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Friday, February 06, 2009

Is Small Business Represented on Obama's New Economic Advisory Board?

President Barback Obama just named an outside advisory group to help him find solutions to restore the economy. Will the voice and views of entrepreneurs be represented within this new economic brain trust?

This AP/ BusinessWeek.com column goes into some detail about the new advisory group. Labor unions, corporation CEOs and former government folks are well represented. And it appears that the other individuals, who are successful business people in their own right, are connected to Obama in that they supported him during the campaign season (Penny Pritzer was his Finance Chair, for example).

According to the article:

"Obama has already tapped Paul Volcker, a former Federal Reserve chairman and a top Obama adviser, as the leader of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Members will include former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William Donaldson, TIAA-CREF President-CEO Roger Ferguson and Harvard University professor Martin Feldstein, who wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece last year titled 'John McCain Has a Tax Plan To Create Jobs.'

"Obama friend and campaign finance chairwoman Penny Pritzker also is on the board, as is Caterpillar Inc. Chairman-CEO Jim Owens and General Electric Co. CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt. Two labor officials -- Anna Burger of Service Employees International Union and Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO -- also were named to the 15-member board designed to offer Obama advice as he seeks a way to weather the crisis and rebuild the economy."

So, is this merely another advisory group that will tell the President what he wants to hear, or one that will provide solutions not currently included in the "stimulus" package that small business owners need and support?

Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO

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