Listen to this:  the accidental gun death rate of children under 15 in the United States is nine times higher than in the other 25 industrialized nations—­combined.  Technologies now exist that could lead to guns that can only be fired by the adults who own them.  I ask Congress to fund research in Smart Gun technology.  I also call on responsible leaders in the gun industry to work with us on smart guns and other steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands and keep our children safe.

Every parent I know worries about the impact of violence in the media on their children.  I thank the entertainment industry for accepting my challenge to put voluntary ratings on TV programs and video and Internet games.  But the ratings are too numerous, diverse, and confusing to be really useful to parents.  Therefore, I now ask the industry to accept the First Lady’s challenge—­to develop a single, voluntary rating system for all children’s entertainment, one that is easier for parents to understand and enforce.

If we take all these steps, we will be well on our way to making America the safest big country in the world.

Opening New Markets

To keep our historic economic expansion going, we need a 21st Century revolution to open new markets, start new businesses, and hire new workers right here in America—­in our inner cities, poor rural areas, and on Indian reservations.

Our nation’s prosperity has not yet reached these places.  Over the last six months, I have traveled to many of them—­joined by many of you, and many far-sighted business people—­to shine a spotlight on the enormous potential in communities from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta, from Watts to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve met talented people eager for opportunity, and able to work.  Let’s put them to work.

For business, it’s the smart thing to do.  For America, it’s the right thing to do.  And if we don’t do it now, when will we ever get around to it?

I ask Congress to give businesses the same incentives to invest in America’s new markets that they now have to invest in foreign markets.  Tonight, I propose a large New Markets Tax Credit and other incentives to spur $22 billion in private-sector capital—­to create new businesses and new investments in inner cities and rural areas.

Empowerment Zones have been creating these opportunities for five years now.  We should also increase incentives to invest in them and create more of them.

This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue.  It is an American issue.  Mr. Speaker, it was a powerful moment last November when you joined me and the Reverend Jesse Jackson in your home state of Illinois, and committed to working toward our common goal, by combining the best ideas from both sides of the aisle.  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with you.

We must maintain our commitment to community development banks and keep the community reinvestment act strong so all Americans have access to the capital they need to buy homes and build businesses.