supposed to be learned in the early grades of our schools. Yet for too
long, for too many children, those skills were never mastered. By
passing the No Child Left Behind Act, you have made the expectation of
literacy the law of our country. We are providing more funding for our
schools - a 36 percent increase since 2001. We are requiring higher
standards. We are regularly testing every child on the fundamentals. We
are reporting results to parents, and making sure they have better
options when schools are not performing. We are making progress toward
excellence for every child.
But the status quo always has defenders. Some want to undermine the No
Child Left Behind Act by weakening standards and accountability. Yet
the results we require are really a matter of common sense: We expect
third graders to read and do math at third grade level - and that is
not asking too much. Testing is the only way to identify and help
students who are falling behind.
This Nation will not go back to the days of simply shuffling children
along from grade to grade without them learning the basics. I refuse to
give up on any child - and the No Child Left Behind Act is opening the
door of opportunity to all of America's children.
At the same time, we must ensure that older students and adults can
gain the skills they need to find work now. Many of the fastest-growing
occupations require strong math and science preparation, and training
beyond the high school level. So tonight I propose a series of measures
called Jobs for the 21st Century. This program will provide extra help
to middle- and high school students who fall behind in reading and
math, expand Advanced Placement programs in low-income schools, and
invite math and science professionals from the private sector to teach
part-time in our high schools. I propose larger Pell Grants for
students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school.
I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges,
so they can train workers for the industries that are creating the most
new jobs. By all these actions, we will help more and more Americans to
join in the growing prosperity of our country.
Job training is important, and so is job creation. We must continue to
pursue an aggressive, pro-growth economic agenda.
Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes. The tax
reductions you passed are set to expire. Unless you act, the unfair tax
on marriage will go back up. Unless you act, millions of families will
be charged 300 dollars more in Federal taxes for every child. Unless
you act, small businesses will pay higher taxes. Unless you act, the
death tax will eventually come back to life. Unless you act, Americans
face a tax increase. What the Congress has given, the Congress should
not take away: For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed
should be permanent.
Our agenda for jobs and growth must help small business owners and
employees with relief from needless Federal regulation, and protect
them from junk and frivolous lawsuits. Consumers and businesses need
reliable supplies of energy to make our economy run - so I urge you to
pass legislation to modernize our electricity system, promote
conservation, and make America less dependent on foreign sources of
energy. My Administration is promoting free and fair trade, to open up
new markets for America's entrepreneurs, and manufacturers, and
farmers, and to create jobs for America's workers. Younger workers
should have the opportunity to build a nest egg by saving part of their
Social Security taxes in a personal retirement account. We should make
the Social Security system a source of ownership for the American
people.
And we should limit the burden of government on this economy by acting
as good stewards of taxpayer dollars. In two weeks, I will send you a
budget that funds the war, protects the homeland, and meets important
domestic needs, while limiting the growth in discretionary spending to
less than four percent. This will require that Congress focus on
priorities, cut wasteful spending, and be wise with the people's money.
By doing so, we can cut the deficit in half over the next five years.
Tonight I also ask you to reform our immigration laws, so they reflect
our values and benefit our economy. I propose a new temporary worker
program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers, when
no Americans can be found to fill the job. This reform will be good for
our economy - because employers will find needed workers in an honest
and orderly system. A temporary worker program will help protect our
homeland - allowing border patrol and law enforcement to focus on true
threats to our national security. I oppose amnesty, because it would
encourage further illegal immigration, and unfairly reward those who
break our laws. My temporary worker program will preserve the
citizenship path for those who respect the law, while bringing millions
of hardworking men and women out from the shadows of American life.
Our Nation's health care system, like our economy, is also in a time of
change. Amazing medical technologies are improving and saving lives.
This dramatic progress has brought its own challenge, in the rising
costs of medical care and health insurance. Members of Congress, we
must work together to help control those costs and extend the benefits
of modern medicine throughout our country.
Meeting these goals requires bipartisan effort - and two months ago,
you showed the way. By strengthening Medicare and adding a prescription
drug benefit, you kept a basic commitment to our seniors: You are
giving them the modern medicine they deserve.
Starting this year, under the law you passed, seniors can choose to
receive a drug discount card, saving them 10 to 25 percent off the
retail price of most prescription drugs - and millions of low-income
seniors can get an additional 600 dollars to buy medicine. Beginning
next year, seniors will have new coverage for preventive screenings
against diabetes and heart disease, and seniors just entering Medicare
can receive wellness exams.
In January of 2006, seniors can get prescription drug coverage under
Medicare. For a monthly premium of about 35 dollars, most seniors who
do not have that coverage today can expect to see their drug bills cut
roughly in half. Under this reform, senior citizens will be able to
keep their Medicare just as it is, or they can choose a Medicare plan
that fits them best - just as you, as Members of Congress, can choose
an insurance plan that meets your needs. And starting this year,
millions of Americans will be able to save money tax-free for their
medical expenses, in a health savings account.
I signed this measure proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of
our seniors, or to take away their prescription drug coverage under
Medicare, will meet my veto.
On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that
Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best
fits their individual needs. To make insurance more affordable,
Congress must act to address rapidly rising health care costs. Small
businesses should be able to band together and negotiate for lower
insurance rates, so they can cover more workers with health insurance -
I urge you to pass Association Health Plans. I ask you to give
lower-income Americans a refundable tax credit that would allow
millions to buy their own basic health insurance. By computerizing
health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs,
and improve care. To protect the doctor-patient relationship, and keep
good doctors doing good work, we must eliminate wasteful and frivolous
medical lawsuits. And tonight I propose that individuals who buy
catastrophic health care coverage, as part of our new health savings
accounts, be allowed to deduct 100 percent of the premiums from their
taxes.
A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription. By
keeping costs under control, expanding access, and helping more
Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of private
medicine that makes America's health care the best in the world.
We are living in a time of great change - in our world, in our economy,
and in science and medicine. Yet some things endure - courage and
compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith
and race. The values we try to live by never change. And they are
instilled in us by fundamental institutions, such as families, and
schools, and religious congregations. These institutions - the unseen
pillars of civilization - must remain strong in America, and we will
defend them.
We must stand with our families to help them raise healthy, responsible
children. And when it comes to helping children make right choices,
there is work for all of us to do.
One of the worst decisions our children can make is to gamble their
lives and futures on drugs. Our government is helping parents confront
this problem, with aggressive education, treatment, and law
enforcement. Drug use in high school has declined by 11 percent over
the past two years. Four hundred thousand fewer young people are using
illegal drugs than in the year 2001. In my budget, I have proposed new
funding to continue our aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce
demand for illegal drugs. Drug testing in our schools has proven to be
an effective part of this effort. So tonight I propose an additional 23
million dollars for schools that want to use drug testing as a tool to
save children's lives. The aim here is not to punish children, but to
send them this message: We love you, and we don't want to lose you.
To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics
play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in
professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of
performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and
other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message - that there
are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important
than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union
representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the
right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.
To encourage right choices, we must be willing to confront the dangers
young people face - even when they are difficult to talk about. Each
year, about three million teenagers contract sexually transmitted
diseases that can harm them, or kill them, or prevent them from ever
becoming parents. In my budget, I propose a grassroots campaign to help
inform families about these medical risks. We will double Federal
funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of
life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid
sexually transmitted diseases. Decisions children make now can affect
their health and character for the rest of their lives. All of us -
parents, schools, government - must work together to counter the
negative influence of the culture, and to send the right messages to
our children.
A strong America must also value the institution of marriage. I believe
we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of
the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization.
Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense
of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton. That statute
protects marriage under Federal law as the union of a man and a woman,
and declares that one state may not redefine marriage for other states.
Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court
order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected
representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's
voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will
upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the
constitutional process. Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.
The outcome of this debate is important - and so is the way we conduct
it. The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that
each individual has dignity and value in God's sight.
It is also important to strengthen our communities by unleashing the
compassion of America's religious institutions. Religious charities of
every creed are doing some of the most vital work in our country -
mentoring children, feeding the hungry, taking the hand of the lonely.
Yet government has often denied social service grants and contracts to
these groups, just because they have a cross or Star of David or
crescent on the wall. By Executive Order, I have opened billions of
dollars in grant money to competition that includes faith-based
charities. Tonight I ask you to codify this into law, so people of
faith can know that the law will never discriminate against them again.
In the past, we have worked together to bring mentors to the children
of prisoners, and provide treatment for the addicted, and help for the
homeless. Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in
need of help. This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from
prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they
can't find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to
commit more crimes and return to prison. So tonight, I propose a
four-year, 300 million dollar Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative to expand
job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing,
and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from
faith-based groups. America is the land of the second chance - and when
the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better
life.
For all Americans, the last three years have brought tests we did not
ask for, and achievements shared by all. By our actions, we have shown
what kind of Nation we are. In grief, we found the grace to go on. In
challenge, we rediscovered the courage and daring of a free people. In
victory, we have shown the noble aims and good heart of America. And
having come this far, we sense that we live in a time set apart.
I have been a witness to the character of the American people, who have
shown calm in times of danger, compassion for one another, and
toughness for the long haul. All of us have been partners in a great
enterprise. And even some of the youngest understand that we are living
in historic times. Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me
a letter. It began, "Dear George W. Bush." "If there is anything you
know, I Ashley Pearson age 10 can do to help anyone, please send me a
letter and tell me what I can do to save our country." She added this
P.S.: "If you can send a letter to the troops ... please put, 'Ashley
Pearson believes in you.'" Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops
has just been conveyed. And yes, you have some duties yourself. Study
hard in school, listen to your mom and dad, help someone in need, and
when you and your friends see a man or woman in uniform, say "thank
you." And while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber
will do our best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free.
My fellow citizens, we now move forward, with confidence and faith. Our
Nation is strong and steadfast. The cause we serve is right, because it
is the cause of all mankind. The momentum of freedom in our world is
unmistakable - and it is not carried forward by our power alone. We can
trust in that greater power Who guides the unfolding of the years. And
in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true.
May God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
***
State of the Union Address
George W. Bush
February 2, 2005
Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, fellow
citizens:
As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of
government share a great privilege: We've been placed in office by the
votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share
with newly-elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories,
Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq.
Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the
commitment of our nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This
evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and
around the world.
Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going
back to work, with our nation an active force for good in the world --
the state of our union is confident and strong.
Our generation has been blessed -- by the expansion of opportunity, by
advances in medicine, by the security purchased by our parents'
sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror -- or a lot of
gray -- and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the
question: What will be the state of their union? Members of Congress,
the choices we make together will answer that question. Over the next
several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have
always done, and build a better world for our children and our
grandchildren.
First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew the great
institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely. America's
economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. In
the past four years, we provided tax relief to every person who pays
income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad,
prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to its highest
level in history, and in the last year alone, the United States has
added 2.3 million new jobs. When action was needed, the Congress
delivered -- and the nation is grateful.
Now we must add to these achievements. By making our economy more
flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America
the economic leader of the world.
America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the
federal government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending
discipline. I will send you a budget that holds the growth of
discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and
stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. My budget
substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs
that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not
fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: Taxpayer
dollars must be spent wisely, or not at all.
To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising
generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child
Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and
we're closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must
demand better results from our high schools, so every high school
diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional 200,000
workers to get training for a better career, by reforming our job
training system and strengthening America's community colleges. And
we'll make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by
increasing the size of Pell Grants.
To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward,
not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is
the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we
must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest
job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy
is held back by irresponsible class-actions and frivolous asbestos
claims -- and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.
To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must make health
care more affordable, and give families greater access to good coverage
-- and more control over their health decisions. I ask Congress to move
forward on a comprehensive health care agenda with tax credits to help
low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in every
poor county, improved information technology to prevent medical error
and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and
their employees -- -- expanded health savings accounts -- and medical
liability reform that will reduce health care costs and make sure
patients have the doctors and care they need.
To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of
affordable, environmentally responsible energy. Nearly four years ago,
I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages
conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and
more production here at home -- including safe, clean nuclear energy.
My Clear Skies legislation will cut power plant pollution and improve
the health of our citizens. And my budget provides strong funding for
leading-edge technology -- from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to
renewable sources such as ethanol. Four years of debate is enough: I
urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and
less dependent on foreign energy.
All these proposals are essential to expand this economy and add new
jobs -- but they are just the beginning of our duty. To build the
prosperity of future generations, we must update institutions that were
created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year,
Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code. I've
appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to
bottom. And when their recommendations are delivered, you and I will
work together to give this nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy
to understand, and fair to all.
America's immigration system is also outdated -- unsuited to the needs
of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be
content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to
provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and
invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that
permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take,
that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our
country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists.
One of America's most important institutions -- a symbol of the trust
between generations -- is also in need of wise and effective reform.
Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th century, and we
must honor its great purposes in this new century. The system, however,
on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join
together to strengthen and save Social Security.
Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social Security benefits,
and millions more are nearing retirement -- and for them the system is
sound and fiscally strong. I have a message for every American who is
55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you; for you, the Social
Security system will not change in any way. For younger workers, the
Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with
time. Social Security was created decades ago, for a very different
era. In those days, people did not live as long. Benefits were much
lower than they are today. And a half-century ago, about sixteen
workers paid into the system for each person drawing benefits.
Our society has changed in ways the founders of Social Security could
not have foreseen. In today's world, people are living longer and,
therefore, drawing benefits longer. And those benefits are scheduled to
rise dramatically over the next few decades. And instead of sixteen
workers paying in for every beneficiary, right now it's only about
three workers. And over the next few decades that number will fall to
just two workers per beneficiary. With each passing year, fewer workers
are paying ever-higher benefits to an ever-larger number of retirees.