Small Businesses Say Taxes And Regulation Aren’t Holding Back Hiring

I don't know if this is germane or not, but we live in one of those diverse parts of town that you are always hearing about and which Republicans tend to sneer at. A nice racial/cultural and socio-economic mix. Close to downtown. Good public transport. A couple of parks, and we don't worry about walking the streets at night. Predictably more liberal politically than otherwise. We have plenty of small and medium sized businesses in the area and we support them. They are centered mainly on two streets and owned and staffed by people who tend toward tats and piercings.

In looking at the economy here I'd say that there is more creativity, risk-taking and genuine entrepreneurship going on than among the entire Fortune 500 combined. And when one of these businesses runs into problems and has to lay people off it's because the phone is not ringing and people are not walking in the door and spending money. Don't get me wrong. I'm not discounting the fact that there are business people who fail because they mess up. Of course the folks I"m talking about do not have enough clout to obtain a government bailout when they do.

Anyway, I can't speak for small business owners everywhere and I'm not one myself, but based on the casual conversations we've had with the business owners around here taxes are the least of their worries. They hire when they have something for people to do that will generate a net profit. A few hundred dollars or a couple of thousand dollars in tax savings over the course of this year or that year isn't going to induce them to take on new employees. People buying their services or their stuff on a regular basis is.

 

Please don't be so critical and stereotypical. I'm a Republican and I certainly wouldn't sneer at anyone. I celebrate diversity, entrepreneurship, legitimate business, personal responsibility and hard work. It sounds like your area is populated with this type of spirit. This is really the backbone of America and I sincerely encourage it whether it's tat shops, piercings shops or whatever. Generally speaking, I have found Republicans to be much more open to small business than Democrats who seem to want to work for someone instead of taking a business risk venture. Democrats (and yes, I'm being critical and stereotypical) tend to put themselves into jobs where they're a "cog in a wheel" in order to obtain things like benefits, retirement, job security, etc.

I'm trying to picture the area in which you live and I presume most people there would consider themselves Democrats, Libertarians, Socialists... anything but Republicans. I think it's a false assumption that some of those people may have that Democrats are "for the working man" and that Republicans are "for big business". I think it's the other way around. Republicans have an entrepreneurial spirit and are willing to take business risks whereas Democrats prefer to work for a large, nameless, faceless corporation who will offer them all the perks without much risk involved.

 

You are probably dead right...but you know when that will change? Just as soon as one of the taxes or regulations actually effects their business.
You've heard the old saying? "A conservative is just a liberal who has experienced the real world"

 

Guilty as charged. Sorry. That was kind of gratuitous on my part.

But now you're stereotyping. I'm not sure that you can stereotype one side as being more entrepreneurial than the another. I fit your stereotype in that I work for a giant corporation. And there is sure no shortage of Republicans and other assorted RWers among my colleagues. My point was that this is pretty much a center-left area and there are businesses everywhere. Clothing stores, auto repair places, the commercial glass shop, lots of good restaurants in all price ranges, brewpubs, micro-distilleries, the high-end sound store, movie theaters, barbers, the best and most prestigious perfume shop in town for crissake. And some good tattoo places Obviously I haven't interviewed every business owner in the area but judging by the signs in their windows and what organizations they support, the Republicans among them are pretty thin on the ground. The idea that Republicans are more entrepreneurial doesn't get much support here.

 

Ummm... It's not like all these people just opened up shop yesterday. Many of these places have been around longer than I have. They've had plenty of experience running a business in the real world.

 

I guess you have given up on this one. Your own "facts" got in your way.