I know I am not the only one waiting for something to happen to get this nation back on track.

Our small businesses, entrepreneurs and 14 million unemployed feel an endless gnawing, the grinding of gears, as America performs like a broken clock.

Time stands still. It has become all about the waiting.

• The waiting for the Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare so we can get our future healthcare costs under control. The Affordable Healthcare for America Act is anything but affordable. When the majority of states consider it unconstitutional, something is very wrong. It’s just one more thing keeping small business from hiring. If you can’t budget healthcare costs, you can’t budget the money to hire.

• The waiting for a bi-partisan compromise on the deficit crisis — a compromise that won’t raise taxes on America’s job creators. Congressional bickering and a stalemate on action merely create uncertainty. Uncertainty is the enemy of job creation. As are excessive taxes.

• The waiting for leadership that leads from the front and not from the rear. Leadership with a vision that has America taking its rightful place in the world economy and competing with all nations. An America that is not scared, but has the wisdom to defend and protect its economic interests. Leadership that ensures American exporters have the same access to foreign markets as foreign manufacturers have to the U.S. market. It also means that our intellectual property is protected and cherished.

• The waiting for the end of cronyism; when politicians are more interested in this nation and its people, than their pet projects and re-election. As history has repeatedly shown, market forces pick winners and losers, not the government.

• The waiting for a sincere effort to reduce the $1.7 trillion in government regulation and compliance cost. When business owners are grappling with unfair and harsh regulations, they aren’t thinking about hiring.

• The waiting for tax reform that vastly simplifies the tax code and that incentivizes for our factories to return home. Even a staff member of the Internal Revenue Service characterizes the American tax system as not only a mess, but an “extraordinarily complex” mess … and not just for individuals, for corporate entities and businesses.” When American manufacturers are punished for making money, it’s no wonder so many move their plants overseas. We need them to come back home so they can hire U.S. workers.

• The waiting for American free enterprise, economic freedom and personal liberty to take their rightful place as the foundation of U.S. exceptionalism.

• The waiting for an America that is confident in itself once again. Where the American Dream isn’t a slogan, it’s a reality. It’s time for Americans to believe that the best days of this nation are ahead. Don’t fall victim to negativism that is eroding our collective spirit. America is the greatest, most successful nation in the world. We need to start embracing this and demanding that others do, too.

Come, sing along with me: “Every day you see one more card, you take it on faith, you take it to the heart — the waiting is the hardest part.”

I’m tired of waiting, and you should be too. That’s what elections are for.

I recently read some biographical information about George Washington and wondered how he would have fared in our current contentious congress and negative media coverage.

He had several advantages: a lack of a 24-hour news cycle, no talk shows, a small group of eligible voters, and a reputation earned as the general of the Continental Army that defeated the British and set the stage for America’s independence. There’s a reason he is considered “The Father of our Country” and the “American Moses.” Much of it had to do with his size and presence, charisma, courage, character, and temperament.

But even back then pundits sniped that he positioned himself as a moral man, but kept slaves. Today, he would lose the African American vote (blacks had a difficult time voting until the Voting Rights Act of 1965) and the liberal/progressive vote.

His reputation was a man of intelligence. But the word on the street was that much of his intelligence was based on the ideas he stole from founding fathers such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. He would be pilloried by today’s talk shows, even though there is overwhelming evidence that his intelligence was based on his own life experiences and dedicated reading.

Like today, discontent with the economy plagued Washington’s administration. Fortunately, his Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, developed, promoted, and helped Washington secure congressional passage of an economic policy agenda that included a national bank, establishing a “hard” currency, the payment of war debts, tariffs to raise revenue, the nurturing of American manufacturing, and federal spending on interstate roads and other “internal improvements” to facilitate commerce.

Could this be the genesis of a jobs creations bill? Even then, it was attacked by congressional parties.

His biggest strength in an election today would be considered his biggest weakness. As much as voters like candidates with military experience — George Washington had plenty — his military record as general of the Continental Army would come under fire. From 1775 until 1781, he only won 2 battles, Trenton and Princeton, and was forced to surrender both New York and Philadelphia to the British. You can almost see the PAC commercials that would fill our airwaves about his incompetence.

While we assume that George Washington was a shoo-in for president in 1789, he had adversaries, but none really came close to defeating him. Each of the 69 electors was expected to cast two ballots. All voted for Washington, making him the unanimous choice as the first president.

Federalist leaders generally agreed that John Adams should be the Vice President — a Massachusetts resident would help establish a regional balance in the Executive Branch. Alexander Hamilton wisely diverted a few votes to Adams to avoid the embarrassment of a tie vote.

Once in office, in 1794, he mustered a militia of 15,000 men to put down a rebellion by farmers in rural Pennsylvania who protested against a tax on whiskey, which has come to be called the Whiskey Rebellion. Trouble was, Washington did not seek permission to take this military action. Hmmm, where have we heard something like this before? You can bet that Washington would have his press secretary on double-duty.

In 1796, Washington turned down a third term of office and delivered his famous Farewell Address. Reviewing it, it becomes apparent that he learned a few things while in office.

He warned against the party system, submitting that “It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration….agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one….against another….it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption…thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.”

We also gain some insights into how he might handle today’s economy: “…cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible…avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt….it is essential that you…bear in mind, that towards the payments of debts there must be Revenue, that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not…inconvenient and unpleasant…”

He would make a pretty darn good president today.

Read more: Could George Washington Be Elected President in 2012?
Important: Can you afford to Retire? Shocking Poll Results

Perhaps most telling is that state legislators recognize that levying more taxes will not fix the economy. While the Obama administration is poised to raise taxes on small businesses (where 75% of new jobs are created) they are contributing to an environment of job-killing uncertainty. Most governors, on the other hand, are cutting taxes to spur business growth and the accompanying job growth. If states can figure this out, why can’t the Obama administration?

In Florida, newly elected Republican Governor Rick Scott is proposing budget cuts of $5 billion while also taking on public-employee pensions, which shackles the state to payouts that rob it of investing in job creation. Iowa is cutting its corporate income tax rate by 50 percent, and in some states, Medicaid payments are being reduced.

Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer wants to institute a waiver to eliminate Medicaid coverage for 280,000 residents, which in its first year would save about $1 billion.

In essence, governors have gotten the message that they need to reshape the way they do business. They didn’t get smarter they just got frustrated that they were moving in the wrong direction and the role model for a turnaround wasn’t in Washington. They heard from their constituents and responded with change – not the kind of change promised by the Obama administration that has put the country in economic peril.

Not all governors are getting the message. In California, which faces a $25.4 billion deficit, newly elected Democratic Governor Jerry Brown while vowing to reduce spending on one hand, on the other hand is asking voters to extend temporary increases in the state income and sales taxes.

Now here’s a bit of irony to consider. The State of Illinois, Obama’s home state, is one of a handful of states that is actually raising taxes! Their Governor announced a 67% increase in its individual income tax rate and a 45% jump in its corporate rate. The resulting firestorm is already evident. Neighboring states are luring Illinois companies to relocate to save millions of dollars in taxes. Can you imagine what impact this is going to have on employment and business growth?
In his most recent State of the Union address, President Obama talked about shared responsibility and instituting a five-year freeze on all discretionary government spending outside of national security. If this sounds familiar, it reads very much like last year’s State of the Union.

Is it any wonder that the most promising Republican presidential candidates for 2012 are governors or former governors? As you look around the country there are some great governors that could hold the highest office. I’m thinking of candidates like former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, and New Jersey governor Chris Christie. There’s a reason. They have shown the kind of spending constraint that creates an alternative to the spend-and-tax philosophy of the Obama administration. The smart politicians these days appear to be the nation’s governors.

Instead of meeting with his cabinet, perhaps President Obama can invite a few governors to the White House to show him how it is done in the states.

While there are no guarantees in international negotiations, the President’s inability to build consensus with foreign leaders can be traced to his administration’s disengagement on trade policies. Worse, world leaders have rejected America’s fiscal policies. Like most of us, the world leaders are skeptical that the Federal Reserve System’s creation of “vapor paper” is the right decision; and they are convinced that these policies are making America a less reliable partner. They know first-hand what happens when a country prints billions of dollars of currency to address a monetary crisis. It doesn’t work and weakens the country.

If the President hoped that scheduling a foreign trip after being trounced in the elections would give him some breathing space and distract the American people, he’s sadly mistaken. In fact, it’s done the opposite. The strength the US once enjoyed on the global stage has waned, and only a change at the top can reverse the direction.

Several weeks ago I had suggested  President Obama thought that he was patterning himself after Lincoln.  But after doing some more thinking, I realized that the President’s channeling of former presidents does not stop with Lincoln. Now he thinks he’s LBJ.

Not since LBJ in 1965 has any president attempted to pass so much of its agenda in one Congress.  LBJ called his plan The Great Society, during which major spending programs addressed education, health care (Medicaid and Medicare) , urban problems, and transportation.   Every social program under the sun got money thrown at it, as if that was the answer.   And the result was out of control spending and a greatly weakened presidency.

Now President Obama is racking up unprecedented deficits by trying to initiative in a matter of months his vision of an American welfare state. Government takeovers rule the day. It’s not only too many take overs, it costs too much money.

But while President Obama tackles every social program on his agenda, he has ignored the most pressing problem of all: job creation.   Priorities must be set.   Trying to do everything is not the hallmark of an effective leader – it’s the sign of  someone who can’t stay on task.

If President Obama  learns one thing from the LBJ years hopefully it will be there is an ultimate price to be paid.  LBJ did not run for re-election.

First, it is not Alice that fell down the rabbit hole; it is the American people. We woke up after an election and found ourselves in a weird Wonderland. It is a place where up is down and down is up. Where play money is being used like real money.  Where jobs disappear and cannot be found.  Where all the people who like their health insurance are at risk of losing their coverage.  Where citizens that simply wish to exercise their democratic right are being lambasted as lunatics, racists and worse. Where instead of being able to run their businesses, entrepreneurs are discovering our government wants to run them instead.

The Queen of Hearts is played by Nancy Pelosi.  Like the Red Queen who bellows “Off with their head” to anyone who disagreed with her, Queen Pelosi threatens decapitation to anyone from either party that will not fall in lock-step with her plans.  Heads have already rolled with many more to follow!

The Cheshire Cat? President Obama. You see him making plans and passing policies but when it comes time for him to personally stand behind a program, he disappears.  All that is left is a big grin.

Who better than Rahm Emanuel to play the Mad Hatter?  He is the perfect host of the Mad Tea Party (how ironic!) where despite many chairs no one is allowed to sit.  It is like the Democratic Party; if you do not agree with 100 percent of their policies there is no room for you at the table. As should be expected many “guests” have chosen to leave the party rather than join. And if you are a Republican there will never be a seat for you at this table.

I thought that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi would make the perfect Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum but I already found a role for Pelosi, so the new duo will be Harry Reid and Joe Biden.  You can decide who is who.  But they both talk in riddles that nobody can understand.

And the White Rabbit who proclaims “I am late, I am late for a very important date?” It is the Republican Party and the important date is November 2; the date of the mid-term elections. We only hope that the Republicans are on time (and on message) so we can all escape from the rabbit hole of despair.

The Neal Asbury Truth for America show tackles free trade and enterprise issues every Friday from 5:00 PM until 6:00 PM on WZAB-AM 880.  The show is streamed live on line at www.880thebiz.com, which is affiliated with Bloomberg Radio and CNBC, and can be heard on 920-WGKA (Atlanta); KSEV (Houston); 1500 AM (Washington D.C.); 1220-KDOW (San Francisco); and 1300-KKOL (Seattle).

We have put all of our support behind President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan as the country’s future, despite widespread corruption. We have spent billions of our treasure and thousands of American lives, only to have Karzai threaten to join the very enemy that we are fighting on his behalf.

Then we pick a fight with Israel – the only democracy in the Mideast and a staunch ally that may play a role in stopping Iran’s nuclear program.  It’s folly. We try to make friends with our enemies and ignore our real friends.

The New York Times recently wrote this about the “Obama doctrine.” It is shocking.

“If there is an Obama doctrine emerging, it is one much more realpolitik than his predecessor’s, focused on relations with traditional great powers and relegating issues like human rights and democracy to second-tier concerns. He has generated much more good will around the world after years of tension with Mr. Bush, and yet he does not seem to have strong personal friendships with many world leaders.”

Have we ever had a president who relegated issues like human rights and democracy to second-tier concerns?  As the beacon of world democracy, has our country given up on human rights for the world?  When the rest of the world ignores human rights, it makes the world that much more unsafe.  We have an obligation – a Conscientious Equity – to spread our way of life around the world.  If we do not change course, our way of life and that of the Western World will be forever imperiled.

On The Neal Asbury Show, I recently had as a guest Andrew Langer, President of the Institute for Liberty, an advocacy organization dedicated to “fighting the petty tyrannies of government and protecting America’s right to be free.” Langer’s group was one of the original supporters of the Tea Party movement.

Langer pointed out the reason that the Tea Party movement has drawn such ire is “The mainstream press likes to put things in boxes. But the Tea Party movement does not fit in any of their boxes. They cannot define it so they dismiss it.”

He really put his finger on the root cause of much of the anti-Tea Party demagoguery coming out of the Washington and New York elitist circles. This administration has a troubling tendency to dismiss anything and anyone that does not support its policies. But this repudiates the tenets of the Constitution that provides for the rights of Americans to speak out freely when they do not like the direction their country is headed.

And just what “crazy” things does the Tea Party movement want? They want to stop out-of-control spending that will push the burden of today’s sky rocketing deficits onto future generations. Is that the legacy we want to leave our children and grandchildren? If that’s crazy, then we are all crazy.

The other big impetus for the Tea Party movement is to reduce the size of the government and stop its intrusive interference in our lives. Is it crazy to ask that the government not get between our physicians and our healthcare needs so that bureaucrats are not making decisions about the medical procedures we may need? Is it crazy to ask that the government not take over the energy industry through its proposed Cap and Trade legislation that will result in a significant financial burden to every American household and business? Is it crazy to expect the government to stop creating “vapor paper”- printing trillions of dollars of worthless money to fund our deficits? Is it crazy to stop the government from eliminating the secret ballot when it comes to unionization? What is crazy is that this administration does not take the demands of the Tea Party movement seriously or listen to their voices.

But while the administration is attempting to sandbag the Tea Baggers, guess what is really happening. The Democrats are sandbagging their electability in the mid-term elections. The result? The “crazies” will be running the asylum. And that will be good for all of us!

A recent guest on my show posed this: “Is there a Board of Directors at any company that would allow a president to project deficits for the next 10 years? Of course not.  They would show him the door.”

Yet, we have put our faith in leaders who are out of touch with the realities of our economy.  Millions of Americans are out of work, and yet we are trusting leaders who have never run a company to create a jobs bill.   With no insight into the requirement of sound Human Resources policies, they are calling for entrepreneurs and business owners to hire job candidates currently unemployed instead of trying to match the candidate to the skills required for the job. These are just the latest examples of the social welfare state we are evolving into instead of the robust, sustainable wealth generating free enterprise marketplace that has served us so well for so long.

It is time to run this country like a business.   Decisions must be made based on sound financial principles instead of the rapid accumulation of debt that can never be paid back.  If the “company” wants to spend money and there is no money in the coffers, the purchase is deferred or cuts are made elsewhere to free up capital.

When companies seek growth, they find new markets.  When America is run like a business, it will invest in our most innovative entrepreneurs to create jobs and generate revenue in those areas where wealth and opportunities are most abundant.

Is this merely a pipe dream?  Not if you are following the new crop of political candidates poised to run for office.

In California, Meg Whitman, the former CEO of Ebay, is running for office as a Republican gubernatorial candidate.   Also in California, former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina, is vying for Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat as a Republican.

While there is no guarantee that CEO success translates into political success (i.e.  Democratic Governor Jon Corzine, a former Goldman-Sachs executive, was recently tossed out of office in New Jersey), we need to elect more leaders in the Senate and House who have a business background.

On The Neal Asbury Show we have had many business-oriented political guests such as: Congressman Kevin Brady, a Deputy Whip for the GOP representing the 8th District of Texas and a successful entrepreneur; Congressman John C. Fleming M.D. (R-LA), a family physician from Minden, LA, who runs a healthcare company with 500 employees;   Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) who ran the largest independent residential real estate brokerage company in the Southeast; and Dr. Eric Wargotz, Republican U.S. Senatorial Candidate for Maryland, who is both a physician and businessman.

As an entrepreneur and an American, I think it is time this country ran like it was intended by our founding fathers.  A place where anyone can pursue the American dream without government interference.  And that means, having people in our government who have a sense of business and fair play.  When leaders in Washington start to act and think like us, this “company” will start renewing its legacy as the greatest country on Earth.

Yet, through some selfless mentoring by people who practiced conscientious equity by tapping into their mental toughness the hard way – in the trenches of trade — they imparted to me the humility and humanity that has kept me plowing ahead at life’s most difficult crossroads. When it would have been easier to give up rather than face the challenges that beset all entrepreneurs, I recalled the life lessons that still guide me today. Never compromise on your standards, and never lose the toughness that guides you, and has guided this nation’s visionaries and successful businesses.

I founded my first entrepreneurial adventure in 1988 in a dilapidated, leaky roof building in Manila, Philippines. It was here that I began manufacturing commercial foodservice equipment. Before long I was able to secure the exclusive contract to fabricate the kitchens for McDonalds throughout the booming Asia/Pacific region. We began building more than three hundred stores a year and had over four hundred employees. Every waking moment I was completely consumed.

My job was made much more complex by my collision with history. The Philippines was going through one of its darkest moments; reeling from the upheaval of the People Power Revolution. There was massive civil unrest exacerbated by frequent right -wing coups at tempts and the omnipresent threat of communist insurgents.

However this was just the beginning. The labor unions were infiltrated by the communists who were openly hostile towards management and practiced extortion for their personal gain. There was corruption everywhere, at every level of society. It wasn’t long before this destabilization eroded the fabric of the country and the quality of life. Opportunity was replaced by oppressive poverty, and the infrastructure eroded to the point where there was daily random power outages t hat lasted several hours. My job was to manage chaos which was never in short supply.

As I learned to navigate through these challenges I got a call that would shake my world. I was summoned to an important briefing at the American Embassy. It became apparent that negotiations were going poorly between the U.S. and Philippine governments on the future status of the American military bases at Clark Airfield and Subic Bay. Recognizing a weakened American presence, communist insurgents sequestered safely deep in the jungles of Luzon began sending “Sparrow Units” to Manila to assassinate Americans. “Sparrow Units” were small cells that were heavily armed and trained in hit-and-run tactics. As I was a high profile businessman and married to a well known Filipina actress, I was believed to be a target. The Communist Party wanted Tough Enough to intimidate Americans so that America would vacate the despised bases.

The CIA officer in charge of security at the Embassy spoke in a somber voice as he warned me to prepare myself for whatever eventuality may come. I was to change my route and times I traveled each day. I must avoid crowds and traffic jams. I had to always be alert and watch for anything out of the ordinary. I was forced to post security personnel at my factory with 12- gauge sawed-off shotguns and live in a heavily guarded compound. I lived like a prisoner. Yet, my only “crime” was being an entrepreneur and creating desperately needed jobs.

One evening as I sat in the backseat of my SUV, with my driver zigzagging through the streets of Manila on my way home, I came to the realization that I had tried to suppress the one emotion that should have been natural during this entire ordeal: I was scared. Eventually every entrepreneur has a rendezvous with fear. But this wasn’t the fear of failure. It was a real fear for the safety and security of my family, me and my company. This wasn’t a situation I had ever imagined as I planned my business career. I had learned a lot about business, and I thought I knew how to handle any challenge. This wasn’t one of them. Yet, in the back of my mind, I thought back to a mentor whose lessons resonated with me throughout my life. Perhaps I could draw on these lessons and to take strength in the most important words that were ever spoken to me.

I thought back to the time when as a young dreamer I landed my dream-job at a young twenty-three years of age. The lure of working in exotic Asia compelled me to accept the position as an Asian sales manager of an obscure division of Inchcape PLC, a large, fabled British trading company whose roots go back to 1847 and the beginning of the British Raj in India. There was no better place for me to immerse myself in the most fundamental elements of international trade. Immediately upon coming on board I was on my way to my new home in Singapore.

I hit the ground running. I traveled incessantly to the capitol cities of Bangkok, Colombo, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila. I also knew like the back of my hand the backwaters of Kota Kinabalu, Medan, Surabaya,Bandar Seri Begawan and Cebu. I was fortunate enough to have achieved some early successes for my company. I was feeling invincible.

My boss and mentor, Hugo Garin, was an incredible man. He and his wife Monica escaped communism under the most difficult of circumstances. Fluent in seven languages, Hugo was also an engineer, designer and a natural salesman. He was a true citizen of the world who had a never-ending repertoire of spellbinding stories. Each night at dinner he held court. I wanted more than anything to be one day like him.

My boss’s boss, John, was a dour British executive that wore cockamamie bowties and thick blue pinstriped suits who spoke the Queens English in a slow, deliberate enunciation that made me anxious for him to finish his long, drawn out sentences. He seemed to me to have a way of making things much more complicated than they actually were. In my naïve estimation John was a nice man but I did not think his intellectual skills reached the level of Hugo, nor did he merit his position as Hugo’s boss.

After one of my meetings with John and Hugo to update them on my travels I found myself alone with Hugo for a few moments. Full of piss-and-vinegar and perpetually in a hurry to hit the byways of Southeast Asia digging up sales opportunities, I remarked to Hugo with distain and mischief that he should be John’s boss. In a low voice, I leaned over Hugo’s shoulder and added: “After all John is a glorified wimp that does not deserve to be leading us”.

I was knocked off my feet with Hugo’s reaction to my obvious impertinence, suggesting that my mind “is nothing but meaningless mush”. I left his office with my tail between my legs, and dreaded a follow up meeting a few days later, where I expected one of his patented thrashings. Instead he imparted on me the most profound wisdom I have ever heard. Without this conversation I would not be here today. It lasted a few moments only but it was advice that I have replayed in my mind over and over. It was the advice that I needed more than anything in the backseat of my SUV.

He chastised me for my ill-conceived comments concerning John, admonishing me to keep in mind that youth and hard work were not enough to ensure success. In his thick Eastern European accent he lectured me “you have no idea the decisions that John needs to make every day and the burdens that are solely his. He stands alone dealing with pressures that would break most men. Any escape he has lasts only a fleeting moment. He has his moments of triumph but they quickly pass. His problems are endless and his frustrations deep, dark and omnipresent”.

Leaning across his desk with his gray eyes exploding behind his signature thick, black rimmed glasses he said

“Do not think for one second that you are tough enough to be in John’s shoes. What you need to figure out from this day forward is will you ever be tough enough?”

I did not understand how these words would come to both inspire and to haunt me.

Over the years “to be tough enough” came to mean many things. It meant the mental strength to deal with the pressure relentlessly weighing on your mind. It resembles the kind of pres sure you encounter being 180 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, when many before you have succumbed to the seeping blackness of this pressure and never resurfaced. It requires you to conjure up all the mental strength and stamina that you possess, before you feel numb and are powerless to do anything about it. You wonder if you have enough air in your tank to make it to the surface. Do you have the will to fight? It is at this point you find out if you have the kind of toughness Hugo was discussing with me.

But toughness means much more than this. It means having the wherewithal to go toe-to-toe against your European, Japanese and Chinese competitors to win business that is so essential for our American factories and workers. You take the fight to them knowing that there are barriers to your success. You fight knowing that while U.S. government support for American exports is waning, most foreign governments aggressively support their exporters. It doesn’t take long to realize that as an American exporter you wake up each day recreating the film “High Noon” – it’s just you with the personal resolve to take on all comers , even though you are outnumbered and lack the resources. You need the mental toughness to strap on those guns each day and battle it out anew.

It’s toughness buoyed by passion. Your entrepreneurial dream will always consume more capital and take longer than you anticipate. There will be countless lonely days and nights; the only resource you can count on is your passion. It is the lonely vigil of this nation’s 27 million small business owners.

Each day we go to work to sustain our piece of the American Dream. We don’t get parades. There’s no “Small Business Appreciation Day.” Heck, the President barely even acknowledges small business. But we’re out there. We’ve always been out there. We’re doing the heavy lifting for our economy and we hold the key to our current economic malaise. Each day we face daunting challenges. Yet we prevail without public complaint. We have long ago stopped looking for government support or expecting the government to remove the barriers that often makes our lives difficult and unbearable. Of the recent stimulus package approximately one percent, that’s right, just one measly percent went to support the people that have been responsible for more than seventy percent of our job growth over the last decade. That’s what makes the American entrepreneur so tough…and resilient. They do more with less.

My old boss Hugo had a strong sense of conscientious equity. And I’d like to think I do, too. I can only hope that if Hugo was still with us and he would size me up, consider what I’ve accomplished as an entrepreneur, look at me and say: “Neal, I think you have indeed learned how to be tough enough”.