pd08de03 Statement on Signing the Energy and Water Development Appropriations...

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[[Page 1721]]

    Our economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. Figures for the 
third quarter were recently revised upward to an annual growth rate of 
8.2 percent. That's the fastest growth rate in nearly 20 years. Today 
the purchasing manager's index came out, which shows that our 
manufacturing sector is getting stronger. It's the highest numbers in 
nearly 20 years. Productivity is high. Business investment is getting 
strong. Housing construction is strong. The tax relief we passed is 
working.
    Three years ago, there was a lot of talk about education reform; 
there wasn't much action at the Federal Government. So I acted. I called 
for and Congress passed, with a solid bipartisan majority, the No Child 
Left Behind Act. This was the most dramatic education reform in a 
generation. It said we will spend money at the Federal level, 
particularly on Title I students, but for the first time, the Federal 
Government is demanding results, high standards and results. You see, we 
believe every child can learn the basics of reading and math. We expect 
every school to teach the basics of reading and math. This 
administration is challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. In 
return for Federal money, we now expect results in every single 
classroom in America so not one single child is left behind.
    During this period, we reorganized our Government and created the 
Department of Homeland Security to better safeguard our borders and 
ports and to better protect the American people. We passed trade 
promotion authority to open up new markets for Michigan's farmers and 
entrepreneurs and manufacturers. We passed budget agreements to help 
maintain spending discipline in Washington. On issue after issue, this 
administration has acted on principle, has kept its word, and has made 
progress for the American people.
    The Congress shares in these achievements. We've done a lot because 
we've worked together. I appreciate Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist. 
Again, I want to thank the Members of the U.S. Congress who are here 
today. See, we're working hard to get rid of the needless politics that 
tends to dominate the political landscape in Washington, DC, the 
backbiting and name calling. The best way to do that is to focus on 
results for the American people, and that's exactly what we're doing. 
We're delivering for the American people.
    And those are the kind of people I've attracted to my 
administration. A mark of the administration is the capacity of fine, 
good, honorable people from all walks of life to serve America, and I 
have done just that. I put together a great group of Americans to serve. 
This country has had no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. Mother 
has a second opinion. [Laughter]
    In 3 years, we have come far, we've done a lot, but our work is only 
beginning. I've set great goals worthy of this great Nation. First, 
America is committed to expanding the realm of freedom and peace for our 
own security and for the benefit of the world. And second, in our own 
country, we must work for a society that is prosperous and compassionate 
so that every citizen has a chance to work and to succeed and realize 
the tremendous promise of our country. It is clear that the future of 
freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This Nation is 
freedom's home and freedom's defender. We welcome this charge of 
history, and we are keeping it.
    The war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle, 
and neither are we. This country will not rest; we will not tire; we 
will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed. We are 
confronting that danger in Iraq, where Saddam holdouts and foreign 
terrorists are desperately trying to throw the country into chaos by 
attacking coalition forces and aid workers and innocent Iraqi citizens. 
They know that the advance of freedom in Iraq, in the heart of the 
Middle East, would be a major defeat for the cause of terror. The 
coalition of killers--the collection of killers is trying to shake the 
will of America. America will not be intimidated by a bunch of thugs and 
assassins. We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq. We will 
defeat them there so we do not have to face them in our own country.
    Other nations are helping. They're helping to build a free country 
in Iraq because they know a free Iraq will make us all more secure. 
We're standing with the Iraqi people, the brave Iraqi people, as they 
assume more of their own defense and more of their own

[[Page 1722]]

self-government. These are not easy tasks, but they are essential tasks. 
And the United States of America will finish what we have begun, and we 
will win this essential victory in the war on terror.
    Our greatest security comes from the advance of human liberty, 
because free nations do not support terror. Free nations do not attack 
their neighbors. Free nations do not develop weapons of mass terror to 
threaten the world. Americans believe that freedom is the deepest need 
and hope of every human heart. We believe that freedom is the future of 
every nation. And we know that freedom is not America's gift to the 
world. Freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman living 
in this world.
    America also understands that unprecedented influence brings 
tremendous responsibilities. When we see disease and starvation and 
hopeless poverty, we will not turn away. And that's why, on the 
continent of Africa, America is now committed to bringing the healing 
power of medicine to millions of men, women, and children now suffering 
with AIDS.
    We face challenges here at home. Our actions will prove that we're 
equal to those challenges. I'm leaving here to go to a small business to 
talk about the entrepreneurial spirit in America, about the need to 
create--continue to create a pro-growth environment so their businesses, 
large and small, can remain vibrant and can grow, so that people can 
find a job.
    We're keeping our commitment to America's seniors by strengthening 
and modernizing Medicare. See, for years, seniors have called for a 
modern Medicare system, one that provides coverage for prescription 
drugs and a system that gives seniors more choices. Washington listened. 
Washington didn't do anything. Finally, Washington has acted. I want to 
thank the House and the Senate for passing a bill I will shortly sign 
that will modernize the Medicare system and keep a promise to this 
country's seniors.
    For the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on the 
frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. People who have 
been harmed by a bad doc deserve their day in court. Yet the system 
should not reward lawyers who are simply fishing for a rich settlement. 
Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health care. They therefore 
affect the Federal budget. Medical liability reform is a national issue 
which requires a national solution. I proposed a good bill for the 
Congress to look at. The House of Representatives passed the bill. The 
bill is stuck in the United States Senate. The Senators from this State 
must act on behalf of the American people and support medical liability 
reform. No one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. We need 
reform now.
    I have the responsibility as the President to make sure the judicial 
system runs well, and I have met that duty. I've nominated superb men 
and women for the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not 
legislate from the bench. A small group of Senators is willfully 
obstructing the process. Some appeals court nominees, including four 
from the great State of Michigan, four outstanding jurists from this 
State, are being forced to wait months or even years for an up-or-down 
vote. The needless delays in the system are harming the administration 
of justice. They're deeply unfair to the nominees themselves. It is time 
for some Members of the United States Senate to stop playing politics 
with American justice.
    This country needs an energy policy. We need a policy that 
encourages more conservation and energy efficiency. We need an energy 
policy which will help modernize the infrastructure, the capacity to 
deliver much-needed power to homes and businesses. We need to explore in 
environmentally friendly ways for more energy. What we really need is, 
for the sake of economic security and national security, to become less 
dependent on foreign sources of power.
    A strong and prosperous nation must be a compassionate nation as 
well. I'm going to continue to advance our agenda of what I call 
compassionate conservatism, which means we'll apply the most effective, 
the best, the most innovative ideas to the task of helping our fellow 
citizens in need. We'll promote social entrepreneurship all across our 
country. There's still millions of men and women who want to end their 
dependence on Government and become independent through hard work. We 
must build on the success of welfare reform by training and

[[Page 1723]]

help, so more of our fellow citizens can find work and dignity.
    Congress should pass what's called the ``Citizen Service Act'' so 
more Americans can serve their communities and their countries. Both 
Houses should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative. Government 
can hand out money, can write checks, but it cannot put hope in people's 
hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. Many of the seemingly 
intractable problems of our society can only be solved through love. And 
we find love in our houses of worship. We find love where there's faith, 
faith of all walks of life, faith of all religions. Our Government 
should not fear faith. We ought to welcome faith in the helping to heal 
the broken hearts of America.
    A compassionate society is one that promotes opportunity for all, 
including the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This 
administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in 
America. See, we want more people owning their own home. We have a 
minority homeownership gap in this country. I've submitted a plan to 
Congress to help close that gap. We want people owning and controlling 
their own health care plans, their own retirement accounts. We want more 
people owning their own small business. You see, we understand that when 
a person owns something in America, he or she has a vital stake in the 
future of this country.
    A compassionate society is one in which people respect one another, 
respect their points of view, respect their opinions, respect their 
religion, and also a society in which people take responsibility for the 
decisions they make. The culture is changing in America from one that 
said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've got 
a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in which each of us 
understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life.
    If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you're 
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you're 
concerned about the quality of the education in the community in which 
you live, you're responsible for doing something about it. If you're a 
CEO in corporate America, you're responsible for telling the truth to 
your shareholders and your employees. And in a responsibility society, 
each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to 
be loved ourself.

    The culture of service is strong in America. People are accepting 
responsibility for the decisions they make. I started what's called the 
USA Freedom Corps. It was a chance for people to extend a compassionate 
hand to people in need, and the response has been strong. Our 
neighborhood healers are vibrant and strong. The armies of compassion 
are growing all across America. Policemen and firefighters and people 
who wear our Nation's uniform are reminding us what it means to 
sacrifice for something greater than yourself in life. Once again, the 
children of America believe in heroes, because they see them every day.

    And in these challenging times, the world has seen the resolve and 
the courage of America. I've been privileged to see the compassion and 
the character of the American people. All the tests of the last 3 years 
have come to the right nation. We're a strong country, and we use that 
strength to defend the peace. We're an optimistic country, confident in 
ourselves and in ideals bigger than ourselves. Abroad, we seek to lift 
whole nations by spreading freedom. At home, we seek to lift up lives by 
spreading opportunity to every corner of this country. This is the work 
that history has set before us. We welcome it, and we know that for our 
country, the best days lie ahead.

    May God bless you all. Thank you for coming. Glad you're here.

Note: The President spoke at 12:05 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. In 
his remarks, he referred to Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and State 
Attorney General Mike Cox of Michigan; Rick Johnson, speaker of the 
Michigan House of Representatives; Betsy DeVos, Michigan State chairman, 
and Sharon A. Wise, Michigan national committeewoman, Republican 
National Committee; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The 
President also referred to Title I of the Improving America's Schools 
Act of 1994 (Public Law No. 103-382), which amended Title I of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Public Law No. 89-10).

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<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1724-1728]
 
Monday, December 8, 2003
 
Volume 39_Number 49
Pages 1719	1764
 
Week Ending Friday, December 5, 2003
 
Remarks in a Discussion With Employers and Employees at Dynamic Metal 
Treating, Inc., in Canton, Michigan

December 1, 2003

    The President. Loren, thanks for having us. Let me say a couple 
things before we get started here. First, thanks for coming out to say 
hello. We're here, obviously, to talk about one of the great strengths 
of America, which is the entrepreneurial spirit of our country, the 
small-business men and women who create the new jobs. And we're talking 
about jobs. And I want to thank you all for being here today to talk 
about your businesses and/or your personal lives.
    Just a couple of things I want to remind our fellow citizens about. 
We've done a lot; we've overcome a lot, when you think about what this 
country has been through in a short period of time. First of all, as 
Loren mentioned, things starting going bad in 2000 for this business. In 
other words, we were headed into a recession. And that's tough, when 
there's a recession. That means negative growth. It means businesses, in 
order to survive, sometimes lay people off, which, worse, means that 
some of our fellow citizens are looking for work and are having trouble 
feeding their family.
    And then the enemy hit us. Just as things were getting a little 
better, we got attacked. And let me take a step back. I'm never going to 
forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. The only way to deal 
with these coldblooded killers is to stay on the offensive and bring 
them to justice, which is precisely what America will do.
    And then we had some CEOs in corporate America forget what it means 
to be a responsible citizen. You might remember, right after the 
attacks, when the great resiliency of America came forth and the country 
began to recover from this unbelievable period of time, it turned out 
that we found--there were some corporate scandals, and that affected our 
confidence. We acted there. We passed some tough laws that sent a pretty 
clear message that if you betray the trust, if you don't tell the truth 
to your shareholders and employees, you need to be held to account. That 
means justice needs to be sent your way, and that's what's happening. 
And then we had a march to war. And that all affected the people's 
confidence.
    And so when we talk about job creation and job growth, it's 
important to understand we have come through a lot, which speaks really 
to the greatness of America, doesn't it? It speaks to the greatness of 
the entrepreneurial spirit, to the high productivity of the American 
workforce. We're the best workers in the world. I think it speaks a 
little bit as well to the policies we put forth.
    I want to thank the Members of the United States Congress who are 
here from the great State of Michigan. A lot of them have come over 
here, for which I am grateful. We passed tax relief, and I want to talk 
a little bit about tax relief, as we go through the panel, and its 
effect on economic recovery. Because when people have more money in 
their pocket, it means they're going to demand an additional good or a 
service, or likely demand a good or a service. And when that happens in 
our economy, somebody will produce it. And when somebody produces the 
good or a service to meet the demand, somebody is more likely to find a 
job. And so not only did the tax relief help hard-working Americans, 
with their pressures on their families and education needs, but it also 
helped the economy.
    And the other thing I want to remind people about is that the tax 
relief was also geared toward small businesses. Most new jobs in America 
are created by small-business owners. You just heard Loren talk about--
they laid off workers; they replaced those workers; and they've added 
workers. Well, there's all kinds of companies like Dynamic Metal across 
the country that are adding workers, one or two or three at a time, and 
that's the vibrancy of our economy. And the Congress wisely cut the--
made it--provided the incentive for small businesses to invest. And if 
the proper incentive is in place, it means people will buy equipment and 
computer software, and that means somebody is likely to find a job as 
they provide that equipment for small businesses.
    The other thing is, most small businesses do not pay corporate 
income tax. They pay tax at the individual level because they're a

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