We must not permit them to drag us back into that swamp. America has taken its first cautious steps toward recovery. There is no doubt about that. Our progress will grow more bold and dramatic in the weeks and months ahead, but only if we hold fast to the economic policies that have gotten us this far. And as this report indicates, small businesses have an important role to play.
Recent surveys show strong optimism in the small business community.
Owners are again planning new purchases, inventory development which will fuel the recovery. Many millions of our people dream of working for themselves and running their own businesses. It's risky to be sure, as you well know. But those dreams reflect the imagination, the daring, and the creativity that has brought so much progress and made this Nation so great. Well, generation after generation of hardworking Americans have understood that truth and used it to build the most prosperous nation on Earth.