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Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao
US Pan-Asian
American Chamber of Commerce
Excellence Awards Dinner
Renaissance
Hotel
Washington, D.C.
May 18, 2001
Good evening, and thanks so much for that warm welcome. It
is such a great pleasure for me to be here tonight among so many friends.
I've been coming to these events with Susan for many years
now, and it's just wonderful to see how this organization has grown in size and
influence over the years.
When Susan first founded the Chamber, 17 years ago, it was
an organization with big ideas! Tonight, we fill the room.
And how things have changed over time. Seventeen years ago,
who would have imagined that we would eventually see the appointment of not
just one Asian-Pacific American to a presidential Cabinet, but two?
Who would have imagined that already, in just the first few
months of this Administration, the president would have appointed Asian-Pacific
Americans to critical sub-Cabinet positions in top agencies such as the
departments of Defense, Justice, Labor, Agriculture, and Health and Human
Services?
In fact, President Bush has already picked twelve Asian
Americans for key Cabinet and sub-Cabinet positions, nearly twice as many as
the previous Administration — and by the time he finishes appointing his
Administration, I'm sure that number will be significantly higher. This
includes Shinae Chun, the first Asian Pacific American Director of the Women's
Bureau.
Throughout government and politics, Asian-Pacific Americans
are playing a more public and influential role than ever before.
And much of the credit goes to individuals and
organizations — such as U.S. Pan-Asian American Chamber of Commerce —
that have had the commitment to get involved.
We are all proud of the work Susan has done to develop this
organization over the years. Thank you, Susan, for your leadership.
So tonight, we can celebrate the extraordinary progress
that the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce has made over the last 17
years — and the progress that Asian Americans have made in mainstream
America.
40 years ago, there were less than a million
Asian-Americans — making up less than half of 1 percent of the population.
Now, there are more than 10 million of us — and we occupy prominent
positions in every field of human endeavor, from hi-tech to Hollywood.
And this organization has a unique, and very special role
to play in American political and civic life — it is the first and only
Pan-Asian American trade association that represents all of the
different Asian ethnic groups in America.
This is an inclusive organization, dedicated to improving
the collective well-being of all Asian Americans, and improving our
relationships with every sector of American business and civic life, and every
facet of American society.
It is an organization that has grown from a handful of
members to a powerhouse that now has the resources to award eighteen
scholarships tonight, to send worthy young Americans on to great futures,
empowered by a first-rate education.
And it is an organization that isn't afraid to take a
stand, when events require a voice of courage and clear vision.
America is a great country because of both its continuing
diversity and its assimilation, and by helping Asian Americans do
business with Americans of every ethnic background, the U.S. Pan Asian American
Chamber of Commerce has made this a better country for everyone to live in,
regardless of our race.
It is natural for people to take pride in the
accomplishments of their own ethnic group, or people from their own town or
state. America is a great country because it is the greatest meritocracy on
earth.
It is a country where we are each judged by the content of
our character, to use Martin Luther King's immortal phrase, not the color of
our skin. And that is all that any American, Asian or otherwise, can ever ask
of this country.
We are gathered here tonight to celebrate the
accomplishments of this organization and all Asian Americans — but we do
not ask America to include us in business or civil life because we are
Asian Americans; we ask to be included because of who we are as
individuals. We ask only that we not be excluded because of our
race.
I can say without qualification that President Bush is
keeping his end of the bargain, and in so doing, he is encouraging others to do
the same.
He has often said that we can disagree without being
disagreeable. We can debate issues without attacking each other's motives or
ethics. And in doing so, we establish the essential basis of trust upon which
to seek common ground.
The president's focus on changing the tone is about a lot
more than just restoring civility to public life, as worthy as that is. It is
about renewing the effectiveness of our national government — paralyzed
for too long by partisan bickering and mistrust.
And it is already starting to bear fruit. For example, we
are no longer fighting about whether to cut taxes, but rather how
much to cut taxes.
The old rhetoric of class warfare about "tax cuts for the
rich" is giving way to a more reasonable debate about economic benefits and
budget constraints. People are also recognizing that the president's agenda is
about a lot more than cutting taxes for taxes' sake.
He believes we should end the marriage tax penalty, because
we ought to be encouraging families, rather then penalizing them.
He believes we should end the estate tax — also known
as the "death tax" — because we ought to encourage people to save and
build up their small businesses and family farms, instead of confiscating the
fruit of their labors when they try to pass it on to the next generation.
And most fundamentally, the president believes the average
American taxpayer deserves a break, because — as he has frequently
emphasized to all of us who serve in his Cabinet — it's their money, it's
their paycheck, it's not ours to spend as we please.
On Tuesday, Susan and I had had the pleasure of attending a
meeting in the White House with the president and about a dozen prominent Asian
American leaders.
Not surprisingly, several of them thanked the president for
appointing two Asian Americans to his Cabinet — as I said, it's only
natural to take pride in the accomplishments of one's own ethnic group.
And since the president is, of course, a politician, one
might have expected him to take credit for those appointments and what they
mean to our ethnic group.
But you know what his response was? I thought this was
delightfully refreshing and honest. He quite pointedly said that he hadn't
picked us for our ethnicity — he'd picked Norm and me for who we
are, and what we can do. And he humorously added that he wasn't
counting — but he was glad that someone was.
He said that in a lighthearted way - but he was making an
important point. He didn't pick us because we're Asian Americans and he had a
quota to fill — he picked us because we're qualified individuals.
And he knew that picking people based on merit, unfiltered by any
prejudice, would ultimately result in a truly diverse Administration.
And that is all that we, as Asian Americans, ask of this
country: to treat all Americans, regardless of race, as individuals
— each with our own God-given talents.
Twenty-five years ago, before he became president, Ronald
Reagan spoke to the country about his vision of American life. Across all these
years, his words still ring true to me, and speak to the life that we are all
working together to build. He said:
"I'm convinced that today the majority of Americans want
what those first Americans wanted: A better life for themselves and their
children; a minimum of government authority. Very simply, they want to be left
alone in peace and safety to take care of the family by earning an honest
dollar and putting away some savings.
"This may not sound too exciting, but there is something
magnificent about it. On the farm, on the street corner, in the factory and in
the kitchen, millions of us ask nothing more, but certainly nothing less than
to live our own lives according to our values — at peace with ourselves,
our neighbors and the world."
That was the timeless vision of our Founding Fathers. It
was the vision of Ronald Reagan. It is the mission of President George W. Bush
— and the dream of every person in this room.
Thank you for having me tonight — it's been a great
pleasure to be with you.
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