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Skriven 2006-09-26 23:31:26 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0609265) for Tue, 2006 Sep 26
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Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Joy Padgett for Congress Luncheon
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
September 26, 2006

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Joy Padgett for Congress Luncheon
The Granville Inn
Granville, Ohio



1:15 P.M. EDT

MRS. BUSH: Thank you, Joy, for the very nice introduction. Thank you to
everyone here for the warm welcome to Ohio. I want to thank Joy's husband,
Don Padgett, who is here today. When your spouse is in politics, you're
involved, whether you want to be or not. (Laughter.) And we know that
successful politicians have families who support them and are there for
them all the time. In fact, Joy likes to say that the reason she's in the
campaign is because Don encouraged her to get out of the home -- and into
the House. (Applause.)

Before I came here, I wanted to learn a little bit more about Joy, about
her accomplishments, her personality and her life. Joy's colleagues told me
a lot about her: that red is her favorite color, that her signature piece
is a starfish pin -- she's wearing it -- that she has a Bassett hound named
Daisy and a cat named Snoots. But what really stood out was when they said
that Joy, who has just told you was a school teacher for 20 years, owns
custom brass knuckles. (Laughter.) When Joy says she's a tough campaigner,
and that she'll fight for the people of Ohio, she really means it.
(Applause.)

But even without using her brass knuckles, Joy has earned a reputation for
being a powerful advocate for Ohio's families. And it's very important that
Joy is elected to the United States Congress. (Applause.)

Joy cares deeply about the people of the 18th district. As Director of your
state's Office of Appalachia, Joy improved health care for Ohio's mountain
residents. She created the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, which
encourages the private sector to invest in this area by promoting
philanthropy in Ohio's 29 Appalachian counties. So far the foundation has
secured $2 million to invest in economic and community development, and to
help improve this region's youth and family services.

In Congress, Joy will be a respected voice representing this district's
major industries. She grew up on a farm, and she's been a passionate
advocate for Ohio's farmers as vice chair of the State Senate's Agriculture
Committee. Joy also established the Small Farm Institute, which has
improved entrepreneurial opportunities for Ohio's farmers and landowners.

Energy, too, is vital to Ohio's economy. In the State Senate, Joy sponsored
legislation to retain the Ohio Coal Tax credit, saving Ohio coal jobs. She
helped bring an ethanol plan to Coshocton County, and supported an ethanol
start-up in Harrison County -- improving employment opportunities for
people here in the 18th district.

In the House, Joy will make sure Ohioans can keep more of their hard-earned
dollars from new jobs by ensuring that their tax dollars are spent wisely
and responsibly. Joy has fought for lower taxes in the State Senate, and in
the Congress, she'll support President Bush's tax cuts.

These tax cuts have fueled the economy, and they've helped add 5.7 million
new jobs since 2003. (Applause.) And that means 5.7 million more Americans
wake up every day with the dignity and the sense of purpose that comes with
a job.

Offering young people the hope of good employment is one of the most
important things we can do for our children. Another way we can help young
people is by guiding them toward the knowledge and the self-respect they
need to build successful lives.

In his 2005 State of the Union address, President Bush announced the
Helping America's Youth initiative, and he asked me to lead it. Helping
young people learn to make wise decisions for their lives is at the heart
of Helping America's Youth.

Since the President announced the initiative, I've traveled to many parts
of our country, visiting with young people and with the adults who are so
important to their lives. I've been to schools and to after-school
programs. I've visited fatherhood initiatives. I've met mentors and Big
Brothers and Big Sisters. I've visited with gang intervention programs,
where I've met with young people who are leaving gangs and finding jobs.

All of these visits led to the White House Conference on Helping America's
Youth last October, and then since then to two regional conferences -- one
in Indianapolis and one in Denver.

At the conferences we introduced an online, interactive Community Guide.
This guide helps concerned adults learn more about the problems facing
youth in their own communities, and what local resources are available to
address those problems. The guide is available on the Helping America's
Youth website, which is www.helpingamericasyouth.gov -- that's g-o-v. I
encourage you to look at the website and to use these resources in your
community.

Here in Ohio, there are few advocates for children as dedicated as Joy
Padgett. As she told you earlier, she's a lifelong educator, having spent
20 years in Ohio public school classrooms. She developed the Appalachia
Reads Center, which promotes literacy in Ohio's Appalachian counties.

And Joy brought her passion for learning to the State Senate. As chair of
the Senate's Education Committee, Joy has improved your state's education
system, and has secured increased funding for Ohio schools. She sponsored
the legislation that established Ohio's Partnership for Continued Learning,
an initiative that brings together educators from the pre-school to the
post-secondary levels to help Ohio's young people develop the skills they
need to help build a well-trained workforce for your state.

We all know, though, that the well-being of our young people in Ohio and
throughout our country ultimately depends on our government's ability to
protect them -- by defeating terrorism and increasing liberty abroad.
(Applause.)

Joy stands with our troops at this crucial time in our country's history.
In the State Senate, Joy supported legislation that provides tuition
assistance to members of the Ohio National Guard, ensuring that more
Guardsmen who serve our country can pursue the dream of a college
education. And in Congress, Joy will be a champion of the men and women of
the United States military. (Applause.)

And thanks to the men and women of the United States military, the Iraqi
people are now free from the oppression of Saddam Hussein, and are working
to build a democratic future for their country. President Bush has pledged
that the American people will stand with them as they build their
democracy.

And in Afghanistan, women and girls can now be educated. (Applause.) It's
hard for us to imagine a country that would prohibit half of its citizens
from being educated, but now little girls are in school all over
Afghanistan.

I talked to the President this morning when I just landed, right on my
drive here. President Karzai from Afghanistan had been with him this
morning. All of us are so proud of the young men and women who are deployed
around the world defending our country overseas to make sure that our
families are kept safe here in the United States. (Applause.)

Joy's dedication to the people of Ohio and her achievements remind us of
why it's so important for her to be elected to the United States House. Joy
understands that America faces challenges too important to be reduced to
simple politics. President Bush has an ambitious agenda for the rest of his
time in Washington, and he takes his responsibility to the American people
very seriously.

Ending our dependence on foreign oil, reforming our immigration system,
rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and keeping our country safe from terrorism are
not easy tasks, but they're absolutely vital goals. To accomplish them, we
must have serious national conversations, conducted with civility and
respect. And Joy Padgett will be a positive and powerful part of that
dialogue. (Applause.)

This is just one reason why Joy is a wonderful leader for Ohio. When you
look through her distinguished record of public service, you'll find many
more.

Thank you very, very much for coming out to support Joy Padgett. Thank you
for your generous support for her election. I urge you to redouble your
efforts between now and November to make sure Joy Padgett is elected to the
United States Congress.

Thank you all so much. (Applause.)

END 1:26 P.M. EDT
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