We need to gear this nation towards small business (Congress, legal, Whitehouse)
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Could you provide proof? Pointing fingers without giving evidence to back it up will only distract everyone from solving the issue at hand (not enough small business) and cause infighting on what should be a united front.
What is the best way to do away with them or keep them silent. Hint, you see democrats doing it with the IRS and conservative groups... (money)
Obama has hurt small businesses financially with laws and taxation so heavy they struggle or go out of business. Obviously Obama supporters want the only jobs in town to be from big companies. Big companies are also just fine with it too. Many Obama supporters are so enthralled with Obama they know not what they do.
The ability to start a succesful business has long been an important part of social mobility as well as "the American dream." But now, we see that big business is favored far more than the little guy. Small business has been relegated to niche roles as big industries (food & consumables, homecare products, automobiles, banking, railroads, retail (online and physical), heavy industry, and so forth) have overtaken the market. It's near impossible to open a local retail store and compete with the big boxes-if you open a grocery and a Target opens up nearby, you're screwed. Want to start an automobile company? That's too damn bad, there are enough-there's no local market to serve. But you can always start a grocery store, right? No, forget it; there's a Schnucks a couple blocks down the road. It's pretty difficult to compete with such well-emplaced oligopolies.
While I understand that these businesses have thrived because they've conducted business well, at what cost has this come? What kind of customer-business owner friendships have been forsaken in the name of a 20-cent-cheaper box of Cheerios? What sort of small, friendly environments have been given up for cheaper prices? What kind of community bonds have been surrendered for convenience? Big-box retailers like Wal-Mart dont give a crap about their customers, and hardly see them as much more than a potential resource to be drained. They aren't providing jobs because they care about the community's well-being, they are hiring because they need (easily-replaceable) cogs to run the machine. Businesses are only in it for business any more. While I know that that was what businesses were designed for, they could be much more than that-they could be integral members of the communities they serve. But that's becoming more and more rare as we continue to "progress."
So what should we do about it? I think it is our obligation, as Americans, to support small business in whatever ways we can. We should aim to purchase their products, even if it costs a little extra. We should get to know the people that run them, and give them our support. We should encourage government to give big business far less sway in politics, with our mouths and the ballot. Not only this, but we should encourage big business to live up to our standards. We should show to them that they will only be welcome in a community if they actively participate in it. We must change the way we shop-if we choose local for our suppliers, they will in turn go local, and it will create more demand for small business and this more job opportunities for all. It will enable businesses to shrink their focus on smaller areas and thus dedicate themselves more to their community.
Now before I close this off, let it be known that I'm not screaming "death to big business!" I want them to thrive too. But I want little businesses to thrive more, and if that has to come at the expense of bigger companies, so be it. By their very nature, larger chains are going to be less connected to their community because they serve a larger community and have to spread their focus. Now, I'm not opposed to chains altogether; I will still shop at local, smaller chains that I enjoy and that don't obviously dominate their market. I will take my money to whatever place is at least somewhat rooted in my community, regardless of size; but I feel like smaller businesses will remain more strongly connected to the community than larger ones. Regardless, my money will be spent at places where I feel I can get a return beyond what I purchase. I hope you will all do the same.
Is it just a coincidence, that the corporate structure we have today, appeared after the government gave away there job of creating currency, to the federal reserve?
End the Fed and you end the grab of wealth from the people.
What is the best way to do away with them or keep them silent. Hint, you see democrats doing it with the IRS and conservative groups... (money)
Obama has hurt small businesses financially with laws and taxation so heavy they struggle or go out of business.
It's not Obama directly.
Big business (multinationals, banks, etc) want the heavy regs. They are in the driver's seat and plan to stay there. They enjoy exemptions, waivers, grandfathering and can easily pay the cost for staying on top.
There's been a Democrat sitting in the WH for 5 years now.
Nothing's changed.
The Dems are just as beholden to the big corps as the Repubs are.
Neither McCain nor Romney got voted into office.
Obama did..twice and nothing has changed.
I say don't vote on party lines at all. Only vote for those interested in small business, regardless of party.
Part of the problem here is over regulation. Case in point the lead scare with toys. Mattell toys being imported from China were found to have high levels of lead. The knee jerk reaction is mandate testing of toys which sounds great at face value but not so good for small business. A company like Matell might be testing lots of thousands of toys so the cost of testing which might be hundreds of dollars is spread across all those products and they have the resources to do it in house. If you're Joe the one man show wooden toy maker the testing cost more than you are selling the toys for. End result is the company that caused the issue in the first place is actually benefiting.
As another example locally before 2000 there was literally hundreds of what were referred to as "bootleg" mines. These weren't illegal operations, they got that moniker because they were very small operations operated by handful of people. These would be 5th and 6th generation miners, usually family owned and operated. These were some of the safest mines in the country, you have to consider it's your son or neighbor that is working the mine. MSHA came in and started giving them a hard time demanding they meet the same rules and regulations being used in larger mining operations, many of these rules weren't even designed for the type of mining they were doing and in some cases actually unsafe practices. The cost was too great, no more "bootleg" mining except for the larger companies.
I don't know what the answer is here but what I do know is as the government piles on more rules and regulations it becomes more difficult and costly to run a small business.
Over regulation is a myth. Stop repeating debunked arguments but forward by big businesses that want to do what ever the hell the want.
Mandate lead testing of toys wouldn't affect small businesses unless they manufactured the toy. Did that little point escape you? What small business couldn't afford to have each of the products that it was contracted to make for a toy company certified lead free? Mattel doesn't make the toys they contract the making the toys out.
If a small manufacturer didn't want to do that a toy company shouldn't want to do business with them because there is no telling what shoddy workmanship in those toys there would be much less wheter there would be lead or not.
Also the testing is not done on every toy. It's done on a sample from the factory like every other test of product safety.
Your claims about bootleg are also nonsense. Bootleg mining is a term for illegal coal mining which is a real thing that goes on.
"These would be 5th and 6th generation miners, usually family owned and operated."
They wouldn't be referred to as bootleg then. Oh btw in the 1980s in Kentucky they found about 15% of these family owned mines to be illegal because there were no permits issued for the mining and people were dying in these illegal mines that were bootleg.
I say don't vote on party lines at all. Only vote for those interested in small business, regardless of party.
Small business to a Republican means Exxon, Halliburton. S-corps. Not to everybody else those are big businesses.
For instance the ACA is a blessing to those wanting to start small businesses because lack of health insurance is one of the main reasons why someone wouldn't want to start their own small business.
Small business to a Republican means Exxon, Halliburton. S-corps. Not to everybody else those are big businesses.
For instance the ACA is a blessing to those wanting to start small businesses because lack of health insurance is one of the main reasons why someone wouldn't want to start their own small business.
And small business to a Democrat means GE, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Citi
That's an excellent question. Perhaps when they no longer are concerned about the community? Or when they start swallowing up other small businesses against the will of those businesses? I can't quite say for sure, that's a really good thought.
"Or when they start swallowing up other small businesses against the will of those businesses?"
I don't know how old you are but, big businesses have been "swallowing up" small businesses for a very long time.
MANY "hand made" car companies were "swallowed up" when Ford created the assembly line.
When I was a kid in the early 60's I remember my neighbor who owned a gas station quit selling auto products because the "big" stores, Sears, Montgomery ward's, etc. were selling those products for LESS then he could buy them for. The more volume you buy, the cheaper the price.
"Or when they start swallowing up other small businesses against the will of those businesses?"
I don't know how old you are but, big businesses have been "swallowing up" small businesses for a very long time.
MANY "hand made" car companies were "swallowed up" when Ford created the assembly line.
When I was a kid in the early 60's I remember my neighbor who owned a gas station quit selling auto products because the "big" stores, Sears, Montgomery ward's, etc. were selling those products for LESS then he could buy them for. The more volume you buy, the cheaper the price.
And the bigger ones only continue to grow and swallow up the little competitors who are not really competitors at all.
To quote Highlander:
"In the end, there can be only one" seems to be the motto of these huge multinationals.
When there's no competition you can charge as much as you like, you can treat your customers however you want, you can produce crap because there's no where else to go or buy from.
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