2013 Inaugural Address Transcript

Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional — what makes us American — is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.

For more than two hundred years, we have.

Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.

Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.

Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune.

Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.

But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we'll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.

This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it — so long as we seize it together.

For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.

We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.

We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other — through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security — these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries — we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure — our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.

We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.

We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully — not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice — not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.

It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.

That is our generation's task — to make these words, these rights, these values — of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time — but it does require us to act in our time.

For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.

My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.

They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.

You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course.

You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.

Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.

Dreaming

“So my dad never had the money or time to get a college degree. Without a college degree, became head of a big car company and ultimately a governor. And believed in America, believed in the opportunity in this country, never doubted for a moment that he could achieve his dreams. And Ann's dad, my wife's dad, was born in Wales. His dad was a coal miner. This coal miner got injured in a coal mining accident; realizing that there was no future there for him or his four children, he came to Detroit and worked in the auto factories until he could save enough money to bring his kids over, which he did. And then they got together as a family and said, you know, to be successful in America, you've got to get an education. And they couldn't afford an education. And the kids and the parents said you know, if we all work, and we all save, we could afford to send one of us to college. And they, they sent my wife's dad.”

Mitt Romney said the above statement during a fundraising event in Boca Raton, Florida in May 2012 and which was secretly videotaped.

I find it amusing and repulsive that this man is against immigrants unless they have specialized skills. George W. Romney was born in Mexico and his family moved back to the U.S. during the Mexican revolution. As a child he worked the fields and helped his father in construction. G.W. Romney’s family was on welfare for many years to make ends meet. G.W. Romney was not a good student, went to many universities and never graduated from any of them. In high school, he was not exemplary actually he was far from it. Those humble beginnings is what made G.W. Romney a more compassionate man, much more than his son will ever be. 

Ann (Davies) Romney’s parents were immigrants too. Ann’s father was Edward R. Davies and he came to the United States after his father, David Davis, a coal miner who had acquired black lung disease and who had been injured in a mining accident had migrated to the United States in 1929 and after working at a Ford plant he sent for his wife and son, Ann’s father, shortly after. Edward R. Davies was an avowed atheist until the day he died, he despised religion and never changed his mind about it. However, not even a year had passed after his death (September 8, 1992) when Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann ignored the essence of the man and baptized him post-mortem. In my opinion this is just one more example of how disrespectful and selfish these two individuals are, they can’t even honor the wishes of a dead man.

Both their own families came to this country in search of a better life for themselves and their family. Neither one of these families were wealthy when they got here or possessed any extraordinary skills: one a carpenter the other a sick coal miner. Yet, the desire for a better life drove them here and this country welcomed them, allowed them to work and to prosper. 

They were just the previous generation of Mitt and Ann Romney, not their great-grand fathers, not 3 or 4 generations ago. These people were their own parents. How can they now show so much disdain for the immigrants that come to this country in search of the same thing their parents came here for? Mitt Romney keeps repeating that he wants to bring people from other countries but only if they have special skills, I wonder what skills he is thinking off, will he accept carpenters, injured miners, wheat, potato and sugar beet field workers, or would any of those “skills” not be special enough for him? 

Mitt Romney has promised to veto the “Dream Act” which is allowing those that were brought to these shores as children by their parents and who are undocumented by no fault of their own. He will not think twice about it. He will destroy the dreams of these young men and women who are studying, trying to get ahead in life, serving our country and defending this country as their own – after all, they know of no other country – he will deny them the same opportunity his own father and his father-in-law had to succeed. What’s more, he will follow Arizona’s immigration law deporting more immigrants just because they come from South of the border and came here with no “special skills” but the ardent desire to provide their families a better life, to earn a decent living with the sweat of their brow, the work of their two hands and the strength of their heart… all to provide their children a better future than they had. 

That is what Gaskell Romney and David Davies did and no one kicked them out of this country. 

For Romney all of the above doesn’t matter, the opportunities his family had and he had were well deserved and they “earned” it… Perhaps, they “earned” it because they were white and spoke English, and the undocumented immigrants are brown and speak Spanish, and then he wants the Latino vote, in his dreams!

The Fight Begins Now!

http://artparodies.com/2012/obama-vs-romney-parody/

Fighting out of the blue corner is Barack Hussein Obama, a young, vibrant and freethinker fighter. He stands 6-feet-1-inch tall, weighing in at 165 pounds. He holds a professional political record of 2 wins and 0 losses, with 2 wins by knockout, he is the current and defending President of the United States. Fighting out of the red corner is Mitt Romney, an aging, not so agile, etch a sketch fighter.  He stands 6-feet-2-inches tall, weighing in at 197 pounds with a professional political record of 1 win and 3 losses, all by knockout. Riiiiing... Let the fight begin now! 

As we already know, what matters most to Mitt Romney is money, lots and lots of money.

We can easily perceive through his webpage his stands on immigration issues: If you are wealthy, we welcome you with open arms, but if you are poor… you can go to hell!

To corroborate the above statement, Mitt Romney says about immigration that “it is too difficult for businesses to secure visas for foreign workers to make up for labor shortages and gaps in skills.” Labor shortages and gaps in skills, really? How unattached is this guy? Under what rock has he been hiding? Mitt Romney not only believes in outsourcing jobs to other countries for big corporations to make even larger profits but he also wants big corporations to bring to this country workers to occupy the jobs that Americans so desperately need and we can do. Why not provide incentives to these companies to train American workers to acquire the skills they need? No. Mitt Romney is a firm believer in outsourcing and filling the few jobs that are in this country with foreigners, all in the name of profit…

Romney continues to say that President Obama has failed to solve the immigration problems of this country. He really has balls to say such a thing! President Obama has tried to find a solution to the immigration problems faced by this nation since the first year in office but, it has been very difficult to accomplish this when the Republicans in Congress obstruct every effort, not only to solve the immigration problem but any other of the many problems that invade us. Republicans are so adamant to move forward that they have rejected even those bills they have created in the past if President Obama is the one asking for it. They do this to discredit President Obama and proclaim he is a failure. They [Republicans] stopped caring for this country and Americans a long time ago, please notice I didn’t say people, since Republicans do care for some people, they care for those that instead of a date of birth have a date of incorporation.

For years the Dream-Act has been going around in circles in Congress. The Dream-Act has been rejected over and over by Congress, even by those Republicans that not only endorsed it in the past but also helped redact it. Yet, since Congress is so set on their agenda to reject anything that forms part of the President’s promises, it should be of no surprise to anyone that once more the Right Wing in congress obstructed the passage of the Dream-Act, leaving no alternative to President Obama but to turn what otherwise would be a permanent solution into a temporary executive order. Now, Republicans are outraged at his audacity… how dares President Obama pass a “mandate”? No one has ever raised so much as an eyebrow over a presidential mandate before, it is not as if no other president before him have ever signed one, but they must make a big deal if it is President Obama the one that passes it.

Mitt Romney’s page on the Issue of Immigration is full of contradictions. On one hand he says that the system “turns away even those foreign students whom we educate here” and on the next paragraph, he says that President Obama has obstructed “many of the deportation cases” and that “his [Obama's] Department of Justice has sued to stop states from assisting the federal government in enforcing immigration laws.” So which one is it Mitt Romney? President Obama turns them away or has tried to protect them? Take a pick, but it can't be both.

Mitt Romney uses a lot of words hoping to create the perception that he truly has an Immigration plan. We know that he doesn’t have a plan of his own, rather his plan is whatever the Koch brothers and Citizens United tell him it is. His Immigration “plan” is not really a plan, there is none; rather he mentions talking points that he believes will satisfy his base and to superficial to scare potential Hispanic voters. We have been witnesses of the IQ level of most of the GOP followers, they're easy to influence and will believe whatever Fox News pushes down their throat, so these talking point with no specific mention as to how will he solve, implement or accomplish them is what Mitt Romney calls a “plan.”

As mentioned in the third paragraph, Mitt Romney wants to bring foreigners with degrees (obtained somewhere else) to obtain high paying positions that should be given to an American worker. But of course, a foreigner’s salary would be below that of an American performing the same task – so he will push, once more, to benefit corporations rather than American workers.

He is proposing to raise the visa cap for these foreigners, making it even more difficult for American professionals with the same knowledge and expertise to secure a position within a Multinational corporation. Way to go Mitt! Next, he offers to grant permanent residency to graduates with advanced degrees in math, science and engineering – and I am all for that, but… what about those students that got a degree in let’s say, education? Don’t we need good educators in this country or is he going to bring teachers from others countries too?

Furthermore, he claims that he has a “strong stand against illegal immigration” and this is true. On the last year and on the last month of his governorship, Romney signed an executive order (how dare he!) allowing state police officers to round up and arrest anyone suspected of immigration violations and to deport those arrested. There goes that stapled green card to a diploma! That executive order was never implemented because the new Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat, revoked it a month after he became governor.

Romney says that he will secure the border by completing a “high-tech” fence and increase the border patrol. That sounds very much like the same crap that Herman Cain talked about during his campaign, but since Mitt prefers to keep the suspense about his “plans” no specifics were provided. We can assume if we wish that he wants to build a huge electric fence to keep “illegals” from trespassing our borders… Sure, who cares that the economy is in the red and this fence would cost billions of dollars to build! Let’s build a huge electric fence and the Mexicans will build an even higher rubber ladder! Idiot!

The next item addressed in his website is “Magnets.” He claims that he will establish a “tamper-proof” employment verification system similar to E-Verify that will enable employers to hire only legal workers and turn away those that are “illegal.” With this statement, Mitt Romney is fully placing the responsibility of hiring undocumented workers solely on the worker and not the employer. Granted, there are those that will produce a false or stolen social security to secure a job, but most often than not the employer knows very well that the worker being hired is undocumented, the employers benefits when hiring them because they will work more hours for much lower wages and no insurance coverage, sick days or vacations. But Romney wants us to believe that employers are completely unaware of any illegality and are the victims of those bad, corrupted and undocumented immigrants! There is a system already in place but employers look the other way and play dumb because it provides them with a modern-day slave and if caught, they simply will say they were tricked into it and blame the immigrant. Mitt Romney says that he will also “enforce the law,” because apparently up to now no president has ever enforced the federal immigration law. He is promising to pass the same law he signed on the last month and last year of his reign, I mean, governorship previously mentioned.

And last but not least, Mitt Romney opposes amnesty. Again, there goes the green card to graduates or to the young men and women that wants to serve in the military.

Romney wants to attract the vote of Hispanics, which keeps eluding him. He is aware that if he publicly admits and describes what his plans and opinions towards undocumented immigrants truly are, that will not make him very popular among the Latino voters. He doesn’t care for any worker, undocumented or not, he only cares for the executives and professionals that should come to our shores to take the jobs that Americans can do and that we need so much.

I am amazed that he hasn’t made any changes to his site now that President Obama gave the GOP a slap on the face when, tired of waiting for Congress to pass the Dream-Act, President Obama signed an executive order granting a temporary safe haven to so many children of undocumented immigrants that didn't ask to be brought here.

The GOP keeps obstructing and our President keeps moving forward… with or without their help, but this time President Obama will make sure the American citizens know who is procrastinating, blocking, obstructing and basically denying the opportunity for this country to move forward.

The Republicans want a fight and we have the Champion in our corner. Let the fight begin now! Only one fighter will be left standing and that is President Barack H. Obama!

Discurso del Presidente en la Conferencia Anual de NALEO

Es mi opinión que el discurso que nuestro Presidente, Barack H. Obama, entregó hoy en NALEO, el cual era primordialmente dirigido a la comunidad hispana merecía ser traducido para que el mensaje pudiera alcanzar a aquellos en nuestra comunidad que no hablan inglés. Ahora más que nunca la comunidad hispana en los Estados Unidos necesita saber quién en realidad está de su lado. Quién en realidad está luchando para defender sus derechos. Si desea leer el discurso en inglés, oprima aquí.

***

I thought that the speech that our President, Barack H. Obama, gave today at NALEO which was mainly directed to the Hispanic community deserved to be translated so the message could reach those in our community that do not speak English. Now more than ever the Hispanic community in the United States need to know who is truly standing by their side. Who is truly fighting for their rights. If you wish to read the transcript in English, click here.

Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando, Florida
22 de junio de 2012

1:43 P.M. EDT


EL PRESIDENTE: Gracias. Gracias! (Aplausos). Muchas gracias. Gracias. Por favor, tomen asiento. Ah, es fantástico estar de regreso en NALEO. Que placer estar aquí con tantos amigos. (Aplausos). Es fantástico ver a tantos amigos de todas partes del país. Que agradable es estar en Disney World. Esta es la segunda vez que vengo a Disney World sin mis hijas. Ellas no están muy contentas conmigo (Risas).

Quiero agradecer a la Secretaria Solís para la introducción, y por su arduo trabajo. Ella es una de las mejores Secretarias de Trabajo que hemos tenido y ella está pensando en ustedes todos los días. (Aplausos.) Quiero dar las gracias a Silvia y Arturo por su sobresaliente liderazgo. Arturo, feliz cumpleaños por adelantado. (Aplausos.) No voy a cantar - no te preocupes. (Risas.) ¡Bienvenido al otro lado de la loma. (Risas.)

Es un honor especial el tener a la Embajador Mari Carmen Aponte aquí con nosotros. Estamos muy orgullosos de ella (Aplauso). Cuando el Senado rehusó confirmar a Mari, la envié a El Salvador de toad formas – (risas) – porque yo sabia que ella iba a realizar una labor sobresaliente. Y es precisamente lo que hizo. Y estoy muy satisfecho de que finalmente el Senado la confirmo la semana pasada. Ahora ella esta en su cargo de manera oficial (Aplauso).

Ayer, el orador invitado vino aquí y dijo que las elecciones de noviembre no se trataba de dos personas. Que no se trata de ser republicano o demócrata o independiente. Se trata del futuro de America. Y aunque tenemos muchas diferencias, él y yo, en este punto estamos de acuerdo. Se trata del futuro de America. El asunto que define nuestra era es si cumplimos la promesa que ha atraído a nuestras costas a generaciones de inmigrantes, desde todos los rincones del mundo, muchas veces con grandes riesgos – hombres y mujeres atraídos por la promesa de que no importa quien eres, como luces, de donde vienes, cual es tu apellido, este es el lugar en donde si lo intentas lo puedes lograr. Este es el lugar donde si lo intentas lo puedes lograr.

Y ya sea que tus ancestros llegaron en el Mayflower o fueron traídos aquí en barcos como esclavos, ya sea que firmaron al llegar a la isla de Ellis o si cruzaron el Río Grande, la diversidad de estos inmigrantes no solo enriquecieron este país, sino que ayudo a construir la más grande economía que el mundo haya conocido.

Personas con hambre, luchadoras, soñadoras, dispuestas a tomar riesgos. Personas que no vinieron aquí a pedir limosna. Somos una nación de luchadores, emprendedores y empresarios - las personas más trabajadoras de la Tierra. Y nadie personifica estos valores, estos rasgos Americanos más que la comunidad Latina. Esa es la esencia de quienes son ustedes. (Aplausos).

Lo único que pedimos es que el trabajo duro tenga recompensas, que el ser responsables sea renumerado, para que si estos hombres y mujeres se esfuerzan, puedan tener un buen trabajo, tener su casa propia, mandar sus hijos a la universidad – dejar que sus hijos tengan mayores sueños que los de ellos – poder guardar un poco de dinero para su retiro, no irse en bancarrota si se enferman.

Y yo me postulé para este cargo porque por más de una década, este sueño se estaba escurriendo de muchos Americanos. Incluso antes de que tomara posesión, le peor crisis económica de nuestras vidas empujo aun mas lejos este sueño – particularmente para muchas comunidades Latinas, las cuales ya habían enfrentado ya una mayor tasa de desempleo y una aun mayor taza de pobreza.

Por lo tanto la pregunta no es si podemos mejorar. Claro que la economía no está donde debería estar. Claro que todavía hay muchos que están batallando. Tenemos mucho trabajo por hacer. Pero la pregunta es: ¿Qué podemos hacer para que la economía mejore más rápido? ¿Cómo podemos crear más trabajos? ¿Cómo podemos crear más oportunidades? La pregunta es: ¿Qué ideal vamos a defender? ¿Por quién vamos a luchar?

Eso es lo que tenemos que decidir ahora mismo. De eso se trata estas elecciones. ¿Por quién luchamos? ¿Cuál es el ideal de America en que creemos?

Si de algo America se trata es de dejarles a nuestros hijos mejores oportunidades que las nuestras. Es acerca la educación. Y es por eso que yo amplié las becas Pell (Pell Grants) – por lo que daré la oportunidad de ir a la universidad a 150,000 niños más en la comunidad latina (Aplausos). Es por eso que invertí en nuestras universidades comunitarias, que son la puerta de entrada a un buen trabajo para muchos Hispanoamericanos – Americanos de todo tipo (Aplausos).

Es por eso que las escuelas en casi todos los estados – algunas en los barrios más malos – han contestado a nuestro reto de elevar los niveles de enseñanza y aprendizaje – no educándolos a como contestar una prueba, pero expandiendo la creatividad, mejorando sus hojas de vida, y enfocándonos más en esos niños que son más difíciles de alcanzar para así poder dar a cada niño la oportunidad de avanzar. Eso es parte del ideal de America en que creemos.

En este país, creemos que si quieres arriesgarte con una nueva idea, mereces la oportunidad de triunfar. Y no deberías necesitar tener unos padres ricos para poder ser un triunfador. Los negocios donde los propietarios son Latinos han sido los de mayor crecimiento, y les hemos reducido los impuestos 18 veces (Aplausos). Hemos expandidos nuevos prestamos y nuevas líneas de crédito para que puedan crecer y así crear empleos. Este es un ideal en el que podemos creer.

En América, creemos que no deberías de irte en quiebra porque te enfermes. Hay mucha gente trabajadora – muchas veces con dos o tres trabajos – que aun no tienen un seguro médico. Si tienes seguro médico, las compañías aseguradoras podían discriminar contra cierto tipo de pacientes. Eso no es correcto. Era incorrecto permitir a las compañías aseguradoras que subieran las primas sin razón alguna, y tampoco era correcto tener a millones de trabajadores americanos sin seguro – siendo la comunidad Latina la que tenía la tasa mayor de personas sin seguro en el país.

Así que después de intentarlo por un siglo, finalmente se aprobó la reforma que permitirá un seguro médico asequible y al alcance de todos los americanos (Aplauso). Eso es lo correcto. Eso es lo correcto. Eso es lo correcto (Aplausos).

Ahora bien, no hemos terminado todavía. Aun falta mucho por hacer. Tenemos que poner más maestros buenos en nuestras aulas (Aplausos). Necesitamos que las universidades reduzcan sus cuotas de matrícula para hacer más asequible la educación de más jóvenes (Aplausos).

Tenemos que invertir en nuevas investigaciones e innovaciones – especialmente en nuevas fuentes de energía y la fabricación de alta tecnología. Necesitamos poner a la gente a trabajar reconstruyendo nuestras carreteras, autopistas y pistas. Los trabajos de construcción pueden tener un efecto impactante en las comunidades de todo el país. Y nadie sabe esto mejor que nuestros funcionarios estatales y locales. Saben la diferencia que esto supone. Y con el derrumbe de la burbuja inmobiliaria, tenemos miles de miles de trabajadores de la construcción listos y ansiosos por ponerse a trabajar.

Tenemos que darle a las familias de los mercados inmobiliarios más afectados por este derrumbe, como lo son la Florida y Nevada, la oportunidad de refinanciar y ahorrar $3,000 al año en su hipoteca. Eso es bueno para esas familias. Es bueno para el mercado inmobiliario. Es bueno para la comunidad. No existe razón alguna por lo que el Congreso no lo haya hecho aun (Aplausos).

En lugar de alardear de los "creadores de empleo," debemos dar a los pequeños empresarios una rebaja de impuestos para la contratación de más trabajadores o para pagar salarios más altos. En lugar de recompensar a las empresas que envían empleos al extranjero, debemos tomar ese dinero y usarlo para cubrir los gastos de mudanza para las empresas que están trayendo empleos a América. (Aplausos.)

En casi todos los temas de interés para la comunidad de ustedes, a cualquier comunidad, lo que nos está frenando no es que hay escasez de ideas brillantes. No es que no tenemos soluciones técnicas. En la actualidad, casi todas las políticas y propuestas se han puesto sobre la mesa. Lo que nos detiene es un callejón sin salida - un estancamiento en Washington entre dos visiones fundamentalmente diferentes de en qué dirección debemos ir.

Los republicanos que dirigen el Congreso, y mi adversario, que no están de acuerdo con ninguna de las propuestas que acabo de mencionar. Ellos creen que la mejor manera de hacer crecer la economía es de arriba hacia abajo. Así que quieren restringir las regulaciones, y dar a las compañías de seguros y a las compañías de tarjetas de crédito y prestamistas hipotecarios aún más poder de hacer lo que quieran. Ellos quieren gastar $ 5 billones de dólares en recortes de impuestos nuevos, incluyendo un recorte de impuestos de un 25 por ciento para todos los millonarios en el país. Y quieren pagar por esto aumentando los impuestos a la clase media y cortando la ayuda de la clase media como son la educación y entrenamiento y la reforma de seguro médico y las investigaciones médica.

Y eso es todo. Eso es todo. Ese es su plan económico. Cuando te dicen que pueden hacerlo mejor, esa es su idea de hacer mejor. Cuando te dicen que saben cómo arreglar la economía, eso es exactamente cómo van a hacerlo. Y creo que están equivocados. Creo que están equivocados. (Aplausos.)

En este país, la prosperidad nunca ha llegado de arriba hacia abajo - viene de una fuerte y creciente clase media, y la creación peldaños de oportunidad para todos aquellos que se esfuerzan por llegar a ser de la clase media. Proviene de las empresas pequeñas exitosas y prósperas que con el tiempo crecen en tamaño y llegan a ser grandes empresas.

No necesitamos más economías de arriba hacia abajo. Lo que necesitamos es un plan mejor para la educación y la formación, y la independencia energética y la innovación, y la infraestructura que pueda reconstruir a los Estados Unidos. Lo que necesitamos es un código fiscal que anima a las empresas a crear puestos de trabajo y manufacturación aquí en los Estados Unidos, y, sí, pedirle a los estadounidenses más ricos a ayudar a reducir el déficit (Aplausos). Eso es lo que se necesita (Aplausos).

Y lo que se necesita también es una reforma migratoria que, finalmente, haga honor de nuestra herencia como una nación de leyes, y como una nación de inmigrantes, y continuar la historia de renovación, energía y dinamismo de los Estados Unidos que nos ha hecho lo que somos (Aplausos).

Quiero decir, piénsenlo. Ustedes y yo sabemos que una de las mayores fuerzas de los Estados Unidos siempre ha sido nuestra capacidad de atraer personas talentosas y trabajadoras que creen en este país, que quieren ayudar a hacerla más fuerte. Eso es lo que nos mantiene jóvenes. Eso es lo que nos mantiene dinámicos y llenos de energía. Eso es lo que nos hace quienes somos.

Sin embargo, nuestro sistema de inmigración actual no refleja estos valores. Permite que las mejores y más brillantes personas puedan estudiar aquí, pero luego les dice que se vayan a crear una empresa en otro lugar. Se castiga a los inmigrantes y las empresas que cumplen con las reglas, y no tiene en cuenta el hecho de que hay demasiados que no lo hacen. Se separa a las familias y se niega a los inocentes jóvenes la oportunidad de obtener una educación o prestar servicio en el uniforme del país que aman.

Ahora, una vez más, el problema no es la falta de soluciones técnicas. Sabemos cuáles son las soluciones a este desafío. Hace seis años, un trío poco probable - John McCain, Ted Kennedy, el presidente Bush - se unieron para liderar la reforma de inmigración integral (Aplausos). Yo, junto con un montón de demócratas, estábamos orgullosos de unirnos a 23 republicanos del Senado y votar a favor de esta reforma. Hoy en día, esos mismos republicanos se han retirado ​​de las negociaciones influenciados por un pequeño grupo de su propio partido. Esto ha creado el mismo tipo de estancamiento en la reforma de inmigración que estamos viendo en una amplia gama de otros asuntos referentes a la economía. Y esto ha dado lugar a un mosaico de leyes estatales que causan más problemas que soluciones y, a menudo causando más daños que beneficios (Aplausos).

Esto no hace sentido. No es bueno para America. Y mientras yo sea Presidente de los Estados Unidos, no voy a dejar de luchar para cambiarlo.

Enfrentado a un Congreso que se niega a hacer cualquier cosa sobre la inmigración, he dicho que voy a actuar en todo lo que este a mi alcance. Así que mi administración ha estado haciendo lo que podemos, sin la ayuda del Congreso, durante más de tres años. Y la semana pasada, dimos otro paso. El viernes, anunciamos que estamos eliminando la amenaza de deportación a los jóvenes merecedores los cuales fueron traídos a este país cuando eran apenas unos niños (Aplausos).

Deberíamos que haber aprobado el “DREAM Act” hace mucho tiempo. Fue escrito por miembros de ambos partidos. Cuando hace año y medio llegó el momento de la votación, los republicanos del Congreso lo bloquearon. El proyecto de ley no había cambiado. La necesidad no había cambiado. Lo único que había cambiado era la política (Aplausos). La necesidad no había cambiado. El proyecto de ley no ha cambiado - redactado en conjunción con los republicanos. Lo único que había cambiado era la política. Y me negué a seguir mirando a los jóvenes a los ojos, viendo a los ojos a jóvenes merecedores, y decirles que lo siento, mala suerte, la política está renuente.

He conocido a estos jóvenes a través de todo el país. Están estudiando en nuestras escuelas. Están jugando con nuestros hijos, hacen el juramento a la bandera, tienen la esperanza de servir a nuestro país. En sus corazones y en sus mentes son estadounidenses. Son los estadounidenses a lado a lado - en todos los sentidos, menos en papel. Y lo único que quieren es ir a la universidad y poder regresar el favor al país que tanto aman (Aplausos). Así que, eliminar la amenaza de deportación y darles una razón de tener una esperanza – era lo propio ha hacer. Era lo propio ha hacer (Aplausos).

No es una amnistía. No tiene el alcance que debería tener - un camino hacia la ciudadanía. No es una solución permanente. Esta es una medida temporal que nos permite enfocar nuestros recursos de manera inteligente al mismo tiempo que ofrece un poco de justicia para estos jóvenes. Pero es precisamente porque es temporal, el Congreso aún tiene que encontrar una solución a la inmigración a largo plazo - en lugar de argumentar que lo hicimos de manera incorrecta o por razones equivocadas.

Para aquellos que dicen que es el Congreso el que debe solucionar este problema - absolutamente. Para aquellos que dicen que deberíamos hacer esto de una manera bipartidista - absolutamente. Mi puerta ha estado abierta durante tres años y medio. Ellos saben dónde encontrarme (Risas).

Lo he dicho una y otra vez: Envíenme el “DREAM Act”, que lo voy a firmar de inmediato (Aplausos). Y todavía estoy dispuesto a trabajar con cualquier persona de cualquier partido que está comprometido a una reforma de verdad. Pero mientras tanto, la pregunta que deberíamos considerar es la siguiente: ¿Fue el ayudar a estos jóvenes a proveerles la oportunidad de una medida temporal de amparo la medida correcta a tomar?

Miembros de la audiencia: ¡Sí!

EL PRESIDENTE: Creo que sí lo fue. Hace rato que se les debía darles una esperanza.

El orador invitado de ayer tiene un punto de vista diferente. En su discurso, dijo que cuando él hace una promesa, la cumple. Bueno, él ha prometido vetar el “DREAM Act”, y debemos aceptar su palabra (Aplausos). Sólo comento (Risas y aplausos).

Y yo creo que sería un grave error . Usted también lo saben.

En todas estos asuntos - sobre las inversiones que necesitamos para hacer crecer la clase media y dejar un futuro mejor para nuestros hijos, sobre la reducción del déficit de manera justa y equilibrada, sobre la reforma migratoria, la protección financiera del consumidor para que las personas no sean explotadas, ya sea en una tienda de préstamos o si se va a enviar remesas a sus familias - en todas estas cuestiones, Washington tiene un largo camino por recorrer para ponerse al día con el resto del país.

La idea detrás del “DREAM Act”, después de todo, se inspiró en una profesora de música en Illinois. Ella decidió llamar a su senador, Dick Durbin, cuando descubrió que uno de sus propios alumnos se veía obligado a vivir en las sombras. Pero aunque esa idea cayó presa a la parálisis y el juego de poderes en Washington, cobró fuerza en el resto del país: Desde todos los estudiantes que marcharon y se organizaron para que sus compañeros de clase no fueran deportados, desde todos los padres que descubrieron la verdad sobre el niño en la cuadra y optaron por defenderlos - porque todos son nuestros hijos, desde todos los estadounidenses que se levantaron y hablaron por todo el país, ya que vieron algo incorrecto y exigían que se corrigiera, que empujaron juntos y hicieron que la rueda se moviera para que se acercara un poco más hacia la justicia.

Eso es lo que siempre nos ha movido hacia adelante. No comienza en Washington. Se inicia con un millón de héroes silenciosos que aman a su país y creen que pueden cambiarlo.

Todos tenemos diferentes orígenes. Todos tenemos diferentes ideas políticas. La comunidad latina no es monolítico, la comunidad afroamericana no piensa toda igual. Este es un país grande. Y a veces, en tiempos difíciles, en un país tan grande y concurrido, especialmente durante un año político, esas diferencias se convierten en el foco de atracción.

Pero corrí para esta posición porque estoy absolutamente convencido de que lo que nos une siempre ha sido más fuerte que lo que nos separa. Somos un solo pueblo. Nos necesitamos unos a otros (Aplausos). Nuestro patriotismo tiene sus raíces no en la raza, no en el origen étnico, no en el credo, sino que se basa en una creencia compartida en la promesa perdurable y permanente de los Estados Unidos.

Esa es la promesa que atrae a tantas personas talentosas y motivadas a estas costas. Esa es la promesa que atrajo a mi padre aquí. Esa es la promesa que atrajo a sus padres o abuelos o bisabuelos - generaciones de personas que soñaban con un lugar donde el conocimiento y las oportunidades estaban a la disposición de cualquiera que estuviera dispuesto a trabajar por ella, cualquiera que estuviera dispuesto a aprovecharla. Un lugar donde no había límite a lo se puede alcanzar, a qué tan alto puedes llegar.

Tomaron un chance. Y los Estados Unidos acogió sus ambiciones y sus valores - dijo: "Ven, eres bienvenido." Esto es lo que somos.

Cada día que entro en la Oficina Oval, todos los días que tengo el extraordinario privilegio de ser su Presidente, siempre recuerdo que en ninguna otra nación en la Tierra mi historia podría siquiera ser posible (Aplausos). Eso es algo que yo celebro.

Eso es lo que me motiva, en cada decisión que tomo, para tratar de ampliar el círculo de oportunidades, a luchar por este país grande y generoso y optimista que hemos heredado, para llevar hacia adelante ese sueño para las generaciones venideras. Porque cuando me encuentro con estos jóvenes, en todas las comunidades, me veo a mí mismo. ¿Quién sabe lo que ellos puedan lograr? Veo a mis hijas y mis sobrinas y mis sobrinos. ¿Quién sabe lo que ellos puedan lograr si tan sólo se les da una oportunidad?

Eso es por lo que estoy luchando. Eso es por lo que yo lucho.

Esta lucha no siempre será fácil. No siempre ha sido fácil. No va a suceder de la noche a la mañana. Nuestra historia ha sido una en que la marcha hacia la justicia y la libertad y la igualdad ha tomado tiempo. Siempre habrá mucha oposición obstinada en el camino que dirá: ". No, no se puede" "No, no." "Ni siquiera lo intentes".

Pero Estados Unidos fue construido por personas que dijeron algo diferente – alguien que dijo: ". Si, si podemos" ¿Quién dijo: "Sí, se puede." (Aplausos). Y mientras tenga el privilegio de ser su Presidente, yo voy a estar del lado de ustedes, luchando por el país que todos soñamos (Aplausos)’

Que Dios los bendiga. Gracias NALEO (Aplausos). Que Dios bendiga a los Estados Unidos de América. (Aplausos.)


FIN

Remarks by the President at the NALEO Annual Conference

Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando, Florida

1:43 P.M. EDT
(For the Spanish translation, click here)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Gracias! (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. Everybody please have a seat. Ah, it is good to be back at NALEO. Qué placer estar aquí con tantos amigos. (Applause.) It is wonderful to see a lot of good friends from all across the country. It is nice to be at Disney World. This is now the second time I've come to Disney World without my daughters. They are not happy with me. (Laughter.)

I want to thank Secretary Solis for the introduction, and for her hard work. She is one of the best Labor Secretaries we have ever had and she is thinking about you each and every day. (Applause.) I want to thank Sylvia and Arturo for their outstanding leadership. Arturo, happy early birthday. (Applause.) I will not sing -- don't worry. (Laughter.) Welcome to the other side of the hill. (Laughter.)

And it is especially good to have Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte here with us. We are very proud of her. (Applause.) When the Senate refused to confirm Mari, I sent her to El Salvador anyway -- (laughter) -- because I knew she was going to do an outstanding job. And she has. And I'm glad to see the Senate finally confirmed her last week. So she's now official. (Applause.)

Last but not least, I want to thank all of you. It’s always nice to get out of Washington. It's nice to get a little Florida sunshine. But it's especially nice to see folks who have devoted themselves to serving their communities and their country -- who’ve dedicated themselves to making people’s lives just a little bit better each and every day, at every level -- school board, state legislatures, county boards. You guys are where the rubber hits the road. And I've had a chance to see many of you in your local communities and hear the stories of all your efforts and all your hopes and all your dreams -- and also some of your frustrations and the hardships that are taking place.

Yesterday, your featured speaker came here and said that the election in November isn’t about two people. It's not about being a Republican or a Democrat or an independent. It is about the future of America. And while we’ve got a lot of differences, he and I, on this point I could not agree more. This is about America’s future. The defining issue of our time is whether we carry forward the promise that has drawn generations of immigrants to our shores, from every corner of the globe, sometimes at great risk -- men and women drawn by the promise that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name, this is a place where you can make it if you try. This is a place where you can make it if you try.

And whether our ancestors arrived on the Mayflower or were brought here on slave ships, whether they signed in at Ellis Island or they crossed the Rio Grande, their diversity has not only enriched this country, it helped build the greatest economic engine the world has ever known.

Hungry people, striving people, dreamers, risk-takers. People don’t come here looking for handouts. We are a nation of strivers and climbers and entrepreneurs -- the hardest-working people on Earth. And nobody personifies these American values, these American traits, more than the Latino community. That’s the essence of who you are. (Applause.)

All we ask for is that hard work pays off, that responsibility is rewarded, so that if these men and women put in enough effort, they can find a good job, own their own home, send their kids to college -- let their kids dream even bigger -- put away a little bit for retirement, not go bankrupt when you get sick.

And I ran for this office because for more than a decade, that dream had been slipping away from too many Americans. Before I even took office, the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes pushed it even further from reach -- particularly for a lot of Latino communities, which had already faced higher unemployment and higher poverty rates.

So the question is not whether we need to do better. Of course the economy isn’t where it needs to be. Of course there's still too many who struggle. We’ve got so much more work to do. But the question is: How do we make the economy grow faster? How do we create more jobs? How do we create more opportunity? The question is: What vision are we going to stand up for? Who are we going to fight for?

That’s what we have to decide right now. That’s what this election is about. Who are we fighting for? What vision of America do we believe in?

If America is about anything, it’s about passing on even greater opportunity to our children. It’s about education. And that’s why I expanded Pell Grants -- which will give an additional 150,000 children in the Latino community a chance to go to college. (Applause.) That’s why I’ve invested in our community colleges, which are a gateway to a good job for so many Hispanic Americans -- Americans of every stripe. (Applause.)

That’s why schools in almost every state -- some in the toughest neighborhoods around -- have answered our challenge to raise their standards for teaching and learning -- not by teaching to a test, but by expanding creativity, and improving curriculums, and focusing more on kids who are hardest to reach so that we give every child a fighting chance. That’s part of the vision of America that we believe in.

In this country, we believe that if you want to take a risk on a new idea, you should have the chance to succeed. And you shouldn’t have to have wealthy parents in order to be successful. Latino-owned businesses have been the fastest-growing small businesses, and we’ve cut their taxes 18 times. (Applause.) We’ve expanded new loans and new credit so they can grow and they can hire. That’s the vision we believe in.

In America, we believe you shouldn’t go broke because you get sick. Hardworking people out there -- sometimes two jobs, three jobs -- still don’t have health insurance. If you did have health insurance, insurance companies were able to discriminate against certain patients. That was wrong. It was wrong to let insurance companies just jack up premiums for no reason, and to have millions of working Americans uninsured -- with the Latino community having the highest rate of uninsured of any community in the country.

So after a century of trying, we finally passed reform that will make health care affordable and available for every American. (Applause.) That was the right thing to do. That was the right thing to do. That was the right thing to do. (Applause.)

Now, we’re not done yet. We’ve got more to do. We need to put more good teachers in our classrooms. (Applause.) We need to get colleges and universities to bring down the cost of tuition to make it more affordable for more young people. (Applause.)

We need to invest in new research and innovation -- especially new sources of energy and high-tech manufacturing. We need to put people back to work rebuilding our roads and our highways and our runways. Construction jobs can have a huge ripple effect in communities all across the country. And nobody knows it better than state and local officials. You know the difference it makes. And with the housing bubble bursting, we’ve got tens of thousands of construction workers just ready and eager to get to work.

We need to give families in hard-hit housing markets like Florida and Nevada the chance to refinance and save $3,000 a year on their mortgage. That's good for those families. It’s good for the housing market. It’s good for the surrounding community. There's no reason why Congress hasn’t already done it. (Applause.)

Instead of just talking a big game about "job creators," we should give small business owners a tax break for hiring more workers or for paying higher wages. Instead of rewarding companies that ship jobs overseas, we should take that money and use it to cover moving expenses for companies who are bringing jobs back to America. (Applause.)

On almost every issue of concern to your community, to every community, what’s holding us back isn’t a lack of big ideas. It’s not a lack of technical solutions. By now, just about every policy and proposal has been laid out on the table. What’s holding us back is a stalemate -- a stalemate in Washington between two fundamentally different views of which direction we should go.

The Republicans who run Congress, the man at the top of their ticket, they don’t agree with any of the proposals I just talked about. They believe the best way to grow the economy is from the top down. So they want to roll back regulations, and give insurance companies and credit card companies and mortgage lenders even more power to do as they please. They want to spend $5 trillion on new tax cuts -- including a 25-percent tax cut for every millionaire in the country. And they want to pay for it by raising middle-class taxes and gutting middle-class priorities like education and training and health care and medical research.

And that’s it. That's it. That’s their economic plan. When they tell you they can do better, that’s their idea of doing better. When they tell you they know how to fix the economy, that’s exactly how they plan to do it. And I think they’re wrong. I think they’re wrong. (Applause.)

In this country, prosperity has never come from the top down -- it comes from a strong and growing middle class, and creating ladders of opportunity for all those who are striving to get into the middle class. It comes from successful, thriving small businesses that over time grow into medium-size and then large businesses.

We don’t need more top-down economics. What we need is a better plan for education and training, and energy independence, and innovation, and infrastructure that can rebuild America. What we need is a tax code that encourages companies to create jobs and manufacturing here in the United States, and, yes, asks the wealthiest Americans to help pay down the deficit. (Applause.) That's what's needed. (Applause.)

And what's also needed is immigration reform that finally lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and as a nation of immigrants, and continues the American story of renewal and energy and dynamism that's made us who we are. (Applause.)

I mean, think about it. You and I both know one of America’s greatest strengths has always been our ability to attract talented, hardworking people who believe in this country, who want to help make it stronger. That's what keeps us young. That's what keeps us dynamic and energized. That's what makes us who we are.

But our current immigration system doesn’t reflect those values. It allows the best and brightest to study here, but then tells them to leave, start companies somewhere else. It punishes immigrants and businesses who play by the rules, and fails to address the fact that there are too many who don’t. It separates families and it denies innocent young people the chance to earn an education or serve in the uniform of the country they love.

Now, once again, the problem is not the lack of technical solutions. We know what the solutions are to this challenge. Just six years ago, an unlikely trio -- John McCain, Ted Kennedy, President Bush -- came together to champion comprehensive immigration reform. (Applause.) I, along with a lot of Democrats, were proud to join 23 Senate Republicans in voting for it. Today, those same Republicans have been driven away from the table by a small faction of their own party. It’s created the same kind of stalemate on immigration reform that we’re seeing on a whole range of other economic issues. And it has given rise to a patchwork of state laws that cause more problems than they solve and are often doing more harm than good. (Applause.)

Now, this makes no sense. It’s not good for America. And as long as I am President of the United States, I will not give up the fight to change it.

In the face of a Congress that refuses to do anything on immigration, I’ve said that I’ll take action wherever I can. So my administration has been doing what we can, without the help in Congress, for more than three years now. And last week, we took another step. On Friday, we announced that we’re lifting the shadow of deportation from deserving young people who were brought to this country as children. (Applause.)

We should have passed the DREAM Act a long time ago. It was written by members of both parties. When it came up for a vote a year and a half ago, Republicans in Congress blocked it. The bill hadn’t changed. The need hadn’t changed. The only thing that had changed was politics. (Applause.) The need had not changed. The bill hadn’t changed -- written with Republicans. The only thing that had changed was politics. And I refused to keep looking young people in the eye, deserving young people in the eye, and tell them, tough luck, the politics is too hard.

I’ve met these young people all across the country. They’re studying in our schools. They’re playing with our children, pledging allegiance to our flag, hoping to serve our country. They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds. They are Americans through and through -- in every single way but on paper. And all they want is to go to college and give back to the country they love. (Applause.) So lifting the shadow of deportation and giving them a reason to hope -- that was the right thing to do. It was the right thing to do. (Applause.)

It’s not amnesty. It falls short of where we need to be --a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix. This is a temporary measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while offering some justice to these young people. But it’s precisely because it’s temporary, Congress still needs to come up with a long-term immigration solution -- rather than argue that we did this the wrong way or for the wrong reasons.

So to those who are saying Congress should be the one to fix this -- absolutely. For those who say we should do this in a bipartisan fashion -- absolutely. My door has been open for three and a half years. They know where to find me. (Laughter.)

I’ve said time and again: Send me the DREAM Act; I will sign it right away. (Applause.) And I’m still willing to work with anyone from either party who is committed to real reform. But in the meantime, the question we should consider is this: Was providing these young people with the opportunity for a temporary measure of relief the right thing to do?

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: I think it was. It’s long past time that we gave them a sense of hope.

Your speaker from yesterday has a different view. In his speech, he said that when he makes a promise to you, he’ll keep it. Well, he has promised to veto the DREAM Act, and we should take him at his word. (Applause.) I’m just saying. (Laughter and applause.)

And I believe that would be a tragic mistake. You do, too.

On all these issues -- on the investments we need to grow the middle class and leave a better future for our kids, on deficit reduction that’s fair and balanced, on immigration reform, on consumer financial protection so that people aren’t exploited, whether at a payday loan shop or if they’re sending remittances back to their families -- on all these issues, Washington has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the country.

The whole idea behind the DREAM Act, after all, was inspired by a music teacher in Illinois. She decided to call her Senator, Dick Durbin, when she discovered that one of her own students was forced to live in the shadows. But even as that idea fell prey to gridlock and game-playing in Washington, it gained momentum in the rest of the country: From every student who marched and organized to keep their classmates from being deported; from every parent who discovered the truth about the child down the street and chose to stand up for them -- because these are all our kids; from every American who stood up and spoke out across the country because they saw a wrong and wanted it to be righted; who put their shoulder to the wheel and moved us a little closer towards justice.

That’s what has always moved us forward. It doesn’t start in Washington. It starts with a million quiet heroes who love their country and believe they can change it.

We all have different backgrounds. We all have different political beliefs. The Latino community is not monolithic; the African American community is not all of one mind. This is a big country. And sometimes, in tough times, in a country this big and busy, especially during a political year, those differences are cast in a bright spotlight.

But I ran for this office because I am absolutely convinced that what binds us together has always proven stronger than what drives us apart. We are one people. We need one another. (Applause.) Our patriotism is rooted not in race, not in ethnicity, not in creed; it is based on a shared belief in the enduring and permanent promise of America.

That’s the promise that draws so many talented, driven people to these shores. That’s the promise that drew my own father here. That’s the promise that drew your parents or grandparents or great grandparents -- generations of people who dreamed of a place where knowledge and opportunity were available to anybody who was willing to work for it, anybody who was willing to seize it. A place where there was no limit to how far you could go, how high you could climb.

They took a chance. And America embraced their drive and embraced their courage -- said, "Come, you’re welcome." This is who we are.

Every single day I walk into the Oval Office, every day that I have this extraordinary privilege of being your President, I will always remember that in no other nation on Earth could my story even be possible. (Applause.) That’s something I celebrate.

That’s what drives me, in every decision I make, to try and widen the circle of opportunity, to fight for that big and generous and optimistic country we inherited, to carry that dream forward for generations to come. Because when I meet these young people, all throughout communities, I see myself. Who knows what they might achieve. I see my daughters and my nieces and my nephews. Who knows what they might achieve if we just give them a chance?

That’s what I’m fighting for. That’s what I stand for.

This fight will not always be easy. It hasn’t always been easy. It will not happen overnight. Our history has been one where that march towards justice and freedom and equality has taken time. There will always be plenty of stubborn opposition in the way that says: "No, you can’t." "No, you shouldn’t." "Don’t even try."

But America was built by people who said something different -- who said: "Yes, we can." Who said, "Sí, se puede." (Applause.) And as long as I have the privilege of being your President, I will be alongside you, fighting for the country that we together dream of. (Applause.)

God bless you. Thank you, NALEO. (Applause.) God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

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2:11 P.M. EDT