11/ 21/ 2006
by NFIB President and CEO Todd Stottlemyer
Politicians and pundits are busily parsing the results of the just-concluded midterm elections, trying to divine the meaning of the flip in congressional leadership and predict the country's direction leading up to 2008.
But the most pressing concern for NFIB members is what the results mean for your business.
The issues that threaten small business' vitality didn't change on Nov. 8. Access to affordable health care, the threat of frivolous lawsuits, the burdens of overregulation and a complex tax code haven't disappeared, and they don't have party labels.
But before we consider the future, I'd like to take a few moments to reflect on what we've been able to accomplish. Thanks to you, during this election cycle NFIB raised a record-breaking $11 million for our political programs to support pro–small-business candidates, and we distributed nearly $1.8 million in direct contributions to federal and state candidates. Most of the balance went to direct mail, voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, including radio and newspaper ads supporting small-business friendly candidates.
We also endorsed 2,282 candidates in state and federal races. (Check NFIB.com/politics for complete results.) NFIB and its members held dozens of endorsement media events and small-business rallies at local small businesses for candidates in key races, and we're grateful to those of you who agreed to host these events.
In addition, many of you took the time to educate your employees about the importance of these elections and the small-business issues that matter to them and your business, using our political toolkits to better equip them to make informed decisions at the ballot box.
Finally, your support enabled us to identify and communicate with more than 2 million people across the country to spread the word about electing pro–small-business candidates and the importance of get-out-the-vote messages.
In the months leading up to the election, I heard from many people who are concerned about some of the priorities of those expected to hold leadership positions in the 110th Congress. For example, one of the first things the new congressional leadership is expected to do is attempt to raise the federal minimum wage, a move that NFIB members have consistently opposed because it leads to fewer employment opportunities instead of more. In addition, several other probable House leaders are questioning the need for permanent tax relief, which is critical to continued business expansion and job growth.
While the probable new leadership's plans and past voting records indicate that we face a challenging legislative environment, we remain committed to rolling up our sleeves and working with them to find real solutions to small business' concerns.
But we have our work cut out for us. Now more than ever, we need your help. We must expand our membership so that we can ensure our lawmakers understand the small-business position on key issues. We need you to become an active, engaged NFIB member so that we can continue to increase our clout and be heard by the people who need to hear us. Just as important, we need your help in identifying fellow small-business owners to join with us in our mission. Your right to own, operate and grow your business depends on it.
