What if the Little Engine That Could Can’t or Won’t?

You have heard it from the Republicans, Democrats and Independents. It is small business that will pull us out of the recession. It is small business that will create jobs. “Small businesses generally are regarded as companies that have fewer than 500 employees, but there's no widely accepted data that define America's small businesses, said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Urban Institute and The Brookings Institution, two center-left Washington research centers.” Well, the recession has been with us for several years and there are more unemployed people, empty store fronts, for rent offices and empty manufacturing facilities than ever. What if the little engine of small business has run out of gas? Tired of being over regulated, over taxed and tired of paying endless fees. Every government from the local guys to the feds has their hands in the small business guy’s pocket. What if it’s just not worth it anymore?

More interesting is the growing thought that they have only given up for the moment. Unsure about health care, taxes and the current administration in general, they’re just setting it out for a while, holding off creating those precious jobs until things look a little more stable. Waiting till Obama is gone Could be. But what if they wait to long? What if they finally just give up?

Entrepreneurs are a curious lot. Independent, bull headed and stubborn. They get up everyday and go to work for themselves and create the backbone of our economy in the process. But even they have a breaking point. Politicians beware.