American Small Business and its Bondage in Freedom

Abstract

This article discusses the efforts of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to protect and promote the free enterprise system in order to give small businesses the freedom to conduct their affairs. Since its beginning in 1943, NFIB has steadily grown to its present membership of over 490,000. Not unlike the labor unions with their great strength in large numbers to confront intimidation, NFIB can often send a very popular opinion to U.S. Congress on Small Business legislation since that opinion attracts a sympathetic stand from the millions of small-business entrepreneurs who are not members, but who are usually in full agreement over the same matters that impede their own free enterprise endeavors. Then add an incalculable but extremely massive block of small business employees which vote-wary legislators at every level learn to understand over the long pull. Nearly 25 years ago NFIB helped establish the Small Business Administration which eventually became an effective catalyst between the little Guy in Spokane and the Halls of Congress in matters of management advice and financial assistance. Through this agency and a formidable list of legislation NFIB has projected its influence for Small Business on tax reform, pension programs, estate taxes, regulatory agencies, the government paperwork burden, wage levels, social security, on-site picketing, national health insurance, unemployment compensation, right-to-work, consumer protection, product liability.