President Bush’s Speech on Compassion

President Promotes
Compassionate Conservatism
Parkside Hall
San Jose, California

April 30, 2002

(an excerpt)

In a time of war, we reassert
the essential values and beliefs of our country.
In the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln pointed toward
a new birth of freedom. Leading America into global
war, Franklin D. Roosevelt defined the four freedoms:
freedom of speech and religion, freedom from fear
and want. Whenever America fights for the security
of our country, we also fight for the values of
our country. In our time, we will defend the land
we love and we will act on the ideals that gave
it birth.

In America, we’ve not always lived up to our ideals,
yet we always reached for them. We believe that
everyone deserves a chance, that everyone has
value, that no insignificant person was ever born.
We believe that all are diminished when any are
hopeless. We are one people, committed to building
a single nation of justice and opportunity. (Applause.)

America rejects bigotry. (Applause.) We reject
every act of hatred against people of Arab background
or Muslim faith. (Applause.) We reject the ancient
evil of anti-Semitism, whether it is practiced
by the killers of Daniel Pearl, or by those who
burn synagogues in France. (Applause.)

America values and welcomes peaceful people of
all faiths — Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh,
Hindu and many others. Every faith is practiced
and protected here, because we are one country.
Every immigrant can be fully and equally American
because we’re one country. Race and color should
not divide us, because America is one country.
(Applause.)

These American ideals of opportunity and equality
come to us across the generations. And they have
attracted millions from across the world. Yet
there are young Americans growing up here, under
this flag, who doubt the promise and justice of
our country. They live in neighborhoods occupied
by gangs and ruled by fear. They are entitled
by law to an education, yet do not receive an
education. They hear talk of opportunity and see
little evidence of opportunity around them.

Every American must believe in the promise of
America. And to reach this noble, necessary goal,
there is a role for government. America doesn’t
need more big government, and we’ve learned that
more money is not always the answer. If a program
is failing to serve people, it makes little difference
if we spend twice as much or half as much. The
measure of true compassion is results.

Yet we cannot have an indifferent government either.
We are a generous and caring people. We don’t
believe in a sink-or-swim society. The policies
of our government must heed the universal call
of all faiths to love a neighbor as we would want
to be loved ourselves. We need a different approach
than either big government or indifferent government.
We need a government that is focused, effective,
and close to the people; a government that does
a few things, and does them well. (Applause.)

Government cannot solve every problem, but it
can encourage people and communities to help themselves
and to help one another. Often the truest kind
of compassion is to help citizens build lives
of their own. I call my philosophy and approach
“compassionate conservatism.” It is
compassionate to actively help our fellow citizens
in need. It is conservative to insist on responsibility
and on results. And with this hopeful approach,
we can make a real difference in people’s lives.
(Applause.)

Compassionate conservatism places great hope and
confidence in public education. Our economy depends
on higher and higher skills, requiring every American
to have the basic tools of learning. Every public
school should be the path of upward mobility.

Yet, sadly enough, many are the dead-end of dreams.
Public schools are some of the most important
institutions of democracy. (Applause.) They take
children of every background, from every part
of the world, and prepare them for the obligations
and opportunities of a free society. Public schools
are Americans great hope, and making them work
for every child is America’s great duty.