Today, in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
In Other Words...
Today there was another report out that showed that we lost 20,000 jobs last month, even though the unemployment rate dropped to 5 percent. In other words, the unemployment rate went down.
There Is Two Aspects
There's two aspects to that package I want to spend some time talking about; one of them is, is that you're going to get some money.
Energy Prices And Food Price
Thirdly, it turns out that this money is going to be very helpful in helping people deal with high energy prices and food price.
The Check Form
They started hitting last Monday, and Secretary of the Treasury Paulson is on top of this, and so you'll start seeing -- if you're not -- if you didn't get your money electronically, you're going to start seeing it come in the check form.
What You Got To Make Sure
And therefore, you got to make sure you sign up for the program in order to get the money.
Brainwreck
In other words, there's a -- you can effect the tax code that provides incentives for the CEOs to say, I think we need -- we ought to buy some equipment.
Inject Life
The point I'm trying to tell you is, is that we worked well with Congress and that the effects of a robust attempt to inject life hasn't really kicked in yet.
The "Third Hand" Joke Again
And I'm -- if you believe these economists, if they had three hands they'd say, on the one hand, on the other hand, and then on the third hand.
Hard Paying Jobs
And I want to thank the folks at World Wide for being a part of the leading edge of optimism here in America; a leading edge in making sure that people can find good, hard -- paying jobs.
When Was He In Congress?
When I first got to the Congress, I suggested that we have a comprehensive energy policy: one that recognizes the short-term effects of being reliant upon foreign oil; one that says we can use new technologies that will enable us to power our automobiles in different kinds of ways, using ethanol, for example, or battery technology; and one, ultimately, that will allow hydrogen to power the car.
What Hydrogen-Powered Means
Hydrogen -- we're doing a lot of research on your behalf to have hydrogen-powered automobiles, which means you're running on hydrogen, the waste product of which is water.
Where There Is Good Reserves
They would recognize that we can drill for oil and gas in environmentally friendly ways here in the United States, where there is good reserves; and they would build refineries.
There Is Constricted Supplies
No wonder there's constricted supplies.
What You Got To Do
If you want more of something, in this case you got to build the additional manufacturing capability.
We Don't Allow Us
My attitude is, I understand the pain, but I also understand if we don't allow us to explore in environmentally friendly ways for oil and gas reserves in the United States of America, we'll remain dependent in the short-term on foreign oil.
The Key To The Housing Market Explained
The key to the housing market is for the market to adjust -- you know, built too many houses.
What We Got To Work Through
We just got to work through the system.
There Is Things
But there's things government should and can do that is responsible -- mainly, is to help credit-worthy people stay in their home.
The Old Days
And here's the dilemma: If you got a -- bought yourself a mortgage, in the old days the originator of your mortgage, like a savings and loan, was somebody that you could go and talk in the office, say, listen, man, I got a little bit of a problem, I'm in a bind, I need a little help on my interest payment; or, can you extend my note out a little bit.
There Is Proposals
I know there's all kinds of proposals coming out of Congress.
Got Them A Mortgage
What I'm very concerned about is somebody went out and got them a mortgage, and the person that sold them the mortgage said, boy, this is a good, low interest rate for you.
Get On The Paper
These resets, as you know, you buy a low interest rate and you get on the paper, and then by a couple of years later, all of a sudden the interest rate booms up.
Going On The Full Story
And what I'm really concerned about is fraudulent tactics that didn't tell people that didn't really quite understand what was going on the full story.
Who Are These People?
A lot of people who say, trade is bad for our country. We shouldn't be a nation that opens up markets -- that's what they're saying.
A Tarrif Defined
Most goods coming here come in duty-free; most goods produced in the United States, or services like yours, pay a tariff. That means a tax; it's more expensive. It's harder to get into the market because what you charge is upped by tax.
What's Called FARC
There's a President of Colombia named Uribe, and he's got a tough situation down there because he's dealing with what's called FARC, which is an extremist group that uses drug dollars to perpetuate violence and to move their products -- mainly to here.
There Is Two Paths
In essence, there's two paths.
Those Damn Fancy Words Again
But you ought to be able to do it across jurisdictional boundaries. That's fancy words for, if you're a restaurant in Missouri, you ought to be able to put your employees in a risk pool with a restaurant in Texas.
Affordable Product
The larger the risk pool -- in other words, the more people involved in the insurance -- the less price goes up, the easier it is for somebody to find affordable product.
What We Got
We got a robust Medicare system -- which, by the way, my administration reformed for the first time since Lyndon Johnson, substantially reformed it since Lyndon Johnson was the President.
What Somebody You're Paying Has Got
It's nice to know if you're a consumer, isn't it, whether or not you got a -- whether or not somebody you're thinking about paying has got a good record.
There Is Errors
And that means oftentimes there's medical errors because the files get lost. Doctors can't write very clearly anyway. And so you -- something gets illegible.
The Whole Medical Records
And all they did was take their chip and they plugged it into the computers in Houston, and the whole medical records was available.
Not Only It's Good
That's -- not only it's good for the customer, the patient, but what I'm telling you is it'll help wring out the inefficiencies in the system.
Getting Sued
And if you're an attorney, I don't mean to be stepping on your toe; everybody needs a good attorney, you know -- particularly me, since I'm getting sued all the time. But it's a -- I think I am.
War Pwesident
And I never thought I would be a war President; never wanted to be a war President. Didn't campaign in 2000 saying, I'm going to be a war President.
There Must Be
There must be some in the country who don't believe that the enemy is a threat.
The Soviet
The Cold War, a big standoff between the Soviet and the United States.
There Is No Rules
There's no rules with these people.
People That Burry
If you're facing people that burry [sic] in failed states you've got to understand how to find them.
A Dirty Number
The way I put it, just so people can understand in plain English: If al Qaeda is making a phone call into the United States of America, we better know why; if you're interested in protecting an attack, and there's a dirty number being called, the government of the United States better understand the intentions and why that phone call is being made.
Disenfranchising It
They're not going to let it vote.
Democrat Counterpart
They passed it out of the Senate -- Kit did a really good job of working with his Democrat counterpart -- and they buried that bill in the House of Representatives.
You're A Bunch Of Thugs
We just shouldn't be extending the same liberties to you, to a bunch of thugs that want to murder the American people.
Rebellion In The Cerebellum
Second aspect -- so in other words, give our professionals tools.
What We Got
We got a lot of really good people working.
Safe Haven Defined
You hear a lot of discussion about safe haven. Well, safe haven means that these non-state actors are able to find breathing space to be able to plot.
Those Damn Kids
And they're sophisticated -- you know, 19 kids on three airplanes -- it's a sophisticated operation -- four airplanes, excuse me.
Synaptic Stutter
You probably read your newspaper today -- I can understand if you didn't, but you probably -- well, anyway, there was a strike in Somalia, and the headline says "al Qaeda operative."
Medulla Ohmigoddah
Finally -- and by the way, Afghanistan was denial of the safe haven, and -- as well as I saw an existential threat, as did most of Congress, in Saddam Hussein.
What You Got To Understand
And so when you see hopelessness as an American President, you got to understand that the only way these thugs can recruit is when they find hopeless people.
What You're Watching Is You're Watching
And so it's -- so what you're watching is you're watching democracy unfold.
Something Happened
What happened between 41 -- that's what they call the old man, 41; I'm the 43rd President, 43 -- something happened.
A Interesting Debate
You know, it's a very interesting debate that's taking place.
There Is Two Aspects
There's two aspects of rising food prices; one, how it affects our own citizens.
What We Got
We don't have a scarcity issue in America, interestingly enough; we got a price issue.
He's Flammable
As you know, I'm a ethanol person.
There Is Good Days
You know, obviously, there's some good days and some bad days.
His Buddies Are Difficult?
I feel so strongly about my principles and my values and I'm an optimistic guy; that what may appear to be really difficult to deal with -- like my buddies from Midland, Texas -- that for me it's just part of the job.
Patterns Himself After Ceausescu
Now, the interesting thing from my perspective was that I was here, and there was a balcony lit in the town square, and I was told this was where the tyrant Ceausescu and his wife had made their last public appearance. And the story has it that he -- somebody started chanting, "Liar," and he realized his power was slipping away, and then he tried to get out of there, and anyway, he was done in by the people. They were tired of him; he was a brutal guy.
Is, Is
The good news is, is that we anticipated this.
There's two aspects to that package I want to spend some time talking about; one of them is, is that you're going to get some money.
The point I'm trying to tell you is, is that we worked well with Congress and that the effects of a robust attempt to inject life hasn't really kicked in yet.
The question is, is it available and is it affordable?
The other thing is, is that it's portable.
The other thing is, is that one of the real cost-drivers -- or two other cost-drivers I want to discuss -- so in other words, consumerism helps deal with cost.
You see, what's happened is, is that these phone companies which have allegedly helped the United States monitor conversations are now being sued for billions of dollars of lawsuits.
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