Policymakers Fail To Address Our Nation's Economic Woes
Washington, D.C., November 22, 2011 – As the news reports that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction – also known as the super committee – has failed to reach a budget deal, Kristie Arslan, President & CEO of the National Association for the Self-Employed, blasts our nation’s lawmakers for playing partisan politics with the economy:
“Lawmakers have clearly been unable to shake the partisanship that plagued political discourse around the national debt and our debt ceiling last summer. The fact that the Congressional ‘super committee’ failed to come close to a plan raises serious questions about the role of government in stimulating the economy. Helping Americans get back to work should be more important than political finger-pointing.
“America’s smallest businesses – self-employed business owners – want to see the economy move into recovery mode now; it would have been nice to get a boost from a comprehensive debt plan, but there’s still plenty can Congress can do to help small businesses stay afloat and expand. They can fix the tax disparities that make small businesses pay more than their corporate counterparts for health insurance. They can increase small business lending to help start-ups create new jobs and help existing businesses expand. And they can help the states launch self-employment training programs for residents.
“As we enter the presidential election season, we all expect politics to be at play. But politics shouldn’t prohibit Washington from putting small businesses in a strong position to help the economy recover.”