THE PRESIDENT:
I, first of all, understand that
the attacks on September the 11th affected a lot of
people. Not only did we lose a lot of
life, not only are Americans
worried about future attacks, but a lot of people lost their jobs.
And I'm here at this program to assure the
American people and yourselves that our
governments, both federal and state governments, want
to help you help
yourself. I've just come from a little discussion with
people who find themselves in the same position
you're in, about how best to use resources to enable them to retrain
for jobs that actually exist.
Today, we announced a grant for the
state of Florida for over $3
million to encourage programs in
one-stop centers such as this, so that they're available for people who
are looking for new skills. And the other
thing that makes it important is the federal
government can write checks, but it seems like to me it makes sense to
empower the local folks to design the programs to meet the needs so
that you can train for jobs that actually exist in your neighborhood.
And that's why I'm so proud
of my little brother for seizing this initiative to develop
a program that will meet your needs and the needs of
people that are looking for workers.
I want you to know that I'm
optimistic about the future of the country. There's no
question in my mind we will win the war on
terror. There's no question that those who -- the evil ones
who murdered innocent citizens will be brought to justice.
I believe that we're making -- taking everything we possibly can to
--
I know we're doing everything we
can to prevent further attacks. It's
going to be important for the economic vitality
of our country to prevent future
attacks. And we're taking the steps necessary within our
Constitution to do just that.
If we get any whiff, or any sniff that
somebody is going to harm an American again,
we're acting -- just the way you would want us to.
And I believe that we've got in
place the framework for economic growth: the good fiscal
policy, interest rates are low, energy prices are
reasonable. But I hope the Congress does pass
legislation that will take care of displaced
workers for the short-term, provide the short-term help
necessary for you all -- extending unemployment insurance, national
emergency grants to help with the health care payments, and
then put other stimuluses in place to encourage
job creation. The long-term solution is more
jobs. And I believe acting together, we can do that.
There seems to be a little bit of a logjam in
Washington, D.C. right now.
And I know that Senators from both parties, if
they could hear the
stories about -- and I'm sure they do,
I'm sure they listen when they go home.
But they need to act. They need to
stop fussing and stop talking and get something to my desk that will
take care of the workers and provide stimulus to this economy.
I wish you all the best.
I'm an optimist. We live in a great
country, a resilient country, a country that will rise to
the task. And I
believe that the effects of 9/11 will --
when we do our job, will be mitigated with job
increases for you all. I really wish you the
best. I hurt, that coming into the holiday
season, that you're not working. But I
admire your courage for going out to try to
improve yourselves so you can find jobs around here.
God bless you all. Thank you for letting me
come by to say hello. I wish you all the
best. (Applause.)