You know, it's interesting to come back down here to the Gulf Coast. I tried to think back about what it was like the first time I came after the storm hit. And I guess the — my most vivid recollection is the piles of rubble, literally debris stacked upon debris. It was — it's hard to believe then that I would be — I had faith that I'd be able to come to a home, but I had trouble visualizing. And then I kept coming down and I watched the improvement, because of the hard work of the local citizens, people like the Mayor here and the Governor, who set a vision that was a hopeful vision. The federal government's role has been to write checks. The Governor's role and the Mayor's role is help to expedite the federal money to the local folks. And today, we are able to sit in a homeowner — the word is home. Again, one of the things I like to say is, when somebody walks in, welcome to my home. And it has a special ring to it here in the Gulf Coast, because there was a time when their home was totally destroyed.

You can see the reconstruction effort beginning here in this part of the world. ...And that's what we want, people to help people here in this part of the world. ...That's a smart man who understands that as this part of the world flourishes and businesses grow, people are going to find work and have the where with all to help rebuild the communities in their lives. ...We want to help that optimism succeed. And so I signed legislation that creates what's called the Gulf Opportunity Zones. That means if you invest in this part of the world, you get tax breaks. ...The remarkable things about this part of the world that was so affected by the storms was what happened to the schools. ...As a result of these efforts, in the past school year, every district closed after Katrina was reopened. It's a remarkable accomplishment by the good folks in this part of the world. ...Back in 1969, Hurricane Camille destroyed everything but the steeple and the old church bell. This time, nothing was left standing, and so the congregation had to ring the old bell from its new place in the rubble. On that first Sunday after Katrina, Father Harold Roberts read from the Book of Romans. Here's what he said. He said, "Rejoice in hope. Be patient in suffering. Persevere in prayer" — precisely what the people in this part of the world have done. ...Hands On Gulf Coast is a group of volunteers, total strangers to the people of this part of the world, in large part. ...When the Coastal Family Health Center lost three buildings and more than 60 staff members, Hands On offered to help. They worked with nurses who came from the Gulf Coast. They got FedEx to supply funding for airfare. They provided food and housing. And as a result, the Coastal Family Health Center was able to provide critical help for good people in this part of the world.

There are SBA loans for this. And I understand for some the word SBA means Slow Bureaucratic Paperwork. I hear it loud and clear.

We'll get the debris removed, get the water up and running and get the bridges rebuilt. But what you need to do is develop a blueprint for your own future. We look forward to hearing your vision so we can more better do our job.

I can't wait to join you in the joy of welcoming neighbors back into neighborhoods, and small businesses up and running, and cutting those ribbons that somebody is creating new jobs.

Right now, we need to get food and clothes and medicine to the people, and we'll do so. And one of the main delivery systems will be the armies of compassion.

[Mississippi Governor] Haley [Barbour] married well, and so did I. I don't know about you, Haley, but my wife has become quite a one-liner, and she can deliver those one-liners.

You see, in 1950, there was 15 workers paying into the system for every beneficiary — 16 workers for every beneficiary. Today there is 3.3 workers, fewer of you all paying for people like me, who are going to live longer and have been promised greater benefits.

You need to have you a governor in the great state of Mississippi who understands what it means to create an environment for job growth, who hurts when he hears people are working, and that man is Haley Barbour.

No, I know all the war rhetoric, but it's all aimed at achieving peace.

If you believe every child can learn, therefore we ought to know whether that's the case.

See, in times of recession it's important to let people keep their own money. And when they keep their own money, they're going to demand some good or service. And by demanding a good or a service, somebody will produce the good and service, which means jobs. That's what that means.

Jill Mahaffey, says she got lucky. She and her husband are here, they live in the Delta, too. She got lucky.

We've got to be able to put the right people in the right job at the right time, without a thick book of rules that have little to do with protecting the American people.

He's a star today. He's going to be a bigger star tomorrow, because he's a man of principle. See, he doesn't get up there and kind of try to wag his finger to figure out which way the wind is blowing.

I love to speculate about what was going through the enemy's mind — what were they thinking when they hit America. They must have thought that we were so materialistic, or self-absorbed, or shallow, or so worried about our own prosperity, our own individual wealth that we were unwilling to serve something greater than ourself in life, that when the enemy hit we would just kind of make noise and do nothing about it.

Believe this or not, fortunately, she was getting toxic and the doc induced labor before he quit his practice.