SPEECHES
FROM THE 2004 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
RICK SANTORUM
NEW YORK • SEPTEMBER 1, 2004
Thank you, and thank you Pennsylvania.
Every generation has but a moment to carry the torch that
defines who we are and what we will be.
Will our torch shine brighter or will it diminish? Our best
hope - will not be found in the laws of men, but in love
of others, as President Bush defines it, compassion.
Remember, “The greatest of these is love.” Through
love and compassion, we can shape our moment in American
history for great good, as many did before us.
My father came to the coalfields outside Johnstown, Pennsylvania
when he was 7 from a small village in Italy.
It was 1930 and like most immigrants he was poor. But like
so many of our parents from that time, he passed on a wealth
of truths to guide us in life – to love God, to love
your neighbor as yourself, and to care for those less fortunate
than you.
Today, too many children are surrounded by an impoverished
culture causing an emptiness not only of the stomach, but
of the heart. And it is doing to our children what the Great
Depression did to our economy.
In the House, I helped author the landmark welfare reform
bill. When I was elected to the Senate, I didn’t just
want to make it possible for poor women to work – I
wanted to give them a job.
So I hired 8 welfare recipients in my office.
One, Michelle Turner, lived at the People’s Emergency
Center in Philadelphia. She went from receptionist to caseworker
to supervisor.
As Michelle said, “Under the old welfare system I
was forgotten, a nobody. Today I have a future.” Welfare
reform has cut the rolls and reduced poverty, but helping
millions like Michelle find a job is only part of the answer.
My Italian grandfather taught me the rest in one word – family.
The key to a richer culture is strong families, and the
key to strong families is strong marriages.
That means mothers and fathers doing what they have been
doing for centuries – giving love and hope to their
children.
Karen, my incredible wife and mother of our 6 children,
always says, “Rick, the best gift we can give our kids
is a great marriage. It gives them the security they want
and the example they need.”
Yet, in many poor communities the torch of marriage is dying
out. While eight out of ten mothers applying for welfare
are in a relationship with the father of their child, and
both want to marry, often, no one helps them, and within
a year, almost all have parted ways.
President Bush is changing that. We now ask, "Would
you like some help in building that relationship?" And
if they say yes, we pay for marriage counseling with a family
therapist or a pastor, rabbi, or imam.
John Kerry’s response -- he joined Senate Democrats
in blocking the President’s welfare reform and faith-based
initiatives. He says he's “concerned” about the
separation of church and state.
Senator Kerry should worry more about the separation of
children from their fathers.
We all agree, religion in America must never be established – but
it also must never be exiled.
George Bush has shown his compassion by advancing his faith-based
initiatives, strengthening marriage, and fighting to let
the American people define marriage, not left-wing judges.
Sometimes I think our grandparents wouldn’t recognize
the torch they passed on. But I know they would counsel us
to remember why they came, and others continue to come.
For our economy, yes, for security, sure, but it is the
generosity of spirit and the strength of our character molded
by the light of faith that makes us that shining city on
the hill - “For the greatest of these is love.”
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