the family business in la road minnesota who didn't lay off one of their 4,000 employees when the recession hit. even when their competitor shut down dozens of plants when it meant he would give up peckers and pay because they understood the biggest asset were the community and the workers who helped build that business. they give me hope. [applause] i think about the young soir sai met at walter reed hospital still recovering from a grenade attack that would cause him to have his leg amputated above the knee. six months ago we would watch him walk into a whitehouse dinner offering those who served in iraq. thought and 20 pounds heavier, dashing in his uniform, would big grin on his face, sturdy on his new leg. and i remember how a few months after that i would watch him on a bicycle, racing with his fellow wounded warriors on a sparkling spring day, inspiring other heroes who had just gun the hard path he had traveled. he gives me hope. [applause] he gives me hope. i don't know what party these men and women belong to. i don't know if they'll vote for me. but i know that their spirit defin