EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111130/DC14659LOGO)
Fellow delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen:
We Republicans believe in this great country, and we believe in the American people. We know that our people are our greatest natural resource.
Our plan to build a brighter future for our country is built on the strength of the American people - on their vision, their work ethic, and their deep desire for a brighter future.
At the heart of it is job creation, because job creation must be job number one for our country at this critical point in our history.
What Americans want today is what America has always offered in abundance: opportunity. And opportunity begins with a good job.
A decade ago, we in North Dakota worked to forge a pro-growth, pro-business agenda that encouraged private-sector investment and innovation in all of our key industries, including energy.
We built a strong, competitive environment where businesses could grow - and hire - without red tape or high taxes.
The result was jobs and a thriving economy. Today, North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate and the fastest growing economy in the nation.
Instead of discouraging businesses with bureaucracy, we helped them to do things right, with good environmental stewardship.
But the Obama Administration doesn't see it that way, and the Keystone XL pipeline is a good example.
This $7 billion, high-tech project would not only reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, but also help hold down the cost of fuel at the pump and create thousands of American jobs.
After four years of environmental review, however, the administration just says no - no to jobs, no to economic growth, no to lower fuel prices for consumers.
That's not what the American people want.
What they want is reliable and affordable energy to power their homes, run their businesses, and fuel their cars.
They want jobs and real opportunity to build a good life - and to leave that same legacy to their children.
We can provide that opportunity and get our nation's economy back on track again - if we focus on the things that actually encourage job growth and economic opportunity for the American people.
They know that our country is at a crossroads of history. They also need to know that we offer a brighter alternative for our country's future.
Thank you and God bless the United States of America.
It is now my pleasure to introduce my fellow co-chair, Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
###
Paid for by the Committee on Arrangements for the 2012 Republican National Convention
www.GOPConvention2012.com - Phone: (813) 381-5588
Not Authorized By Any Candidate or Candidate's Committee
Contact James Davis or Kyle Downey
(813) 252-5888
SOURCE 2012 Republican National Convention
