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When I took office in 2001, the bubble of the '90s had burst, our economy was headed into recession. And because of the attacks of September the 11th, nearly a million jobs were lost in three months.
It was a dangerous time for our economy. People were warning of potential deflation and depression. But I acted.
To stimulate the economy I called on Congress to pass historic tax relief, which it did without my opponent's yes vote.
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The tax relief was the fuel that got our economy growing again. Thanks to the efforts of our citizens, and the right policies at the right place at the right time, we put the recession behind us and America is creating jobs once again.
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We have built a broad and solid record of accomplishment. In the past year, the United States of America has added about 1.7 million new jobs.
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More than Germany, Japan, Great Britain, Canada and France combined.
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Real after-tax income -- that's the money in your pocket to spend on groceries or house payments and rent -- is up more than 10 percent since I took office.
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Homeownership is at an all-time high in America.
Farm income is up. Small businesses are flourishing. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in the United States of America.
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Ours is a record of accomplishment. Thanks to reforms in education, math and reading scores are increasing in our public schools.
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Ten million students will get record levels of grants and loans to help with college. Low-income seniors are getting $600 extra to help pay for medicine this year and their drug discount cards. And soon Medicare will offer prescription drug coverage to every senior in America.
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We have made America a stronger, more hopeful country and we're just getting started.
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I like to travel our country because I have a chance to talk to our fellow citizens.
I understand the challenges facing our nation. People are living and working in a time of change. Workers switch jobs more than they used to, which means they often need new skills and benefits they can take with them from job to job.
We're in a changing world. And yet the systems of government haven't changed. I'm running for four more years to change the systems of government so people can better realize the great dreams of America.
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Making sure people realize those dreams, it's essential that our education systems work. We're going to raise the standards and expectations in every high school. We'll invest in our nation's fine community colleges so workers can be prepared to fill the jobs of the 21st century. We're going to expand health savings account so people can pay health expenses with tax-free money and keep the savings if they change jobs. We're going to improve Social Security to allow younger workers to own a piece of their own retirement, a nest egg that the Washington politicians can never take away.
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To keep this economy strong and competitive, we must make sure America is the best place in the world to start a business and to do business.
To make sure America's the best place in the world to start a business, our taxes must be low. Congress must make the tax relief we passed permanent.
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To keep jobs here, there need to be less regulations on our small businesses.
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To keep jobs here, we must pass an energy plan that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
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To make sure jobs exist here in America, we got to do something about these junk and frivolous lawsuits.
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Trial lawyers shouldn't be getting rich at the expense of our entrepreneurs and our doctors.
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My opponent and I have a very different view on how to grow our economy. Let me start with taxes.
I have a record of reducing them. He has a record of raising them. He's voted in the United States Senate to increase taxes 98 times. That's a lot.
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He voted for higher taxes on Social Security benefits. In 1997, he voted for the formula that helped cause the increase in Medicare premiums.
My opponent was against all of our middle-class tax relief. He voted instead to squeeze another $2,000 per year from the average middle-class family.
Now the senator's proposing higher taxes on more than 900,000 small-business owners.
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He says the tax increase is only for the rich. You've heard that kind of rhetoric before.
Rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason: to stick you with the tab. The senator's not going to tax you, because we're going to win in November.
