    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [October 10, 2007]
    [Pages 1298-1301]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Reception Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
    October 10, 2007

        The President. Thank you all. Please be seated. Sientese. Gracias.
    Bienvenidos a la Casa Blanca, tambien el jardin de las rosas. It's a
    beautiful day. I'm glad you're here. Thanks for coming as we celebrate
    Hispanic Heritage Month. Every year at this time, we recognize the rich
    cultural traditions of the Hispanic American community and the great
    contributions of Hispanic Americans to our country and our character.
    That's why we're here.
        I appreciate so very much Ambassador Sue Schwab, who is the U.S. Trade Representative, for joining us.
    We're proud you're here, Madam Ambassador. I'm going to say something
    positive about trade, so I'm glad you came. I appreciate my friend--my
    dear friend former Attorney General of the United States Al
    Gonzales. I appreciate Anna
    Cabral, U.S. Treasurer, and
    Victor. Thank you all for coming. I'm proud
    that other members of my administration have joined us. Sarah, it's good
    to see you; thank you for being here.
        I thank my friend Emilio Estefan,
    who has provided the entertainment. I'm going to say something about the
    entertainment a little later, but Israel, we're glad you're here.
        I appreciate the members of the diplomatic corps. I appreciate the
    Ambassadors coming. We're proud you're here. Thanks for taking time.
        I have just met a remarkable woman
    that I want to introduce to you. Yamile Llanes Labrada and her daughter
    Shirlen Garcia have joined me in the Oval
    Office. Yamile is the wife of a political prisoner in Cuba, Dr. Jose
    Luis Garcia Paneque. The doctor was
    a plastic surgeon. He did nothing more

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    than advocate for freedom, and he's now in prison. And not only is he in
    prison, he's ill. And so one of the messages I have for the Cuban
    leader is, free this man and free other
    political prisoners. He's not a threat to you. Let him be reunited with
    a woman who loves him dearly and his four children. So, Yamile, thanks
    for coming. We're proud you're here. Sure glad you're here. Y que Dios
    les bendiga a su familia y tambien su esposo.
        Citizens of Hispanic descent are the fastest growing population in
    America. Hispanic Americans strengthen our Nation with their commitments
    to familia y fe. Hispanic Americans enrich our country with their
    talents and creativity and hard work. Hispanic Americans are living the
    dream that has drawn millions to our shores, and we must ensure that the
    American Dream remains available for all. It's an important part of our
    past, and it's a central part of our future that people from all walks
    of life feel welcomed and given the opportunity to realize the blessings
    of America.
        Realizing the promise of this good country requires a good
    education. You know, I worked hard with Republicans and Democrats to
    pass what's called the No Child Left Behind Act. That's an important
    piece of legislation because it raises standards and it holds schools to
    account. And the law is working. It's a good piece of legislation. It's
    working because I can report to you that last month, we saw the results
    from what's called the Nation's Report Card. The Report Card showed
    record performance in fourth and eighth grade math and fourth grade
    reading. And the report showed that Hispanic students scored alltime
    highs in a number of areas. And so we need to build on that progress.
    It's good that we've got a good report card; we want excellent report
    cards for every child.
        I met yesterday with civil rights leaders. See, I believe a good
    education is a civil right. And we talked about how we can work together
    to make sure the No Child Left Behind Act is not only reauthorized but
    is made stronger. The Congress needs to make sure we don't lower
    standards. Congress needs to make sure we raise standards and hold
    people to account, so that every child, every child can learn in the
    United States of America.
        Realizing the promise of America requires a growing economy. Last
    week, we got more good news on this front. The economy added 110,000 new
    jobs in September, giving us 49 straight months of job growth, and
    that's a new record. We are now enjoying the longest period of
    uninterrupted job creation in the history of the United States. The
    growing economy is the result of good policies, like low taxes, but it's
    also mainly the result of hard work of workers and entrepreneurs,
    including hundreds of thousands of Latino businessowners.
        And so to keep the economy growing, we've got to make sure we don't
    raise your taxes. And to keep the economy growing, we've got to open new
    markets for goods and services. One of the most important markets is in
    our own hemisphere. Many Hispanic-owned businesses in our country depend
    on trade with Latin America. Trade with the region strengthens ties of
    friendship and commerce. Free trade helps our neighbors prosper.
        And so to expand trade with Latin America, we negotiated--and
    Congress approved--a free trade agreement with five Central American
    countries as well as the Dominican Republic. And this agreement is
    working. It's helped American workers. It's new markets for products
    made here, right here in the United States. And it's helped our
    neighbors. We want everybody to do well in our neighborhood. We want
    prosperity to abound.
        And that's why we've negotiated new free trade agreements with Peru
    and Colombia and Panama. For the sake of our businesses and sake of our
    workers and for the sake of prosperity in the neighborhood, the

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    United States Congress needs to approve these three very important trade
    agreements.
        Realizing the promise of the country requires strong communities
    where people care for each other in times of need. Yamile found help in the United States from people
    who care about the condition of her husband. A total stranger that didn't know Yamile before she came
    to the United States said, how can I help you; what can I do? That
    happens all across our country when Hispanic Americans run soup kitchens
    and drug treatment clinics and hear the call--God's call--to love our
    neighbors as we'd like to be loved ourself.
        We see this spirit in Hispanic Americans who volunteer as Little
    League coaches or serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters or give their
    time and energy to improve the lives of people that live across the
    street from them. By caring for others, Hispanic Americans make ours a
    better and more compassionate nation, and America appreciates the
    example they set.
        Finally, realizing the promise of America requires a secure country.
    We honor the many Hispanic Americans who wear the uniform here at home,
    the police and firefighters and emergency rescue personnel who risk
    their lives each day to protect our homeland and our communities. And we
    honor the 200,000 Hispanic Americans who serve in our Armed Forces, who
    are working to spread liberty so we can be secure here in America, who
    are doing the hard work today so our children and grandchildren can grow
    up in peace. I appreciate the fact that they have volunteered in a time
    of danger, and I'm proud to welcome members of the United States
    military with us today. Thank you all for coming.
        So during Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the diversity that
    makes our country stronger and the heritage and the spirit that Hispanic
    Americans bring to this great democracy. To help us celebrate the
    heritage and spirit, we have an incredible talent, Cachao. He was born in Havana only in 1918. That was
    before my time. During the late 1930s, he helped popularize the mambo,
    and over the past half century, he has won a lot of Grammy Awards--most
    recently in 2005, believe it or not. So if you do the math, you can
    figure out this man hasn't stopped working. [Laughter] He's still
    clicking, and he's still making good music. And so we're proud to
    welcome Israel Lopez, better known as Cachao, to here--to the White
    House. Thank you for coming, sir.

    [At this point, Israel Lopez performed.]

        The President. I know you'll join me in thanking Cachao for coming. Guess when the first he was
    here; 1948 he played for President Harry Truman. Welcome back. We're
    sure glad you're here.
        Thank you all for coming. I want you to say hello to Yamile again una mas vez. We certainly pray for the
    speedy release of your husband, and
    we're glad you're here at the White House. No better place to come and
    recognize the great beauty of freedom. And we want to thank you all for
    joining us as we celebrate the great diversity and freedom of the United
    States.
        Que Dios les bendiga. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:11 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Victor G. Cabral, husband of U.S.
    Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral; Emilio Estefan, Jr., president, Estefan
    Enterprises, Inc.; and President Fidel Castro Ruz of Cuba. The National
    Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation of September 12 is listed in
    Appendix D at the end of this volume.

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