Last week, the National Journal reported that in 2011, the health insurance industry lobby group AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) quietly funneled $850,000 to the NFIB – the self-proclaimed “Voice of Small Business” – as part of a campaign to repeal a key provision of Obamacare. Continue reading
Wednesday, in his post “Has the Budget Crisis Du Jour Got You Down?” Bill Daley pointed out that if Congress were to close one tax loophole on offshore accounts, it could be enough to create a ‘job stimulus’ program the country has not seen since the beginning of the Great Recession. Continue reading
Melanie Collins, a small business owner and leader with the Maine Small Business Coalition, traveled to Washington, DC on October 19 to speak at a press conference outside the headquarters of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Her message was simple: “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn’t speak for small business, and it doesn’t speak for me.” Continue reading
The debate about the Bush tax cuts for the top 2 percent of income earners (with annual household income over $250,000) is heating up in Washington, DC, and with it the rhetoric about how ending these special breaks might affect small businesses.
Indeed, opponents of ending the special breaks at the top are making doomsday claims about potential negative impacts on small businesses. They’ve even funded a “study,” based on wild assumptions, to manufacture convenient figures to support their claims about possible job losses. Continue reading
Millions of small business owners, and their tens of millions of employees, will be greatly impacted by tomorrow’s US Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act. The enormous benefits that the ACA provides–expanding coverage options, lowering costs and giving consumers, not insurance companies, control over their own health care, to name a few–hang in the balance. Continue reading
Cross-posted from Public Campaign website.
Analysis by Public Campaign and Alliance for a Just Society
The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), heralded as the “voice” of America’s small businesses, has received renewed scrutiny due to its role as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit to throw out the Affordable Care Act, which awaits a decision from the Supreme Court on Thursday. Continue reading
Mere days before National Small Business Week kicked off it was revealed that JP Morgan Chase and CEO wonder boy Jamie Dimon lost $2B (now $3B by some estimates) on derivative trades meant to mitigate risk. This was a stark reminder for small businesses that nearly 4 years after the economic collapse wreaked havoc on local economies and small business, there are still significant gaps in the regulatory fabric. Continue reading
Small business leaders in the Main Street Alliance network stood up to be counted on health care over the last ten days as the Affordable Care Act’s two year anniversary led into oral arguments at the Supreme Court. Continue reading
The Main Street Alliance has a great new video highlighting the dominating role insurance companies are playing in state health insurance policy. “Foxes Guarding the Hen House” is part of MSA’s ongoing campaign to ensure that the health insurance exchanges that are created in each state work for small businesses. Continue reading
Last week, the Seattle City Council, in a historic voted, passed a new city-wide standard ensuring that workers will have access to paid sick days. The vote tally was a resounding 8-1, a testament to the broad support the proposal garnered from key stakeholders in the community – including local small business owners. Continue reading
