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Jun
28
Prego! Spago! Chef Boyardio! Oh, and AT&T
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Having friends who are Italian and go back over twenty-two years comes in handy. My college friend Rich, whose mom is American but dad is Roman, hosted me in Italy for a couple of weeks many years ago, has hosted gatherings of our college friends at his family’s home in Tuscany (can you believe I missed that because my good for only one year open-ended ticket between the U.S. and Israel/Europe expired just before that free-for-all with several 20something college buddies – I still regret that) and is an all-around loyal if not always in touch friend. But whenever we need each other, no fears.
And so it was that I emailed him a “Help! I need a translation!” note last night re: that Italian blog entry about AT&T that linked to WLST. Here’s what the esteemable doctor had to say:
so i ll give u the short story-basically talks about att changing policy so that all matters regarding their customers phone and internet-including conversations,emails,webpages visited, time spent on each web page is property of att. reasoning is that while u may consider it personal information, they consider it “business tools” to be used in any which way deemed necessary by att to further their commercial interests, use in legal proceedings or to protect third party’s interests, use by police agencies or in the interest of national security……
what the hell is happening in this crap hole
It wouldn’t be fair to Rich if I didn’t mention that he actually is and always has been a staunch Republican, so that last line of his really threw me for a loop. I mean, this is a friend who, along with another college buddy who is equally Republican, although also less staunch of late, would send me the nastiest, most in poor taste jokes and cartoons and satirical items about Clinton and pretty much any Dem they could find material on.
That he’s questioning what’s happening and he’s calling the USA a “crap hole” has me more concerned than my own concern.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:47 am June 28th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
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Jun
27
WLST does Italy, or is it, Italy does WLST?
Filed Under Politics | 6 Comments
Anybody know Italian? From the blog Qeui ragazzi in pigiami’s post called “Privacy, sicurezza, diritti”:
Il post sul blog di Paul Soglin descrive la mossa di AT&T, annunciata ufficialmente l’altroieri, di dichiarare tutte le telefonate ed il trafficio Internet generati dai suoi clienti proprietà dell’azienda. Specificando meglio: tutti i contenuti delle conversazioni, le pagine web visitate, quelle più cliccate, il tempo in cui si è stati sulle singole pagine, le informazioni personali scambiate tramite i sistemi della società possono essere utilizzate dalla stessa nel caso queste dovessero venire richieste dalle forze dell’ordine o dal governo per motivi di sicurezza nazionale. Inoltre, “mentre i dettagli riguardanti la vostra utenza potrebbero apparirvi come informazioni personali, costituiscono uno strumento di business per la AT&T. Che così potrà rivelarle nel caso in cui essa dovesse sostenere i suoi legittimi interessi commerciali, affrontare procedimenti processuali o salvaguardare interessi altrui”. Una decisione destinata a far discutere.
Foto: www.dcpa.police.uk
Continua su Paul Soglin
Sull’argomento Writeslikeshetalks; Cleveland [my emphasis]
Wow, huh?
I left a comment and received this in response (in that blog’s comments):
Hi Jill, we make a screen of the blogosphere every day, and sometimes we find an interesting foreing blog as yours. So… We’re glad to have your post on our on-line magazine.Thank you too, keep in touch!
So, how cool is that? What’s not to love about blogging? No. Really.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:44 pm June 27th, 2006 in Politics | 6 Comments
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Jun
27
B’sherit in Bentonville, the long awaited thoughts on Wal-Mart Jews, is now up at The Writing on the Wal.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:57 pm June 27th, 2006 in Politics | 1 Comment
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Jun
27
WLST does Italy, or is it, Italy does WLST?
Filed Under Politics | 6 Comments
Anybody know Italian? From the blog Qeui ragazzi in pigiami’s post called “Privacy, sicurezza, diritti”:
Il post sul blog di Paul Soglin descrive la mossa di AT&T, annunciata ufficialmente l’altroieri, di dichiarare tutte le telefonate ed il trafficio Internet generati dai suoi clienti proprietà dell’azienda. Specificando meglio: tutti i contenuti delle conversazioni, le pagine web visitate, quelle più cliccate, il tempo in cui si è stati sulle singole pagine, le informazioni personali scambiate tramite i sistemi della società possono essere utilizzate dalla stessa nel caso queste dovessero venire richieste dalle forze dell’ordine o dal governo per motivi di sicurezza nazionale. Inoltre, “mentre i dettagli riguardanti la vostra utenza potrebbero apparirvi come informazioni personali, costituiscono uno strumento di business per la AT&T. Che così potrà rivelarle nel caso in cui essa dovesse sostenere i suoi legittimi interessi commerciali, affrontare procedimenti processuali o salvaguardare interessi altrui”. Una decisione destinata a far discutere.
Foto: www.dcpa.police.uk
Continua su Paul Soglin
Sull’argomento Writeslikeshetalks; Cleveland [my emphasis]
Wow, huh?
I left a comment and received this in response (in that blog’s comments):
Hi Jill, we make a screen of the blogosphere every day, and sometimes we find an interesting foreing blog as yours. So… We’re glad to have your post on our on-line magazine.Thank you too, keep in touch!
So, how cool is that? What’s not to love about blogging? No. Really.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:44 pm June 27th, 2006 in Politics | 6 Comments
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Jun
27
This article about how children’s social security numbers were made available through a Google search because of…no one knows why yet (or is admitting to how it happened), is another example (on top of the other reports of private info being made available, as with Ohio’s own Secretary of State Ken Blackwell’s office’s incompetence and SSNs, or stolen, as with the VA records) of why we must remember: this is our information, people. No one will protect it if we don’t demand that it be protected. And if we don’t keep track of how it’s protected.
Do you really like feeling, “Oh, who cares – 619 kids’ SSNs? That’s nothing.” Do you really think we have to live with that as being okay? Well, you shouldn’t, and you shouldn’t have to.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:28 pm June 27th, 2006 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Jun
27
B’sherit in Bentonville, the long awaited thoughts on Wal-Mart Jews, is now up at The Writing on the Wal.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:57 pm June 27th, 2006 in Politics | 1 Comment
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Jun
27
WLST does Italy, or is it, Italy does WLST?
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
Anybody know Italian? From the blog Qeui ragazzi in pigiami’s post called “Privacy, sicurezza, diritti”:
Il post sul blog di Paul Soglin descrive la mossa di AT&T, annunciata ufficialmente l’altroieri, di dichiarare tutte le telefonate ed il trafficio Internet generati dai suoi clienti proprietà dell’azienda. Specificando meglio: tutti i contenuti delle conversazioni, le pagine web visitate, quelle più cliccate, il tempo in cui si è stati sulle singole pagine, le informazioni personali scambiate tramite i sistemi della società possono essere utilizzate dalla stessa nel caso queste dovessero venire richieste dalle forze dell’ordine o dal governo per motivi di sicurezza nazionale. Inoltre, “mentre i dettagli riguardanti la vostra utenza potrebbero apparirvi come informazioni personali, costituiscono uno strumento di business per la AT&T. Che così potrà rivelarle nel caso in cui essa dovesse sostenere i suoi legittimi interessi commerciali, affrontare procedimenti processuali o salvaguardare interessi altrui”. Una decisione destinata a far discutere.
Foto: www.dcpa.police.uk
Continua su Paul Soglin
Sull’argomento Writeslikeshetalks; Cleveland [my emphasis]
Wow, huh?
I left a comment and received this in response (in that blog’s comments):
Hi Jill, we make a screen of the blogosphere every day, and sometimes we find an interesting foreing blog as yours. So… We’re glad to have your post on our on-line magazine.Thank you too, keep in touch!
So, how cool is that? What’s not to love about blogging? No. Really.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:44 pm June 27th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
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Jun
27
If Arkansas can do it, you’d think Ohio sure as hell could too
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B’sherit in Bentonville, the long awaited thoughts on Wal-Mart Jews, is now up at The Writing on the Wal.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:57 am June 27th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
Print This Post
Jun
27
This article about how children’s social security numbers were made available through a Google search because of…no one knows why yet (or is admitting to how it happened), is another example (on top of the other reports of private info being made available, as with Ohio’s own Secretary of State Ken Blackwell’s office’s incompetence and SSNs, or stolen, as with the VA records) of why we must remember: this is our information, people. No one will protect it if we don’t demand that it be protected. And if we don’t keep track of how it’s protected.
Do you really like feeling, “Oh, who cares – 619 kids’ SSNs? That’s nothing.” Do you really think we have to live with that as being okay? Well, you shouldn’t, and you shouldn’t have to.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:28 am June 27th, 2006 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Jun
27
Per report: "Google gets an F" in protecting information
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
This article about how children’s social security numbers were made available through a Google search because of…no one knows why yet (or is admitting to how it happened), is another example (on top of the other reports of private info being made available, as with Ohio’s own Secretary of State Ken Blackwell’s office’s incompetence and SSNs, or stolen, as with the VA records) of why we must remember: this is our information, people. No one will protect it if we don’t demand that it be protected. And if we don’t keep track of how it’s protected.
Do you really like feeling, “Oh, who cares – 619 kids’ SSNs? That’s nothing.” Do you really think we have to live with that as being okay? Well, you shouldn’t, and you shouldn’t have to.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:28 am June 27th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
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Jun
27
Camp Bloggapalooza
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
I don’t know who’s getting all the legals in order and I don’t want to know (and I certainly don’t want to be asked – I’m inactive, INACTIVE folks – when it comes to being a lawyer). But, I can tell you that it sounds as though truckloads and frying vats full of fun will be happening at Meet the Blogger’s one year anniversary celebration, Bloggapalooza.
I’m offering up a basket of Writes Like She Talks goodies (all suggestions welcome) for a fundraising raffle, and the entertainment is extraordinary. I’ve got my babysitter all lined up (I’ve confirmed the date with her at least three times) and can’t wait.
Come on! Obligate yourself to meet and mingle. Because if you’ve never met a blogger before, don’t you owe it to yourself to meet one now?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:31 am June 27th, 2006 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Jun
26
Camp Bloggapalooza
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
I don’t know who’s getting all the legals in order and I don’t want to know (and I certainly don’t want to be asked – I’m inactive, INACTIVE folks – when it comes to being a lawyer). But, I can tell you that it sounds as though truckloads and frying vats full of fun will be happening at Meet the Blogger’s one year anniversary celebration, Bloggapalooza.
I’m offering up a basket of Writes Like She Talks goodies (all suggestions welcome) for a fundraising raffle, and the entertainment is extraordinary. I’ve got my babysitter all lined up (I’ve confirmed the date with her at least three times) and can’t wait.
Come on! Obligate yourself to meet and mingle. Because if you’ve never met a blogger before, don’t you owe it to yourself to meet one now?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:31 pm June 26th, 2006 in Politics | 2 Comments
Print This Post
Jun
26
Camp Bloggapalooza
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
I don’t know who’s getting all the legals in order and I don’t want to know (and I certainly don’t want to be asked – I’m inactive, INACTIVE folks – when it comes to being a lawyer). But, I can tell you that it sounds as though truckloads and frying vats full of fun will be happening at Meet the Blogger’s one year anniversary celebration, Bloggapalooza.
I’m offering up a basket of Writes Like She Talks goodies (all suggestions welcome) for a fundraising raffle, and the entertainment is extraordinary. I’ve got my babysitter all lined up (I’ve confirmed the date with her at least three times) and can’t wait.
Come on! Obligate yourself to meet and mingle. Because if you’ve never met a blogger before, don’t you owe it to yourself to meet one now?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:31 pm June 26th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
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Jun
26
Dig deeper, Henry re: AT&T
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
Henry Gomez posted this on his Tech Link today re: my post about AT&T’s privacy policy. Henry’s blog on Cleveland.com doesn’t allow for comments, so I emailed him my thoughts. I know Henry will get to them, but here they are for those curious to know how I fisk what he fisked:
First, my concern about AT&T’s policy – whether you believe its new or just a variation on the same theme with no material changes, has zero to do with the stated or even known objectives of the policy or the changes. My concern has to do with the effect. Motive is irrelevant to me in this circumstance. And many laws, discrimination of almost any type for example, take into account that illegal, undesirable activity can occur with or without intent and cause the exact same, or even worse damage.
So, I think you need to go a bit deeper in this part of your analysis.
Second, I don’t know Mr. Cleary, but was that a canned response, or was it a personal one? Because it sounds very much like the company line. Which is fine – they need to have one. But as a reader of yours, I’d like to know whether that was a personal response or a canned response.
Third, and this is somewhat connected to the previous point, I used to review managed care contracts for a large mental health agency. You can’t imagine the number of red pens I expired because of sections I demanded be removed. And every time, staff would say to me, oh, they’re so big. They won’t remove that, it’s the standard language, I would say back to them, well, you don’t know if you don’t ask and just because everyone else signs off doesn’t mean we should.
And you know what? Nine out of ten times? The companies modified or deleted the language. I’ve had that experience with boiler plate contracts from large entities over and over and over. People refuse to challenge – they say, we’re so little, we’re just one customer.
Well, if you’re just one customer, then you really think they’ll care to swat you away? You’re not causing them any cost that isn’t already in their budget. So go ahead and bug them a bit. They can afford it far more than you can, sadly.
Finally, a business owns its business records, but what do you believe to be the scope of the definition of “business records”? Mental health clients records are, under a ridiculously broad rubric, “business records,” but those sure as heck are not the kind of records any clinician is giving up – and no one would seek mental health assistance if all records were subject to this broad concept of business records.
I would think that most people – not including people seeking access to something they shouldn’t be seeing in the first place – see “business records” as ledgers and that type of info related to the running of the business. NOT the content of the business you actually run. Which is why lawyers notes are “work product” and not easily accessed under the law.
Thanks, Henry. I have confidence that you will be thorough in your consideration of what I’ve written here and follow-up accordingly.
Always with a smile and a fried Twinkie –
Moi.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:57 pm June 26th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
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Jun
26
Lobby v. lobby in the small business arena
Filed Under Politics | 5 Comments
In this post, I referred to an article I read about how the largest small business lobby’s allegiance to Republicans is causing or is about to cause them tsoriss.
But what I intended to also mention, which I left out and now want to add, is this question: Can we really classify small business people as Republicans or Democrats? My dad has been a small businessman, and my mother a small businesswoman, for nearly 40 years. And they are both die-hard Democrats.
The Fortune Small Business article includes a chart that displays information on four other small business lobbies, including the new (launched in 2004), small (300 members compared to NFIB’s 600,000 members) yet well-endowed ($1 million budget, compared to the $3 million budget for the National Small Business Association’s 65,000 members) Small Business Majority (note that its website’s URL reads, “smallbusinessforamerica,” which is its former name). Its website’s front page declares:
A New Political Voice
Small Business Majority is a national nonprofit organization of progressive business entrepreneurs working to ensure prosperity in the 21st century economy by building a politically aware and active community of small business leaders.
The backbone of the American economy, 23.6 million small businesses make up 52% of private sector workforce. Small business creates 75% of all new jobs and anchors of our communities. It’s time that we recognize our importance to America’s future and exercise our majority status. Our voice needs to be heard in government.
Here’s where it swings at the humongous, Republican-supporting NFIB:
Most major so-called small business advocacy organizations, such as the National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, follow a strong ideologically based Republican big-business agenda.
The results are that:
58% of small business employees do not have health insurance.
Small businesses pay twice as much in taxes as big businesses.
Entrepreneurs struggle to obtain the capital necessary to launch and run their ventures.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) budget has been cut by almost 50%.
And the pedigrees of the people involved couldn’t be much higher. Lots of lawyers, Ivy Leaguers, business school folks, hi-tech money and experience, and politically experiened folks. And, of course, progressive, from what I can tell from their biographies.
So, which is it, America?
The USA is a land of opportunity where anything is possible if:
a) you pull yourself up by the bootstraps and then you work to keep the government off your back and out of your pockets and files, and then lets you do things your own way with minimal intereference and let the market and global economy inform your success?
or
b) the government provides incentives to equal the playing field for people with ideas and drive but not necessarily cash and connections, as well as a desire to stay small and actually run and live off of, and help others live a decent life off of the business they created, as opposed to creating a business – any business – just for the purpose of getting bought out big time.
Are these visions mutually exclusive when it comes to small business law? To capitalism as it now exists and is evolving?
I really don’t know, but it sure seems like there’s enormous conflict.
Disclaimer: Other than a class in micro-econ which I nearly flunked because the prof was a just graduated from Harvard B-school can’t teach for s**t type, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a single business course. But some of my best friends are MBAs. (that’s supposed to be a joke) And my parents’ and grandparents’ examples of starting and succeeding with small businesses.
So if these questions are like Business School 101, sorry, I never took it. Somehow, though, I get the sense that this line of questioning has yet to be resolved, even if answered over and over.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:55 am June 26th, 2006 in Politics | 5 Comments
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Jun
26
Dig deeper, Henry re: AT&T
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
Henry Gomez posted this on his Tech Link today re: my post about AT&T’s privacy policy. Henry’s blog on Cleveland.com doesn’t allow for comments, so I emailed him my thoughts. I know Henry will get to them, but here they are for those curious to know how I fisk what he fisked:
First, my concern about AT&T’s policy – whether you believe its new or just a variation on the same theme with no material changes, has zero to do with the stated or even known objectives of the policy or the changes. My concern has to do with the effect. Motive is irrelevant to me in this circumstance. And many laws, discrimination of almost any type for example, take into account that illegal, undesirable activity can occur with or without intent and cause the exact same, or even worse damage.
So, I think you need to go a bit deeper in this part of your analysis.
Second, I don’t know Mr. Cleary, but was that a canned response, or was it a personal one? Because it sounds very much like the company line. Which is fine – they need to have one. But as a reader of yours, I’d like to know whether that was a personal response or a canned response.
Third, and this is somewhat connected to the previous point, I used to review managed care contracts for a large mental health agency. You can’t imagine the number of red pens I expired because of sections I demanded be removed. And every time, staff would say to me, oh, they’re so big. They won’t remove that, it’s the standard language, I would say back to them, well, you don’t know if you don’t ask and just because everyone else signs off doesn’t mean we should.
And you know what? Nine out of ten times? The companies modified or deleted the language. I’ve had that experience with boiler plate contracts from large entities over and over and over. People refuse to challenge – they say, we’re so little, we’re just one customer.
Well, if you’re just one customer, then you really think they’ll care to swat you away? You’re not causing them any cost that isn’t already in their budget. So go ahead and bug them a bit. They can afford it far more than you can, sadly.
Finally, a business owns its business records, but what do you believe to be the scope of the definition of “business records”? Mental health clients records are, under a ridiculously broad rubric, “business records,” but those sure as heck are not the kind of records any clinician is giving up – and no one would seek mental health assistance if all records were subject to this broad concept of business records.
I would think that most people – not including people seeking access to something they shouldn’t be seeing in the first place – see “business records” as ledgers and that type of info related to the running of the business. NOT the content of the business you actually run. Which is why lawyers notes are “work product” and not easily accessed under the law.
Thanks, Henry. I have confidence that you will be thorough in your consideration of what I’ve written here and follow-up accordingly.
Always with a smile and a fried Twinkie –
Moi.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:57 am June 26th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
Print This Post
Jun
26
Dig deeper, Henry re: AT&T
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
Henry Gomez posted this on his Tech Link today re: my post about AT&T’s privacy policy. Henry’s blog on Cleveland.com doesn’t allow for comments, so I emailed him my thoughts. I know Henry will get to them, but here they are for those curious to know how I fisk what he fisked:
First, my concern about AT&T’s policy – whether you believe its new or just a variation on the same theme with no material changes, has zero to do with the stated or even known objectives of the policy or the changes. My concern has to do with the effect. Motive is irrelevant to me in this circumstance. And many laws, discrimination of almost any type for example, take into account that illegal, undesirable activity can occur with or without intent and cause the exact same, or even worse damage.
So, I think you need to go a bit deeper in this part of your analysis.
Second, I don’t know Mr. Cleary, but was that a canned response, or was it a personal one? Because it sounds very much like the company line. Which is fine – they need to have one. But as a reader of yours, I’d like to know whether that was a personal response or a canned response.
Third, and this is somewhat connected to the previous point, I used to review managed care contracts for a large mental health agency. You can’t imagine the number of red pens I expired because of sections I demanded be removed. And every time, staff would say to me, oh, they’re so big. They won’t remove that, it’s the standard language, I would say back to them, well, you don’t know if you don’t ask and just because everyone else signs off doesn’t mean we should.
And you know what? Nine out of ten times? The companies modified or deleted the language. I’ve had that experience with boiler plate contracts from large entities over and over and over. People refuse to challenge – they say, we’re so little, we’re just one customer.
Well, if you’re just one customer, then you really think they’ll care to swat you away? You’re not causing them any cost that isn’t already in their budget. So go ahead and bug them a bit. They can afford it far more than you can, sadly.
Finally, a business owns its business records, but what do you believe to be the scope of the definition of “business records”? Mental health clients records are, under a ridiculously broad rubric, “business records,” but those sure as heck are not the kind of records any clinician is giving up – and no one would seek mental health assistance if all records were subject to this broad concept of business records.
I would think that most people – not including people seeking access to something they shouldn’t be seeing in the first place – see “business records” as ledgers and that type of info related to the running of the business. NOT the content of the business you actually run. Which is why lawyers notes are “work product” and not easily accessed under the law.
Thanks, Henry. I have confidence that you will be thorough in your consideration of what I’ve written here and follow-up accordingly.
Always with a smile and a fried Twinkie –
Moi.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:57 am June 26th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
Print This Post
Jun
26
Lobby v. lobby in the small business arena
Filed Under Politics | 5 Comments
In this post, I referred to an article I read about how the largest small business lobby’s allegiance to Republicans is causing or is about to cause them tsoriss.
But what I intended to also mention, which I left out and now want to add, is this question: Can we really classify small business people as Republicans or Democrats? My dad has been a small businessman, and my mother a small businesswoman, for nearly 40 years. And they are both die-hard Democrats.
The Fortune Small Business article includes a chart that displays information on four other small business lobbies, including the new (launched in 2004), small (300 members compared to NFIB’s 600,000 members) yet well-endowed ($1 million budget, compared to the $3 million budget for the National Small Business Association’s 65,000 members) Small Business Majority (note that its website’s URL reads, “smallbusinessforamerica,” which is its former name). Its website’s front page declares:
A New Political Voice
Small Business Majority is a national nonprofit organization of progressive business entrepreneurs working to ensure prosperity in the 21st century economy by building a politically aware and active community of small business leaders.
The backbone of the American economy, 23.6 million small businesses make up 52% of private sector workforce. Small business creates 75% of all new jobs and anchors of our communities. It’s time that we recognize our importance to America’s future and exercise our majority status. Our voice needs to be heard in government.
Here’s where it swings at the humongous, Republican-supporting NFIB:
Most major so-called small business advocacy organizations, such as the National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, follow a strong ideologically based Republican big-business agenda.
The results are that:
58% of small business employees do not have health insurance.
Small businesses pay twice as much in taxes as big businesses.
Entrepreneurs struggle to obtain the capital necessary to launch and run their ventures.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) budget has been cut by almost 50%.
And the pedigrees of the people involved couldn’t be much higher. Lots of lawyers, Ivy Leaguers, business school folks, hi-tech money and experience, and politically experiened folks. And, of course, progressive, from what I can tell from their biographies.
So, which is it, America?
The USA is a land of opportunity where anything is possible if:
a) you pull yourself up by the bootstraps and then you work to keep the government off your back and out of your pockets and files, and then lets you do things your own way with minimal intereference and let the market and global economy inform your success?
or
b) the government provides incentives to equal the playing field for people with ideas and drive but not necessarily cash and connections, as well as a desire to stay small and actually run and live off of, and help others live a decent life off of the business they created, as opposed to creating a business – any business – just for the purpose of getting bought out big time.
Are these visions mutually exclusive when it comes to small business law? To capitalism as it now exists and is evolving?
I really don’t know, but it sure seems like there’s enormous conflict.
Disclaimer: Other than a class in micro-econ which I nearly flunked because the prof was a just graduated from Harvard B-school can’t teach for s**t type, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a single business course. But some of my best friends are MBAs. (that’s supposed to be a joke) And my parents’ and grandparents’ examples of starting and succeeding with small businesses.
So if these questions are like Business School 101, sorry, I never took it. Somehow, though, I get the sense that this line of questioning has yet to be resolved, even if answered over and over.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:55 am June 26th, 2006 in Politics | 5 Comments
Print This Post
Jun
26
Lobby v. lobby in the small business arena
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
In this post, I referred to an article I read about how the largest small business lobby’s allegiance to Republicans is causing or is about to cause them tsoriss.
But what I intended to also mention, which I left out and now want to add, is this question: Can we really classify small business people as Republicans or Democrats? My dad has been a small businessman, and my mother a small businesswoman, for nearly 40 years. And they are both die-hard Democrats.
The Fortune Small Business article includes a chart that displays information on four other small business lobbies, including the new (launched in 2004), small (300 members compared to NFIB’s 600,000 members) yet well-endowed ($1 million budget, compared to the $3 million budget for the National Small Business Association’s 65,000 members) Small Business Majority (note that its website’s URL reads, “smallbusinessforamerica,” which is its former name). Its website’s front page declares:
A New Political Voice
Small Business Majority is a national nonprofit organization of progressive business entrepreneurs working to ensure prosperity in the 21st century economy by building a politically aware and active community of small business leaders.
The backbone of the American economy, 23.6 million small businesses make up 52% of private sector workforce. Small business creates 75% of all new jobs and anchors of our communities. It’s time that we recognize our importance to America’s future and exercise our majority status. Our voice needs to be heard in government.
Here’s where it swings at the humongous, Republican-supporting NFIB:
Most major so-called small business advocacy organizations, such as the National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, follow a strong ideologically based Republican big-business agenda.
The results are that:
58% of small business employees do not have health insurance.
Small businesses pay twice as much in taxes as big businesses.
Entrepreneurs struggle to obtain the capital necessary to launch and run their ventures.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) budget has been cut by almost 50%.
And the pedigrees of the people involved couldn’t be much higher. Lots of lawyers, Ivy Leaguers, business school folks, hi-tech money and experience, and politically experiened folks. And, of course, progressive, from what I can tell from their biographies.
So, which is it, America?
The USA is a land of opportunity where anything is possible if:
a) you pull yourself up by the bootstraps and then you work to keep the government off your back and out of your pockets and files, and then lets you do things your own way with minimal intereference and let the market and global economy inform your success?
or
b) the government provides incentives to equal the playing field for people with ideas and drive but not necessarily cash and connections, as well as a desire to stay small and actually run and live off of, and help others live a decent life off of the business they created, as opposed to creating a business – any business – just for the purpose of getting bought out big time.
Are these visions mutually exclusive when it comes to small business law? To capitalism as it now exists and is evolving?
I really don’t know, but it sure seems like there’s enormous conflict.
Disclaimer: Other than a class in micro-econ which I nearly flunked because the prof was a just graduated from Harvard B-school can’t teach for s**t type, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a single business course. But some of my best friends are MBAs. (that’s supposed to be a joke) And my parents’ and grandparents’ examples of starting and succeeding with small businesses.
So if these questions are like Business School 101, sorry, I never took it. Somehow, though, I get the sense that this line of questioning has yet to be resolved, even if answered over and over.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:55 am June 26th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off
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26
The July/August 2006 Fortune Small Business issue includes the article, “Is the NFIB Losing Its Voice?” It’s not yet available online, but should be soon. If the NFIB site is still down when you click on NFIB, check out this and this for more information about the National Federation of Independent Business.
[I found this post by NEO's own Anita Campbell re: new NFIB CEO Todd Stottlemyer's keynote speech at the recent NFIB Small Business Summit. Maybe she'll chime in with a bit more information that can help explain exactly what's going on, what should be going on and the effect of what is or isn't going on, vis a vis the small business lobby. Again, the NFIB webpages seem to be down, so you can read here for some info on the Summit.]
First, the Washington Post had this to say about Stottlemyer late last year, when he became CEO of the lobbying group:
A prominent local executive has been chosen as the new president of the National Federation of Independent Business, the small-business trade group that is one of Washington’s most influential lobbies.
Todd A. Stottlemyer, a self-described political junkie, is chief executive of Apogen Technologies Inc., a McLean government contractor that was recently sold to a British technology firm. He will replace S. Jackson Faris, 63, who is retiring early next year after 13 years as head of the 600,000-member organization.
In surveys of clout in the capital, the NFIB has routinely ranked in the top five lobbying groups largely because of its highly disciplined campaigns and its fealty to Republicans who control the White House and Congress.
…
Stottlemyer has been considered one of the rising stars of the Washington area technology community. Three months ago his homeland security and government contracting company was acquired by Qinetiq Ltd., of Hampshire, England, for about $300 million in cash. Apogen was privately owned and Stottlemyer was one of the shareholders.
The deal was one of the biggest acquisitions in the tech sector this year and many close observers credited Stottlemyer for Apogen’s fast growth. The company was founded in 2004 when ITS Services Inc., of Springfield, merged with Science & Engineering Associates Inc. of New Orleans. In less than two years, the merged firm grew to have 900 employees and $205 million in annual revenue.
Before taking the helm at Apogen, Stottlemyer spent 15 years rising through the ranks of the large government contractor BDM International Inc. and BTG Inc., where he was chief financial officer.
An affable figure with a big laugh and thick shock of silver-white hair, Stottlemyer — who sometimes describes politics as his hobby — is equally well known in the Washington region for his beyond-the-boardroom activities. He is known to be a friend of Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who was one of about 100 people considered for the job.
Okay. So, I think it’s important to have that information in mind as you consider what Stottlemyer is now saying, as he is about to see a lot of familiar faces in Congress, aka Republicans, be told buh-bye, and a batch of new ones, aka Democrats, be greeted with hullos.
Some interesting info from the FSB article:
1. NFIB has “nearly 600,000 dues-paying members”
2. NFIB “directed 98% of its congressional campaign contributions during the 2004 election cycle to Republicans.”
3. “…at least 95% [of NFIB members] identified themselves as Bush voters on the eve of the last election,” with exit polls indicating that 57% of small-business owners voted for Bush.
4. “This year the NFIB found itself opposed not only by AARP, the American Cancer Society, and 39 state attorneys general, but also by its ideological allies [including the conservative Cato Institute and the National Small Business Association (65K members) when it came to how to provide health care coverage].”
However, what I find most fascinating and compelling, in terms of the damage of being so partisan, are the following two pieces of information from the article.
First:
The NFIB can still mobilize its base on issues such as tax cuts. But its rigid partisanship limits its ability to sway Democratic lawmakers whose votes are needed to pass measures important to small business owners. “They are not seen as small business,” one congressional staffer said of the NFIB’s members. “They’re seen as Republicans who aren’t going to vote for Democratics anyway.”
Then, at the very end of the piece:
As for…how to expand the NFIB’s political reach-Stottlemyer says, “I certainly want to do that. I’m willing to see anybody, talk to anybody, who’s for small business. It’s not a Republican mandate, it’s not a Democratic mandate.” As we enter election season, and the NFIB distributes its PAC money, small-business owners and their supporters in both political parties will have a chance to see how serious he is.
If you were Stottlemyer, what would you do?
If you were small business, what would you do?
If you were a Democrat approached by NFIB, how would you handle them? How much would you trust the lobby group?
If you’re anybody else, and you decided to even care about this issue, what might you do?
Frankly, I guess they’ve dug their own grave, should there be as much swing in the seats as is being speculated. But even if there isn’t, is such partisanship something a group should stick with? Is there some other way to be issue-oriented rather than political when it comes to working toward getting what you want, what you want for your constituent members?
Hell, is lobbying just plain wrong and outdated, given all the corruption and lack of transparency?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:04 am June 26th, 2006 in Politics | 6 Comments
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