For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
August 17, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at W Stands for Women Event
Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel St. Louis, Missouri
3:00 P.M. CDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. It's so great to be here. I'm so glad
to be in St. Louis today with all of you. Thank you, Ann, for your
very hard work for the reelection of President Bush.
It's always great to see family and I'm glad that the President's
uncle and aunt, Bucky and Patty Bush, are here. They're right over
here. (Applause.) And Lindsay Bush, their daughter-in law and our
cousin, is here as well. Thank you, Lindsay, thanks for your hard
work. (Applause.)
Brenda Talent, I'm so glad you're with us. Senator Talent is a
great leader for the people of Missouri, and we're so glad to have his
friendship in Washington. (Applause.)
I want to encourage all of you to make sure that Matt Blunt is your
next governor. (Applause.) And that Catherine Hanaway is your next
Secretary of State. (Applause.) And that Peter Kinder is elected your
Lieutenant Governor. (Applause.) Thank you all so much for being
here.
I want to thank Reverend Bailey for her invocation, and I want to
thank the very talented singers of the Community Elementary School
Choir. Thank you all very, very much. (Applause.)
And then to the girls from Spoede Elementary that led the Pledge of
Allegiance. Thanks to you all. (Applause.) I know that some of these
girls that were either in the choir or in the group that led the Pledge
are probably Girl Scouts. My mother was my Girl Scout leader and
George's mother was his cub scout leader. (Laughter.) In fact, that's
when some say her hair turned white. (Laughter.)
But Scouting, and especially for girls, Girl Scouting teaches
important values that help girls become leaders. I learned that -- at
an early age, I learned that women can make an incredible difference in
our world.
I want to thank each one of you for being a part of the political
process and for making a difference in our world. Thanks to every one
of you for your politics, but also thanks to you for your community
work. I know every single person here is an asset to their community.
Thank you all for that. (Applause.)
All of us get to follow in the footsteps of our mothers and our
grandmothers who fought for their voices to be heard. And, in fact,
tomorrow is the eighty-fourth anniversary of women's suffrage. August
18th, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, finally giving
women the right to vote. (Applause.)
So as we approach this election in 2004, I want to urge all of you
to reach out to your friends and neighbors, to work to make sure people
are registered to vote. Don't be afraid to reach across party lines
and ask Democrats and independents who appreciate strong leadership.
Everything you do to reach voters and to get them to the polls will be
a huge help for the President's campaign. And thank you all so much
for coming here to be with me today.
Women across America are making important decisions about the
future of our country. My husband knows how vitally important
empowered women are to democracy. And look at Afghanistan for an
example of women who were totally disenfranchised in every way, who
weren't even allowed to leave their homes, and now a lot of them are
registered to vote in their election. (Applause.)
I'm proud that in my husband's administration, there are more women
in senior positions than in any other previous administration.
(Applause.) Dr. Condoleezza Rice advises the President on foreign
policy and Margaret Spellings is in charge of domestic policy. That
means in the White House, women are in charge of everything abroad and
everything at home. (Applause.) That sounds about right to me.
(Applause.)
And the fact is, it's not just that way in the White House. It's
estimated that women make up to 70 percent of their families' financial
and health care decisions. All issues are women's issues and we have a
lot at stake in this election.
We want our economy to be strong and for all women to have the
opportunity to work if they want to. We want our children and our
communities to be safe. We want every child in every neighborhood to
learn to read. And we want women the world over to be educated. These
are the goals President Bush has worked so hard to achieve, and he is
committed to making our country safer, stronger and better.
George and I grew up in the same small town, in Midland, Texas.
His family just lived about four blocks away from mine, but we didn't
really meet until much later in life. Little did I know that I would
literally marry the boy next door. (Laughter.)
It was in West Texas that George learned the values of hard work
and family and integrity. And after 27 years of marriage, my husband
still has those values. And I can tell you that President Bush has the
courage and the character that these times demand. (Applause.)
I love it that women can whistle, too. (Laughter.) That's
terrific.
When the President took office, he was committed to achieving great
goals on behalf of all Americans. But little could we have imagined
how challenging these last few years would be. But because of his
steady leadership, we've overcome some of the toughest challenges in
our history. And, with your support, President Bush will keep America
moving forward. He'll start by making tax relief permanent.
(Applause.)
The President's tax relief plan is putting more money into the
hands of millions of people across America, including 2 million people
here in Missouri. Families with children, married couples and single
mothers are saving more of their own money. More than 80 million women
will save an average of nearly $1,900 each in taxes this year.
In some families, tax relief means more money to pay the monthly
bills. In other families, it means money to start a college fund for
their children or a retirement fund for themselves. And for small
business owners, tax relief means expanding operations and adding new
jobs. (Applause.)
These millions of individual decisions that families are making
across the country are lifting our economy. More Americans than ever
before own their own homes. In fact, we set a new record this year.
More than half of all minority families now own their own homes.
(Applause.)
Over one-and-a-half million new jobs have been created since last
July 2003. And in Missouri alone, you've added more than 82,000 jobs
since July. The record is clear. Because of the President's sound
economic policies, the economy is strong and getting stronger. But we
have more work to do. The President won't be satisfied until every
person who wants to work can find a job. He won't be satisfied until
ownership and opportunity are spread to every corner of America.
(Applause.)
And the President wants to help workers and families keep something
that they never seem to have enough of, and that's time. Time to play
with their kids, time to take care of their parents or to volunteer in
their communities. President Bush will work with Congress to make flex
time and comp time available so that more Americans can better manage
the demands of work and family.
President Bush also knows that reliable health care is vital to
every family's economic security. No one can feel confident about the
future if they fear that their next illness might wipe out their
savings and leave them in debt. The President worked with Congress to
add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare to help seniors afford
their medicines. Already, more than four million seniors have signed
up for their prescription drug discount card. And the President
expanded the system of community health care centers so that more
people can receive health care regardless of their ability to pay.
And because frivolous lawsuits raised the cost of health care, the
President wants to reform the medical liability system. (Applause.)
The growing crisis of medical liability is a particular concern to
women. Obstetricians have some of the highest liability premiums of
all. And as their rates go up, doctors are retiring or relocating
because they can't afford to practice medicine. Women who've spent
years building a trusting relationship with their OB/GYN are left
searching for a new doctor, sometimes while they wait for the arrival
of a new baby. We need medical liability reform. (Applause.)
Another issue that's close to the President's heart and to mine is
education. My husband worked to change public education in America
because too many children from our poorest schools were being left
behind. With the No Child Left Behind Act, which was passed
overwhelmingly by Congress, we're investing more money in elementary
and secondary education than ever before in our nation's history.
The No Child Left Behind Act combines historic levels of funding
with proven methods of instruction, high standards and accountability
to ensure that our schools produce real results for every child.
Today, more students are graduating high school well prepared to go on
to college or to the new jobs of the 21st century.
As we strengthen our schools and our communities, we're also
sharing the blessings of liberty with our neighbors abroad. The
terrible acts of September 11th showed us the face of evil in the
world, but they also called us to the great work of promoting freedom
and democracy. Since that fateful day President Bush has worked to
make our communities safer. We're confronting terrorist threats around
the world. And today, thanks to the President's leadership and the
resolve of the men and women of our military, 50 million more men,
women and children live in freedom. (Applause.)
Consider the women and girls of Afghanistan. During the long years
of the Taliban regime, they were virtual prisoners in their homes,
unable to leave without a male escort. They couldn't go to the doctor
if they were sick. They faced having their fingernails pulled out if
they wore nail polish. And today, Afghan women are working again --
many are even running their own businesses. Some women are learning to
read and write. They're becoming the greatest advocates for their
daughters' education.
In March, nearly 6 million Afghan children, including more than 2
million girls, started a new school year. And this year, Afghan women
will have the opportunity to vote in the presidential election. In
fact, nearly 10 million Afghans have registered to vote, and more than
40 percent are women. (Applause.)
And, as we've seen this week, Afghan women are proudly representing
their country in the Olympics. (Applause.)
In Iraq, women are taking courses in human rights, literacy and
computer training. More women are receiving health care, including
maternal and child health. And women's self-help and vocational
centers are springing up across Iraq from Karbala to Kirkuk.
We still face many challenges, of course. But we know that the
work of building a democracy isn't easy, but it is always right. We
know this from our own history, and we know this from the history of
the Central European emerging democracies. To make the world more
peaceful and to make the world more secure, we'll continue the great
work of promoting liberty and opportunity in the Middle East.
(Applause.)
I'm proud of my husband for taking action to meet the challenges
that America faces at home and abroad. (Applause.) When our girls
were in high school, they'd sometimes complain about having to study
history. Their dad majored in history and he loved to explain the
importance of past events and how they impacted us today. One day, one
of them looked at him impatiently and said, "Of course ancient history
was easy for you, Dad; you lived it." (Laughter.)
We are living in historic times. These are also very hopeful times
for our country. We're moving America forward and we have great
confidence in our ability to overcome challenges. These are times that
require a particularly strong and determined leader, and I'm proud that
my husband is that kind of leader. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Thank you for working hard to reelect
President Bush. Thank you for your friendship. May God bless you, and
may God bless America. (Applause.)
3:17 P.M. CDT
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