Bush’s fifth State of the Union address

We must also change how we power our automobiles.  We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen.  We will also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn but from wood chips, and stalks, or switch grass.  Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years.  Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.  By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment … move beyond a petroleum-based economy … and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.

And to keep America competitive, one commitment is necessary above all:  We must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity.  Our greatest advantage in the world has always been our educated, hard-working, ambitious people – and we are going to keep that edge.  Tonight I announce the American Competitiveness Initiative, to encourage innovation throughout our economy, and to give our Nation’s children a firm grounding in math and science. 

First:  I propose to double the Federal commitment to the most critical basic research programs in the physical sciences over the next ten years.  This funding will support the work of America’s most creative minds as they explore promising areas such as nanotechnology, supercomputing, and alternative energy sources.

Second:  I propose to make permanent the research and development tax credit, to encourage bolder private-sector initiatives in technology.  With more research in both the public and private sectors, we will improve our quality of life – and ensure that America will lead the world in opportunity and innovation for decades to come.

Third:  We need to encourage children to take more math and science, and make sure those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations.  We have made a good start in the early grades with the No Child Left Behind Act, which is raising standards and lifting test scores across our country.  Tonight I propose to train 70,000 high school teachers, to lead advanced-placement courses in math and science … bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in classrooms … and give early help to students who struggle with math, so they have a better chance at good, high-wage jobs.  If we ensure that America’s children succeed in life, they will ensure that America succeeds in the world. 

Preparing our Nation to compete in the world is a goal that all of us can share.  I urge you to support the American Competitiveness Initiative … and together we will show the world what the American people can achieve. 

America is a great force for freedom and prosperity.  Yet our greatness is not measured in power or luxuries, but by who we are and how we treat one another.  So we strive to be a compassionate, decent, hopeful society. 

In recent years, America has become a more hopeful Nation.  Violent crime rates have fallen to their lowest levels since the 1970s.  Welfare cases have dropped by more than half over the past decade.  Drug use among youth is down 19 percent since 2001.  There are fewer abortions in America than at any point in the last three decades, and the number of children born to teenage mothers has been falling for a dozen years in a row.

These gains are evidence of a quiet transformation – a revolution of conscience, in which a rising generation is finding that a life of personal responsibility is a life of fulfillment.  Government has played a role.  Wise policies such as welfare reform, drug education, and support for abstinence and adoption have made a difference in the character of our country.  And everyone here tonight, Democrat and Republican, has a right to be proud of this record. 

Yet many Americans, especially parents, still have deep concerns about the direction of our culture, and the health of our most basic institutions.  They are concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage.  And they worry about children in our society who need direction and love … and about fellow citizens still displaced by natural disaster … and about suffering caused by treatable diseases.

As we look at these challenges, we must never give in to the belief that America is in decline, or that our culture is doomed to unravel.  The American people know better than that.  We have proven the pessimists wrong before – and we will do it again.

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