Posted on 04/13/2010 5:18:22 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA
US small business owners have little confidence in the economy and are in no rush to hire or expand, despite signs the recovery is picking up, a survey released Tuesday showed.
The persistent pessimism poses a challenge for President Barack Obama who has proposed a series of policies aimed at enticing small firms to add jobs.
Such policies are critical in a congressional election year when voters are upset about high unemployment.
The National Federation of Independent Business said its monthly index of small business optimism fell 1.2 points in March to 86.8 and below 90 for the 18th consecutive month.
"The March reading is very low and headed in the wrong direction," said Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB's chief economist.
"Something isn't sitting well with small business owners.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
In March, more firms were planning to reduce headcount than add to it.
LOL! The author can't even separate this contradiction by another sentence!
It has nothing to do with pessimism. It's about fear and patriotism. I'm afraid of the Obama Regime, and I love my country too much to support the usurper by making the economy stronger and increasing the funding that he can use to destroy America. My goal is to starve the beast, and for the next 33 months that takes precedence over the joy of producing and contributing beyond the minimum level I can get by with.
Both of those sentences imply that job reductions are in the offing. Where’s the contridiction?
Yeah...something.
Too much uncertainty. More (as yet unknown) regulation and taxes to come. Gov’t has shown itself as hostile to business.
Yeah, that ought to make you want to go out and hire.
....Or are waiting for the mid-terms to take place in November before any contructive actions to take place.
We stopped hiring for the season in March. I think I mentioned on other threads that we had over 100 people apply for TWELVE openings, part-time (20 hours a week) no benefits, pay slightly above our local minimum wage.
We’ve been getting at least a half dozen applications each week since then, even though we tell people we’re not hiring, which leads me to think they’re just applying to extend their unemployment benefits. (You’re supposed to apply for 2 jobs each week to stay eligible.)
the big thing for small businesses is the upcoming expiration of the Bush taxcuts and the uncertainty of what their top rate will rise to. this will keep a lid on expansion since small businesses are the job-creators in our economy.
Why the hell would anyone be stupid enough to put on employees with this monstrosity hanging over them. I would honker down till this idiot and the moronic congress are replaced.
Will someone please tell me why Mitt Romney keeps winning Republican straw polls? Do we really need another McCain in 2012, a hand-picked candidate by the MSM?
Oh great - now we’re going to get called in front of Waxman too.
How can a firm be done cutting jobs but still planning to reduce head count? It’s as if rooters is straining to put something semi-positive in the article but then contradicts themselves in the very next sentence.
Everybody better get used to 10-15% unemployment being the new normal. There’s certainly nothing I see that is going to change that anytime soon. Even if the ‘Pubbies gain control of both houses of Congress it’s highly unlikely they’ll have veto proof majorities. As such, nothing will change until well after Obamalamadingdong is gone. It’s going to take years and years to recover from this, all at great expense to the American taxpayers, I might add.....
I'm hoping against hope that Romney fans organized themselves to attend the New Orleans conference en masse, just like the Paul supporters.
Romneycare is imploding in Massachusetts. Hopefully, the news will be well-known by 2012.
This is bothering me, as well. Every time I see that Mitt is doing well with Republicans, I want to knock my head into a wall. I thought we were *waking up*!
I thought we were *waking up*!
We are, but the Republicans aren’t.
Welcome to France.
obamacare strikes again.
“Weak job creation” still implies growth, when the second sentence says the opposite.
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