REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN MEETING WITH HIGH-TECH LEADERhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010328-2.html
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. I appreciate that warm
welcome. And welcome to the people's house. It's a nice place to live. (Laughter.) And I'm glad I'm living here.
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And I'm glad President Bush is living there. And these are the words that make me PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN where president want me to be free.
I first want you all to know that this administration has great confidence in the future of our technology industry. We recognize, like you do, that the stock market may be sending a little different message right now; that people have suffered losses and there are some difficult times for some of the companies in the high-tech world. But the accomplishments of the industry are rock-solid. The future is incredibly bright.
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Sure does not sound like talking down the economy to me.
You've changed the way we work and communicate, and you've changed the way we learn. You've done for America -- economic leadership in the 21st century what heavy industry did for America in the 20th century. And all the difficulties you face today really don't cloud a future that is so optimistic and bright.
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Now the democrats are going to put up a lot of flack on that statment as they all believe that Al the secret yellow Journalism professor is responsible.
First things first: We've got to restore
consumer confidence. We can help in
Washington by returning tax money to the
people who pay the bills this year. We can
restore investor confidence by building a better
business environment for years to come,
starting with having a realistic, sound energy
policy -- a policy that says, of course, we can
conserve better, but we need new
supplies. We need to aggressively seek new
supplies. And not only do we need new
supplies of natural gas, for example, we need
new pipelines to move natural gas. We need
new power plants. We need an aggressive,
forward-thinking energy policy that balances
the needs of our environment with the needs of
the people of the country.
We can also help by having a world of free trade. One of the
concerns is if the economy were to slow down like ours, the protectionist
sentiments around America might start bubbling to the surface. Ours is an
administration dedicated to free trade. I hope the Congress gives me trade
promotion authority, as soon as possible, so I can negotiate free trade
agreements. We should not try to build walls around our nation and
encourage others to do so. We ought to be tearing them down. Free trade
is good for America. And it will be good for your industry, as well.
And, finally, we need to have lower taxes, instead of bigger
government. We're having a big debate here. But one thing you can't
debate is, this is an administration that has put together a pro-growth tax
relief agenda, the first one in a long period of time. I mean, not only do we
need to get money in consumers' hands as quickly as possible, we need to
reduce all rates so that entrepreneurs can plan. I can't think of anything
worse than to say we'll get money into consumers hands quickly, and then
kind of change the rate structure.
And so I want to reduce all rates -- the bottom rate from 15 percent
to 10 percent; the top rate from 39.6 to 33 percent. People say, why would
you want to drop the top rate? Well, let's start with this simple fact, that
thousands of small businesses pay taxes at the highest rate. The
businesses who are unincorporated, the sole proprietorships, the
companies that have started in somebody's garage pay at the 39.6 percent
tax rate. And by dropping the top rate from 39.6 to 33 percent, we will send
a clear message that the role of government is to create an environment in
which the entrepreneur can flourish. By cutting the top rate, we'll provide
more cash flow for small businesses to provide more employment.
You know, I've heard all the rhetoric, but the truth is, dropping all
rates will be good for our economy, good for planners, good for those who
want to think long-term. And we can afford it. That's the thing that
Congress and the people must hear, we can afford it.
There's a lot of issues with the budget, starting with this -- that you now
have a President who believes in fiscal sanity when it comes to the
people's money; that we've increased discretionary spending by 4 percent
in our budget. Now, that may sound like a lot to a lot of you all who are now
managing your cash accounts and managing your cash flow. After all, a 4
percent increase is greater than the rate of inflation. A 4 percent increase
in a budget is greater than most working -- the raises working people
have gotten this year.
Except the problem is, here in Washington, it's half of -- exactly half
of what was increased -- how the discretionary accounts increased last
time. You see, they had a bidding contest, a bidding war last time. It was
like, the person who bid the highest got to go home. And, therefore, the
discretionary accounts increased by 8 percent. And we can't afford that
kind of spending in Washington, D.C.
So a President and an administration has come along and says, let's
set priorities and let's focus, and let's always remember whose money
we're spending. It is not the government's money, it's the people's money.
And for those who say we can't afford meaningful, real tax relief that will
stimulate the economy, they're the ones who want to increase the size and
scope of the federal government. They trust the government to spend
people's money. And that's not the philosophy of this administration.
Once we've set priorities, we trust the people to spend their
money. We trust the entrepreneurs with enhanced cash flow. We trust
the working people to manage their own accounts. And that's the debate
here in Washington, and I'm asking for your help. I would like for you to
e-mail your senators. You don't have to worry about the members of the
House. And, by the way, you don't have to worry about -- don't e-mail
these three. They're solid. (Laughter and applause.)
I'm optimistic. I'm very optimistic. The terms of the debate have
somewhat shifted. I can remember campaigning in your neighborhoods,
and people would say, well, he's just talking about tax relief and he really
might not mean it; people don't want tax relief. The debate is no longer
whether or not we're going to have tax relief, the debate is how quickly and
how big. And I'm optimistic we can get a good package.
Today, the House is voting on the budget. Next week, the Senate will
vote on the budget; it's going to be a tough vote. But all of us are working
hard on behalf of the working people of the country and the entrepreneurs
and small business people of the country, to get a good budget out of the
Senate.
Today, as well, I'd like to announce that -- a cochairman of the
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He is here
with us -- his name is Floyd Kvamme. And I'm honored, Floyd, that you
take on the position. (Applause.)
Science and technology have never been more essential to the
defense of the nation and the health of our economy. I will hear the best
scientific and technological advice from leaders in your field. And I can
think of no better coordinator than Floyd. He is an entrepreneur, he is a
risk-taker, he understands risk and reward. But, more importantly, he
knows the players, the people that can bring good, sound advice to this
administration. And I'm honored to have you on board.
As well, I've got some good news and you may have been watching
the Senate Banking Committee. But after a lot of work with industry leaders
and the administration and members of the Senate, the Export
Administration Act -- a good bill -- passed the Banking Committee 19-1.
The technology that you all have helped develop obviously gives us
an incredible military advantage, and that's going to be important. And it's
an advantage, by the way, that we tend -- want to develop, to make sure
we can keep the peace, not just tomorrow, but 30 years from now. We've
got to safeguard our advantages, but we've got to do so in ways that are
relevant to today's technology, not that of 20 years ago.
The existing export controls forbid the sales abroad of computers
with more than a certain amount of computing power. With computing
power doubling every 18 months, these controls had the shelf life of sliced
bread. They don't work.
So in working with the Senate, we're working to tighten the control of
sensitive technology products with unique military applications, and to give
our industry an equal chance in world markets. And I believe we've got a
good bill. It's a bill that I heard from you all during the course of the
campaign. The principles we discussed are now a part of this bill. I want
to thank Senator Phil Gramm for his hard work in working with us and
industry and some members of the Senate to make sure the bill that has
been crafted is a good bill. And I urge the Senate to pass it quickly.
Likewise, we want the R&D credit to be permanent, and we're
working with members of the Senate to do so. A lot of us in this
administration have been in the world of taking risk. We understand that
one of the most important parts about government policy is that there will
be certainty in the policy. And I think making the R&D credit a permanent
part of the tax code is part of creating certainty, so people can more wisely
make investments with cash flow in their capital accounts.
And finally, we have a word about education. We're making great
progress in education. I know it's a subject dear to you all's hearts. It
should be. Your industry thrives on not only capital, dollars and cents, but
it also thrives on human capital. And our nation must do a better job of
educating all children.
The principles inherent in the reform package that we're moving
through the Senate and the House are these. One, we expect there to be
high standards in public education. To put it this way, every child can
learn, and systems that don't believe so need to be changed.
Secondly, I strongly believe in aligning authority and responsibility at
the local level. I know full well when you disassociate the two, it provides
convenient excuses for failure. A school district will say, oh, gosh, I would
have done it differently, but the centralized authority made me do it this
way. It's time to get rid of all the excuses for failure inherent in our school
systems.
And one way to do so is to pass power out of Washington, to trust
local folks to set the path for excellence for the children in the districts in
which they live, in which the local folks live. What I'm trying to say is, the
government closest to the people is that which works best.
And finally, we need to have a results-oriented system all around
the country. Here's the way I'm doing it. I'm saying if you receive federal
money, you've got to measure. If you receive help at the federal level, you,
the local district or the state, must measure third through eighth
grade. And Sandy Kress will describe what we're trying to do.
But the point is pretty simple. How do you know if children are
learning unless you test? The accountability systems are not designed to
punish folks. It's designed to make sure children just simply are -- are not
simply shuffled through the system. We've got to end that practice of
giving up on children early.
And so we start early, we measure early, we provide money for
remedial education. Every child counts, and every child can learn. And
the whole crux of reform is accountability. And when we measure and find
success, we'll praise it. But by measuring, you also -- one can also
detect failure, and that becomes the catalyst for reforms at the local
level. We're going to make good progress on education.
And, finally, I believe we're making progress in Washington about
changing the culture up here. There is now a -- people are beginning to
be able to debate in a respectful tone. The country isn't interested in the
old-style -- at least, the politics of the past, where the person who
screamed the loudest or had the cutest sound byte was the one that
appeared to be the most effective. The country wants there to be a level of
respect in our debate. And this is an administration that is working hard to
provide that.
We're not always going to agree, but we'll agree to be -- we'll
disagree in an agreeable way, in a way that brings pride to the system.
There is also becoming a culture of accomplishment in
Washington. Things are getting done. I signed some legislation that had
been incredibly onerous for small businesses and large business,
alike. When the Congress moved quickly to get rid of an ergonomics
regulation that just -- the cost far outweighed the benefits. It would have
been harmful to the private sector. It would have been harmful to those
who want to employ people. And they got the people's work down quickly,
and got it through.
Slowly, but surely, we're beginning to get people to focus on
results. You see, I know there's a time for politics and there's a time for
policy, and now is the time for good public policy on behalf of the citizenry
of the country.
And, finally, I hope we'll be able to start a culture of responsibility;
that all of us in this country must be responsible for the communities in
which we live. I see Barksdale sitting over here. He is a person who sent
a clear signal about what it means to be a responsible citizen by
supporting public education. And I know many of you all in the audience
feel the same way.
The responsibility is not only sharing the wealth that has been
generated in important programs, but it's also being responsible as a mom
or dad. Responsible for activities that say to a child, somebody loves
you. Responsible for encouraging mentoring programs in your companies
or in your neighborhoods or in your churches or synagogues or
mosques. And we're making good progress in the country.
And the reason why is because this is a fabulous country. That's
why. This is a country that has got great heart, great spirit, great vision
and great compassion. And I'm proud to be the President. God bless you
all. (Applause.)
END 2:58 P.M. EST |
