State of the Union AddressesBush, George W. (George Walker)
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State of the Union Addresses
Bush, George W. (George Walker)
Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
Mayor Street is a Democrat. Let the record show I lost his city, big
time. But some things are bigger than politics. So I look forward to
coming to your city to see your faith-based programs in action.
As government promotes compassion, it also must promote justice. Too
many of our citizens have cause to doubt our Nation's 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. 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. It is wrong. In so doing, we will not
hinder the work of our Nation's brave police officers. They protect us
every day, often at great risk. But by stopping the abuses of a few, we
will add to the public confidence our police officers earn and deserve.
My budget has funded a responsible increase in our ongoing operations.
It has funded our Nation's important priorities. It has protected
Social Security and Medicare. And our surpluses are big enough that
there is still money left over.
Many of you have talked about the need to pay down our national debt. I
listened, and I agree.
We owe it to our children and our grandchildren to act now, and I hope
you will join me to pay down $2 trillion in debt during the next 10
years.
At the end of those 10 years, we will have paid down all the debt that
is available to retire. That is more debt repaid more quickly than has
ever been repaid by any nation at any time in history.
We should also prepare for the unexpected, for the uncertainties of the
future. We should approach our Nation's budget as any prudent family
would, with a contingency fund for emergencies or additional spending
needs.
For example, after a strategic review, we may need to increase defense
spending. We may need to increase spending for our farmers or
additional money to reform Medicare. 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.
We have increased our budget at a responsible 4 percent. We have funded
our priorities. We have paid down all the available debt. We have
prepared for contingencies, and we still have money left over. Yogi
Berra once said "when you come to a fork in the road, take it." 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 is the road our Nation has traveled in recent years.
Last year, government spending shot up 8 percent. That is 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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