President George W. Bush greets the crowd after giving remarks to the American Associations of Community Colleges annual convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Monday, April 26, 2004. (© White House photo)

Monday, April 26—The economy is growing stronger, President George W. Bush told members of the American Associations of Community Colleges (AACC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, today. The President was keynote speaker at the AACC's annual convention. He spoke for 40 minutes on nine separate topics, from his war on terrorism to his economic plans for the future.

"The economy lost over 1,000,000 jobs from
9/11," Bush said. "But the economy is getting stronger." He believes that every person in America should own their own home. He admitted that there have been scandals in the government, but said that Congress has passed tough laws to deal with scandals. "We will be doing something about it," he said.

The President also spoke about the community college system in America and its importance in training workers for the jobs of the 21st century. He credited his No Child Left Behind legislation with raising the bar on standards for all American students.

He said his administration will promote technical growth by making broadband Internet available to all Americans. Bush supports the growth of broadband by eliminating all taxes on broadband connections and purchases. He explained that America is 10th in the world in broadband use and "that is 10 times too low."

In addition, Bush encouraged the development of a new hydrogen-powered car that the federal government will help fund with grants and loans.

After the convention, the President attended a campaign fund-raiser at a private home in the Minneapolis suburbs.