We love, we love it. Do you like it? We like it, right? I flew over it a little while ago. What started as a dream with a few good friends he helped shepherd into the largest Christian university in the world. Just look at this amazing, soaring, growing campus and I have been watching it grow because I have been a friend of Liberty for a long time, now, Jerry. Thanks in great part George's financial stewardship hundreds of thousands of young hearts and souls have been enriched at Liberty and inspired by the spirit of God. George, we thank you, and we salute you, and you just stay healthy for a long time, George, thank you. Now it falls on the shoulders of each of you here today to protect the freedom that patriots like George earned with their incredible sacrifice. Fortunately you have been equipped with the tools from your time right here on this campus to make the right decisions and to serve God, family and country. As you build good lives, you will also be rebuilding our nation. You will be leaders in your communities, stewards of great institutions and defenders of liberty and you will be great mothers and fathers and grandmothers and grandfathers, loving friends and loving family members. You will build a future where we have the courage to chase our dreams no matter what the cynics and the doubters have to say. You will have the confidence to speak the hopes in your hearts and to express the love that stirs your souls. And you will have the faith to replace a broken establishment with a government that serves and protects the people. We must always remember that we share one home and one glorious destiny whether we are brown, black or white. We all bleed the same red blood of patriots. We all salute the same great American flag, and we are all made by the same almighty God. As long as you remember what you have learned here at Liberty, as long as you have pride in your beliefs, courage in your convictions and faith in your God, then you will not fail. And as long as America remains true to its values, loyal to its citizens, and devoted to its creator, then our best days are yet to come, I can promise you that. It is been a great honor for me and I want to thank you, the students. I also want to thank you, the family, for getting them there, and I want to thank and congratulate Liberty. May God bless the class of 2017.


Today we continue a tradition begun by President Eisenhower some 64 years ago. This gathering is a testament to the power of faith and is one of the great customs of our Nation, and I hope to be here 7 more times with you. I want very much to thank our cochairs, Senator Boozman and Senator Coons, and all of the congressional leadership they are all over the place. We have a lot of very distinguished guests. Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State. He is going to do a great job. Some people did not like Rex because he actually got along with leaders of the world. He is respected all over the world, and I think he is going to go down as one of our great, great Secretaries. We appreciate it. I do not even know if you are a Democrat or if you are a Republican, but I am appointing you for another year the hell with it. And I think it is not even my appointment, it is the Senate's appointment, but we will talk to them. I also want to thank my great friends though. She is got the voice every time I hear it, that voice is so beautiful. That everything is so beautiful about Roma, including her husband because he is a special, special friend, Mark Burnett for the wonderful introduction. I said to the agent, I am sorry. The only thing wrong I actually got on the phone and fired him myself because he said, you do not want to do it, it'll never work, it'll never, ever work. You do not want to do it. I said, listen but I really fired him after it became the number-one show. It became so successful, and he wanted a commission, and he did not want to do the show. That is what I really said. But we had tremendous success on The Apprentice. And when I ran for President, I had to leave the show. That is when I knew for sure I was doing it. And they hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place. The ratings went right down the tubes. And Mark will never, ever bet against ENTITY again. And I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can, for those ratings, okay? But we have had an amazing life together, the last 14, 15 years. I also want to thank my dear friend, Vice President Mike Pence, who has been incredible, and incredible wife Karen.

Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast


And every time I was in a little trouble with something, where they were questioning me, they'd say, but he picked Mike Pence so he has to know what he is doing. And it is true, he is been you know, on the scale of 0 to 10, I rate him a 12, okay? So I want to thank you. But most importantly, today I want to thank the American people. Your faith and prayers have sustained me and inspired me through some very, very tough times. All around America, I have met amazing people whose words of worship and encouragement have been a constant source of strength. What I hear most often, as I travel the country, are five words that never, ever fail to touch my heart. I am praying for you. I am praying for you, ENTITY. No one has inspired me more in my travels than the families of the United States military, men and women who have put their lives on the line every day for their country and their countrymen. I just came back yesterday from Dover Air Force Base to join the family of Chief William Ryan Owens, as America's fallen hero was returned home. Incredible family, loved him so much. He died in defense of our Nation. He gave his life in defense of our people. Our debt to him and our debt to his family is eternal and everlasting. that a man lay down his life for his friends. We will never forget the men and women who wear the uniform, believe me. From generation to generation, their vigilance has kept our liberty alive. Our freedom is won by their sacrifice, and our security has been earned with their sweat and blood and tears. God has blessed this land to give us such incredible heroes and patriots. They are very, very special, and we are going to take care of them. Our soldiers understand that what matters is not party or ideology or creed, but the bonds of loyalty that link us all together as one. America is a nation of believers. In towns all across our land, it is plain to see what we easily forget so easily we forget this that the quality of our lives is not defined by our material success, but by our spiritual success. I will tell you that. And I tell you that from somebody that has had material success and knows tremendous numbers of people with great material success, the most material success. Many of those people are very, very miserable, unhappy people.


And I know a lot of people without that, but they have great families, they have great faith. They do not have money at least, not nearly to the extent and they are happy. Those to me are the successful people, I have to tell you. I was blessed to be raised in a churched home. My mother and father taught me that to whom much is given much is expected. I was sworn in on the very bible from which my mother would teach us as young children. And that faith lives on in my heart every single day. The people in this room come from many, many backgrounds. You represent so many religions and so many views. But we are all united by our faith in our Creator and our firm knowledge that we are all equal in His eyes. We are human beings, with souls. Our Republic was formed on the basis that freedom is not a gift from government, but that freedom is a gift from God. It was the great Thomas Jefferson who said, The God who gave us life, gave us liberty. Jefferson asked, Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Among those freedoms is the right to worship according to our own beliefs. That is why I will get rid of, and totally destroy, the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution. I will do that. Freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it is also a right under threat all around us, and the world is under serious, serious threat in so many different ways. And I have never seen it so much and so openly as since I took the position of President. The world is in trouble, but we are going to straighten it out. That is what I do. I fix things. We are going to straighten it out. When you hear about the tough phone calls I am having, do not worry about it. We are taken advantage of by every nation in the world, virtually. acts of wanton slaughter against religious minorities, horrors on a scale that defy description. Terrorism is a fundamental threat to religious freedom. It may not be pretty for a little while. We have seen and by the way, General, as you know, James Mad Dog I should not say it in this room Mattis. Now, there is a reason they call him Mad Dog Mattis never lost a battle. He is our new Secretary of Defense, who will be working with Rex.


He is right now in South Korea, going to Japan, going to some other spots. And I will tell you what, I have gotten to know him really well. We have somebody who is the real deal working for us, and that is what we need. We have seen peace-loving Muslims brutalized, victimized, murdered, and oppressed by ISIS killers. We have seen threats of extermination against the Jewish people. We have seen a campaign of ISIS and genocide against Christians, where they cut off heads. Not since the Middle Ages have we seen that. We have not seen that, the cutting off of heads. Now they cut off their heads; they drown people in steel cages. Have not seen this I have not seen this. Nobody has seen this for many, many years. All nations have a moral obligation to speak out against such violence. All nations have a duty to work together to confront it and to confront it viciously, if we have to. So I want to express clearly today to the American people that my administration will do everything in its power to defend and protect religious liberty in our land. America must forever remain a tolerant society where all faiths are respected and where all of our citizens can feel safe and secure. In recent days, we have begun to take necessary action to achieve that goal. Our Nation has the most generous immigration system in the world. But these are those and there are those that would exploit that generosity to undermine the values that we hold so dear. We need security. There are those who would seek to enter our country for the purpose of spreading violence or oppressing other people based upon their faith or their lifestyle. We will not allow a beachhead of intolerance to spread in our Nation. You look all over the world, and you see what is happening. So, in the coming days, we will develop a system to help ensure that those admitted into our country fully embrace our values of religious and personal liberty and that they reject any form of oppression and discrimination. We want people to come into our Nation, but we want people to love us and to love our values, not to hate us and to hate our values. And we will be a country where all citizens can practice their beliefs without fear of hostility or fear of violence. America will succeed as long as our most vulnerable citizens and we have some that are so vulnerable have a path to success. And America will thrive as long as we continue to have faith in each other and faith in God.


I am pleased today to approve the Housing Act of 1964 I believe that we have a commitment to assure every American an opportunity to live in a decent home, in a safe and a decent neighborhood. This milestone measure will help us to honor that commitment. This bill carries forward our continuing efforts to eradicate slums and blight in our cities; to assure decent housing for those least able to find it--the poor, the elderly, the severely handicapped-and those in our rural areas; to help our communities grow in orderly directions and avoid future blight and assure lasting beauty. This bill does more than to continue the successful programs that we have had in operation in the past. It provides new support for greater success in the future. The plight of property owners in urban renewal areas is recognized in this measure. Provision is made so that they can rehabilitate their homes and businesses instead of having to move from the path of the bulldozers. Looking ahead, this measure assists local communities in enforcing housing codes so blight does not develop or persist in the future. It also provides for training local urban development administrators and to produce the city planners that we shall need in the future to guide in the growth that we expect. This is by no means a bill just for the cities of America alone. A key new program provides for the construction of low-cost rental housing for our farmworkers in the Nation. Nor is this bill a bill solely for the housing of those that are in unfortunate circumstances. It provides expanded benefits to builders and to lenders, and to families in good circumstances. By every standard we think this bill benefits all Americans, and if we are to continue to keep our commitments in the world, then I believe it is fundamental that we must consider keeping our commitments here at home. And that is what we are trying to do with this legislation. For our generation, courage is not confined to meeting the challenges faraway from us. Courage is also required to meet the problems and the obligations and the challenges that are nearest to us. This Congress deserves, I believe, very special commendation for the foresight and the courage that it has shown in meeting our problems here at home and in our own country, with our own people. The Urban Mass Transportation Act, the highway aid bill, the Hill-Burton extension, the many education measures all represent, together, the most constructive attack by any Congress on the challenge of keeping America fit and a fine place for our families.

Remarks Upon Signing the Housing Act


This marks the second time in 2 days I have been here. I promise I will not come back tomorrow and interrupt your lives. Madam Foreign Minister, to the distinguished Prime Minister of St. Kitts and others who are here who were part of that remarkable coalition that restored democracy to Haiti a year ago. Let me say I was looking out at this crowd tonight, and when my friend of 25 years, Taylor Branch, told me that this event was going to come to pass, I redid my schedule just so I could come by here and thank so many of you for what you did. I want to thank my longtime friend Bill Gray for agreeing to be pressed back into public service for the work that he did. I want to thank all the people in the United States who cared about Haiti, who wrote me letters and called me on the phone and came to see me about it and talked to me about what was at stake. Randall Robinson even went on a diet for Haiti. Jonathan Demme wrote me letters that were even more eloquent than the films that he makes. I thank you all for your concern. I want to thank our partners in the hemisphere. When the United States decided that if necessary we would use force to remove the military regime and to restore President Aristide and democracy, I was so determined that no one would think we were trying to revive any hemispheric imperialism. I have worked very hard to establish a new sense of partnership, a new sense of common bond, a new sense of common mission with all the nations of the Caribbean, of Central and South America. She is in Nicaragua as we speak, on her way to a four-nation tour of Latin America. We care deeply about how other people who share our neighborhoods feel about the United States and that they understand that we believe we have a common destiny. And so I do not think this operation ever would have worked as it should have worked had it not been for all the other countries who were willing to participate with us. Even though we had a United Nations mandate, what really made it go was all of our neighbors participating, sending their soldiers, sending their police monitors, participating, standing up for it. It made an enormous difference. I want to say a special word of thanks to all the people within our administration who supported my action. And I said, well, I do a lot of things that the polls . Two of them are here, the Deputy Secretary of State, Strobe Talbott, and Sandy Berger.

Remarks at a Celebration of the Anniversary of the Restoration of Democracy in Haiti


And people that are not here, Tony Lake and the Vice President, were all very strongly in support of the action that our administration took. And I appreciate that very much. And finally let me say to General Fisher and to everyone who was involved first in the multinational force and then in the United Nations force, I am very proud and grateful for the performance of the United States military in Haiti. And they made this whole thing possible, and we thank you, too, sir. One of the best things that is happened to me in the last year is a few months after the restoration of President Aristide, one of the military officers who was involved in the operation and I do not want to embarrass him, so I will not say his name but I was having a rather interesting conversation with him, and he looked at me, and he said, You know, ENTITY, when you did this, I just did not know. And I was coming from a person of few words and high performance, I treasured that. I thank Brian Atwood and the work that AID is doing in Haiti. And all of you should relish this celebration for all of the work that all of you did and the contributions you made, all of the groups and the individuals. Tonight I hope you will think about what we all have to do to make sure that this extraordinary endeavor succeeds. The United States has worked hard in the last year to help to establish an electoral process which is proceeding. We have worked hard to try to establish a system of law and order which is making progress. But in the end, the Foreign Minister and all of the people in her government and President Aristide have to be able to prove that freedom and democracy can bring the benefits that we know it can bring. And Haiti was plundered for a very long time. When I went back to Haiti for the first time since my wife and I went there in December of 1975, I was literally shocked to see the deterioration of the environment, the topsoil running thin, and all of the things that had happened. We all have a lot of work to do there. And in the end, we have to make it possible for the people of Haiti who are willing to work and learn and grow to compose a life, to stabilize their families, to live out their dreams. And we have a lot more work to do there.


We appreciate President Trump having us into the Oval Office to talk about health care and the improvements that are being made. The President has worked and said, Bring us your best ideas. And these are members of the Republican Study Committee who have brought those good ideas and worked in a very diligent way to ultimately get to a yes on this bill with the changes that the President has asked us to make that we are going to make in the bill. And with that, I want to lead it off to the Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, Mark Walker. work requirements throughout the country, and also something what we call block grants, which allows the States to be empowered. We believe they should be able to hold the reins when it comes to managing their population. We also think this would provide more coverage for the indigent, for those sick, and for those disabled. So we are excited about it today, and that is why we have come today to celebrate the American Health Care Act and moving forward with a yes. And we had a nice meeting, and we have been talking all during the night. This did not just happen over the last 20 minutes. And we are doing some incredible things. I want everyone to know, I am a hundred percent behind this. They have not been giving it a fair press. The press is-well, as you know, in many cases, I call it the fake news. This is going to be great for people. And I also want everybody to know that all of these noes, or potential noes, are all yeses. Every single person sitting in this room is now a yes. And we made certain changes, and very, frankly, little-although the block grant is very important, because I want the States to get the money and to run their program, if they want to run it, because they can do it better than the Federal Government. They are better equipped than the Federal Government. And I watched the architect of the plan-yesterday I watched the old clip where he said the American people are stupid to have voted for it. And only because everyone knows it is on its last dying feet, the fake news is trying to say good things about it, okay? And unless we gave it massive subsidies in a year from now or 6 months from now, it is not even going to be here. So when they say, Oh, more people on the plan, there is not going to be any people on the plan.

Remarks at a Meeting on Health Care Reform With the Republican Study Committee


I know that Barbara Bush is very disappointed that she could not be here with us today, but she is down in Dallas, if you have not been told already. That is the penalty of coming in this way after the meeting has started-I do not know who said what. But she is participating in a recognition ceremony for volunteers working in Operation LIFT, a literacy organization supported solely by the private sector. And yesterday, I had the pleasure in my office of meeting Sherman Swenson. He is the chief executive officer of Dalton Booksellers, and that corporation has launched a program nationwide on this very subject. I know that Barbara would be as encouraged as I am at the broad array of groups and individuals represented here today-leaders from the Congress, from education, business and industry, church and service groups, and State and local government. the elimination of adult functional illiteracy in the United States. In this decade, America faces serious challenges on many fronts-to our national security, our economic prosperity, and our ability to compete in the international marketplace. If we are to renew our economy, protect our freedom, we must sharpen the skills of every American mind and enlarge the potential of every individual American life. Unfortunately, the hidden problem of adult illiteracy holds back too many of our citizens, and as a nation, we, too, pay a price. Conservative estimates are that 23 million Americans, one in five, are functionally illiterate-a statistic that includes men and women of every race, religion, and economic status, and every region of the country. I asked Secretary Bell to explore with you the best ways and means to erase adult illiteracy from our country, and the result is this initiative that we announce today. to provide initial Federal funding for the Coalition for Literacy and support the National Ad Council in its awareness campaign; to establish a national adult literacy project identifying model literacy programs and developing and testing new programs, materials, and methods. The Department of Education will work closely with the White House Office of Private Sector Initiatives to enlist more nongovernment support. An additional $310 million has been requested for college work-study programs to include students in our effort, and I have also asked the Department to recruit literacy volunteers on college campuses. Federal employees will also be encouraged to volunteer, and the Department of Education will conduct a series of national meetings and conferences to increase awareness and promote cooperation.

Remarks at a White House Ceremony Announcing the Adult Literacy Initiative


Well, thank you all, and I say that-I think I can say that on behalf of the Vice President and myself. We are delighted to welcome all of you distinguished members from the diplomatic community, the Senators and Representatives and honored guests. And today we celebrate the passage of legislation that I have held close to my heart for a long time. I know all of us wished it could have come sooner, but as I promised when some of you were here last December, the time is short and the needs are great. Together we can be a mighty force for good. We can show the world that we conquer fear with faith, we overcome poverty with growth, and we counter violence with opportunity and freedom. And now we are making good on our promise. I am proud to stand with you for this celebration on the long-awaited first stage of implementation of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. Ours is a collective partnership for peace, prosperity, and democracy in the Caribbean and in Central America-a partnership that is born of our shared vision that democracy is a God-given birthright and that faith, freedom, and respect for the dignity of every citizen are the mainsprings of human progress. From the very outset of our administration, we have never wavered in our long-term goal to foster true stability and democracy. And to do so, we must work together to help improve the underlying conditions for economic development. Peace and security in the Caribbean Basin are in our vital interest. When our neighbors are in trouble, their troubles inevitably become ours. What these countries need most is the opportunity to produce and export their products at fair prices. That is what the Caribbean Basin Initiative is all about. It offers them open markets in the United States and initiatives to encourage investment and growth. Far from a handout, the proposal will help these countries help themselves. Trade, not aid, will mean more jobs for them and more jobs for us. The CBI package proposed to the Congress in March of '82 was designed by the governments and private sectors of the region's countries, including those of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. a supplemental appropriation of $350 million to provide emergency balance-of-payment support, the elimination for 12 years of nearly all of the remaining tariff barriers on Caribbean Basin country exports to the United States, and tax incentives to promote new investment in the tourist industry. The $350 million supplemental .appropriation received strong bipartisan support and was approved by the Congress in September of 1982.

Remarks at a White House Ceremony Marking the Implementation of the Caribbean Basin Initiative


These moneys have now been obligated, allowing the importation of raw materials and capital goods to help get stalled economies in the region moving again. Aid levels to the Caribbean Basin have doubled since 1980. The other CBI proposals were an innovative and unprecedented plan to integrate trade preferences, investment incentives, and other measures to encourage the economic and social development of the countries of the Caribbean Basin. We seek to help countries implement free market strategies to stimulate their exports and strengthen their economies by expanding growth. Our original proposals evolved during many months of congressional consideration and the Caribbean Basin economic recovery act was approved on July 28th. And the bill that I signed in August is true to our original intent. I am convinced that over time it will contribute significantly to the economic stability and social tranquillity of countries in the Caribbean Basin. The first element of this legislation is a 12-year, one-way, free trade arrangement for all goods produced in the Caribbean Basin except textiles, apparel, canned tuna, leather goods, shoes, and petroleum products. This marks a step our country has never taken before. It is evidence of our commitment to the economic health of our good neighbors. The second element would allow U.S. citizens attending business conventions in the Caribbean Basin and Bermuda to deduct from their income taxes the reasonable expenses incurred. The Secretary of Treasury is here. Now, these benefits will become all the more important as the vigorous expansion of our own economy brings about an increase in our imports and more and more business travel. As a footnote, you should know that we have 125 Peace Corps volunteers trained in small-scale agribusiness. They are helping small farmers increase and diversify food production for their countries' needs and for winter markets in Europe and North America. Fifty more American volunteers will receive this training within the next few weeks. I was especially gratified that support for the CBI was overwhelming and bipartisan. I offer special recognition to the many Members of Congress who strongly supported our proposals, guided them through the approval process, in particular, Congressman Dan Rostenkowski and Senator Bob Dole. You know, almost a year ago, Dan Rostenkowski took members of his Ways and Means Committee to visit five countries and meet with the Prime Ministers of more than 10 Caribbean countries. And it was on this trip that Dan coined a saying which was picked up by everyone in the Caribbean. CBI, he said, would be friends helping friends.


In that spirit, I extend my appreciation to the governments and peoples of the Caribbean Basin countries themselves. They include the very effective spokesmen for both the region's private sectors and labor unions. I also want to express my appreciation to David Rockefeller and his associates at the Council of the Americas and Central American Action for their help in providing key business support for passage of this bill. And I pledge to you today that enactment of the landmark Caribbean Basin economic recovery act will be followed by a vigorous implementation effort on the part of this administration. Ambassador Brock will continue as Chairman of our Senior Interagency Task Force responsible for its policy and program development. I am calling on the other Cabinet members who've contributed to the CBI's development to give Ambassador Brock by January 1st their proposals on how to make the CBI the most effective means of expanding economic opportunity in the region. The formal process of designation which the Congress has given me the responsibility to carry out has been with delegations visiting with all the potential beneficiaries. Those discussions have been conducted with the kind of mutual commitment to friendship and good will which has made us all so excited about the future of the region. I am optimistic that we will be extending the benefits of the program to virtually all the beneficiaries by the first of next year. The economic and social development of the Caribbean Basin should be part of a collective effort by the international community. Even before my original announcement of the CBI, we held consultations with the Governments of Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela, as well as with our European allies and Japan. Enactment of the CBI should encourage other donor governments and appropriate international organizations to expand their assistance activities in the region. The problems of the Caribbean Basin region are deep-seated, and reducing them will be a great challenge. But we can gain strength from our shared vision. those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. And Pope John Paul II has told us that, Only love can build. With faith, wisdom, courage, and love we can overcome injustice, hatred, and oppression and build a better life together for all of the Americas. I think back to an incident during my last trip to Central America. As I was beginning to speak in Costa Rica, suddenly I was loudly interrupted by a gentleman who was determined to make his own speech out there from the audience.


I did not know exactly what was going on, and I turned to the President of Costa Rica, asked him, and he informed me that this was a Communist, a Marxist member of their congress, their legislature, and that he was determined to denounce us. And that is what he was doing. He was speaking in Spanish, so I did not really know what he was saying. And, finally, it reached a point that he seemed to be going on, and I was standing there, and I realized I had a microphone and he did not . So, I just overrode him and pointed out to the audience what I knew about him, what I'd been told about him, and what a tribute it was to their democracy, of which they are very proud, that he was allowed to say these things in that forum, and yet he would never be allowed to do what he was doing in any of the Communist countries. Well, the audience of more than 1,000 rose in a standing ovation. There was a lump in my throat; must have been one in his, because he sat down. I knew in my heart they were not applauding me. They were not even applauding the United States. They were applauding the principles, the ideals, and the dreams that we all share and which they, the brave Costa Rican people, have had the courage to live up to. I have to tell you a little postscript there, that later the President told me that that Communist member of the legislature was the only member of the legislature that could afford to drive a Mercedes. But if the people of the Americas are given a free choice, they will all choose to be like Costa Rica, not Castro's Cuba. Only a counterfeit revolution builds walls to keep people in and employs armies of secret police to keep them quiet. The real revolution lives in the principle that government must rest on the consent of the governed, and this spirit of democracy and freedom of opportunity is the driving force behind the Caribbean Basin Initiative. We are building together a future of new hope and more opportunity. And I pledge the best efforts of our administration to carry this positive program forward, making it worthy of the ideals and dreams that gave it birth. And now I'd like to ask Bill Brock to make a few remarks. And I thank you very much, and God bless you all.


It is good to be back in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A couple of people I want to acknowledge. First of all, one of my favorite people, one of our finest United States Senators, give it up for Bob Casey. I think we have got in the house as well your mayor, Luke Ravenstahl. Congressman Mike Doyle is in the house. And we want to thank Sheryl Sesay and Monte Reid for the preprogram. The White Sox and the Pirates are in first place. So we may be in the World Series together. We love each other, we can root for each other until we get to the World Series. Then it is every man for himself. So I just so I want to, first of all, just say thank you to everybody for taking the time to be here. I hope everybody had a great Fourth of July. We had some folks over for a barbecue in my backyard had some fireworks. It was also Malia's birthday on the Fourth. I used to be able to convince her that all these fireworks were for her, but she no longer believes me. But she sends her love, and Michelle and Sasha and Bo all say hi. Now, some of you may know that we have been on the bus tour for the last couple of days. I have been traveling through Ohio. We came just came from Beaver, Pennsylvania. And I have had a chance to talk to folks everywhere I go, and people are aware of the fact that we are now in full campaign swing. And I know that sometimes modern campaigns are not pretty to watch, because basically, so much of it involves millions of dollars on television. Most of the ads are negative, and at a certain point, people get discouraged and start feeling like nobody in Washington's listening to what is going on to ordinary folks all across the country. But I have got to tell you, despite the cynicism and the negativism, what I am what I think about is my first race. And what What I think about is my first race. And this is when I was first running for State senate; I could not afford television commercials. And Michelle and I, we used to go door to door and pass out flyers that we had printed out in Kinko's. And we had our friends and our family members, and we'd march in Fourth of July parades. And I did not have Air Force One back then.

Remarks at a Campaign Rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


But when I think about my first race, I think about why I got into politics. And the reason I got into politics was because this country has blessed me so much. And I thought about my own family, how my grandfather fought in Patton's army in World War II while my grandmother was back home working on a bomber assembly line. And when my grandfather came back, he was able to go to college on the GI bill, and they were able to buy a home through the FHA. And then, I thought about my single mom because my dad left when I was very young and how, despite all the struggles, she was able to get a great education because that is the kind of country this was. And she was able to pass on a great education to me and my sister. And then, I think about Michelle's mom, and the fact that Michelle's mom and dad, they did not come from a wealthy family. Michelle's dad, he worked a blue-collar job at the sanitary plant in Chicago. And my mother-in-law, she stayed at home until the kids got older. And she ended up becoming a secretary, and that is what she worked at most of her life, was a secretary at a bank. So none of us came from privileged backgrounds, none of us had a lot of wealth or fame. But what we understood was that here in America, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what church you worship at, no matter what region of the country, if you were willing to work hard, if you were willing to take responsibility for your life, you could make it if you try here in the United States of America. And that basic idea, that basic bargain that says here we all deserve a fair shot and everybody should do their fair share and everybody should play by the same set of rules; that basic bargain that says if you are willing to work hard and take responsibility in your own life, then you can find a job that pays a living wage and you can save up and buy a home and you will not go bankrupt if you get sick. Maybe you can take a vacation with your family once in a while. Nothing fancy, but you can go out and go visit some of our national parks or I remember my favorite vacation when I was a kid, traveling with my mom and my grandma and my sister, and we traveled the country on Greyhound buses and railroads.


And once in a while, we'd rent a car not that often and stay at Howard Johnsons and did not matter how big the pool was; if there was a pool, I'd jump in. I was 11 years old, and I was excited just to go to the vending machine and get the ice bucket and get the ice. And then, the chance to retire with dignity and respect, that dream of a strong middle class, that is what America has always been about. That is what led me to get into public service. That is what led to my first campaign, was making sure that access to that middle class that growing, thriving heartbeat of America that that was available for everybody, that it was not just available for me and Michelle, but it was available for every kid all across this country. And that is what led me to run for ENTITY. And that is what is led me to ask you for a second term as ENTITY, to fight for America's middle class and everybody who is trying to get into the middle class. That idea has been getting battered a little bit over the last decade. Part of the reason I ran in 2008, part of the reason so many of you came together to work on that campaign, was we had seen a decade in which those middle class dreams were under assault. Folks were working harder, but making less. Costs of everything from health care to college to groceries to gas kept on going up, but your salaries or your wages did not . We had put two wars on a credit card, taken a surplus and turned it into a deficit, and all of it culminated in the worst financial crisis that we have seen in our lifetimes. So what we came together to do in 2008 was start this process this painstaking, laborious process to turn this country back towards those core values, to turn this country back towards our best selves and our best ideals. And we knew we would not be able to do it overnight because these problems were not created overnight. But we believed in this country, and we believed in the American people. We understood that this has never been a country of folks looking for handouts, but what they do want is a fighting chance. And so, for the last 3 years, when some folks said, let us let Detroit go bankrupt we said, no, we are betting on the American worker. We are betting on the American industries. And now GM is back at number one, and Chrysler and Ford are back.


And we have started to see manufacturing come back to our shores, more manufacturing jobs created than any time since the 1990s. advanced manufacturing, new technologies, and clean energy. We have seen small businesses who almost had to shutter their doors during the crisis, but sometimes, the owners did not take a salary because they wanted to keep their folks working. over 4.4 million jobs created over the last 2 1/2 years, over 500,000 manufacturing jobs. So we have been fighting back, but what we all understand is that we have got so much more to do. Too many of our friends and family members and neighbors are still out of work; too many folks still are seeing their home property values underwater. And so the question for all of you at this moment is, how will we determine our direction, not just for the next year, not just for the next 5 years, but for the next decade, the next two decades? Because this election is not just about two candidates or two parties; it is about two fundamentally different visions of where we take America. And ultimately, the way we are going to make this decision is you. There is a stalemate in Washington right now because there are two different visions of how we have to move forward, and you have got to break that stalemate. So let me just very briefly tell you what the choices are. You have got Mr. Romney and his allies in Congress. And their basic vision is one that says we are going to give $5 trillion of new tax cuts on top of the Bush tax cuts, most of them going to the wealthiest Americans. They will not be paid for, or if they are paid for, they will be paid for by slashing education funding or making college loans more expensive or eliminating support for basic science and research, the kind of work that is done right here at Carnegie Mellon or making Medicare a voucher system. So that is one part of their plan. regulations that we just put in place to make sure that Wall Street does not act recklessly and we can prevent another taxpayer-funded bailout when the financial system goes out of whack, regulations that protect our air or our water, regulations that protect consumers from being taken advantage of. The Republicans in Congress voted for this plan. It is an idea of how you might grow an economy if we had not just tried it for 10 years before I took office. We tried it, and it did not work.


So why would we want to go backwards to the same theory that did not work before? They are banking on the notion that you do not remember what happened when they were in charge the last time they were in charge of the White House and how surpluses became deficits and how job growth was more sluggish than it is been in 50 years and how we ultimately ended up with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Well, Pittsburgh, I want you to know I have got a different theory. I have got a different idea. It is not going to change things completely in the next day or the next week. But it moves us in a direction that is true to our traditions by building not from the top down, but from the middle class out. It is a vision that says we do not need to just bring automaking back, we can bring manufacturing back to America. We can invest in advanced manufacturing research like is being done right here at Carnegie Mellon. And we can change our Tax Code to make sure, instead of giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas, let us give those tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in Pittsburgh, right here in Pennsylvania, right here in the United States of America. That is my vision for the future. My vision is one that says we have got to invest in our young people so they get the best education in the world. So I want to hire new teachers, especially in math and science. We just prevented Congress from doubling student interest loan rates because of you. But we have got to do more to bring tuition down and give 2 million more Americans the chance to study at community colleges and get the job training they need for the jobs of the 21st century. And I am committed to making sure everybody gets that chance for the skills and the trainings they need to succeed. My vision says we ended the war in Iraq, as I promised, and we are winding down the war in Afghanistan. So let us take half of that money that we are saving in war and use it to pay down the deficit. Let us take the other half and do some nation-building here at home. Let us put some Americans back to work rebuilding our roads and our bridges, our schools. Let us build broadband lines and wireless networks and high-speed rail. Let us invest in the basic science and research that helped to send a man to the Moon and create the Internet. I believe in an America in which we control our own energy future.


We are producing more oil than we have in the last 8 years; we are importing less. But we can do so much more. We have got to bet on not just an oil industry that is already profitable. We have got to bet on a clean energy industry of solar and wind that can create jobs and help our environment and free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. And I have got a vision that believes that everybody, all families who are responsible, should be able to have the basic security of health care. If you have health insurance, the only thing that changes for you is you are more secure because insurance companies cannot drop you when you get sick. They do not have a lifetime limit where suddenly they are dumping the costs on you, even though you have been paying your premiums. We have got millions of young people who are able to stay on their parent's plan right now because of that health care law. We have got millions of seniors who are seeing cheaper prescription drugs. And if you do not have health insurance, we are going to help you get health insurance. I believe it was the right thing to do because that is part of making sure a middle class is thriving in this country, that they do not have to fear that when somebody in their family gets sick, that somehow they are going to lose everything they have worked for all those years. I make no apologies for it. That is why I am running for a second term as ENTITY. We are not going to go back to a vision that somehow thinks when a few wealthy investors do well, then everybody does well. So you know what, we need to deal with our deficit. We need to deal with our debt. And part of America's character is the understanding that government cannot solve every problem. Some folks cannot be helped if they do not want to help themselves. We have already cut a trillion dollars in spending that was not helping families succeed, and we will do some more. But you know what, we are not just going to cut and balance the budget on the backs of middle class families, asking them to pay more taxes, asking them to suddenly not get help when it comes to sending their kids to college. I think we can ask wealthiest Americans to do a little bit more. We need to have a Tax Code where secretaries are not paying a lower tax rate than their bosses.


And you know what, the good news is there are a lot of Americans all across the country very successful Americans who agree with me on this, because they understand the only reason they succeeded was somebody helped them. This idea that we are all in it together, that we rise or fall as one people, that theory of mine about how to grow the economy, we have tried that too. We tried it as recently as when Bill Clinton was President. And you know what, we created 23 million new jobs, and we had a surplus at the end of it instead of a deficit. And we created a whole lot of wealth and a lot of millionaires along the way. Because that formula that says we are in it together means that everybody can do well. The reason we built the Hoover Dam or the Golden Gate Bridge, the reason we sent a man to the Moon or invested in the research that resulted in the Internet, the reason we built an Interstate Highway System, we did those things not for any individual to become rich. We did it so that all of us would have a platform for success, because we understand there are some things we do better together. I continue to believe that. I think most Americans understand that. That is the reason I am running for a second term as ENTITY. Now, over the next 4 months, you are going to see more money spent than you have ever seen before, more negative ads. These guys are writing $10 million checks. And you will hear the same thing from them over and over again, because they know that their economic theory is not going to sell, so all they have got to argue is, the economy is not moving as fast as it needs to, jobs are not growing as fast as they need to, and it is all Obama's fault. Now, I guess this is a plan to win an election, but it is not a plan to create jobs. It is not a plan to grow our middle class. And you know what, I might be worried about all this money being spent if it was not for my memories of previous campaigns. That first campaign I ran, the last campaign I ran in 2008, I have been outspent before. I have had a lot of money thrown at me before.


But you know what I have learned, is that when the American people decide on what is right, when all of you decide on what is true, when you remember the story of your families just like the story of my families, all the struggles our parents and our grandparents and great-grandparents went through some of them maybe came over here as immigrants and started working in the mines or working in the mills, not always knowing what to expect, but understanding that there was something different about this country, looking out for one another, taking care of the community together, being responsible, having those old-fashioned, homespun values, believing that being middle class was not a matter of your bank account, it was a state of mind in terms of what you believe, that there were some things that were important and nothing was more important than looking after your family and being with your family and caring for your family when Americans come together and tap into that spirit that is best in us, all that money does not matter. You inspire each other. You inspire me. In 2008, I told you I am not a perfect man and I would not be a perfect ENTITY. But I told you I'd always tell you what I thought and I'd always tell you where I stood. And I told you I would wake up every single day fighting as hard as I knew how for you, to make your lives a little bit better, to give you more of a fighting shot to succeed and live out your dreams. And I made that promise because I saw myself in you. In your grandparents, I see my grandparents. In your children, I see Malia and Sasha. And I have kept that promise. I have kept that promise. Every morning and every night, I have thought about how we build America and how we build America's middle class and how we give everybody a fair shot and how we make sure everybody's doing their fair share and how we make sure everybody's fighting by the same rules. And if you still believe in me like I believe in you, I hope you will stand with me in 2012. Because if you do, we will finish what we started in 2008, and this economy will be moving again. And we will remind the world just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.


IT IS A PLEASURE to extend in behalf of the United States most cordial greetings to the delegates from 50 nations attending the World's Conference of the Young Men's Christian Association, meeting in Cleveland tonight. Your gathering is significant, because, in the long history of your association covering more than three-quarters of a century, it is the first ever to be held on the North American Continent. I would have enjoyed welcoming you in person but the demands of public service make it impossible for me to do so. Happily the radio permits me to participate from a distance in your deliberations. You have come from every country of Europe, from all the States of our country, from Canada, Asia, and Africa, from our sister republics in Latin America, stretching from Mexico and Cuba on the north to Chile and Argentina on the south, and from Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the island world. You have drawn from all nations upon reservoirs of good will, enthusiasm, and devotion to spiritual ideals. Common possession of a great spiritual ideal and a great sense of service have brought you together from all corners of the world. You have foregathered to formulate your plans that you may, with renewed vigor, foster among the youth of all lands the development of a vital faith in spiritual life, the kindling of a more passionate sense of social obligations, and the cementing of international fellowship for service to God and mankind. You approach the problems of youth with sympathy and with confidence assured of the ultimate contributions with which they will refresh the common life of the world. You are right in the abiding confidence that the solution of all social, economic, governmental, and international problems must be guided by an idealism which finds its firm foundations in religious faith. Your interest in the activities of your association has given you an insight into public affairs and a grasp of world conditions. It has developed a leadership from within your membership that is beneficial to all nations. One of those leaders, your friend and mine, is Dr. John R. Mott. I have no need to recite to you the multitude of services he has given to the whole world by a life of complete devotion to an ideal. The accomplishments of your associations over these many years have quickened the hopes of mankind. No thoughtful person can overlook the profound truth that the ideas and ideals of Christ which you uphold not only have dominated the course of civilization since His time but are the foundations of our economic and social life today.

Radio Address to the World's Conference of the Young Men's Christian Association.


Because of human weakness, the Golden Rule may have its daily violations, but this great principle, aimed at the common good, penetrates and profoundly modifies all the forces in the modern world in which we live. Yours is an organization devoted to safeguarding the moral and spiritual heritage of youth and to guiding it in the paths of right and joy of service. In its consummation you carry forward vast constructive programs of recreation, community service, observance and obedience to law, character building, and, above all, spiritual development. Your work has a profound unifying influence. It blends all races in its program. It welcomes to its fellowship young men of all faiths. It holds a strategic position to promote the common good not only within each nation but in international cooperation and good will. The fulfillment of these obligations is at once a challenge and an opportunity for youth itself. Recent weeks have given impressive proof of the hunger of the human spirit for a greater sense of security and a willingness to respond to a common effort to attain this goal. In drawing attention to the nationwide and worldwide problems and service of the Y.M.C.A., however, we should not lose sight of the primary object of the organization which is to serve individual men. In all the 10,000 centers where such organizations exist, hundreds of thousands of youth can testify to what the human relationship of the Y.M.C.A. has meant to them in their individual lives. Spiritual safeguards and social influences go hand in hand with the provision of physical necessities for wholesome living. They are part of the vast programs of education which must be carried on beyond the formal schooling of our people. They are powerful forces in the warfare against downward tendencies in public morals and conduct. Your organization is a great militant body enlisted in the fundamental advancement of human progress. The problems before the world were never greater than today. No small degree of responsibility rests upon you for their proper solution. I and my countrymen have confidence in you and the contribution you will make to the future.


As you know, last Sunday I announced my candidacy for reelection to this office. I asked for your support to help finish what we began 3 years ago getting government spending firmly under control, encouraging growth in our economy, and strengthening peace so we can provide opportunities for the liberty and happiness of our citizens today and for millions still unborn. I was not surprised that my announcement set off some pretty sharp rhetoric from the other side, but I'd like to think that with some good will and common sense Republicans and Democrats could rise above election-year politics for the good of our country. Certainly there are important areas-and three come immediately to mind-where we could and should be working together. For example, I believe there is basis for agreement on a down payment on projected budget deficits. I think we could reduce projected deficits by at least $100 billion over the next 3 years. So, frankly, I was a bit puzzled why those new converts to concern about looming deficits held back on joining a bipartisan working group. I urge them to approach the negotiations in the same spirit as we will. Let us try to put the partisan issues aside. I repeat that all issues can be on the table for discussion. But, obviously, we cannot compromise the principles of our tax program without compromising our economic recovery and America's future. I simply cannot agree to increase taxes on families already pinching pennies to pay their bills. We want to reduce the deficit, not the recovery. And it would be foolhardy, indeed, to compromise America's defense rebuilding program just as we are beginning to restore the credibility that was so recklessly squandered. Yet this does not mean that there are not areas in which to find bipartisan agreement. We could focus on the less contentious spending cuts still pending before the Congress. These could be combined with measures to close certain tax loopholes that the Treasury Department has indicated it believes worthy of support. If we focus on what we might agree on, we can get something done for the people. And the Grace commission has come up with some 2,500 recommendations for reducing wasteful government spending. We should examine them together. Uniting to promote democracy, peace, and prosperity in the troubled region of Central America is a second area where Republicans and Democrats should work together. Last July 1 appointed 12 distinguished Americans to the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America and asked former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to serve as its Chairman.

Radio Address to the Nation on the Budget Deficit, Central America, and Lebanon


Three weeks ago, the members of that Commission delivered to me their report on the crisis confronting our Latin neighbors. Their recommendations are the basis of legislation that I will soon present to the Congress. I should point out that the late Senator Henry Jackson first proposed the idea of the Bipartisan Commission on Central America, and he served until his death as one of its senior counselors. All his life, Scoop said what he believed and stuck to it. He believed in freedom, dignity for the individual, and a strong America. And he believed Republicans and Democrats should leave politics at the water's edge on important questions of national security. Senator Jackson's wisdom is the guiding spirit of our legislation. It offers a balance of political, economic, diplomatic, and security initiatives that can bring stability and a better life to our neighbors and ultimately greater security to our own country. This plan deserves the bipartisan support of the Congress. We have a responsibility to act. Continued support for the peace process in the Middle East is a third critical area where Republicans and Democrats must rise above politics. We are working closely with Lebanon's President Gemayel to find a political solution. Support for his government is broadening among the different groups. And just as important, our efforts to strengthen the Lebanese ENTITY and its ability to keep the peace are making sure and steady progress. Yes, the situation in Lebanon is difficult, frustrating, and dangerous. But that is no reason to turn our backs on friends and to cut and run. They can gain by waging war against innocent people. The men and women who patrol our streets here at home also face great dangers every day. But the greatest danger of all would be to yank those police officers off the streets and to leave our neighborhoods and families at the mercy of criminals. If we are to be secure in our homes and in the world, we must stand together against those who threaten us. This is a time for unity, not partisan politics. Till next week, thanks for listening, and God bless you.


Well, it is good to see all of you. And I have had a chance to hug you and catch up. Let me start by thanking Jim Messina and Jon Carson and all the OFA staff for the great work that they do each and every day. I have gotten a lot of compliments from a lot of you about the quality of the OFA staff, and I actually concur that they are terrific and passionate about the work that we are doing out there. I just had a chance to talk to some of the leaders from States and communities all across the country who are pounding the pavement and talking to their neighbors and talking to their friends. And the levels of enthusiasm and energy that they projected was inspiring, and it really reminds me of why what I do in the White House matters, because I got folks like that-out on the ground, out in communities every single day-that are counting on me to give voice to the incredible work that they are doing, but also the values that they represent. And I want to thank all of you. As I look around the room, I would not be President if it were not for this room. And there are a lot of people here who are new friends, but there are also some folks here who supported me way back in the day when I had no gray hair and I did not wear a tie. Somebody just showed me a picture the other day, and I looked really young. Most of this is just going to be a conversation. I want to spend time on questions and answers and dialogue and discussion. But let me just make a couple of quick comments. Number one, as I said at the State of the Union Address, I genuinely think this year can be a breakout year for America. We have now really consolidated the recovery. If you look at the statistics-8.5 million new jobs, unemployment rate the lowest it is been since before I was elected; you have got manufacturing coming back; we have made progress on energy, fuel efficiency, carbon emissions reductions; making steady progress in terms of reforming our education system-we are actually poised to make the 21st century the American century, just like the 20th century was. And Alan Solomont is over here nodding his head. Alan was representing the United States and did an outstanding job in Spain.

Remarks at an Organizing for Action Dinner


And one of the remarkable things that I think he will affirm is that everybody outside of the United States actually thinks that we are doing a remarkable job, that our economic growth is the envy of most of the developed world. And yet that is not always reflected in people's moods here in the States. Those of us at the very top have disproportionately benefited from productivity gains, technology, globalization. And the ladders of opportunity for folks who want to work their way into the middle class are not as robust as they used to be. And what I said in the State of the Union was that we have to be focused like a laser on building back up an opportunity society in which everybody feels like if they work hard and if they are responsible, they can get ahead. And that means more jobs; that means making sure people are trained for the jobs that are out there. It means making sure kids get a world-class education. It means that work pays and that not only are they getting a decent paycheck that can support their families, but that they have got retirement security and health care security and all the things that give them a stable platform to live their lives and make sure their kids succeed. So we are doing that. And I have also said that Congress may not be willing to break gridlock during a Presidential year. I am going to look for every opportunity to work with them. But if they are not, we are just going to go ahead and do some work. Today at the White House, we announced two more advanced manufacturing hubs, one in Detroit and one in Chicago, where we are going to take cutting-edge research that is being done on advanced metallurgy and digital technology. And consortiums of universities and businesses are coming together to bring jobs back to the United States of America, attract investment. And we did not have to do that with some legislation, although there is some legislation pending in Congress that could expand it. We did the same thing to make sure Federal contractors are paying their employees $10.10 an hour. We are doing the same thing when it comes to making sure that we have got high-speed broadband in every classroom in America. I already have a commitment that is going to mean millions of students, about 20 million students, 15,000 schools across America, are going to be wired for broadband. We are doing that in conjunction with the FCC and the private sector.


And so we are just going to keep on looking for ways in which we can realize the values that we have been fighting for, for a long time. But as all of you know because you were involved in 2008 or 2012, it does not work if we do not have folks on the ground who are speaking out on behalf of these issues and these values. Politics has become so toxic and information is so contested and people are separated from how they get news, that oftentimes to break through, what is necessary is the validation of a neighbor or a friend or a coworker or a family member. And that is where OFA comes in, because it is able to, in very concrete terms, help to generate people's energy and mobilize their interest around these issues in ways that are not abstract, but are very concrete and very specific and that reach people where they live, at the kitchen table, and at the water cooler at work. And that grassroots work that is done also then energizes me and informs the issues that we are going to try to lift up over the course of the next year. So I just want to say to all of you, what you are doing is really important, and we really appreciate it. It is often at the ground level, but it makes a difference. And one final example of that difference that is being made is when it comes to the Affordable Care Act. But as a consequence of some of the folks that have been doing this work on the ground, as of today, we have signed up more than 4 million people through the exchanges. That is 4 million people who have the security of health care, in many cases for the very first time. And that does not count the 3 million who are already able to get health insurance because they are staying on their parent's plan. That does not count the millions who have been able to sign up through Medicaid. So when you have got grassroots folks who are committed and energized like they are, it makes a difference. And whatever issues you care about, whether it is climate change or women's reproductive health or foreign policy or education or access to higher education, having folks who are willing to fight for what they believe in connected to what we do here is really powerful and important. And they could not do it without you. So I just wanted to say thank you to all of you.


Thanks for coming to the White House on Champions Day, the day we honor our Nation's champs. I first want to say that, obviously, you know how to play hoops in the East as our Texas teams found out. And it seems like Minnesota is pretty good at hockey too. I now know why we have got all these Senators from New York and Minnesota and Connecticut, as well as Members of the House from those three States. I want to welcome the University of Connecticut women's basketball team back to the White House. Geno told me last time that-last time I greeted them here- that they would be back. He really did not say it that way; we will play like he said it that way-makes a better story. These ladies can flat play basketball, and they are a great credit to women's athletics and to sport. We are really glad you are here, and I am glad Diana has given me the jersey. She is-thank God I do not have to guard her. I also want to welcome the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities men's hockey team back here again as well. I appreciate Don Lucia. I want to thank the athletic director, Joel Maturi, as well for coming. It is good to see these men back. They also know how to play hockey really well. They told me they'd be back again next year. Senator Dayton was a heck of a goalie in his day, but I do not know if he could stop these guys or not. I know the State of Minnesota is proud of your accomplishments. And we are also glad that the ladies' hockey team from the University of Minnesota-Duluth is here. It is good to see Dr. Martin. She is been the coach for 4 years and has won three national championships. It sounds like to me, Dr. Martin, you'd better give her a raise. It is a State issue, of course. I also want to congratulate Syracuse for winning their first national championship. It is a great tribute to Jim Boeheim, who is a heck of a guy and a great leader of men. I know you have worked hard for this. If it was not the University of Texas, I am glad it was you. You have got some great players on your team. I am sure some of us are going to be asking Carmelo Anthony for a loan one of these days-- so keep the interest rates low. You are a great credit to the sport.

Remarks Honoring NCAA Winter Champion Teams


I also want to welcome Mike Tirico, who is here. I know you were objective in your analysis of the of the tournament. I-one of the things I really appreciate about these days is that, when you welcome these champs, is that it reminds people of the basics of life, the need to serve something greater than yourself in life. Championship teams do not win because of a star. Championship teams win because people are willing to work together for a greater good, in this case, the team. Championship teams win because people are willing to work hard and sacrifice for something important. These are values that are really important not only in sport but in life as well. The other thing that is important about a championship team is to-for people to understand that you can be a champ on the court or on the ice as well as off the court and off the ice. I have asked Dr. Martin if she remembered what I said last year about people serving their communities in which they live. We have got girls on our team who are mentoring. One girl said she works for the Boys and Girls Club. My call to the champs is to be a champ off the playing-when you are not playing as well. You have got a chance to make a difference in somebody's life. There is always some little kid draped over the- draped over the ice, looking at the star Minnesota players, wondering what it is like to be a star. And a star is somebody who sets a good example. A star is somebody who says, I have got some God-given talents, and I want to help somebody else utilize his or her talents so they can realize the American Dream. And you have a chance as champions to set such a good example for America's young, so that the next generation of athletes will know what it means to be a champ on the court or on the rink as well as off the court and off the rink. And so I am here today to congratulate you for setting such a good example. Now that the spotlight is on you, assume responsibility. Love somebody just like you'd like to be loved yourself, and America will be a better place for it. May God bless your talents, and may God continue to bless our great country.


Well, first of all, let me just say that the last 3 years of my work with President Medvedev has been extremely productive. And he listed some of the achievements that has resulted from this work. The New START Treaty reduces our nuclear stockpiles in ways that can help create greater peace and security not just for our countries, but for the world and is consistent with our obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Russia's ascension into the WTO can open up trade and commerce between our two countries that can create jobs and economic growth for both Russians and Americans. And as Dmitry mentioned, we think it is going to be very important for us to address Jackson-Vanik so that American businesses can fully take advantage of an open and liberalized Russian market. It is true that there have been times where we have had to manage tensions between our countries, and that is to be expected. Obviously, there are always tensions between countries, and that is certainly true given the long history of the cold war between our two countries. But what I think we have been able to do is to ensure that rather than look backwards, we have been looking forwards. I got on a roll. Moving forward, we have got more work to do between our two countries. Dmitry identified some areas of continued friction, missile defense being an example. And what we have agreed to is to make sure that our teams, at a technical level, are in discussions about how some of these issues can be resolved. The bilateral Presidential Commission that was chaired by Foreign Minister Lavrov and Secretary of State Clinton will be working actively around a number of the trade and commercial issues, not only with respect to WTO, but how we can more vigorously expand the kind of investment and the kind of cooperation on the economic front that can benefit both Russia and the United States. On the international front, we agreed that, as two of the world's leading powers, it is absolutely critical that we communicate effectively and coordinate effectively in responding to a wide range of situations that threaten world peace and security. So, on Syria, although there had been some differences over the last several months, we both agreed that we should be supportive of Kofi Annan's efforts to try to end some of the bloodshed that is taking place within Syria and move towards a mechanism that would allow for the Syrian people ultimately to have a representative and legitimate government that serves their interest.

Remarks Following a Meeting With President Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev of Russia in Seoul


Is not it great to be here in California together? Forty years ago the great city of Los Angeles launched John Kennedy and the New Frontier. Now Los Angeles is launching the first President of the new century, Al Gore. I come here tonight, above all, to say a heartfelt thank you. I am so proud of them. And did not she give a good talk? I thank you for supporting the New Democratic agenda that has taken our country to new heights of prosperity, peace, and progress. As always, of course, the lion's share of credit goes to the American people, who do the work, raise the kids, and dream the dreams. Are we going to keep this progress and prosperity going? But my friends, we cannot take our future for granted. We cannot take it for granted. Eight years ago, when our party met in New York, it was in a far different time for America. Our economy was in trouble. Ten million of our fellow citizens were out of work. After 12 years of Republican rule, the Federal debt had quadrupled, imposing a crushing burden on our economy and on our children. And our Government was part of the problem, not part of the solution. I saw all this in a very personal way in 1992, out there in the real America with many of you. I remember a child telling me her father broke down at the dinner table because he lost his job. I remember an older couple crying in front of me because they had to choose between filling their shopping carts and filling their prescriptions. I remember a hard-working immigrant in a hotel kitchen who said his son was not really free because it was not safe for him to play in the neighborhood park. I ran for President to change the future for those people. opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and a community of all Americans. You gave me the chance to turn those ideas and values into action after I made one of the very best decisions of my entire life, asking Al Gore to be my partner. Get rid of the deficit to reduce interest rates; invest more in our people; sell more American products abroad. We sent our plan to Congress. It passed by a single vote in both Houses. In a deadlocked Senate, Al Gore cast the tie-breaking vote. Not a single Republican supported it. Here is what their leaders said. Their leaders said our plan would increase the deficit, kill jobs, and give us a one-way ticket to recession.

Remarks to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California


Time has not been kind to their predictions. Remember, our Republican friends said then they would absolutely not be held responsible for our economic policies. I hope the American people take them at their word. Today, after 7 1/2 years of hard effort, we are in the midst of the longest economic expansion in history, more than 22 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the lowest female unemployment in 40 years, the lowest Hispanic- and African-American unemployment rate ever recorded, and the highest homeownership in history. Now, along the way, in 1995 we turned back the largest cuts in history in Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment. And just 2 years later we proved that we could find a way to balance the budget and protect our values. Today, we have gone from the largest deficits in history to the largest surpluses in history. And if, but only if, we stay on course, we can make America debt-free for the first time since Andy Jackson was President in 1835. For the first time in decades, wages are rising at all income levels. We have the lowest child poverty in 20 years, the lowest poverty rate for single mothers ever recorded. The average family's income has gone up more than $5,000, and for African-American families, even more. The number of families who own stock, in our country, has grown by 40 percent. You know, Harry Truman's old saying has never been more true, If you want to live like a Republican, you better vote for the Democrats. But our progress is about far more than economics. We are more hopeful because we are turning our schools around with higher standards, more accountability, more investment. We have doubled funding for Head Start and provided after-school and mentoring to more than a million more young people. We are putting 100,000 well-trained teachers in the early grades to lower class size. Ninety-five percent of our schools are already connected to the Internet. Reading, math, and SAT scores are up, and more students than ever are going on to college, thanks to the biggest expansion of college aid since the GI bill 50 years ago. Now, do not let anybody tell you that all children cannot learn or that our public schools cannot make the grade. We are also more hopeful because we ended welfare as we knew it. On that, we and the Republicans agreed.


But we Democrats also insisted on support for good parenting, so that poor children do not go hungry or lose their health care, unmarried teens stay in school, and people get the job training, child care, and transportation they need. Today, there are more than 7 1/2 million people who have moved from welfare to work, and the welfare rolls in our administration have been cut in half. We are more hopeful because of the way we cut taxes to help Americans meet the challenges of work and childrearing. This year alone our HOPE scholarship and lifelong learning tax credits will help 10 million families pay for college. Our earned-income tax credit will help 15 million families work their way into the middle class. Twenty-five million families will get a $500 child tax credit. Our empowerment zone tax credits are bringing new business and new jobs to our hardest pressed communities, from the inner cities to Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta to our Native American reservations. And the typical American family today is paying a lower share of its income in Federal income taxes than at any time during the past 35 years. We are a more hopeful because of the Family and Medical Leave Act, a bill that the previous administration vetoed. They said it would cost jobs. It is the first bill I signed, and we now have a test. Twenty-two million new jobs later, over 20 million Americans have been able to take a little time off to care for a newborn child or sick relative. That is what it means that is what it really means to be pro-family. We are more secure country because we cut crime with tougher enforcement, more than 100,000 new community police officers, a ban on assault weapons, and the Brady law, which has kept guns out of the hands of half a million felons, fugitives, and stalkers. Today, crime in America is at a 25-year low. And we are more secure because of advances in health care. We have extended the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by 26 years, added coverage for cancer screening and cutting-edge clinical trials. We are coming closer to cures for dreaded diseases. We made sure that people with disabilities could go to work without losing their health care and that people could switch jobs without losing their coverage. We dramatically improved diabetes care. We provided health coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program to 2 million previously uninsured children.


And for the first time in our history, more than 90 percent of our kids have been immunized against serious childhood diseases. You can be proud of that Democratic record. We have set aside more land in the lower 48 States than any administration since Teddy Roosevelt, saving national treasures like Yellowstone, the great California redwoods, the Florida Everglades. You can grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time. Now, we are more free because we are closer today to the one America of our dreams, celebrating our diversity, affirming our common humanity, opposing all forms of bigotry, from church burnings to racial profiling to murderous hate crimes. We are fighting for employment nondiscrimination legislation and for equal pay for women. We found ways to mend, not end, affirmative action. We have given America the most diverse administration in history. It really looks like America. You know, if I could just get my administration up here, it would be just as good a picture as anything you saw a couple of weeks ago in Philadelphia the real people loving it. And we created AmeriCorps, which already has given more than 150,000 of our young people a chance to earn some money for college by serving in our communities. We are more secure, and we are more free because of our leadership in the world for peace, freedom, and prosperity, helping to end a generation of conflict in Northern Ireland, stopping the brutal ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo, and bringing the Middle East closer than ever to a comprehensive peace. We built stronger ties to Africa, Asia, and our Latin American and Caribbean neighbors. We brought Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic into NATO. We are working with Russia to destroy nuclear weapons and materials. We are fighting head-on the new threats and injustices of the global age, terrorism, narcotrafficking, biological and chemical warfare, the trafficking in women and young girls, and the deadly spread of ENTITY. And in the great tradition of President Jimmy Carter, who is here tonight, we are still the world's leading force for human rights around the world. The American military is the best trained, best equipped, most effective fighting force in the world. Our men and women have shown that time and again in Bosnia, in Kosovo, in Haiti, and Iraq. I can tell you that their strength, their spirit, their courage, and their commitment to freedom have never been greater.


Any adversary who believes those who say otherwise is making a grave mistake. My fellow Americans, are we better off today than we were 8 years ago? Now, that is the purpose of prosperity. Since 1992, America has grown not just economically but as a community. We built our bridge to the 21st century. We crossed that bridge together. America's success was not a matter of chance; it was a matter of choice. And today, America faces another choice. It is every bit as momentous as the one we faced 8 years ago. For what a nation does with its good fortune is just as stern a test of its character, values, and judgment as how it deals with adversity. My fellow Americans, this is a big election with great consequences for every American, because the differences, the honest differences, between our candidates and their visions are so profound. We can a have good, old-fashioned election here. We should posit that our opponents are good, honorable, patriotic people, and that we have honest differences. We in America would already have, this year, a real Patients' Bill of Rights, a minimum wage increase, stronger equal pay laws for women, and middle class tax cuts for college tuition and long-term care if the Democratic Party were in the majority in Congress with Dick Gephardt as Speaker and Tom Daschle as majority leader. That has to be clear to people. But if you will give me one moment of personal privilege, I'd like to say a word about Hillary. When I first met her 30 years ago, she already had an abiding passion to help children. And she is pursued it ever since. Her very first job out of law school was with the Children's Defense Fund. Every year I was Governor she took lots of time away from her law practice to work for better schools or better children's health or jobs for parents who lived in poor areas. Then when I became President, she became a full-time advocate for her lifetime cause, and what a job she has done. She championed the family leave law, children's health insurance, increased support for foster children and adoptions. She wrote a best-selling book about caring for our children, and then she took care of them by giving all the profits to children's charities. For 30 years 30 years from the first day I met her, she has always been there for all our kids. She is always been there for our family.


And she will always be there for the families of New York and America. Of course, we all know that the biggest choice that the American people have to make this year is in the Presidential race. That belongs to the American people. I just want to tell all of you here in this great arena and all of the folks watching and listening at home a few things that I know about Al Gore. We have worked closely together for 8 years now, in the most challenging moments. When we faced the most difficult issues of war and peace, of whether to take on some powerful interests, he was always there. And he always told me exactly what he thought was right. But I can tell you personally, he is one strong leader. I have seen this kind of positioning and this kind of strength time and again, whether it was in how we reform welfare or in protecting the environment or in closing the digital divide or bringing jobs to rural and urban America through the empowerment zone program. The greatest champion of ordinary Americans has always been Al Gore. I will tell you something else about him. More than anybody else I have known in public life, Al Gore understands the future and how sweeping changes and scientific breakthroughs will affect ordinary Americans' lives. And I think we need somebody in the White House at the dawn of the 21st century who really understands the future. Finally, I want to say something more personal. Virtually every week for the last 7 1/2 years, until he became occupied with more important matters, Al Gore and I had lunch. And we talked about the business between us and the business of America. But we'd also often talk about our families, what our kids were doing, how school was going, what was going on in their lives. I know him. He loves his children more than life. And he has a perfectly wonderful wife who has fought against homelessness and who has done something for me and all Americans in bringing the cause of mental health into the broad sunlight of our national public life. We owe Tipper Gore our thanks. Al has picked a great partner in Joe Lieberman. Hillary and I have known Joe for 30 years, since we were in Connecticut in law school. I supported him in his first race for public office in 1970, when I learned he had been a freedom rider, going into danger to register black voters in the then-segregated South.


It should not be a surprise to anyone that Al Gore picked the leader of the New Democrats to be his Vice President, because Joe Lieberman has supported all our efforts to reform welfare, reduce crime, protect the environment, protect civil rights, and a woman's right to choose and to keep this economy going all of them. And he has shown time and time again that he will work with President Gore to keep putting people and progress over partisanship. Now, it is up, frankly, to the Presidential nominee and the Vice Presidential nominee to engage in this debate and to point out the differences. But there are two issues I care a lot about, and I want to make brief comments on them, and I hope I have earned the right to make comments on them. One is the economy I know a little something about that and the other is our efforts to build one America. First, on the economy, Al Gore and Joe Lieberman will keep our prosperity going by paying down the debt, investing in education and health care, moving more people from welfare to work, and providing family tax cuts we can afford. That stands in stark contrast to the position of our Republican friends. They say we have a big projected 10-year surplus, and they want to spend every dime of it and then some on tax cuts right now. That would leave nothing for education or Medicare, prescription drugs; nothing to extend the life of Medicare and Social Security for the baby boomers; nothing in case the projected surpluses do not come in. Would you sign a binding contract today to spend all your projected income for a decade, leaving nothing for your families' basic needs, nothing for emergencies, nothing for a cushion in case you did not get the raise you thought you were going to get? Of course you would not do that, and America should not do it either. Let me say something to you that is even more important than the economy to me. When Al Gore picked Joe Lieberman, the first Jewish-American to join a national ticket, to be his partner, and he joined with our Presidential nominee, who has, along with his great mother and late father, a lifetime commitment to civil rights and equal opportunity for all, even when it was not popular down home in the South, when they did that, we had a ticket that embodies the Democratic commitment to one America. They believe in civil rights and equal opportunity for everybody. They believe in a woman's right to choose.


And this may be the most important of all, they believe the folks that you are buying your soft drinks and popcorn from here at the Staples Center should have the exact same chance they do to send their kids to college and give them a good life and a good future. My fellow Americans, I am very proud of our leaders. And I want you to know that the opportunity I have had to serve as President at the dawn of a new era in human history has been an honor, a privilege, and a joy. I have done everything I knew how to do to empower the American people, to unleash their amazing optimism and imagination and hard work, to turn our country around from where it was in 1992, and to get us moving forward together. Now, what I want you to understand tonight is that the best is still out there. The best is yet to come if we make the right choices in this election year. But the choices will make all the difference. In February the American people achieved the longest economic expansion in our history. When that happened, I asked our folks at the White House when the previous longest economic expansion was. It was from 1961 through 1969. Now, I want the young people especially to listen to this. I remember this well. I graduated from high school in 1964. Our country was still very sad because of President Kennedy's death, but full of hope under the leadership of President Johnson. And I assumed then, like most Americans, that our economy was on absolutely on automatic, that nothing could derail it. I also believe then that our civil rights problems would all be solved in Congress and the courts. And in 1964, when we were enjoying the longest economic expansion in history, we never dreamed that Vietnam would so divide and wound our America. So we took it for granted. And then, before we knew it, there were riots in the streets, even here. The leaders that I adored as a young man, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, were killed. Lyndon Johnson, a President from my part of the country I admired so much for all he did for civil rights, for the elderly, and the poor, said he would not run again because our Nation was so divided. And then we had an election in 1968 that took America on a far different and more divisive course. And you know, within months after that election, the last longest economic expansion in history was, itself, history. Why am I telling you this tonight?


Welcome to the people's house as we celebrate a victory for the American economy. Last week, the United States Congress passed trade promotion authority and renewed and expanded the Andean Trade Preference Act. Trade is an important source of good jobs for our workers and a source of higher growth for our economy. Trade is an important source of earnings for our farmers and for our factories. It creates new opportunities for our entrepreneurs. Trade expands choices for America's consumers and raises living standards for our families. And now, after 8 years, America is back in the business of promoting open trade to build our prosperity and to spur economic growth. I appreciate so very much Vice President Cheney's hard work on this issue. I appreciate Colin Powell and Ann Veneman, who ably serve in my Cabinet. I want to particularly thank Don Evans, who is not with us, and Bob Zoellick, members of my Cabinet who both worked tirelessly to get the vote in the House and then in the Senate, and I appreciate Elaine Chao as well. These Cabinet Secretaries worked hard for trade. They understand the promise of trade, and I appreciate their hard work on behalf of American workers and farmers. I particularly want to thank the Members of Congress who are here with us, starting with the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Senator from Montana, Max Baucus. Max did fantastic work to get this trade bill through the Senate and was then able to work with Chairman Thomas. Chairman Thomas was heroic in the House. He was steadfast in his support for trade, and I appreciate his leadership on this issue. And I want to thank both Members of the United States Congress, one Democrat, one Republican, who put their country ahead of their parties to do what was right for the people of this country. You two deserve a lot of congratulations. I want to thank Senator Hatch, who was a conferee and a member of the Finance Committee. I want to thank my fellow Texan Tom DeLay, the best vote-counter in the history of the United States Congress. After all, he was able to triple the vote margin on final passage. I appreciate so very much Cal Dooley and a guy I call Jeff, William Jefferson, Congressmen from California and Louisiana, and I want to thank them for their work as well. They led the Democrats in the House of Representatives, many of whom are here today, to do what is right for our country.

Remarks on Signing the Trade Act of 2002