February 02, 2005
Text of the 2005 State of the Union Address
by Liza Sabater
Thanks Atrios for the full script. The full text is after the jump.
EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
February 2, 2005
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
As Prepared for Delivery
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 have 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, and 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 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 have provided tax relief to every
person who pays income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new
markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership
to the 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. So next week 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:
a taxpayer dollar 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 are 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 will 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 errors 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
have 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 strong and fiscally sound. 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 didn't live as
long, benefits were much lower than they are today, and a half century
ago, about 16 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 16 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.
So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social
Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year
afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before.
For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to
come up with an extra 200 billion dollars to keep the system afloat -
and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than 300 billion
dollars. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and
bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only
solutions would be drastically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or
sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government
programs.
I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem like a long way off. But
those dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you
have a five-year-old, you're already concerned about how you'll pay
for college tuition 13 years down the road. If you've got children in
their 20s, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing
before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should
not be a small matter to the United States Congress.
You and I share a responsibility. We must pass reforms that solve the
financial problems of Social Security once and for all.
Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review
of the options. Some have suggested limiting benefits for wealthy
retirees. Former Congressman Tim Penny has raised the possibility of
indexing benefits to prices rather than wages. During the 1990s, my
predecessor, President Clinton, spoke of increasing the retirement
age. Former Senator John Breaux suggested discouraging early
collection of Social Security benefits. The late Senator Daniel
Patrick Moynihan recommended changing the way benefits are calculated.
All these ideas are on the table. I know that none of these reforms
would be easy. But we have to move ahead with courage and honesty,
because our children's retirement security is more important than
partisan politics. I will work with members of Congress to find the
most effective combination of reforms. I will listen to anyone who
has a good idea to offer. We must, however, be guided by some basic
principles. We must make Social Security permanently sound, not leave
that task for another day. We must not jeopardize our economic
strength by increasing payroll taxes. We must ensure that lower
income Americans get the help they need to have dignity and peace of
mind in their retirement. We must guarantee that there is no change
for those now retired or nearing retirement. And we must take care
that any changes in the system are gradual, so younger workers have
years to prepare and plan for their future.
As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the
system a better deal for younger workers. And the best way to reach
that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. Here is
how the idea works. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is
taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of
today's retirees. If you are a younger worker, I believe you should
be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement
account, so you can build a nest egg for your own future.
Here is why personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will
grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the current system
can deliver - and your account will provide money for retirement over
and above the check you will receive from Social Security. In
addition, you'll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in
your personal account, if you wish, to your children or grandchildren.
And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the
government can never take it away.
The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set
careful guidelines for personal accounts. We will make sure the money
can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We will
make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street
fees. We will make sure there are good options to protect your
investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement.
We will make sure a personal account can't be emptied out all at once,
but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social
Security benefits. And we will make sure this plan is fiscally
responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts gradually, and
raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually
permitting all workers to set aside four percentage points of their
payroll taxes in their accounts.
Personal retirement accounts should be familiar to federal employees,
because you already have something similar, called the Thrift Savings
Plan, which lets workers deposit a portion of their paychecks into any
of five different broadly based investment funds. It is time to
extend the same security, and choice, and ownership to young
Americans.
Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is
to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So
many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family
and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children.
Government is not the source of these values, but government should
never undermine them.
Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of
society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good
of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional
amendment to protect the institution of marriage.
Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and
vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical
research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and
cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities - and I
thank Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of
Health. To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that
scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of
some lives for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree
on some clear standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that
human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body
parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity.
America will continue to lead the world in medical research that is
ambitious, aggressive, and always ethical.
Because courts must always deliver impartial justice, judges have a
duty to faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench.
As President, I have a constitutional responsibility to nominate men
and women who understand the role of courts in our democracy, and are
well qualified to serve on the bench - and I have done so. The
Constitution also gives the Senate a responsibility: Every judicial
nominee deserves an up-or-down vote.
Because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we
must never turn away from any citizen who feels isolated from the
opportunities of America. Our government will continue to support
faith-based and community groups that bring hope to harsh places. Now
we need to focus on giving young people, especially young men in our
cities, better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail. Tonight I
propose a three-year initiative to help organizations keep young
people out of gangs, and show young men an ideal of manhood that
respects women and rejects violence. Taking on gang life will be one
part of a broader outreach to at-risk youth, which involves parents
and pastors, coaches and community leaders, in programs ranging from
literacy to sports. And I am proud that the leader of this nationwide
effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush.
Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask
you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention, and
provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease. And as we
update this important law, we must focus our efforts on fellow
citizens with the highest rates of new cases, African-American men and
women.
Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief in
equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and
backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice. In
America we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a
crime he or she did not commit - so we are dramatically expanding the
use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. Soon I will send
to Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in
capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have
competent lawyers by their side.
Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave them an
America that is safe from danger, and protected by peace. We will
pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy - and chief among
them is freedom from fear.
In the three and a half years since September 11th, 2001, we have
taken unprecedented actions to protect Americans. We have created a
new department of government to defend our homeland, focused the FBI
on preventing terrorism, begun to reform our intelligence agencies,
broken up terror cells across the country, expanded research on
defenses against biological and chemical attack, improved border
security, and trained more than a half million first responders.
Police and firefighters, air marshals, researchers, and so many others
are working every day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them
all.
Our Nation, working with allies and friends, has also confronted the
enemy abroad, with measures that are determined, successful, and
continuing. The al-Qaida terror network that attacked our country
still has leaders - but many of its top commanders have been removed.
There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists - but
their number has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of
mass destruction - but no longer without attention and without
consequence. Our country is still the target of terrorists who want
to kill many, and intimidate us all - and we will stay on the
offensive against them, until the fight is won.
Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the war on terror - and
I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the
resources they have needed. During this time of war, we must continue
to support our military and give them the tools for victory.
Other nations around the globe have stood with us. In Afghanistan, an
international force is helping provide security. In Iraq, 28
countries have troops on the ground, the United Nations and the
European Union provided technical assistance for elections, and NATO
is leading a mission to help train Iraqi officers. We are cooperating
with 60 governments in the Proliferation Security Initiative, to
detect and stop the transit of dangerous materials. We are working
closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon
its nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other
countries have captured or detained al-Qaida terrorists. In the next
four years, my Administration will continue to build the coalitions
that will defeat the dangers of our time.
In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by
eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of
murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in
hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that
terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only
force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and
replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom. Our enemies
know this, and that is why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war
on what he called the "evil principle" of democracy. And we have
declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies of
freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond,
with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose
our form of government on anyone else. That is one of the main
differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and
expand an empire of oppression, in which a tiny group of brutal,
self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every life. Our aim is
to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations,
with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own
cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their
neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace.
That advance has great momentum in our time - shown by women voting in
Afghanistan, and Palestinians choosing a new direction, and the people
of Ukraine asserting their democratic rights and electing a president.
We are witnessing landmark events in the history of liberty. And in
the coming years, we will add to that story.
The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian territories
are showing the power of freedom to break old patterns of violence and
failure. Tomorrow morning, Secretary of State Rice departs on a trip
that will take her to Israel and the West Bank for meetings with Prime
Minister Sharon and President Abbas. She will discuss with them how
we and our friends can help the Palestinian people end terror and
build the institutions of a peaceful, independent democratic state.
To promote this democracy, I will ask Congress for 350 million dollars
to support Palestinian political, economic, and security reforms. The
goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by
side in peace is within reach - and America will help them achieve
that goal.
To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East, the United
States will work with our friends in the region to fight the common
threat of terror, while we encourage a higher standard of freedom.
Hopeful reform is already taking hold in an arc from Morocco to Jordan
to Bahrain. The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its
leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in
determining their future. And the great and proud nation of Egypt,
which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the
way toward democracy in the Middle East.
To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must
confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons
of mass murder. Syria still allows its territory, and parts of
Lebanon, to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of
peace in the region. You have passed, and we are applying, the Syrian
Accountability Act - and we expect the Syrian government to end all
support for terror and open the door to freedom. Today, Iran remains
the world's primary state sponsor of terror - pursuing nuclear weapons
while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We
are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime
that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium
re-processing, and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian
people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America
stands with you.
Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in
the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq. That
country is a vital front in the war on terror, which is why the
terrorists have chosen to make a stand there. Our men and women in
uniform are fighting terrorists in Iraq, so we do not have to face
them here at home. And the victory of freedom in Iraq will strengthen
a new ally in the war on terror, inspire democratic reformers from
Damascus to Tehran, bring more hope and progress to a troubled region,
and thereby lift a terrible threat from the lives of our children and
grandchildren.
We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own
liberty - as they showed the world last Sunday. Across Iraq, often at
great risk, millions of citizens went to the polls and elected 275 men
and women to represent them in a new Transitional National Assembly.
A young woman in Baghdad told of waking to the sound of mortar fire on
election day, and wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She
said, "hearing those explosions, it occurred to me - the insurgents
are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. ... So I got
my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out and voted
together." Americans recognize that spirit of liberty, because we
share it. In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic
responsibility; for millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal
courage, and they have earned the respect of us all.
One of Iraq's leading democracy and human rights advocates is Safia
Taleb al-Suhail. She says of her country, "we were occupied for 35
years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real occupation. ... Thank you
to the American people who paid the cost ... but most of all to the
soldiers." Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by
Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was
finally able to vote for the leaders of her country - and we are
honored that she is with us tonight.
The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to democracy, and
will continue to attack it. Yet the terrorists' most powerful myth is
being destroyed. The whole world is seeing that the car bombers and
assassins are not only fighting coalition forces, they are trying to
destroy the hopes of Iraqis, expressed in free elections. And the
whole world now knows that a small group of extremists will not
overturn the will of the Iraqi people.
We will succeed in Iraq because Iraqis are determined to
fight for their own freedom, and to write their own history. As Prime
Minister Allawi said in his speech to Congress last September,
"Ordinary Iraqis are anxious ... to shoulder all the security burdens
of our country as quickly as possible." This is the natural desire of
an independent nation, and it also is the stated mission of our
coalition in Iraq. The new political situation in Iraq opens a new
phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of our
commanders on the ground, and in consultation with the Iraqi
government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare
more capable Iraqi security forces - forces with skilled officers, and
an effective command structure. As those forces become more
self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America
and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role.
In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country - and we
will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, "Tell America not to
abandon us." He and all Iraqis can be certain: While our military
strategy is adapting to circumstances, our commitment remains firm and
unchanging. We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and
freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come. We
will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that
would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us
out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is
democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its
neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is
achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the
honor they have earned.
Right now, Americans in uniform are serving at posts across the world,
often taking great risks on my orders. We have given them training
and equipment; and they have given us an example of idealism and
character that makes every American proud. The volunteers of our
military are unrelenting in battle, unwavering in loyalty, unmatched
in honor and decency, and every day they are making our nation more
secure. Some of our servicemen and women have survived terrible
injuries, and this grateful country will do everything we can to help
them recover. And we have said farewell to some very good men and
women, who died for our freedom, and whose memory this nation will
honor forever.
One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of
Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on Fallujah.
His mom, Janet, sent me a letter and told me how much Byron loved
being a Marine, and how proud he was to be on the front line against
terror. She wrote, "When Byron was home the last time, I said that I
wanted to protect him like I had since he was born. He just hugged me
and said: 'You've done your job, mom. Now it's my turn to protect
you.'" Ladies and gentlemen, with grateful hearts, we honor freedom's
defenders, and our military families, represented here this evening by
Sergeant Norwood's mom and dad, Janet and Bill Norwood.
In these four years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large
events. We have known times of sorrow, and hours of uncertainty, and
days of victory. In all this history, even when we have disagreed, we
have seen threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in
our world has reaffirmed our confidence in freedom's power to change
the world. We are all part of a great venture: To extend the promise
of freedom in our country, to renew the values that sustain our
liberty, and to spread the peace that freedom brings.
As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, "each age is a dream
that is dying, or one that is coming to birth." And we live in the
country where the biggest dreams are born. The abolition of slavery
was only a dream - until it was fulfilled. The liberation of Europe
from fascism was only a dream - until it was achieved. The fall of
imperial communism was only a dream - until, one day, it was
accomplished. Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go
forward with confidence. The road of Providence is uneven and
unpredictable - yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom.
Thank you, and may God bless America.
Posted by Liza Sabater in George W. Bush, Government, Sidelinks
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