Short shots while contemplating how sick and tired I am of listening to Monday-morning quarterbacks…

THE ECONOMY

Has any one else noticed that, according to Democrats, the Kansas economy is red hot, even though it has been doing less than half as well as the U.S. economy?  At the same time, according to Democrats, the U.S. economy is in the toilet even though the Fed has raised interest rates seventeen times in two years to cool off the economy.  Go figure. 

We give far too much credit to the President and to the Governor when it comes to the economy.  Where they can make a difference is in the taxes on business.  Both followed a proven formula to boost the economy – they cut taxes on business.  The President’s cuts have worked like a charm.  The Governor’s cuts haven’t had time to work yet, but they will.   

WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES

According to the SBA’s September newsletter, women owned 6.5 million or 28.2% of non-farm U.S. firms in 2002.  Those firms with employees, 916,768 of them, accounted for 86% of the total receipts of women-owned firms and employed 7.1 million workers.

Nationwide, the number of women-owned businesses has been increasing at twice the rate of businesses as a whole.

COLLEGES FOCUSING ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In 1986, only 586 colleges offered courses in small business management or entrepreneurship.  By 1992, the number had nearly tripled.  Today, the number has increased to approximately 1600 two- and four-year colleges.  (The SBA Small Business Advocate, September 2006).   

FEDERAL EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION

The average compensation for federal civilian workers last year was $106,579, which is twice as much as the average in the private sector.  (Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/pi0706.htm)

THOMAS PAYNE ON TAXES

“If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude.  Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation.  It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute.” – Thomas Payne, “Rights of Man”, 1791 

PER CAPITA PROPERTY TAXES

Kansas $1187
Nebraska $1148
U.S. Avg. $1086
Colorado $1026
Missouri $ 747
Oklahoma $ 465

(USA Today, July 28, 2006, based on Census Bureau data for 2004, the latest available). 

NUMBER OF KANSAS UNINSURED FALLS

In an August 29 press release, the Census Bureau says 10.9% of Kansans were without health insurance in 2004-05, down from 11.0% in 2003-04.  In the U.S. as a whole, 15.7% were uninsured in 2004-05, up from 15.6% in 2003-04.  (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin05.html)

TOPEKA WILL NOT PROSECUTE DUIs

The Kansas legislature, with strong lobbying by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and their allies, greatly increased the penalties for D.U.I.  Topeka will no longer prosecute DUIs because city officials do not want to pay the jail costs for long sentences.  What used to be a five-day jail term is now ninety days in most cases.  The district attorney does not have funds to prosecute them, either.  Apparently, the five-day jail terms will get reduced to zero for most offenders.  Apparently this is another fine example of the law of unintended consequences…

ANOTHER CONSULTANT JOKE

The credo of the consultant industry:  “If you can’t fix it, there’s good money to be made in prolonging the problem.”

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Kenneth Daniel ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) is a Topeka small business owner and free-lance writer. He is publisher of www.kssmallbiz.com, a website dedicated to Kansas small business.

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