Remarks in Greenwood Village, Colorado

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Sept 20, 2004

To make sure this economy grows and to keep jobs here, we've got to open up markets overseas for our products. See, we open up our markets for foreign goods, and that helps you. It helps you because when you have more choices in the marketplace, you're likely to get that which you want at a better price and higher quality. So I tell the Chinese, for example, "You treat us the way we treat you." And I do that because I know American workers and farmers and ranchers and small-business owners can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair.

In order to make sure jobs stay here, we've got to be wise about how we spend your money in Washington, and we've got to keep your taxes low. Taxes are an issue in this campaign. See, I'm running against a fellow who has had a history of voting for higher taxes.

Audience members. Boo-o-o!

The President. And thus far in the campaign, he's proposed over $2 trillion of new Federal spending.

Audience members. Boo-o-o!

The President. And so they said, "Well, how are you going to pay for it?" He said, "That's easy. I'm just going to tax the rich."

Audience members. Boo-o-o!

The President. Now, first of all, you can't tax the rich enough to pay for his new spending, so there's a tax gap. And secondly, you've heard that rhetoric before, haven't you?

Audience members. Yes!

The President. Yes. "Elect me. I'm going to tax the rich.'" But the rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason--to stick you with the bill. But we're not going to let him tax you. We're going to win in November.

Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

The President. See, something else about taxes. Our Tax Code is a complicated mess. It is full of special interest loopholes. Americans spend about 6 billion hours a year on the taxes. It's got over a million words in the code. In a new term, I'll call Republicans and Democrats together to simplify the Federal Tax Code.

A changing economy means many new jobs require new skills. A changing economy and a growing economy creates new opportunities for our workers, but oftentimes, the worker doesn't have the skills necessary to Fill the jobs. That's why I'm a strong proponent of community colleges. That's why I believe we ought to promote a lifetime of learning for America's workers, so they can match their skills with the jobs which exist.

I also understand most new jobs are filled by people with at least 2 years of college. That's--when I say changing worlds, that's one of the aspects of a changing world. Yet, only one in four of our students gets there. That's why in our high schools, we'll fund early intervention programs to help at-risk students. We'll place a new focus on math and science. Over rime, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By raising performance in our high schools and expanding Pell grants for low- and middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their career with a college diploma.

In a time of change, we need to reform our health care system. Health care costs are rising rapidly. They're burdening our economy. They're leaving too many people uninsured. I have a commonsense, practical plan to make high-quality health care more 'affordable and more accessible. More than one-half of the uninsured today are small-business employees and their families. That's why I believe small firms ought to be 'allowed to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts available for big companies.