President-Elect Obama's First Big Mistake

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Its great to see President-elect Obama aggressively taking on the economy prior to his taking office. Unfortunately, the economic advisory team that he has put together looks more like a semester's worth of great guest speakers for an MBA class than an economic advisory team that can truly help him.
There are a lot of great minds on the list:

Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, Laura Tyson, who served as Clinton's top economic adviser; former Fed Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson; Time Warner Inc. Chairman Richard Parsons; former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman William Donaldson and Xerox Corp. Chief Executive Officer Anne Mulcahy.
Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Roel Campos, an ex-SEC commissioner, and Warren Buffett are also on the advisory board.

Notice anything missing?
Not a single entrepreneur. Yes Warren Buffett started a business, but he will be the first to tell you that he "doesn't do start ups". Which means there isn't a single person advising PE Obama that we know of that knows what it's like to start and run a business in this or any economic climate. That's a huge problem.
If we are going to solve our current economic problems, our president needs to get first hand information on the impact his proposed policies will have on real Joe the Plumbers. People who are 1-person companies living job to job, hoping they get paid on time. We need to know what the impact of his policies will be on the individually owned Chrysler Dealership in Iowa. The bodega in Manhattan. The mobile phone software startup out of Carnegie Mellon. The event planner in Dallas. The barbershop in L.A. The restaurant in Boston.
Entrepreneurs that start and run small businesses will be the propellant in this economy. PE Obama needs to have the counsel of those who will take the real risk inherent in creating companies and jobs. Those who put their money and lives on the line with their business.
Without it, the rules of unintended consequences of any economic policy could hit you in the mouth in ways you never expected. Things like forcing companies from being taxpayers to the underground cash economy, or forcing new hires to be independent contractors to avoid having to pay their insurance or higher matching social security amounts. Your current group has no one with 100% of their net worth on the line. I promise you that the possibility of losing it all will provide a completely different perspective than any of the "knowledge" the esteemed, learned members of his current advisory team offer.
PE Obama, I'm always available to help, but my recommendation would be to randomly go through the new incorporation filings and ask for volunteers to give feedback. Ask the people who are actually starting new businesses what they need.
Entrepreneurs will lead us out of this mess. Talk to them.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-c..._b_143645.html --you're welcome, chump

[Anti.Hero]

In other words, talk to me.

But he is right. 90% of people in government couldn't run a taco stand. And bringing on big corporate cats who depend on "the system" to rake in their millions. Weaksauce.

[TheMadHatter]

You're a Republican. Your party supports Big Business and could give a about small businesses across the nation. You've been fooled.

[Anti.Hero]

LOL son I have been born and raised in small business. Liberals do nothing for small business like they tell you they do.

They are not for the working man. Just the dependent man.

[ChumpDumper]

Which small business owner should be appointed to the cabinet?

[TheMadHatter]

Conservatives quite frankly have no credibility when it comes to the economy anymore. The notion that they are fiscally responsible and that their policies help grow our economy are a complete myth, and there are absolutely no facts to support this.

Therefore, Anti I could care less what you have to say about the economy. You're opinion is worthless.

[Cry Havoc]

LOL son I have been born and raised in small business. Liberals do nothing for small business like they tell you they do.

They are not for the working man. Just the dependent man.

Yeah, you're right. You're both right. Clinton just on small business. Bush Jr., now THERE'S a conservative who knows how to stimulate small business growth!



Seriously. Do you guys even have an iota of comprehension about anything related to this matter? I cannot believe you would be so impossibly blind to the events of the past ~20 years to come up with completely backwards partisan like this. You are making it more and more clear that you are more about promoting your own party than you are about seeing your nation succeed.

Pathetic. ing. Pathetic. Get your head out of your ing ass, because you've crossed the line of ridiculous into "completely brainwashed."

I'm a MODERATE, for what it's worth, so feel free to attack the liberals for this, because any liberal taunt you could come up with does not apply to me.

[Tully365]

If we are going to solve our current economic problems, our president needs to get first hand information on the impact his proposed policies will have on real Joe the Plumbers.

Saint Joe, the modern day patron saint of make believe depth and substance.

[ElNono]

Hmm, Google was certainly founded by entrepreneurs, was a small business early on, and certainly was a startup... one that actually was created under the Clinton internet economic boom.
Do you guys remember those times? When we didn't have to spend billions weekly on stupid wars, or have to bail out the financial rich guys. Some people have short memory in these forums...