Discover Sees Small Business Confidence Decrease

The traditional indicators of recession may indicate that we are in a slow, sluggish recovery, but sectors of our economy are not. We have the lowest housing values in half a century and high oil prices translating into high gasoline prices. Inflation is up 2.1% so far this year, up substantially from 2010. After two years of holding back on price increases, small businesses are finally having to hike their prices. Potential customers are worried about underwater mortgages, buying groceries, finding jobs, and buying gas to get to those jobs. Yes, some consumers are spending more money, but the unemployment rate remains high.

No wonder small business confidence is slipping.

Let’s see…gas prices are going up and the EPA will possibly be enforcing new costly rules without any benefit to us or the environment.  We have a pro-union atmosphere and the government is working with the Labor Relations Board to stack the deck against businesses.  There seems to be an endless stream of legislation coming from Washington.  Our economy is not on good fundamentals.  Our government has gone out of their way to fuel the class warfare attitude in this country.  Our government spends and prints money like there is no tomorrow and the way we are going there isn’t going to be one.  Now yesterday I see that many millions more will be covered under the disabilities act.  Obamacare is another albatross heading our way and some courts have ruled it unconstitutional so its implementation should be halted until the Supreme Court has had time to rule on it.

Free enterprise works great when not adultered by the government.  Hard to have confidence when all this is going on and the anti-business attitude of our politicians.  We can only pray for a better future.