people of the importance of trade, trade not only for the agricultural sector of our country but trade in general. And let me tell you my view.

If you're good at something, you ought to try to encourage it to become a bigger part of your world. And if you're good at growing crop, we ought not to diminish the ability to grow crops in America; we ought to encourage. And the way to do that is to find other places to sell crops. If you're the best in the world at what you do which we are in farming-then it seems like to me, we ought to encourage that product to be sold not only here in America but level the playing field so it can be sold all across the world.

I know there's a lot of farmers around who say, "You know, we've heard that before. Every trade agreement trades out the farmer. Here comes old Bush from Texas, and he says he's for the farmer. Yet, you watch. They'll worry more about other products, and when it comes time to argue for the agricultural sector, they'll just leave

us out."

But that's not the way it's going to be, folks, because I understand how important agriculture is, not only for America, but how important it is for international trade for our country. Not only domestically but internationally, agriculture is important.

And I'd just ask you to look at the record. In China, I argued that China ought to be in the WTO because it's good for the American agriculture. Look at the agreement. We've opened up the Chinese markets to U.S. farmers. It's good for China, and more importantly, it's good for the U.S. farmers to have that market available. We've got to trade. It's in our Nation's interest to trade, and it's a sure way to help create jobs.

We've also got to have an energy policy if we're going to grow for the long term. One of the great things about America is, is that we're self-sufficient in food. It's a national security interest to be self-sufficient in food. It's a luxury that you've al

ways taken for granted here in this country, but imagine if we have to rely upon somebody else to provide us food. It would be a problem. The good news is, we can not only grow food for ourselves; we can grow food for others.

That's not the way it is in energy. We're too reliant upon foreign sources of energy. We're too reliant upon parts of the world that may like us, may not like us, for our sources of energy. It seems like to me that we ought to work hard to become more self-sufficient, less reliant, by having an energy plan that encourages conservation— encourages the use of ethanol, for example-value-added processing, and also explores for energy in our own hemisphere and in our own States, in an environmentally friendly way.

Finally an administration has come along and said, "Let's have a national energy plan." And that's exactly what passed out of the House, and hopefully, we can get it out of the Senate, just like the trade bill that came out of the House. Hopefully, we can get it out of the Senate. Hopefully, when they come back, they listen to the American people and put plans in place that will help our economy grow so that people can find work.

Finally, I want to talk to you about economic policy out of Washington. It seems like to me that the question we ought to be asking in Washington is, what does it take to help people create jobs? What's it take? I started with this part: I said that if you give people their own money back, if you let them keep more of their hardearned dollars, that's good for the economy. If a consumer has got more money, he or she spends it on a product, causing the person who manufactures the product to keep jobs in place and/or increase jobs.

And so we worked together and passed meaningful, real tax relief. It came at exactly the right time. The economy started to show signs of slowing down in March of 2001. A way to stimulate growth during recession is to give people-let them keep

their own money. That's Economics 101, except it sounds like some of them hadn't taken the course in Washington. [Laughter] There's now some talk that maybe we should raise taxes in a recession. That would be a disaster for the American economy, and we're not going to let it happen. And one of the best parts of that bill, that tax bill, was phasing out the death tax so the American farmer can pass his assets from one generation to the next.

And there are some things we ought to do in Washington to help. We ought to help people who lost their job on 9/11, whose industries were affected as the result of that attack. That means extending unemployment benefits. That means helping people with health care. But here's the way I think about it: People really don't want an unemployment check; they want a permanent paycheck. And therefore, we ought to figure out ways to expand the job base

of America.

Every question ought to be, how do we grow our economy in a smart way? Therefore, I'm more than willing to work with the Democrats and Republicans to help the unemployed, but I ask them to think long term for America. Accelerating depreciation makes sense for people who buy equipment. It makes sense to speed up the tax relief. It makes sense to help low-income taxpayers with money in their pocket to enhance demand.

Oh, there's some smart things we can do to stimulate this economy, and there's some smart things we will do to make sure that we've got a good farm bill. I look forward to working with both political parties to come up with a farm bill that meets the following principles: One, it will be generous and affordable. There will be ample money in there to meet the needs, and it's money that will fit into our budget. Secondly, a farm bill must provide a safety net for the American farmer without encouraging overproduction and thereby depressing prices. Thirdly, the farm bill must support our strong commitment to trade.

Fifthly, it must offer incentives for good conservation practices on working lands. And finally, establish farm savings accounts to help farmers manage risks.

These are sound principles which will enable the American farmer to plan, to think ahead, to be able to survive in a down. time, and thrive when the markets get good. I look forward to working to get a good farm bill, and I look forward to working with you to get a good farm bill.

Here are some practical steps to make sure that our economy recovers: good education—that will help in the long run, for certain; good tax policy; a good stimulus package; a good farm bill; good trade policy; and most importantly, homeland security that keeps Americans safe.

You know, when the enemy hit us, I was amazed to read that they really thought we were soft. They kind of didn't understand America very well. They might have been watching too much TV or something. [Laughter] I don't know what it was, but they thought, "Well, we'll hit them, and then America will fold their tent." We may launch a cruise missile or two, but that will be it. Man, did they make a big mis

take.

They don't understand how much we love freedom and that we're willing to fight for it. They didn't understand people-they must not have understood people being on a commercial airline, figuring—realizing what was happening, then saying a prayer and bringing the plane down to save others' lives. They didn't understand sacrifice. But what they really don't understand is the character of the American people. They don't realize that this Nation is a nation full of people who are determined and strong but compassionate and loving.

A lot of times people ask me, “What can I do in the war against terror?" Well, obviously, if you see something unusual, report it. Treat people with respect. Value all religious-religions. But there are some other things you can do. Fight evil with

good. We can fight terror using our military, and we're going to, of course. But we can fight terror and evil with acts of kindness, with millions of acts of kindness, all across the country. The best thing about America is the fact that that happens on a daily basis. There are people who walk across the street to a neighbor in need and say, "Can I help you? What can I do to help?" They find somebody who is shut in and say, "I'd like to just love you for a second." It happens when Sunday schools or synagogues or mosques empty out, and they look for somebody to help. It happens when people raise money for a local charity. It happens when somebody says, “I want to be a Boy Scout leader, to teach a child good values." It happens when

somebody mentors a child and teaches them how to read.

The war on terror is a war we will fight on many fronts. It is a war we're going to win on many fronts. It's a war we'll win at home because this is a compassionate nation, full of decent and loving and caring people. And it is such an honor to be the President of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.

Thank you for having me. God bless. Thank you all.

NOTE: The President spoke at 2:30 p.m. in the warehouse at the MFA Feed Mill. In his remarks, he referred to Roseann Blunt, wife of Representative Roy Blunt.

Remarks in New Orleans, Louisiana January 15, 2002

The President. Thank you all very much. It's great to be back in what they call the Big Easy. As you might remember, I grew up in Texas and spent some quality time here in New Orleans. I forgot how good the food is. I'm going to have to spend about a week working off that baked Alaska that I had at Antoine's. [Laughter]

I didn't have any pretzels last night for dinner. [Laughter] I learned my lesson: Always listen to your mother, who told me, "Chew your pretzels before you swallow.” [Laughter]

But thank you all for coming. It is a beautiful day in a great city and an important part of our economy, and that is the Port of New Orleans. I want to thank Gary LaGrange, who is the executive director of this facility. I want to thank the Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, who is traveling with me. I want to thank the chairman of the Port of New Orleans Board of Commissioners. I want to thank Dave Wagner. I want to thank Jim Campbell, who is the

president of the International Longshoremen's Association Number 3000. I want to thank all the hard-working longshoremen who are here to help make America grow.

I want to thank my friend the Governor of the great State of Louisiana. What a piece of work that guy is. That's why they love you, Mike. [Laughter] He knows how to tell the truth; he speaks plainly; and he's doing a heck of a good job for the people of Louisiana.

I want to thank Congressman David Vitter, who's here today. I want to thank Congressman John Cooksey, who is with us, as well. Thank you both for coming.

And I want to thank you all for coming out to say hello. It's a great way to end my trip throughout America's heartland. I started yesterday in Moline, Illinois, at a factory that makes harvesting equipment for John Deere. I told them I was coming down to New Orleans, and I said, "I'm going to come to the place where much of the equipment you manufacture is

shipped out when you sell overseas." And then I went to see some farmers in Missouri. And I told them that I was coming down to New Orleans in Louisiana, which ships out a lot of the product that they grow.

The reason I'm here is because I want America to understand how our economy works. We're worried about jobs in our country. We want everybody who wants to find work to be able to have work; everybody who wants a job should be able to job should be able to provide for their family. I'm worried about the loss of jobs. Our economy is interconnected. What happens in Moline, Illinois, and in Missouri affects the people who work here in New Orleans, in the port. And therefore, good public policy recognizes that. And good public policy asks the questions, how do we make sure that what affects one affects the other in a positive way? How do we make sure people can find jobs as we head into the year 2000? The best way to make sure that our economy recovers from the attack-I think one of the most important things I can do is to make sure that they don't hit us again. We suffered a lot on September the 11th, and one of the things that we suffered was the lack of confidence in the future. But as every day goes by, the American people are getting more and more confident in our ability to protect ourselves and the ability for our Government to respond in a positive way to make sure that families are safe in America.

I fully understand the enemy still lurks out there, and the enemy still would like to hit us. But America has changed since September the 11th. We're now more alert. We've got a Coast Guard that's now actively patrolling our coasts, trying to make sure nobody comes in to hurt us. We've got an FBI-major function now is to prevent further attack. We've got better intelligence-sharing around the world to make sure that we find people before they come to our country. We're on full alert. I'm so proud of the law enforcement officials

all across America who are working endlessly-who are working endlessly to make sure that we're safe.

This is a strong country. It's an alert country, and it's a patient country when it comes to achieving the ultimate objective, which is keeping America safe by finding terrorists where they live and bringing them to justice. And that's exactly what's happening in the first theater in the war against terror. I have unleashed a mighty military, and the mighty military of America is making us proud.

you

For those of you who wear our uniform, I want to thank you. For those of who have got families-family members of those who wear the uniform, I hope you're as proud of them as I am.

We set a clear objective-several clear objectives. One of them was is that if you harbor a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, you're guilty. That's the doctrine. The objective was to make sure that the Taliban no longer harbored Al Qaida. The Taliban no longer rules in Afghanistan. We met that objective, and in so doing, we liberated a group of people that had been terrorized-we liberated women and children. I'm so proud of the United States military.

It brings me such joy-such joy-to know that not only are we pursuing the objective—and that is to bring the murderers to justice-but this great Nation is liberating people and feeding people. We're not only a tough nation, but we're a compassionate nation. And the world has seen the greatness of America as we pursue our objective.

And we're making some progress against Al Qaida. We're hunting them down, one man at a time. I just want to tell you that I'm patient, and our military is patient; that I don't care how long it takes. I don't care where they hide; we're after them. And we're after them and will remain after them until they're brought to justice.

Oh, I know there are some who are saying, "Gosh, I wish this ended yesterday."

But that's not how this is going to work. You see, we've got people who send youngsters to suicide missions, and they, themselves, hide in caves. Those are the kind of people we're dealing with, but there's not going to be enough caves in the world to hide them.

Some may tire-some in our coalition may get tired of this effort, or some in our country may tire. But I can assure you, I'm not, because I view this as a momenta defining moment in history, a moment when we must defend freedom, a moment when we must defend civilization, itself, a moment when this great Nation—in which this great Nation must lead the worldmust lead the world-to make sure children and grandchildren can grow up in a peaceful and secure society.

Our

In order to make sure people can find work, we better make sure we educate the

people of our country. I had the real privilege last week of traveling the country, touting a good education bill, a bill that is going to make sure every child gets educated and no children get left behind.

One of the things that I really, really appreciate about Governor Foster is that he understands that we better hold people accountable in education. Otherwise, some are going to get left behind. I'm real proud of the education reforms that Mike Foster has put in place.

I believe strongly, every child in America can learn. I believe that, and I believe our public school systems can teach every child in America how to read and write and add and subtract. And I took that message up to Washington and worked with both Republicans and Democrats to get a good bill out that sets high standards, that says, “If you take money, you need to show us whether or not children can read and write and add and subtract," a good bill that focuses on making sure every child is literate, a bill that helps teachers teach reading using a curriculum that works, and a bill that says the good folks of Louisiana can

run their schools better than bureaucrats in Washington, DC.

And one of my traveling mates was Ted Kennedy, the Senator from Massachusetts. I've said good things about him. [Laughter] He nearly fell out. [Laughter] So did the boys at the Crawford coffee shop. [Laughter] But I said it because he worked hard to get a good bill; he worked with a Republican administration to get a good piece of education reform. We showed what can

happen in Washington when you put your political parties aside and focus on what's

best for the United States of America.

And that's what's got to happen on this issue of trade. One of the reasons I'm traveling down the spine of America and on the mighty Mississippi is because I want to remind our fellow citizens how important trade is. It's important to these workers that we trade. The people who are loading these ships load them because we're trading around the world. The farmers who are selling product can sell more if we trade. And if the farmers sell more of their product, we can sell more of the machines made in Moline, Illinois, so the good folks up there, the UAW workers, can work.

I'm worried about jobs. And I believe if you trade more, there are more jobs available for hard-working Americans. There are some who play politics with the trade issue; they want to shut down trade. I like to remind people, those who shut down trade aren't confident. They're not confident in the American worker; they're not confident in the American entrepreneur; they're not confident in American products.

I'm just the opposite. I know we got the best workers in the world; I know we can make the best products in the world. And therefore, we ought to have free and fair trade around the world. I'm not the only one that feels that way. Some of the longshoremen that I met coming in said, "We need trade so I can keep working.” I got a nice letter from your mayor. He said, you know, he's sorry he couldn't see