October 30, 2003 -Excerpts from President Bush's speech at Central Aluminum Co.

"I appreciate the good folks at Central Aluminum for letting me come and interrupt the workday. (Laughter.) I've got some important things to talk about. The first thing I want to remind people of is we're a great country because we've got great workers in America. The most productive work force in the world is right here in America. (Applause.) Because of the spirit the entrepreneurial spirit and the work ethic of America, our economy is strong and it's getting stronger. (Applause.)"

"I appreciate Gale Roshon for opening up the plant. Thank you, sir. I want to thank John Wright, and I want to thank Bill, who showed me how the machine works. (Laughter.) It's my honor that the state officials are with us today, your fine Governor, Bob Taft, and the Lieutenant Governor have joined us, for which I'm grateful. The Secretary of State and State Auditor are with us. We've got local officials. We've got a lot of people who just came to say "hello" to the President and I'm grateful, thank you for coming. (Applause.)"

"We can't forget the lessons of September the 11th. We must understand there are people who hate what we stand for. And so, we must find them and bring them to justice. We must defeat them where they hide so we don't have to face them in our own cities. I'm confident in the justice of our cause, I'm confident in the character and resolve of the American people, I'm confident in the skill and the honor of the American Military. (Applause.)"

"I've come to Central Aluminum because this company and these employees rely upon reliable sources of energy. The company spends about 30 percent more on natural gas this year than it did last year. That's a cost, that makes it hard to expand the workforce when money goes into 30 percent increases in your energy bill. By not having enough energy at home, our manufacturing sector is not doing as well as it should be. When the gas prices go up, the manufacturing sector hurts here in Ohio and around the country."

"Congress needs to pass a sound energy plan to help deal with the issues that confront this good company, Central Aluminum. First, we need more energy production close to home. We need to produce in our own country and we need to encourage exploration in our own hemisphere so we're less dependent from other parts of the world. Our nation and our hemisphere have got natural gas, the energy used right here in this plant. But this resource has been hampered by restrictions on exploration."

"In other words, we need a comprehensive plan. We need to encourage production, and we need to encourage conservation. We need to use the energy resources we've got at hand in an environmentally friendly way. And we need to advance new kinds of energy. But we've got to get after it. And that's my message to the United States Congress. Resolve your differences. Understand that if you're interested in people finding a job, we need an energy policy. That's why I'm here. I want these people working. I want their friends to be able to find jobs. Get the bill done. (Applause.)"

"See our society is changing, and will continue to change one heart and one soul at a time, because our fellow citizens have heard the call to love a neighbor. And my call to you all is if you see somebody who hurts, help him. Remember that government can hand out money... we do a pretty good job of it times.. but what we can't do is put hope in a persons heart or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That's done when a fellow citizen puts their arm around somebody who hurts and says, I love you; what can I do to help you?"

"Now, this is a fabulous country. We've met the challenges that have been put to us. There will be other challenges to come. I stand confident before you knowing that we can meet any challenge because of the greatness of the people who live in America."

2045 Broehm Rd. | Columbus, Ohio 43207 | P: 614.491.5700 | 800.542.2105 | F: 614.491.8478 mail@centralaluminum.com

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