Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and th
ey are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know th
is, America — they will be met.  On this day, we gather because we have chosen h
ope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.  On this day, we come
 to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminatio
ns and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.  We r
emain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set as
ide childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choos
e our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, pass
ed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, a
ll are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
 In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is nev
er a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or se
ttling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who
prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather,
 it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated
but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the
long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.  For us, they packed up their
few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.  For
 us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whi
p and plowed the hard earth.  For us, they fought and died, in places like Conco
rd and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.  Time and again these men and women st
ruggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might liv
e a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambit
ions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.  This is t
he journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on
Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds
 are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were las
t week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our ti
me of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant de
cisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up
, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.  For everywh
ere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action
, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a ne
w foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids
 and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore
science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health ca
re's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the s
oil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools an
d colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do
. All this we will do.  Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambiti
ons — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memo
ries are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what
 free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, an
d necessity to courage.  What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground h
as shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed
us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our gov
ernment is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps familie
s find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignifi
ed. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no,
programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to a
ccount — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of
 day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and the
ir government.Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are
serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of tim
e. But know this, America — they will be met.  On this day, we gather because we
 have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.  On thi
s day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, th
e recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our p
olitics.  We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has
come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring sp