For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 8, 2001
Remarks by the President in Ceremony Honoring the Small Business Person of the Year
The East Room
Listen to the President's Remarks
3:37 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very
much. Be seated, please. Welcome to the people's
house for the Small Business Person of the Year Award
ceremony. It's an honor for me to be here. Can't
wait to find out who won. (Laughter.) John, thank
you very much for hosting this event. It's good to see
members of the United States Senate here -- Senator Bond and Senator
Shelby, strong advocates of small business growth in America. Welcome,
Senators.
It's good to have Don Manzullo here, as well
as Frank Mascara. Thank you all for
coming. Congressman, thank you for being here as
well. It's an honor to have members of the United States
Congress who care deeply about making sure that the environment for
small business growth is strong and positive in
America. These members understand what I
know: the role of government is not to create wealth, the
role of government is to create an environment in which people who have
a dream of owning their own business are able to do so if they've got
the good idea and are able to work hard for it.
We've has some pretty negative news recently
about employment figures. But one thing Congress must always remember
is that to make sure that the employment figures improve, we must
remember that small businesses create most of the new jobs in
America. And therefore, we've got to put forth good policy
that encourages the entrepreneurial spirit to flourish. (Applause.)
And I can't think of better policy than to
reduce all the marginal rates of income
tax. (Applause.) We're getting a budget about
done. And then we're going to have to figure out the details
of the tax policy, and you can help. You can help by
reminding members of the United States Congress, both in the Senate and
the House -- you don't have to remind these, because they already know
what I'm about to say -- but that all rates need to be cut.
We don't need any targeted tax
cuts. That means Congress gets to pick, some people get tax
cuts, some people don't. That's not fair; that's not the
American way. (Applause.)
If you pay taxes, you ought to get
relief. And the Congress needs to hear this as well, that
many small businesses in America are unincorporated. They
are sole proprietorships, they pay rates on the personal
scale. And by cutting that top rate from 39.6 percent to 33
percent, we encourage entrepreneurial growth in America, we encourage
small business formation.
We're saying that we understand the power of
small business in America, the importance to the future of this
country, and by letting small business owners keep more of their own
money, it's good for America. Congress needs to hear that message,
that this tax cut is good for small business
growth. (Applause.)
And you can help. I found out
voices make a difference up here in Washington, particularly when
they're calling on the phone saying, let's get something good done on
the tax cut. Let's make sure you understand growth, a
pro-growth environment.
And there's another place you can help,
too. And that's on getting rid of one part of the tax code
that's incredibly unfair to small business people, and that's the death
tax. The death tax is unfair. (Applause.)
People need to hear from you. They
need to hear it's unfair to tax a person's assets twice, once when
they're building the asset up, and then when you try to pass it on to
your heirs. People work in the small business sector -- you
know this as well as I do -- to build something up to leave it to maybe
a son or a daughter. Nothing more prideful for people than
to work their life and to be able to say to a son or a daughter, here's
the business, you go run it now. You take it to new
heights.
But that's not the way our -- that's not the
way this tax code works. It says when you pass on, your heirs are
going to have to pay an incredibly high tax. It's especially
onerous. This death tax is especially onerous on small
business entrepreneurs in America, and we need to get rid of it. And
we need to get rid of it right now. (Applause.)
One thing I know, and you know, that a small
business is built on values. And good, strong values are
what distinguish all four of the finalists who are here
today. Cindy McEntee is an active member of her community, a
selfless volunteer, a devoted employer. I was struck about
the story about one -- a longtime employee had to be airlifted for
emergency hospital care in the middle of the night, one of her fellow
employees. She woke up the next morning to drive 120 miles,
from Newport to Portland, Oregon, to make sure that person was getting
the care she needed. That's the sign of a good
boss. That's the sign of a good small business
owner. I bet morale is high in her company.
Thornton Stanley is a deacon in his church, a
good dad, a loyal alumnus of Alabama A&M.; A fine family
man. He built his business on quality, on what he calls
"playing it straight." It's a pretty good motto. Frank
Sarris shows what drive and determination and frugality can build.
He's a dreamer who worked hard to achieve his
dream. Brindley Pieters is a man who took risk, never lost
hope.
All four of these fine Americans represent the
best of small businesses. I can't wait to find out who
won. (Laughter.) I want to thank you for what you
all do for America. I want to thank you for being good
employers. I want to thank you for expanding the job
base. I also want to thank you for being good stewards in
your community. You recognize what I know, that our
communities are only as strong as the willingness of people to put time
and effort and love into our neighborhoods. Small business
people do that every day.
Thank you all for coming to the White House,
and God bless.
END
3:45 P.M. EDT
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