    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [February 16, 2004]
    [Pages 221-229]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in a Discussion on the National Economy in Tampa, Florida
    February 16, 2004

        Connie Horner. Welcome, President Bush and
    the First Lady. It is a tremendous honor for all of us to be here with
    you on President's Day.
        The President. Thank you.
        Ms. Horner. We're all wondering how you
    enjoyed the race yesterday?
        The President. A lot. [Laughter] I had the honor of calling Dale
    Earnhardt, Jr., after the race to
    congratulate him. I said, ``There's nothing wrong with a fellow
    following in his father's footsteps.''
    [Laughter] We had a great time, really a good time.
        And it's such an honor to be here in Tampa. It's a beautiful part of
    our country. Thanks for having me.

    [At this point, Ms. Horner, president, NuAir Manufacturing, made brief
    remarks.]

        The President. You're probably wondering why we're here. It's
    because we're going to herald the entrepreneurial spirit of America and
    talk about small-business ownership and job creation. And we're going to
    talk to some people who are working hard to do their duty as a parent,
    what it means to try to make a living in this environment.
        Our country has been through a lot recently. We really have, I know.
    I want to remind people that--during the course of this conversation--
    there's nothing we can't overcome as a nation, because of the people.
        So we're going to--we'll have a discussion here about the economy.
    But before we do, obviously you saw that Laura is
    here, and I'm really, really pleased she's traveling with me.
        I want to thank the Horners for having us here. Mr. Horner, thank you very much for your hospitality, and Ms.
    Horner.
        I also want to thank members of the congressional delegation who
    have come to say hello and to listen. I appreciate their friendship.
    Congressman Mike Bilirakis, Congressman
    Adam Putnam--good to see Adam--Ginny Brown-
    Waite, Congresswoman Waite, good to see
    you. Congresswoman Katherine Harris is with
    us. Thank you all. I appreciate you all being here.
        I know the Lieutenant Governor is here, Toni Jennings. By the way, you might tell the Governor I was looking for him. [Laughter] He's----
        Audience member. He's working.
        The President. Yes, I know he's working. He's
    in Costa Rica. [Laughter] He is--I'm really proud of that man. He is a
    fabulous brother and a great Governor. Give him my best. The attorney
    general is with us. General, good to see you, Charlie Crist.
        I know we've got some mayors here, the mayor of St. Pete, the mayor of Seminole, and the mayor of Clearwater.
    Thank you all for coming. I'm honored you're here. My only advice is,
    fill the potholes--[laughter]--a lot of citizens and local officials.
        Last night when I arrived from Daytona Beach, I met a fellow named
    Candy Corona. I don't know if Candy is here.
    He thought he might be able to get here. There he is. Candy, good to see
    you. Thank you for coming. So you're wondering why I would introduce
    Candy. I'll tell you why, because the strength of this country is not
    our military, even though we will keep it strong. The strength of this
    country isn't the fact that we've got wealth--and the good news is we're
    generating more for our people. The strength of this country is the fact
    we've got people who are willing to volunteer to serve a neighbor in
    need. That's the strength. The strength of the country is the hearts and
    souls of our fellow citizens. That's the true strength of America.
        Candy is a volunteer. He takes time out
    of his life to paint houses for senior citizens. That means a lot to the
    senior citizen

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    who he is helping. You see, ours is a country where citizens--not
    because of government, by the way--decide to help somebody in need, and
    they change America one heart and one soul at a time.
        And the reason Candy is here--I've asked
    him to come--is so we can herald that great aspect of the country.
    People want to serve our Nation. You can do so in a lot of ways. You can
    mentor a child. You can feed the hungry. You can help the housing of
    those who can't help themselves. There are all kinds of ways you can
    serve America by loving your neighbor just like you would like to be
    loved yourself. Candy, thank you for the example you set, and we're
    proud you're here. Thank you.
        We have a lot of reasons to be optimistic in America. I want to
    remind you what this country has been through right quick. First of all,
    in the year 2000, the economy began to slow down, and a recession came
    our way in early 2001. Now, when you have a recession, it means the
    economy is going backwards and people can't find work. You might
    remember the times of uncertainty during a recession--you know, you're
    wondering whether or not there's another window to make, or you're
    wondering whether or not there's another product to sell. And when
    you're having trouble selling product, the labor market becomes soft and
    negative. People can't do their jobs, which is to put food on the table
    for their families. And so the recession really affected us.
        And we started to come out of the recession, and then the enemy hit
    us. And that hurt. It hurt a lot. It hurt our economy, of course, but it
    also hurt our national psychology, because we thought oceans could
    protect us from harm. It caused me to look at the world in different
    ways. It meant I couldn't look at a threat and hope it would go away
    and, when I saw a threat, that we couldn't take the good will of madmen
    and dictators, that my most solemn duty is to protect the American
    people. So when we saw gathering threats, we had to deal with them.
    That's what September the 11th said. And we did deal with them. And the
    world is safer and America is more secure as a result of dealing with
    threats.
        And then it turned out some of our citizens forgot to tell the
    truth. Corporate CEOs didn't tell the truth to their shareholders and
    their investors, and that affected the psychology of the country. We had
    a recession, and then we were attacked by a hateful enemy. And then some
    of our own citizens let us down, didn't they? And people began to wonder
    about the capitalist system; how could they trust the word of corporate
    America if CEOs weren't willing to tell the truth.
        We passed laws, by the way, to hold them to account. And if you
    notice, slowly but surely, justice is being delivered. I mean, the
    message is clear: If you lie, cheat, or steal, there will be a
    consequence here in America.
        Then, as I mentioned, I made the tough decision to go to war.
    Laura reminded me that early in the summer of
    2002 on our TV screens it started to say, ``March to War,'' a prediction
    of war. It's not a good environment to invest capital when you see on
    your TV screens ``March to War.'' It's hard to be optimistic about the
    future when you think you're marching to war. Now we're marching to
    peace. Now the world is more peaceful.
        But we've overcome a lot, when you think about what this country has
    been through. Those were a lot of obstacles and hurdles for this Nation
    to handle. And yet, our economy is strong. I will argue vociferously
    that one of the reasons it's strong is because the Congress wisely
    heeded my call and let people keep more of their own money. You see,
    when people have more money in their pocket, they're more likely to
    demand a good or a service. And in our economy, when somebody demands an
    additional good or a service, somebody is likely to produce it. And when
    somebody produces a good or a service, somebody is more likely to find
    work.

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        The tax relief was a vital part of this economic recovery. I say
    ``recovery''--the facts bear me out. The last 6 months of growth have
    been tremendous. Housing starts are way up. Inflation is low. Interest
    is low. New jobs are being created. Reports for manufacturing activity
    is up. Things are looking better for America.
        We increased the child credit to help people raise their families,
    and we'll talk about that here in a little bit. We reduced the effects
    of what they call a marriage penalty. I can't imagine a Tax Code that
    penalizes marriage. It seems like we want a society that encourages
    marriage, not penalizes marriage.
        We helped our senior citizens with relief on dividends and capital
    gains. But one of the vital aspects of the tax relief plan was the help
    it provided to small business. You see, most small businesses pay tax at
    the individual income-tax level. A lot of Americans don't understand
    that, but it's true. A lot of small businesses are sole proprietorships.
    When you're a sole proprietorship, it means you pay tax at the
    individual income-tax level. A lot of small business are what they call
    Subchapter S corporations, which means that they pay tax at the
    individual income-tax level.
        So I went to Congress and said, ``Let's reduce all taxes on people
    who pay tax.'' I mean, if you pay tax, you ought to get tax relief. We
    ought not to try to pick and choose who the winners and losers are when
    it comes to tax relief. Part of that is just out of simple fairness, and
    part of it is because I understand the importance of small businesses.
    See, if you're worried about people working and you realize most new
    jobs are created by small businesses, it makes sense to have policies
    that encourage small businesses to grow.
        So the tax relief plan you hear some people maligning around our
    country helps small-business growth. It put money in the coffers of
    small businesses. It helped invigorate the entrepreneurial spirit here
    in America, which is important. Plus we had additional tax relief to
    encourage investment, and you'll hear some talk about that today. No,
    the tax relief came at the right time. It is making an enormous
    difference.
        And now what the United States Congress must do is to make the tax
    relief permanent. The tax relief is set to expire. It was good policy,
    but it's going to expire. The child credit goes down next year, unless
    Congress acts. The penalty on marriage goes up, unless Congress acts. A
    family of four--a married couple with two children making $40,000 a year
    will see a $915 tax increase, unless Congress acts. You hear people in
    Washington saying, ``Oh, let's not make the tax cuts permanent.'' When
    you hear somebody say that, they're saying, ``We're going to tax you.
    We're going to raise your taxes.'' You'll hear some discussion about
    what that means for a family when their taxes go up, but from an
    economic perspective, I'm telling you, now is not the time to raise the
    taxes on the American people.
        There's some other things we need to do here in this country. We
    need to make sure that other people open their markets to U.S. products.
    Our markets are open to other countries. Let's open theirs. We're good
    at things. Just give our people a chance to sell them overseas, and
    we'll compete.
        We've got to make sure we've got energy here in this country. We
    need to make sure we've got reliable electricity. Congress needs to get
    me an energy bill this year. We need to make sure that--these small-
    business owners will tell you, too much paperwork can stifle innovation
    and the entrepreneurial spirit. The Federal Government, the State
    government, Lieutenant Governor, and the local governments must do
    everything they can to make the paperwork burden less on small
    businesses, not more. We need less regulation when it comes to
    overburdening the people who are creating jobs here in America.
        Health costs are a real problem here in this country. They're on the
    rise. I put forth

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    some plans to help deal with the rising cost of health care, such as
    health savings accounts. These are innovative new approaches. I urge
    people to contact your health care providers to understand the power of
    health savings accounts. We've got association health plans, a plan that
    stalled in Congress, that allows small business to pool risk. You see,
    small businesses can't associate now in order to buy insurance like big
    businesses can, and small businesses ought to be allowed to try to
    contain costs by pooling risk.
        But I tell you one thing we need to do in this country in order to
    control the cost of rising medical care, we need to get rid of the junk
    and frivolous lawsuits that are driving good doctors out of business.
    There's some powerful interests in Washington that don't want to see
    this happen. But if you talk to small-business owners all across the
    country, they will tell you, rising health care cost is a problem. And
    if you talk to doctors and medical care providers, they'll tell you
    frivolous lawsuits are driving them out of business. If you talk to
    people about defensive medicine, they'll tell you frivolous lawsuits are
    driving up the cost to taxpayers.
        It's estimated that the Federal Government spends over $20 billion a
    year because of the practice of defensive medicine because of frivolous
    and junk lawsuits. We need to do something about it. The House passed a
    good bill, but the special interests have got it bottled up in the
    United States Senate. These Senators, like the two from your State, have
    got to understand that medical liability reform is good for job
    creation. It's good for small businesses, and it's good for America, and
    we need it now.
        Anyway, you can understand why I'm optimistic about this country.
    I've seen what we have overcome. But I'm really optimistic because the
    thing that really makes America work are the people in this country, the
    spirit of the American people, the incredible workers we have in this
    country. Our Nation has got the best workers in the world by far, right
    here.
        And the other thing about America is the great entrepreneurial
    spirit. It is strong. It is alive. It is well. It is one of the great
    success stories of our country, in which somebody can come with a good
    idea and dream big and start their own business. That's what I love
    about the country. One of the vital roles of Government is to create an
    environment in which the entrepreneurial spirit flourishes. That's one
    of the most important roles of Government. I believe this administration
    is doing so. I believe we set the stage for further growth of small
    businesses, so people can own something. We want people owning something
    in America. We want you owning your own home. We want you owning and
    managing your own retirement accounts and health care plans, and if
    you're so inclined, we want you owning and running your own small
    business.
        Connie Horner has the great opportunity
    here in America to run her own business. She's a CEO of a thriving,
    vibrant business. And if you've got a business inclination, there's
    nothing more exciting than running your own small business. And I can
    just tell she feels that way when I first met her. She's enthusiastic.
    One of the things she told me right off the bat is, ``We're successful
    because we've got a great workforce here, people who care about what
    they're doing.'' So Connie, thank you for having me. Why don't you share
    with the people your story. Tell them about your plans this year. If
    you're thinking about adding a job, you might mention that. If you're
    not, that's okay; you can mention that too. [Laughter]

    [Ms. Horner made further remarks.]

        The President. There's a couple of things she said. She said the Tax Code encouraged her to make an
    investment. Well, when she invests in a piece of equipment, somebody has
    to manufacture the equipment. In other words, the Tax Code caused this
    company

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    to make a decision, an economic decision. In other words, demand
    increased for a product in this case. Somebody has to make that. There's
    a ripple effect. Good tax policy creates a ripple effect throughout the
    economy. So not only does the increased equipment help this company,
    particularly help the workers become more productive--and by the way,
    productivity increases for American workers means better pay. That's
    what that means. It means our workers become the best in the world,
    which will yield better pay.
        Part of the decisionmaking was because we allowed for the expense of
    certain capital expenditures. And we allowed for accelerated
    depreciation. It's important for small businesses to have consistent tax
    laws. In other words, you don't want planners and thinkers to be saying,
    ``Gosh, the tax law may or may not be the same next year.'' That creates
    confusion in the decisionmaking process. We need constancy here, and so
    I appreciate you bringing that up. I also want you to know, she said, ``We may add 40 workers this year.'' That's
    really good news for two groups of people. One, the workers here, it
    means that there's reliable jobs. She wouldn't be adding 40 workers if
    people's jobs weren't secure who already have them here. But the other
    good news is for the 40 that could find work here.
        But plus, there are thousands of entrepreneurs in America, all over
    the country, making the same kind of decisions--40 workers here, 5
    workers there begin to add up to excitement and new jobs. And that's
    what we're interested in, and that's what we're talking about, how to
    create an environment where people are willing to take risk so that
    somebody can find work.

    [Ms. Horner made further remarks, concluding as follows.]

        Ms. Horner. And we are just incredibly
    optimistic about our future, and we have you to thank for that.
        The President. Actually, you've got yourself to thank for it, see?
    You've got yourself to thank for it. People--all governments can do is
    create an environment. It's up to our fellow citizens to seize the
    opportunity. We can't make you be bold. We can't make you be smart. We
    can't make you make the right decisions. That's up to you. I mean, the
    truth of the matter is, this economy is good because of the people in
    America. But thank you for the credit. Of course, I'll take it any time
    you give it. [Laughter]
        Again, I want the people who might be listening in to see the
    connection between investment and jobs. Connie
    says that, ``We're going to invest a million dollars this year.''
    Investment means purchasing, in this case, equipment. And somebody has
    got to make the equipment. So when you hear policies that encourage
    investment, I hope you make the connection between the word
    ``investment'' and the creation of jobs. And that's why so much talk
    with the economists are about--are people investing, because that
    investment cycle will lead to the increase of employment. So when you
    hear Connie say, ``We're thinking about investing a million dollars,''
    that's positive news for somebody who is wondering whether or not they
    can find a job.
        Now, speaking about investing--good job, by the way. Sam Leto is with us. Sam is the chairman of Tampa Brass & Aluminum
    Corporation. He's about to tell you what that company does. I'm about to
    tell you, however, that Sam's company is organized as a Subchapter S
    corporation, which means that when you reduce taxes on the individual
    taxpayer, you're really reducing taxes on his business. And one of the
    fundamental questions that you must ask during an economic slowdown is,
    ``Who do you want spending the people's money?'' I obviously made the
    decision that I think it's best that the small-business owners spend
    money on their employees and on making sure their companies are modern

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    and in good shape. I'd rather--in an economic recession, I'd rather
    that, in order to get out of this recession, that the people be spending
    their money, not the Government trying to figure out how to spend the
    people's money.
        And so Sam is a person who--Sam has got him a
    small business. Sam, tell us about it.

    [Sam Leto, chairman of the board, Tampa Brass & Aluminum Corp., made
    brief remarks.]

        The President. Yes, one thing--I'm going to interrupt you for a
    quick second, Sam--another piece of bad legislation
    that I think we corrected, at least corrected temporarily--it's going to
    come back unless Congress acts--is to get rid of the death tax. Let me
    tell you what the death tax does.
        Here's a fellow who has worked hard to build his business up, and
    he has made the decision to, obviously, to leave it
    to your family, unless, of course, they misbehave, in which case he may
    change his mind. [Laughter] The Government is now taxing his company's
    earnings. When he goes on and leaves his business to his sons and
    daughter, they'll tax it again. That doesn't make any sense, does it, to
    get taxed twice. It's not good for farmers to have the death tax. It's
    not good for the ranchers of America. It's not good for the small-
    business owners. Congress got rid of the death tax, except it comes back
    to life in 2011. We need to get rid of it forever for the sake of
    entrepreneurs.

    [Mr. Leto made further remarks, concluding as follows.]

        Mr. Leto. Mr. President, we have to keep this
    tax cut.
        The President. Thank you, sir. I agree. Good job, Sam. Sam's feeling pretty upbeat about life, it sounds like to
    me. That's good. You see, a lot of the--a lot of economic growth depends
    upon the psychology of the people making decisions all throughout our
    economy, whether it be the consumers wanting to buy more or whether it
    be employers willing to invest more. And so far the entrepreneurs have
    been upbeat. And it's--but you're going to say, ``Well, of course, they
    just pick the upbeat people.'' Well, the truth of the matter is, people
    are pretty upbeat all over the country. That's what I'm here to report
    to you. There's an optimism in our country that is undeniable. And we've
    got growth. And the key question is are we wise enough to continue the
    policies but to keep the policies in place that encourage growth.
        We've got with us Kevin Govin. He's the COO
    of MarkMaster, Inc. Tell us what MarkMaster, Inc., does.

    [Kevin Govin, chief operating officer, MarkMaster, Inc., made brief
    remarks.]

        The President. Kevin, thanks. I want to pick
    up on two things he said. Both of them have to do with education. He
    said his son goes to a community college. It's essential that State
    governments take advantage of the community college system here to make
    sure people are trained for the jobs which will exist as we head into
    the 21st century.
        Technology races through our economies, as you know. Oftentimes the
    labor market is lagging behind in the change necessary to make sure the
    workers have got the skills necessary. I strongly believe the community
    college system is a place to make sure workers gain the skills necessary
    to be able to hold the jobs of the future. I think it's very--I
    appreciate you mentioning community college systems. There's a lot of
    fantastic community college systems here in Florida and around the
    country. I've asked Congress to put money forth for grantmaking to
    community colleges so we can train people.
        We've got a lot of good people. But as the economy changes, as these
    new machines come into be, people need to learn how to use them. As the
    health care industry changes, people need to be able to know what it
    means to be a nurse in the

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    modern era. And so we've got to train people and train them well.
        I also know that one of the great things about our country and
    having a vibrant small-business sector is that oftentimes some of the
    best and hopeful programs are instigated by CEOs, programs to help
    workers embetter themselves, education programs, training programs.
    People have got to understand here in this country that there are a lot
    of people who look to America and say, ``Gosh, I want to be able to
    provide for my family here.''
        And therefore we need a work system that is--promotes legal
    activity, not illegal activity; a work system that says if you can't--if
    an employer can't find an American worker and yet there's somebody else
    willing to do the job, there ought to be a card, a worker card--not a
    citizenship card but a card to allow people to work, so that we can
    recognize what is taking place illegally here, an underground economy.
    That's not the American way. The American way is rule of law. The
    American way is understanding people come here to put food on the table
    for their children. And again, I repeat to you, I don't believe we ought
    to be promoting blanket amnesty for people who are working here, but I
    do believe we ought to have an orderly system that allows people to
    legally apply to work when they can't find an American worker. This will
    help our homeland security issues, and it will make sure employers can
    find willing workers, which is an important part of making sure this
    economy continues to grow.
        Speaking about willing workers, I'm sitting next to one, Noemi
    Gonzalez. She is an accounting clerk here at
    NuAir Manufacturing. She is excited to be here.
        Noemi Gonzalez. Yes, I am.
        The President. Would you tell us your story? We spent time talking
    about small-business growth, the entrepreneurial spirit. But every
    small-business owner will tell you, their businesses cannot survive
    without really good workers, good, hard-working, decent, honorable
    Americans. We've got two here with us today, a representative sample, I
    might add. Noemi.
        Ms. Gonzalez. Okay, I don't have--I have
    a big business, my family.
        The President. Si.
        Ms. Gonzalez. And my three children.
        The President. Adonde? Ahi.
        Ms. Gonzalez. And my granddaughter.
    That's my big business.
        The President. That is your most important job, by the way.
    Accounting is important, but not nearly as important as being a mother.
        Ms. Gonzalez. And a grandmother.
        The President. And a grandmother. Well, you don't look old enough to
    be a grandmother. [Laughter]
        Ms. Gonzalez. I'm really glad to work
    here at NuAir, thanks to Connie. I've been her
    employee for 2 years, and I'm really glad of the tax relief, because now
    I can think ahead, to send my daughter to college.
        The President. Yes, she got $2,400 in tax relief last year.
        Ms. Gonzalez. And I know there's a lot of
    people like me; they're glad to receive the tax relief.
        The President. You know, that may not sound a lot to some people in
    Washington, $2,400. They throw a lot of numbers around in Washington.
    That's a lot to her. That's a lot of money to a lot of people. When you
    got people who are working hard to maintain their family--
    she's looking after her granddaughter as
    well--$2,400 is a lot. It's a lot of money. It's a lot of security. It's
    a lot of hope, and this Congress must understand that. They understand
    2,400. And if we don't make the tax relief permanent, she pays an
    additional $1,200 next year. And that's not right. And that's not right.
    And she said--I'm putting words in your mouth. What are you going to do
    with money? You said you're going to save? [Laughter]
        Ms. Gonzalez. Well, we're planning a
    vacation to go to Texas.

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        The President. That's good. Yes. [Laughter]
        Ms. Gonzalez. Family vacation. Texas.
        The President. Yes. Que inteligente.
        Ms. Gonzalez. Viva la gente. We're
    planning a family vacation with my family. We're going to see my nephew.
    He's coming from Iraq. He has been there for a year.
        The President. Oh, fantastic. Where are you going? Adonde?
        Ms. Gonzalez. San Antonio.
        The President. San Antonio?
        Ms. Gonzalez. San Antonio, Texas.
        The President. You tell your nephew, ``On behalf of a grateful
    Commander in Chief and a grateful country, thank you for your service.''
        Ms. Gonzalez. Thank you. He's so glad to
    do it. He's so happy to do it, and we're a really proud family. Thank
    you very much. Thank you.
        The President. Okay, Noemi, thanks. What
    a fantastic American story, isn't it? You know, the nephew serving for a
    cause greater than himself, Noemi working hard to support her family.
    The word you heard was, ``I'm going to take some of the tax relief and
    save it for my child's education.'' The best education programs start at
    home. A child's first teacher is a mom or a dad. A mom or dad must
    understand that education is the gateway to success in this country.
    We've got to make sure our public schools, by the way, function well.
    But we've also got to make sure--but personal responsibility, being
    responsible for your families, also an important part of making sure
    people get educated here. Good job.
        I was looking for you yesterday on the racetrack, Steve. I was--I heard I was coming here to meet you. And I
    said--well, they said, ``He's a race car driver.'' So I was looking--
    [laughter]--but I didn't see you.
        Steve Martin. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. The fact that you're willing to get in there and race
    those kind of cars on those steep banks says a lot about you, though--
    positive, I might add. [Laughter] But thank you. Tell us about yourself.
    Thanks for being here today.

    [Mr. Martin, installation manager, NuAir Manufacturing, made brief
    remarks.]

        The President. I appreciate it. Thank you. I just want to remind
    everybody that tax--the child credit is going down next year. And if you
    listen to some of them talking out of Washington these days, that's fine
    with them. They're going to repeal--when you hear them say, ``Repeal the
    Bush tax cuts,'' don't be thinking about Bush. Be thinking about people
    like Steve and Noemi. That's what you need to be thinking about when you hear
    that talk. Because when the child credit goes down, it means everybody
    who has got a child, in essence, pays increased taxes. That doesn't seem
    to be good policy to me. You've heard the effects of what tax relief
    means to individual Americans. It means they've got more money to make
    decisions, whether it's to save or go on a vacation to Texas or to have
    a quality of life issue at home. These are important issues. These are
    issues made by individual Americans, with their own money, by the way.
        And that's what the tax relief says to me. It says that we've got a
    proper perspective on who ought to be making decisions with your money.
    Listen, we've got money in Government. You don't have to worry about
    that. But the fact that there's more money in your pockets have made
    this economy strong, and that's where we need to keep it. And it's a
    fundamental debate going on in this country. It's pretty clear where I
    stand. I stand squarely with the people in this debate. I want them to
    have more of their own money.
        I hope you've enjoyed this conversation as much as I have. It's a--
    it is a way for six people to have a conversation about the economy and
    in an unusual way, isn't it? [Laughter] Yes, well--but there has been
    some pretty interesting points that have come out of it. One, there's a
    sense of

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    optimism, at least amongst the employers who are here. The tax relief
    has made a difference in small-business people's lives. You've heard
    plans for 5, 6 employees or 60 employees or 20 employees, whatever it
    may be.
        But this is happening all over the country. Small businesses are
    alive and well. Good policy recognizes that most new jobs in America are
    created by small-business owners. And therefore, tax policy and fiscal
    policy and public policy all ought to be aimed at strengthening the
    small-business sector of America. And then, of course, there's the
    individual stories about hard-working, decent Americans worried about
    their families, and what they do with the more money in their pocket.
        And that's what tax relief is all about, and it's important for
    people in Washington, DC, to hear the voices of the people, to hear what
    people are saying about this economy. No, I'm optimistic for this
    country. I've seen what we've been through, and I know the character of
    the people of this country. There's nothing that we can't overcome in
    America.
        I want to thank you all for coming. May God bless you, and God bless
    this country.

    Note: The discussion began at 9:03 a.m. at NuAir Manufacturing. In his
    remarks, the President referred to NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.;
    Gov. Jeb Bush, Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, and State Attorney General
    Charlie Crist of Florida; Mayor Richard M. Baker of St. Petersburg, FL;
    Mayor Dottie K. Reeder of Seminole, FL; and Mayor Brian Aungst, Sr., of
    Clearwater, FL.