Remarks in a discussion at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 23, 2004

I'll give you one other thought. Let me just leave you with one other thought about taxing the rich. You know how that works. A lot of the rich are able to get accountants, so they don't--they're able to dodge. You've seen it before. We're going to tax the rich, and then they figure out how not to get taxed. And so guess who ends up paying? You do. And we're not going to let him do it to us. We're not going to let him wreck that economy by running up our taxes.

Okay, hold on. We've got more work to do here. We've got more work to do. Right, Vail?

Vail Horton. Yes, sir.

The President. Vail Horton. I want you to hear this story. This is a fabulous story of an entrepreneur. Tell us your story, Vail.

[Mr. Horton made brief remarks.]

The President. One thing you do have is a heart and a soul and the desire to improve yourself. And I hope your business does well.

Listen, what a fantastic country, isn't it, where somebody has got a dream and says, "I'm going to overcome obstacles and work to realize my dream." He's expanding. He's growing. The tax relief has helped on the investment side. I'll tell you why: Because people can take a tax deduction on the investment they make when they buy a piece of his equipment. In other words, it's stimulated demand for his products. And this guy is going to make it. There's no doubt in my mind. Thanks for coming.

Listen, I appreciate you all coming. I want to talk about one other thing right quick, and that is it's important to talk about our economy, but one way to make sure we continue to grow is to keep us safe. That's my most solemn duty, is to work to keep the country safe. First of all, you've got to know, nobody wants to be a war President. It's--I just can't imagine anybody saying, "Gosh, I wish war would happen on my watch." It's tough on the country to be at war, and this is a war that came to us not because of our asking, by the way. It came because of an enemy which cannot stand what we stand for, and that's freedom--freedom to worship the way you want, freedom to realize your dreams.

I want to share some lessons that are critical to our security and to peace. First, the nature of this enemy is--it's hard for us to understand in America. These are cold-blooded killers. You cannot negotiate with these people. You cannot reason. You cannot hope for the best. We must bring them to justice before they hurt us again. [Applause] Thank you, You can't show weakness to these people. You cannot show weakness. That's the nature of these folks.

Second lesson is, is that this is a different kind of war. This is the kind of war where these people will hide in dark corners of the world or find a cave and plot and plan. They're patient. They'll wait until they find a moment, and they'll strike. And therefore, in order to secure our country, we must not only bring them to justice; we must say to those who provide them safe harbor, "You're equally as guilty as the terrorists who have conducted the raids." And when you say something, you better mean it, in order to make the world a more peaceful place.