Buck Stops Here September 2009 - Getting Involved in Government

Every two years during the fall, Congressional and state legislative candidates crisscross their districts, campaigning on the importance of small business. Candidates know that “Main Street” is a powerful political force; it is coveted by Republicans and Democrats alike. They understand that the economy is the number one issue in most campaigns, and that voters know that small business drives our economy.

For their part, small business owners understand the economic challenges facing our communities and the common sense policy decisions we need to make in order to restore our economic competitiveness. Unfortunately, small business has failed to achieve its full potential in becoming a political force that can effect positive changes to help our economy grow, and to create new opportunities for our citizens.

One reason for that failure is that small business owners are so busy meeting the challenges of today’s economy, that too often they are not engaged in the political process. And when they do get involved, they sometimes feel isolated and even intimidated while interacting with their elected representatives. Another barrier to political engagement is that it’s often difficult to get credible policy choice information that goes much beyond headlines and media sound bites.

Advocates for bigger government, higher taxes, and more regulation understand this, and have learned to label their proposals as pro–small business. They claim to support small business, even when their proposals don’t actually benefit employers, and may even harm them.

GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED
Despite the growth of the Internet, political blogs, and 24-hour cable news, it is not always easy to get unbiased information about complex legislation. But our democracy depends on engaged, educated voters to be successful and while media often focuses on Washington, the actions of state and local government often have a more direct impact on small businesses. Understanding the issues and becoming involved in the process is our civic duty; no less important than supporting local charities or volunteering for community-based activities. Making that commitment actually takes less time than you might think. Here are some suggestions for getting started.

GO TO BUSINESS SOURCES FOR INFORMATION
For solid information about economic and business-related issues, business journals are, of course, a good source, as are national, state, and regional business organizations. In New York for example, these resources include the Business Council of New York, as well as regional chambers of commerce and industry trade groups. These websites often provide links to additional sources of information and make it easy to get your point of view across to policymakers. Many business organization websites provide easy to- use tools to help you contact your elected representatives. In addition to Business Council of New York, New Jersey Business & Industry Association and the Connecticut Business & Industry Association offer similar services for small business owners in those states.

ENGAGE YOUR COLLEAGUES AND EMPLOYEES
At CBIA, a number of our directors have begun sharing our electronic legislative updates and grassroots communication tools with their employees and colleagues. They understand that their employees can be effective advocates for their company’s concerns, and that encouraging other businesses and organizations to weigh in benefits the collective effort. A relatively small number of well-placed grassroots contacts can have a big influence on the legislative
debate.

CONSIDER SOCIAL NETWORKING
Small business owners are highly skilled at networking to market their businesses, and many are very adept at using Internet-based social networking tools. Applying these same skills to advocating for a small business-friendly legislative agenda would create a powerful grassroots political force.

ASK THE TOUGH QUESTIONS
 In the fall of 2010, Congressional and state legislative candidates will again be campaigning for small business support. They will be promising to lower your taxes, control health care benefit costs, strengthen public education to better train your future workforce, and improve transportation systems in your area.
If your candidates are incumbents, ask them what they did when they were in office to meet those goals. Don’t accept any well-rehearsed political sound bites that have been vetted by political consultants and focus groups. Ask follow-up questions about specifics, just as you would if you were considering a new business venture or hiring an employee. Candidates need to earn your vote, and you have the right to know exactly where they stand on issues that are important to you.