American Small Business League Calls out Obama
A statement released today by the American Small Business League criticizes the President's first year policies for small business.
The statement details how Obama made key promises for small business, but failed to live up to those promises. The statement does bring up valid points that every small business owner should be aware of.
Here are the key needs listed in the League's press release:
Restore the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Budget and Staffing
Despite promising to bolster the agency, the Obama Administration has failed to refill key positions, or restore the agency's budget. Today, the SBA's staff is at a 30 year low.
Restore the SBA Administrator to a Cabinet Level Position
Despite encouragement from both Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress, President Obama has refused to restore the SBA's Administrator to cabinet level status.
Implement the Congressionally Mandated 5-percent Set-Aside Goal for Women Owned Firms.
To date, the Obama Administration has failed to honor that promise.
End the Diversion of Federal Small Business Contracts to Corporate Giants
Since 2003, more than 15 federal investigations have found that billions in federal small business contracts have been diverted to Fortune 500 firms in the U.S. and some of the biggest firms in Europe and Asia. In February of 2008, President Obama acknowledged the magnitude of the problem by releasing the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants."
These are all valid points that we have covered in previous Free Enterprise posts. For example, the post SBA Revises Size Standards for Small Businesses details how SBA is allowing larger businesses to qualify for small business incentives. In addition to giving small business contracts to subsidiaries of Fortune 500 giants, increasing the size limits for eligible businesses diverst busniesses eligible for "small business" contracts .
Make sure to look at all the points and see if you agree with the American Small Business League. And also make sure to check out our related resources for more information regarding President Obama's policies towards small business.
Related Resources:
- Fewer Small Business Contracts for Big Business? (FindLaw's Fee Enterprise)
- Obama Health Care Speech: Small Business Excerpts (Findlaw's Free Enterprise)
- Expanding Small Business Roundtable (Findlaw's Free Enterprise)
- Obama Proposes New Steps for Small Business Loans (Findlaw's Free Enterprise)