ON THE STUMP

	July 10, 2000
	Now, another in our ongoing series of stump speeches by the leading presidential candidates. Texas Governor George W. Bush: He spoke this afternoon at the NAACP Convention in Baltimore.

GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: I recognize the history of the Republican Party. And the NAACP has not been one of regular partnership. But our nation is harmed when we let our differences separate us and divide us. So while some in my party have avoid the NAACP, and while some in the NAACP have avoided my party... (Laughter) ... I'm here because I believe there's so much that we can do together to advance racial harmony and economic opportunity. Before we go to the future, we must acknowledge our past. For our nation, there is no denying a truth that slavery is a blight on our history and that racism, despite all the progress, still exists today. Recognizing and confronting our history is important. Transcending our history is essential. We're not limited by what we have done or what we have left undone. We're limited only by what we're willing to do. Equality in our country will remain a distant dream until every child of every background learns so that he or she may strive and rise in this world. No child in America should be segregated by low expectations, imprisoned by illiteracy, abandoned to frustration and the darkness of self-doubt. (Applause) There's reason for optimism in this land. A great movement of education reform has begun in this country -- built on clear principles-- to raise the bar of standards, expect child can learn, to give schools the flexibility to meet those standards, to measure progress and insist upon results, to blow the whistle on failure, to provide parents with options to increase their option, like charters and choice, and always remember the goal of education is to leave no child behind. I believe in these principles, and I've seen them work. I've seen them turn around troubled schools in my state, schools labeled by the world at risk. At risk means you're not supposed to learn. But we've challenged that in the state of Texas. I've seen these schools and principles bring new hope, inspiring new confidences and ambitions. And I'm especially proud in my state that we're... our minority students are improving faster than almost any other state in the union. And I'm especially proud of this fact, that African American fourth graders in the state of Texas have better math skills than any other students... African American students in any state in the United States of America. And we make this progress at the national level. The central part of my agenda, for example, is to challenge and change Title I, to make sure we close the achievement gap, to make sure that children are not forgotten and simply shuffled through the system. Under my vision, all students must be measured. We test. And low-performing schools, those schools that won't teach and won't change will have three years to produce result, three years to meet standards, three years to make sure the very faces of our future are not mired in mediocrity. And if they're not able to do so, the resources must go to the parents so the parents can make a different choice. You see, no child, no child should be left behind in America. Education is the essential beginning. But we've got to go further. To create communities of promise, we must help people build the confidence and faith to achieve their own dreams. We must put government squarely on the side of opportunity. I propose a new prosperity initiative, a plan to remove obstacles on the road to the middle class. We must provide a family health credit that covers 90% of the cost of basic health policy for low-income families in America. We must make it possible for more people to become homeowners in this great land -- to own a part of the American dream -- to allow low income families to use up to a year's worth of section eight rental payments to make a down payment on their own home, then use five years of those payments to help with the mortgage. We will start an American dream down payment fund, matching individual savings to the down payment for a home. Behind these last two proposals is a simple belief: I believe in private property. I believe in private property so strongly, I want everybody to have some. Government can spend money, but it cannot put hope in someone's heart or sense of purpose in someone's life. This is done by caring communities, by churches and charities that serve their neighbors because they love their God. Every day they prove that our worst problems are not hopeless or endless. Every day they perform miracles of renewal. What we need is a new attitude that welcomes the transforming power of faith. As President, I will rally the armies of compassion and neighborhoods all across America. I'll lift the regulations that hamper private and faith-based programs. I will involve them in after-school programs and drug treatment programs and prison ministries. And I have laid out specific incentives to encourage and outpouring of giving in America. The NAACP and the GOP, not always been allies, I know that. But recognizing our past and confronting the future with a common vision, by doing that I believe we can find common ground. It won't be easy work, but a philosopher once advised, "when give an choice, I prefer the hard." We will prefer the hard, because only the hard will achieve the good. That's my commitment, and that is our opportunity. Thank you for having me, and God bless America.