For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
October 19, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at Victory '04 Rally in Primos, Pennsylvania
Primos-Secane-Westbrook Park Fire Company Station 74 Upper Darby Primos, Pennsylvania
3:28 P.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you very, very much, Congressman. Thank you so
much. I'm so happy to be here. I'm running late and I'm sorry to hold
you all up, but the weather, as you can tell, is not that great for
flying from New York.
I'm so glad to be here. Thank you very much, Congressman Weldon.
Thank you, Julie Nixon Eisenhower. Where's Julie now? Julie, thank
you very, very much for being here with me. And I want to thank all
the state and local officials that have joined me today -- and
especially the first responders who are standing behind me today.
Thank you. (Applause.)
Congressman Weldon told me when I came in that when this firehouse
was built, when they built this one, they turned the other one into a
library. And I think that is so terrific. (Applause.)
I want to thank the Upper Darby High School Marching Band, who
entertained the crowd. Thank you all so much. I really appreciate
it. (Applause.)
And I'm so happy to be back in Pennsylvania to talk about why it's
so important to reelect President George W. Bush. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
(Applause.)
MRS. BUSH: Two weeks from today, the American people will go to
the polls to decide who will lead our country for the next four years.
I can tell you that President Bush will make America safer stronger and
better. (Applause.) He'll work to bring opportunity and prosperity to
every corner of our country. And with your help on November 2nd, we'll
carry Pennsylvania and reelect President Bush. (Applause.)
As I've traveled around our country over the last several months,
I've met so many people who have a deep love for our country -? and for
our President. People all across America see what you and I see, and
that is my husband is a man of great character and conviction. We've
watched as President Bush has led our country though the most historic
struggles of our generation. We've been through a lot together these
last four years. But today, our economy is growing, we're closing the
achievement gap in our schools, and America is safer and stronger
thanks to the President's decisive leadership. (Applause.)
In Ohio, I visited with a woman business owner who summed up our
success this way. She said, "President Bush was born for such a time
as this. He never wavers when it comes to doing the right thing. It
makes me feel so secure to know that our leader has such a love for our
country." (Applause.)
These are historic times, but they're also times of change. Just
think about the differences in our lives today and the lives of our
parents or grandparents. Today in most families, both parents work
outside the home, including two-thirds of all mothers. And more single
parents are doing double duty alone. More entrepreneurs are starting
their own businesses. Workers are changing jobs often during their
lifetimes, rather than going to work for one company and staying there
for their whole career. And more people are going back to school to
keep up with our changing economy.
President Bush has outlined an agenda for the new term. And
helping families face the challenges of this changing world is at the
heart of the President's plan.
We know that all opportunity starts with education. And thanks to
the No Child Left Behind Act, our schools are improving with higher
standards, with accountability, and with the most federal funding ever
for elementary and secondary education. (Applause.) And as we help
our younger students by making sure they learn to read by the third
grade, we also want to make sure that our students in high schools are
well prepared for the new jobs of the 21st century. We want high
school students to have increased math and science training, because we
know that the new jobs will demand these skills. We also want to make
federal student financial aid more flexible, so that more Americans can
go to college, earn a degree, or take specialized courses that will
help them get a great job.
And when these graduates go to work, I'm proud to say that a lot of
them will go to work for a woman boss. (Applause.) Ten million women
own their own business in America, and that sisterhood just keeps
growing. In fact, women are starting small businesses at twice the
rate of men in the United States. And millions of families and small
business owners are saving more of their own money because the
President worked to pass the largest tax relief in a generation.
(Applause.)
And just in case you don't know, a lot of small businesses are
either sole proprietorships or sub-S corporations, which means they pay
regular income tax like individuals pay. So when you're talking about
tax relief, you're also talking about tax relief for small businesses,
so they can expand their operations and hire more people. And America
has added 1.9 million new jobs since August 2003. (Applause.) That's
more jobs than Germany, Japan, England, Canada and France added,
combined. And here in Pennsylvania, you've added more than 57,000 new
jobs since the beginning of this year. Congratulations to all of you.
(Applause.)
We know we have more work to do to make sure every single person in
America that wants to work can find a job. This month, President Bush
signed a bill extending the tax relief so that families and small
businesses can stay on the path to greater prosperity. The bipartisan
bill, which Congressman Weldon supported, extends the $1,000 child tax
credit, the marriage penalty relief, and the expanded 10 percent
bracket. Overall, 94 million Americans will have a lower tax bill next
year, including 70 million women and 38 million families with
children. (Applause.)
My husband also believes that every American should have access to
the most reliable and most affordable health care. And one way we can
reduce the costs of healthcare is to stop frivolous and junk lawsuits.
(Applause.) In August, here in your state, I met Erin Zezzo, who
learned about the effects of junk lawsuits the hard way. Erin had a
trusting relationship with her OB-GYN, who had delivered her first two
children. Into her third pregnancy, Erin's doctor stopped delivering
babies, because he could no longer afford the high premiums of his
medical liability insurance. Erin had to find a new doctor when she
was six months pregnant.
President Bush will work to reform the medical liability system and
reduce frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.) And he'll also make sure that
patients and doctors are in charge of health care, not bureaucrats in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.) George believes that government should
try to help people improve their lives, not try to run their lives.
And one of the most promising ways government can help improve our
lives is by supporting medical research. The President is strongly
committed to advancing research. Since he has been President, he has
doubled the budgets for the National Institutes of Health and has
requested $28.8 billion for next year's budget. This money will
support research that leads to new and better treatments for heart
disease and cancer and many other illnesses.
But the President also looks forward to medical breakthroughs that
may arrive from stem cell research. You might not realize that,
because many people try to distort his record. But the truth is,
George Bush is the only President to authorize federal funding for stem
cell research.
Last year, the federal government invested nearly $25 million in
embryonic stem cell research and nearly $191 million in adult and other
stem cell research. Many millions more are spent by researchers in the
private sector.
My father died of Alzheimer's and I share the President's eagerness
to find a cure for this devastating illness. We're hopeful that stem
cells will yield cures and therapies for a myriad of illnesses. But we
know that the promise of research lies in the advancement of scientific
knowledge and in a greater understanding of how stem cells can be used
to treat illnesses. The President's policy makes it possible for
researchers to explore the potential of stem cells while respecting the
ethical and moral implications associated with this research.
(Applause.)
Another issue of great importance to all Americans is Social
Security. Once again during this election season, some people are
trying to scare America's seniors about Social Security. But I want
everyone here to know -- and I think he made this very plain in the
debates -- my husband believes that Social Security is a central part
of our compassionate society. And as long as my husband is President,
America will keep the promise of Social Security to all of our
seniors. (Applause.)
As President, my husband has met the toughest challenges with
courage. He believes that it's his duty, the responsibility of every
leader, is to find solutions to problems, not pass them on to future
Presidents and future generations. (Applause.) And his first and most
solemn duty is to protect our country and to protect the people of the
United States. He has worked to defeat terror around the world.
President Bush and I appreciate the men and women like the
firefighters in this company, and all first responders around our
country who are keeping their neighbors safe. We also want the men and
women in the United States military and their families to know how much
every American appreciates their service and their sacrifice.
(Applause.)
President Bush will always make sure that America's troops have the
resources and the support they need to complete their missions. And I
want to make it very clear that under the President's leadership, the
United States military will remain an all-volunteer military.
(Applause.)
We appreciate the patriotism and the courage of volunteers like
Marene Allison, who is here with us today. She was one of the first
class of women graduates from West Point in 1980. Marene served six
years in the Army and today her son, John, is following in his mother's
footsteps as a cadet at West Point. Thank you, Marene, and please
thank your son for us. (Applause.) All of our military families are
in the thoughts and prayers of every single American.
As we do the hard work of confronting terror, we can be proud that
50 million more men, women and children live in freedom thanks to the
United States of America and our allies. (Applause.) After years of
being treated as virtual prisoners in their homes by the Taliban, the
women of Afghanistan are now able to walk outside their doors without a
male escort. And the little girls in Afghanistan, who were forbidden
to be educated, are now in school.
Ten days ago, the Afghan people voted in the first free
presidential election in the history of their country. (Applause.)
Despite threats of violence from terrorists, millions of Afghan
citizens went to the polls. We even heard of a bridge that was blown
up, but the Afghan citizens found a ford in the river so they could
cross it to vote. A 19-year-old woman became the first voter in the
election. (Applause.) She said, "I cannot explain my feelings, just
how happy I am. I would never have thought I would be able to vote in
an election." Isn't that great? (Applause.)
And because we acted, the people of Iraq are free from the tyranny
of Saddam Hussein. President Bush met with Iraq's new leader, Prime
Minister Allawi, at the White House recently. Prime Minister Allawi
said that the Iraqi people are determined to exercise their right to
vote, even as they face violence from people who oppose their
democracy.
Already an Iraqi independent electoral commission is up and
running, political parties are planning campaigns, voter registration
will begin next month -? and free and fair Iraqi elections will be held
this coming January. (Applause.) A recent poll found that more than
75 percent of Iraqis want to vote, and they have confidence in the
electoral process and they're hopeful about the future of their
country. The Iraqi people are showing that the violent acts of a few
can not stop the march of freedom. (Applause.)
Americans know that building a democracy takes time. Think of how
long it took us in our country. It took almost 100 years after our
founders declared all men are created equal to abolish slavery, and not
until 84 years ago did American women get the right to vote. Building
a democracy is not easy but we know it's right. (Applause.)
Over the last four years, the American people have come to know the
man that I've known for 27 years. The American people know that my
husband says what he means and does what he says. He keeps his word.
(Applause.)
So with just two weeks left, I want to encourage you when you leave
here today, tell your neighbors about the President's vision for making
America better. Reach out to Democrats and Independents who appreciate
strong and optimistic leadership. Make sure your friends are
registered to vote -? and get an absentee ballot if you'll be away from
home on Election Day. You only have one more week to get an absentee
ballot -? the deadline in Pennsylvania is October 26th. Then make sure
you vote, and turn out as many people as you can. Everything you do to
help will be a huge asset for the President's campaign.
These are times of change for our nation, but they're also years of
promise. George and I grew up in West Texas, where the sky seems
endless and so do the possibilities. My husband brings that optimism,
that sense of purpose, that certainty that a better day is before us to
his job every day. And, with your help, he'll do it for four more
years. (Applause.) May God bless you. May God bless America.
(Applause.) Thank you all. (Applause.)
END 3:47 P.M. EDT
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