The Right Vision for Our Future

The Right Vision for Our Future

Rep. Boozman's Column for the Week of January 26, 2004

President George W. Bush delivered an excellent State of the Union Address last week. He outlined the recent successes we have shared as a nation, and challenges that lay ahead. Most of all, he reassured the country that he has what it takes to lead our nation in these times of great changes - leadership and vision.

George W. Bush has established himself as a president who gets results. Last year, the President made promises to the American people that he would actively protect the country from terrorism, create jobs to rebuild the economy and add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. He followed through on these promises, even when it meant making decisions that weren't easy. For that reason, the country and the world, is a better place.

Since the attacks of 9-11, President Bush has committed himself and this nation to a War on Terror that has brought nearly two-thirds of Al-Qaeda's leadership to justice, driven the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, freed Iraq from one of the most notorious dictators in history and started the process of rebuilding the Middle East into a stable region where democracy can flourish.

At the same time, he has worked Congress to ensure that important issues at home are addressed. His vision and guidance helped get an economic stimulus package through Congress that lowered taxes for every taxpaying American and created jobs across the country. The President and Congress have proved the skeptics wrong as almost every important economic indicator is proving that the American people are using their money better than the government could have, putting that extra money to work and driving this economy forward.

The President also delivered on his promise to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. For years, our seniors have been asking us to create a Medicare prescription drug benefit, but it took his leadership to get this accomplished. Now, Medicare beneficiaries can begin receiving assistance with their prescription drug costs through Medicare's drug discount card and starting in 2006, Medicare will offer prescription drug coverage.

For all his successes though, President Bush understands that our nation still faces a number of challenges. The War on Terror is far from over, and it will take resolve and a strong commitment from all Americans to follow through and finish the work we have started. And while our economy is on the rebound, laid-off workers in some sectors are having a harder time finding jobs in their lines of work than others. President Bush and I are committed to passing bills that will help keep manufacturing jobs in the United States, while assisting more Americans find good jobs in our changing economy. Finally, we must address the rising costs of health care coverage, which has doubled annually in recent years. I share the President's belief that we must act to curb rising healthcare costs, without forcing people into a one-size-fits-all government program.

During his address, President Bush called our nation "confident." I couldn't agree more. We've accomplished a lot over the past year, which gives us good field position to tackle the challenges that remain. My colleagues and I will work with President Bush to build on our successes and move forward with the confidence that we will keep our promises to the American people.