Election Results Give Hope To Small Business

Yesterday’s Election Day was a tremendous success for the Republican party throughout the United States, with big wins in House, Senate and Governor races all across the nation.

Political pundits had all kinds of colorful ways of describing the landslide victory…

“Republicans rode a wave of voter discontent.”

“This wasn’t just a wave – it was a tsunami.”

“A bloodbath beyond anything you could imagine.”

“A day when the chickens came home to roost.”

“An overwhelming repudiation of President Obama’s policies.”

“A shellacking of monumental proportions.”

“A national referendum on the failed policies of the Obama administration.”

However, it remains to be seen if this means that we’ll see any real improvement over the next two years in the areas that really matter to the strength of our nation, and to me as a small business owner and friend and consultant to many other small business owners.

Here are a few reasons for my skepticism…

1. No matter which political party has been in control of Congress or the White House over the past 100 years or so, the federal government has continued to grow and take more control over Americans’ lives – NOT give us more freedom.
2. Neither Congress nor the President have shown any interest in working together to help solve any of our nation’s many pressing problems, and I’m not convinced that the partisan political gridlock will suddenly end now.
3. Just as President Obama was elected simply because Americans were angry with President George W. Bush and wanted “change,” many Americans said that they cast their votes in yesterday’s elections based on similar voter dissatisfaction and desire simply for “change.” For any positive future results to occur, I believe that politicians (and voters) need to be FOR effective alternative policies, and not simply against current non-working ones.
4. A record amount of money was spent on this election, almost all of which came from big corporations and the wealthiest of Americans. Those donors now expect political favors in return for their support, which means that the “wealth gap” between the richest and poorest Americans is likely to continue to widen.

Personally, I’m all for feel-good social issue problem-solving. But I call that “dessert,” because while it’s something nice to have, it should only be served after the “meat-and-potatoes” issues have been taken care of, which are improving the economy and maintaining the safety and security of all Americans.

Unfortunately, for the past six years, the current administration has focused almost exclusively on “dessert” type of issues, while neglecting the main course.

In my opinion, that’s as irresponsible as a mother always spending her entire shopping budget on ice cream sundaes for her children, while paying little time, money or attention to serving them solid, nutritional, main course meals.

If our country was a household, it would be considered broke. That’s the time to concentrate our precious resources on the most nutritional food we can put on our family’s table – NOT the time to splurge on desserts instead.

After yesterday’s sweeping election results, the #1 question is…

Will the new Republican-controlled Congress really lead to an end to the frustrating, stagnant economy of the past six years and spark a turnaround to a better way of life for small business owners and middle-class Americans?”

Big Government is extremely beneficial for Big Business, which is why the stock market keeps soaring to record highs and the richest Americans keep getting richer. Meanwhile, small business owners continue to be crippled by the burden of ever-increasing regulations and government control, which favor both the wealthiest and poorest Americans, at the expense of those in the middle.

I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to helping entrepreneurs, small business owners and sales professionals improve their incomes and lifestyles.

Most Republicans also say they are also determined to get America back on the right track, by improving conditions for small business owners and members of the middle class. They are fond of saying things like, “The Democrats judge their success based on how many Americans they provide assistance to, but we judge our success based on how many Americans we get off of government support and into lives based on self-reliance.”

Republicans are also almost universally supported by Chambers of Commerce and other small business advocates and associations. None of them has ever been known to insult and demean small business owners by telling us “You didn’t build that” or “Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs.”

Here’s the bottom-line…

At least for the first time in six years, there’s hope for small business owners.

Now let’s see if that translates into actual change for the better.