Small Business Football
12:17 PM August 2, 2010
The back and forth debate between the small business jobs bill (H.R.5297) reminds me of classic Charlie Brown gag between him and Lucy. The story goes something like this; Lucy invites Charlie Brown to kick the football while she holds it. As soon as Charlie is about to kick it, Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie, knocking him straight to the ground.
This classic scenario between Charlie Brown and Lucy is exactly what is playing out in the Senate right now. Last week, Democrats and Republicans argued back and forth about how many amendments to offer. Democrats threw in some of their other pet programs which had nothing to do with small business and Republicans tried to act like they were interested in moving the bill forward, but just as it looked like an agreement was in the works, they pulled the football out from under the Democrats. This has been going on for three weeks. The Senate has pulled the bill off the floor at least three times to consider other, more pressing legislation. In the meanwhile, small businesses wait for tax incentives, increased lending and contracting reform--all of which they need immediately.
This week is the last attempt to pass the bill before Congress goes home for the rest of August and part of September. Now is the time to show leadership and pass a much needed bill. We need a touchdown.
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