Government & PoliticsSmall Business Incentives Face a Hard Road in CongressPresident Obama’s incentives for small business to create jobs appear to be foundering at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Those proposals — tax credits for hiring and investment and initiatives to spur lending to small firms — all face strong resistance, and not all of it comes from the Senate. Each chamber has embraced separate elements of the administration’s agenda, and, for the moment, none of those elements overlap.Government & PoliticsU.S. Salary-Increase Budgets Hit 25-Year LowChanges to salary structures... [Read Full Article]

  Government, Politics and the Economy Zuckerman: The Economy is Even Worse Than We Think With unemployment numbers undermining confidence that we might be nearing the bottom of the recession, what can be seen is already disconcerting enough, but the inside numbers are just as bad. WSJ.com A Surtax on Small Business As the first year of the administration unfolds, it is becoming clear that Obama Democrats have chosen income redistribution over job creation and economic growth. WSJ.com Management and Operations [Read Full Article]

Presidential Candidates on Workplace Policies in America SBE Chief Economist Ray Keating writes: "When it comes to government causing problems for small businesses, costs come not only in the form of taxes, but also in terms of regulations. As a big chunk of the media focuses on which presidential candidate would be better for small business, what are Barack Obama and John McCain saying on workplace regulations?" SBE Council Cybercolumn Candidates reach out to Florida small-business owners Small-business owners in South Florida have been targeted by both presidential campaigns, yet neither camp is specific enough to really make a clear decision as to which one is best. The Miami Herald Lower... [Read Full Article]

Deputy Secretary Robert M. Kimmitt's Remarks at the Dubai International Financial Centre Survey Finds that Raises Next Year Will Be the Lowest Since 9/11 As American companies revise their compensation budgets to control costs, employees are going to earn significantly smaller raises and bonuses next year. Workforce.com Local Credit is Out There For Small Businesses F inding credit is hard these days, but small businesses can still get the credit they need through community banks, credit unions and the Small Business Administration. USA TODAY Are Your Coworkers on Their... [Read Full Article]