Small Business Support
The post pandemic environment devastated the New York City Small Businesses’ ability to raise significant resources. Since the beginning of the pandemic, online businesses, such as Amazon, benefitted from the resident’s lockdown. Traditional supporters of mom-and-pop stores discovered the vital need to stay safe and comply with the government’s controversial mandates. They were forced against their will to purchase their basic necessities from online businesses. With a limited amount of walk-in traffic, and declining or non-existence sales to satisfy fixed liabilities, brick-and-mortal small businesses have suffered enough to consider going out of business. All Northern Manhattan’s residents have witnessed the rental signs posted on the front of storefronts. And what’s worse, there has been no comprehensive plan by elected officials to save these businesses.
The lack of lawmakers’ leadership is a serious issue that has reduced the confidence in our elected official’s effectiveness or lack of empathy toward their constituents. The United States Small Businesses Administration aggressively assumed the role of leadership with several relief programs. With Congressional approval of H.R. 748 -Corona Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or CARES Act saved millions of small businesses from closing their operation and keeping hard-working blue-collar residents employed.
According to statistics from the US Small Business Association, small businesses consist of 99.8% of all businesses in New York. Small businesses employ over 50% of all New York State private-sector jobs in 2018. When policymakers ignore the importance of small businesses, it directly affects all hard-working New Yorkers.
As an example of counter-productive policies, is forcing small businesses to close their door to business is the current New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s crime-friendly policies. Small Businesses are now forced to hire security guards to keep their employees safe from crime and to protect the store’s inventory. In this social experiment, criminals are protected at the cost of hard-working citizens trying to survive the one-party system’s counter-productive policies.
This is a good reason for Democrats, Republicans, Working Families, and Independents to send a rejection message (General Elections 2022) to all incumbents responsible for these reckless policies.
What are we going to do about this problem? The Republican agenda to save small businesses in stressed communities, such as Northern Manhattan, is well documented and very effective. We need to protect our Small Businesses with open communication. We need to learn about their pain and financial concerns and attempt to find solutions. One approach is to research potential Federal programs that business owners may not be aware of. A second of many more approaches is to pioneer programs to raise public awareness of the need to support local stores and providing future training programs to avoid risk and unnecessary liabilities.
Another approach to business operation closure is to advocate for a change of business model known as cooperativism.
A worker-owned cooperative support a strong small business community infrastructure that is prepared to overcome the challenges of any economic shock. The benefits are overwhelming, such as the reduction of poverty because all workers are able to share the business operating profit and losses. All workers have a financial incentive to raise the quality of service to the community, and it keeps the forces of gentrification under control.
Northern Manhattan’s amazing historical culture and diversity are currently challenged by foreign and out-of-town domestic investors with no concern for the local best interest and culture.
After this post was published, Small Business -bodega- worker Mr. Jose Alba was charged with Second-degree murder for defending himself from the July 1, 2022, personal harm and possible death violent attack. Since Democrat District Attorney Alvin Bragg took office, about 80% of all Bodega and Small Business owners have experienced violence or petty theft. This is why we need to end the two-party system and start electing officials that are willing to protect hard-working citizens (like Jose Alba) against violent criminals that are protected by the current elected officials. Mr. Bragg needs to drop all homicides charges, and assume the cost of relocation to a safer neighborhood where other criminals won’t seek revenge against the Alba family.
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