Carlos Gutierrez

from the May 19, 2006 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0519/p03s01-usmb.html

By David T. Cook

Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez was Thursday's guest. Here are excerpts from his remarks:

On whether recent signs of rising inflation threaten the US economy:

"Everything suggests that we should be able to get through this period without seeing inflation increase to a point where it would become a problem."

On speculation he will be named Treasury secretary:

"I love serving the president in the job I am doing and serving the country. I haven't given it much thought."

On the importance of immigration reform:

"This is probably the social/domestic issue of our time and unless we tackle it, confront it, solve it in a comprehensive way, we are just going to let the problem get bigger and more complex."

On whether anti-immigrant rhetoric from some Republicans will hurt the GOP with Hispanic voters:

"There are a lot of values that attract Latinos and Hispanics to the Republican Party.... The leader of the Republican Party has believed in this issue and has been a staunch proponent of comprehensive reform from the time he was governor of Texas.... [T]he symbol of the Republican Party is President Bush and that is what I believe will attract Latinos and Hispanics to the Republican Party."

On whether the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reform law has worked:

"Overall it has been a positive thing. Where we need to be very vigilant ... is with small business [so we don't put these businesses] at a competitive disadvantage."

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