Adrienne's Corner

House Republican John Boehner's office released a statement with the accusation: "Democrats pile up the pork, but leave scraps for small business."

*****"While there are still plenty of unanswered questions as Congress prepares to vote on the Democrats’ trillion-dollar spending bill, here’s what we do know: the legislation is loaded up with plenty of unfocused and wasteful Washington spending – a price to be paid by small businesses, which apparently will see very little tax relief under the as-yet-unseen House-Senate “deal.” In fact, it appears the amount of direct small business tax relief in the legislation amounts to about one-third of one percent of the total bill, just $3 billion in tax relief out of a $789.5 billion bill. So, what’s getting funded at the expense of small business owners and workers across the country?" the statement continues.

*****"Here are just a few examples: $2 billion for 'Neighborhood Stabilization,' money which will be available to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), an organization accused of perpetrating voter registration fraud numerous times in the last several elections and reportedly under federal investigation; $1 billion for a new “Prevention and Wellness Fund,” which would be available for education programs on sexually-transmitted diseases; and millions for the federal government to buy plug-in cars.

*****"President Obama set an important goal at the beginning of this process: a bipartisan bill that will create more jobs, more quickly. Which begs the question: How will any of this spending create new jobs? And, since small businesses are the engine of job creation in this country, why are these programs and projects being funded at the expense of those who own and are employed by small businesses?"