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Saturday, November 04, 2006

DFLers bad for business? Nonsense!

So the anti-Hatch group that has come together in recent days is funded by businesspeople who are afraid that one-party control will be bad for business. DFLers bad for business? What a load of crap.

Let's ignore all of the historical data showing that Democrats are better for the economy. Let's forget all of the recent evidence, those comparisons between Bush and Clinton (like how Clinton created something like 20+ million jobs, and Bush has created maybe a third of that). Let's look at what Democrats could do from now on. If I were in charge, this would be my agenda:

1) Income tax simplification for businesses and individuals. Get rid of the majority of arcane deductions and exemptions.

2) Leveling of the income tax playing field. Elimination of the subsidies that huge corporations can take advantage of, but small businesses can't (like setting up foreign shell organizations to avoid paying income taxes).

3) Universal health care to take that cost off of the books of businesses (and their pension plans).

4) Where possible, reducing the regulations that are a barrier to small business creation.

Looking over that list, I do notice one thing: that many of those changes would be most beneficial to small businesses. Which is no accident. I think that the Democratic party can easily be the party of small businesses if they get smart about it. They don't have to change their ideology, because it naturally coincides with the desires of entrepreneurs. It just requires refocusing.

So, does anybody have any issue with this agenda, or any comments about how this would not be beneficial for small businesses?

6 Comments:

At 4:36 PM, November 04, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Did Hatch blow it with the "Republican whore" comment? My gut says he did. Anybody else feel differently?

Mark

 
At 5:48 PM, November 04, 2006, Blogger Douglas Hester said...

Hatch is a bully. Bullies are bad for business, as people will just refuse to deal with them for fear of being treated just like that reporter was.

The meltdown sure is fun to watch, though. He just couldn't hold on for those last few days. Now we know where his daughters get it from.

 
At 8:04 PM, November 04, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, regrettably, Hatch will join Rick Kahn and Howard Dean in the pantheon of Democrats who flew off the handle under last-minute pressure and ruined their elections. Hatch had better hope Pawlenty screws up even worse in the next few days.

But as to the original point of this post, don't ask us what we think about your business agenda. Run for office yourself. Present your ideas in front of a Chamber of Commerce forum. And just feel the chill that falls across the room. I've seen it over and over and over again.

Your ideas aren't all that brilliant, by the way. Other Democrats have tried them before. That's not what business owners are looking for, fundamentally. They're like any other constituency group: They want to feel like you're one of them. And Republicans just do that more convincingly in front of CoC gatherings than Dems do, even if Democrats' ideas are better.

Oh, and Douglas Hester: George Bush is your president. You're not in a good position to be talking about bullying behavior and rambunctious daughters.

 
At 8:28 PM, November 04, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here's an audio link to a Minnesota Chamber of Commerce forum in February 28, 2002. Moe, Lourey, Pawlenty and Sullivan were there. Lourey espouses much of what you're talking about. How well does it go over? And remember, on top of all that, Lourey actually is a small business owner. Does this fact innoculate her?

 
At 4:58 PM, November 06, 2006, Blogger Douglas Hester said...

To Chris:

I agree that George Bush is a bully. I have posted here and elsewhere about policies from the Bush Administration that I don't believe in. I am not an ideologue who blindly follows anyone. This is a Minnesota politics site, not a national one, hence the Hatch comment. Bush being a bully doesn't change the fact that Hatch is one as well.

Respectfully,

Doug

 
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