The recent release of the unemployment numbers indicate a very unsettling trend in our nations future for an economic recovery. In spite of the numbers showing a .2% decline in unemployment, the real disturbing numbers were the number of permanent jobs lost that are never to be recovered and the number of people who have simply given up on ever finding work.

There reasons for such miserable numbers recently cited by the L.A. Times include the following:

• Slump in retail sales and no plans for any expansion. Unemployed people simply can’t purchase things.
• Uncertainty on tax increases when the Bush tax cuts expire, increased government regulations on the financial sector, and uncertainty on energy costs as the Cap and Trade bill looms in Congress.
• Inability to obtain capital from previously available sources as well as uncertainty in the effect of the Financial Regulations being placed on our Banks and lenders.

Small business accounts for more than 70% of our workforce. In spite of incentives for new start up businesses, the growth rate among this group is near zero. Fewer and fewer people are willing to overcome the mountains of regulations, unwillingness to invest capital during uncertainty in the global economy, and uncertainty in taxation due to mounting government deficits. Add to the mix, the costs associated with the new Obamacare are directly impacting the bottom line of every small business and few are willing to venture into a new startup with requirements to provide healthcare benefits from day one, face the prospects of fines if they don’t, and have needed capital to overcome that 3 year window of uncertainty in which over 70% of the failures occur.

Let’s also add to the mix the increases in government jobs at every level of local, state, and Federal government. Those are additional taxes needed to pay the salaries and benefits of newly hired government employees. At the time when government deficits on every level are climbing due to losses of previously stable tax revenue, government still insists on creating jobs with the Stimulus dollars with “use it of lose it” rules. Instead of using those dollars to temporarily fund the deficits, new government jobs are created and more debt is incurred.

These state and local governments are also facing budget shortfalls that has resulted in the loss of many teachers, policemen, and firefighters. Yet, due to the rules of the Stimulus money, few of those funds are being used to save those jobs. The talk of tax increases to maintain these lost jobs are receiving push back from those citizens who understand they are being squeezed so much now in taxes, that there is nothing left to pay higher taxes with. Countless small businesses too, are feeling the burden of increased local government taxation needed to keep their budgets balanced.

We are in a death spiral of government debt, excessive regulation, and more mandates from the Federal government. Washington has failed to “get it”. The solutions are simple and lead down one path alone and Mike believes that until that uncertainty is removed, we will not see our economy recover. His plan is simple:

• Enact the FairTax. Removing the burden of Income taxes puts more money in peoples pocket and allows them to have the needed money to make buying decisions, not wishful thinking. It will bring over $13 TRILLION in private investment dollars into our economy and allow free market principles to work when there are no tax implications from those investments. This alone will begin the job creation needed to spur economic growth.
• Cut the deficits in half this year. Until our government can learn to live within it’s means and end the borrowing just to pay for basic government needs, taxes will escalate and those burdens are being passed through “generational theft” to our heirs.
• End any additional Stimulus and TARP spending. These programs have failed in their intent and are simply adding to the debt of this nation.
• Repeal Obamacare and end the uncertainty of higher taxes to our small businesses. The promises of lower health care costs are false promises and already escalating premiums, higher costs, and loss of coverages are occurring. The $1.3 TRILLION dollar price tag again, adds to the debt of this country and we can ill afford to be faced with increased taxes to pay for it.
• Begin serious reforms of our entitlement programs. We are faced with over $106 TRILLION in unfunded liability(DEBT) over the next 20 years in these programs. Since they are NOT part of the Government budget- that spending is on automatic pilot- we are facing financial collapse in paying for these programs.

We as a nation must return to the principles and foundation of our Founders of smaller government, regulations that do not impede business but PROMOTES it, and low taxes to fund a smaller and less intrusive government. It is time to head the warning of Jefferson:

A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take away everything you have.

There can be no doubt the response from Washington to the Gulf oil well tragedy has been nothing but “blame Bush” from the Democrats. Instead of this Administration seeking to do the right things, it instead has to find someone or something to blame for this disastrous accident that is happening in the Gulf. Somehow if they can find the right person or entity to blame, their lack of responsibility will simply go away. That is an unacceptable response from Washington.

Accidents happen. I have born witness to that more times than I care to think about. Humans make mistakes and have since time was first recorded. Equipment fails and the operators of that equipment often times get too comfortable in its operation and they fail to head every safety warning ever given about its operation. Those are human responses.

Instead of “putting the boot” to BP’s throat as this Administration has claimed it is doing, it should instead be concentrating on 2 efforts- making sure BP has every asset it needs to stop the flow of oil from this well and secondly, to make sure every asset is utilized to recover and clean up from the oil spill.

So what has this Administrations response been? Blame Bush and form a Commission to study what happened. The last time I checked, at noon on January 20th, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as President and he made Cabinet level appointments for every single agency under his Administration. Forming Commissions is the response this Administration has to everything- U.S. Debt Commission, Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, Guantanamo Closure Commission, along with others I am sure of. The end result- we taxpayers spend millions to “study” the problems and end up with the same, tired, worn out, non-working solutions.

Even Rep. Corrine Brown has voiced her own reaction- Ban all Offshore Drilling for Oil and Gas in the form of a Bill introduced to do so. None of my opponents in this race have weighed in on this either. Either they are going to offer the same “politically correct” rhetoric, or their silence is simply an indication that they, too, offer the same Washington reactions as always offered from politicians.

My position and answer has been summed up in previous writings:

1. Stop the flow of oil and use every private and government asset to assure that happens quickly.
2. Assure that every possible effort to clean up the resulting spill in the Gulf is placed into action.
3. Determine the cause of this accident in order to minimize or eliminate this occurrence from happening again.

Drilling for oil and gas in the hostility of 5,000 feet of ocean is without a doubt going to filled with risk. To continue to “blame” and “point fingers” does nothing to improve the technology or safety needed to drill at those depths. Stop the calls for banning this exploration and start looking for ways to improve it. We as a nation will need to have methods to assure a cost-effective energy supply for decades to come and having the right technology to drill and extract that deep water energy will be vital to assuring that happens. The real culprit in this is humanity and our inability to stop blaming people when accidents happen.

Could it be that is the result of too much government trying to be all things to all people?

Imagine taking a simple philosophy of 3 words and turning them into a vision for future entrepreneurs.

Simple words like Educate, Encourage, and Empowerment sounds like a philosophy that rings of something that comes out of some “self help motivational book”, but today I met 2 of Jacksonville’s real business leaders that not only believe in those words, but live them.

E3 Leaders Anthony Butler, Sr., Rich Stewart and I had the opportunity to sit over lunch at the City Kidz Ice Cream Cafe in downtown Jacksonville, and discuss the real power behind the E3 Business Group’s  plan and vision for those who desire to become small business owners and entrepreneurs right in the Jacksonville area. Without a doubt, these people involved with the E3 project are going to build the future leaders of this nation and do exactly what they have set out to accomplish:

• Educate people on all aspects of living and how education is not only important, but the way we are teaching our children today is failing them and leaving them totally unprepared for living.
• Encourage people to reach for the dreams and desires beyond what they imagine is possible and to define goals and objectives for reaching those dreams
• Empowerment of the individual by making application of these principles and running on that road to success as a lifetime journey- not a destination.

My belief is that the 3rd Congressional District is perhaps the most under-served District in the nation and by bringing small business initiatives and opportunities to the people who can benefit the most, they will succeed in enriching the communities and the neighborhoods where they work and live. All throughout this District, few are encouraged by what the future may hold and little opportunity is there to overcome that plight many talk empty talk about and do little to make a real difference in improving. The reality is, this District is ripe with potential and simply needs to change the mindset and the leadership to make that possible. Every accomplishment begins with a vision, and without a doubt Anthony Butler and Rich Stewart have that vision and desire to give back to the community more than they receive with their E3 Business Group.

We discussed changing the way we educate our children that will actually leave them with knowledge and skills they can apply in real world situations. Our discussion led to a belief that entrepreneurship is a trade/skill that can be learned and applied to impact the lives of countless numbers of people and that a belief in a dream and having the resources available to reach that quest can and will be possible through an entire network of small and medium business initiatives in this District.

Bringing real technological manufacturing to Florida can not only create jobs, but further enhance the success of new and dynamic start-up companies throughout this area. It is possible to bring real prosperity to this District that has the reputation of “poverty, crime, and low educational expectations” by working through the E3 Business Group and initiatives I will bring to this District as the Congressman representing the PEOPLE and not the big money, special interest groups now in charge of Washington. Unless there is someone in Washington that understands Small Business and the need to bring more and more success to this District, nothing will ever change. I believe that the E3 Business Group in conjunction with real Congressional leadership, we can revive this entire region and bring real growth and opportunity for all.

I am looking forward to meeting again with these men and women of the E3 Business Group and further unfolding my vision for real economic development for the 3rd District. It starts with real education reform so the next generation of entrepreneurs are armed with the tools needed to succeed and ends the cycle of drop-outs that has plagued this District for decades. When we empower the our children and grandchildren with the motivation of successful living, we have left them ready to lead our country into the future only America offers.

I believe that real leadership and a real return to the community comes from making sure the E3 Business Group not only succeeds, but becomes the model for the next leaders of business and the communities they serve- a model this country will want to follow. Their model is the self-sustaining method for real prosperity for our children and our future as a nation.

3 simple words that can transform an entire nation and ones I believe is the solution for the survival of the American dream, the American family, and the American way of life. It is time that the real measure of success becomes how easy it is to find a job and how easy it is to start a business and it begins with working with the leaders and visionaries of the E3 Business Group.