Periodically, GoodBiz113 puts its ear to the rail to listen to what politicos, pundits and others have recently said about small businesses and our integral role in growing the U.S. economy. Today, just eight days before the critical 2010 midterm elections, we share some views with you, our loyal readers.* * *
"Now, I want to just say a little bit about Ron, because so much of the reason we're here is to make sure that he continues to do the outstanding work that he's doing on behalf of south Florida. They have lived here for 25 years. This is where they raised their family...
"This is where Ron helped run a small business. That's who he's been fighting for since he got to Washington -- families and small business owners -- because he's part of them, he understands them." -- President Barack Obama, on a campaign stop in South Florida to support second-term Rep. Ron Klein [D.-Fla.], who aims to beat back challenger Allen West [Miami's CBS4.com, Oct. 11]
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"The Small Business Jobs Act is helping the private sector move the ball forward on job creation and economic growth... I'm pleased to see these SBA loans made to local businesses, and I expect that this law will continue to expand private-sector lending in the near term through the incentives it provides for small community lenders." -- Rep. Tim Walz [D-Minn.], teaming with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken [D-Minn.], and Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison [D-Minn.] to announce that more than $18 million in loans will go to small businesses throughout Minnesota, helping many of them remain open and creating nearly 100 jobs [TradingMarkets.com, Oct. 11]
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"Spending within our means, looking at our long-term structural deficits, supporting small businesses." -- Small-business owner-turned-Congresswoman Betsy Markey [D-Col.], summing up her top goals as she seeks a second term representing citizens of Colorado's Fourth District [Capital News Connection, Oct. 15]
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"I'm working with your local leaders to provide the kinds of investments to create jobs, so you're strong again and our Main Street businesses keep their doors open." -- Three-term U.S. Senator Patty Murray [D-Wash.], who has helped secure millions of dollars to repair Howard A, Hanson Dam and replace Seattle's South Park Bridge [Seattle Times, Oct. 17]
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"If Republicans in Congress have their way, the millions of women who will benefit from our small-business lending programs -- from the consumer protections in the Financial Reform bill, and from the tax cuts that have helped them through a challenging economic time -- would be left without these benefits... There is an important choice for women in this country to make about whether that is the direction they want the country to move in." -- White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki [ABC News, Oct. 18]
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"The President knew when he came into office that he was going to have to take immediate and bold action, or we might fall down in a hole that we could not get out of. The President takes office in January of 2009. And within 30 days, passes the Recovery Act.
"Now, in the first 100 days of the Recovery Act, that gives tax relief to more than 110 million people, cuts taxes for small business eight different times. In that 100 days, authorizes 3,000 transportation projects, starts on the path to improvement...
"And it doesn’t stop with the Recovery Act. Already this year, the President signed the HIRE Act, which gives specific incentives for companies to hire people who have been unemployed for a period of time, and gets through the Small Business Jobs Act, which brings up to 16 the number of times he cut taxes for small business, reduced the capital-gains rate to zero for anybody starting their own business or investing in a small business." -- Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, during the second edition of his White House White Board [White House, Oct. 19]
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"I look at the jobs issue as a step-by-step process. The Recovery Act stopped our economy from going off a cliff and saved the jobs of millions of teachers, police, firefighters, first responders and others. I also have seen firsthand how it has created private-sector jobs across Wisconsin -- whether it is building a new bridge in Medford, a water sanitation system in Wisconsin Rapids, or a senior center in Plymouth.
"The next step was the HIRE Act, which gave businesses that hired workers that had been unemployed for 60 days a tax break.
"And now we have passed the Small Business Jobs Act to free up credit, so small businesses -- responsible for the majority of job creation in our country -- can expand and create jobs.
"I want to continue these targeted efforts with a jobs tax credit, which would extend and expand the HIRE Act tax break by making any business that hires new workers, expands hours or expands payroll, eligible for a tax break. As we continue to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression, this type of tax break will help businesses next year when they are in a better position to hire." -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold [D-Wis.], during a Q&A interview [Telegraph-Herald Online, Oct. 21]
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"I think that would be a terrible mistake... Our economy depends on a financial system in which everyone competes on a level playing field, and everyone is held to the same rules—whether you’re a big bank, a small-business owner, or a family looking to buy a house or open a credit card." -- President Barack Obama in his weekly address, warning that if Republicans take control of Congress this November, they would repeal consumer protections in the Frank-Dodd financial regulatory reform legislation, which he called "one of the most important victories" he has achieved in office. [Weekly Address, Oct. 23]
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"Clark, an attorney and mother of two, is a respected legislator from St. Cloud who was first elected in 2005. Endorsed by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Clark has been a strong advocate for small-business owners, and pushed for the development of angel investor tax credits in the state." -- Editorial endorsement of Tarryl Clark [D-Minn.], who is challenging two-term U.S. House Rep. Michelle Bachmann [R-Minn.] to represent voters in Minnesota's Sixth District [Star Tribune endorsement, Oct. 24]
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"Barbara Boxer's top priority is to create jobs and turn our economy around. She is fighting to provide more loans to small businesses, provide tax breaks to the middle class, cut our deficit in half by 2013, rebuild our roads and bridges and make California the hub of the new clean-energy economy.
"With so many people out of work, it's shocking that her opponent still wants to go back to the job-killing policies of yesterday. Polices that led to 700,000 job losses a month and the crisis on Wall Street due to deregulation.
"Boxer is working hard to reverse those policies and replace them with smart, targeted initiatives that create jobs here at home -- jobs for today and tomorrow...
"Boxer knows that small businesses are the lifeblood of strong local economies. This is why she supported the Small Business Jobs Act, so that small businesses can expand and create jobs. This legislation includes a provision based on a bill authored by Boxer that would create a $30 billion small business lending fund to help community banks extend credit to small businesses.
"The legislation will help small businesses compete for large federal contracts, increase the maximum size of SBA-backed loans and reduce the fees associated with these loans. The bill also includes $12 billion in tax incentives to help small and medium-sized businesses expand and create new jobs.
"Boxer strongly supported the economic Recovery Act that will help provide nearly 65,000 small-business loans, including 9,600 loans to Californians worth $5.2 billion in lending authority. These loans will make it possible for successful small businesses to expand, hire more employees and further stimulate our local economy." -- Former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer [1991-1998], endorsing U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer [D-Cal., pictured above with supporters] for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate [San Jose Mercury News, 10/24/2010]
SOURCES: ABC News, GovTrack.us, OpenCongress, San Jose Mercury News, Seattle Times, StarTribune,com, Telegraph-Herald.com, The White House
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