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Small Business Brief for 11/14

Politics and Government

Bush Warns Against Abandoning Capitalism

President George W. Bush met with leaders of the world's biggest economies, urging them not to abandon free- market capitalism as they seek an escape from the financial crisis, calling it the “best system” for delivering growth.

Paulson's Credibility Drops Again as Asset-Purchase Plan is Abandoned

Like many others who have served in President George W. Bush's administration -- among them former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Treasury chief Paul O'Neill – Henry Paulson will leave office casting a smaller shadow than when he arrived.

Obama Seeks $50 Billion for Automaker Rescue and a Czar to Oversee their Operations

President-elect Barack Obama is pushing Congress to approve as much as $50 billion to save U.S. automakers and appoint a czar or board to oversee their activities, a move that insiders say would need President Bush's support.

SBA Tries to Increase Available Loan Capital
The U.S. Small Business Administration is changing loan programs to increase the amount of funds available to small businesses from SBA's lending partners.

Obama's Tax Plan Needs a Better View of New Deal

President-elect Barack Obama is using the New Deal as his model for how to deal with economic crisis. He might want to distinguish between what worked and what didn't.

Economics and Labor Issues

Based on Patent Activity, Small Businesses are the Most Innovative

In this third study in a series that examines small business patent activity, the authors demonstrate that small businesses that innovate are indeed special and that the technology they create helps define the cutting edge in a number of industries. The report presents a convincing case that small firms in emerging industries are one of the greatest engines of American economic growth.

Testimony of Interim Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Neel Kashkari before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Domestic Policy

In his remarks, Kashkari provided an update on the Treasury Department's actions to stabilize our financial markets and restore the flow of credit to the economy.

Consumers Cut Back Sharply on Spending
WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumers, taking a beating from the worst financial crisis in seven decades, cut back sharply on their spending in October, pushing retail sales down by a record amount.

Ongoing Jobless Numbers at 25-year High
Unemployment claims last week reached the highest level since the 2001 terrorist attacks and the number of people continuing to draw jobless benefits reached at a 25-year high.

Law and Regulation Enforcement

New Family Leave Provisions Called "Stingy" by Labor Advocates
Labor Department revisions to the Family and Medical Leave Act announced on Thursday drew criticism from labor advocates, who called the changes "stingy," though they did applaud the addition of military families to the law.

Obama Team on the Trail of Bush's `Midnight' Rules Rush

The Obama transition team is tracking the “midnight” regulations coming out of the White House during the final days of the Bush administration.

Doing Business


Where's the best place to put new 401(k) contributions now?
Managing a 401(k) involves two decisions: Where to invest your current balances, and where to invest future contributions.

HP's New Small Business Product Consolidates Storage
Hewlett-Packard's Simply StorageWorks helps small businesses by consolidating file serving and application data, backup and recovery continuity, and optimization for specific IT applications.

Saving Cash by Bartering
Saving cash is becoming more and more important, so more and more small businesses are turning to barter exchanges such as International Monetary Systems, Itex Corp. and U-Exchange.com, in order to save their cash in a credit-strained recession.

Sales and Marketing

Preparing Your Website for the Holidays: Quick Fixes You Can Make
Polish-up your website for the season so it can better convert holiday browsers into buyers.

Google AdSense: Tips for Success
Working in the Google content network is different from working in a regular search campaign. Here is how.

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