Oregon Business Delegation to Congress on Fiscal Showdown: Listen to Main Street, Not to Wall Street

On Thursday, November 29, over 60 small business owners from across Oregon submitted a letter to members of Oregon’s congressional delegation urging them to listen to the concerns of Oregon small businesses instead of the voices of Wall Street in the debate unfolding in Washington, DC about the Bush tax cuts and the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

“I want the Bush tax cuts at the top to end,” said Rhonda Ealy, owner of Strictly Organic Coffee in Bend. “It’s the right thing to do for the overall health of the country. And the overall health of the country benefits my business. What my business needs is customers – not more tax cuts for the rich.”

With lobbying intensifying in Washington, DC, including by a council of 80 Wall Street CEOs who support a deficit framework that would involve major domestic program cuts, local, independent small business owners in Oregon want to make clear that they have different priorities from Wall Street executives on tax, budget, and deficit issues.

Jose Gonzalez, president of Tu Casa Real Estate in Salem, called for putting more revenue options on the table in the fiscal showdown. “For locally-rooted small businesses, we can’t cut our way to prosperity. We need to grow our way to prosperity,” Gonzalez said. “Growth requires investment and investment requires resources. And that’s why Congress needs to put meaningful revenue options on the table.”

“Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare play an important role in helping preserve the middle class and protecting their retirement income,” said Deborah Field, owner of Paperjam Press in Portland. “These programs give people a basic income and make sure they don’t have to spend every last dime on health care. That way, people have something left to spend in their local economies – and in our businesses.” Field added, “Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare are also vitally important for small business owners in retirement. Since we don’t get company pensions or retiree health benefits, these programs are the sole hope for a basic retirement for many small business owners.”

Mark Kellenbeck, of BrainJoy LLC in Medford and co-chair of Main Street Alliance of Oregon, suggested that economic growth is the only answer to the challenges small businesses have faced since the 2008 financial crisis. “Until we get many more Americans back to work, expansion of the economy should be our only concern. Full employment is the key to our country’s prosperity, economic security, and to the long term reduction of our debt. It would be prudent for the federal government to invest in 21^st century infrastructure, thereby fueling job growth and re-igniting the economy.  An increase in tax revenue from those that can well afford it is a key component of that effort.”

Summarizing, Jim Houser of Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland and co-chair of Main Street Alliance   noted, “As a country, we’ve tried listening to Wall Street. That strategy hasn’t worked for most Americans and it hasn’t worked for small businesses. While the banks got bailouts and Wall Street rebounded to post new record profits, small businesses took it on the chin. It’s time for a change. This time around, it’s time to listen to Main Street.”

Earlier this month leaders of Main Street Alliance of Oregon spoke on a press briefing call about their priorities for the lame duck session of the 112^th U.S. Congress and released a new policy brief The Real Story of Death and Taxes. This brief, based on surveys of 334 small business owners throughout rural areas of Oregon, found that the majority of those surveyed support Congress ending the “Bush-era” tax cuts for households earning over $250,000 a year and ending corporate tax loopholes to raise revenue before making further budget cuts.

Main Street Alliance of Oregon is a statewide network of local, independent small business owners advocating on state and policy issues impacting small business. MSAO creates opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves on issues that impact their businesses and local economies.

www.oregon.mainstreetalliance.org