For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
October 22, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush At Bush-Cheney '04 Event in West Allis, Wisconsin
The Village at Manor Park
West Allis, Wisconsin
9:56 A.M. CDT
MRS. BUSH: Thanks so much, Jenna. George and I have loved traveling
around the country with our girls since they've gone on the campaign
trail with us. George is with Barbara today. And it's so great to have
your children -- to hear your children tell you they love you -- and in
public, no less. Isn't that great? (Laughter.)
I want to thank Jenna for joining me today. I want to thank all of the
people who are here with us. Reg Hislop, thank you so much for making
this visit of mine so smooth. And I want to thank former Lieutenant
Governor Margaret Farrow -- Margaret, are you here? -- thank you so
much. Thank you very much for being here with me. (Applause.)
There are a number of state representatives and state senators who are
here as well. If you all would stand up, I'd love to see where you all
are, and I want to thank each one of you for your service. Thank you
for your service to your state and to our country, thank you all very
much for serving in elected positions. (Applause.)
And also, I think Scott Walker, our Milwaukee County Executive, is
here. Scott, thank you very much. (Applause.)
I'm so happy to be back in Wisconsin to talk about why it's so
important to reelect President George W. Bush. (Applause.) This is
really my last solo speech. When we leave here, Jenna and I are going
to join George and my Barbara, our daughter Barbara, on the campaign
trail in Canton, Ohio. And then I will stay with the President, travel
with him for the last week of the campaign.
But it's been really so much fun. Our country is so terrific. I've met
the most wonderful people. Americans are so generous and so decent, and
that's what George and I get to see as we travel around to every state
in our country.
When Jenna and I join George again and Barbara, he'll be once again
surrounded by his girls, all three of us. And the President, I want you
to know, is surrounded by strong women -- and not just at home. Sure
you can guess that if you have Barbara Bush for a mother, you're used
to strong women. (Laughter.)
I'm proud that in my husband's administration, there are more women in
senior positions than in any other presidential administration in
history. (Applause.) Dr. Condoleezza Rice advises the President on
foreign policy, and Margaret Spellings is in charge of domestic policy.
That means at the White House, women are in charge of everything abroad
and everything at home. That sounds about right to me. (Laughter and
applause.)
We all know that the issues that are important to men are the very
same issues that are important to women. Women are interested in
security issues, women are interested in the economy, women are
interested in issues that have to do with children, education, and all
of the ways that we can help children -- women I think have a
particular interest in. But you might not know how vital American
business women are to our economy.
In August, I visited a women entrepreneur, Carol Schneider, at her
business in Grafton, Wisconsin. Over 30 years ago, Carol started a
business in her neighbor's back bedroom, complete with $500 and a
barking dog. (Laughter.) It wasn't easy to expand her business, because
she was also going to community college, working another job full time,
and raising three young boys. But Carol refused to give up. Today, she
manages 100 employees in 14 offices and she leads a company worth $36
million dollars. And Carol credits the President's commitment to tax
relief to enabling her to open four more offices this year. Isn't that
terrific? (Applause.)
Carol told me, "The economy is doing great and it's because the
President has implemented policies that allow people to keep more of
their own money and spend it how they choose."
And this is the really interesting fact about American business
women. Ten million women like Carol 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. (Applause.)
And since small businesses, which are either usually sole
proprietorships or sub-S corporations, are taxed with regular income
tax, then when you're talking about tax relief, you're also talking
about tax relief for small businesses. They can use that extra money to
expand their businesses and to hire more people. Millions of families
and small businesses are saving more of their own money because the
President worked to pass the largest tax relief in a generation.
(Applause.)
America has added over 1.9 million new jobs since last August 2003.
And that's more jobs than Germany, Japan, England, Canada and France
added, combined. And here in Wisconsin, you've added more than 52,000
new jobs.
We know we have more work to do to make sure every person in America
who wants to work can find a job. But that starts with keeping taxes
low. This month, President Bush signed a bill extending tax relief for
middle class families. And tomorrow* the President will sign another
tax relief bill that provides direct help to Wisconsin's manufacturers,
small businesses, and farmers. (Applause.) With more money to invest
and expand, Wisconsin's businesses can continue to grow and create even
more jobs.
The President's administration is vigorously enforcing equal pay
laws. They've already secured two multimillion-dollar settlements on
behalf of woman who were unfairly deprived of pay. Equality is a basic
commitment of a just society, and the President will ensure that we
live up to our highest ideals.
My husband also believes that a compassionate society honors its older
citizens. And in the last four years, he has achieved historic results
for America's seniors. When my husband took office, Medicare was
outdated, and seniors were paying the price.
When Medicare was created four decades ago, long stays in the hospital
were common, and expensive surgery was often the only treatment for any
ailment. And while politicians argued over how to improve Medicare year
after year, the system never changed. Some people said that Medicare
modernization was impossible.
But President Bush persevered. The Medicare bill is placed on a plan
to strengthen Medicare and give seniors better choices under Medicare
-- including coverage for prescription drugs. This plan earned the
support of groups like AARP, and it was passed by a bipartisan majority
in Congress. And last December, President Bush proudly signed the
Medicare bill into law.
Now we're making sure that people know about their new options under
Medicare -- options like full drug coverage in 2006. And right now, a
prescription drug discount card. More than four-and-a-half million
people are already using these cards to save hundreds, and even
thousands of dollars on their prescription drugs. And more than a
million low-income seniors are receiving a $1,200 credit through the
end of 2005 on their drug discount card.
If there's anybody here who wants more information about the card,
remember you can call 1-800-Medicare to find out all about it.
Another issue of great importance for all Americans is Social
Security. Let me say clearly that as long as my husband is President,
America will keep the promise of Social Security to all of our
seniors. (Applause.)
Social Security will not change for those who are receiving it now, or
for people my age who will receive it soon.
We also want to make Social Security available for our youngest
workers, so the President is exploring ideas to strengthen Social
Security for the next generation. One good proposal is to allow younger
workers to save some of their payroll taxes in a personal savings
account. These accounts would help workers build a nest egg of their
own.
If we take action, we can strengthen Social Security for today and
give tomorrow's recipients more options when they retire. (Applause.)
As President, my husband has met the toughest challenges with
courage. He believes it's his responsibility -- the responsibility of
every leader -- to solve problems, not pass them on to future
generations.
President Bush believes that his first and foremost duty is to protect
our country and to protect the people of the United States. (Applause.)
President Bush and I want the men and women of the United States
military and their families to know how much every American appreciates
their service and their sacrifice. As long as my husband is
Commander-in-Chief, our troops will have the support they need, and the
United States military will remain an all-volunteer military.
(Applause.)
As we do the hard work of confronting terror, we can be proud that 50
million more men, women and children now have the chance to live in
freedom thanks to the United States of America and our allies.
America's Greatest Generation liberated the people of Europe and then
after World War II helped citizens in Germany and Japan rebuild their
societies. At the time, people said Japan will never be a democracy;
there's no reason for Americans to work to try to help them build a
democracy. Today, Prime Minister Koizumi is one of our closest friends.
Sixty years after World War II, the United States and Japan are 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.
This month, 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 by terrorists, but
the Afghan citizens found a ford in the river so they could cross it to
go vote.
A 19-year-old woman became the very first voter in the election. She
said, "I cannot explain my feelings, just how happy I am. I would have
never thought I'd ever be able to vote in an election." (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. The Iraqi people are showing that the violent acts of a
few cannot stop the march of freedom. (Applause.) Americans know that
building a democracy takes time, and it's work that actually never
finished. Think of how long it took us in our country. It was 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
always right. (Applause.)
This is a critical moment in our history. In just a few days, a week
from the next coming Tuesday, voters will face a choice between an
America that is uncertain in the face of danger, or an America that
takes decisive action to defeat terror and spread liberty. Americans
can choose a leader who understands the threat we face today. Families
and business owners can choose a President who will keep taxes low so
that people can keep more of their own money. We can choose a President
who wants a health care system in which patients and doctors are in
charge, not government bureaucrats. (Applause.)
And parents can choose a President who will keep us on the path to
excellence in our schools by insisting on high standards and
accountability for every single child.
The choice is clear: America needs the leadership of President Bush
for four more years. (Applause.)
So with just 11 days left, I want to encourage you to 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 you're registered to vote, and get an absentee
ballot if you're going to be away from home on November 2nd. Then make
sure you vote, and turn out as many people as you can. Everything you
do will be a great help 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.)
10:15 A.M. CDT
END _________________
* The bill was signed October 22, 2004.
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