It's going to be all right Billy

When I was in my early twenties, my parents were going to have a barbeque and they decided to barbeque a goat. We went to a farmer’s house to buy the goat. The farmer’s wife hugged the goat and petted it. As she loved on the goat for the last time she said “Everything’s going to be all right Billy.”

She knew were going to cooking that goat the whole time she spoke reassuringly to him.

Since then, if someone tells me that everything is going to be “all right” I think about Billy.

When President Obama gave his speech last Tuesday and spoke briefly about the economy I was reminded of the farmer’s wife talking to “Billy.” Mr. Obama’s tone of voice was hesitant and he stuttered as he talked about how the economy was slowly recovering. Like the farmer’s wife he didn’t believe what he was saying.

Last Friday, after President Obama’s speech, the announcement came that the unemployment rate grew as the temporary census jobs ended and the private sector didn’t produce jobs.

Mr. Obama, please don’t tell me that things are going to be okay. Don’t speak about a jobs bill that doesn’t mean anything other than more government spending. For small business to grow, it is essential that the scheduled tax increase planned for January be stopped. Small businesses are not going to hire while a growing tax burden is placed on them.

Most small business feels like Billy before the barbeque. They know change is coming but they aren’t sure what it is. The whispering of smooth words does not remove the fear and the real danger the economy is in.