The fundamentals of the United States economy are strong due in part to the sound policies we've been following. The prospects for growth, low unemployment, low inflation continue to be strong. |
The hurricanes distorted a very good year. |
The implications of Hurricane Katrina are clearly not positive for the Entergy enterprise, as the company's operations were the hardest hit of any electric utility system, |
The important thing is for countries to stay on a sensible economic path as the world works through a very difficult time. What Japan does is very important to the rest of the world, |
The international community has a strong program. ? I think the key, however, is that the program is only as effective as the implementation. And I think that we have been in a very aggressive mode over the course of the last year, and I think that what we need to do is remain in even more aggressive mode as we go forward, so each of us does our part, |
The introduction provides us with an opportunity to educate cash-handlers and consumers about the importance of authenticating currency, ... These security features are effective only when they are used. |
The key is that these are now longstanding problems, and it is going to take a concerted and very substantial effort over a sustained period of time for Japan to get back on track, |
The key is to continue to focus on the challenges that lie ahead, to continue to remain deeply engaged in helping the countries that are in difficulty, |
The longer we don't face them, the harder they get, |
The new $20 note will be an important tool against would-be counterfeiters, |
The only role we can play is to continue to very actively work to persuade the Japanese government to face these very difficult issues they have to deal with, |
The overarching point of the president's economic strategy going forward in the 1999 budget is clear: under no circumstances should we take any steps that will undo the fiscal discipline that we have worked so hard to achieve and has been so central to our strong economy of the last five years. |
The president's budget carries forward the economic strategy that has been so central to the strong economic conditions of the past five years, ... This budget preserves the surpluses until we strengthen Social Security, invests in areas that are critical to future productivity and the future of our country, provides for programs that protect and promote our critical economic and national security interests in the global economy, and of absolutely critical importance, this budget keeps us on the path of fiscal discipline that is so central to our economic well being. |
The Prime Minister said earlier in the year that his objectives were domestic demand-led growth and I think he's taken very important and very constructive steps in that direction and we very much welcome them, |
The surpluses present an enormous opportunity and one that we must not squander, ... We believe that the surpluses should be reserved until Social Security is placed on sound financial footing for the next century. After 2010, the huge baby boom generation will begin retiring which will put increased pressure on Social Security and it was on that basis that we reached the conclusion that nothing should be done with these surpluses until that problem is addressed. |