Small Businesses and Today's Economy

Every time I see Senator Harry Reid on television or in the local news here in Nevada I wonder why in the world people vote for this man. I imagine it is because no one else wants his position. For some reason he keeps getting voted into office and has become more powerful over the years. Today he is known as the Senate Majority Leader. In case you have never bothered to look up what a Senate Majority or Senate Minority Leader means, here is Wikepedia's explanation. "The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences that hold the majority and the minority respectively. These leaders serve as the chief Senate spokesmen for their parties and manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate. By rule, the Presiding Officer gives the Majority Leader priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate.
The Majority Leader customarily serves as the chief representative of his or her party in Senate, and sometimes even in all of Congress if the House of Representatives and thus the office of Speaker of the House is controlled by the opposition party."

So at this point I'm sure you are wondering what in the heck does my title of this blog have anything to do with what I have written above...I'm getting to that. I decided 2 months ago to write to Senator Harry Reid to find out what he is doing to help people such as myself that are small business owners. Every time I see Harry Reid on television he is either bashing someone on the opposing political party or complaining about something else. In my letter to Harry Reid I asked specifically what role he plays in helping small businesses in order to grow and stimulate the economy and to help create jobs. Just as I expected from a politicial and let alone this bottom of the barrel politician, his response was anything but an answer to my question. I have copy and pasted his letter to me so that you may read for yourself his (non) answer.

Dear Mr. Peterson:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the impact of our nation's economic downturn on small businesses. I appreciate hearing from you.

We are in the midst of one of the greatest financial crises in a generation, as American families and small businesses suffer the consequences of a nationwide credit crunch. At a time when consumers are experiencing depleted household wealth and banks are tightening their lending standards, I am acutely aware that small business owners are facing unprecedented financial hardships.

You may be interested to learn that Congress and the Obama Administration are already taking steps to ease the economic pain that small business owners are feeling. I am pleased that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-05), which President Obama signed into law on February 17, 2009, included several provisions aimed at providing much-needed credit and tax relief to small business owners. These measures include almost $400 million for direct and loan guarantees, additional lending programs with reduced fees, and establishing increased lending and refinancing authority to the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Additionally, the Treasury Department has committed itself to increasing credit availability for small businesses by promoting liquidity in the secondary market for SBA loans. You can learn more about the Treasury's efforts at http://www.treas.gov. It is my hope that these initiatives, along with continued efforts to strengthen our nation's financial system, will provide small businesses with the credit they need to meet the immediate demands of their operations and their long-term goals of growth.

I am a strong supporter of small businesses because they play a vital role in the economy by spurring innovation and job creation. According to the Office of Advocacy in the Small Business Administration, small businesses have generated about 70 percent of net new jobs annually over the past decade. Two out of three workers get there first job at a small business, so they serve as major trainers of American employees. That is why I remain committed to stabilizing all levels of our economy, which includes maintaining a strong Small Business Administration and fostering an economic environment that promotes development among entrepreneurs everywhere.

I appreciate hearing your concerns regarding the effects of this economic downturn on hardworking small business owners. As my colleagues work to stabilize the financial system and strengthening our nation's economy, I will certainly keep your thoughts and point of view in mind. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

My best wishes to you.

Sincerely,

HARRY REID
United States Senator
Nevada

So there you have it. My hopes are that he does do something in order to help small business owners so that our economy can once again thrive and create jobs. It breaks my heart to hear of so many people without work and struggling just to feed their families.

For more information, please feel free to contact me at the information listed below.

Profit and Las Vegas Bookkeeping, LLC

9767 Gentle Spirit Drive

Las Vegas, NV 89148

(702) 405-9912 - Office

(866) 835-9912 - Fax

www.profitandlasvegas.com