Remarks at west ashley high school in Charleston, South Carolina

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 5, 2002

That's not just a statistic, however. Inherent in the 70 percent number means that we've got to help people at the same time, that we've got to provide the resources, the flexibility--and the flexibility so we can help people find work. Programs like Moving Up work, and we've got to encourage programs such as that, not stifle them but encourage them.

And here's what I mean by work--that means 40 hours a week. Now, I fully understand some people need help, and so as part of the 40-hour workweek, 16 of those hours can be hours spent on job training or education, on skills, on going to courses which help on changing skills. It is so important that we have high standards, flexibility, but also recognize that people need help. People that want to work, and on welfare, many times don't understand how to even get started. Many of them haven't even graduated from high school. And that's why the proposal also recognizes that an adolescent mom, for example, can meet her work requirements and still be helped, by attending high school.

There are some in our society who are addicted. They might want to work, but they've got to deal with their addiction first. And so part of the work requirements can be 3 months in full-time drug rehabilitation programs.

The point is, is that we've got to give people the tools necessary to improve their lives and at the same time understand how important work is in freeing people from the clutches of our Government. And Congress must hear that message when it comes to work.

It is also important to understand that a more hopeful society is one in which we encourage strong marriages and families. I understand building and preserving a family is not always possible; I know that. But it should be a national goal. We ought to aspire for what's best, and what's best is for our families to remain intact.

All you've got to hear is from the man I met today, Patrick, talk about the fatherhood initiative. He talked in compelling terms about what it's like to have dads want to be a dad and, when Dad is reunited with their families, how vital and how real that person's life becomes and, more importantly, how hopeful the life becomes for the children. lie works for the Sisters of Charity Foundation on the Fatherhood Initiative. There are such initiatives throughout our society--many in the faith community, by the way--initiatives that ought to be supported by the Federal Government.

And so, therefore, the bill that the House passed, that I proposed--in my budget, I have $300 million on an annual basis to support education programs and counseling programs, out of the faith community and out of the charitable community and out of the government community, all aimed at encouraging marriage, all aimed at helping couples to build and sustain healthy marriage in our society. Families are important for our children. Families are important for American women and American men. Families are important for America.

In order to help people help themselves, I strongly believe that we must encourage teen abstinence programs. We've got to help people understand that, one, it's okay to abstain, and secondly, having a baby out of wedlock early in life is going to make it awfully tough--awfully tough on the child, awfully tough on the mom. We've got to make it clear that we've got a health issue when it comes to sexually transmitted disease, and that we've got to deal with it in an upfront way with our youngsters.