(b. July 6, 1946) is the 43rd President of the United States. Formerly the 46th Governor of the State of Texas, Bush has earned a reputation as a compassionate conservative who shapes policy based on the principles of limited government, personal responsibility, strong families, and local control.<\/p>\n
George W. Bush grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He received a bachelor\u2019s degree from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He served as an F\u2013102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard before beginning his career in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975, working in the energy industry until 1986. After working on his father\u2019s successful 1988 presidential campaign, he assembled the group of partners that purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989.<\/p>\n
He served as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers until he was elected Governor on November 8, 1994, with 53.5 percent of the vote. In an historic re-election victory, he became the first Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998, winning 68.6 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
As President, Bush will pursue the same common-sense approach and bipartisan spirit as he has in Texas. He has proposed bold initiatives to ensure that America\u2019s prosperity has a purpose. He has also addressed improving our nation\u2019s public schools by strengthening local control and insisting on accountability; reducing taxes on all taxpayers, especially for those Americans on the fringes of poverty; strengthening the military with better pay, better planning, and better equipment; saving and strengthening Social Security and Medicare by providing seniors with more options; and ushering in the responsibility era in America.<\/p>\n
President Bush is married to Laura Welch Bush, a former teacher and librarian, and they have 19\u2013year-old twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. The Bush family also includes their two dogs, Spot and Barney, and a cat, India.<\/p>\n
On January, 20, 2001, President George W. Bush stated in his Inaugural Address:<\/p>\n
This peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions, and make new beginnings. As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation. And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit, and ended with grace.<\/p>\n
I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America\u2019s leaders have come before me, and so many will follow.<\/p>\n
We have a place, all of us, in a long story; a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old. The story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom. The story of a power that went into world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer. It is the American story; a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals.<\/p>\n
The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise: that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born. Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course.<\/p>\n
Through much of the last century, America\u2019s faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations. Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity; an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along. And even after nearly 225 years, we have a long way yet to travel.<\/p>\n
While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise\u2014even the justice\u2014of our own country. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools, and hidden prejudice, and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country.<\/p>\n
We do not accept this, and will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity.<\/p>\n
I know this is within our reach, because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves, Who creates us equal in His image. And we are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward.<\/p>\n
America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.<\/p>\n
Today we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation\u2019s promise through civility, courage, compassion and character. America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness. Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small. But the stakes, for America, are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.<\/p>\n
We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.<\/p>\n
America, at its best, is also courageous. Or national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defeating common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing, by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.<\/p>\n
Together we will reclaim America\u2019s schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives. We will reform Social Security and Medicare, sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent. We will reduce taxes, to recover the momentum of our economy and reward the effort and enterprise of working Americans. We will build our defenses beyond challenge, lest weakness invite challenge. We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors.<\/p>\n
The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake. America remains engaged in the world, by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.<\/p>\n
America, at its best, is compassionate. In the quiet of American conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation\u2019s promise. And whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault. Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love. And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.<\/p>\n
Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens; not problems, but priorities; and all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.<\/p>\n
Government has great responsibilities, for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools. Yet compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government. And some needs and hurts are so deep they will only respond to a mentor\u2019s touch or a pastor\u2019s prayer. Church and charity, synagogue and mosque, lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and laws.<\/p>\n
Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty. But we can listen to those who do. And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side.<\/p>\n
America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected. Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life, not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free.<\/p>\n
Our public interest depends on private character; on civic duty and family bonds and basic fairness; on uncounted, unhonored acts of decency which give direction to our freedom. Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love. The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone.<\/p>\n
I will live and lead by these principles: to advance my convictions with civility; to pursue the public interest with courage; to speak for greater justice and compassion; to call for responsibility, and try to live it as well. In all these ways, I will bring the values of our history to the care of our times.<\/p>\n
What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character.<\/p>\n
Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.<\/p>\n
After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: \u201cWe know the Race is not to the swift nor the Battle to the Strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?\u201d<\/p>\n
Much time has passed since Jefferson arrived for his inaugural. The years and changes accumulate. But the themes of this day he would know: our nation\u2019s grand story of courage, and its simple dream of dignity.<\/p>\n
We are not this story\u2019s Author, Who fills time and eternity with His purpose. Yet His purpose is achieved in our duty; and duty is fulfilled in service to one another.<\/p>\n
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.<\/p>\n
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.<\/p>\n
God bless you, and God bless America.3894<\/p>\n
Forty-eight hours after assuming the presidency, President Bush addressed the tens of thousands gathered in Washington, D.C., for the annual January 22nd March for Life:<\/p>\n
We share a great goal to work toward a day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. We know this will not come easily, or all at once. But the goal leads us onward to build a culture of life, affirming that every person, at every stage and season of life, is created in God\u2019s image.\u201d3895<\/p>\n
That same day President Bush reinstated the \u201cMexico City\u201d policy of President Reagan and George H. Bush, which cuts off U.S. tax dollars from organizations which campaign to legalize abortion in less developed nations and promote abortion overseas. President Bush stated:<\/p>\n
It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad. It is therefore my belief that the Mexico City Policy should be restored.3896<\/p>\n
On February 27, 2001, President George W. Bush addressed a Joint Session of Congress, being introduced by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL):<\/p>\n
Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you.<\/p>\n
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, it\u2019s a great privilege to be here to outline a new budget and a new approach for governing our great country.<\/p>\n
I thank you for your invitation to speak here tonight. I know Congress had to formally invite me, and it could have been a close vote.<\/p>\n
(LAUGHTER)<\/p>\n
So, Mr. Vice President, I appreciate you being here to break the tie.<\/p>\n
(LAUGHTER)<\/p>\n
I want to thank so many of you who have accepted my invitation to come to the White House to discuss important issues. We\u2019re off to a good start.<\/p>\n
I will continue to meet with you and ask for your input. You have been kind and candid, and I thank you for making a new president feel welcome.<\/p>\n
The last time I visited the Capitol, I came to take an oath. On the steps of this building, I pledged to honor our Constitution and laws.<\/p>\n
And I asked you to join me in setting a tone of civility and respect in Washington.<\/p>\n
I hope America is noticing the difference, because we are making progress. Together we are changing the tone in the nation\u2019s capital. And this spirit of respect and cooperation is vital, because, in the end, we will be judged not only by what we say or how we say it, we will be judged by what we are able to accomplish.<\/p>\n
America today is a nation with great challenges, but greater resources. An artist using statistics as a brush could paint two very different pictures of our country. One would have warning signs: increasing layoffs, rising energy prices, too many failing schools, persistent poverty, the stubborn vestiges of racism.<\/p>\n
Another picture would be full of blessings: a balanced budget, big surpluses, a military that is second to none, a country at peace with its neighbors, technology that is revolutionizing the world, and our greatest strength: concerned citizens who care for our country and care for each other.<\/p>\n
Neither picture is complete in and of itself. And tonight I challenge and invite Congress to work with me to use the resources of one picture o repaint the other, to direct the advantages of our time to solve the problems of our people.<\/p>\n
Some of these resources will come from government\u2014some, but not all. Year after year in Washington, budget debates seem to come down to an old, tired argument: on one side, those who want more government, regardless of the cost; on the other, those who want less government, regardless of the need.<\/p>\n
We should leave those arguments to the last century and chart a different course.<\/p>\n
Government has a role and an important role. Yet too much government crowds out initiative and hard work, private charity and the private economy. Our new governing vision says government should be active, but limited; engaged, but not overbearing.<\/p>\n
And my budget is based on that philosophy. It is reasonable, and it is responsible. It meets our obligations, and funds our growing needs.<\/p>\n
We increase spending next year for Social Security and Medicare and other entitlement programs by $81 billion. We have increased spending for discretionary programs by a very responsible 4 percent above the rate of inflation. My plan pays down an unprecedented amount of our national debt. And then when money is still left over, my plan returns it to the people who earned it in the first place.<\/p>\n
A budget\u2019s impact is counted in dollars but measured in lives. Excellent schools, quality health care, a secure retirement, a cleaner environment, a stronger defense\u2014these are all important needs, and we fund them.<\/p>\n
The highest percentage increase in our budget should go to our children\u2019s education. Education is my top priority.<\/p>\n
Education is my top priority, and by supporting this budget, you will make it yours as well.<\/p>\n
Reading is the foundation of all learning, so during the next five years, we triple spending, adding $5 billion to help every child in America learn to read. Values are important, so we\u2019ve tripled funding for character education to teach our children not only reading and writing, but right from wrong.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve increased funding to train and recruit teachers, because we know a good education starts with a good teacher. And I have a wonderful partner in this effort.<\/p>\n
I like teachers so much I married one.<\/p>\n
Laura has begun a new effort to recruit Americans to the profession that will shape our future: teaching. She will travel across America to promote sound teaching practices and early reading skills in our schools and in programs such as Head Start.<\/p>\n
When it comes to our schools, dollars alone do not always make the difference. Funding is important and so is reform, so we must tie funding to higher standards and accountability, for results.<\/p>\n
I believe in local control of schools. We should not and we will not run public schools from Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
Yet when the federal government spends tax dollars, we must insist on results. Children should be tested on basic reading and math skills every year between grades three and eight. Measuring is the only way to know whether all our children are learning. And I want to know, because I refuse to leave any child behind in America.<\/p>\n
Critics of testing contend it distracts from learning. They talk about \u201cteaching to the test.\u201d But let\u2019s put that logic to the test. If you test a child on basic math and reading skills, and you are \u201cteaching to the test,\u201d you are teaching math and reading. And that\u2019s the whole idea.<\/p>\n
As standards rise, local schools will need more flexibility to meet them. So we must streamline the dozes of federal education programs into five and let states spend money in those categories as they see fit.<\/p>\n
Schools will be given a reasonable chance to improve and the support to do so. Yet if they don\u2019t, if they continue to fail, we must give parents and students different options: a better public school, a private school, tutoring or a charter school.<\/p>\n
In the end, every child in a bad situation must be given a better choice, because when it comes to our children, failure is simply not an option.<\/p>\n
Another priority in my budget is to keep the vital promises of Medicare and Social Security, and together we will do so. To meet the health care needs of all America\u2019s seniors, we double the Medicare budget over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n
My budget dedicates $238 billion to Medicare next year alone, enough to fund all current programs and to begin a new prescription drug benefit for low-income seniors.<\/p>\n
No senior in America should have to choose between buying food and buying prescriptions.<\/p>\n
To make sure the retirement savings of America\u2019s seniors are not diverted to any other program, my budget protects all $2.6 trillion of the Social Security surplus for Social Security and for Social Security alone.<\/p>\n
My budget puts a priority on access to health care without telling Americans what doctor they have to see or what coverage they must choose.<\/p>\n
Many working Americans do not have health care coverage, so we will help them buy their own insurance with refundable tax credits.<\/p>\n
And to provide quality care in low-income neighborhoods, over the next five years we will double the number of people served at community health care centers.<\/p>\n
And we will address the concerns of those who have health coverage yet worry their insurance company doesn\u2019t care and will not pay.<\/p>\n
Together, this Congress and this president will find common ground to make sure doctors make medical decisions and patients get the health care they deserve with a patients\u2019 bill of rights.<\/p>\n
When it comes to their health, people want to get the medical care they need, not be forced to go to court because they didn\u2019t get it. We will ensure access to the courts for those with legitimate claims. But first, let\u2019s put in place a strong, independent review so we promote quality health care, not frivolous lawsuits.<\/p>\n
My budget also increases funding for medical research, which gives hope to many who struggle with serious disease.<\/p>\n
Our prayers tonight are with one of your own who is engaged in his own fight against cancer, a fine representative and a good man, Congressman Joe Moakley.<\/p>\n
God bless you, Joe.<\/p>\n
And I can think of no more appropriate tribute to Joe than to have the Congress finish the job of doubling the budget for the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n
My New Freedom Initiative for Americans with disabilities funds new technologies, expands opportunities to work and makes our society more welcoming. For the more than 50 million Americans with disabilities, we must continue to break down barriers to equality.<\/p>\n
The budget I propose to you also supports the people who keep our country strong and free, the men and women who serve in the United States military.<\/p>\n
I am requesting $5.7 billion in increased military pay and benefits and health care and housing. Our men and women in uniform give America their best, and we owe them our support.<\/p>\n
America\u2019s veterans honored their commitment to our country through their military service. I will honor our commitment to them with a billion dollar increase to ensure better access to quality care and faster decisions on benefit claims.<\/p>\n
My budget will improve our environment by accelerating the cleanup of toxic brownfields. And I propose we make a major investment in conservation by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund.<\/p>\n
Our national parks have a special place in our country\u2019s life. Our parks are places of great natural beauty and history. As good stewards, we must leave them better than we found them, so I propose providing $4.9 billion over five years for the upkeep of these national treasures.<\/p>\n
And my budget adopts a hopeful new approach to help the poor and the disadvantaged. We must encourage and support the work of charities and faith-based and community groups that offer help and love one person at a time.<\/p>\n
These groups are working in every neighborhood in America to fight homelessness and addiction and domestic violence, to provide a hot meal or a mentor or a safe haven for our children. Government should welcome these groups to apply for funds, not discriminate against them.<\/p>\n
Government cannot be replaced by charities or volunteers. Government should not fund religious activities.<\/p>\n
But our nation should support the good works of these good people who are helping their neighbors in need.<\/p>\n
So I propose allowing all taxpayers, whether they itemize or not, to deduct their charitable contributions. Estimates show this could encourage as much as $14 billion a year in new charitable giving, money that will save and change lives.<\/p>\n
Our budget provides more than $700 million over the next 10 years for a Federal Compassion Capital Fund with a focused and noble mission: to provide a mentor to the more than 1 million children with a parent in prison and to support other local efforts to fight illiteracy, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and other difficult problems.<\/p>\n
With us tonight is the mayor of Philadelphia. Please help me welcome Mayor John Street.<\/p>\n
Mayor Street has encouraged faith-based and community organizations to make a significant difference in Philadelphia. He\u2019s invited me to his city this summer to see compassion in action.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m personally aware of just how effective the mayor is. Mayor Street\u2019s a Democrat.<\/p>\n
Let the record show \u2026 <\/p>\n
Let the record show, I lost his city, big time.<\/p>\n
(LAUGHTER)<\/p>\n
But some things are bigger than politics, so I look forward to coming to your city to see your faith-based programs in action.<\/p>\n
As government promotes compassion, it also must promote justice. Too many of our citizens have cause to doubt our nation\u2019s justice when the law points a finger of suspicion at groups instead of individuals. All our citizens are created equal and must be treated equally.<\/p>\n
Earlier today, I asked John Ashcroft, the attorney general, to develop specific recommendations to end racial profiling. It is wrong, and we will end it in America.<\/p>\n
In so doing, we will not hinder the work of our nation\u2019s brave police officers. They protect us every day, often at great risk.<\/p>\n
But by stopping the abuses of a few, we will add to the public confidence our police officers earn and deserve.<\/p>\n
My budget has funded a responsible increase in our ongoing operations. It has funded our nation\u2019s important priorities. It has protected Social Security and Medicare. And our surpluses are big enough that there is still money left over.<\/p>\n
Many of you have talked about the need to pay down our national debt. I listened, and I agree.<\/p>\n
We owe it to our children and grandchildren to act now, and I hope you will join me to pay down $2 trillion in debt during the next 10 years.<\/p>\n
At the end of those 10 years, we will have paid down all of the debt that is available to retire.<\/p>\n
And so my budget sets aside almost a trillion dollars over 10 years for additional needs. That is one trillion additional reasons you can feel comfortable supporting this budget.<\/p>\n
We have increased our budget at a responsible 4 percent. We have funded our priorities. We paid down all the available debt. We have prepared for contingencies. And we still have money left over.<\/p>\n
Yogi Berra once said, \u201cWhen you come to a fork in the road, take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
(LAUGHTER)<\/p>\n
Now we come to a fork in the road. We have two choices. Even though we have already met our needs, we could spend the money on more and bigger government. That\u2019s the road our nation has traveled in recent years.<\/p>\n
Last year, government spending shot up 8 percent. That\u2019s far more than our economy grew, far more than personal income grew and far more than the rate of inflation. If you continue on that road, you will spend the surplus and have to dip into Social Security to pay other bills. Unrestrained government spending is a dangerous road to deficits, so we must take a different path.<\/p>\n
The other choice is to let the American people spend their own money to meet their own needs.<\/p>\n
I hope you\u2019ll join me in standing firmly on the side of the people. You see, the growing surplus exists because taxes are too high, and government is charging more than it needs. The people of America have been overcharged, and, on their behalf, I am here to ask for a refund.<\/p>\n
Some say my tax plan is too big.<\/p>\n
Others say it is too small.<\/p>\n
I respectfully disagree.<\/p>\n
(LAUGHTER)<\/p>\n
This plan is just right.<\/p>\n
(LAUGHTER)<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t throw darts at a board to come up with a number for tax relief. I didn\u2019t take a poll or develop an arbitrary formula that might sound good. I looked at problems in the tax code and calculated the cost to fix them.<\/p>\n
A tax rate of 15 percent is too high for those who earned low wages, so we must lower the rate to 10 percent.<\/p>\n
No one should pay more than a third of the money they earn in federal income taxes, so we lowered the top rate to 33 percent.<\/p>\n
This reform will be welcome relief for America\u2019s small businesses, which often pay taxes at the highest rate. And help for small business means jobs for Americans.<\/p>\n
We simplified the tax code by reducing the number of tax rates from the current five rates to four lower ones: 10 percent, 15, 25 and 33 percent. In my plan, no one is targeted in or targeted out. Everyone who pays income taxes will get tax relief.<\/p>\n
Our government should not tax and thereby discourage marriage, so we reduced the marriage penalty.<\/p>\n
I want to help families rear and support their children, so we doubled the child credit to $1,000 per child.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not fair to tax the same earnings twice, once when you earn them and again when you die, so we must repeal the death tax.<\/p>\n
These changes add up to significant help. A typical family with two children will save $1,600 a year on their federal income taxes.<\/p>\n
Now, $1,600 may not sound like a lot to some, but it means a lot to many families. $1,600 buys gas for two cars for an entire year. It pays tuition for a year at a community college. It pays the average family grocery bill for three months. That\u2019s real money.<\/p>\n
With us tonight, representing many American families, are Steven and Josephina Ramos.<\/p>\n
They are from Pennsylvania, but they could be from any one of your districts. Steven is a network administrator for a school district. Josephina is a Spanish teacher at a charter school. And they have a 2\u2013year-old daughter.<\/p>\n
Steven and Josephina tell me they pay almost $8,000 a year in federal income taxes. My plan will save them more than $2,000.<\/p>\n
Let me tell you what Steven says: "$2,000 a year means a lot to my family. If we had this money, it would help us reach our goal of paying off our personal debt in two years\u2019 time.\u201d After that, Steven and Josephina want to start saving for Lianna\u2019s college education.<\/p>\n
My attitude is, government should never stand in the way of families achieving their dreams.<\/p>\n
And as we debate this issue, always remember: The surplus is not the government\u2019s money; the surplus is the people\u2019s money.<\/p>\n
For lower-income families, my tax plan restores basic fairness. Right now, complicated tax rules punish hard work.<\/p>\n
A waitress supporting two children on $25,000 a year can lose nearly half of every additional dollar she earns above the $25,000. Her overtime, her hardest hours, are taxed at nearly 50 percent. This sends a terrible message: You will never get ahead.<\/p>\n
But America\u2019s message must be different. We must honor hard work, never punish it.<\/p>\n
With tax relief, overtime will no longer be overtax time for the waitress.<\/p>\n
People with the smallest incomes will get the highest percentage of reductions, and millions of additional American families will be removed from the income tax rolls entirely.<\/p>\n
Tax relief is right, and tax relief is urgent. The long economic expansion that began almost 10 years ago is faltering.<\/p>\n
Lower interest rates will eventually help, but we cannot assume they will do the job all by themselves.<\/p>\n
Forty years ago, and then 20 years ago, two presidents, one Democrat, one Republican, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, advocated tax cuts to, in President Kennedy\u2019s words, \u201cget this country moving again.\u201d<\/p>\n
They knew then what we must do now: To create economic growth and opportunity, we must put money back into the hands of the people who buy goods and create jobs.<\/p>\n
We must act quickly. The chairman of the Federal Reserve has testified before Congress that tax cuts often come too late to stimulate economic recovery. So I want to work with you to give our economy an important jump start by making tax relief retroactive.<\/p>\n
We must act now because it is the right thing to do. We must also act now because we have other things to do. We must show courage to confront and resolve tough challenges: to restructure our nation\u2019s defenses, to meet our growing need for energy, and to reform Medicare and Social Security.<\/p>\n
America has a window of opportunity to extend and secure our present peace by promoting a distinctly American internationalism. We will work with our allies and friends to be a force for good and a champion of freedom. We will work for free markets, free trade and freedom from oppression. Nations making progress toward freedom will find America is their friend.<\/p>\n
We will promote our values. We\u2019ll promote the peace. And we need a strong military to keep the peace.<\/p>\n
But our military was shaped to confront the challenges of the past, so I have asked the secretary of defense to review America\u2019s armed forces and prepare to transform them to meet emerging threats.<\/p>\n
My budget makes a down payment on the research and development that will be required. Yet, in our broader transformation effort, we must put strategy first, then spending. Our defense vision will drive our defense budget, not the other way around.<\/p>\n
Our nation also needs a clear strategy to confront the threats of the 21st century, threats that are more widespread and less certain. They range from terrorists who threaten with bombs to tyrants and rogue nations intent on developing weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n
To protect our own people, our allies and friends, we must develop and we must deploy effective missile defenses.<\/p>\n
And as we transform our military, we can discard Cold War relics and reduce our own nuclear forces to reflect today\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
A strong America is the world\u2019s best hope for peace and freedom.<\/p>\n
Yet the cause of freedom rests on more than our ability to defend ourselves and our allies.<\/p>\n
Freedom is exported every day as we ship goods and products that improve the lives of millions of people. Free trade brings greater political and personal freedom.<\/p>\n
Each of the previous five presidents has had the ability to negotiate far-reaching trade agreements. Tonight, I ask you to give me the strong hand of presidential trade promotion authority and to do so quickly.<\/p>\n
As we meet tonight, many citizens are struggling with the high cost of energy. We have a serious energy problem that demands a national energy policy.<\/p>\n
The West is confronting a major energy shortage that has resulted in high prices and uncertainty. I have asked federal agencies to work with California officials to help speed construction of new energy sources. And I have directed Vice President Cheney, Commerce Secretary Evans, Energy Secretary Abraham and other senior members of my administration to develop a national energy policy.<\/p>\n
Our energy demand outstrips our supply. We can produce more energy at home while protecting our environment, and we must.<\/p>\n
We can produce more electricity to meet demand, and we must.<\/p>\n
We can promote alternative energy sources and conservation, and we must.<\/p>\n
America must become more energy independent, and we will.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the biggest test of our foresight and courage will be reforming Medicare and Social Security.<\/p>\n
Medicare\u2019s finances are strained and its coverage is outdated. Ninety-nine percent of employer-provided health plans offer some form of prescription drug coverage. Medicare does not.<\/p>\n
The framework for reform has been developed by Senators Frist and Breaux and Congressman Thomas, and now is the time to act.<\/p>\n
Medicare must be modernized, and we must make sure that every senior on Medicare can choose a health care plan that offers prescription drugs.<\/p>\n
Seven years from now, the baby boom generation will begin to claim Social Security benefits. Everyone in this chamber knows that Social Security is not prepared to fully fund their retirement, and we only have a couple of years to get prepared.<\/p>\n
Without reform, this country will one day awaken to a stark choice: either a drastic rise in payroll taxes, or a radical cut in retirement benefits. There is a better way.<\/p>\n
This spring I will form a presidential commission to reform Social Security. The commission will make its recommendations by next fall. Reform should be based on these principles: It must preserve the benefits of all current retirees and those nearing retirement. It must return Social Security to sound financial footing. And it must offer personal savings accounts to younger workers who want them.<\/p>\n
Social Security now offers workers a return of less than 2 percent on the money they pay into the system. To save the system, we must increase that by allowing younger workers to make safe, sound investments that yield a higher rate of return.<\/p>\n
Ownership, access to wealth and independence should not be the privilege of a few. They are the hope of every American, and we must make them the foundation of Social Security.<\/p>\n
By confronting the tough challenge of reform, by being responsible with our budget, we can earn the trust of the American people. And we can add to that trust by enacting fair and balanced election and campaign finance reforms.<\/p>\n
The agenda I have set before you tonight is worthy of a great nation. America is a nation at peace, but not a nation at rest. Much has been given to us and much is expected.<\/p>\n
Let us agree to bridge old divides. But et us also agree that our good will must be dedicated to great goals. Bipartisanship is more than minding our manners, it is doing our duty.<\/p>\n
No one can speak in this Capitol and not be awed by its history.<\/p>\n
At so many turning points, debates in these chambers have reflected the collected or divided conscience of our country. And when we walk through Statuary Hall and see those men and women of marble, we are reminded of their courage and achievement.<\/p>\n
Yet America\u2019s purpose is never found only in statues or history. America\u2019s purpose always stands before us.<\/p>\n
Our generation must show courage in a time of blessing as our nation has always shown in times of crisis. And our courage, issue by issue, can gather to greatness and serve our country.<\/p>\n
This is the privilege and responsibility we share. And if we work together, we can prove that public service is noble.<\/p>\n
We all came here for a reason. We all have things we want to accomplish and promises to keep. Juntos podemos, together we can.<\/p>\n
We can make Americans proud of their government. Together, we can share in the credit of making our country more prosperous and generous and just and earn from our conscience and from our fellow citizens, the highest possible praise, \u201cWell done, good and faithful servants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thank you all. Good night, and God bless.3897<\/p>\n
On January 29, 2001, President George W. Bush issued an Executive Order entitled: Agency Responsibilities With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives:<\/p>\n
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to help the Federal Government coordinate a national effort to expand opportunities for faith-based and other community organizations and to strengthen their capacity to better meet social needs in America\u2019s communities, it is hereby ordered as follows:<\/p>\n
Section 1. Establishment of Executive Department Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.<\/p>\n
(a) The Attorney General, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall each establish within their respective departments a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Center).<\/p>\n
(b) Each executive department Center shall be supervised by a Director, appointed by the department head in consultation with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (White House OFBCI).<\/p>\n
(c) Each department shall provide its Center with appropriate staff, administrative support, and other resources to meet its responsibilities under this order.<\/p>\n
(d) Each department\u2019s Center shall begin operations no later than 45 days from the date of this order.<\/p>\n
Sec. 2. Purpose of Executive Department Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The purpose of the executive department Centers will be to coordinate department efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social services.<\/p>\n
Sec. 3. Responsibilities of Executive Department Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Each Center shall, to the extent permitted by law:<\/p>\n
(a) conduct, in coordination with the White House OFBCI, a department-wide audit to identify all existing barriers to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social services by the department, including but not limited to regulations, rules, orders, procurement, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities that either facially discriminate against or otherwise discourage or disadvantage the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal programs;<\/p>\n
(b) coordinate a comprehensive departmental effort to incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in department programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible; <\/p>\n
(c) propose initiatives to remove barriers identified pursuant to section 3(a) of this order, including but not limited to reform of regulations, procurement, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities;<\/p>\n
(d) propose the development of innovative pilot and demonstration programs to increase the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives; and<\/p>\n
(e) develop and coordinate department outreach efforts to disseminate information more effectively to faith-based and other community organizations with respect to programming changes, contracting opportunities, and other department initiatives, including but not limited to Web and Internet resources.<\/p>\n
Sec. 4. Additional Responsibilities of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor Centers.<\/p>\n
In addition to those responsibilities described in section 3 of this order, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor Centers shall, to the extent permitted by law:<\/p>\n
(a) conduct a comprehensive review of policies and practices affecting existing funding streams governed by so-called \u201cCharitable Choice\u201d legislation to assess the department\u2019s compliance with the requirements of Charitable Choice; and<\/p>\n
(b) promote and ensure compliance with existing Charitable Choice legislation by the department, as well as its partners in State and local government, and their contractors.<\/p>\n
Sec. 5. Reporting Requirements.<\/p>\n
(a) Report. Not later than 180 days after the date of this order and annually thereafter, each of the five executive department Centers described in section 1 of this order shall prepare and submit a report to the White House OFBCI.<\/p>\n
(b) Contents. The report shall include a description of the department\u2019s efforts in carrying out its responsibilities under this order, including but not limited to:<\/p>\n
(1) a comprehensive analysis of the barriers to the full participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social services identified pursuant to section 3(a) of this order and the proposed strategies to eliminate those barriers; and<\/p>\n
(2) a summary of the technical assistance and other information that will be available to faith-based and other community organizations regarding the program activities of the department and the preparation of applications or proposals for grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and procurement. <\/p>\n
(c) Performance Indicators. The first report, filed 180 days after the date of this order, shall include annual performance indicators and measurable objectives for department action. Each report filed thereafter shall measure the department\u2019s performance against the objectives set forth in the initial report.<\/p>\n
Sec. 6. Responsibilities of All Executive Departments and Agencies. All executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall:<\/p>\n
(a) designate an agency employee to serve as the liaison and point of contact with the White House OFBCI; and<\/p>\n
(b) Cooperate with the White House OFBCI and provide such information, support, and assistance to the White House OFBCI as it may request, to the extent permitted by law.<\/p>\n
Sec. 7. Administration and Judicial Review.<\/p>\n
(a) The agencies actions directed by this Executive Order shall be carried out subject to the availability of appropriations and to the extent permitted by law.<\/p>\n
(b) This order does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity against the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any other person.3898<\/p>\n
In an address entitled \u201cA Charge to Keep,\u201d delivered during his 2000 Presidential Campaign, George W. Bush stated:<\/p>\n
Actually, the seeds of my decision had been planted the year before by the Reverend Billy Graham. He visited my family for a summer weekend in Maine. I saw him preach at the small summer church, St. Ann\u2019s by the Sea. We all had lunch on the patio overlooking the ocean.<\/p>\n
One evening my dad asked Bill to answer questions from a big group of family gathered for the weekend. He sat by the fire and talked. And what he said sparked a change in my heart. I don\u2019t remember the exact words. It was more the power of his example. The Lord was so clearly reflected in his gentle and loving demeanor.<\/p>\n
The next day we walked and talked at Walker\u2019s Point, and I knew I was in the presence of a great man. He was like a magnet; I felt drawn to seek something different. He didn\u2019t lecture or admonish; he shared warmth and concern.<\/p>\n
Billy Graham didn\u2019t make you feel guilty; he made you feel loved.<\/p>\n
Over the course of that weekend, Reverend Graham planted a mustard seed in my soul, a seed that grew over the next year. He led me to the path, and I began walking. And it was the beginning of a change in my life.<\/p>\n
I had always been a religious person, had regularly attended church, even taught Sunday school and served as an altar boy. But that weekend my faith took no a new meaning.<\/p>\n
It was the beginning of a new walk where I would recommit my heart to Jesus Christ. I was humbled to learn that God sent His Son to die for a sinner like me. I was comforted to know that through the Son, I could find God\u2019s amazing grace, a grace that crosses every border, every barrier and is open to everyone. Through the love of Christ\u2019s life, I could understand the life-changing powers of faith.<\/p>\n
When I returned to Midland, I began reading the Bible regularly. Don Evans talked me into joining him and another friend, Don Jones, at a men\u2019s community Bible study.<\/p>\n
The group had first assembled the year before in spring on 1984, at the beginning of the downturn in the energy industry. Midland was hurting. A lot of people were looking for comfort and strength and direction. A couple of men started the Bible study as a support group, and it grew. By the time I began attending, in the fall of 1985, almost 120 men would gather. We met in small discussion groups of ten or twelve, then joined the larger group for full meetings.<\/p>\n
Don Jones picked me up every week for the meetings. I remember looking forward to them. My interest in reading the Bible grew stronger and stronger, and the words became clearer and more meaningful.<\/p>\n
We studied Acts, the story of the Apostles building the Christian Church and next year the Gospel of Like. The preparation for each meeting took several hours reading the Scripture passages and thinking through responses to discussion questions. I took it seriously, with my usual touch of humor. \u2026 <\/p>\n
Laura and I were active members of the First Methodist Church of Midland, and we participated in many family programs, including James Dobson\u2019s Focus on the Family series on raising children. As I studied and learned, Scripture took of greater meaning, and I gained confidence and understanding in my faith. I read the Bible regularly.<\/p>\n
Don Evans gave me the \u201cOne-Year\u201d Bible, a Bible divided into 356 daily readings, each one including a section from the New Testament, the Old Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. I read through that Bible every other year. During the years in between, I picked different chapters to study at different times.<\/p>\n
I have also learned the power of prayer. I pray for guidance. I do not pray for earthly things, but for heavenly things, for wisdom and patience and understanding. My faith gives me focus and perspective. It teaches humility.<\/p>\n
But I also recognize that faith can be misinterpreted in the political process. Faith is an important part of my life. I believe it is important to live my faith, not flaunt it.<\/p>\n
America is a great country because of our religious freedoms. It is important for any leader to respect the faith of others. That point was driven home when Laura and I visited Israel in 1998. We traveled to Rome to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter, who was attending a school program there, and spend three days in Israel on the way home. It was an incredible experience.<\/p>\n
I remember walking up at the Jerusalem Hilton and opening the curtains and seeing the Old City before us, the Jerusalem stone glowing gold. We visited the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. And we went to the Sea of Galilee and stood atop the hill where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.<\/p>\n
It was an overwhelming feeling to stand in the spot where the most famous speech in the history of the world was delivered, the spot where Jesus outlined the character and conduct of a believer and gave his disciples and the world the beatitudes, the golden rule and the Lord\u2019s Prayer.<\/p>\n
Our delegation included four gentile governors-one Methodist, two Catholics, and a Mormon, and several Jewish-American friends. Someone suggested we read Scripture.<\/p>\n
I chose to read \u201cAmazing Grace,\u201d my favorite hymn. Later that night we all gathered at a restaurant in Tel Aviv for dinner before we boarded our middle-of-the-night flight back to America. We talked about the wonderful experiences and thanked the guides and government officials who had introduced us to their country.<\/p>\n
And toward the end of the meal, one of our friends rose to share a story, to tell us how he, a gentile, and his friend, a Jew, had (unbeknownst to the rest of us) walked down to the Sea of Galilee, joined hands underwater, and prayed together, on bended knee. Then out of his mouth came a hymn he had known as a child, a hymn he hadn\u2019t thought about in years. He got every word right:<\/p>\n
\u201cNow is the time approaching, by the prophets long foretold, when all shall dwell together, One Shepherd and one fold.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow Jew and gentile, meeting, from many a distant shore, around an altar kneeling, one common Lord adore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Faith changes lives. I know, because faith has changed mine.<\/p>\n
I could not be governor if I did not believe in a Divine plan that supersedes all human plans. Politics is a fickle business. Polls change. Today\u2019s friend is tomorrow\u2019s adversary. People lavish praise and attention. Many times genuine; sometimes it is not.<\/p>\n
Yet I build my life on a foundation that will not shift. My faith frees me. Frees me to put the problem of the moment in proper perspective. Frees me to make decisions that others might not like. Frees me to try to do the right thing, even though it may not poll well. \u2026 "<\/p>\n
The death penalty is a difficult issue for supporters as well as its opponents. I have a reverence for life, my faith teaches that life is a gift from our Creator. In a perfect world, life is given by God and only taken by God. I hope someday our society will respect life, the full spectrum of life from the unborn to the elderly. I hope someday unborn children will be protected by law and welcomed in life. I support the death penalty because I believe, if administered swiftly and justly, capital punishment is a deterrent against future violence and will save other innocent lives.<\/p>\n
Some advocates of life will challenge why I oppose abortion yet support the death penalty; to me it\u2019s the difference between innocence and guilt. \u2026 <\/p>\n
Today, two weeks after Jeb\u2019s inauguration, in the church in downtown Austin, the pastor Mark Craig was telling me that my reelection as the first Governor to win back-to-back four-year terms in the history of the state of Texas was a beginning, not an end. \u2026 <\/p>\n
People are starved for faithfulness. He talked of the need for honesty in government; he warned that leaders who cheat on their wives will cheat on their country, will cheat on their colleagues, will cheat themselves. The minister said that America is starved for honest leaders.<\/p>\n
He told the story of Moses, asked by God to lead his people to a land of milk and honey. Moses had a lot of reasons to shirk the task. As the pastor told it, Moses\u2019 basic reaction was, \u201cSorry, God, I\u2019m busy. I\u2019ve got a family. I\u2019ve got sheep to tend. I\u2019ve got a life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?\u201d \u201cThe people won\u2019t believe me,\u201d he protested. \u201cI\u2019m not a very good speaker. Oh Lord, send, I pray, some other person,\u201d Moses pleaded.<\/p>\n
But God did not, and Moses ultimately did his bidding, leading his people through forty years of wilderness and wandering, relying on God for strength and direction and inspiration.<\/p>\n
People are \u201cstarving for leadership,\u201d Pastor Craig said, \u201cstarved for leaders who have ethical and moral courage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not enough to have an ethical compass to know right from wrong,\u201d he argued, \u201cAmerica needs leaders who have the moral courage to do what is right for the right reason. It\u2019s not always easy or convenient for leaders to step forward,\u201d he acknowledged, \u201cremember even Moses had doubts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was talking to you,\u201d my mother later said. The pastor was, of course, talking to all of us, challenging each one of us to make the most of our lives, to assume the mantle of leadership and responsibility wherever we find it. He was calling on us to use whatever power we have, in business, in politics, in our communities, and in our families, to do good for the right reason. And the sermon spoke directly to my heart and my life. \u2026 <\/p>\n
There was no magic moment of decision. After talking with my family during the Christmas holidays, then hearing the rousing sermon to make the most of every moment during my inaugural church service, I gradually felt more comfortable with the prospect of a presidential campaign. My family would love me, my faith would sustain me, no matter what.<\/p>\n
During the more than a half century of my life, we have seen an unprecedented decay in our American culture, a decay that has eroded the foundations of our collective values and moral standards of conduct. Our sense of personal responsibility has declined dramatically, just as the role and responsibility of the federal government have increased. The changing culture blurred the sharp contrast between right and wrong and created a new standard of conduct.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it feels good, do it.\u201d and \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a problem, blame somebody else.\u201d Individuals are not responsible for their actions, the new culture said, we are all victims of forces beyond our control. We went from a culture of sacrifice and saving to a culture obsessed with grabbing all the gusto.<\/p>\n
We went from accepting responsibility to assigning blame. As government did more and more, individuals were required to do less and less. The new culture said if people were poor, the government should feed them. If someone had no house, the government should provide one. If criminals are not responsible for their acts, then the answers are not prisons, but social programs. \u2026 For culture to change, it must change one heart, one soul, and one conscience at a time. Government can spend money, but it cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose in our lives. \u2026 <\/p>\n
But government should welcome the active involvement of people who are following a religious imperative to love their neighbors through after school programs, child care, drug treatment, maternity group homes, and a range of other services. Supporting these men and women\u2014soldiers in the armies of compassion\u2014is the next bold step of welfare reform, because I know that changing hearts will change our entire society.<\/p>\n
During the opening months of my presidential campaign, I have traveled our country and my heart has been warmed. My experiences have reinvigorated my faith in the greatness of Americans. They have reminded me that societies are renewed from the bottom up, not the top down. Everywhere I go, I see people of love and faith, taking time to help a neighbor in need. \u2026 <\/p>\n
These people and thousands like them are the heart and soul and greatness of America. And I want to do my part. I am running for President because I believe America must seize this moment, America must lead. We must give our prosperity a greater purpose, a purpose of peace and freedom and hope.<\/p>\n
We are a great nation of good loving people. And together, we have a charge to keep.3899<\/p>\n
On March 22, 2001, President George W. Bush was invited to Catholic University of America in northeast Washington D.C., for the dedication of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. After cutting the ribbon with Cardinal Adam J. Maida, President Bush, a Methodist, commented to the Archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick:<\/p>\n
I may be just passing through and I may not be a parishioner, but I\u2019m proud to live in your archdiocese.3900<\/p>\n
President Bush continued:<\/p>\n
When Cardinal Wojtyla spoke here at Catholic University in 1976, few imagined the course his life would take, or the history his life would shape.<\/p>\n
In 1978, most of the world knew him only as the Polish Pope. There were signs of something different and deeper.<\/p>\n
One journalist, after hearing the new Pope\u2019s first blessing in St. Peter\u2019s Square wired back to his editors: \u201cThis is not a Pope from Poland, this is a Pope from Galilee.\u201d<\/p>\n
From that day to this, the Pope\u2019s life was written one of the great inspiring stories of our time.<\/p>\n
We remember the Pope\u2019s first visit to Poland in 1979 when faith turned into resistance and began to swift collapse of imperial communism. The gentle, young priest, once ordered into forced labor by Nazis, became the foe of tyranny and a witness to hope.<\/p>\n
The last leader of the Soviet Union would call him \u201cthe highest moral authority on earth.\u201d We remember his visit to a prison comforting the man who shot him. By answering violence with forgiveness, the Pope became a symbol of reconciliation.<\/p>\n
We remember the Pope\u2019s visit to Manila in 1995, speaking to one of the largest crowds in history, more than 5 million men and women and children. We remember that as a priest 50 years ago, he traveled by horse-cart to teach the children of small villages. Now he\u2019s kissed the ground of 123 countries and leads a flock of 1 billion into the third millennium.<\/p>\n
We remember the Pope\u2019s visit to Israel and his mission of reconciliation and mutual respect between Christians and Jews. He is the first modern Pope to enter a synagogue always or visit an Islamic country. He has always combined the practice of tolerance with a passion for truth.<\/p>\n
John Paul, himself, has often said, \u201cIn the designs of Providence, there are no mere coincidences.\u201d And maybe the reason this man became Pope is that he bears the message our world needs to hear. To the poor, sick and dying, he carries a message of dignity and solidarity with their suffering. Even when they are forgotten by men, he reminds them they are never forgotten by God.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not give in to despair,\u201d he said in the South Bronx. \u201cGod has your lives and his care goes with you, calls you to better things, calls you to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
To the wealthy, this Pope carries the message that wealth alone is a false comfort. The goods of the world, he teaches, are nothing without goodness. We are called, each and every one of us, not only to make our own way, but to ease the path of others.<\/p>\n
To those with power, the Pope carries a message of justice and human rights. And that message has caused dictators to fear and to fall. His is not the power of armies or technology or wealth. It is the unexpected power of a baby in a stable, of a man on a cross, of a simple fisherman who carried a message to Rome.<\/p>\n
Pope John Paul II brings that message of liberation to every corner of the world. When he arrived in Cuba in 1998, he was greeted by signs that read, \u201cFidel is the Revolution!\u201d But as the Pope\u2019s biographer put it, \u201cIn the next four days Cuba belonged to another revolutionary.\u201d We are confident that the revolution of hope the Pope began in that nation will bear fruit in our time.<\/p>\n
And we\u2019re responsible to stand for human dignity and religious freedom wherever they are denied, from Cuba to China to southern Sudan. And we, in our country, must not ignore the words the Pope addresses to us. On his four pilgrimages to America, he has spoken with wisdom and feeling about our strength and our flaws, our successes and our needs.<\/p>\n
The Pope reminds us that while freedom defines our nation, responsibility must define our lives. He challenges us to live up to our aspirations, to be a fair and just society where all are welcomed, all are valued, and all are protected. And he is never more eloquent than when he speaks for a culture of life. The culture of life is a welcoming culture, never excluding, never dividing, never despairing and always affirming the goodness of life in all its seasons.<\/p>\n
In the culture of life we must make room for the stranger. We must comfort the sick. We must care for the aged. We must welcome the immigrant. We must teach our children to be gentle with one another. We must defend in love the innocent child waiting to be born.<\/p>\n
The center we dedicate today celebrates the Pope\u2019s message, its comfort and its challenge. This place stands for the dignity of the human person, the value of every life and the splendor of truth. And, above all, its stands, in the Pope\u2019s words, for the \u201cjoy of faith in a troubled world.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful that Pope John Paul II chose Washington as the site of this center. It brings honor and it fills a need. We are thankful for the message. We are also thankful for the messenger, for his personal warmth and prophetic strength; for his good humor and his bracing honesty; for his spiritual and intellectual gifts; for his moral courage, tested against tyranny and against our own complacency.<\/p>\n
Always, the Pope points us to the things that last and the love that saves. We thank God for this rare man, a servant of God and a hero of history. And I thank all of you for building this center of conscience and reflection in our nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
God bless.3901<\/p>\n
On July 22, 2001, President George W. Bush proclaimed:<\/p>\n
PARENTs\u2019 DAY 2001<\/p>\n
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA<\/p>\n
A PROCLAMATION<\/p>\n
Being a parent is the most important job in the world. As we hold a newborn in our arms or embrace an older adopted child, the promise we make in our hearts to love, protect, and nurture our children stays with us and with them forever. We are eternally linked to the children whom we are blessed to parent and to the generations before us who helped shape our lives.<\/p>\n
Both mothers and fathers play a vital role in giving children the best possible start in life. As parents, we provide our children with the love and support they need to grow up to be caring individuals and responsible citizens. The care we express and the values we instill help our children achieve their greatest potential and ultimately will determine the future of our Nation.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, children who lack a strong parental presence in their lives can suffer over both the short and the long term. Study after study has demonstrated that children who grow up without both parents in their home are more likely to end up in poverty, drop out of school, become addicted to drugs, have a child out of wedlock, or go to prison.<\/p>\n
Single-parented children who avoid these unfortunate outcomes will nevertheless miss out on the balance, unity, and stability that a two-parent family can bring.<\/p>\n
Recognizing that strong families make a strong America, I have committed my Administration to help parents do better by encouraging the formation and maintenance of loving families. We have proposed several major initiatives designed to promote responsible fatherhood, strengthen families, and make adoption easier and more affordable, so that every child has a better chance of living in a stable and loving home.<\/p>\n
We also have achieved widespread support for the historic reform of our public education system that will significantly improve our schools. This improvement is founded on the core principles of my education reform agenda, which include: accountability; flexibility; local control; and more choices for parents.<\/p>\n
Government bears an important responsibility to provide excellent schools and educational programs that leave no child behind; but Government cannot replace the love and nurturing of committed parents that are essential for a child\u2019s well-being. Many community organizations, centers of faith, and schools offer services and programs to help parents improve their child-rearing skills.<\/p>\n
As we observe Parents\u2019 Day, I encourage all Americans to join me in honoring the millions of mothers and fathers, biological and adoptive, foster parents, and stepparents, whose selfless love and hard-working efforts are building better lives for their children and our Nation.<\/p>\n
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States and consistent with Public Law 103\u2013362, do hereby proclaim Sunday, July 22, 2001, as Parents\u2019 Day. I urge all Americans to express their love, respect, support, and appreciation to their parents, and I call upon citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.<\/p>\n
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.<\/p>\n
GEORGE W. BUSH3902<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(b. July 6, 1946) is the 43rd President of the United States. Formerly the 46th Governor of the State of Texas, Bush has earned a reputation as a compassionate conservative who shapes policy based on the principles of limited government, personal responsibility, strong families, and local control. George W. Bush grew up in Midland and … Continue reading “BUSH,
\nGEORGE WALKER”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}