I'm a proud Republican - there's no issue with that at all, so why can't I be a proud Republican and just try to solve problems?

To you, the people of Flint, I say, as I have before, I am sorry and I will fix it. No citizen of this great state should endure this kind of catastrophe. Government failed you. Federal, state and local leaders by breaking the trust you placed in us.

I have a responsibility to tell the truth. The truth about what we`ve done, and what we`ll do.

I`d like to address the people of Flint. Your families face a crisis. A crisis you did not create and could not have prevented. I want to speak directly, honestly and sincerely to let you know we are praying for you, we are working hard for you, and we are absolutely committed to taking the right steps to effectively solve this crisis.

However, we will take this opportunity to re-examine the strategic direction of Gateway to fine-tune our products, services and approach to our professional and consumer direct markets.

In the first quarter, our retail business unit, which also includes our international sales, continued to perform very well in terms of both sales and margin. Unfortunately, our positive retail results were partially offset by losses in our professional sales unit. As a result, we essentially broke even in the quarter, prior to litigation expenses of $14 million.

I'm not willing to concede that we can't find a good niche for us and become a player.

I'm very proud of the auto industry in Michigan.

It's important to note that these specific tax adjustments predominantly date back to the mid- to late-1990s, and therefore should not detract from the operating successes Gateway enjoyed in 2005, including posting its first full- year profit in a half-decade.

Thanks to the efforts of the management team and employees, Gateway last year posted its first GAAP profit since 2000, and recognized a $643 million improvement in operating income from 2004, while experiencing an increase in brand awareness and continued positive reception for its products and services from customers and trade press alike.