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Skriven 2005-07-20 23:34:06 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0507207) for Wed, 2005 Jul 20
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Vice President's Remarks at the Malcolm Baldrige Awards
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
July 20, 2005

Vice President's Remarks at the Malcolm Baldrige Awards
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, D.C.



11:09 A.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, Secretary Gutierrez, and thanks
for the kind words, and also, Carlos, for your great service. And I
appreciate very much the chance to be here today to recognize the Baldrige
honorees.

It's been said that more than any other program, the Baldrige Quality Award
is responsible for making quality a national priority, and disseminating
best practices all across the United States. To receive this honor is to
become a role model and standard-setter for organizations of every kind, as
well as becoming a source of pride to our entire country. You have earned
the admiration of all of us, and I count it a privilege to present these
awards on behalf of our President, George W. Bush.

This honor is named, of course, for our 26th Secretary of Commerce, Malcolm
Baldrige. I was proud to know Secretary Baldrige when I was a member of
Congress back in the 1980s and he was part of the Reagan Cabinet. I want to
thank his wife, Midge, his sister Letitia and other members of the Baldrige
family who are here with us today.

Mac was a terrific guy who led one of the truly great American lives. Not
only did he achieve great success as an industry leader, but Mac was also
the only person I'm aware of who was both a member of the Council on
Foreign Relations and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
(Laughter.) He was rightly described as a man who had an individual
identity that could not be swayed or otherwise affected by the glories of
office. As a government official and as a human being, Mac Baldrige sat
tall in the saddle, and he is still held in the highest regard here in
Washington.

Mac Baldrige served in the Cabinet of Ronald Reagan during a time of
serious economic challenges to our nation. We had gone through
devastatingly high inflation, weak productivity, and slow growth in the
1970s. Then, as the recovery of the 1980s began, American companies faced
unprecedented, aggressive competition from abroad. And government and
business had a fundamental decision to make -- either to turn inward and
try to shield ourselves from fair competition, or to stay in the game, with
renewed confidence in the free market and in the American spirit of
enterprise.

Secretary Baldrige, like President Reagan, was one of the optimists. He
knew that the free enterprise system, and the qualities of character it
brings out, had made America the wealthiest, most innovative nation in the
world. He believed, and argued, that a renewed focus on quality would
restore this nation's competitiveness, and lead directly to greater
productivity, higher sales, and a better standard of living in the long
run.

The optimists have been proven correct. Because we accepted the challenge
of global competition, this nation is far better off today than we might
otherwise have been -- wealthier, more productive, and with bright hopes
for the future.

The Baldrige Quality Awards have a place in this great story, because for
the last 17 years this competition has inspired organizations in every part
of the country to strive for excellence across the board. It has become a
tradition in America to set Baldrige goals, to apply Baldrige principles,
and to seek Baldrige recognition.

The selection process for the Award is highly detailed, and is carried out
by a dedicated Board of Examiners whose service we appreciate very much. As
we've seen and heard this morning, the newest group of honorees is highly
diverse -- yet each has shown the same basic understanding of how to
deliver high value to the customer, and how to improve the functioning of
their enterprises. None of this would be possible without a team effort, a
problem-solving mindset, and trusting relationships throughout the
operation. And so credit for receiving this honor is shared by every man
and woman who works at the Bama Companies, at Kenneth W. Montfort College
of Business, at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, and
the Texas Nameplate Company -- which is a second-time recipient of the
Baldrige Award.

As we gather for this annual presentation, we're reminded that for all the
changes that come along in a dynamic, free-market economy, some things must
never change -- the drive to excel, the character to persevere against
difficulty, and the willingness to outwork and outperform the competition,
whether it's across town or around the globe. Becoming a Baldrige honoree
represents far more than simply winning a prestigious prize in a single
year. It represents an ongoing commitment, year in and year out, to
delivering a good product or service, following a good plan, and putting
good people in place to get the job done. Once again, we found four
organizations that are meeting the challenge in absolutely superb fashion.
The nation is proud of their efforts, and again we want to congratulate all
of them.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

END 11:15 A.M. EDT

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