Blogging Bush
: Blogger and magazine publisher Rex Hammock just met with George Bush and other small-business folks on the economy. He’s on his way to the airport but will post his report to his blog later tonight. A press release on the event is at his company site here.
: UPDATE: The president mentioned Rex specifically in his speech today and it was quoted on NPR. Here’s what the Pres said:
Rex Hammock is with us…. from Nashville, Tennessee. He started his own company. I love the entrepreneurial spirit. Don’t you love to be in a country where people feel comfortable about — (applause) — where people feel comfortable and free to start their own business. And by the way, government’s role is to create an environment where the entrepreneurial spirit is strong, where people feel free and comfortable doing that.
And he did, and he’s got what is called a subchapter S corporation. Many of you know what that means, but for those who don’t, it means that you get taxed at the individual income tax level. So when we cut the rates on everybody, not just a few, it helped Rex, made him a little more comfortable in his ability to plan. But more importantly, by raising the level of deductibility for small businesses to $100,000, it provided incentive for him to invest. And so this year, he told me he’s going to spend $100,000 on computers, scanners and software to help his employees in his publishing business become more productive. It means they’re more competitive. When you’re more competitive, you’ve got a more productive work force, and when you’re competitive, it means you’re more likely to stay in business. And it means you’re more likely — your work force is more likely to have steady work. And if you really get productive and can compete, it means you add employees. And he added two last year, and he plans on adding five this year.
Now, there’s a lot of Rexes in the country, and you put two on here and five on there, and all of a sudden, there’s a lot of people beginning to find jobs. And that’s important. That’s how jobs grow, through the individual decision-making of thousands of entrepreneurs and employers around the country.
Damn, I wish Rex had a later flight and good wi-fi so he could blog. Later….
