Thank you, and, Mayor Koch-and I thank him; he is the donor of that jacket which I am very proud to have-Commissioner McGuire, Senator D'Amato, Congressman Molinari, and James Wieghart, together with the residents of this great city, you are reminding all Americans of what is right and good about our people and our country. My hat is off to New York and its police force for their dedicated and often thankless battle against crime. And I congratulate the New York Daily News for caring enough about its community that it sponsors the New York Crime Fighters Award program. I understand that more than $60,000 in those prize moneys that Mr. Wieghart mentioned have been given out so far, and that is quite an investment in our collective peace of mind. By working together, the city and the Daily News are another example of how our public and private institutions can be made even more effective in improving the quality of our lives. But most of all, I want to thank these citizens here for-they are everyday Americans-thank them for their courage in unexpected circumstances and for their becoming heroes they were. You know, someone once said that a hero is not braver than anyone else. I do not know whether that is the answer or not, but God bless them all. And those who say we are in a time when there are no heroes, they just do not know where to look. They certainly have not been flipping through the pages of the New York Daily News lately. I wish all our people could read, as I have, the accounts of your individual acts of heroism. In each case you seem to think you acted as anyone else would have in the same situation. And you spoke from your hearts about how we all depend on one another. If somebody needs help, we should try to help out. Well, when you read how the Torres brothers chased down a purse-snatcher wielding a knife; how Mrs. Keneally, a grandmother, collared a pickpocket by his neck scarf and gave him the back of her hand until the police arrived-I liked the picture of that one more than anything- -and how Rabbi Rosenfeld immobilized a mugger armed with a machete; you realize there is nothing very average about the average American. Sometimes I have accused some of our political opponents of referring so much about the common man, and I prefer to think that most Americans are pretty uncommon.

Remarks to Daily News Crime Fighter Award Winners in New York City


Whatever successes this administration has had in combating global poverty, Colin Powell gets a lot of credit. I will spend some time talking about our responsibility as government to address global poverty. It is a responsibility we take seriously, and it is a responsibility that Colin Powell carried out in his distinguished tenure as the Secretary of State of our country. I want to thank you for being a friend, and thank you for your service to the country. Thank you all for allowing me to come by to speak. I appreciate the cofounders and the leaders of the Global Development effort. I want to thank you for having this summit. Thank you for being what I call social entrepreneurs, people who care about the plight of other people. Across the globe, more than a billion people live on less than a dollar a day. That should be a troubling statistic to all Americans. They lead lives of hunger; they lead lives of desperation. That struggle ought to inspire us here in America. It is inspired you; it ought to inspire all our citizens. I want to thank you for lending your expertise and your funds to address problems alongside your Government. Colin said, You know, this is not a governmental effort; it is not a business effort; it is not an NGO effort; it is a combined effort by a lot of compassionate hearts to address a significant problem. And so I am here to thank you for your commitment and to let you know, we are pleased to stand with you. I want to thank Susan Schwab, who traveled with me today. Maybe you do not know who she is, but you will soon, because she just got sworn in as the new Trade Representative for the United States. So who do you pick to be the Trade Minister? Well, you pick somebody who is a good negotiator, for starters, somebody who understands that opening markets is in our national interest and that when you open a market, you make sure-as we open our markets, you make sure you are treated fairly. That is what we want. We want to be able to tell the American people that free trade is good for our country, but fair trade means that it is responsible. And so she understands that. She will be a good, hard negotiator, but she also understands something I understand, and that is, trade is one of the best ways to help lift people out of poverty. I am going to talk about that in a little bit.

Remarks at the Initiative for Global Development's 2006 National Summit


I am sorry Laura could not be with me here. She is a-she is a person who cares deeply about the suffering in places like the continent of Africa. When she travels, she brings the message to the people there that a lot of Americans care deeply about ENTITY or care deeply about hunger or malaria. She sends her greetings. I am lucky she said yes when I asked her to marry me. I think this country is lucky to have her as an ambassadress for the good hearts of the American people. I thank Bill Clapp and General Shalikashvili, former Senator Dan Evans, Bill Ruckelshaus, cofounders of the Initiative for Global Development. I thank the members who are here as well. I appreciate Ambassador Randy Tobias. He had a pretty easy job there in Indianapolis at one time. I asked him to-I asked him-I said, Look, Randy, you have got management skills, and you care; why do not you serve your country, see; why do not you come here to Washington, DC, and put up with all the rhetoric and the noise and the sharp elbows and do something for people around the world? He ran the-he ran our ENTITY/ENTITY initiative, and he did a really good job. America is on the leading edge of fighting ENTITY/ENTITY, and one of the reasons we are effective is because of Randy Tobias. See, I got a place in Montana where I can fish. I think you got one in Montana, do not you? Yes, he started talking about his fishing place in Montana. I said, You need to run USAID. It is an important part of helping deal with global poverty. It is an important part of our strategy. I want to thank you for staying on, and I want to thank you for your hard work and your vision. You represent the very best of corporate America. You get your skills; you make a living; and then you come and serve your fellow countrymen and the world. Randy, I really thank you for the inspiration and the example you have set. I am going to talk about the Millennium Challenge Account. Colin mentioned it. The head of it is here today, John Danilovich. Like, we were not moving money out the door, and Congress began to get nervous. I remember Colin was coming to the Oval saying, Look, it is a great idea, but we got to show some results here pretty quick.


Danilovich understands the job is to be less bureaucratic and more forward-leaning when it comes to implementing the Millennium Challenge Account strategy. I want to thank you for taking on this important job. And I also want to thank my friend Rob Mosbacher, fellow Texan, who is running OPIC. Appreciate you serving the country. I believe to whom much is given, much is required. This country has been given a lot. We have got a great system; we have got wonderful entrepreneurs; and we are wealthy. We are wealthy because of the ingenuity of the American people. We are wealthy because we have got a fiscal system that encourages the private sector to flourish. We are wealthy because we are a country of rules and laws. I also believe that with prosperity comes an enormous responsibility. We have a moral duty to care for those who hurt here at home, and we have a moral duty to care for those-as best as we can for those abroad. That is part of the foreign policy of our country. It is a foreign policy that Secretary of State Powell helped implement-helped form and implement. We believe every person, no matter their income or economic status, bears the image of a Creator. That is what I believe. I believe every person, no matter their income or their status or where they live, has dignity of matchless value. And we believe that those who live in the most extreme poverty deserve this country's help. It serves our Nation's interests as well. It is the country's economic interest that we fight global poverty, because as developing nations grow in prosperity, they create better lives for their citizens and markets for U.S. products. It is in our security interests that we fight global poverty, because weakened, impoverished states are attractive safe havens for terrorists and tyrants and international criminals. We believe that young people without opportunities are susceptible to ideologies of hatred. And so by helping poor nations create a more hopeful future, we can not only build prosperity; we reduce the appeal of radicalism. The reduction of extreme poverty in our world must be a key objective of American foreign policy. And so today I want to talk to you about the need for us to expand trade, to promote freedom, and to reform the programs that we have in place, in order to achieve results, in order to say that-to the American taxpayer, the money is not only being spent; it is being spent wisely.


First, the strategy to defeat extreme poverty begins with trade. The value of trade is more than 10 times the value of foreign investment and foreign aid combined. In other words, prosperity as a result of trade is more likely, 10 times more likely, to have a positive effect on somebody living in a poor society than just investment and grants. History has shown what I am talking about. It is probably hard for some to remember, back in the fifties, particularly if you were born in the sixties- -but South Korea was one of the poorest nations in Asia. South Korea reformed its economy and opened its markets to the world. And today, export growth-the capacity for people to find work in South Korea, for products that are sold elsewhere-has made this country the tenth largest economy in the world. India, for a long period of time, had restricted its markets. India opened its markets to global trade 15 years ago. It has doubled the size of its economy since then and created a middle class which is larger than the entire population of the United States. The World Bank study found that developing nations that lowered their trade barriers in the 1990s grew three times faster than those that did not. Economic growth is one important way to reduce poverty. It is the most effective way to reduce poverty. The best way to help millions mired in poverty is to expand the benefits of global trade. That is part of this administration's strategy. I asked Congress, and Congress granted trade promotion authority. It took a lot of work, as you recall, Mr. Secretary, but it was a necessary part of our capacity to expand trade. And since then, we have completed negotiations on free trade agreements with 15 nations on 5 continents with a combined population of 200 million people. We have built on the success of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. For those of you who follow the economic vitality of Africa, you know that AGOA has been a very effective policy. It was put in place by my predecessor, President Clinton. And we signed into law the AGOA Acceleration Act. In other words, we took the step that President Clinton took and took it farther. Trade helps lift people out of poverty. Since AGOA's inception, U.S. imports from Africa have increased by 114 percent. Last year, over 98 percent of U.S. imports from AGOA-eligible countries entered this country duty-free. When somebody is able to sell a product into the United States, it means somebody is working.


It means somebody has got a job. It means that people are not reliant upon the Government to help them realize their dreams. This is like-AGOA has created new opportunities. Americans have got to understand that when we talk about trade, we are not only talking about enhancing economic growth and vitality; we are helping people get out of poverty. Trade is an important part of making sure that we implement this strategy. You know, the AGOA showed that bipartisan cooperation here in Washington is possible. And one thing you can help is to make sure that bipartisan cooperation on other trade agreements is possible in Washington, DC. If you are genuinely serious about reducing poverty, you need to help us make sure this Nation does not become a protectionist nation. The tendencies are to say, Let us just wall ourselves off from competition. But if we become a protectionist nation, if we lose our confidence and our capacity to compete in the global economy, it will make it much harder to achieve the common goal of reducing global poverty. Now we are confronted with a really good opportunity, by the way, to deal with global poverty, and that is to complete the Doha round of the WTO negotiations. You know, national interests seem to be kind of more important than a-than reducing barriers and tariffs across the world. You know, local politics has a lot to do with whether or not this Doha round is going to get completed, and I understand that. And I knew that going into the negotiations. We are ready to eliminate all tariffs and subsidies and other barriers to free flow of goods and services, and we expect other nations to do the same. That is what I said to get the Doha round moving. See, we are ready to make the move on agriculture and services and manufacturing, but we expect other nations to do the same thing. We expect other nations to give us market access. I want to be able to go to people here in the United States, producers, and say, We got you market access so you can compete fairly. And that is why we are going to get rid of the subsidies that now exist on the books. The Doha negotiations are at a critical moment. It is-in my view, countries in Europe have to make a tough decision on farming. And the G-20 countries have to make a tough decision on manufacturing. And the United States is prepared to make a tough decision along with them. That is my message to the world. Susan's going to carry that message.


I am going to carry it to Europe next week at the EU summit. Now is the time for the world to come together and make this world a free trading world, not only for the benefit of our own economies but as an important part of the strategy to reduce poverty around the world. I think we have to expand freedom in order to reduce poverty. Free nations produce the vast majority of the world's economic output. Many of the worst dictatorships are some of the world's most poorest nations. I believe there is a correlation between prosperity and freedom. And this country of ours will continue to pursue an agenda that understands that human liberty is universal. It is just not a U.S. thing; it is its own-liberty is something that everybody yearns for. And freer the world becomes, the more prosperous the world becomes and the more likely people will not be mired in poverty Nations that build institutions that secure the rule of law and respect human dignity also are more likely to create an economic climate that fosters investment and growth. And so we support the rise of free and democratic societies across the world. And the story of freedom is one of the really, really interesting chapters of the 21st century, when you think about it. From Afghanistan to Iraq to Lebanon to Georgia to Ukraine to Kyrgyzstan, people have gone to the polls and elected their leaders. In the last 5 years, more than 110 million people have joined the ranks of the free. That is an astonishing development when you think about it. And it is a positive development for those of us who care deeply about global poverty. As more people gain their freedom, they will also gain the opportunity to build a better life. That is a fact of life. And so this country has got to be confident in our willingness, in our desire to help people- to help free people from the clutches of tyrants. I said in my second Inaugural speech, The goal of this country ought to be to end tyranny in the 21st century. I could have easily have said, One way to reduce global poverty is to reduce tyranny in the 21st century. Free peoples need to do more than cast their ballots. We recognize that. It is just the beginning of a process to reduce global poverty. And so the United States has an obligation to help others build the institutions necessary-in a civil society-necessary to be able to deal in a-with the advent of freedom.


And so we are helping new democracies build free institutions that are responsive to the people's needs. And we are doing so through organizations like the National Endowment of Democracy. We have worked to double its budget over the past 5 years. Those funds support programs that will help form civic organizations. We are helping businesses in new market economies organize trade associations and chambers of commerce. It is the things we take for granted here in America, these funds are meant to do. It is one thing to promote trade; it is one thing to promote freedom, but we have got to recognize that our own aid programs have got to help complement those objectives. In other words, we want results from the money we spend. That is what the American people expect, by the way. See, when we talk about foreign aid, they expect the foreign aid to mean something. I think about people out there that are working hard for a living, and they say, You know, you are spending this money overseas. And the answer is, because not only do we have a moral duty, it is in our national interest to do so. But I have got to be able to tell them, as well, and anybody in elected office has got to be able to say, We are making a difference with the money, see; it is actually producing results. For decades, we provided aid with good intentions. We did not always ask if we were getting good results. One of the great reforms of Colin Powell's tenure as Secretary of State is, he started asking, What are the results of the programs; what are we achieving? Since 2002, we have committed to increase the resources we devote to fighting poverty across the world. As Colin mentioned, since taking office, we more than doubled assistance around the world from 10 billion to 27 1/2 billion. It is the largest increase, by the way, of foreign aid since the Marshall plan. And you get a lot of credit for that, Mr. Secretary. I remember you coming into the Oval Office saying, Let us put our hearts out there for people to see. And one way to do it is by increasing our budgets. I want to remind you what we are doing with that money. We are fighting ENTITY/ENTITY, and we are helping countries fight malaria. We are expanding education for women and girls. We are rewarding developing nations that move forward with economic and political reform.


And by the way, shortchanging these efforts-Congress has got to understand, in shortchanging these efforts, if they choose to do so in the appropriations process, they would undercut our long-term security and dull the conscience of our country. I urge Congress to serve the interests of America by showing the compassion of America and approve my full funding request for foreign assistance this year. And as we increase the resources, we will increase accountability for those who have received American aid. In many poor countries, it is really important for all of us who are involved in this program to admit that corruption runs deep. And a lot of times, the assistance we have provided has been wasted or put in the pockets of corrupt officials. If we expect the people to support us in our efforts to be robust in our compassion overseas, then we have got to recognize that sometimes that money gets stolen and people do not get the results for the money that they expect. And so we decided to do something about it. We decided that our foreign policy ought to recognize true compassion as measured by real improvements, not just by the amount of money spent. And real improvement is the goal of our assistance. And so we have set up the Millennium Challenge Account. And it was set up under the-in the State Department when Colin was there. And here is what it says, it says, We want to grant you money. We want to give assistance, but you have got to be responsible. You, the recipient, have got to be responsible for fighting corruption, embracing democratic government, encouraging free markets, and investing in the health and education of your people. I remember when we put that out, it was a little controversial, as you remember. I do not see what is controversial in that. I do not see what is wrong with saying to a nation, You do not get any money if you are corrupt. Because we believe countries are capable of getting rid of corruption. I do not see what is wrong with saying, You have got to show real investment in education and health care in order to receive our money. I think if part of the goal is to encourage economic development, we ought to say to countries, in return for U.S. aid, open your markets so you can enhance the prosperity of your citizens. Every nation that applies for a Millennium Challenge grant develops its own priorities and develops its own strategies.


But one of the things we do-and this is what Danilovich does and his staff does- they develop clear goals that are measurable. So we say, This is what you are going to do? Show us as time goes on that you are doing it. So far, eight nations have compacts in place that is worth over $1 1/2 billion. Additional 15 countries are now negotiating with the Millennium Challenge Account. And we are going to get the money out the door so long as they meet the criterion. But the point I am trying to make to you is that wise use of Government monies can help us achieve objectives which lead to the reduction of global poverty. And so we are just through spending the money without asking for results. We believe countries have got the capacity to change; that is what we believe. We refuse to accept the status quo. It is time for other countries around the world to demand anticorruption regimes. If we are truly interested in reducing global poverty, those of us who are granting money need to stand up with a united voice and say, We are not going to tolerate corruption. One of the things Randy Tobias and others are going to do at the State Department, they are going to apply the same principle I have just described to you to all our development aid. We are going to insist upon transparency and performance and accountability. We are going to ensure that every American aid dollar encourages developing nations to build institutions necessary for long-term success. And we are going to help developing nations achieve economic independence. That is what we are going to do. We are going to get away from this notion about, kind of, just analyzing monies based upon percentage of this, that, or the other. We are going to be generous in our contribution and demand results in return. Now, what is interesting about the goal of eliminating poverty is that about 85 percent of American resources to the developing world come from the private sector. It is one thing for me to talk, and now I am changing from what we are doing to encouraging you to continue doing what you are doing. The truth of the matter is, our generous Nation is-the generosity of our Nation is reflected in the private sector a lot. You know, government helps, and government does a lot. As I said, we have doubled aid, but what our private sectors do is-it is unbelievable, when you think about it. And corporate America has a responsibility.


And for those of you who represent the NGOs and faith-based groups, thank you for joining the cause as well. Some of the best work in fighting poverty is accomplished in partnership with private institutions. The Global Development Alliance has successfully built 400 worldwide alliances. You have leveraged about 1.4 billion of taxpayers' dollars to over $4.6 billion. In other words, you have taken the money we are spending as kind of a-I would not call it a downpayment, but it is part of a way to really leverage your generosity. And you are making a difference in the lives of millions of people. I am grateful for you. That is what I have really come to say. I have come to assure you that the effort to eliminate global poverty is an integral part of our foreign policy. And I think it needs to be a foreign-part of foreign policy after 2 1/2 years, by the way. I think it needs to be a-I think it needs to be part of the calling of the United States in the 21st century. One of the moral objectives of our time-the great moral objectives of our time is to reduce poverty. I like what Alexis de Tocqueville said about America. Back in 1832, he captured a lot of the spirit of this country. He said this, he said, When an American needs the assistance of his fellows, it is very rare that it be refused. When some unexpected disaster strikes a family, a thousand strangers willingly open their purses. That was the America he saw in the 1830s. It is still got to be the America of the 21st century as well, but not only to help our fellow citizens here at home but for our national interests and our economic interests, and just to answer the call of our hearts It ought to be the center of our foreign policy and the center of the social entrepreneurs in America. We moved hard for the tsunamis, with a military presence that helped organize relief. When the earthquake came in Pakistan, we did not hesitate; we moved. We know that when a neighbor needs assistance, that we have an obligation to help provide it. My assurance to you is that we will continue to stand with our brothers and sisters who are poor, to help as best as we possibly can, and I want to thank you for helping as well. God bless your efforts, and may God bless our country.


Earlier this week Hillary and I were honored to welcome America's Olympic team to the White House. Our athletes amassed a terrific record. There were powerful moments of courage in victory and defeat that captured the imagination of the entire world. I think most of us wish the world would work more like the Olympics. All the individuals and teams had a chance, gave it their best, and win or lose, were better off for their efforts. As heroic as the feats of the athletes in this Olympics was the way all those involved in the Atlanta games pressed on in the face of adversity. Just 2 weeks ago today a pipe bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park. It was a terrorist act aimed not only at the innocent people there but the very spirit of the Olympics. This was brutal evidence that no nation is immune from terrorism and an urgent reminder that we must do everything we can to fight the terrorists. People have more opportunities than ever because people and technology and information travel quickly across national borders. But these things that make us all closer and give us more chances also make us more vulnerable to the forces of organized destruction, to the drug traffickers, the organized criminals, the people who sell weapons of mass destruction, and of course, especially to the terrorists. What happened in the Olympic Centennial Park, that wonderful public space open to all people who visited Atlanta, is symbolic of the world's problem with terrorism. Now, that is why terrorism must be a central national security priority for the United States. We are pursuing a three-part strategy against terrorism. First, we are rallying the world community to stand with us against terrorism. From the Summit of the Peacemakers in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, where 13 Arab nations for the very first time condemned terror in Israel and throughout the Middle East to the antiterror agreements we reached with our G-7 partners in Russia last month to take specific common actions to fight terrorism, we are moving forward together. Our intelligence services have been sharing more information with other nations than ever to stop terrorists before they act, capture them if they do, and see that they are brought to justice. We have imposed stiff sanctions with our allies against states that support terrorists. When necessary, we are acting on our own. A law I signed this week will help to deny Iran and Libya the money they use to finance international terrorism. Second, our antiterrorism strategy relies on tough enforcement and stern punishment here at home.

The President's Radio Address


We made terrorism a Federal offense, expanded the role of the FBI, imposed the death penalty. We have hired more law enforcement personnel, added resources, improved training. And I am proposing a new law that will help to keep terrorists off our soil, fight money laundering, and punish violent crimes committed against Americans abroad. Third, we are tightening security on our airplanes and at our Nation's airports. From now on, we will hand-search more luggage and screen more bags and require preflight inspections for any plane flying to or from the United States. I have asked Vice President Gore to head an effort to deploy new high-technology inspection machines at our airports and to review all our security operations. We will continue to press forward on all three of these fronts. But we cannot cast aside any tools in this fight for the security of our country and the safety of our people. That is exactly what the Republican majority in Congress did by stripping from the antiterrorism legislation key provisions that law enforcement needs to help them find out, track down, and shut down terrorists. Law enforcement has asked for wiretap authority to enable them to follow terrorists as they move from phone to phone. This is the only way to track stealthy terrorists as they plot their crimes. This authority has already been granted to our law enforcement officials when they are dealing with organized criminals. Surely it is even more urgent to give them this authority when it comes to terrorists. And law enforcement has also asked that explosives used to make a bomb be marked with a taggant, a trace chemical or a microscopic plastic chip scattered throughout the explosives. This way sophisticated machines can find bombs before they explode, and when they do explode police scientists can trace a bomb back to the people who actually sold the explosive materials that led to the bomb. In Switzerland over the past decade it is helped to identify who made bombs and explosives in over 500 cases. When it was being tested in our country several years ago, it helped police to find a murderer in Maryland. In the last 2 weeks since the Olympic bombing, our law enforcement officers have been working around the clock, but they have been denied a scientific tool that might help to solve investigations like this one. Our antiterrorism bill would have given us the ability to require tagging gunpowder often used in making pipe bombs. The Republicans in Congress could give law enforcement this antiterrorism tool, but once again they are listening to the gun lobby over law enforcement.

The President's Radio Address


To be selected as their ENTITY candidate by a great party convention, representing so vast a number of the people of the United States, is a most distinguished honor, for which I would not conceal my high appreciation, although deeply sensible of the great responsibilities of the trust, and my inability to bear them without the generous and constant support of my fellow countrymen. Great as is the honor conferred, equally arduous and important is the duty imposed, and in accepting the one I assume the other, relying upon the patriotic devotion of the people to the best interests of our beloved country, and the sustaining care and aid of Him without whose support all we do is empty and vain. Should the people ratify the choice of the great Convention for which you speak, my only aim will be to promote the public good, which in America is always the good of the greatest number, the honor of our country, and the welfare of the people. The questions to be settled in the National contest this year are as serious and important as any of the great governmental problems that have confronted us in the past quarter of a century. They command our sober judgment, and a settlement free from partisan prejudice and passion, beneficial to our selves and befitting the honor and grandeur of the Republic. They touch every interest of our common country. Our industrial supremacy, our productive capacity, our business and commercial prosperity, our labor and its rewards, our National credit and currency, our proud financial honor, and our splendid free citizenship-the birthright of every American- are all involved in the pending campaign, and thus every home in the land is directly and intimately connected with their proper settlement. Great are the issues involved in the coming election, and eager and earnest the people for their right determination. Our domestic trade must be won back, and our idle working people employed in gainful occupations at American wages. Our home market must be restored to its proud rank of first in the world, and our foreign trade, so precipitately cut off by adverse National legislation, reopened, on fair and equitable terms for our supreme agricultural and manufacturing products. Protection and Reciprocity, twin measures of a true American policy, should again command the earnest encouragement of the Government at Washington. Public confidence must be resumed, and the skill, the energy and the capital of our country find ample employment at home, sustained, encouraged and defended against the unequal competition and serious disadvantages with which they are now contending.

Remarks to the Notification Committee of the Republican Convention Accepting the Presidential Nomination in Canton, Ohio


The Government of the United States must raise enough money to meet both its current expenses and increasing needs. Its revenues should be so raised as to protect the material interests of our people, with the lightest possible drain upon their resources, and maintain that high standard of civilization which has distinguished our country for more than a century of its existence. The income of the Government, I repeat, should equal its necessary and proper expenditures. A failure to pursue this policy has compelled the Government to borrow money in a time of peace to sustain its credit and pay its daily expenses. It must be apparent to all, regardless of past party ties or affiliations, that it is our paramount duty to provide adequate revenue for the expenditures of the Government, economically and prudently administered. This the Republican party has heretofore done, and this I confidently believe it will do in the future, when the party is again entrusted with power in the legislative and executive branches of our Government. The National credit, which has thus far fortunately resisted every assault upon it, must and will be upheld and strengthened. If sufficient revenues are provided for the support of the Government, there will be no necessity for borrowing money and increasing the public debt. The complaint of the people is not against the Administration for borrowing money and issuing bonds to preserve the credit of the country, but against the ruinous policy which has made this necessary. It is but an incident, and a necessary one, to the policy which has been inagurated. The inevitable effect of such a policy is seen in the deficiency of the United States Treasury, except as it is replenished by loans, and in the distress of the people who are suffering because of the scant demand for either their labor or the products of their labor. Here is the fundamental trouble, the remedy for which is Republican opportunity and duty. During all the years of Republican control following resumption, there was a steady reduction of the public debt, while the gold reserve was sacredly maintained, and our currency and credit preserved without depreciation, taint or suspicion. If we would restore this policy, that brought us unexampled prosperity for more than thirty years under the most trying conditions ever known in this country, the policy by which we made and bought more goods at home and sold more abroad, the trade balance would be quickly turned in our favor, and gold would come to us and not go from us in the settlement of all such balances in the future.


The party that supplied by legislation the vast revenues for the conduct of our greatest war; that promptly restored the credit of the country at its close; that from its abundant revenues paid off a large share of the debt incurred in this war, and that resumed specie payments and placed our paper currency upon a sound and enduring basis, can be safely trusted to preserve both our credit and currency, with honor, stability and inviolability. The American people hold the financial honor of our Government as sacred as our flag, and can be relied upon to guard it with the same sleepless vigilance. They hold its preservation above party fealty, and have often demonstrated that party ties avail nothing when the spotless credit of our country is threatened. The money of the United States, and every kind or form of it, whether of paper, silver or gold, must be as good as the best in the world. It must not only be current at its full face value at home, but it must be counted at par in any and every commercial center of the globe. The sagacious and far-seeing policy of the great men who founded our Government; the teachings and acts of the wisest financiers at every stage in our history; the steadfast faith and splendid achievements of the great party to which we belong, and the genius and integrity of our people have always demanded this, and will ever maintain it. The dollar paid to the farmer, the wage-earner, and the pensioner must continue forever equal in purchasing and debt-paying power to the dollar paid to any Government creditor. The contest this year will not be waged upon lines of theory and speculation, but in the light of severe practical experience and new and dearly acquired knowledge. The great body of our citizens know what they want, and that they intend to have. They know for what the Republican party stands and what its return to power means to them. They realize that the Republican party believes that our work should be done at home and not abroad, and everywhere proclaim their devotion to the principles of a protective tariff, which, while supplying adequate revenues for the Government, will restore American production, and serve the best interests of American labor and development. Our appeal, therefore, is not to a false philosophy, or vain theorists, but to the masses of the American people, the plain, practical people, whom Lincoln loved and trusted, and whom the Republican party has always faithfully striven to serve.


Well, first let me thank Reverend Jackson. This is the first time I have ever spoken from this microphone. You know, as ENTITY, I am superstitious, and we have had such a good stock market. I do not ever comment on it except I like the way it finished today. I wanted to say just a couple of things very briefly. First of all, I want to thank Dick Grasso for his leadership in the Wall Street Project. A lot of people do not know that the stock market was organized over 200 years ago so that there would be a mechanism through which bonds could be issued to finance America's debts in the war for our independence. So, in the beginning, this stock market had not just a profit motive but a public interest purpose. This man has infused the stock market not only with its greatest success in history but with a public interest purpose, to include all Americans in our prosperity. And we thank him. Most of you were with us today in the afternoon, and I will not make you sit through my speech againor stand through my speech again, even though I'd kind of like to, because this is the first crowd in a long time when I have been guaranteed a standing ovation. I just want to make two points. One, I want to thank Jesse Jackson for being there on this issue for a long time, saying we would never be the country we ought to be until we really had economic opportunity for allthat's what the Wall Street Project is all aboutand that it would be good business, as well as good morality. The second point I want to make, that I made today and I leave with all of you is, this is the only time in my lifetime we have had a booming economy, improvements in all of our social fabric, the absence of crisis at home and domestic threats, and the absence of threats to our security around the world as big as those we faced in the cold war. None of this has ever happened before. The big question before us is, what are we going to do with this magic moment? Are we going to take the long look into the future and do the big things that America needs, or are we going to indulge ourselves in shortsighted frittering away of our present wealth and serenity at home and stability around the world?

Remarks at a Wall Street Project Conference Reception in New York City


If I am late getting up here, I just had to finish the story. President Zia, Begum Zia, distinguished guests, it is an honor for me to welcome you to the White House this evening. President, our talks this morning underlined again the strong links between our countries. We find ourselves even more frequently in agreement on our goals and objectives. And we, for example, applaud your deep commitment to peaceful progress in the Middle East and South Asia, a resolve which bolsters our hopes and the hopes of millions. In the last few years, in particular, your country has come to the forefront of the struggle to construct a framework for peace in your region, an undertaking which includes your strenuous efforts to bring peaceful resolution to the crisis in Afghanistan-a resolution which will enable the millions of refugees currently seeking shelter in Pakistan to go home in peace and honor. Further, you have worked to ensure that progress continues toward improving the relationship between Pakistan and India. And in all these efforts the United States has supported your objectives and will applaud your success. A great intellectual forefather of Pakistan, Muhammed Iqbal, once said that, The secret of life is in the seeking. Well, President Zia, today the people of the United States and Pakistan are seeking the same goals. Your commitment to peace and progress in South Asia and the Middle East has reinforced our commitment to Pakistan. We want to assure you, Mr. President, and the people of your country that we will not waver in this commitment. It stretches back to Pakistan's first days of independence. It is based on mutual interest, yes, but also on shared visions and goals in the world around us. It is based, as well, on the fact that the people of both our countries sincerely value the good relations and the affinity between us. Our people already work together in significant ways through educational exchanges, tourism, economic cooperation, and through bonds of family and friendship. We have cooperative programs in science and technology and in agriculture, and we hope to explore with the Government of Pakistan various ways of enhancing cooperation. Differences may come between our nations or have come between our nations in the past, but they have proven to be transitory while the ties which bind us together grow stronger year by year.

Toasts of President Reagan and President Mobammad Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan at the State Dinner


Ladies and gentlemen, because this is the only time I am going to be before the press today, at the outset of my remarks I'd like to say a few things about the situation in Iraq. For more than 3 months, the United States and the international community have very patiently sought a diplomatic solution to Iraq's decision to end all its cooperation with the U.N. weapons inspectors. Iraq's continued refusal to embrace a diplomatic, peaceful solution, its continued defiance of even more United Nations resolutions, makes it plainer than ever that its real goal is to end the sanctions without giving up its weapons of mass destruction program. The Security Council and the world have made it crystal clear now that this is unacceptable, that none of us can tolerate an Iraq free to develop weapons of mass destruction with impunity. Still, Saddam Hussein has it within his hands to end this crisis now by resuming full cooperation with UNSCOM. Just yesterday his own neighbors in the Arab world made it clear that this choice is his alone and the consequences, if he fails to comply, his alone in terms of responsibility. Now, let me say to all of you, this is a very good day for the United States. I want to thank Officer Sandra Grace from New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Detective Gary McLhinney from Baltimore for their service, for sharing their stories, for representing their organizations so well, for reminding us why all of those here have worked so hard to pass the laws that in a few moments I will sign, laws to help us honor the memory of law enforcement officers by helping to prevent the kind of gun-related crimes that took their lives and by supporting the families they leave behind. I'd also like to thank Secretary Rubin, Attorney General Reno, Director Magaw, the ATF, Assistant Secretary Johnson, and the others who are here from the Treasury and Justice Departments; Attorney General Curran from Maryland, who joined us today. And a special word of thanks to my good friend Senator Biden, who had to leave; and to Congressman Stupak; Congressman King, who spoke so well and did so much. And thank you, Congressman Fox, for joining us here today in celebration of the work you did that I hope you will be proud of all your life, sir. This is a special day for me personally because I was attorney general of my own State. I was Governor for a dozen years. I have spent a lot of hours riding around in State police cars with officers.

Remarks on Signing Legislation on Educational Assistance for Families of Slain Officers and on Penalties for Criminals Using Guns


I have been to altogether too many funerals of law enforcement officials killed in the line of duty. And because I come from a small State, very often I knew these people well. I knew their families, their children, their circumstances. Just last weekend I went home to dedicate an airport, and the first people that came running up to me were the three State police officers who were assigned to work the event. And we stood there and relived a lot of old times. And I think, again, we should thank, especially, the Members of Congress who are here; the police officers; Gil Gallegos and the FOP; Thomas Nee and the National Association of Police Officers; Jerry Flynn, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers; Rich Gallo, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association; Sam Cabral, the International Union of Police; and Debbie Geary from the Concerns of Police Survivors. I'd like to ask you all just to give them all another hand. Six years ago when I became ENTITY, one of my most urgent priorities was to put the Federal Government on the side of supporting our police officers and reducing the crime rate. At the time, the crime rate was on the rise; gangs, guns, and drugs were sweeping through our neighborhoods, terrorizing our families, cutting off the future of too many of our children. The thing that bothered me most when I was out around the country seeking the Presidency was that there were so many people who were full of hope and optimism for our country, but when it came to crime, they seemed almost to have given up, to have simply accepted the fact that a rising crime rate was a part of the price of the modern world. We were able to galvanize, all of us together, the energies of the American people to fight back. I never met a law enforcement officer who believed that a rising crime rate was inevitable. Every law enforcement officer I met believed that if we did the right things-if we were tough, yes, but tough was not enough; we had to be smart, too-that if we both punished people who should be punished and did the intelligent things to prevent crime from happening in the first place, that the crime rate could go down. And we passed in 1994 a historic crime bill, along with the Brady law, which among other things focused on community policing, aggressive prevention, and tougher penalties for violent repeat offenders. Now we are ahead of schedule and under budget in putting those 100,000 police on the street.


We have gone after gangs and drugs with the full authority of Federal law. The Brady law has prevented about a quarter of a million felons, fugitives, and stalkers from buying firearms in the first place. Crime rates have fallen to a 25-year low. All across America, robbery is down; assault is down; murder is down. Respect for the law is on the rise. fewer broken windows, less graffiti, cleaner streets in city after city after city. We must never forget that this victory was won, however, at a very high price for some of our law enforcement officials. We must never forget that police officers put on their uniforms, their badges, go to work every day knowing that that day could be their last, just by doing their jobs. Officer Bradley Arn served on the police force of St. Joseph, Missouri, for the last 7 years. He patrolled the streets by day and worked his way through college by night. At 28, more than anything else, he wanted a better life for his wife and his 2-year-old twin daughters. On Tuesday, just a couple of days ago, he answered a distress call. A career criminal with a semiautomatic gun was terrorizing pedestrians. He responded to the call and was brutally gunned down. According to the police, the murderer had a deadly goal, quote, He wanted to hurt people in black-and-white cars wearing dark blue uniforms. Only the bravery of a fellow officer stopped the shooting spree. Every year there are too many police officers like Bradley Arn who make the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe. Not very long ago, I went up to the Capitol to honor the two police officers who were killed there. But we have to do more than build monuments to honor these people. We have to take action to prevent more needless tragic deaths, to work for those who have given their lives, and we have to take action to help families they leave behind. Two years ago we acted to provide college scholarships to the families of slain Federal law enforcement officers. Last year I pledged to make those same scholarships available to the families of State and local law enforcement officers and all public safety personnel. Today the legislation I sign honors that pledge. From now on, children and spouses of public safety officials who lose their lives in the line of duty will be able to apply for nearly $5,000 a year to pay for college tuition.


I should point out that because virtually 100 percent of these families will be people on very modest incomes, they will be eligible also for the $1,500-a-year HOPE tax credit in the first 2 years of college, tax credits for the junior and senior year, expanded work-study programs, student loan programs-a student loan program which in most places allows them to pay the loan back as a percentage of the income that they earn-and the IRA that can be withdrawn from without penalty if the money's used to educate children. Most of that was the product of the bipartisan Balanced Budget Act of 1997. So we believe that if you look at this scholarship amount with the other things that have been passed in the last couple of years, as Peter King said, with overwhelming bipartisan support, Democrats and Republicans working together on these issues, we will be able to protect the families and the children in their education and, in so doing, to honor the families and the law enforcement officers. It is the least we can do, and we have to do it. The bill I am about to sign was enacted in memory of U.S. Deputy Marshal William Degan, the most decorated deputy marshal in our history, who lost his life in a brutal shootout. His son, Billy Degan, was the first young person to benefit from this program. He recently graduated from Boston College, and he is here with us today. I'd like to ask him to stand and be recognized. Now, let me say just a brief word about the other legislation that I am going to sign; Mr. McLhinney talked about it. I am very proud that we are announcing these scholarships, but I cannot wait for the day when there is not a single person eligible for one. And I think that all of us should think about that. We know from painful experience that the most serious threat to the safety of police officers is a criminal armed with a weapon. Most police officers who lose their lives die from gunshot wounds. That is why we fought hard to keep guns off the streets, out of the hands of criminals. Brady background checks, as I said earlier, have prevented nearly a quarter of a million felons, fugitives, and stalkers from buying guns. Last week I announced a new step to close a loophole in the law that makes it easier for gun traffickers and criminals to avoid those checks at private gun shows.


Make no mistake, the insidious practice of sidestepping our guns laws is not an idle threat. The city of Chicago recently concluded an undercover investigation of gun dealing. And as you saw, I hope, in the morning press, it has just filed suit alleging widespread practices by gun dealers in the Chicago area of selling guns illegally, counseling purchasers on how to evade firearms regulations, even selling guns to purchasers who say they intend to violate the law. We know legitimate gun dealers make every effort to comply with the law, but these charges in Chicago, if proven true, would demonstrate that at least some parts of the gun industry are helping to promote an illegal market in firearms. Such disrespect of our law endangers our people, and we will be watching the progress of this lawsuit closely. The ATF already vigorously investigates gun dealers and other gun traffickers who violate Federal laws. We will continue to work closely with State and local police to trace the crime guns back to their source and prevent illegal gun sales, especially to criminals and juveniles. But there is more we can do to protect our communities and police officers. You have heard a little bit of it from Detective McLhinney, but let me just say again, for several years now criminals who have used guns to commit their crimes have been subject to stiff mandatory penalties under Federal law and virtually every State law in the country. To protect our families and police officers, the bill I sign today will add 5 years of hard time to sentences of criminals who even possess firearms when they commit drug-related or violent crimes. A second conviction means a quarter century in jail. This is very important to try to reduce the threat of violent crime. Just a couple of days ago on Veterans Day, as I have every year since I have been ENTITY, I laid a wreath on the tomb of the unknown servicemen who gave their lives in service to our country. Today it is with great pride that I stand here with many of our law enforcement officers who every day are prepared to make the same sacrifice. Together, we are working to make America stronger in the 21st century. And again, let me thank you all. Now I'd like to ask the Members of Congress and Officers Grace and McLhinney and Mr. Degan, if you would come up here, I'd like for you to stand with us as we sign the bill, please.


This week, the independent Commission on the September the 11th attacks issued its final report. I appreciate the hard work of the Commission over the past 20 months. They have produced a serious and comprehensive report, and I welcome their recommendations. Indeed, we have already put into action many of the steps now recommended by the Commission, and we will carefully examine all the Commission's ideas on how we can improve our ongoing efforts to protect America and to prevent another attack. The events of September the 11th, 2001, dramatically demonstrated the threats of a new era. In the nearly 3 years since the attacks, we have waged a steady, relentless, determined war on terrorists. We are fighting them in foreign lands so we do not have to face them here in America, and we are taking unprecedented steps to defend the homeland. Since September 2001, America and our allies have captured or killed thousands of terrorists, removed terrorist regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, convinced Libya to give up its weapons of mass destruction, and put the world's most dangerous nuclear trading network out of business. We are chasing down terrorist enemies abroad and within our own borders. On the homefront, we have dismantled terrorist cells and prosecuted terrorist supporters from California to Florida to Massachusetts. As the Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, Tom Kean, said this week, We are safer today than we were on 9/11. But as Governor Kean also noted, The danger to America has not passed. And no matter how good our defenses are, a determined enemy can still strike us. Yet all Americans can be certain our Government is using every resource and technological advantage we have to prevent future attacks. We have created a new Department of Homeland Security with a single mission, protecting the American people. We have established better communications networks to make information on rapidly emerging threats available to local officials in real time. We are transforming the FBI into an agency whose primary focus is stopping terrorism. And we created a new Northern Command in the Department of Defense with the mission of defending the American homeland. To better protect the country, we have posted Homeland Security personnel at foreign ports, beefed up airport and seaport security at home, and instituted better visa screening for those entering our country. We have placed state-of-the-art equipment in major cities to detect biological agents and stockpiled enough smallpox vaccine for every American, in case of an emergency.

The President's Radio Address


It is now been nearly 5 years since an economic crisis and a punishing recession came together to cost far too many Americans their jobs and their homes and the sense of security that they had built up over time. And by the time I took office, my team and I were facing bubbles that had burst, markets that had cratered, bank after bank on the verge of collapse. And the heartbeat of American manufacturing, our auto industry, was flatlining. And all this meant that hundreds of thousands of Americans were losing their jobs each month. And nobody had any idea where the bottom would be. Four and a half years later, our businesses have created nearly 7 million new jobs over the past 36 months. We are producing more of our own energy; we are consuming less that we import from other countries. The cost of health care is slowing. The wealth that was lost from that recession has now been recovered. All of this progress is a testament to the grit and resolve of the American people, most of all. But it is also due in some measurable way to the incredible dedication of the men and women who helped to engineer America's response. Alan Krueger and Jason Furman. Today I can announce that Alan is heading back to teach his beloved students at Michelle's alma mater, Princeton University. When they get together, all they can talk about is Princeton, and they are all very proud, and those of us who did not go to Princeton have to put up with it. And I am proud to say that Jason Furman has agreed to replace Alan as the Chairman of my Council of Economic Advisers. Now, during the crisis, Alan stepped in initially to help engineer our response as Assistant Secretary and chief economist at the Treasury Department. He was so good that we then had to beg him to come back, extend his tour, to serve as the Chairman of my Council of Economic Advisers, where he is been the driving force behind actions that we have taken to help restart the flow of lending to small businesses and create new jobs and arm workers with the skills they need to fill them, to reduce income inequality, to rebuild our aging infrastructure, and to bring down our deficits in a responsible way. the idea that hard work should be rewarded. He is motivated by the principle that no one who works full time in the greatest nation on Earth should have to raise their families in poverty or below poverty levels.

Remarks on the Resignation of Alan B. Krueger as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and the Nomination of Jason L. Furman To Be Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers


His commitment to a rising, thriving middle class shines through in his often passionate presentations andat least for an economist, they are passionate and in the policies that he is pushed, and I know this will continue to be a focus of his research. Alan's wife and son are here today, and I know that they are all looking forward to having Alan back. rockonomics, the economics of rock and roll. This is something that Alan actually cares about; seriously, on Wednesday, he is giving a speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is got a T-shirt under his suit with a big tongue sticking out. So Alan has become one of my most trusted advisers. But I know that he will continue to do outstanding work, and fortunately, he will still be available for us to consult with him periodically, because he is a constant font of good ideas about how we can further help the American people. So thank you very much, Alan, for all the good work that you have done. Now, I am also proud to nominate another outstanding economist to take his place. Jason Furman is one of the most brilliant economic minds of his generation. You can talk to other economists who know a lot more than I do about it. He is won the respect and admiration from his peers across the political spectrum. His Ph.D. thesis adviser, Greg Mankiw, chaired the Council of Economic Advisers under George W. Bush. Nobel Prize Winner Joe Stiglitz, on the other side of the economic spectrum, hired Jason to work for the CEA under President Clinton. After leaving President Clinton's White House, Jason finished his Ph.D. in economics, quickly acquired a reputation as a world-class scholar and researcher. But public service kept calling, and Jason's kept answering that call because he believes deeply in it. So from working at the World Bank on issues of inequality and international finance to developing new proposals to strengthen our health and retirement programs, he helped to shape some of our most important economic policy debates. And when I asked him to join my team in 2008, even though his baby daughterthat's right you were this big, had just been bornhe agreed to serve once again. middle class families, folks who are working hard to climb their way into the middle class, the next generation. And when the stakes are highest, there is no one I'd rather turn to for straightforward, unvarnished advice that helps me to do my job.


He understands all sides of an argument, not just one side of it. He is worked tirelessly on just about every major economic challenge of the past 4 years, from averting a second depression to fighting for tax cuts that help millions of working families make ends meet, to creating new incentives for businesses to hire, to reducing our deficits in a balanced way that benefits the middle class. And so Eve, Jason's wife, who is an accomplished writer herself, has put up with a lot of hours with Jason away. Henry and Louisa, who are here, they have made a lot of sacrifices so that their husband and dad could be here working for the American people. So I appreciate you guys for sharing daddy just a little bit longer. And the reason it is important is because, while we have cleared away the rubble of crisis and laid a new foundation for growth, our work is nowhere near done. Inequality is still growing in our society. Too many young people are not sure whether they will be able to match the living standards of their parents. We have too many kids in poverty in this country still. There are some basic steps that we can take to strengthen the position of working people in this country, to help our economy grow faster, to make sure that it is more competitive. And some of that requires political will. Some of it requires an abiding passion for making sure everybody in this country has a fair shot. But it also requires good economists. Alan and Jason appreciate that. So sometimes, the rest of my staff thinks, oh, Obama is getting together with his economists, and they are going to have a wonkfest for the next hour. It is not just numbers on a page. It makes a difference in terms of whether or not people get a chance at life and also, how do we optimize opportunity and make sure that itwe do not have a contradiction between an efficient, growing, free market economy, and one in which everybody gets a fair shot and where we are caring for the vulnerable and the disabled and folks in our society who need help. So a growing economy that creates good middle class jobs, that rewards hard work and responsibility, that is our north star. Jason shares that focus. I know Alan shares that passion. In Jason's new role as the Chairman of the EconomicCouncil of Economic Advisers, he will be working with some of our country's leading economists, including Jim Stock, who has joined us.


IT IS very hard to keep secrets in government, and I must say that the other day here in this room when we announced the nomination of Gerald Ford as Vice President, that was a pretty well-kept secret. I think, tonight, this is certainly something that Bill Rogers does not expect, and consequently, I think all of us will enjoy the presentation I am now about to make. The Medal of Freedom, as you know, is the highest civilian honor that can be given to an American citizen. Bill Rogers has served for almost 20 years in government, and in those 20 years he has served for 4 years as Attorney General of the United States and 4 1/2 years as Secretary of State. In that period as Secretary of State, he has traveled to 72 countries, has probably made over 150 speeches, formal and many more informal, has had to sit through at least 500 tedious dinners and perhaps 1,000 or even more tedious cocktail parties, but in that period of time, he has represented this Nation, as we all know, with very great dignity. He has made us all very proud of our country and of his representation of that country as Secretary of State. I think that a French Foreign Minister put it pretty well when he summed up. I think it was something like this. He said that Secretary Rogers always says the words that he means, always means the words that he says, but does not always say the words that he means, and he said, I --he went further to say, he said-- I am always happy when he agrees with me, but I am never unhappy when he disagrees with me. That is the mark of a very successful Secretary of State. As you know, of course, we have enjoyed the friendship of the Rogerses for over 30 years. We met 32 years ago at Quonset Point when we were both one of the lowest forms of life, I mean lieutenants, junior grade, in the United States Navy Reserve, and we have been close friends since that time. But tonight, both as a personal friend and recognizing his services during the period I was Vice President and now in the period as President, and representing all of the American people, I have the honor to present to William P. Rogers the Medal of Freedom.

Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of 'Freedom to William P. Rogers and the Presidential Citizens Medal to Adele Rogers


THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AWARDS THIS PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO WILLIAM P. ROGERS Prosecutor, Congressional investigator, and Cabinet leader under two Presidents, his brilliant career of public service has spanned more than a third of a century and touched all three branches of Government. As the 63rd Attorney General of the United States, he pioneered in the battle for equal rights. As the Nation's 55th Secretary of State, he played an indispensable role in ending .our longest war and in starting to build a new structure of peace. Through these efforts, the decency and integrity that are William Rogers' personal stamp are now felt more strongly among all people and nations. No man could seek a greater monument. Now, the Secretary, of course, is desperately-will you please be seated is desperately trying to get up here to respond, but I have another award to make tonight, one that I know that even he did not anticipate. I think that we sometimes underestimate the great role that is played by those who stand by our side, and when we think of Mrs. William Rogers--Adele Rogers, as we know her--when we think of her graciousness through the years, of her superb poise, I think that we all would say that she truly deserved the title of being the First Lady of the Cabinet. And consequently, tonight, an award is appropriate for her as well. The President's Citizens Medal has only been awarded once before, to Roberto Clemente posthumously, and so the second President's Citizens Medal will be awarded tonight and awarded to one who does not hold a government position, because the Citizens Medal does not go to people who held government positions, but to one who, standing with her husband, has represented this country at home and abroad with such magnificent dignity and poise and grace. As the Nation's premiere hostess in foreign affairs, Adele Rogers provided a warmth and charm that helped to humanize the climate of diplomacy in a time of vital American initiatives for peace. Her work as a leader in voluntary action and community affairs among her fellow Cabinet and Foreign Service wives set an example for millions in a time of widening horizons for American women. The first woman ever honored with this award, her achievements eloquently prove its credo---that a citizen need not hold public office to render far-reaching public service.


creating jobs and economic growth on which our country's prosperity depends . Yesterday's job report showed that despite 11 consecutive months of private sector job growth, despite creating more than 1 million private sector jobs this year, it is not enough. We have to do more to accelerate the economic recovery and create jobs for the millions of Americans who are still looking for work. And essential to that effort is opening new markets around the world to products that are Made in America. Because we do not simply want to be an economy that consumes other countries' goods, we want to be building and exporting the goods that create jobs here in America and that keeps the United States competitive in the 21st century. That is why today I am very pleased that the United States and South Korea have reached agreement on a landmark trade deal between our two countries. I am joined this morning by my outstanding U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Ron Kirk, as well as Michael Froman, who was one of our lead negotiators. As you will remember, we did not finalize this agreement on my recent visit to South Korea. The deal was not good enough. It was not good enough for the American economy, and it was not good enough for American workers. As I said in Seoul, I am not interested in signing trade agreements for the sake of signing trade agreements, I am interested in agreements that increase jobs and exports for the American people and that also help our partners grow their economies. So I told Ron and our team to take the time to get this right and get the best deal for America. And that is what they have done. It is a win-win for both our countries. This deal is a win for American workers. For our farmers and ranchers, it will increase exports of American agricultural products. From aerospace to electronics, it will increase our manufacturing exports to Korea, which already support some 200,000 American jobs and many small businesses. In particular, manufacturers of American cars and trucks will have much more access to the Korean market, we will encourage the development of electric cars and green technology in the United States, and we will continue to ensure a level playing field for American automakers here at home. In short, the tariff reductions in this agreement alone are expected to boost annual exports of American goods by up to $11 billion. And all told, this agreement, including the opening of the Korean services market, will support at least 70,000 American jobs.

Remarks on the South Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement


It will contribute significantly to achieving my goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next 5 years. In fact, it is estimated that today's deal alone will increase American economic output by more than our last nine free trade agreements combined. This deal is also a win for our ally and friend South Korea. They will gain greater access to our markets and make American products more affordable for Korean households and businesses, resulting in more choices for Korean consumers and more jobs for Americans. I would add that today is also a win for the strong alliance between the United States and South Korea, which for decades has ensured that the security that has maintained stability on the peninsula continues. It is also allowed South Korea its extraordinary rise from poverty to prosperity. At a time in which there are increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following the North's unprovoked attack on the South Korean people, today we are showing that the defense alliance and partnership of the United States and South Korea is stronger than ever. I am especially pleased that this agreement includes groundbreaking protections for workers' rights and for the environment. In this sense, it is an example of the kind of fair trade agreement that I will continue to work for as President, in Asia and around the world. This agreement also shows that the United States of America is determined to lead and compete in our global economy. We are going to stand up for American companies and American workers, who are among the most productive and innovative in the world. And we are going to compete aggressively for the jobs and markets of the 21st century. But I want to give special thanks to my partner, South Korean President Lee, for his commitment to a successful outcome. And again, I want to thank Ron and Mike for their outstanding work and their entire team for their tireless efforts. They were up late a lot of nights over the last several months. We are going to continue to work with our Korean partners to fully implement this agreement and build on our progress in other areas, such as ensuring full access for U.S. beef to the Korean market. And I look forward to working with Congress and leaders in both parties to approve this pact. Because if there is one thing Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree on, it should be creating jobs and opportunity for our people. Which brings me to the other issue I want to address. Earlier today the Senate voted on two provisions to extend tax cuts for the middle class.


I have come to believe that the people of West Virginia arise earlier in the morning than the citizens of any other State. In order to manage my job I have to get up about 6 o'clock in the morning, but I believe from the great crowds that welcome me early each morning as I pass through this State that you rise even earlier than that. The greetings that I have received in passing to and fro through West Virginia are most encouraging. You have been generous, and you have given a profound indication to the country as to where you will stand on the 8th day of November. A short occasion like this renders it difficult to adequately speak on national issues. I have seen this morning an advertisement of a New York retail establishment, in which they state that they are able to offer hosiery at prices which are demonstrated by our officials as 30 to 40 percent less than you can manufacture them in this community, and that the reason they are able to offer them at these prices is due to the depreciated currencies abroad and their ability to take advantage of that lower exchange in securing commodities in competition with your workmen. And in the face of this our Democratic opponents propose to reduce the tariff as it stands. The Republican Party not only proposes to hold the tariff where it stands but through the Tariff Commission, whose authorities were created by the Republican Party in the Smoot-Hawley bill about a year ago, we propose a review of the differences in cost of production at home and abroad and determine if we are justified in an adjustment that should protect your community. If this advertisement is true I am confident that it will show such a change in the costs of production as will make it possible to give to you relief. And I ask you whether the fate of your city and your community and your State will be more safe in the hands of the party which has fathered and for 70 years supported and strengthened the protective tariff than in the hands of the party who have always opposed these policies and who now promise a reduction of these protective tariffs. Our Nation for the past 3 years has been passing through a great crisis. The early stages of the depression were more or less the normal stages of retribution from overspeculation and exploitation of our people. We have experienced them many times before and recovery has speedily followed. But about 18 months ago came a blow to the United States through the collapse of the nations abroad as an aftermath of the World War, the repercussions of which endangered this entire Republic.

Rear Platform Remarks in West Virginia


The unprecedented action taken by the Republican Party, supported, I am glad to say, by those patriotic members of the Democratic Party who placed patriotism higher than politics, enabled the Nation to escape those dangers, have saved the Nation from chaos and collapse, and brought us into the stage of recovery. Our measures and policies have been turned from defense into measures of attack upon the depression. Since the adjournment of the Democratic House of Representatives, we have seen every day evidences of constant recovery. You will notice if you look at the business statistics of the country the increasing employment month by month. You will notice the increased car loadings which show again the increasing movement of goods. You will find in every quarter of the country the signs of recovery. And if the strategy and if the policies which have directed this great battle for the preservation of the United States and for the institutions and are now operating for recovery shall be continued without change they will bring restored prosperity to the American people. We have carried the first-line of trenches by the reestablishment of confidence in the stability of the United States. And if we can proceed with the battle without change or halt we shall win a victory for the American people that will assure their safety. I wish again to express the appreciation that I have for the support and encouragement from the people of West Virginia. I believe that you will rally to the support of the Republican Party on the 8th day of November as the party of constructive action and give to us a victory which the party deserves for the service it has given over these many years to the American people. I deeply appreciate this greeting. It is encouraging, and it is an indication of the action which you will take on the 8th of November. In the short moment I have here I would like to refer just one moment to the railway problems which we have faced during the past 2 or 3 years. You are interested in the success of the railways. A year and a half ago we were faced with the fact that the earnings of the railways were less than the amount necessary to meet their fixed charges. Over the trough of this depression we were faced with the possibility of receivership of three-fourths of the railways of the United States. Such a failure would jeopardize the policyholders in our insurance companies and the savings in our banks which are invested in our railways. And those of you who have had experience with a railroad in receivership know what the result is to the men who work upon those railways.

Rear Platform Remarks in West Virginia


You know that once the railways go out of the hands of their responsible managers, the intimate contacts of the men with the management of the railways is gone, contracts and understandings suffer. And of further importance is the fact that by supporting the railways we have been able to support them in the maintenance of a reasonable wage to the men who have to operate the railways of the United States. You will recollect that early in the depression I secured an agreement between the industrial leaders, including the railway leaders and the leaders of labor, that there would be no reduction in wages. That was the first time in the history of 15 depressions in the United States that the first act of depression was not the so-called liquidation of wages--placing the first burden of the readjustment of the depression on the back of the workers. As time went on and the depression deepened, the cost of living decreased, profits vanished, and there were readjustments in wages, but those readjustments represented the contribution of the men to the stability of their own industry. They were not by the violence of strikes and lockouts and social disturbances and destruction to the whole social stability of the United States. They were your voluntary contribution to your own order. We have immediately provided advances to the railways to enable them to repair equipment, to replace their equipment in order that with the gradual resumption of traffics they shall be able to meet that demand, and thus increase and maintain employment. You know and I know that since the adjournment of the Democratic House of Representatives these great measures that we have in action for rehabilitation of the country have begun to have their effect. We have witnessed increase of car loadings from about 490,000 cars a week to over 650,000 a week. This means the recovery of the United States, and it means the recovery of employment to the railway workers. And this is but one segment of the great program and the great problems that are involved in the rehabilitation of our country. There are many others affecting different communities, but everywhere they have begun to have their effect and we have begun to see their results. This is no time, when we are in the midst of the most gigantic battle that our country has ever been plunged into in time of peace, to change that strategy or the policies of battle. I wish to express my appreciation for this greeting. It gives me an opportunity to see some of the people of West Virginia. It gives you an opportunity to look at me.

Rear Platform Remarks in West Virginia


But it is very encouraging to have you come to the station and give me this welcome. It is an evidence of what you will do on the 8th of November, for it means the support and encouragement of this administration in its work for restoration of employment and agriculture in the United States. We have already made progress on that road. We are making more rapid progress every day. But this is not a time to discuss national issues. It is a time for me to express my appreciation to you for the kindliness of your greeting. I deeply appreciate your coming this morning to give me this greeting. And it is evidence of what you propose to do on the 8th day of November. This is not an occasion at which I could speak at length on our national issues. Many of you realize the difficulties we have passed through in the last 3 years and the battle which we have made to protect our country from great disasters. You know that we have succeeded in a great defensive battle against the sweep of destruction and chaos. You know that we have now turned the forces and agencies in our control towards restoration of employment and the restoration of agriculture. You have seen during the past few months evidence of recovery from these difficulties. They are evidence that the Republican Party has conducted the country wisely; that it has met the Nation's difficulties with courage; that it has devised the means and methods by which our people have been protected and by which they shall continue to make progress to recovery. I wish to express again my appreciation for your coming. It gives me a great hope and a great faith in the battle which we are carrying on. I wish to express my gratitude this time for two things: first, for the basket of apples. They are always gratefully received from Martinsburg. And second, I want to express my appreciation for your coming to greet me. It is always helpful, and besides that it is a sign as to what will happen in Martinsburg on the 8th day of November. I have thought the people of Martinsburg might be interested if I was to read an advertisement. Sometimes we resent reading advertisements, but here happens to be one of peculiar interest to the people of Martinsburg. This advertisement in a New York paper, refers to wool hose. It states that 8,000 pairs of these snug fitting, ribbed, soft English hose have been purchased abroad at the low wool and sterling prices because of the depreciation on that currency. And they are offered for sale at 39 cents a pair.

Rear Platform Remarks in West Virginia


I am informed that even at the reduced wages--and I understand there have been two or three reductions in wages in your factory in Martinsburg--but even at this reduced wage you cannot manufacture those hose for less than 50 cents a pair. This raises a great question--a question that is an issue in this campaign. The Republican Party stands for the protective tariff. Our Democratic opponents propose to reduce the tariff, and they propose to reduce it in the face of these depreciated foreign currencies, in the face of the fact that living and wages have been decreased abroad as the result of the depreciation of those currencies below the standards of the tariff when that act was passed. Today at reduced wages, the people in Martinsburg are losing employment and suffering reductions of wages. I recently asked the Tariff Commission, a bipartisan body, to investigate the differences of cost of production between those of Martinsburg and those of the places in England where these hose are produced, and to determine whether or not under the flexible provisions of the tariff some relief could be given to the people of Martinsburg. The Democratic Party proposes as one of the issues in this campaign that it will take from that Commission the authority under which such acts could be performed. I want to leave these thoughts with you that here is a town where the well-being of your homes, where the satisfactions and comforts of your life, are today and will be further jeopardized by the transfer of the power of the Government of the United States to the Democratic Party on the 8th day of next November. You will all realize that we have gone through a time of great difficulty. For the last 3 years we have been fighting with forces such as we have never before met in peacetime history of the United States. They have accumulated in strength and in volume at one time to a point where it appeared that we could scarcely save our country from chaos and degeneration. We did, however, through the courage of the American people, through the cooperation of the united action of the whole of the country, and the leadership of the Republican Party, get by and save ourselves from collapse. And we have now turned those agencies and those policies to the problem of recovery in the United States, and those of you who are familiar with the events of the last 4 months will realize that we are moving on that road to recovery.

Rear Platform Remarks in West Virginia


We want to welcome each of you to the White House. We gather together to draw attention to an issue that is as vital to the future of this country as any that we face. No one should doubt that economic and technological progress will have very little impact unless the spirit of our people remains strong. Calvin Coolidge, a President whom I greatly admire, once said, The government of a country never gets ahead of the religion of a country. I deeply believe that if those in government offer a good example, and if the people preserve the freedom which is their birthright as Americans, no one need fear the future. Unfortunately, in the last two decades we have experienced an onslaught of such twisted logic that if Alice were visiting America, she might think she'd never left Wonderland. We are told that it somehow violates the rights of others to permit students in school who desire to pray to do so. Clearly this infringes on the freedom of those who choose to pray-a freedom taken for granted since the time of our Founding Fathers. This would be bad enough, but the purge of God from our schools went much farther. In one case, a Federal court ruled against the right of children to voluntarily say grace before lunch in the school cafeteria. In another situation a group of children, again on their own initiative and with their parents' approval, wanted to begin the school day with a minute of prayer and meditation, and they, too, were prohibited from doing so. Students have even been prevented from having voluntary prayer groups on school property after class hours just on their own. Now, no one is suggesting that others should be forced into any religious activity, but to prevent those who believe in God from expressing their faith is an outrage. And the relentless drive to eliminate God from our schools can and should be stopped. This issue has brought people of good will and every faith together to make the situation right. We believe that permitting voluntary prayer in public schools is within the finest traditions of this country and consistent with the principles of American liberty. Neither the constitutional amendment that I have endorsed nor the legislative remedies offered by others permits anyone to be coerced into religious activity. Instead, these measures are designed to protect the rights of those who choose to pray as well as those who choose not to. I want to thank all of you and all of those who'll gather on the Capitol Mall this evening for what you are doing on this vital issue.

Remarks at a Candle-Lighting Ceremony for Prayer in Schools


And a special thanks to Senator Helms and Senator Thurmond and Congressman Kindness for all that they have done. And today I'd like to take this opportunity to urge the Senate to move directly on the constitutional amendment now awaiting action. The leadership in the House has the proposed constitutional amendment bottled up and has, thus far, failed to hold the appropriate hearings. Some suggest we should keep religion out of politics. Those in politics should keep their hands off of the religious freedom of our people, and especially our children. Earlier I quoted Calvin Coolidge. He had some other words I'd like to share with you. It would be difficult for me to conceive, President Coolidge said, of anyone being able to administer the duties of a great office like the Presidency without a belief in the guidance of Divine Providence. Unless the President is sustained by an abiding faith in the divine power, I cannot understand how he would have the courage to attempt to meet the various problems that constantly pour in upon him from all parts of the earth. Well, after 20 months I can attest to the truth of those words. Faith in God is a vital guidepost, a source of inspiration, and a pillar of strength in times of trial. In recognition of this, the Congress and the Supreme Court begin each day with a prayer, and that is why we provide chaplains for the Armed Forces. We can and must respect the rights of those who are nonbelievers, but we must not cut ourselves off from this indispensable source of strength and guidance. I think it'd be a tragedy for us to deny our children what the rest of us, in and out of government, find so valuable. If the President of the United States can pray with others in the Oval Office-and I have on a number of occasions-then let us make certain that our children have the same right as they go about preparing for their futures and for the future of this country. And now I understand that we are to light some candles. I think you children are to go down there and someone is to present me with a-there it is. These-candles, as I understand it, will start the ceremony tonight on the Mall. Happy that we have had this opportunity this morning. God bless you all.


Tonight we celebrate the coming of a new year, a time of expectation and promise. And our policy of peace through strength is paying off in spades. In 6 weeks time, the Soviet Union is due to pull its remaining forces out of Afghanistan. I am confident the Soviets will stick to their timetable and be out by the 15th of February, which will then be a great day for world peace. I am also confident about 1989 because in just 3 weeks George Bush will be sworn in as the 41st President of the United States. He has handled skillfully the selection of his Cabinet, and the transition process is proceeding well and smoothly. Of course, we still reel in shock and horror from the bombing of Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and we extend our sympathy to the bereaved. The pledge we made to seek out the truth and punish the guilty is a sacred one which George Bush shares. Indeed, President-elect Bush knows as thoroughly as anyone in the world today the nature and problem of terrorism. As chairman of this administration's task force on terrorism he oversaw a report that is the toughest statement to date on the need for strong action-including, when warranted, military action-against terrorists. That report ought to be giving some people sleepless nights right about now. That crime aside, however, there is little to disturb us about the overall state of the Nation as we join together to make merry and sing Auld Lang Syne. But still, during these days, when you turn on the television or read through the newspaper, you might get the idea that what faces George Bush upon his assumption of the responsibilities of the Presidency of the United States will be nothing but a series of impossible choices, heartaches, and just general trouble. Now, I am sure most of this talk is simply evidence that we are about to go through a change of leadership, a moment in time that does funny things to people, particularly in Washington. For some, this is a time to put in their bids on the agenda of the future. For others, this is a time for the jitters because they try to imagine what the future will bring and find it a little confusing. These jitters have been overcome with courage and vision in both the United States and Canada as the way has been cleared for an historic new free-trade agreement to take effect tomorrow.

Radio Address to the Nation on New Year's Eve


It is great to be back in Hillsborough County, one of the strongest Republican counties in New England, and let us hear it for Chairman Chris Egger and the Hillsborough County Republican party, everybody. And I want to extend congratulations to the Hillsborough County Republican party and especially the town committees that are being honored tonight. Because of all of you, Republicans now hold majorities in both Houses of the state legislature. But it really is great to be back at this dinner. I was reminded that I was graciously invited to speak to the Hillsborough County Republican party 11 years ago, and I get an invitation I guess every 11 years to come back. But it was amazing when I think of that year, 2010. It was the year that we won back to the House of Representatives from Nancy Pelosi's Democrat majority. A couple years later, we won the Senate, and then we won back America. And I am here to say, I believe we are on the verge of another great Republican comeback and it starts right here in the live free or die state of New Hampshire. I believe it. And I want to thank a couple of people, and most notably, the man you just heard from. I mean, talk about a good guy, someone who has a heart for public service. I knew a couple others in the course of my life and my career and I count them as friends as well, but I have to tell you, the people of New Hampshire are blessed by the extraordinary and compassionate leadership of Governor Chris Sununu and I am grateful for his esteem and support. I appreciate that overly generous introduction that he made, but Chris knows me well enough to know that the introduction I prefer is a little bit shorter. I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order, and it is my honor to be back in the state of New Hampshire. I also want to thank Executive Councilor Dave Wheeler on a lifetime of service and his recognition tonight, and also Speaker Sherm Packard is here. I know they are in session, and Mr. Speaker, we appreciate all the great leadership that you have provided, a Republican majority are providing here in New Hampshire. God bless you. Well, I came here tonight really for two reasons. First and foremost, I wanted to pay a debt of gratitude. To the people of New Hampshire, I just want to say thank you on behalf of myself and my family.

Mike Pence Speech Transcript on Trump: May Never See Eye To Eye on January 6