NFIB

United We Stand
03/ 27/ 2002

by Jack Faris

In the weeks immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we citizens of the United States showed a side of us the world had not seen before.

In Washington, D.C., it was manifest in the bipartisan spirit of the Congress and the Administration. I'll never forget the sight of the entire Congress standing on the Capitol steps singing "God Bless America."

Elsewhere we saw shock turn to grief, grief to anger and anger to determination. And we saw pride and brotherhood.

We know that thousands have died and many others remain hospitalized. We have seen the tragedy of families torn apart, children who have lost one or even both of their parents. And we have seen the generosity of Americans responding to the horror.

Hundreds of small businesses in lower Manhattan were either destroyed or badly damaged. Those business owners face heart-wrenching decisions: rebuild, relocate, retire. Businesses in the Washington, D.C., area have also felt the effects of the events of September 11, as have companies throughout the land. They will need our support and encouragement.

The rest of us must continue to heed the advice of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani: Go out and buy something. Go to a show or a movie. Get back to work. That will help bolster the economy and show our enemies that we will not be defeated.

In his September 20 speech to a joint session of Congress, President Bush spoke directly to the American people, asking us to uphold the values of America, support the victims of the tragedy, and continue our participation and confidence in the American economy. Small business owners must focus on running businesses without losing sight of the challenges we will face for months, and perhaps years, to come.

Over time, it is inevitable that serious disagreements will again erupt among politicians. Business owners will face off against competitors, and friends and family will air their differences.

But the events of September 11 and those trying days that followed have shown us that we are, above all, united in our love for one another and our country. We are committed to maintaining our freedom and determined to build on the experience of the tragedy we shared together.

As President Bush said in his speech to Congress, "It is my hope that in the months and years ahead, life will return almost to normal. We'll go back to our lives and routines, and that is good. Even grief recedes with time and grace."

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This article originally appeared in the November/December 2001 issue of MyBusiness Magazine, NFIB's member magazine.

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