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Please e-mail the American Small Business League (ASBL) at brianreeder@asbl.com. Thank you.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Online course offers free federal contracting information

The Small Business Administration has launched a free online course specifically designed to help women entrepreneurs and small firms understand the small federal contracting market. The United States federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. Every year the federal government spends more than $450 billion on goods and services. By law, small businesses are entitled to 23 percent of that amount.

This latest course is one of more than 24 online tutorials offered by the SBA and can be accessed at www.sba.gov/training, according to BizJournals.com.

Despite the SBA's efforts to educate the general populous on the federal contracting market, the ASBL contends that due to the diversion of more than $60 billion a year in federal small business contracts to large corporations, federal contracting opportunities are limited.

Business bankruptcies totaled 19,700 in 2006, down from 39,200 the previous year, while business terminations increased from 543,700 in 2005 to 564,900 in 2006, according to the SBA Office of Advocacy profile of the United States. (http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles/07us.pdf)

With this in mind the ASBL is working towards increasing access to federal contracts, through the removal of large firms from federal small business contracting. We need your help. To join in our cause please visit: http://www.asbl.com/3_1.html. Additionally, the comment period for the SBA's proposed women owned small business contracting program is fast approaching. To learn more about what you can do to stop the implementation of a program that would limit the WOSB contracting program to 4 of 140 industries please visit, http://www.asbl.com/showmedia.php?id=643, by March 28th.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/03/03/daily38.html

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Small Business on washingtonpost.com

Small Business on washingtonpost.com
By Sharon McLoone

Big Issues for Small Business
"The American Small Business League recently endorsed Obama, saying it believes Obama would be the "best candidate to end dramatic abuses in federal small business contracting."
Read more here...

Monday, March 3, 2008

Obama or Clinton: Vote With Your Head and Your Heart

Voters in the upcoming democratic primaries will be making one of the most difficult decisions they have ever had to make. Two dream candidates, each with their own unique resume. Either one of them would clearly be one of the most qualified democratic presidential candidates in United States history.

It would be great to see America's first woman president. Who could possibly be more qualified for that position than Sen. Hillary Clinton? The breadth and depth of her experience in government is undeniable. Fewer American mothers would be mourning the loss of their sons and daughters in a pointless and blundering war if there were a woman president in the White House.

On the other hand, it would be wonderful to see America's first African American president. Sen. Obama is a man of unwavering integrity that has not been weighed down with the baggage of lobbyists and special interests. He is a man that could restore our faith and confidence in government. Who could be more qualified to be the next president of the United States than Sen. Barack Obama? In the eyes of extremists around the world, the very image of an African American president could in and of itself bring about a decrease in terrorist threats against America.

While making an incredibly difficult decision it is always wise to use common sense, logic and the facts. Democratic voters that do not want to endure four more years of war, skyrocketing oil prices, a national mortgage meltdown and an ever accelerating economic downturn must consider one supremely important factor on Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton cannot beat John McCain, but Barack Obama can.

The most recent polls from Time and CNN both show that if the election were held today, Obama would win over McCain, but Sen. Clinton would lose. Statistically, Obama is clearly the better candidate in a race against McCain. If we assume that the polls are accurate, a vote for Hillary Clinton could be a wasted vote. At the worst, it could be the same as a vote for McCain.

Democrats that favor Senator Clinton need to ask themselves this question: Do you like Hillary Clinton enough to take a chance on winding up with another republican president that has stated that the economy is not his strong suit, and a man that is ready to send thousands of young America soldiers to their deaths in Iraq for the next 100 years?

SBTV.com Poll: Small Business Owners Select Barack Obama as Top Candidate, But GOP as Best Party

SBTV.com Poll: Small Business Owners Select Barack Obama as Top Candidate, But GOP as Best Party