well,
this is the end of democracy in Afghanistan. Three years, three years
time, 10 million citizens have said, I want to be a part of freedom; I
want to participate. Freedom is a powerful force in this world.
(Applause.)
And we are better off, and America is safer -- America is safer
because we have an ally in the war on terror in Afghanistan. And we're
safer, the more freedom marches around the world. And we're safer when
others see an example of what a free society is like. It's not easy
work in Afghanistan. Listen, we had some troubles getting from point A
to point B when it came to our own democracy. The Articles of
Confederation weren't exactly a smooth-running period here in America.
But Afghanistan is headed toward presidential elections. It's amazing
when you think about it.
Third lesson: When we see a threat we must deal with it before it
fully materializes. That's one of the lessons of September the 11th.
We must take threats seriously before they come to hurt us. We
wouldn't have to say that prior to September the 11th. Prior to
September the 11th, when we saw a threat overseas, we could say, well,
we'll deal with it if we feel like it, and we may not, because we're
fine here in at home, we're safe. We no longer have that safety
anymore.
That attack on September the 11th showed that we're vulnerable, and
therefore, when we see a threat we must take it seriously before it
materializes.
And so I saw a threat in Iraq. Iraq was a tough decision. I saw a
threat -- or my administration saw a threat -- one, we saw intelligence
that said weapons and the capability of making weapons. Secondly, we
remembered he had used weapons, he'd actually used weapons of mass
destruction against his own people. And he was a sworn enemy of
America. He was a guy shooting at our pilots enforcing the world's
sanctions. He had terrorist ties. Remember Abu Nidal? He was the guy
that killed Leon Klinghoffer. He was in Baghdad, and so was his
organization. Zarqawi -- he's the person that beheads people in Iraq
today -- he was in and out of Baghdad, as was the people in his
organization. He paid the families of suicide bombers. There's
terrorist ties. And of course, the biggest threat is somebody who
could have the capability of making weapons of mass destruction, or had
weapons of mass destruction, would pass that capability on to an enemy
who would like to inflict more harm on us.
So I look at the intelligence and remember the history, and went to
the United States Congress, and said, this administration sees a
threat; what do you all think? And members of the Congress from both
political parties looked at the same intelligence we looked at, and
they remembered the same history we remembered, and they concluded that
Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force. My
opponent looked at the very same intelligence I looked at, and when
they said, do you authorize the use of force, he voted yes.
Before the Commander-in-Chief commits troops into harm's way we
must try all options. I've got to be able to say to the moms and dads
and husbands and wives of our soldiers that I tried everything I can to
deal with the threat before it fully materializes in ways other than
militarily. So I went to the United Nations. My hope was that we
could solve this problem diplomatically. I was hopeful that the free
world might convince Saddam Hussein to come to his senses.
And so the U.N. debated the issue and the U.N. Security Council
voted 15 to nothing on a resolution that said to Saddam Hussein,
disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. I believe when
intelligence organizations speak, they better mean what they say, in
order to make the world a more peaceful place. (Applause.) The world
spoke; he didn't listen. As a matter of fact, he hadn't listened for a
decade. This was not the first resolution that the U.N. had passed. I
think it was like number 17, if I'm not mistaken. I can't remember the
exact number; I believe it's in double digits at least. In other
words, they passed a resolution, he ignored, they passed, he ignored,
they passed, he ignored, which only strengthened Saddam Hussein.
And so, at this point -- and not only that, remember they sent the
inspectors into Iraq and, as intelligence shows, he systematically
deceived them. So I had a choice to make. And here's the way I view
the choice: Diplomacy had failed; we tried what we could do to
convince him to disclose and disarm. Do I take the world of a madman
and forget lessons of September the 11th, or do I take action to defend
this country? Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
(Applause.)
Okay, hold on, we've got work here. We did not find the stockpiles
we all thought were there. But we do know he had the capability of
making those weapons. And he had the capacity to pass that capability
on to an enemy. And after September the 11th, that is a risk I believe
our country could not afford to take. Knowing what I know today, I
would have made the same decision. (Applause.)
Okay, hold on a minute. Thank you all. A couple of other lessons
learned. When we put our kids in harm's way, they deserve the full
support of the federal government. (Applause.) All of us in positions
of responsibility must be able to say to our troops and loved ones,
we're giving you what you need to do your job. It's a solemn duty of
the federal government. That's why I went to the Congress in September
of last year and said, look, we need $87 billion for supplemental
funding. That would be funding for body armor and spare parts,
ammunition, fuel, hazard pay, health benefits, that which is needed to
support our troops in harm's way. A legitimate request, more
importantly, it was a necessary request.
And we got great support from members of both political parties.
People understood that we have a duty at the federal level to support
our troops. The support was so strong that only 12 members of the
United States Senate voted against funding for our troops -- two of
whom are my opponent and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Four members of the United States Senate voted to
authorize the use of force and then voted against funding the troops.
And two of those four are my opponent and his running mate. When asked
about the vote, he said this: "I actually did vote for the $87
billion, right before I voted against it." Now, I don't know if
they're talking that way here in the town square of Blaine or not. I
don't think so. (Laughter.) And they pressed him further, and he said,
he's proud of the vote. He finally said the whole thing was a
complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat. (Applause.)
Okay. That bus is warming up. I've got some more I've got to
say. Thank you all for the generous applause. I've got something else
I want to tell you. We're headed toward peace. (Applause.) I believe
that liberty can transform societies for the better. That's what I
believe. The heart of my conviction is I believe that liberty is a
transformational power. I believe that this is a theme throughout our
history -- and throughout the history of the world. Think about this
when you're talking to your friends and neighbors about this campaign.
Think about this when you're thinking about a loved one who is serving
an historic time now.
I sit at a table with Prime Minister Koizumi. We have a serious
discussion. He is the Prime Minister of Japan. You know, my dad went
to war against the Japanese, your dad and granddads did, as well. They
were the sworn enemy of the United States of America. And it was a
bloody conflict. And after we won World War II, fortunately, my
predecessor Harry Truman and others in the United States believed that
liberty could transform an enemy into a friend. And there was a lot of
skeptics then. And you can understand why. We had just been to war.
A lot of people's lives were harmed as a result of that war. And so
there were doubters as to whether or not liberty had the power to
transform. But nevertheless, there was great faith in those days about
the capacity of liberty. And they helped Japan -- our predecessors
helped Japan become a democracy. And as a result, I sit down at the
table today, talking to Prime Minister Koizumi about keeping the peace
we all want.
Think about that. Someday, someday, an American President is going
to sit down with a duly-elected leader of Iraq, talking about how to
keep the peace. And our children and grandchildren will be better off
for it. (Applause.) That's what's happening. That's what you're
seeing right now. That's what you're seeing.
These are historic times. It's essential that we have this great
faith in the ability of liberty to transform the world. Those are the
stakes in which we live. It's a chance to really use our influence
with friends and allies to lead toward a more peaceful world. And
that's why the American President must be clear in his thoughts, must
not send mixed signals to the enemy or allies, must be firm in our
resolve. (Applause.) You can't chase the political winds. You've got
to have an unshakable faith in the ability of liberty to transform the
world for the better. And by remaining resolute and firm and strong,
this world will be peaceful. And we can look back -- this generation
of Americans can look back and say, the world was a better place, and
our children and grandchildren have a better chance to grow up in a
peaceful, peaceful world.
Thank you all for coming. May God bless. (Applause.)
END 1:46 P.M. CDT
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