[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 14 (Monday, April 14, 2008)]
[Pages 496-497]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Small and Midsize Business Owners

April 7, 2008

    I just had a fascinating discussion with fellow citizens who happen 
to be small-business owners, people who run small businesses. And I'm 
talking about a variety of small business. We got a meatpacker, an apple 
processor; we've got a grinder, a large equipment manufacturer, 
education man. I mean, we got a lot of folks from different backgrounds 
and different States, all of whom were talking about the effects of the 
progrowth economic package that was passed by the Congress and how that 
package is causing them to make capital investments that they might not 
have made in the year 2008.
    And that's important, because in times of economic uncertainty, we 
want people making investment, so when a person buys an apple press, 
somebody is going to have to manufacture that press. When somebody 
manufactures that press, it means there's more likely to be work and 
income.
    And so I'm very pleased to have heard from the small-business owners 
here that the package is going to cause them to make decisions that will 
help us recover out of this economic slowdown.
    Now, having said that, they did share concerns with me. And I 
understand those concerns, and I feel the same way. One, there's concern 
about the high price of fuel. I mean, people have to make a living, and 
they're driving their cars and their trucks, and it's--fuel is hurting 
people. And so I fully understand that not only are people worried about 
their homes, they're worried about the cost of fuel--and one of the 
reasons why we got to keep taxes low.
    As a matter of fact, one of the things that's going to happen with 
this progrowth package is that not only is it going to affect small 
businesses like it's affected folks here, but 130 million families are 
going to get some money, their own money. And of course, the purpose of 
that is to help boost consumption. We're in a rough time right now. I'm 
confident we're going to come out of it. And when we do, we're going to 
be a stronger and better country.
    Congress, of course, is contemplating different measures. And my 
only advice to them is, one, make sure you give the progrowth package 
that was passed overwhelmingly a chance to work. Let's see what the 
effects are. Secondly, anything they do should not hurt the economy. And 
thirdly, I--you know, I think we ought to--in terms of progrowth 
packages--I think we ought to, again I repeat, give this one a chance to 
kick in. The experts tell me that this progrowth package is going to add 
some--you know, a percent, percent-and-a-half to the economy here in the 
latter part of this year. If that's the case, it's going to be an 
important part of recovering.
    Anyway, long and short of it is, I thank you all for coming--very 
useful meeting. I thank you for being entrepreneurs. Thank you for 
working hard to provide for your families. Thank you for looking after 
your employees the way you do. Appreciate the fact that you're making 
investments in the year 2008 which will get this economy going.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 1:46 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House.

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