Government's shadow spurs the industry toward activism

Nation's Restaurant News, Dec 9, 1996 by Jack Faris

Every day the long shadow of government falls across the doorstep of the American small-business owner. Restaurant owners feel the impact of government laws and regulations very keenly, and they along with other small business owners will be involved deeply in determining the winners of the 1996 elections.

Recent research confirms that small-business owners are more politically active than average Americans. A survey of National Federation of Independent Business members reveals that four out of five vote regularly, while less than two-thirds of general population vote in every election. NFIB members are also a third more likely to get involved in political campaigns: 40 percent compared with 30 percent of the general voting-age population.

Why the disparity? Because small-business owners, such as restaurant owners, are the pulse of our nation's economy and at the bleeding edge of government oversight. Because of their limited financial and personnel resources, independent business owners often are challenged by government compliance issues, such as taxes, minimum wages, workers'compensation and unemployment insurance as well as costly environmental and social mandates.

Our survey shows that the majority of small-business owners believe that the growth of government by edict is having a stifling impact on business and industry in America. They are becoming less tolerant of unreasonable regulations that place them at a disadvantage. They appear more determined than ever before in 1996 to rid government of those individuals and policies that obstruct their ability to operate their businesses profitably, and the fall elections may well determine,which public officials have been listening.

The size of the small-business electorate is overwhelming. Among employed men and women, 53 percent work in businesses with fewer than 250 employees. One-quarter of all households in America have at least one small-business employee. Those numbers reflect the scope and depth of the small-business agenda. The results of the 1994 congressional elections further demonstrated the impact of small-business owners on the political process.

Restaurant owners have personal experience with government paperwork that is unmatched by that of most people in the general population. They dislike the costs of complying with what they view as unreasonable requirements. The NFIB member survey revealed that typical small-business owners believe that the government requires them to spend almost one-quarter of their cost of doing business just to comply with useless regulations.

Dissatisfaction is high-octane fuel for political activism. With more on the line than most Americans have, more small-business owners are becoming politically active. They are standing up for their livelihoods. If they don't, no one else will.