VA Gov. Bob McDonnell Speaks at the RNC: 'The EPA Is Now the Employment Prevention Agency'
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell delivered the following speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night:
Thank you!
Are you ready to elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in 70 days?
Imagine that, we'll have a president who actually knows how to create jobs, and a vice president who actually knows what state he's in.
I don't have to tell any of you: This is a tough economy.
We all have friends, family and neighbors who've lost their jobs and homes. Worse, they've lost their hope.
And their lost hope is why we need a big change this November.
This election is about restoring the American Dream.
The dream that led my grandfather, a poor farm boy, to leave Ireland 100 years ago and come to Ellis Island to begin his journey of freedom.
My grandfather could have never guessed that his son would fight for this nation in World War II, his great granddaughter would lead a platoon in Iraq and his grandson would grow up a middle-class kid in Fairfax County, serve in the Army, and now hold the same job as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. What an incredible country we call home.
This nation is powered and defined by the great idea of the American Dream. That idea says if you work hard, dream big, follow the rules and pursue opportunity, the sky is the limit.
We cannot lose that!
Unfortunately, now many Americans are hurting. Too many Americans are looking for work, because this president's policies simply haven't worked.
Washington today has a surplus of rhetoric, and a deficit of leadership and results.
You know the problems.
Unemployment over 8 percent for 42 straight months.
The national debt: unsustainable and immoral at $16 trillion and growing.
New business start-ups at the lowest level in 30 years.
And the EPA is now the Employment Prevention Agency!
The times call for new leadership to get this great nation out of debt and back to work.
The choice is clear: the status quo of the entitlement society, or dynamic change to an opportunity society.
We need a president who will say to a small businesswoman: Congratulations, we applaud your success, you did make that happen, you did build that!
Big government didn't build America: You built America! Small businesses don't come out of Washington, D.C. pre-made on flatbed trucks.
That coffee shop in Henrico; that florist in Virginia Beach, that bakery in Radford, they were all built by entrepreneurial Americans with big dreams, not a big-spending government with a wide-open wallet full of other people's money!
It is remarkable, 236 years into the American experiment, what the ingenuous people of this magnificent nation can do, when given the opportunity.
Every American deserves the opportunity of a limited, responsible government that performs its core functions well, and then gets the heck out of their way!
That's when good things happen.
Look at the results of Republican policies in the states.
In states with Republican governors, the average unemployment rate is a full point lower than in states with Democratic governors.
Republican governors lead seven of the ten states with the lowest unemployment rates, and 12 of the 15 states ranked best for business.
While the Obama administration borrows over $3 billion a day just to keep the lights on, Republican governors have closed $65 billion in budget shortfalls, without raising taxes.
In Virginia, over the last two years, with Republicans and Democrats working together, our unemployment rate is down over 20 percent to 5.9 percent.
We've added 151,000 net new jobs. We've had nearly $1.4 billion in budget surpluses and we've done it by keeping regulation and litigation to a minimum, and we haven't raised taxes!
While the president talks, Republican governors lead. Talk is cheap. Results matter. Conservative fiscal policies are working, and so are more Americans in states with Republican governors.
Now, just think what we can do if we had a president who would support us, not obstruct us.
Someone who has created jobs in the private sector, who understands the economy and who has actually balanced a budget, or heck, for that matter, who has actually passed a budget!
We need President Mitt Romney!
When Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan get to work with Susana Martinez, Scott Walker, John Kasich, Terry Branstad and governors from both parties across this country, we will get people back to work!
Our great country can no longer afford the job-destroying policies coming out of Washington, D.C.
But we don't have to just hope for change: We can make the change this November!
We will lift up and grow the middle class.
We will celebrate job creators again.
We will restore that American Dream that brought my grandfather here from Ireland 100 years ago.
And it all starts with electing Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan this November!
Now it's my pleasure to introduce one of those hard-working job creators I was just talking about.
Bev Gray is president and CEO of Exhibit Edge, in Chantilly, Virginia.
Exhibit Edge designs, produces and manages trade show exhibits for small and large businesses and nonprofits.
Ms. Gray and her husband Mike, vice president of the company, employ 20 Virginians, and this year celebrates 20 years in business.
And here's the thing about Bev: When she talks about her business, yes, she built that!
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