Text 2543, 332 rader
Skriven 2006-04-24 23:33:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0604245) for Mon, 2006 Apr 24
====================================================
===========================================================================
President Attends Jon Porter for Congress Luncheon
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 24, 2006

President Attends Jon Porter for Congress Luncheon
Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada



REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT JON PORTER FOR CONGRESS LUNCHEON

Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

Las Vegas, Nevada

12:42 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Thank you, Jon,
for your kind introduction. First of all, I want to thank you all for
supporting Jon Porter. I've gotten to know him well. He's the kind of
person who does in office that which he says he's going to do on the
campaign trail. He's a straight shooter, plain talker, who is getting the
job done for the people of Nevada. And you need to send him back to the
United States Congress. (Applause.)

You know, when you find somebody who can get the job done, somebody who
focuses on results, somebody who doesn't play that Washington, D.C. game of
empty rhetoric and harsh talk and severe condemnation, it seems like it
makes sense to give him a chance to continue to serve you in the United
States Congress. This is a man who has performed while in office. And
there's no doubt in my mind he's one of the rising stars in the United
States Congress. Jon Porter deserves to be reelected. (Applause.)

I not only feel that way, but Laura feels that way. She sends her very
best. The truth of the matter is Porter said, why don't we invite Laura and
leave you at home, George W.? (Laughter.) The guy has got good taste. But
Laura is doing great. She sends her very best to our friends here in
Nevada. I'm a lucky man to have her by my side during these incredibly
important times. And I'm lucky to have a fellow like Jon Porter in the
United States Congress to work together to make this country even more
secure, more prosperous, and more hopeful for all our citizens. (Applause.)

So I appreciate the elected officials from this great state being here,
starting with your Governor. Governor, it's great to see you. Thanks for
serving. (Applause.) Kenny Guinn, good buddy, good friend, who's done a
fine job for this important state. I also am proud to be here with the
United States Senator John Ensign. Senator Ensign, I appreciate you being
here. (Applause.) Thanks for bringing Darlene. Appreciate you coming,
Darlene. Ensign is a straight shooter, too. He's a really good man. He
deserves to be reelected to the United States Senate from this important
state. (Applause.)

Congressman Jim Gibbons, from up north. Good to see you, Jimmy. Thanks for
coming. Proud you're here. (Applause.) Got Lieutenant Governor Lorraine
Hunt is with us. Madam Lieutenant Governor, thank you. (Applause.) The
Secretary of State, Dean Heller -- it's good to see you, Mr. Secretary.
(Applause.) Thanks for coming. Former Governor Bob List, and his son
Robert, is here. Governor, thanks for coming. (Applause.) Party Chairman
Paul Adams -- I'm glad you're here, Mr. Chairman. (Applause.)

I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. You're the
people who are going to be putting up the signs and making the phone calls
and turning out the vote. See, what matters in these elections is,
obviously, ability to get yourself on TV, but equally important is the need
to make sure people go to the polls. And it's really important to rally
those at the grassroots. And I want to thank you for the work that you have
done, and I thank you for the work you're going to do to make sure this
good man gets reelected to the United States Congress. (Applause.)

I also thank you all very much for contributing to Jon's campaign. Those of
us who have run for office know full well that you can't possibly win
without the support of people. And I've been blessed have a lot of good
folks here in the state of Nevada support my candidacies, for which I am
most grateful. As I look around the room I see many of you who have been to
some of these fundraisers before on my behalf, and I thank you for keep
coming back for Jon's sake. But I really appreciate you helping him. It's
not easy to serve in public office these days, but it makes it a lot easier
when good folks such as yourself are willing to stand by good people who
are willing to run for office. And so thanks for coming. Thanks for
supporting Jon.

We've got some things to do. I appreciate a person who runs for office
because he wants to get some things done. The most important thing we've
got to do is to protect the American people. (Applause.) As we learned
firsthand on September the 11th, there's an enemy that lurks, that would
like to destroy America because of what we stand for. And they're tough and
they are vicious. There's no need to try to ration with them or sit down
and have discussions with them. The only way to deal with this enemy is to
stay on the offense and bring them to justice, which is precisely why I
need congressmen like Jon Porter by my side. (Applause.)

Today we saw again that the terrorists are willing to try to define the
world the way they want to see it. There was bombings today in Egypt. I
strongly condemn the killings that took place, the innocent life lost in
Egypt. It was a heinous act against innocent civilians. The United States
sends our condolences to the families of those who were killed. We keep
those who were injured in our thoughts and prayers. And I assure the enemy
this: We will stay on the offense. We will not waver. We will not tire. We
will bring you to justice, for the sake of peace and humanity. (Applause.)

I need people in Congress who understand the nature of this enemy. There
are some that kind of feel like maybe these folks are just kind of angry
citizens of the world who occasionally lash out. No, these folks are bound
by a common ideology. They're totalitarian in nature. They've usurped a
great religion to justify their acts of murder. They have territorial
ambitions. They have designs. They believe that those of us in free
societies are weak, and it's just a matter of time before we lose our nerve
and withdraw. I am not going to lose my nerve. I'm going to stay on the
offense. I will protect the American people. And I need people like Jon
Porter who understand the stakes and stands by my side. (Applause.)

The central front in the war on terror is now Iraq. It is the place that
the enemy has decided to fight the forces of freedom and liberty and peace.
It's really important for those of us who represent you to take seriously
the words of the enemy. The enemy has made it clear that it's just a matter
of time before the United States leaves Iraq so that they're able to
achieve their objective, which is to have a safe haven from which to launch
attacks against moderate Muslim nations, and from which to launch attacks
against the United States of America and our allies. That's what they have
said.

The bad news for the enemy is that there are thousands and thousands and
thousands of Iraqis who want to be free, who want to live in a unified
society free of violence so their children can grow up in a hopeful world.
I happen to believe -- and a lot of my foreign policy is driven by my
strong belief that liberty is universal, that all people desire to be free,
and that when you free people it is the best way to defeat an ideology of
hate and hopelessness. Free societies will be peaceful societies. Free
societies will listen to the hopes and aspirations of their people. And one
of the most amazing things that's happening now is that a country that was
under the thumb of a brutal tyrant is now emerging as a young, strong
democracy. And the United States of America stands with them. (Applause.)

When I was in Palm Springs, I had the opportunity and the privilege to
speak to the President of Iraq, the new Speaker of the Iraqi Assembly, and
the Prime Minister-designate. One is a Kurd, one is a Sunni, and one is a
Shia -- all three of whom expressed their great appreciation for America
and the sacrifices this country has made. All three of them talked about
unifying their country to achieve a grand objective, and all three of them
talked about the responsibility they have to make sure that the 12 million
people who went to the polls are represented by a government of, by, and
for the Iraqi people.

We're on our way to victory. The only way that we will lose in this central
front on the war on terror is if we lose our nerve, is if we don't
understand the great values that can help transform the world. It's
important for me to have people in the United States Congress who don't
listen to polls and focus groups, but stand strong for what they think
we're doing right. What we have done in Iraq is right, and we will achieve
victory in Iraq and Jon Porter understands that. (Applause.)

And finally -- and finally, it's really important to have people in
Congress who understand that when we put a man or a woman in harm's way,
they deserve the full support of the United States government. I want to
thank Congressman Porter for standing strong for those who wear our
uniform. We will make sure our troops have got the best training, the best
pay, the best possible equipment so they can achieve their mission. The
people of the 3rd Congressional District of Nevada must make sure you have
a congressman like Jon Porter who understands the obligations of the
government to support the United States military. (Applause.)

We've not only had some big challenges abroad, challenges that we will
continue to confront head on, but we've had challenges here at home, too.
You might remember, although it may seem like a long time ago, but this
country's economy has been through a lot. We went through a recession, a
stock market correction, corporate scandals, a terrorist attack on our
country, a war in Afghanistan and Iraq, major natural disasters. But we
acted. Some of them like to talk in Washington, but we acted. We cut the
taxes on the American people. We cut the taxes on small business owners. We
understand most jobs are created by small business owners, and that when
somebody has more money in their pocket to save, invest and spend, this
economy grows. Our pro-growth economic policies are working.

Today the United States of America is growing faster than any major
industrialized nation in the world. Our unemployment rate nationwide is 4.7
percent; the unemployment rate in the state of Nevada is 3.8 percent; 5.1
million new jobs have been added since August 2003. Real after-tax income,
the income in the working people's pockets, is up over 8 percent for
Americans since 2001. Productivity is high. Small businesses are growing.
More people own a home than ever before in our nation's history. This
economy is strong and we intend to keep it that way. (Applause.)

Oh, you're going to hear all kinds of talk out of Washington, D.C. in this
campaign -- oh, don't worry, all we're going to do is just tax the rich.
We've heard that kind of rhetoric before. Here's what I think we ought to
do to keep this economy growing. I think we need to make the tax cuts we
passed permanent. (Applause.) And Jon Porter understands that. You wait
till these campaigns get going here around the country -- well, we need to
balance the budget by raising your taxes. That's not the way it works in
Washington, D.C. Yes, they'll raise the taxes all right; but they'll figure
out new ways to spend your money. The best way to balance this budget is to
keep pro-growth economic policies in place and be wise about how we spend
your money. And Jon Porter understands that. (Applause.)

I also want to thank you for helping on the line-item veto. That makes a
lot of sense, doesn't it, to give the President the chance to make sure
that the taxpayers are well represented in Washington, D.C.? I need
fiscally sound people in our Nation's Capital, and Jon Porter is just such
a congressman.

Let me talk about another issue right quick. I spent a little time in
California, which, by the way, was a fantastic experience. One of the
problems that I'm concerned about is a nation that loses our nerve, that we
become isolationist and protectionist, that we don't want to have any
competition with anybody else, that we begin to wall ourselves off. That's
not what I think. I think it's really important that we remain the economic
leader in the world, for the sake of our folks, that we want to be
preeminent when it comes to economic policy.

And so I was spending time talking about two issues that I think you'll
find interesting. I know Jon is a strong supporter. One is to make sure
that we're the technology country of the world, that we're on the leading
edge of change. The federal government needs to double its commitment to
basic research -- research in the basic sciences, so that we're continuing
to be the innovative --innovators of the world. We've got to be
technologically competent. We've got to continue to lead.

We need to make the research and development tax credit a permanent part of
the tax code. And we got to make sure that our kids have got the basics in
math and science, so that the jobs of the 21st century stay right here in
America. And Jon Porter understands the call.

We also got to do something about oil. You know, I know gas prices are
high. There's no magic wand to wave. We'll make sure that the energy
companies are pricing their product fairly. If we catch them gouging, if we
catch them -- unfair trade practices, we'll deal with them at the federal
government. That's what you expect the federal government to do. But it's a
sign for the American people to understand that we got to do something
about our dependence upon oil.

Now, I appreciate Jon supporting the energy bill that we passed, which is a
good, comprehensive approach. But there's more to do. I'm absolutely
convinced that we're on the breakthrough of major technologies that will
enable us to have plug-in batteries and hybrid vehicles that will enable
you to drive your first 40 miles without using a drop of gasoline; that
we'll be fueling our cars as a result of fuels made from switch grass --
we're already doing it from corn -- but from other raw materials; that
we'll have hydrogen-powered fuel cells within a 10-year period of time. I
need people in the United States Congress who are far-sighted, who
understand the power of technology to make sure we become less dependent on
foreign sources of oil. (Applause.)

Finally, let me talk right quick about health care, and then I'll liberate
you. There's a stark choice in Washington, D.C. amongst the elected
officials there. There's a group of folks up there who believe that the
federal government ought to make all the decisions for health care. They
ought to tell you who the -- what doctor you see and what procedures you
can get. And they'll pay for it, of course. And that sounds really
attractive, but I strongly reject that federalizing medicine will make our
health care system better. And Jon joins me in that. The best health care
system is one that takes care of the elderly and the poor, and leaves the
decisions in health care between the patients and the doctors. And that's
the kind of health care system we strongly support.

Now, I understand hospitals being crowded, emergency rooms being crowded
with people. And that's not a good use of our health care system. And
that's why Jon and I are strong supporters of community health care
centers. These are really important facilities where the poor and the
indigent can get primary care without straining the emergency rooms of the
hospitals.

We also understand we got a commitment to our seniors. Listen, the Medicare
system was a really important system, but it needed reform, it needed a
change. We'd pay $28,000 for ulcer surgery, but not a dime for the
pharmaceuticals that would prevent the ulcer surgery from being needed in
the first place. It made no sense to have a health care system that was
stuck in the past when medicine was becoming so modern.

I joined with people like Jon and the other senators and congressmen here
to modernize a system. And thanks to our leadership, seniors now have got
prescription drug coverage in Medicare. (Applause.)

But there are some other -- there are practical things we need to do to
deal with the cost of health care. One of them is to make sure that
information technology becomes a crucial part of our medical systems all
across our country. Jon Porter is one of the leaders in helping to
modernize medicine. They say that we can probably trim the costs of health
care by 30 percent when we bring information tech -- now, think about this,
we got doctors writing down their words on paper -- they don't write very
well to begin with -- (laughter) -- and they're passing the paper from one
file to the next. Things get lost. Things are illegible. It's a very
inefficient system. And we need to introduce information technology,
starting at the federal government. And we're doing that, and Jon Porter is
leading the way.

Secondly, health savings accounts work. Health savings accounts are a way
for -- (applause) -- small business companies to be able to afford health
care. The uninsured -- I remember the debate, Jon, when we were proposing
health savings accounts, which are tax-free savings accounts coupled with
catastrophic health care, with low premium catastrophic health care. And
they were saying, this is only good for the rich. It's typical rhetoric out
of Washington, of course, you know. It's just everything is kind of
trivialized. They said, well, this is only good for the rich. Well, as a
result of reforming health care, we now have got 3 million people who are
now owners of health savings accounts, most of whom have got incomes of
$50,000 or less, about a third of those who signed up. The uninsured are
finding a good product and a good way to insure themselves at affordable
costs.

Thirdly, we've got to make sure small businesses, many of whom are having
trouble paying -- getting health care for their employees, have the
capacity to pool risk across jurisdictional boundaries so they can buy
insurance at the same discount big companies get to do. We're strong
supporters of association health plans.

And finally, if you want to have a medical system that is affordable and
available, we have got to do something about these junk lawsuits that are
running good doctors out of business and running the prices of medicine up.
(Applause.)

We got ideas about how to solve our nation's problems. We do more than just
think, though; we act. We get things done. We see problems and we solve
them. And I need people in the United States Congress who get rid of all
the silliness in Washington, D.C., and focus on solving our nation's
problems, and John Porter is such a man.

Thank you for coming, and God bless. (Applause.)

END 1:03 P.M. PDT

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060424-5.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)