How to Save American Business

Dear Mr. President,

At a time when our country is at war, when we're being challenged by new economic superpowers like China, when we face growing concerns about our ability to continue relying on foreign investment and loans to finance our debt, companies like mine -- which offer the hope of the future -- need your help.

After I wrote you in these pages a year ago, you and I talked about steps you and your administration had taken to stabilize our economy and position us to compete more effectively in the global marketplace. What was surprising, not to mention a great honor, was that you chose to talk about it in person, answering my letter by coming all the way to Springfield, Mo., to address the employee-owners of SRC (SRC Quote).

Frankly, I think we were a good audience for you to talk to. We see our company as a business of businesspeople -- 1,200 businesspeople altogether. There's nothing particularly glamorous about what we do. We remanufacture engine and engine components for trucks, autos, and the heavy equipment used in agriculture and construction work. We make power units for irrigation. We put together engine repair kits. We're like the tens of thousands of other entrepreneurial companies that form the backbone of the American economy -- the ones who will generate the wealth required to handle the problems we face, keep the economy strong, and leave something better for our children.

That's why it's so important to bear in mind the needs of entrepreneurs whenever we pass new laws or make new rules, even if, on the surface, they appear to have little to do with business. Yes, people in growing companies care about tax policy, but that's just one way the federal government touches us.

From environmental regulations to welfare reform to the call-up of National Guard units, virtually everything the government does has an impact on businesses like mine. It's all too easy for Congress and the administration to create problems inadvertently that will have ramifications throughout the entrepreneurial sector, with a potentially devastating effect on our nation's ability to meet the challenges ahead. Then again, it's also possible for you to help remove some of the biggest obstacles that stand in our way.