FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 09, 2002
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
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President Outlines Principles for Public Service |
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Multimedia |
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Remarks by the President on the Citizen Service Act
Klein Auditorium
Bridgeport, Connecticut
10:43 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. I appreciate so very much your warm
welcome. I am delighted to be here in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Applause.) I
want to spend some time with you today talking about the spirit of our
country, the great American spirit which has been tested in recent times. But
history will record that we've met the test. (Applause.)
I saw some of that spirit today in the South End Community Center.
(Applause.) I met a fine executive director named Tony Tozzi, and thank you
Tony for your hospitality. (Applause.) I saw members of
AmeriCorps—(applause)—who were mentoring children. I saw members of the Senior
Corps, the Foster Grandparent Program—(applause)—who, as opposed to kind of
settling in, these Senior Corps members decided to continue to give something
to our society. And many are giving the most important gift of all, and that
is to teach a child how to read. I want to thank you. (Applause.)
I appreciate Catherine Milton, the vice president and executive director of
Save the Children. Thank you very much, Katherine, for your focus. (Applause.)
I want to thank my friend, Steve Goldsmith, for taking on the
important assignment of being the chairman of the Corporation for National and
Community Service. One of the things I feel very passionate about is our need
to inspire the armies of compassion, which exist in neighborhoods all
throughout America.
And you'll hear me talk a little later on about the need to fight evil by
doing some good. And one of Steve's jobs is to help gather the spirit of
America and channel it and focus it so everybody understands the American
experience, the hope of America, belongs to them, no matter where they live or
how they were raised. (Applause.)
I want to thank my friend, the Governor of Connecticut, Johnny Rowland, and
the First Lady Patty Rowland, for being here as well. (Applause.) I want to
thank Chris and Betsy Shays, the congressman and his wife from this district.
(Applause.)
And I also want to thank two other members from the Connecticut
congressional delegation, friends of mine, Nancy Johnson and Rob Simmons.
Thank you all for being here. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)
You know, I can't imagine what went through the mind of the evil people
when they attacked America. I'm trying to—I've always tried to figure out who
they thought they were attacking. You know, what were they thinking?
They must have thought that this nation had no character, that we were so
materialistic and self-absorbed that we wouldn't act, that we might just—all
we'd do was sue them. (Laughter and applause.) They didn't understand the true
character of the American country, the nation.
You see, we love freedom. We love the freedom to worship the way we see
fit. We welcome all faiths in America, Christian faiths, Jewish faith, Muslim
faith. We welcome faith. We believe in freedom to worship. We believe in
freedom to speak out loud. We believe in freedom of the press.
We believe in free elections. We believe in the dignity and worth of every
individual. That's what we believe. (Applause.)
And if somebody attacks those beliefs, we'll respond. That's the character
of our country, is that when we believe something, we stand up for it. We are
slow to anger but, when angered, watch out. (Applause.)
We also are—we're a nation that does not seek revenge. That's not in the
American character, as far as I'm concerned. We seek justice. We're a nation
of justice. (Applause.)
This nation has also showed remarkable character in this way: we're
patient, we're a patient nation and we're a disciplined and focused nation.
Americans understand that the new war of the 21st century, the struggle for
civilization itself is going to take a while.
You know, we live in an age where things happen so quickly that one of my
concerns after September the 11th was the farther we got away from September
the 11th, the more our grief was behind us, that I thought the American people
might forget that which is at stake. That's not the case—much to the chagrin
of the killers, who continue to want to bring harm to America.
Make no mistake about this, that we're in for the long pull because there
are people who hate us. They hate what we stand for. And they're killers. They
use killing to justify their beliefs. And I'm not going to let that stand. My
job is to protect the American people. (Applause.) And our job is to stand
strong so that our children and our children's children will know the freedoms
that we knew growing up. That's what's at stake, my fellow Americans—at least
that's how I view it. And so long as I'm the President, that's going to be the
view of this government. (Applause.)
In six short months we have made remarkable progress. We really have.
You know, I said early on, I said to the people you're either with us or
you're against us. I said either you're standing with the United States of
America in our quest and desire to protect freedom, or you're not. There is no
middle ground. And I'm proud to report the coalition—there has been a vast
coalition of nations that have joined us, nations of all stripes, all who
understand what's at stake.
I also said that if you harbor a terrorist and you feed one, you're just as
guilty as the murderers who came to New York City and Washington, D.C.
(Applause.) And as a result of a great United States military, and a military
of many of our friends, we have liberated a country.
It's important for the young here to hear this. We didn't go into
Afghanistan as conquerors. This great nation led a coalition of military folks
to go into Afghanistan as liberators. It's hard for Americans to know and to
believe, but many young girls were not allowed to go to school in Afghanistan
because of the barbaric nature of the Taliban regime. But thanks to the United
States, and thanks to our friends and allies, girls now go to school in
Afghanistan, for which I am mighty proud. (Applause.)
That is the character of the American people. We're plenty tough when we
need to be, and we'll remain tough. But we're also compassionate. We care
deeply about our fellow citizens in this world. We care deeply about the
plight of children, no matter where they may live. That's our nature.
And that's how I feel about it at home, too. I feel like out of this evil
is going to come some incredible good. I believe—I believe—that out of this
evil will come peace in regions of the world that we never dreamt would be
peaceful.
It's not going to be easy, and we're going to have to lead. And we're going
to have to be diligent and resist and fight terror wherever we find it. But
we've got a good chance for long-lasting peace. And at home there is going to
be some incredible good that comes out of this evil, because Americans have
got great character. And Americans care for their neighbors in need. People
say, what can I do to join the war against terror. And I said, love your
neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. (Applause.)
If you want to fight evil, find somebody to help. And I'm prepared to help
you find somebody to help, if you want help. If you want to find a way to help
your country, that's what I'm here to talk about.
There are all kinds of ways to help; don't get me wrong. I mean, you can go
to your church or synagogue and mosque and help a lot. You can help a lot. You
can help a program—devise a program to feed the homeless, help put a program
together that goes into some of the pockets of despair in America and spread
love, one person at a time. That's what you can do to help.
Service and volunteerism are an integral part of the American character.
DeToqueville discovered that years ago, and if he were to come back, he'd be
just as proud of America now as he was then, when it came to the willingness
of our citizens to serve each other.
You know, I have been so impressed by the living spirit in America. It's
been unbelievable to see firsthand how alive this country has become, how
focused our nation is on serving something greater than ourself. Perhaps it
had to do with the vivid lesson of Flight 93. Here we are, we're a nation kind
of moving along, we thought oceans would separate us from any threats. Kind
of, you know, perhaps in a culture of self-absorption. And all of a sudden,
people on an airplane called their loved ones, told them they loved them, said
a prayer, and sacrificed to save somebody else's life.
To me, that was one of the most meaningful moments of September 11th and
on. It spoke of a spirit that—of America that recognizes there's something
greater than ourselves, the need to serve our fellow mankind. These folks did
it in the most courageous of ways. But we can do it in other ways as well here
at home.
And so in my State of the Union or in my speech to the nation—whatever you
want to call it, speech to the nation—(laughter and applause)—I asked
Americans to give 4,000 hours over the next—over the rest of your life of
service to America. That's what I asked. I said, 4,000 hours. Now, many of you
already do that. So this is—there you go—this is a drop in the bucket for you.
I understand that. But many Americans don't.
So 4,000 hours of service for the remainder of your life. I set that as a
goal, and Americans are responding. Many have heard the call. And in order to
channel that enthusiasm, we set up what's called the USA Freedom Corps. And
inside the USA Freedom Corps, we're focused on three distinct areas. One, the
Citizen Corps.
I was in Knoxville, Tennessee, yesterday heralding the Citizen Corps
program. This is a chance for people to help the police, the fire fighters,
the local emergency medical teams, to respond to any disaster that might
occur. And if you're interested in helping the brave men and women of the
police force or fire force or emergency medical teams in your community, join.
Join the Citizen Corps. It is a way to help secure America and prepare America
for a disaster if one should come.
And then, of course, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps are an integral part of
the USA Freedom Corps. These are programs that recognize that in America, we
can change our country one heart and one soul and one conscience at a time.
You see, I used to like to say that government can hand out money, but what
government cannot do is put hope in people's hearts. That requires a loving,
hopeful person to do just that. And I view AmeriCorps and Senior Corps as ways
to tap into the great talent and strength and compassion of America to help
people in need.
And then we've got the Peace Corps, and the Peace Corps is a way for
Americans to help teach the world about the universal values that we hold
dear, the true nature of America, which sometimes is distorted around the
world. People don't have the true picture of our country. And one way to make
sure they do is to have compassionate citizens go into communities all around
the world to teach—to teach all kinds of things. But the most important lesson
they teach is that we're a loving country, that we care deeply about the
citizens of the world.
And so if you're interested in helping the country in those three areas,
you can call 1-877-USA-CORPS. Pick up your phone and dial. (Laughter.) Or, if
you're one of these high-tech souls,
http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov. And you'll find a way to help the
country. This will give you a chance to participate. And this is just one way,
I emphasize.
It's one opportunity. And, by the way, through this web site, you'll find
other programs in the communities in which you live that will provide an
outlet for your energy and your compassion.
You need to know that there is a gathering momentum of millions of acts of
kindness that are taking place in the country. We've had 29,000 people
requesting applications for the Peace Corps in six months. (Applause.)
Applications to join AmeriCorps are up by more than 70 percent. (Applause.)
Twenty-five thousand people have signed up for the Citizens Corps. In other
words, Americans are responding. And for that, all of us are grateful.
And one of the things I'm going to talk about is how to expand America's
service programs and how to make them better; and how to bring in new
volunteers and, at the same time, make sure that which we're funding works,
that we're actually meeting some goals.
I look forward to working with the Congress. I'm going to talk to the
members who are traveling back with me to Washington, D.C. after these events,
to talk about the reauthorization of these programs. The discussions are
beginning to come up this week, so part of my speech is to lay the groundwork
for how I think the reauthorization of these important federal initiatives
proceed.
And one of the things is funding, of course. That's an important part of
any process. And I've asked for $290 million in new funding for these programs
for the year 2003. (Applause.) And it's to help meet these goals: 25,000 new,
additional AmeriCorps members—25,000 more than we have now today all across
the country; 100,000 new Senior Corps members. And 200,000 to 300,000 students
in the federal work study program. That's what we're aiming at, that's the
goal we've set. Some say it's too ambitious. Nothing is too ambitious for
America, as far as I'm concerned. (Applause.)
And here are some ways we can help make the programs more effective. First,
by removing barriers that discourage seniors from joining the Senior Corps.
Now, remember, the Senior Corps has got programs within it like the Foster
Grandparent program—programs all aimed at using the talents of our seniors to
help make citizens' lives better, where people are losing hope, where despair
is too common and too prevalent.
Now, under the current law, volunteers cannot join some Senior Corps
programs until they reach the age of 60. I think we need to lower it.
(Applause.) And so I chose 55—my age. I guess I'm not eligible for Senior
Corps, if they finally give me a chance to participate. (Applause.)
My mother is not going to believe I'm eligible for Senior Corps.
(Laughter.) But if we can get this through the Congress, I will be.
We need to encourage programs to expand, to give people an outlet, a chance
to participate. And we need to eliminate income tests that keep seniors out of
the program. (Applause.) Believe this or not—believe it or not—some people are
not allowed to participate in Senior Corps because they make too much money.
That doesn't make any sense. And I'm confident that the congresspeople here
recognize that we've got to make sure Senior Corps is open to as many people
who are willing to put up their hand and say, I love America and I want to
help. (Applause.)
Many seniors participate in AmeriCorps, and that's good. That's what we
want. Under a new proposal that I'm making to Congress, seniors who join
AmeriCorps should be able to earn what we call a Silver Scholarship. In other
words, when you work for AmeriCorps you get a scholarship if you go on to
college. A senior who has already been to college should be able to earn that
same scholarship and donate that to a member of their family, if they so
choose. (Applause.) It makes sense to have older Americans helping younger
Americans, and at the same time helping their families as well. (Applause.)
I want to read this, by a girl named Nicole who works in Baltimore. She's
an AmeriCorps member. Perhaps some of the AmeriCorps members will understand
what she's saying when I read this to you: "None of it would have happened if
I had not done AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps redirected my life forever. I know the
direction my life is in, service to others, particularly the poor."
This is Nicole's reflection upon what it meant to work for AmeriCorps.
It is a beautiful spirit, an important spirit for America. And so we're
trying to figure out ways to make sure that AmeriCorps is attractive to
young—to the Nicoles of the country. Right now, AmeriCorps members who
complete a year of service receive an education award worth almost $4,700;
$4,700 that will help them go to school. And that's good, it's really good.
Under the proposal I'm making is that that award ought to be tax exempt and
the $4,700 ought to have a cost of living adjustment. (Applause.)
As well, we need to reform the federal work study programs. These are
programs which encourage students to work off their federal loans. It makes
sense if you borrow money, that you ought to work them off. And the
fundamental question is, how do we let them work it off?
Right now, 7 percent—only 7 percent of the work study funds are required to
be devoted to students who tutor, mentor, or perform other forms of service in
their community, 7 percent. And so we think that we ought to raise that number
to 50 percent. (Applause.) To say that we recognize that an incredibly
valuable contribution to our society is to allow 50 percent of the students to
work off their federal loans by mentoring, by tutoring, by becoming involved
in community programs which change America one person, one soul, one
conscience at a time. (Applause.)
One of the things we hear is that governors and mayors and local
authorities are frustrated by the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. I
understand. I've been there, myself. I have been frustrated, when I was the
governor of Texas, with the bureaucracy in Washington. Goldsmith's job, as
well as Les, the executive director, is to reduce the amount of bureaucracy
and to trust the states and local authorities more, to give the states and
local authorities more flexibility as we had to apply these monies to meeting
the needs of the local folks. (Applause.) It is very important that
Washington—it's important that Washington provide flexibility in selecting the
groups and charities in which AmeriCorps volunteers will be placed.
We've got to trust the local folks to understand local problems. You know,
I like to tell people, not all the wisdom of the world is in Washington, D.C.
(Laughter.)
But we also want to make sure people are held accountable. We want to make
sure when we spend money, that it meets needs. And so Steve and the good folks
at the Corporation for National Community Service are going to develop clear
standards and reasonable measures of performance so that we know whether or
not we're being successful. I think that's really important. I think that's
what the American taxpayer expects. They expect results and I expect results.
And so if a program is failing, we ought to be willing to blow the whistle
on failure, just for the good of the people. We're trying to help.
And when a program is successful, we ought to be praising the program and
its success and the people who are helping.
It is important, as well, that we make sure that we create a new standard
of accountability for service learning programs in America, too. The whole
purpose of accountability in government is to make sure that we're succeeding.
And in this case, we're aiming for a noble goal, and this is a hopeful
America, a promising America; an America that says clearly to everybody, this
wonderful experience and this great land belongs to you just as much as it
belongs to somebody else.
I've come to talk a little bit about the character of the country, and it's
a character being defined by the moment at hand. History will look back at us,
generations will look back at us, and I believe they're going to say, thanks.
Thanks to the people who stood strong when it came to defending freedom,
thanks to those who sacrificed in our military. Thanks to the Congress for
making sure the military had the resources necessary to take on a long
struggle.
Listen, you've just go to know, there's no cave deep enough—there's no cave
deep enough—for the long arm of American justice. (Applause.)
There is no calendar. There is no calendar on my desk that says, if we
don't get—if so-and-so doesn't show up, then this thing ends. That's just not
the way I think. I'm a patient man, and so is the American people, much to the
chagrin—much to the chagrin of the enemy that still wants to take us on.
And we'll look back at the history of America, though—I believe it's going
to happen—and say what a fantastic period of time it was for kids to grow up
in our country: when we insist upon quality education for every child; where
there was after school programs available manned by loving citizens who put
their arm around those who might seem hopeless and say, I love you a lot, I
love you a lot, and you're going to college.
This is a time when you're going to find, I believe, in American history
where our government, instead of fearing faith and faith-based programs,
welcomes faith and faith-based programs into the compassionate
delivery—(applause.)
This will be a time in American history when those of us in Washington,
D.C., or in the state capitals, recognize that oftentimes the most hopeful and
promising programs of help come from places of worship. It doesn't matter what
the religion is; the people hear that universal call to love somebody just
like they'd like to be loved themselves.
This is a period of time when America, instead of cowering in the face of
terrorism, stood defiantly in the face of evil. When not only did we fight for
freedom, but we promoted the peace. And this will be a time in history when
our nation's compassion comes forth, where the collective face of America is a
compassionate, joyous nation, that will not allow evil to prevail and, in
turn, make sure our neighbors are loved, just like they'd like to be loved
themselves.
You can understand why I'm optimistic about our country, because I am the
President of the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Thank you for
coming. May God bless. May God bless America. (Applause.)
END 11:15 A.M. EDT
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