--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TEXT
State of the Union Address
Following is the prepared text of President Bush's State of the Union address released by the White House. 

Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:

Every year, by law and by custom, we meet here to consider the state of the union. This year, we gather 
in this chamber deeply aware of decisive days that lie ahead. 

You and I serve our country in a time of great consequence. During this session of Congress, we have the 
duty to reform domestic programs vital to our country and we have the opportunity to save millions of 
lives abroad from a terrible disease. We will work for a prosperity that is broadly shared and we will 
answer every danger and every enemy that threatens the American people.

In all these days of promise and days of reckoning, we can be confident. In a whirlwind of change, 
and hope, and peril, our faith is sure, our resolve is firm, and our union is strong.

This country has many challenges. We will not deny, we will not ignore, we will not pass along our 
problems to other Congresses, other presidents, and other generations. We will confront them with 
focus, and clarity, and courage.


During the last two years, we have seen what can be accomplished when we work together. To lift the 
standards of our public schools, we achieved historic education reform which must now be carried out 
in every school, and every classroom, so that every child in America can read, and learn, and succeed 
in life. To protect our country, we reorganized our government and created the Department of Homeland 
Security which is mobilizing against the threats of a new era. To bring our economy out of recession, 
we delivered the largest tax relief in a generation. To insist on integrity in American business, 
we passed tough reforms, and we are holding corporate criminals to account. 


Some might call this a good record. I call it a good start. Tonight I ask the House and Senate to 
join me in the next bold steps to serve our fellow citizens.


Our first goal is clear: We must have an economy that grows fast enough to employ every man and 
woman who seeks a job.


After recession, terrorist attacks, corporate scandals, and stock market declines, our economy 
is recovering yet it is not growing fast enough, or strongly enough. With unemployment rising, 
our Nation needs more small businesses to open, more companies to invest and expand, more 
employers to put up the sign that says, Help Wanted. 

Jobs are created when the economy grows; the economy grows when Americans have more money to 
spend and invest; and the best, fairest way to make sure Americans have that money is not to 
tax it away in the first place. 

I am proposing that all the income tax reductions set for 2004 and 2006 be made permanent 
and effective this year. And under my plan, as soon as I have signed the bill, this extra 
money will start showing up in workers paychecks. Instead of gradually reducing the marriage 
penalty, we should do it now. Instead of slowly raising the child credit to a thousand 
dollars, we should send the checks to American families now. 


Continued
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Next>>