The American Recovery and Redistribution of Wealth Act of 2009

Here is a link the House of Representatives Discussion of THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009

Here is the rhetoric from that act about small business

Small businesses are the driving force for new jobs in the economy; 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs created since the mid-1990’s have been created by small businesses. However, small business lending is sharply down. Loan approvals in SBA’s general business loan programs declined 42 percent in the first quarter of FY 2009 compared to the first quarter of FY 2008. Loans guaranteed under the 7(a) business loan program declined 30 percent in terms of number of loans and 11 percent in dollar volume from FY 2007 to FY 2008. In addition, disruptions in the secondary market have caused major lenders to stop accepting business loan applications. The provisions in this bill will help to reverse these trends.

Here is Obama’s Rhetoric:

Now, this recovery plan alone will not solve all the problems that led us into this crisis. We must also work with the same sense of urgency to stabilize and repair the financial system we all depend on. That means using our full arsenal of tools to get credit flowing again to families and business, while restoring confidence in our markets.

Here is the amount of the $750 Billion Stimulus Package that is going to Free Up Credit for Small Business, The Engine of JOB Growth in our economy

Funding would be made available for new loan guarantee and direct lending authorities. Of the $430 million total, $426 million is for credit subsidy costs and $4 million is for administrative costs.

Here is the amount going to Food Stamps:

Help Workers Hurt by the Economy: High unemployment and rising costs have outpaced Americans’ paychecks. The bill helps struggling families make ends meet by providing $20 billion to increase the food stamp benefit by over 13%, in order to help defray rising food costs.

Looks like the plan is to stimulate the economy by investing in BIG government, and entitlements and the spending that will be created will stimulate the economy enough to rev up the engine of job production (Small Business). Isn’t this a little arse backwards? Maybe it would work better if we actually got the engine working first – and then it might not be necessary to spend twenty billion on food stamps- I wonder what would happen if we reversed just that one proportion? If twenty billion went to providing loans to small businesses to stimulate the job growth with which small business is credited in all the rhetoric, and then as a consequence maybe $430 million for food stamps would suffice?

This is just one example of what is wrong with this plan, which Obama is trying to tell us we must not waste time in passing – How about if We The People analyze this and let our representatives know what we think of it BEFORE THIS BILL IS PASSED.

There is 7.7 Billion slated to modernize federal buildings. Despite the rhetoric about small businesses (under 200 employees) – How likely is it that those jobs will go to small businesses rather than large ones? We should demand that it should be clarified what type of companies will be used to do these jobs – and possibly even demand that a percentage be required to go to the small business community!

If small business is the engine that creates new jobs, why has it been given the short stick in a plan that is intended to stimulate the economy?

Government socialism and the Non-profit Economy

Today it is over three years since I composed my first two blogs. My thoughts about what to write about remain consistent with my first two efforts.

In the meantime I have published a number of blog posts at Andersen Studio Days and Nights I understand the need for diplomacy in addressing controversial issues and indeed I attempt to the best of my ability to be diplomatic, but if acceptable diplomacy is to keep one's voice silent and to not question the powers that be, then we are no longer living in a democratic society. Since so much of the activities resulting from the collaboration between government and non-profit organizations borders on socialism and indeed sometimes crosses the line to Marxism, that silence for the sake of acceptance by the powers that be is not a viable alternative. On the other hand, it is probably better to publish my opinions in a venue that is not directly connected to our business and
to that end, I have decided to use this blog to publish my thoughts in a semi-anonymous manner that has fewer restraints by censorship.

The Maine Arts Commission is published on a government website. When I first started this blog in 2005, there was a creative economy list serve, which I welcomed. Maine is a fairly private state and the list serve seemed like a great opportunity to connect with Mainers living in other communities. However it soon became apparent that the list serve was "juried" by the Maine Arts Commission, sponsored by the state of Maine government. Although government censorship on freedom of speech seems fundamentally un-American, it didn't seem entirely inappropriate in the messy world of internet dialogues. However when an petition that I received from Wendy Rosen, who is a highly influential member of the professional crafts community, was rejected by the jury at The Maine Arts Commission, it became my first introduction to the cold shoulder response with which the Maine Art Commission greets the for-profit (small) business community. Since those days, I have come to privately refer to The Maine State Art Commission as a bureaucracy of elitism, which is not surprising when the governor's inspiration is Richard Florida.

The email I sent to be published on the Maine state creative economy list serve concerned the labeling of crafts made in China. These crafts were being imported into the United States with paper labels identifying that they were made in China. The paper labels could easily be removed and underneath were hand painted American names that portrayed the crafts as an American-made craft. Wendy was writing to Mainers because our Senator, Olympia Snowe, was on the relevant congressional committee, and so Wendy Rosen was requesting that we bring the matter to the attention of Senator Snowe. When I submitted the petition to The Maine Arts Commission's Creative Economy List Serve, it was rejected by the jury. On advise, I addressed a letter of complaint to the governor's wife and she contacted the Maine Arts Commission, who sent me a letter explaining that the contribution was rejected because the jury perceived it to be "spam". The obvious rationalization did not hold water, as it is common knowledge that spam is a product of mass mailing, and I sent a single email to the creative economy list serve. In that contribution I requested that Maine crafters write to Senator Snowe. If the "jury" at the Maine Arts Commission identifies such a request as "spam", it only indicates that there is something seriously wrong with the Maine Arts Commission, a belief that has been continually reinforced in the ensuing years.