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State of the Union Address 2005
Feb. 3, 2005 -
Following is the complete text of the State of the Union Address by
President George W. Bush delivered last night. Social Security, a
critical issue for seniors, was mentioned 18 times. These references are
highlighted and underlined in red below.
THE PRESIDENT: 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.
(Applause.)
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.
(Applause.)
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 -- (laughter) -- 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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.
(Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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.
(Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
To make our economy stronger and more
productive, we must make health care more affordable, and give families
greater access to good coverage -- (applause) -- and more control over
their health decisions. (Applause.) 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 country,
improved information technology to prevent medical error and needless
costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees
-- (applause) -- expanded health savings accounts -- (applause) -- and
medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs and make
sure patients have the doctors and care they need. (Applause.)
To keep our economy growing, we also need
reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy.
(Applause.) 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. (Applause.) My Clear Skies legislation will cut
power plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens.
(Applause.) And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge
technology -- from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable
sources such as ethanol. (Applause.) Four years of debate is enough: I
urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and
less dependent on foreign energy. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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.
(Applause.) The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward
bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save
Social Security. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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.
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 to keep the system afloat -- and by 2033, the annual
shortfall would be more than $300 billion. 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 dramatically 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 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. (Applause.) 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.
(Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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 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. (Applause.) 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're 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's why the 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 and -- or
grandchildren. And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and
the government can never take it away. (Applause.)
The goal here is greater security in
retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts.
We'll make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds
and stock funds. We'll make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by
hidden Wall Street fees. We'll make sure there are good options to
protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your
retirement. We'll make sure a personal account cannot be emptied out all
at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional
Social Security benefits.
And we'll 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's time to extend the same security, and choice, and
ownership to young Americans. (Applause.)
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.
(Applause.)
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 the Congress for doubling the funding of the
National Institutes of Health. (Applause.) 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 -- (applause) -- 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) The Constitution also gives
the Senate a responsibility: Every judicial nominee deserves an up or
down vote. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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.
(Applause.)
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 the 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented actions to protect
Americans. We've 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. (Applause.)
Our nation, working with allies and
friends, has also confronted the enemy abroad, with measures that are
determined, successful, and continuing. The al Qaeda 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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 the
elections, and NATO is leading a mission to help train Iraqi officers.
We're cooperating with 60 governments in the Proliferation Security
Initiative, to detect and stop the transit of dangerous materials. We're
working closely with the governments in Asia to convince North Korea to
abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other
countries have captured or detained al Qaeda terrorists. In the next
four years, my administration will continue to build the coalitions that
will defeat the dangers of our time. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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've 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
The beginnings of reform and democracy in
the Palestinian territories are now 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 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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 reprocessing, 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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.
(Applause.) 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.
(Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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.
(Applause.)
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." That is the natural
desire of an independent nation, and it is also 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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.
(Applause.) The volunteers of our military are unrelenting in battle,
unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day
they're 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. (Applause.) 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 is 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.
(Applause.)
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.
(Applause.)
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