By Jack Faris
Charlie Birney knows a thing or two about the game of golf. He should. After all, this Maryland small-business owner operates three golf courses.
He also knows that in an election, unlike golf, there are no “mulligans.” You only get one shot on Election Day. No “do-overs” or make-good swings will be allowed.
As one of America’s 25 million small entrepreneurs, Birney believes that the backbone of the nation’s economic system is its free-enterprise structure. He’s proud of the fact that he and his peers represent more than 99 percent of all U.S. employers, provide jobs for half of all private-sector employees and generate nearly 45 percent of the total private payroll.
Small-business owners are motivated risk-takers who burn the midnight oil in their search for the American Dream. Rarely do they find enough hours in the day to finish their “to do” lists. The last thing they need is more work and more responsibility.
But that’s exactly what Charlie Birney has volunteered for. In the spirit of participative democracy, he has taken on what amounts to another full-time job and loads of additional responsibility.
Determined to help elect candidates who support small business, Birney is hard at work personally registering voters for the upcoming election. And, he’s hosting training days at his business to help voters become familiar with electronic voting machines before stepping behind the curtain.
That’s not all. He believes so strongly in political involvement that he’s offered his employees several hours a week of paid time off if they decide to volunteer for a campaign.
What’s more, Birney provides a newsletter to help educate his employees about key small-business issues and inform them of the stands taken by candidates who will appear on their ballots. He wants to make sure those who work for him know that their livelihoods are directly linked to such things as the tax and regulatory hazards his golf business must avoid to score profits. He is determined to share his ideas and opinions on the challenges confronting the nation’s entrepreneurs today.
Small-business owners all across America should seriously consider following Charlie Birney’s example in the precious few remaining days before November 2 so they too, can have a major impact on the outcome of the election. By educating their employees as well as their customers about the challenges facing one of America’s most vital economic resources, those 25 million entrepreneurs could help elect candidates who will support free enterprise and fight against tax-and-spend legislators and over-regulators who think profit is a dirty word.
Like Charlie Birney, American small-business owners who are concerned about the future of their businesses should act now to encourage voters to pull the lever for candidates who vow to simplify the tax code and reduce taxes, reduce excessive regulation and intrusive labor laws, make health care more accessible and affordable, curb frivolous lawsuits and end government competition against small businesses.
There will be no “mulligans” after Election Day, November 2.
–Jack Faris is president of NFIB (the National Federation of Independent Business), the nation’s largest small-business advocacy group. A non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1943, NFIB represents the consensus views of its 600,000 members in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. More information is available on-line at www.NFIB.com.
