To the Editor:
While I don’t agree with Dave Albo on everything, he was absolutely correct with his “Somebody Else Didn’t Come” editorial [Connection, Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2012].
In my view the quickest way to create new jobs would be to unleash the power of the entrepreneur and small business owner. There are, give or take, about 24 million small businesses in the country (SBA.gov). Imagine if, in the next six months, just 20 percent of them were confident enough in the economy to hire at least one new employee. That would be 4.8 million new jobs created! Real jobs.
As a business and leadership coach to hundreds of small business owners around the country what I hear from them is that they just want government to get out of the way so that they, their customers and their employees can be left to decide for themselves what prices to charge, what wages to pay and what employment benefits to offer. When the government interferes in things like pricing, employment benefits and wages it drives costs up and profits down and when that happens, fewer people are hired.
It’s just that simple. Choice should be left to the individuals at all levels.
And yes, the entrepreneur is a national hero. They did build it. When an entrepreneur, by hard work, sacrifice and perseverance gets through, as Albo aptly describes, those nights of laying in bed, wondering if you can make payroll or feed your family, and becomes highly successful, sometimes even entering the world of the “1 percent,” that person should be applauded, not demonized, for his or her success.
Ben Glass
Fairfax Station