Kerry Renews Fight to Assist Small Businesses Hurt by Drought

[kerrygoddess]

Kerry Renews Fight to Assist Small Businesses Hurt by Drought

July 22nd, 2005
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), lead Democrat on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, yesterday re-introduced the Small Business Drought Relief Act to provide emergency aid to non-farm-related small businesses suffering economically from the severe drought conditions throughout the nation. The small businesses assisted by this legislation are struggling businesses that have been denied access to disaster loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA).

“Farmers and ranchers are not the only small business owners whose livelihoods are at risk when a drought hits their communities,” Kerry said. “The impact can be just as devastating to rafting businesses, marinas, and bait and tackle shops. Sadly, these small-businesses owners cannot get help through the SBA’s disaster loan program because of something taxpayers hate about government — bureaucracy.”

MORE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=39

[jillan]

1. You beat me to it :)

Was just getting ready to post this.

You go Kerry! Always taking care of everything!

[BlueIris]

2. Kerry's continued support for small businesses is CRITICAL

to his future endeavors and to the economy. He's definitely on the right track here and I'm confident will stay there. Thanks, Senator!

[TayTay]

3. And this is national business

Most of this proposal is aimed at the western states that are in drought conditions. This is not, for this year at least, a New England problem. (We are not in a drought situation, though I think there were some Maine counties that were drier than they should be.)

Sen. Kerry is doing a very, very good job this year of balancing concern for his home state with national concerns. This is a very difficult needle to thread and he is doing a really good job. He has been very visible and on the local news over the BRAC commission closure of Otis Air Force base. He made a nice case for controlling mercury emissions because of the damage to waterways and to contamination of lakes and streams that people fish in. This is a national problem, which is why it is before Congress, but he also made a nice case of localizing it by pointing out the local waterways that are deeply poisoned with mercury.

I am quite inpressed with all this work (and many more examples of this could be cited.) Nice work.