Hillary Clinton Is Our True Small-Business Champion

“When my dad ran his small printing business -- he printed drapery fabrics in Chicago -- it put food on the table; it gave us a good, solid, middle-class home and lifestyle. And I don’t think it’s old-fashioned to say that’s what I want for every family that wants to work for that here in our country today.” -- Hillary Clinton [May 22, 2015]

As our 45th U.S. President, Hillary
Clinton will make America work for
everyone -- including SMBs.

Today is Super Tuesday, a critical day in the 2016 presidential campaign. More than a dozen states are voting today -- some in primaries, some in caucuses -- and the results may not be known for quite a while. A total of 1,460 delegates are up for grabs -- 865 for Democrats, 595 for Republicans.

After nearly five years, I'm jump-starting GoodBiz113 to declare my unequivocal support for Hillary Clinton. She's clearly the most qualified candidate -- from either side of the political aisle -- to fight for current and would-be small-business owners, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, inventors, artists, writers and, well, everyone else, too. She truly cares about leveling the playing field for America's short- and long-term economic future.

In brief, here's what Hillary Clinton will do for small businesses:

* Give small businesses more access to the financing and new markets they need to grow and hire.

* Launch a national effort to cut the red tape holding small businesses and entrepreneurs back.

* Provide targeted tax relief for small businesses, and simplify tax filing.

Here are more in-depth details of how Hillary Clinton will make it easier to start and grow a small business in America:

* Unlocking access to capital. Hillary Clinton is committed to giving small businesses -- and, in particular, women- and minority-owned small businesses -- access to the financing they need to build, grow and hire. She will ease unnecessary regulatory burdens on community banks, which provide credit to small-business owners and families looking to invest in their futures. She will support innovative new financing modes, like impact investing. And she will double support for community development financial institutions and the successful State Small Business Credit Initiative [SSBCI], which offer crucial sources of support for small businesses across the country -- particularly, in underserved communities.

* Cutting red tape. It shouldn’t take longer to start a small business in the United States than it does in Canada, France or South Korea. Hillary Clinton will launch a nationwide effort to cut red tape for small businesses at every level of government. Plus, she will build a regulatory road map to help small businesses navigate the regulatory landscape and reduce compliance costs associated with federal, state and local regulation.

* Providing tax relief. America’s smallest businesses -- i.e., those with one to five employees -- spend 150 hours and $1,100 per employee to comply with federal taxes. That’s more than 20 times higher than the average for larger firms. Hillary Clinton will simplify tax filing and provide targeted tax relief for small businesses -- not the big corporations that can well afford lawyers and lobbyists.

* Tapping new markets. Every small business across America should be able to enter new markets -- whether they’re across town or across the world. Hillary Clinton will invest in the roads, bridges, ports and airports that make it easier for small businesses to reach new customers. She will defend the Export-Import Bank, a crucial financing partner for small businesses across America, and help the bank expand its small-business programs. And she will encourage innovations -- e.g., Etsy and eBay -- that are unlocking new markets through innovative, new platforms that let small businesses sell anywhere in America and the world.

* Supporting small-business owners and entrepreneurs. Hillary Clinton will work to provide incubators, mentoring and training to 50,000 entrepreneurs and small-business owners in underserved communities across the country. Plus, she will support the development of entrepreneurial skills among young people -- even kids in high school -- so they can increase both their financial and entrepreneurial literacy. These programs will help those with good ideas today become the entrepreneurs and business leaders of tomorrow.

The upshot: While other candidates speak in vague, pie-in-the-sky generalities of what they'd do in the Oval Office, Hillary Clinton has the clear vision, proven pragmatism, leadership acumen, exceptional experience and qualified leadership to hit the ground running on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, when the 45th U.S. President is inaugurated. Together, let's make sure that happens. 
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SOURCES: Hillary for America, Wikimedia Commons [image]

Join Entrepreneurs Supporting Hillary Clinton for President!

Happy Independence Day!

My goodness. The media scene -- Web 2.0/social, traditional, etc. -- is very busy today, with heartfelt greetings, stories and insights from folks of all political and professional stripes.

First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the day with an early-morning post on the White House Blog, encouraging all Americans to support military families in any way they can. You can view her video message here: http://bit.ly/July4FLOTUS.

Then, just minutes later, today's "CBS Sunday Morning" cover story featured Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton discussing The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, a U.S. State Department diplomacy program that sends musical ambassadors across the globe. To learn about how 10 groups of highly talented U.S. musicians are helping to promote cross-cultural understanding around the world, please visit: http://go.usa.gov/O4V.

Following that, master marketer, consultant and best-selling author Chris Brogan shared a thought-provoking piece on what it means to him to live and work independently. Take a few minutes to read and reflect on "A Day of Independence" here: http://bit.ly/agr9uQ.

Last, but not least, artist-philanthropist-activist-entrepreneur George Rodrigue, a GoodBiz113 profilee ["Louisiana Artist Brings Post-Katrina [Blue Dog] Relief to New Orleans"], sent us a brief July 4th salute -- "Happy Independence Day" -- and illustrated it with "Stripes" [pictured above], a silkscreen he created in 1996. For the latest events and good deeds happening via his far-reaching George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts: Youth Development Through Art in Education [GRFA], please visit http://bit.ly/RodrigueFoundation.

We're off to enjoy the day -- but not before leaving a message for y'all...

Thanks for reading GoodBiz113. Your continued support of our publishing endeavor is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes to you and yours for a safe, fun and meaningful Independence Day 2010.

SOURCES: CBS News, ChrisBrogan.com, George Rodrigue Studio, U.S. State Department, The White House
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Secretary Clinton Highlights Importance of American Exports to Overseas Markets During Visit to Boeing Maintenance Facility in Shanghai, China

Earlier today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton [pictured] visited the Boeing Maintenance Facility at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport to promote U.S. aviation exports to China. She toured the facility and met with U.S. aviation exporters and other companies to discuss commercial opportunities in China. Participants shared their experiences with the secretary, and explained the opportunities and challenges they face in this dynamic market.

Secretary Clinton highlighted the importance of American exports to overseas markets, particularly in Asia, in support of President Barack Obama’s National Export Initiative -- a government-wide effort to double U.S. exports over the next five years, and support two million U.S. jobs.

* China is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets, and provides tremendous opportunities for U.S. companies and U.S. exports. Industry forecasts predict a 300 percent increase in passenger traffic, from 230 million passengers in 2009, to 700 million passengers in 2020 -- and further doubling to 1.5 billion by 2030. Aviation continues to be the leading U.S. export industry, generating a global surplus of $60 billion in 2008.

* The Boeing Maintenance Facility builds upon the commercial relationship between the United States and China to promote economic development, technological advancement, and prosperity for both nations and the world at large.

* U.S. exports to China are a key market -- the U.S.’s third-largest -- hitting record levels in the first quarter of 2010, with an increase of approximately 46 percent compared to 2009.

* The growth of imports from the United States in key sectors -- such as energy, chemicals, transportation, medical equipment, construction and machinery -- suggests that China will remain an important and viable market for a wide range of products. With growing numbers of Chinese people traveling abroad for education and leisure purposes, China’s contribution to U.S. educational institutions and the tourism industry is increasingly important, as well.

* The United States remains the largest single-country market for China’s exports.

Secretary Clinton has committed the Department of State and the U.S. Embassies overseas to support efforts to expand markets, promote American exports, advise businesses wishing to operate overseas, and protect U.S. economic interests. These efforts benefit American workers, businesses and economies and contribute to overall U.S. security and shared global prosperity.

For more information on President Obama’s National Export Initiative [NEI], please visit http://bit.ly/ObamaNEI.

GoodBiz113's Take
The NEI holds great potential for growing the economy, and helping U.S. businesses -- especially small businesses and farmers -- prosper for the long term. President Obama, Secretary Clinton and other members of the Administration are to be applauded for stepping up the win-win-win prospects of America's exporting activities.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of State
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Hillary Clinton's New Health-Care Strategy Will Benefit Small Businesses

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton says only 37 percent of Iowa's small businesses provide health-care coverage to their workers. The universal-health-care strategy she unveiled Monday -- her $110 billion American Health Choices Plan -- seeks to provide a tax break to small companies, so more small businesses will start offering a health-care benefit to workers.

"They will have new incentives to provide you with coverage that makes it affordable for you and the small business, but they will not be required to do so," Clinton said today during a telephone interview with Radio Iowa. If you can't get insurance through your employer, her plan allows you to buy into the government-subsidized health-care system. When all is said and done, the 47 million Americans who currently don't have health insurance -- those who are fully employed or otherwise -- will finally have coverage.

It's important to note that small businesses won't be forced into the system. In fact, Clinton's plan even rewards small businesses that already provide health insurance. How? With a tax credit.

Republican critics say Clinton hopes to get more citizens used to a "government-run system," so she can eventually shift all Americans away from private insurance. Clinton's response: "I anticipate that those who do not want to solve the problems we face, and who do not understand the human and economic costs that our current health-care system is imposing on our people and businesses, will come up with all kinds of criticism."

Some of Clinton's Democratic critics say she's too willing to work with the insurance and pharmaceutical industries on this issue. Clinton says she's not only willing to work with insurance and drug company representatives, she will work with any willing Republicans. "The bottom line is," she noted, "we cannot have health-care reform unless we have a bipartisan majority to do it."

Clinton and four other Democratic presidential candidates will be in Davenport tonight to talk about health-care reform and retirement security issues at a forum sponsored by the Divided We Fail coalition, which includes AARP and other health care-oriented organizations.

Sources: Associated Press [photo], Radio Iowa, TIME.com
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Kerry Focuses on Expanding Minority Entrepreneurship Opportunities

Today, Sen. John Kerry [D-Mass.] urged the Bush Administration to take steps to expand access to capital and federal contracts for minority entrepreneurs.

Kerry, chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, chaired a hearing to highlight the barriers many minorities face as they seek to start or expand a business, and to discuss policy solutions to address these challenges. “One of our nation’s greatest assets is our diversity," he said. "Investing in minority businesses only helps to increase the value of that asset.

“For example, in Massachusetts, minorities make up about 15 percent of our population, but they own only about five percent of the businesses and account for just 1.4 percent of sales. We must do more to create opportunities for successful business growth, and remove the barriers for minority entrepreneurs.”

Over the last 10 years, minority business enterprises accounted for over 50 percent of the two million new businesses started in the United States, crossing every industrial sector -- from financial services and health care, to construction and transportation. Today, there are more than four million minority-owned companies in the country, with annual sales totaling $694 billion. There are nearly 50,000 minority-owned firms in Massachusetts.

According to the 2002 U.S. Census data, minorities make up 32 percent of our population, yet minority business ownership is only at 18 percent. In addition, these firms make significantly less than their non-minority counterparts. The average gross receipts of minority firms was $162,000 -- considerably lower than the $448,000 average gross receipts of non-minority firms.

This disparity demonstrates the need for targeted programs at the federal level for minority entrepreneurs. Kerry is working on several pieces of legislation to help close the gap for minority firms. At today’s hearing, he promised to introduce bipartisan legislation this summer to improve the federal contracting process for small firms and increase oversight of federal agencies.

The Minority Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2007, which Kerry introduced in January and is cosponsored by Sens. Mary Landrieu [D-La.], Hillary Clinton [D-N.Y.], and Ben Cardin [D-Md.], would give grants to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges to help train the entrepreneurs of the future. This legislation passed the Committee with bipartisan support last year.

Kerry’s access to capital bill, S. 1256, the Small Business Lending Reauthorization and Improvements Act of 2007, would improve all of the Small Business Administration’s loan programs -- including strengthening the microloan program, which, proportionally, serves more minorities than other programs. The bill would also create an Office of Minority Small Business Development within the agency -- a provision the Committee unanimously passed last year. This bill passed the Committee on May 16, 2007.

GoodBiz113's take: As our nation's cultural melting pot grows, it simply makes sense to have programs in place to help share the wealth. Thanks to Sen. Kerry's ongoing collaborative efforts, that'll happen for win-win-win good.

Sources: Library of Congress, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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