Elections Matter

ENTREPRENEUR ALERT: Why this election matters

I’ve never been a very political person. In the words of former presidential candidate Herman Cain, I was part of the “50% clueless.”

But not anymore. Why the change?

I’m concerned.  And as an entrepreneur, you should be too. With this current administration, our Free Enterprise society is at risk. Our way of life is in jeopardy. The strength and economic health of our country is at stake. And we need to do something about it.

In 2008, Obama campaigned on “hope and change.” He said he’d “fix the economy.” He said there was “no excuse” for the $4 trillion debt racked up by the Bush administration. He said he’d lower the deficits by 50% in 4 years. He said he’d bring unemployment under 6%.

Did he accomplish these promises? No. Let’s see where we now stand under the current administration:

  • Our national unemployment rate has been above 8% for 41 months and is currently at 8.2% (SOURCE:  Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • Our national debt is over $15 trillion* (and counting) (SOURCE:  TreasuryDirect.gov)
  • Our deficit has grown over $5 trillion* (SOURCE:  On the Record with Greta Van Susteren)
  • Our nearly 40% corporate tax rate is the highest in the world, and Obama wants to tax us more (SOURCE:  Huffington Post)
  • Our government has lost control of the agencies they run

*figures were accurate at the time this article was written

Rather than take responsibility for our dire situation, the current administration deflects the blame everywhere but where it belongs. They try to stir all of us up at every opportunity so that we are divided, rather than united. Because united, we all would see the real problems.

It’s the economy.

This goes far beyond Democrats vs. Republicans. I’ve been a registered Democrat since 1987. But in this presidential election, I’m voting with my head.  And my head tells me the facts are clear. If the current administration is allowed to stay, our economy will be unrecognizable in four years. In fact, we will be heading down the slippery slope to Socialism. And history has shown us that socialism doesn’t work, just look at Greece, Spain and Italy.

Wasteful spending, no end in sight

We were promised change. One of the big changes we got was an even higher deficit than we ever thought was possible: nearly $16 trillion. Yet instead of putting the brakes on spending, the administration finds new places to spend, spend, spend!

We have a government that’s become a venture capitalist, giving money to risky ventures like Solyndra. Obama used our taxpayer dollars to push his green agenda. And that company went out of business anyway. All the money – gone.

To save money, the administration cut our defense budget. With North Korea and Iran threatening nuclear arms, cutting the defense budget isn’t smart. And what about our national budget – the tool that makes us take stock of what we expect to spend, and where we’re going to get the money? The Senate hasn’t delivered a budget in three years, even though it’s mandated by law.

Unemployment up, jobs down

The only parts of the country where unemployment is dropping to the 6% level we were promised are some of the “swing” states where the voters elected new governors in 2010 (Virginia, Ohio, Florida, etc.) – former Democrat-leaning states that went Republican during mid-term elections.

In fact, under Obama, our country has a net LOSS of 740,000 jobs (January 2009 to March 2012, SOURCE:  PolitiFact.com).

Killing the golden goose

Instead of encouraging entrepreneurs like us – the job creators – the current administration is killing us, the geese that lay the golden eggs. If our corporate taxes go any higher we will not just lose money; we will be forced to cut more employees too.

Our country was founded on capitalism and has thrived under capitalism since the days of our Founding Fathers. Of course we want to help those who are less fortunate. My company donates thousands of hours to non-profit organizations to help them promote their causes and reach their audiences. We counsel others who want to become entrepreneurs. We take on young people as interns and teach them how a business operates. I’m sure you do these types of things too.

As entrepreneurs, we are part of our community. We help our community grow and thrive. We give a hand up to people who have worked hard and taken the initiative and now need a guiding hand. That’s capitalism at its best.

Government gone wild

The GSA and Secret Service scandals are examples of a government that can’t control its agencies. How long these antics were going on before it blew up publicly, we don’t know for sure. But the administration knew. They just ignored it.

For example, did you know we are spending $4.2 billion per year on refunds to non-citizens who do not have a Social Security Number? (SOURCE-U.S. Treasury, Inspector General report from Russell George)

Too many people are protecting people who should be shown the door. Speaking of protecting people, where is the media while all this is going on?

For some reason, the media gives the president a pass, presenting him only in a positive light. That means it’s up to US to get the word out.

Let’s use our collective clout to talk about what’s really happening and what needs to be done.  Get the word out. Protect the capitalism our country was built on, and the livelihoods we’ve worked so hard to build.

If ever there was a time to speak up, it is now.

Sign our petition.