Small businesses get no respect

A wise man once said, “Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute.” Was it Jefferson or Franklin? Yet the opposite is true today. Small businesses must utilize every dime to defend and expand their businesses.

The big guys have the luxury of affecting public policy to their benefit through the lobbying process. No doubt money talks and it can buy a lot of tribute and influence. But when there is a critical need to create jobs it’s the small business, the entrepreneur, that’s called upon.

When the news media needs a business perspective they interview the CEOs of large multinational corporations, not the local guy. Small businesses really don’t have the time or money to buy lobbyists and if they did they would put it into the growth of their business, not into the pocket of a politician.

The little guy can’t compete in this arena. Therein lies the paradox. How does a political process that’s beholden to the overlord of the campaign contribution sneak cheese out the back door to keep the real engine of our economy alive?

Remember, the big companies don’t like small businesses because they represent competition and loss of market share. The small business environment is a lot like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, “We get no respect.”

Mike Simon

Glen Ellyn