Bill,
Look into joining the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
They're a political lobbying group (ranked as the second most powerful
behind AARP) that pressures Congress to pass legislation to help small
business.

They also provide a "score card" which will rate how your elected officials
voted on issues directly affecting small business.

Here's the link to the "scorecard":
http://www.nfib.com/PDFs/votingrecords/HCV107.pdf

The following members of Congress voted *for* (at least 80% of the time)
legislation that NFIB members determined would help small business:
Doolittle, Ose, Hunter, Cunningham, Issa, Coa, Rohrabacher, Bono, Calvert,
Gary Miller, Jerry Lewis, Royce, Dreier, McKeon, Gallegly, B. Thomas,
Radanovich, Pombo, Horn, and Herger.

The following members of Congress in California voted *against* (at least
80% of the time) legislation that would have helped small businesses:
Matsui, Woolsey, George Miller, Nancy Pelosi (93% against!), Lantos, Stark,
Eshoo, Lofgren, Farr, Sherman, Berman, Waxman (92% against!), Becerra, Solis
(100% against!), Watson, Roybal-Allard, Napolitano, Maxine Waters,
Millender-McDonald, Baca, S. Davis, Filner.


Make sure to vote accordingly in 2004.







"Bill Kiene" wrote in message
. com...
Hi All,

I have had my own small business in California for about 30 years. In the
US
and particularly California, small businesses are threatened more now than
ever. Many are closing down because they just can't make things profitable
any more with constantly rising overheads like insurances, taxes and
benefits. Even is a good econmy things will be tough for small/medium size
businesses.

In the future in the US many will need to have a very small business with
no
employees right out of their home so there is almost no overhead. The
other
businesses will all have to be very large to compete by merging
constantly.
Businesses will have to be extremely small and efficient or extremely
large
and efficient to compete in today's world economy.

Most "mom & pop" stores like mine will never survive in today's market. I
am
only still here in business because I have been in business for a long
time
and have not debt service.

If you find a small business of any kind that really does a good job for
you, I would try to support and promote them as much as possible so they
can
survive these times.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA
www.kiene.com