Is Obama Anti-Business?

As I talk to people of all walks of life, one thing that seems clear is that there is a perception that President Obama is anti-business.  Many who view him as anti-business also consider his policies pro-socialist.  I came across this video that seems to shed a slightly different light on this popular view of our president.

So, how do we reconcile this?  As a small business owner, I have not seen the same level or ratio of raised profitability over the last two years that many larger corporations or Wall Street may have seen.  In fact, it seems more difficult to raise capital to help our business progress forward and expand.  We see more customers that previous years, but most are looking for the least expensive items – the items with our lowest profit margin. 

From the outset, it would seem then, that I agree with most Americans and not with the facts presented.  Yes and no.  What I believe is that perception drives reality.  Americans are told that the economy continues to suffer and they get concerned.  Subsequently, the fail to spend money the same way they may have in the past causing our economy to move sluggishly forward.  The perception of a slow economy creates a slow economy. 

However, big business and Wall Street do not seem to be suffering from this.  Rather, they are moving forward at a greater rate than small businesses and unemployment.  How is this? Well, as they continue to hike prices, they need fewer buyers than before to make the same or greater profit.  While the big get bigger, we small businesses shrink.

Yes the economy is doing better, according to the numbers.  No, many of us fail to recognize a difference.  Maybe if President Obama actually became the president that was unfriendly to big business, our economy may suffer for the big, but improve for the rest of us.