Proclamation 6289—Small Business Week, 1991

The freedom we celebrate during this 200th year of our Bill of Rights has enabled the United States to become a strong and prosperous Nation. Able to enjoy the unfettered "pursuit of Happiness" and allowed to reap the fruits of our labor, we Americans have achieved unparalleled levels of innovation and productivity. This week we honor in a special way America's small business men and women -- courageous, hardworking individuals who have taken advantage of our Nation's free enterprise system and helped to show that this is, indeed, a land of liberty and opportunity for all.

Each day America's small business man and women help to lead the way in the development of new technology and products and in the improvement of existing goods and services. These industrious leaders also help to create jobs and opportunities for millions of their fellow citizens while promoting the economic development of their communities. In so doing, they demonstrate that individual initiative and private enterprise are keys to advancement for both individuals and nations.

Driven by more than 20 million small businesses, America's thriving free enterprise system serves as a model for the world. Indeed, as nations in Eastern Europe and elsewhere move to restructure their economies -- an immense task that will entail many challenges -- America's small businesses provide an inspiring example of free market principles in action.

Our Nation's entrepreneurs understand the risks and challenges faced by business owners in a market-driven economy, but they also appreciate the rewards of taking an idea and making it work, creating jobs and meeting a payroll, and contributing to one's community. Today many small business owners contribute to their communities not only through their day-to-day activities but also through corporate philanthropy and voluntary service. Demonstrating that good citizenship is good business, many small business owners and their employees are reaching out to persons in need of a helping hand. These entrepreneurs are among the points of light that reflect our Nation's conscience and illuminate its social landscape.

Because small businesses enrich our lives in so many ways, because their owners and employees have a vital role to play in keeping America competitive, we must continue working to maintain a business climate that is conductive to their success. Doing so will require eliminating government regulations wherever they are counterproductive, offering incentives for investment, and reducing the tax rate on long-term capital gains. It will also require that we continue working for a level playing field in the international marketplace, eliminating barriers to the free flow of goods and services around the world. As they have demonstrated time and again, when given the freedom and the opportunity to put their talent and ideas to work, America's small business men and women not only succeed, they excel.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week of May 5 through May 11, 1991, as Small Business Week. I urge all Americans to join me in saluting our Nation's small business men and women by observing that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth.

GEORGE BUSH