Defenders of Small Business

"Small-business owners might as well have a bull's eyes on their chests as often as Missouri government targets them with business-maiming laws and regulations. That is why small-business owners are increasingly turning to the Libertarian Party," said Bob Sullentrup, Missouri Libertarian Party Chair.

"We don't have to sell entrepreneurs on our pro-small-business philosophy -- they've already bought into it," Sullentrup told the MO Libertarian Party Executive Committee at its monthly planning meeting. "They already know that lower taxes and less government interference lead to greater success. And now they're discovering that it's Libertarians who share their beliefs."

A computer consultant for a small business in St. Louis, Sullentrup said that he hears constantly from small-business owners who've had it with government.

"Small-business owners are increasingly motivated to switch because the lobbyists aren't delivering, and gerrymandered districts prevent real reform from within the system," Sullentrup said. "What they want now is to put people in the seats who understand and vote pro-business without hesitation, rather than hire lobbyists who stand in the hallways of the Statehouse, hoping to make a compromise."

Sullentrup noted that neither Democrats nor Republicans represent the best interest of small-business owners.

While Democrats claim to appeal to the little guy and Republicans claim to be the champions of businesses, neither cares about the little guy with a business, Sullentrup said.

Politicians stick small businesses with ever-increasing taxes, especially runaway property taxes. They force small businesses to comply with hand-tying regulations through such agencies as the dreaded OSHA and EPA. Politicians reward their big-spending cronies with corporate welfare and stick small businesses with the bill. And each mandate they place on health insurance drives the cost further out of range for small businesses - the real reason that a growing number of Missourians are uninsured, he said.

"The American Dream of owning your own business and being your own boss has unfortunately turned into the American Nightmare for the small-business person. This used to be the way out of poverty for minorities. This used to be the outlet for creative expression that benefited everyone. Now it is an exercise in frustration," he added.

"Unlike Republicans and Democrats, Libertarians believe that entrepreneurs know what's best for their businesses and that the best way to boost a sagging economy is to get out of their way," Sullentrup said.

"With ever-increasing vote totals, it's inevitable that the Libertarian Party will emerge as a major political force in the near future. It's because we mean it when we say, 'The government that governs least governs best.' "

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