Remarks to the Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week Conference

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, May 2, 2005

April 27, 2005

Thanks for the warm welcome. I appreciate such a generous welcome. Marianne, thank you for your introduction, and congratulations on being the Small Business Person of the Year. You had some pretty stiff competition. [Laughter] I appreciate the courage that Marianne has shown and her determination to succeed. She is proof that the entrepreneurial spirit in America is really strong.

I want to thank Hector Barreto, the SBA Administrator. I appreciate the fine job he's done. It was my honor to meet the--some of the State Small Business Person of the Year honorees. Congratulations. I appreciate the Ambassadors who are here. Embajadores, thank you for coming. And I appreciate you all giving me a chance to come by and visit with you. [Laughter]

I appreciate the fact that our small-business owners are taking risks and pursuing dreams, and as a result, you're creating jobs for millions of our citizens. A vibrant small-business sector is important for the economic health of our country. I appreciate the fact that the small-business entrepreneurs are some of the great innovators in our Nation. After all, men and women who run small businesses have a vision to see beyond what is and the courage to pursue what might be.

From Thomas Edison's light bulb to Alexander Graham Bell's telephone to Henry Ford's Model T, most Americans--most of America's great inventions began with the innovative spirit of entrepreneurs. And today, a new generation of entrepreneurs is leading a technological revolution that will transform our lives in incredible ways. I'm going to spend a little time talking about how technology can help us.

One of the roles of an administration is to set an agenda, a clear agenda. I've laid out an agenda that I believe will unleash the innovative spirit of our small-business entrepreneurs. We can't make you successful, but we can create an environment in which people can dream big dreams in which people are willing to risk capital. We need to keep your taxes low. We need to protect you from needless regulation and the burden of junk lawsuits. We'll continue to work to open up new markets for your products. The House of Representatives and the United States Senate needs to pass CAFTA legislation, free-market agreement with Central America.

We'll continue to work to lower the cost of health care by insisting that health care modernize itself through electronic records and helping to spread health savings accounts--they're particularly good for small businesses--and to work with the United States Congress to finally pass medical liability reform. I look forward to working with the Congress to create association health plans so small businesses can buy insurance, can pool risk across jurisdictional boundaries so they can buy insurance at the same discounts that big businesses can.

As small-business owners, you know that a dollar should be spent wisely or not at all. That same standard ought to apply to the Federal Government when it comes time to spending your money. I've submitted a disciplined budget to the Congress that meets our priorities, that restrains Federal spending and keeps us on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. I appreciate the fact that the Senate has passed a version of the budget and the House has passed a version of the budget. Now it's time for them to come together and pass a budget resolution this week.

By restraining Federal spending, by keeping taxes low, we'll keep this economy growing and keep the innovative spirit strong. But in order to make sure our economy grows, in order to make sure people are still able to find opportunity, in order to encourage small-business sector growth and vitality, we need to address a major problem facing our country, and that is our Nation's growing dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Technology is allowing us to better use our existing energy resources. And in the years ahead, technology will allow us to create entirely new sources of energy in ways earlier generations could never dream. Technology is the ticket, is this Nation's ticket to greater energy independence, and that's what I want to talk about today. I fully understand that many folks around this country are concerned about the high price of gasoline. I know small-business owners are.

I went to Fort Hood the other day--it's right around the corner from Crawford-[laughter]--and sat down with some of our troops, and we had dinner--lunch, in Texas they call dinner--[laughter]--the noon meal and supper the evening meal. [Laughter] I'm trying to standardize the language. [Laughter] We sat down for lunch. [Laughter]

And I was asking the soldiers, you know, what was on your mind--what was on their mind. And a fellow said, "Why don't you lower gas prices--gasoline prices, Mr. President?" Obviously, gasoline prices were on his mind. I said, "I wish I could. If I could, I would." I explained to him that the higher cost of gasoline is a problem that has been years in the making. To help in the near term, we'll continue to encourage oil-producing countries to maximize their production, to say to countries that have got some excess capacity, "Get it on the market so you do not destroy the consumers that you rely upon to buy your energy."