Bush radio address 02/10/07 full audio, text transcript

bush radio address 02/10/07 full audio, text transcript. PODCAST and, President's Radio Address . In Focus: Energy

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THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.

Last Saturday, I addressed the annual retreat of Democrats from the House of Representatives. I thanked the Members of the new majority for their service in Congress. And we discussed our responsibility to work together on a wide range of issues -- from fighting the global war on terror, to making health care more affordable, to balancing the Federal budget.

One area with great potential for bipartisan cooperation is energy policy. The need for action is clear. Our Nation's reliance on oil leaves us vulnerable to hostile regimes and terrorists, who could damage our economy by disrupting the global oil supply. A spike in oil prices anywhere in the world could lead to higher prices at gas pumps here in America. And burning oil and gasoline creates air pollution and greenhouse gases.

Republicans and Democrats both recognize these problems. We agree on the solution: We need to diversify our energy supply and make America less dependent on foreign oil. The best way to do that is by developing new energy technologies here at home. So the Federal government has provided more than $10 billion over five years for research into alternative sources of energy. Our scientists and engineers have made great progress, and our Nation is now on the threshold of dramatic breakthroughs in clean energy technology.

These advances in energy technology will help us meet a great new national goal: to reduce America's gasoline usage by 20 percent in the next 10 years. I call this goal "Twenty in Ten," and appreciate the support that many Democrats and Republicans have shown for it.

I know there are different views about the best way to meet this goal. Some say we should increase the supply of alternative fuels. Others say we should decrease demand for gasoline. I believe we need to do both. So on the supply side, I proposed a new mandatory fuels standard that will require the use of 35 billion gallons of renewable and other alternative fuels by 2017. That is nearly a fivefold increase over the current target. On the demand side, I proposed to reform fuel economy standards to make cars more energy efficient, just as my Administration did for light trucks.

This past week, we took a key step toward my "Twenty in Ten" goal when I sent Congress my budget for the next fiscal year. The budget proposes $2.7 billion to expand alternative energy research, a 53 percent increase over the 2006 funding level. These funds will support further research into cellulosic ethanol, which can be produced from sources like wood chips and grasses. These funds will also support promising technologies beyond ethanol, such as new forms of biodiesel, lithium-ion batteries, and hydrogen fuel cells.

I look forward to working with Congress to pass this budget and to meet my "Twenty in Ten" goal. I'm optimistic because the technology we need to achieve this goal is advancing every day. A few weeks ago, I traveled to a DuPont research facility in Delaware, where scientists told me that they are close to making the use of cellulosic ethanol a reality. Imagine what technologies like this would mean for your daily life. You could fill up your gas tank with fuel that comes mostly from an American prairie or farm, instead of an oil well overseas. You could drive to work in a car that runs on electricity instead of gasoline, or on hydrogen fuel cells that emit no pollution. You would see the rise of dynamic new businesses that create jobs for American workers and sell alternative energy products around the world.

This is an ambitious vision, but with the talent and enterprise of our people, it can be achieved. Every Member of Congress who cares about strengthening our economy, protecting our national security, and confronting climate change should support the energy initiatives I have set out. By working together to pass energy legislation soon, we can help solve one of the great challenges facing our generation. And we can leave behind a cleaner and better world for our children and grandchildren.

Thank you for listening.

END, For Immediate Release, February 10, 2007

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Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación 02/10/07

forre el audio de la dirección de radio 02/10/07 por completo, transcripción del texto. (nota de los redactores: ninguna lengua española mp3 lanzó esta semana, apesadumbrada) PODCAST Discurso Radial del Presidente.

Suscribir a nuestro canal de Podcast de Odeo o del podnova y recibir la dirección de radio presidencial semanal en inglés y español con informes selectos del departamento del estado. Ofreciendo transcripciones audio y con texto completo verdaderas, más fuentes contentas agregaron a menudo así que la estancia templó.

Buenos Días. El sábado pasado me dirigí al retiro anual de los Demócratas de la Cámara de Representantes. Agradecí a los miembros de la nueva mayoría por su servicio en el Congreso. Y discutimos nuestra responsabilidad de trabajar juntos sobre una amplia gama de puntos de interés - desde luchar la guerra global contra el terror, a hacer más asequible la atención médica, hasta equilibrar el presupuesto federal.

Un tema con gran potencial para la cooperación bipartita es la política energética. La necesidad de acción está clara. La dependencia de nuestra Nación sobre el petróleo nos deja vulnerables a regímenes hostiles y a terroristas - que podrían perjudicar a nuestra economía trastornando la oferta global de petróleo. Un aumento en precios de petróleo en cualquier lugar del mundo podría conducir a precios más elevados en las bombas de gasolina aquí en Estados Unidos. Y el quemar petróleo y gasolina crea contaminación del aire y gases de invernadero.

Los Republicanos y los Demócratas ambos reconocemos estos problemas. Estamos de acuerdo en cuanto a la solución: necesitamos diversificar nuestra oferta de energía y hacer que Estados Unidos dependa menos de petróleo extranjero. La mejor forma de hacerlo es desarrollando nuevas tecnologías energéticas aquí en casa. Por lo tanto el gobierno federal ha proporcionado más de 10 mil millones de dólares en un espacio de cinco años para investigaciones en fuentes alternativas de energía. Nuestros científicos e ingenieros han logrado grandes progresos - y nuestra Nación está en el umbral de descubrimientos dramáticos en la tecnología de energía limpia.

Estos avances en tecnología energética nos ayudarán a alcanzar una gran nueva meta nacional: reducir el uso de gasolina en Estados Unidos en un 20 por ciento en los próximos 10 años. Yo llamo a esta meta "Veinte en Diez" - y agradezco el apoyo que muchos Demócratas y Republicanos le han mostrado.

Yo sé que hay diferentes puntos de vista sobre la mejor manera de alcanzar esta meta. Algunos dicen que debemos aumentar la oferta de combustibles alternativos. Otros dicen que debemos disminuir la demanda de gasolina. Yo creo que debemos hacer ambas cosas. De modo que en el lado de la oferta he propuesto un nuevo estándar de combustibles obligatorios que exigirá el uso de 35 mil millones de galones de combustibles renovables y otros alternativos para el 2017. Esto representa un aumento de cinco veces la meta actual. En el lado de la demanda, he propuesto reformar las normas de economía de combustible para hacer que los automóviles sean más eficientes en energía - así como mi Administración lo hizo para camiones ligeros.

Esta semana pasada, tomamos un paso clave hacia mi meta de "Veinte en Diez" cuando envié al Congreso mi presupuesto para el próximo año fiscal. El presupuesto propone 2.7 mil millones de dólares para expandir la investigación en energía alternativa - un aumento del 53 por ciento sobre el nivel de financiamiento del 2006. Estos fondos apoyarán más investigación en etanol celulósico que puede producirse de fuentes tales como astillas de madera y hierbas. Estos fondos también apoyarán tecnologías prometedoras más allá del etanol - tal como nuevas formas de biodiesel, baterías ion-litium, y células de combustible de hidrógeno.

Espero trabajar con el Congreso para aprobar este presupuesto y cumplir con mi meta "Veinte en Diez". Me siento optimista puesto que la tecnología que necesitamos para alcanzar esta meta avanza cada día más. Hace unas semanas viajé a una instalación de investigación de DuPont en Delaware, donde científicos me dijeron que están cerca de hacer realidad el uso de etanol. Imaginen lo que tecnologías como esta significarían para su vida cotidiana. Usted podría llenar su tanque de gasolina con combustible que proviene mayormente de una llanura o granja estadounidense - en lugar de un pozo de petróleo en el extranjero. Usted podría ir a su trabajo en un automóvil que funciona a base de electricidad en lugar de gasolina - o de células de combustible de hidrógeno que no emiten contaminantes. Y usted vería el crecimiento de nuevos negocios dinámicos que crean empleos para trabajadores estadounidenses y venden productos de energía alternativa alrededor del mundo.

Esta es una visión ambiciosa - pero con el talento y la empresa de nuestro pueblo, puede lograrse. Cada miembro del Congreso que se interesa en fortalecer nuestra economía, proteger nuestra seguridad nacional, y enfrentar el cambio climatológico debería apoyar las iniciativas energéticas que he presentado. Trabajando juntos para aprobar legislación energética pronto, podemos resolver uno de los mayores retos que nuestra generación enfrenta. Y podemos dejar atrás un mundo más limpio y mejor para nuestros hijos y nuestros nietos.

Gracias por escuchar.

Para su publicación inmediata, Oficina del Secretario de Prensa, 10 de febrero de 2007

Etiquetas De Technorati: Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación, y Presidente Bush, o Demócratas y Cámara de representantes, o cuidado médico, o contaminación atmosférica y Medicare o gases del invernadero

President to Welcome President Sirleaf of Liberia

President Bush to Welcome President Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia

President Bush will welcome President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia to the White House on February 14, 2007. President Johnson-Sirleaf's visit will mark the President's 100th meeting with an African Head of State during his six years in office. The visit will be an opportunity for the President to hear from President Johnson-Sirleaf on the progress being achieved in rebuilding the social, political, and economic life of Liberia.

The President will use the opportunity to reiterate the United States' long-standing commitment to the establishment of stability and democracy in Liberia. The two leaders will also discuss continuing cooperation in the areas of reconstruction, economic development, trade and investment, security sector reform, and debt relief.

# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, February 9, 2007.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006. President Sirleaf is the first woman elected President to any country on the continent of Africa. White House photo by Eric Draper.

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President and Mrs. Bush to Travel to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico

President and Mrs. Bush to Travel to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico

President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico from March 8 - 14, 2007. This trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to the Western Hemisphere and will highlight our common agenda to advance freedom, prosperity, and social justice and deliver the benefits of democracy in the areas of health, education, and economic opportunity.

In São Paulo, Brazil, President Bush will meet with President Luíz Inacio “Lula” da Silva to discuss a range of issues, including alternative energy, as well as meet with other leaders of Brazilian society. The President will then travel to Montevideo, Uruguay, to conduct bilateral meetings with President Tabaré Vázquez, reciprocating his visit to Washington in May 2006.

President Bush will next travel to Bogotá, Colombia, to meet with President Álvaro Uribe and underscore the United States’ commitment to supporting that nation’s successful battle against narcoterrorism and efforts to improve the lives of the Colombian people. The President will also visit Guatemala to experience the rich cultural diversity of this Central American nation, meet with President Oscar Berger, and emphasize the close relationship between our two countries.

The President will conclude his trip with a visit to Mexico to emphasize our strong partnership with Mexico and to demonstrate support for President Felipe Calderón’s efforts to address poverty and income inequality, restore law and order, fight the common threat of drug trafficking, and strengthen our economic relationship.

# # #, For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, February 8, 2007

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International Nuclear Fuel Bank

Question: Today [February 7], the Secretary welcomed Chairman Lantos' proposal for an international nuclear fuel bank. What will the US contribution be to such a fuel bank?

Answer: As Secretary Rice indicated during testimony yesterday, the Department looks forward to working with Chairman Lantos on this legislation. In the President's address at the National Defense University on February 11, 2004, he announced a number of initiatives to strengthen international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Among them was a call for the world's leading nuclear exporters to ensure that states have reliable access at reasonable cost to fuel for civilian reactors, so long as those states renounce enrichment and reprocessing.

As the Secretary indicated, Bob Joseph, the Under Secretary for International Security, has been engaging with other nations about the potential for developing, with major commercial suppliers of reactor fuel and with the International Atomic Energy Agency ("IAEA"), a concept for the establishment of a fuel supply mechanism at the IAEA.

The United States and other major supplier states share the view that such an assurance of reliable access to nuclear fuel would be an important incentive for states that wish to pursue civil nuclear energy to do so without developing their own enrichment and reprocessing facilities, which are not only expensive and technologically challenging to build and operate, but also have the potential to produce fissile material for weapons, and thereby undermine the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

In September 2006 the IAEA held a "Special Event on Assurances of Supply and Nonproliferation" during its annual General Conference. At the Special Event a number of ideas for fuel supply assurances were put forward, including the approach that the United States and five other supplier states are advocating. The details of these proposals and the modalities for implementing them remain under active discussion at the IAEA and we expect the IAEA to prepare a report on them this summer.

Within this context, the United States is converting more than 17 metric tons of highly enriched uranium excess to national security needs to low enriched uranium to create a U.S. reserve to back up fuel supply assurances. We are also encouraging others to create such reserves. Further details on U.S. plans for a fuel reserve may be obtained from the U.S. Department of Energy.

We will carefully consider Chairman Lantos' proposed legislation and look forward to working with the Congress on this important initiative.

2007/087, Released on February 8, 2007

Taken Question Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC February 8, 2007 Taken Question from February 7, 2007 Daily Press Briefing

Department Spokesman Sean McCormack (shown during the Daily Press Briefing) was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Department Spokesman on June 2, 2005.

Immediately prior to returning to the State Department, Mr. McCormack served as Special Assistant to the President, Spokesman for the National Security Council, and Deputy White House Press Secretary for Foreign Policy. State Department Photo by Michael Gross.

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SUVs to the Lebanese Internal Security Forces

U.S. Delivers Civil Disorder Management Equipment and SUVs to the Lebanese Internal Security Forces

On February 7, in Beirut, the United States Embassy turned over 60 Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) equipped with sirens and police lights to the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF). These SUVs are in addition to 2,000 sets of civil disorder management equipment that has been delivered to the ISF over the past month.

Together this assistance will help the ISF to expand policing operations in Beirut and throughout the country, while also serving to protect the Lebanese people and their democratically elected government from security threats posed by civil disturbances. The United States is steadfastly committed to helping the Government of Lebanon to protect the Lebanese people and their territory as we continue to work together toward the rapid and full implementation of UNSCR 1701.

This assistance will help support a Lebanese Internal Security Force capable of protecting Lebanon's territory, sovereignty and dignity.

With the delivery of additional civil disorder management equipment in the coming weeks, the U.S. will continue supporting the ISF and the Government of Lebanon in their efforts to accomplish these goals.

The SUVs were purchased with U.S. security assistance funds; the civil disorder management equipment was purchased with U.S. stabilization and reconstruction funds made available through a Defense Department transfer authority. Both of these efforts are part of an ongoing program to assist the ISF in its efforts to ensure the safety and security of the Lebanese citizenry, while helping to support the democratically-elected Government of Lebanon.

2007/089, Released on February 8, 2007, Media Note, Office of the Spokesman, Washington, DC, February 8, 2007

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Under Secretary Karen P. Hughes to Visit Mexico

Under Secretary Karen P. Hughes to Visit Mexico

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen P. Hughes will travel to Mexico February 12-15, 2007. The visit underscores the important relationship between Mexico and the United States and recognizes the strong ties and common values shared by the peoples of Mexico and the United States.

During her four-day visit to Mexico City, Chiapas, and Guadalajara, Under Secretary Hughes will meet with government officials, students, business and community leaders, and members of the media.

Mexico is a neighbor and close partner with whom we share many common interests and democratic values. We cooperate on a continuing basis on a broad range of political and economic issues, including regional and global security, environmental protection, energy, and trade. We look forward to continuing to work together to achieve our goal of consolidating democracy, promoting prosperity, investing in people, and enhancing security in the hemisphere.

2007/088, Released on February 8, 2007. Media Note, Office of the Spokesman, Washington, DC, February 8, 2007

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Roundtable, National Parks Centennial VIDEO

President and Mrs. Bush Participate in Roundtable on the National Parks Centennial Initiative, FULL STREAMING VIDEO, Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitors Center, Shenandoah National Park, Luray, Virginia. Fact Sheet: The National Parks Centennial Initiative and In Focus: Environment 11:59 A.M. EST.

SECRETARY KEMPTHORNE: Mr. President, and First Lady Laura Bush, on behalf of all of the wonderful people of the National Parks Service, it is such an honor to have the First Couple here at this wonderful national park.

And, ladies and gentlemen, those of you who are here at the roundtable, we look forward to this opportunity to have some discussions with you.

But we'd be very honored, Mr. President, just to get initial thoughts from you. As I introduce our President, let me just put it in this perspective: Two years ago, my wife, Patricia, and I had the great opportunity to spend three days with the President and the First Lady in Idaho, to see this couple, what the outdoors mean to them, how they recreate, how they replenish their energy. I just saw their connection. We went fishing, hiking, biking. I went home tired. (Laughter.) They went home with renewed energy.

MRS. BUSH: Refreshed.

SECRETARY KEMPTHORNE: And I think that you see that same sort of approach -- their love of the outdoors -- in this President's Centennial Challenge Initiative.

So, Mr. President, thank you for all you're doing.

THE PRESIDENT: One of the reasons I asked Dirk to be the Secretary of the Interior is because I knew that he knew how important parks are to the country. And I want to thank you and Mary for taking on your big jobs. Our national parks are really one of America's great treasures. And the fundamental question is, are we going to be wise enough to treat them as such?

When I first came into office, I was worried about a significant backlog of maintenance projects, and I want to thank Dirk for seeing through the completion or near completion of about 6,600 such projects.

And in our discussions, we talked about how to make sure the 100th anniversary of our parks, coming in 2016, really celebrates the National Park System. And so today we're going to talk about an initiative called the National Parks Centennial Initiative. And I'm looking forward to hearing from our fellow citizens about ways to make sure this initiative fully honors the Park System.

It is one thing to talk; it's another thing to act. And I've just submitted a budget to the United States Congress. In it we've got a billion dollars new money for operating expenses. And that really helps to honor those who work hard in our Park System. I really love being with our park rangers. These are dedicated people who have got a pretty cool job, when you think about it. (Laughter.) I just want to make sure that they got the money able to do their job.

As well, we look forward to having a public-private partnership. The federal government will match monies raised in the private sector up to a billion dollars. Our idea is to have $3 billion new money available for this important initiative. And I know that Dirk is going to work hard to make sure that people have their say as to how this money is spent.

And one person who has got a lot of say about the parks, in our family, is Laura. She is very much involved in our parks. She loves the outdoors. She takes a hike with her old high school buddies once a year to herald the Park System. If my entourage wasn't so big, I'd be with her. (Laughter.) But it's big. (Laughter.) So I stay at home.

But I really do appreciate Dirk and Mary and you all joining us. I'm looking forward to our discussion.

MRS. BUSH: Well, I just want to say how important the national parks are to me, personally important, because of all the times that I've had the opportunity to hike in our national parks, to camp in our national parks. I've traveled -- hiked every summer with a group of women that I grew up with in Midland. We all live in different parts of the country now, but we meet in a national park. We've mainly hiked in our big Western national parks: Yosemite; Yellowstone; Glacier; Olympic National Park; the Grand Canyon -- which we've done twice, once a Colorado River trip, and then hiking out the South Rim; the second time with our daughters, which was a lot harder than the first time, when we were a lot younger ourselves.

Our national parks -- the wildness of our national parks is one of the things I really like. Also, we live in a national park. The White House is considered a national park. The national parks include many of our most historical sites, the sites in our country that are shrines to our history. And that's also a very, very important part of the national parks.

But the part that I've loved is the wildness, the opportunity to be back, far back in the back country, where you don't see a lot of people, where you have a chance to birdwatch or do all the other things that we like to see -- you run into a bear every once in a while, which we have. Last summer we were in Denali, deep in Denali, in Alaska, and got to add to our life list of birds, a lot of birds that we wouldn't have ever had the chance to see if we hadn't been back deep in our wilderness.

So I want to congratulate Dirk. I want to thank President Bush for this major initiative for our national parks. It's very, very important for our country to make sure, as we come upon the centennial in 2016, that our national parks are treated with the respect that we want them to be treated with -- and it also gives us a chance to educate the stewards of our national parks that will come after us.

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks.

SECRETARY KEMPTHORNE: Mr. President and Laura, thanks very much for your opening comments. And we think about, in the 20th century, really one of the great figures was Theodore Roosevelt, who really convened the opportunities for America to focus on conservation and on our national parks. In the 21st century, Mr. President, I believe you have now caused America to focus on our national parks with this bold initiative.

This is something that is extremely well received by the National Park Service -- the excitement when we briefed them the last few days -- and then many groups that -- their advocation, their passion and dedication is to see that these national parks become all that they can for all the people to enjoy, and that the second 100 years are every bit as fantastic. So what you have done, Mr. President, you have infused such an energy with this budget that for the 21st century, this will be one of those hallmarks of your presidency. And I think Theodore Roosevelt would be very proud of you. (Laughter.)

With that, I'm going to introduce the other members at the roundtable. Mary Bomar, who is our National Park Service Director -- she is the first naturalized citizen in the United States to become director of the National Park Service. In just a moment, Mary I'll ask you for some comments.

Vin Cipolla, who is the President of the National Park Foundation. And he's been there for just a couple of years. And his leadership which he has brought to the foundation is just getting such high marks.

Derrick Crandall, who is the -- and I look at this -- the President and CEO of the American Recreation Coalition. He's been called, interestingly enough, the "recreation guru" by USA Today. He has been able to bring about organization of over 100 different entities that all believe in the outdoors, and his advocacy of the outdoors.

Gene Sykes, who is the Chairman of the National Parks Conservation Association. Gene is a managing partner of Goldman Sachs. I know if your love of the outdoors, the backpacking that you do repeatedly, and your particular love of the parks in Alaska.

Fred Andreae, who is a trustee, Shenandoah National Park Trust. Fred is one of these examples that, as you look at the 90 years of the National Park Service, the reason they have been able to achieve greatness is because of the partnership with philanthropic communities, with friends of the parks. And, Fred, you have established that here at Shenandoah Park. We truly appreciate that.

Chas Cartwright, who is the superintendent of this magnificent park. And you just say the name Shenandoah, and it's so historic and it conjures up so many great things. I also noted that in the '70s, you were a river ranger on the Salmon River in Idaho. (Laughter.)

MR. CARTWRIGHT: I remember it fondly.

SECRETARY KEMPTHORNE: Yes, I knew that we would bond. (Laughter.)

With that, let me turn to Mary Bomar for her comments.

DIRECTOR BOMAR: Thank you very much. Thank you, Secretary. Well, first of all, good afternoon to everybody. I met with Mrs. Bush yesterday. And again, it was so revitalizing. And your enthusiasm -- you are a true champion of our national parks, as is your husband, the President.

Thank you very much, first of all, for allowing me the opportunity to serve under this administration and be the 17th director of the National Park Service. But also, on behalf of the 20,000-plus men and women of the National Park Service in the gray and green out in these national treasures, thank you on their behalf.

I said again, you've seen Mrs. Bush often in the past with the junior ranger program. This budget will bring a renewed emphasis with a web ranger program that's going to be online. This puts 3,000 seasonal positions, the flat hats, gray and green, back out in the parks, on the trails. This budget will bring extended hours.

And we've listened to our superintendents when they've said to us, what do you need for your parks, and it is money and operations. This budget brings full fixed costs to the salaries for our employees. And I'm telling you, there is a great buzz going on in the national parks with our folks. But the bottom line is really to take care of the visitors in America. And what that budget does, bottom line is it puts our staff out in the parks to make sure that our visitors receive the very best experience.

The 2008 budget is not just about people, as I said, it's about -- tourism is very big to our parks, and we want to make sure they get the very best experience. And our National Park Service rangers, when they heard about 3,000 seasonals -- and, Chas, I know you will address that, what it does for this park alone. Some parks will have over 112, 115 seasonal rangers in maintenance, law enforcement, and interpretation now serving the public -- cleaner restrooms, cleaner beaches.

Our partners make a huge difference. The National Park Foundation with Vin Cipolla, and the people around this table and behind me. We work with our communities and our partners, and we couldn't do it without them.

I leave on a very simple note. I'm very honored to be the director leading the National Park Service. I have to thank this gentleman, the Secretary, on my right. He brings a wonderful vitality and energy and endless support, terrific advocate to the National Park Service. Thank you for all your hard work, working with the budget.

There are special places in America that unite us all as Americans, and Shenandoah is one of those special places. I am honored to be here today to represent the National Park Service. Thank you, President Bush, and thank you, Mrs. Bush.

SECRETARY KEMPTHORNE: Thank you, Mary.

Mr. President, you mentioned -- I thought this would be of note, because really it builds upon an initiative you started five years ago -- and the President referenced the 6,600 projects that were a backlog of deferred maintenance. Here they are. These are the projects. And it just shows you what has already been underway during these last five years. I mean, this is significant. Now we build upon this.

And this initiative which you have launched is not partisan; it is American. This is something that all of America can rally around, and I think this will be the reaffirmation of the parks being one of the greatest gifts to the American family.

Chas Cartwright, would you make a few comments please about the new perspective?

MR. CARTWRIGHT: I would be happy to. I'd like to welcome everybody to Shenandoah National Park -- beautiful, snowy -- (laughter) -- and just say that it's great to have such distinguished guests and everybody else here.

Shenandoah National Park has experienced a serious decline in visitation over the last 10 to 15 years. So I'm sure it comes as no surprise that our big job is how to connect and reconnect people with the park.

And we take very seriously our responsibilities as stewards of the money that we're given, and we've made the business decisions over the years to manage within our budget. But it's made that connection and reconnection effort more difficult. And what the Centennial Initiative does, it's going to get us there much faster. And it's needed, and it reflects an extremely high level of support from the President, from the Secretary, from you, Mary. And it's support for parks, and it's support for the men and women of the National Park Service, which is a great thing.

This funding for Shenandoah would mean $1.6 million -- $1 million in base funding, funding for seasonals, funding for a permanent volunteer coordinator. And we all know that volunteers are great, but it's much better when you have somebody that's directing those efforts. This would truly be a big deal for Shenandoah National Park. And it's something that, getting back to this reconnection piece, we really want to get new constituents out here to enjoy the park.

The Presidential Challenge piece will provide philanthropic partners like the Shenandoah National Park Trust and the park with some great opportunities for partnering. And we really look forward to work with organizations like the Shenandoah National Park Trust and surrounding communities in identifying projects that really get at key resource needs and improve the quality of the visitor experience.

So I just wanted to say, it's great having everybody here today. And thanks to the employees of Shenandoah National Park for doing such a great job.

THE PRESIDENT: Particularly the guy who cleared the road. (Laughter.) Listen, we want to thank you for your contributions here. We'll here from the other members here in a second. I do want to say something to follow up on this, and Congress needs to hear loud and clear how important this initiative is. And I fully hope the citizens groups who are concerned about the parks beat a hasty trail to the Congress and remind the Congress about what we have done and what we need to do as good stewards of the parks.

Anyway, thank you all.

END 12:10 P.M. EST. For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, February 7, 2007

Technorati Tags: President Bush and White House radio or National Parks Centennial and Shenandoah National Park or First Lady Laura Bush and SECRETARY KEMPTHORNE or VIDEO

Global Root Server System DDoS Attack

Global Root Server System Stands Firm Against DDoS Attack, Overnight attempts to disrupt global computer traffic were foiled in part thanks to the RIPE NCC managed K-root server.

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack appeared to target at least five of the thirteen root name servers early Tuesday morning, according to the RIPE NCC’s preliminary analysis. The attacks caused two of the root name servers to stop responding to up to 90% of queries. However, the other root name servers, including the RIPE NCC managed K-root, kept the Internet working during this time.

The Internet relies on thirteen root name servers deployed globally to manage traffic between computers connected to the Internet. They are referred to by letters of the alphabet running from A to M. Together the root name servers help to translate human readable names (like www.ripe.net) to network addresses which are used to route Internet traffic all over the world. To ensure stability, no one organisation controls the thirteen root name servers. In addition, each root name server can run across hundreds of machines worldwide, ensuring further resilience of the root name server system. It is a tribute to the robust nature of this system that Tuesday’s DDoS attack passed largely unnoticed by the average computer user while experts worked to deal with processing the flood of data caused by the attack.

Following earlier DDoS attacks on root name servers in October 2002, the RIPE NCC has improved the reliability of the root name server system by installing mirror instances of the K-root server. RIPE NCC engineers have deployed mirror instances of the K-root server in fifteen locations worldwide.

"I am glad that we have invested in distributing the K-root name server to locations all over the world," said Daniel Karrenberg, Chief Scientist at the RIPE NCC. "This makes the service we provide more resilient against this sort of attack. The good thing about yesterday's attack is that it got noticed only because of our public monitoring and not because Internet users felt any of it."

More information:

The RIPE NCC’s DNS Monitoring Services (dnsmon.ripe.net/) provides a comprehensive, objective and up-to-date overview on the quality of service of the root name servers.

Useful background can be found in the briefings below, which were written by the RIPE NCC’s Chief Scientist, Daniel Karrenberg:

- DNS Root Name Servers Explained For Non-Experts isoc.org/briefings/019/
- DNS Root Name Server Frequently Asked Questions isoc.org/briefings/020/
- The Internet Domain Name System Explained for Non-Experts isoc.org/briefings/016/

February 7, 2007; 05:14 AM Amsterdam - Press Release by DomainInformer.com

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Robert M. Gates, Senate Armed Services Cmte. VIDEO

DoD Establishing U.S. Africa Command, By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service and Senate Armed Services Cmte. questions Robert M. Gates. Hearing on the FY 2008 Defense Budget (2/06/2007), FULL STREAMING VIDEO, Biographies: Robert M. Gates,

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2007 – The U.S. military will establish a separate U.S. Africa Command to oversee military operations on the African continent, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced during Congressional testimony today. Hi-Res

“The president has decided to stand-up a new unified, combatant command, Africa Command, to oversee security cooperation, building partnership capability, defense support to non-military missions, and, if directed, military operations on the African continent,” Gates said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The command will enable the U.S. military to have a more effective and integrated approach than the current command setup, Gates said.

Responsibility for operations on the African continent is currently divided among three combatant commands: U.S. European Command, which has responsibility for most of the nations in the African mainland except in the Horn of Africa; U.S. Central Command, which has responsibility for Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya; and U.S. Pacific Command, which has responsibility for Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Indian Ocean area off the African coast.

Gates called this arrangement an “outdated arrangement left over from the Cold War.”

He added that DoD will consult closely with Congress and European and African allies to implement the effort.

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Lisa M. Nowak (CAPTAIN, USN), NASA Astronaut VIDEO

Astronaut charged with kidnap attempt arraigned, FULL STREAMING VIDEO. Photo released by Orange County Sheriff's Department, NASA astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak.

S121-E-06522 (13 July 2006) --- Astronaut Lisa M. Nowak, STS-121 mission specialist, washes her hair on the middeck of the Space Shuttle Discovery while docked with the International Space Station. high res (1.3 M) low res (90 K

JSC2006-E-09832 (21 March 2006) --- Astronauts Lisa Nowak (left) and Stephanie D. Wilson, STS-121 mission specialists, enjoy a brief break from training in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson Space Center.

The orange launch and entry suits are used for a variety of types of training, including launch countdown procedures, emergency egress and others. high res (1.8 M) low res (103 K)

PERSONAL DATA: Born May 10, 1963, in Washington, D.C. Married, with three children. Lisa enjoys bicycling, running, skeet, sailing, gourmet cooking, rubber stamps, crossword puzzles, piano, and African violets. As an undergraduate she competed on the track team. Her parents, Alfredo and Jane Caputo, reside in Rockville, Maryland.

EDUCATION: Graduated from C.W. Woodward High School, Rockville, Maryland, in 1981; received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985; a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering and a degree of aeronautical and astronautical engineer from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, both in 1992.

ORGANIZATIONS: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association; Tau Beta Pi Engineering Society.

AWARDS: Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal; Navy Achievement Medal; various other service awards.

EXPERIENCE: Nowak received her commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in May 1985, and reported to flight school after six months of temporary duty at Johnson Space Center. She earned her wings as a Naval Flight Officer in June 1987, followed by Electronic Warfare School at Corry Station, Florida, and initial A-7 training at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. She was assigned to Electronic Warfare Aggressor Squadron 34 at Point Mugu, California, where she flew EA-7L and ERA-3B aircraft, supporting the fleet in small and large-scale exercises with jamming and missile profiles. While assigned to the squadron, she qualified as Mission Commander and EW Lead. In 1992, Nowak completed two years of graduate studies at Monterey, and began working at the Systems Engineering Test Directorate at Patuxent River, Maryland. In 1993, she was selected for both Aerospace Engineering Duty and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. After graduation in June 1994, she stayed at Patuxent River working as an aircraft systems project officer at the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility and at Strike Aircraft Test Squadron, flying the F/A-18 and EA-6B. Nowak was then assigned to the Naval Air Systems Command, working on acquisition of new systems for naval aircraft, when she was selected for the astronaut program.

Nowak has logged over 1,500 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: After receiving her commission Nowak was assigned temporary duty and from June to November 1985 she provided engineering support for the JSC’s Shuttle Training Aircraft Branch at Ellington, Texas. Selected by NASA in April 1996, Nowak reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, she became qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Initially assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Operations Planning Branch, she also served in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch and in the CAPCOM Branch, working in Mission Control as prime communicator with on-orbit crews. Nowak flew as a mission specialist on STS-121 in 2006 and has logged almost 13 days in space.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-121 (July 4-17, 2006), was a return-to-flight test mission and assembly flight to the International Space Station. During the 13-day flight the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery tested new equipment and procedures that increase the safety of space shuttles, repaired a rail car on the International Space Station and produced never-before-seen, high-resolution images of the Shuttle during and after its July 4th launch. Nowak was responsible for operating the remote arm during scheduled EVAs. The crew also performed maintenance on the space station and delivered and transferred more than 28,000 pounds of supplies and equipment, and a new Expedition 13 crew member to the station. The mission was accomplished in 306 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds.

OCTOBER 2006

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Budget Fiscal Year 2008 VIDEO

Press Briefing by OMB Director Rob Portman on the President's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget, FULL STREAMING VIDEO, Room 450, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Budget of the United States Government Fiscal Year 2008,

In Focus: Budget 2008 and in PDF Format 2008 Budget Fact Sheets also in PDF Format Budget Charts 12:04 P.M. EST. For Immediate Release, February 5, 2007 FULL TEXT of Mr. Portman's Remarks

Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008, THE BUDGET DOCUMENTS.

Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008 contains the Budget Message of the President, information on the President’s budget and management priorities, and budget overviews organized by agency

Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008, contains analyses that are designed to highlight specified subject areas or provide other significant presentations of budget data that place the budget in perspective. This volume includes economic and accounting analyses; information on Federal receipts and collections; analyses of Federal spending; detailed information on Federal borrowing and debt; baseline or current services estimates; and other technical presentations

The Analytical Perspectives volume also contains a CD-ROM with several large tables previously published in the budget documents, along with summaries of new performance assessments and updates on earlier assessments for approximately 600 Federal programs.

Current Program Assessment Rating Tool summaries and details are available on ExpectMore.gov including a CSV File for Researchers and Academics and the data model diagram. Government-wide PART summary data is also available in PDF and XLS format on the OMB website.

PDF FORMAT, Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008 (2.2 MB) FORMAT HELP provides data on budget receipts, outlays, surpluses or deficits, Federal debt, and Federal employment over an extended time period, generally from 1940 or earlier to 2008. To the extent feasible, the data have been adjusted to provide consistency with the 2008 Budget and to provide comparability over time.

Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008—Appendix contains detailed information on the various appropriations and funds that constitute the budget and is designed primarily for the use of the Appropriations Committee. The Appendix contains more detailed financial information on individual programs and appropriation accounts than any of the other budget documents. It includes for each agency: the proposed text of appropriations language, budget schedules for each account, new legislative proposals, explanations of the work to be performed and the funds needed, and proposed general provisions applicable to the appropriations of entire agencies or group of agencies. Information is also provided on certain activities whose outlays are not part of the budget totals

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS IN PDF FORMAT:

• Federal Credit Supplement
• Object Class Analysis
• Balances of Budget Authority
• The Budget System and Concepts

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF BUDGET INFORMATION

Spreadsheets, Many of the tables in the Budget, Analytical Perspectives and Historical Tables are available for download in spreadsheet (XLS) format

Public Budget Database, The Public Budget Database provides account level detail for budget authority (1976-2008), outlays (1962-2008) and receipts (1976-2008). This data is provided in various formats along with a user's guide.

Prior Year Budgets, Budget documents for current and prior years are available for downloading and viewing at the Government Printing Office (GPO) web site

GPO also maintains a searchable database of selected budget documents in PDF and text formats.

Printed Budget Documents, Budget documents are available for purchase from GPO

Budget CD-ROM, The CD-ROM contains all the budget documents and software to support reading, printing, and searching the documents. The CD-ROM also has many of the tables in the budget in spreadsheet format. The budget also contains the material on the Analytical Perspectives CD-ROM.

GENERAL NOTES 1. All years referred to are fiscal years, unless otherwise noted. 2. Detail in these documents may not add to the totals due to rounding. 3. At the time of this writing, only two of the appropriations bills for 2007 had been enacted; therefore, the programs provided for in the remaining 2007 appropriations bills were operating under a continuing resolution (P.L. 109–289, Division B, as amended). For these programs, references to 2007 spending in the text and tables reflect the levels provided by the continuing resolution.

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Physicists find extra dimensions

Physicists find way to 'see' extra dimensions

MADISON - Peering backward in time to an instant after the big bang, physicists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have devised an approach that may help unlock the hidden shapes of alternate dimensions of the universe. HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGE

A new study demonstrates that the shapes of extra dimensions can be "seen" by deciphering their influence on cosmic energy released by the violent birth of the universe 13 billion years ago. The method, published today (Feb. 2) in Physical Review Letters, provides evidence that physicists can use experimental data to discern the nature of these elusive dimensions - the existence of which is a critical but as yet unproven element of string theory, the leading contender for a unified "theory of everything."

Scientists developed string theory, which proposes that everything in the universe is made of tiny, vibrating strings of energy, to encompass the physical principles of all objects from immense galaxies to subatomic particles. Though currently the front-runner to explain the framework of the cosmos, the theory remains, to date, untested.

The mathematics of string theory suggests that the world we know is not complete. In addition to our four familiar dimensions - three-dimensional space and time - string theory predicts the existence of six extra spatial dimensions, "hidden" dimensions curled in tiny geometric shapes at every single point in our universe.

Don't worry if you can't picture a 10-dimensional world. Our minds are accustomed to only three spatial dimensions and lack a frame of reference for the other six, says UW-Madison physicist Gary Shiu, who led the new study. Though scientists use computers to visualize what these six-dimensional geometries could look like (see image), no one really knows for sure what shape they take.

The new Wisconsin work may provide a long-sought foundation for measuring this previously immeasurable aspect of string theory.

According to string theory mathematics, the extra dimensions could adopt any of tens of thousands of possible shapes, each shape theoretically corresponding to its own universe with its own set of physical laws.

For our universe, "Nature picked one - and we want to know what that one looks like," explains Henry Tye, a physicist at Cornell University who was not involved in the new research.

Shiu says the many-dimensional shapes are far too small to see or measure through any usual means of observation, which makes testing this crucial aspect of string theory very difficult. "You can theorize anything, but you have to be able to show it with experiments," he says. "Now the problem is, how do we test it?"

He and graduate student Bret Underwood turned to the sky for inspiration.

Their approach is based on the idea that the six tiny dimensions had their strongest influence on the universe when it itself was a tiny speck of highly compressed matter and energy - that is, in the instant just after the big bang.

"Our idea was to go back in time and see what happened back then," says Shiu. "Of course, we couldn't really go back in time."

Lacking the requisite time machine, they used the next-best thing: a map of cosmic energy released from the big bang. The energy, captured by satellites such as NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), has persisted virtually unchanged for the last 13 billion years, making the energy map basically "a snapshot of the baby universe," Shiu says. The WMAP experiment is the successor to NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) project, which garnered the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics.

Just as a shadow can give an idea of the shape of an object, the pattern of cosmic energy in the sky can give an indication of the shape of the other six dimensions present, Shiu explains.

To learn how to read telltale signs of the six-dimensional geometry from the cosmic map, they worked backward. Starting with two different types of mathematically simple geometries, called warped throats, they calculated the predicted energy map that would be seen in the universe described by each shape. When they compared the two maps, they found small but significant differences between them.

Their results show that specific patterns of cosmic energy can hold clues to the geometry of the six-dimensional shape - the first type of observable data to demonstrate such promise, says Tye.

Though the current data are not precise enough to compare their findings to our universe, upcoming experiments such as the European Space Agency's Planck satellite should have the sensitivity to detect subtle variations between different geometries, Shiu says.

"Our results with simple, well-understood shapes give proof of concept that the geometry of hidden dimensions can be deciphered from the pattern of cosmic energy," he says. "This provides a rare opportunity in which string theory can be tested."

Technological improvements to capture more detailed cosmic maps should help narrow down the possibilities and may allow scientists to crack the code of the cosmic energy map - and inch closer to identifying the single geometry that fits our universe.

The implications of such a possibility are profound, says Tye. "If this shape can be measured, it would also tell us that string theory is correct." ###

The new work was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Research Corp.

Contact: Gary Shiushiu@physics.wisc.edu 608-265-3285 University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Freedom Calendar 02/03/06 - 02/10/06

February 3, 1870, After passing House with 98% Republican support and 97% Democrat opposition, Republicans’ 15th Amendment is ratified, granting vote to all Americans regardless of race.

February 4, 1959, President Eisenhower informs Republican leaders of his plan to introduce 1960 Civil Rights Act, despite staunch opposition from many Democrats.

February 5, 1866, U.S. Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (R-PA) introduces legislation, successfully opposed by Democrat President Andrew Johnson, to implement “40 acres and a mule” relief by distributing land to former slaves.

February 6, 1981 President Ronald Reagan designates 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons.

February 7, 1983, Republican Elizabeth Dole appointed by President Ronald Reagan as first woman to be U.S. Secretary of Transportation; she would later become first woman to represent North Carolina in U.S. Senate.

February 8, 1894, Democrat Congress and Democrat President Grover Cleveland join to repeal Republicans’ Enforcement Act, which had enabled African-Americans to vote.

February 9, 1864, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton deliver over 100,000 signatures to U.S. Senate supporting Republicans’ plans for constitutional amendment to ban slavery.

February 10, 1995, Death of Judge Masaji Marumoto, Japanese-American Republican who served with distinction on Hawaii Supreme Court.

"I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.”

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

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Presidential Podcast 02/03/07

Presidential Podcast 02/03/07
Subscribe to Our Odeo or podnova Podcast Channel and receive the weekly Presidential Radio Address in English and Spanish with select State Department Briefings. Featuring real audio and full text transcripts, More content Sources added often so stay tuned.

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Bush radio address 02/03/07 full audio, text transcript

bush radio address 02/03/07 full audio, text transcript. PODCAST and, President's Radio Address . In Focus: Jobs & Economy

Subscribe to Our Odeo or podnova Podcast Channel and receive the weekly Presidential Radio Address in English and Spanish with select State Department Briefings. Featuring real audio and full text transcripts, More content Sources added often so stay tuned.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.

This week was filled with more good news about America's economy. We learned that our economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. Overall, our economy grew 3.4 percent in 2006 -- up from 3.1 percent in 2005. The Dow Jones reached an all-time high this week for the 27th time in the past four months. And we learned that America created 111,000 new jobs in January, which means we have added over 7.4 million jobs in the past three-and-a-half years.

This good news is a result of the hard work of the American people and pro-growth economic policies like tax relief. By cutting taxes, we put more money into the hands of American families and small businesses. You have used this money to produce strong and lasting economic growth. And now Congress needs to make this tax relief permanent, so we can keep America's economy growing.

Pro-growth economic policies also play a vital role in our plan to balance the Federal budget. Our growing economy has produced record levels of tax revenue. This increase in tax revenue has helped us cut the deficit in half three years ahead of schedule. And on Monday, we will take the next step when I submit to Congress a budget that will eliminate the deficit by 2012.

To meet this goal, we must set priorities for government spending. My top priority will continue to be keeping America safe and winning the war against extremists who want to destroy our way of life. The budget I will submit to Congress includes the cost of funding the global war on terror, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our troops deserve our full support, and this budget gives them the resources they need.

Cutting the deficit during a time of war requires us to restrain spending in other areas. One good way to help eliminate wasteful spending is to pass earmark reform. Earmarks are special interest items that are often slipped into bills at the last hour. Even worse, more than 90 percent of earmarks never make it to the floor of the House and Senate for a vote. They are dropped into committee reports that are not even part of the bill that arrives on my desk. Yet they are treated as if they have the force of law. The time has come to end this practice. So I will work with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to continue reforming the budget process, expose every earmark to the light of day and a vote in Congress, and cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half.

Another important tool for eliminating wasteful spending is the line-item veto. Today, when lawmakers tack pork-barrel spending onto large bills, the President is left with an all or nothing choice: either sign the bill with the wasteful spending or veto the whole bill and deny funding for vital programs. With the line-item veto, the President can sign the funding for necessary programs into law and send the unnecessary provisions back to Congress for a prompt up-or-down vote on whether to uphold the spending. Forty-three governors have a line-item veto. I urge Congress to pass the line-item veto, so we can work together to control Federal spending.

Controlling spending also requires us to address the unsustainable growth of entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Spending for these programs is growing faster than inflation, faster than our economy, and faster than our ability to pay for it. Unless we act, we will saddle our children and grandchildren with tens of trillions of dollars of unfunded obligations. They will face three bad options: huge tax increases, huge budget deficits, or huge and immediate cuts in benefits. Republicans and Democrats need to come together to confront the challenge of entitlement spending and ensure that these vital programs are there when our children and grandchildren need them.

I look forward to working with Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to address these challenges. Together, we can pass a budget that keeps our economy strong, keeps America safe, and makes deficit spending a thing of the past.

Thank you for listening.

For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, February 3, 2007

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Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación 02/03/07

forre el audio de la dirección de radio 02/03/07 por completo, transcripción del texto. (nota de los redactores: ninguna lengua española mp3 lanzó esta semana, apesadumbrada) PODCAST Discurso Radial del Presidente.

Suscribir a nuestro canal de Podcast de Odeo o del podnova y recibir la dirección de radio presidencial semanal en inglés y español con informes selectos del departamento del estado. Ofreciendo transcripciones audio y con texto completo verdaderas, más fuentes contentas agregaron a menudo así que la estancia templó.

Buenos Días. Esta semana estuvo colmada de más buenas noticias sobre la economía de Estados Unidos. Aprendimos que nuestra economía creció a una tasa anual del 3.5 por ciento en el cuarto trimestre del año pasado. En su conjunto, nuestra economía creció 3.4 por ciento en 2006 – un aumento sobre el 3.1 por ciento del 2005. El índice Dow Jones llegó a un punto máximo por la vigésima séptima vez en los últimos cuatro meses. Y aprendimos que Estados Unidos creó 111,000 nuevos empleos en enero – lo que significa que hemos añadido 7.4 millones de nuevos empleos en los últimos tres años y medio.

Estas buenas noticias son resultado de la ardua labor del pueblo estadounidense – y de políticas económicas pro-crecimiento como ser el alivio tributario. Al reducir los impuestos colocamos más dinero en manos de las familias y pequeños negocios estadounidenses. Ustedes han usado este dinero para producir un crecimiento económico fuerte y duradero. Y ahora el Congreso necesita hacer permanente este alivio tributario – a fin de que podamos mantener creciendo la economía de Estados Unidos.

Las políticas económicas pro-crecimiento también desempeñan un papel fundamental en nuestro plan para equilibrar el presupuesto federal. Nuestra economía creciente ha producido niveles récord de ingresos tributarios. Este aumento en los ingresos tributarios nos ha ayudado a cortar el déficit por la mitad – tres años antes de lo programado. Y el lunes tomaremos el próximo paso cuando yo someta al Congreso un presupuesto que eliminará el déficit para el 2012.

Para alcanzar esta meta debemos fijar prioridades para los gastos gubernamentales. Mi prioridad número uno será de seguir manteniendo seguro a Estados Unidos – y de ganar la guerra contra los extremistas que quieren destruir nuestra forma de vida. El presupuesto que yo someteré al Congreso incluye el costo de financiar la guerra global contra el terror – incluso en Irak y Afganistán. Nuestras tropas merecen nuestro pleno apoyo – y este presupuesto les da los recursos que necesitan.

Cortar el déficit durante tiempo de guerra exige que limitemos los gastos en otras áreas. Una buena manera de ayudar a eliminar gastos poco económicos es aprobando una reforma de los fondos designados. Los fondos designados son partidas de interés especial que suelen ser incluidos en proyectos de ley a última hora. Aún peor, más del 90 por ciento de los fondos designados nunca llegan a la Cámara de Representantes o al Senado para ser sometidos a votación. Son colocados en informes de comités que ni siquiera son parte del proyecto de ley que llega a mi escritorio. Sin embargo, son tratados como si tuvieran fuerza de ley. Ha llegado el momento de terminar con esta práctica. Por lo tanto trabajaré con Demócratas y Republicanos en el Congreso para seguir reformando el proceso presupuestario, exponer todos los fondos designados a la luz del día y a la votación en el Congreso y cortar el número y el costo de los fondos designados por lo menos por la mitad.

Otra herramienta importante para eliminar gastos poco económicos es el veto de partidas individuales. Hoy en día cuando los legisladores anexan gastos para los llamados programas “barril de tocino” a los proyectos de ley más grandes, al Presidente le queda la opción de todo o nada - o firma el proyecto de ley con gastos poco económicos o pone su veto a todo el proyecto de ley y niega financiamiento a programas vitales. Con un veto de partidas individuales, el Presidente puede sancionar el financiamiento para programas necesarios – y enviar las disposiciones innecesarias de vuelta al Congreso para un rápido voto sí o no en apoyo del gasto. Cuarenta y tres gobernadores tienen un veto de partidas individuales. Le pido al Congreso que apruebe el veto de partidas individuales – para que podamos trabajar juntos para controlar los gastos federales.

Controlar los gastos también nos exige enfrentar el crecimiento insostenible de programas reglamentarios tales como Seguro Social, Medicare y Medicaid. Los gastos para estos programas están creciendo más rápido que la inflación… más rápido que nuestra economía… y más rápido que nuestra capacidad de financiarlos. A menos de que actuemos, vamos a dejar a nuestros hijos y nuestros nietos la carga de decenas de trillones de dólares de obligaciones para los que no habrá financiamiento. Enfrentarán tres malas opciones: enormes aumentos tributarios, enormes déficit presupuestarios, o enormes e inmediatos cortes en los beneficios. Los Republicanos y los Demócratas necesitan juntarse y afrontar el desafío de gastos reglamentarios - y asegurar que estos programas vitales estén allí cuando nuestros hijos y nuestros nietos los necesiten.

Espero trabajar con los miembros del Congreso de ambos lados del pasillo para enfrentar estos desafíos. Juntos podemos aprobar un presupuesto que mantenga fuerte a nuestra economía, mantenga seguro a Estados Unidos y haga de los gastos presupuestarios algo del pasado.

Gracias por escuchar

Para su publicación inmediata, Oficina del Secretario de Prensa, 3 de febrero de 2007

Etiquetas De Technorati: Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación, y Presidente Bush, o economía y desgravación fiscal, o Presupuesto federal, o Seguridad Social y Medicare o seguro médico