For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
August 10, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush on the Economy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Crowne Plaza Hotel Five Seasons
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
3:37 P.M. CDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. Thanks so much. And thank you,
Congressman Leach. I always love to be introduced by Congressman
Leach. I love to hear his introductions of my husband. And thank you
very much for such a nice introduction. I really appreciate it. And
your wife Elizabeth is here, too, somewhere. I don't know if I can see
her in the crowd, but I'm so glad she's joined us.
Thank you all very, very much for your very warm welcome. This is
my third stop today. It's been a really fabulous day. I've gone from
Milwaukee to St. Cloud to Cedar Rapids to talk about women-owned
businesses. And I've met the most fantastic women at all of these
events. Thank you all very much for being here with me today.
Karen Nussle is here. I don't know where Karen is. There she is,
right there. Karen, thank you so much for joining me here. George and
I both appreciate Karen and Congressman Nussle's friendship in
Washington and here in Iowa. So thanks very much.
And thanks to Kathy Pearson who was our emcee today, and to Pastor
Daughterty for his invocation.
I also appreciate Joni Thornton for sharing her story with us.
(Applause.)
I'm really happy to be here today to recognize the work and the
strength of some American women entrepreneurs and to talk about the
great work my husband is doing for women as he serves as President.
I'll be on the campaign trail until November 2nd, talking about the
President's accomplishments. And, for me, the very best part about
campaigns is meeting remarkable people from across our country, people
who are living the American Dream because of their creativity and their
optimism, people like Nancy Garberson. Nancy is right over here.
(Applause.)
Several years ago, Nancy left a fast-paced marketing agency in
Chicago to be a full-time mom. Raising her children was her most
important job. But still, she longed to go back to work, but she
wanted to be her own boss. She still wanted to tuck her daughters into
bed and to attend her son's parent-teacher conferences. So with her
husband's support, she started an advertising business in her spare
bedroom. Today, she manages an agency with a full-service public
relations department and 15 employees. (Applause.)
Nancy admits that running her own business hasn't always been
easy. She remembers she didn't sleep the night before she hired her
first employee. Her first employee had four children and Nancy
suddenly realized that others were dependent upon her success.
And trying to convince some of her first male clients that a mother
of three could market their products was tough, especially, as Nancy
says, for someone who is all of five feet when she stretches.
(Applause.) But Nancy refused to give up and today she has plans to
open a new office in Miami and she continues to be there for her
children even though they've outgrown her. (Laughter.)
She's also helping other women achieve their dreams. She hires
women in her agency and she provides internships for students
considering a career in advertising. Nancy, congratulations on your
success and thank you for being a role model for all of us.
(Applause.)
Small business owners and women entrepreneurs like Nancy are some
of the hardest working people in America. They teach us the values of
hard work, of integrity and independence. And when it comes to
entrepreneurship, this is increasingly a woman's world. Ten million
women own their own business in America, and this sisterhood just keeps
on growing. Women are opening businesses at twice the rate of men.
Women-owned and equally owned firms employ more than 18 million
Americans and generate more than $2 trillion in sales.
Women are working hard to strengthen their communities and their
countries. My husband believes that we should all have an equal
opportunity to achieve our dreams, and he has three strong women at
home who won't let him forget it. (Applause.)
I'm proud that, in my husband's administration, there are more
women in senior positions than in any other administration in history.
(Applause.) Dr. Condoleezza Rice advises the President on foreign
policy and Margaret Spellings is in charge of domestic issues. That
means that in the White House women are in charge of everything abroad
and everything at home -- which sounds about right to me. (Applause.)
President Bush knows that empowered women are vital to democracy,
and we all know that as we look around the world at other countries.
Certainly, when we look at Afghanistan, to try to imagine a country
where girls are actually forbidden to go to school. I'm so proud that
millions of girls are back in school in Afghanistan. (Applause.)
Empowered women are also essential to our economic security. The
President has worked closely with a coalition of 25 women's business
organizations to ensure that women's voices are heard. His
administration has hosted women's entrepreneurship summits across the
country and established a website called women-21.gov to provide easy
access to business resources.
In the last four years, President Bush has created an economic
environment where women entrepreneurs can succeed and small businesses
can flourish and grow. And it hasn't always been easy. We've been
through a lot, from a recession to terrorist attacks to corporate
scandals. But our economy remains the strongest in the world, thanks
to America's small businesses. (Applause.)
And the President's commitment to tax relief has made a huge
difference in our economy as well. Because of tax cuts, 25 million
small business owners have each saved an average of $3,000 this year
alone. And cuts in the capital gains tax and the taxation of dividends
are spurring investments and making it easier for small businesses to
raise capital.
In fact, capital gains tax relief Carmela Chaifos to take over the
family business she started with her dad. Carmela is right here.
(Applause.)
Carmela and her father have spent nearly two decades building a
towing company. And I think Carmela is the only woman owner of a
towing company in Iowa -- and maybe in the United States. We don't
really know. But she spent nearly two decades with her dad building
the towing company from a part-time hobby with one truck to a full-time
business with two-dozen trucks.
With the capital gains tax relief passed last year, Carmela was
able to buy the business from her father and pay him over a period of
time. Now he has money to live on and to save for retirement.
Some day, Carmela hopes to pass the business on to her two
children. She said, and I love this quote, "If you're determined and
you want to work hard, you can do anything you want to. That's the
beautiful thing about America." (Applause.) Congratulations,
Carmela. Thanks for sharing your story.
Carmela's company has also benefited from the President's increase
of the annual expense deduction for equipment up to $100,000. More
business owners can update their computers or software and stay ahead.
Carmela added GPS systems to her trucks, and they can take the extra
cash and expand operations. After spending 21 years working at a
picnic table, Carmela was finally able to expand her shop and get an
office of her own.
Millions of families across the country are also benefiting from
the President's tax cuts and saving more of their own money. Since
2001, real after-tax incomes have increased by 11 percent. In some
families, tax relief means more money to pay the monthly bills. In
other families, it means money to start a college fund for their
children or a retirement fund for themselves.
These millions of individual decisions that families are making
with their own money are lifting our economy and improving the lives of
people around the country. More Americans than ever before are
realizing the dream of home ownership. Minority home ownership is
particularly strong and I'm proud that we've set a new record this
year. Now, more than half of all minority families own their own
homes. (Applause.)
Consumer confidence is at its highest level in two years, and 1.5
million jobs have been created in the last 11 months. (Applause.)
The record is clear. Because of the President's sound economic
policies and because of the hard work of Americans, the economy is
strong and it's growing stronger. And President Bush has the right
plan to make sure that the economy continues to grow and we will move
America forward.
The President won't be satisfied until every person that wants to
work can find a job, and until regulations on businesses are fair and
reasonable. The President will not be satisfied until more Americans
have affordable health care, until every child learns to read, and
until all workers have the opportunity to compete and succeed in the
workforce of tomorrow. (Applause.)
President Bush is moving America forward with an economic agenda
that meets the needs of Americans. And that starts with making tax
relief permanent. (Applause.) He knows that raising taxes now would
put the brakes on our economy, and he'll urge Congress to keep taxes
low.
The President also wants to ensure that federal regulations do not
handicap America's entrepreneurs, by streamlining regulations and
paperwork.
President Bush knows that reliable health care is absolutely vital
to economic security and to the bottom line of businesses. Uninsured
Americans are overwhelmingly concentrated in smaller companies. I know
that every company owner wants to take care of his employees or her
employees and make sure that their families receive the best medical
care. And yet the cost of health care continues to rise. Carmela can
only afford to provide health care for two managers, not for her other
employees.
And that's why the President is taking action to make health care
more affordable and more accessible to millions of Americans. He's
urging Congress to approve association health plans so that small
businesses can pool to buy their health insurance. These plans give
small businesses the same kind of purchasing power and coverage as
large firms, and they certainly deserve it. (Applause.)
President Bush also signed a law creating health savings accounts
so that workers can save tax free for routine medical expenses. And
because frivolous lawsuits raise the cost of health care and drive good
doctors out of practice, the President will reform the medical
liability system and reduce junk lawsuits. (Applause.) This plan will
ensure that patients and doctors are in charge of medical decisions,
not bureaucrats in Washington. (Applause.)
All of us, every one of us know that an educated work force is
vital to our economic security today and in the future. The No Child
Left Behind Act is bringing more money, higher standards and stronger
accountability to schools throughout America. Now we have clear goals
for education. Every child needs to learn to read by the third grade,
because reading is the foundation for all of the rest of their school
work, and really the foundation for learning for the rest of their
life.
We're assessing student progress every year in elementary school to
make sure that children don't fall behind. And with a new emphasis on
high standards and accountability, every student can graduate high
school well prepared for college or for the work force. (Applause.)
New graduates and experienced workers need the skills to succeed in
the new jobs of the 21st century. That's why we need to expand math
and science education in high school and broaden Internet training, so
that American workers can compete in a technology-driven world. We
think we should provide more resources to help workers get high-tech
training right at their own local community colleges.
And President Bush wants to help workers keep something -- more of
something that they never seem to have enough of, and that's time --
time to play with their kids, time to take care of their parents, or
time to volunteer in their communities. Nancy would like to offer comp
time to her employees, because she knows that for many people,
especially working parents, paid time off from work is more than a
luxury, it's a necessity.
Carmela agrees. One of her employees is a single mother, and
Carmela doesn't think it's right that she has to use her vacation time
to take care of her child when he's sick. Carmela said, "I should have
the opportunity to do what's best for my employees and they should be
able to do what works best for them."
President Bush will work with the Congress to make flex time and
comp time available for more Americans, so they can manage the demands
of work and family better. (Applause.)
I have a feeling that Nancy might spend some of that extra time
making a difference in her community. Because for Nancy and her team,
volunteer service is more than an ideal, it's part of the job.
President Bush and I appreciate the great work that you're doing to
help your neighbors.
This is what I get to see as I travel around the United States.
And that's in every single community, Americans are not waiting for
government, but when they identify a need they go to work and take care
of that need. And I see that compassion and ingenuity are being put to
work all over this country to lift up lives, from the mentoring of
children of prisoners to bringing meals and friendly conversation to
our elderly neighbors.
Americans rise to meet every challenge, and we have a boundless
capacity to improve the lives of people around us. On promoting
compassion and service, on strengthening our economy and advancing
health care and education, President Bush has stood right by the side
of people who are working to make life better for themselves and for
their neighbors.
These are hopeful times in our country. We have enormous
confidence as we move forward, and we know that we can overcome
challenges that are ahead of us. And these are times that require
particularly strong and determined leaders. I am proud that my husband
is that kind of leader. (Applause.)
Thank you all. Thanks so much. Thank you to Carmela and Nancy,
thank you for letting me share your story. Thank you very much,
Congressman Leach, for being here with me. And thanks to every one of
you for your friendship. Thanks a lot.
END 3:58 P.M. CDT
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