For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 4, 2001
Small Business Week, 2001
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
Small business owners who work long hours,
juggling family and career responsibilities and serving as community
volunteers, are integral to our country's prosperity and to the
vibrancy of our communities. These entrepreneurs are
fundamental to our economy. Through the opportunities
offered by the men and women who own and operate our Nation's 25.5
million small businesses, many of our citizens are able to pursue their
dreams of a better life. Federal, State, and
local governments can help our small business owners by creating an
environment in which the American spirit flourishes, an environment
that promotes innovation, risk-taking, and equal
opportunity. My Administration is working for lower taxes,
reasonable regulations, and a reduction of tariffs and other barriers
to free trade that will increase the competitive strength of our small
business sector. Education reforms also will ensure that our young
people are prepared to enter the global marketplace and small
businesses will have the needed pool of talent.
Many of America's entrepreneurs risk
everything to make their businesses successful. They are
leaders of innovation, and their efforts create a wellspring of new
technology, new products, and improved business
processes. One of my priorities as President is to encourage
that entrepreneurial spirit, and to see that it encompasses all
Americans. To that end, we have instituted the New Freedom
Initiative, which includes a component to help small businesses better
serve customers with disabilities and to hire more people with
disabilities. Also, my Administration supports the Drug Free
Workplace Program, to help small busi-nesses develop employee education
programs and company drug policies. These are examples of
our commitment to the ideal that the role of our Government is not to
create business barriers, but to help our citizens overcome them.
America's small business owners and their
employees represent more than half of the private
workforce. These entrepreneurs, who create more than 75
percent of the net new jobs nationwide and generate more than 50
percent of the Nation's gross domestic product, and the employees who
work in small businesses, deserve our thanks. We salute them
by observing Small Business Week. NOW,
THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 6 through 12,
2001, as Small Business Week. I urge all Americans to join
in observing this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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