Text of Patricia Stout and Lurita Doan's speechPatricia Stout Good evening - Buenas noches I am a small business owner. Like many other women I have worked hard but I have not been afraid of the challenges that have been put in front of me. After being in the travel business for several years, and having achieved a modest success, I almost lost my company after 9-11 due to the slow down in travel.
I had to lay off several employees. For the first time in a long time I cried. With few options, I bid for as many government contracts as possible, hoping to get at least one or two. Thanks to the President's Small Business Initiative, which worked to unbundle contracts, we were awarded 9 contracts! In addition, the President's tax relief policies have made it easier for me to invest in growing my company and hiring more employees. Today, we are the 50th fastest growing Hispanic corporation in the country. My company has many reasons to celebrate, but the most important is that we have a President who cares about small business. This President laid out a strategy for reducing the size of government contracts so that small businesses would have a chance to compete. In just the first year of the initiative, Federal contract dollars awarded to small businesses jumped 23%. We still have a long way to go, so we need to make sure that we have the right person in the presidency, and you know who I am talking about. Of course, President Bush! Viva President Bush!!!! Gracias - thank you. Lurita Doan I am a small business owner. I started my business 14 years ago with nothing more than $25 worth of business cards printed at Kinkos and a good idea. Today we have over 150 employees, and thanks to President Bush's tax policies, the company is growing. I come from generations of Black entrepreneurs who started businesses under Republican administrations, going back to my great grandmother. She sold pralines in New Orleans after President Lincoln freed the slaves. My grandmother started a business school during Teddy Roosevelt's administration. I founded New Technology Management during the presidency of another friend of small businesses, George H. W. Bush. Today our technology secures the borders at land border ports across the U.S. It's always been clear: Republicans understand that creating opportunities for individuals and for small businesses is what makes America great. President Bush understands that lowering the tax burden for small businesses translates into jobs and economic security for millions of Americans. He's committed to making health care affordable for small business owners and their employees. No matter the color of your skin, whether you're a man or woman, and no matter whether you're selling pralines on the docks of New Orleans or developing cutting-edge technology, small businesses benefit from Republican leadership. George Bush has provided that leadership and that is why I'll be hiring 75 more people in the coming year. That's why I'm working hard to re-elect George Bush as President of the United States because he's working hard to keep the American dream alive for all of us.
Thank you. |
