Home
About
RESOURCES
White House Press Photo / March 23, 2009/ Lawrence Jackson(cc)
Does government work for you?
April 6, 2009
Barack Obama told a joint session of Congress that people don’t want to continue the argument about big government or small government.  They want smart government and effective government.
What is smart and effective government in 2009?   While it’s easy and sometimes fun to demonize government when times are good, we learn in times of crisis the power our government can exercise.  Government can keep credit flowing to our nation’s banks.  It can create jobs in short periods of time.  It builds roads, dams, and clean water systems.  Provides avenues to get an education. Government can provide basic needs like food, shelter, energy assistance and bridge loans to the unemployed.  It can change the tax code or provide basic research that fosters the growth of new industries.  Government can keep existing industries afloat.  There are countless other functions.
More Americans have had to ask the government for help during these hard economic times.  Join the conversation and tell of your experience whether government has been smart and effective in caring for the needs of its citizens.
Has government been smart?
Has government been effective?
Comments Off
The Crossroads for Government and Business
April 6, 2009
Two of the major forces that have shaped America into the world’s lone superpower are a democratic governing system and free market capitalism.  Have these societal forces shaped over time to compliment one another or do they counter balance?  The answer is both.  They are interdependent on one another.  The government both regulates private enterprise to protect citizens from capitalisms excesses and at the same time provides incentives to encourage private business and industry to thrive.  Major industries like banking, energy, telecommunications and aerospace down to small corner businesses can be helped or harmed by government action.
Regulation:
www.regulations.gov 
Government help starting a small business:
www.sba.gov/
www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/Introsbafinance/index.html
Finding a government grant:
www.grants.gov
Contracts for business with the federal government:
www.business.gov
Comments Off
Can government change?
April 6, 2009
One of the most treasured rights in American democracy is to lobby or petition the government to influence pubic policy.  That right to petition has turned into a billion dollar lobbying industry in Washington D.C.
President Obama campaigned to change the way Washington rewards special interest lobbyists and instead plans to give more voice to the everyday citizens. Obama said that “the system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington.  But I don’t (work for them). I work for the American people.”
With that in mind, have you tried to contact or “lobby” the White House on an issue?   Have you contacted