Thursday, November 1, 2012

Richmond Business Gone

Since mid-September, Richmonders have been mourning one of the City's oldest and best-loved restaurants. Bill's Barbecue had been a staple of Richmond dining since 1931. Now the President of the company (who happens to be the Bill's niece) is speaking out about the circumstances that brought that about...



As one of thousands of Virginians who recalls eating Bill's Barbecue since I was a small child, the fact that they were forced out of business is a personal issue. Bill's was the kind of business pillar that brings character, smiles, and jobs to America's local communities. But this is more than just a sad occasion to mourn a great restaurant.

The fact that a business started in the wake of the Great Depression, that had stood for over 80 years could not keep its doors open facing the Obama Administration's costs and regulations is deplorable. For all of his support for small business, the President has not shown much success at supporting it.

There was, just this week, a Wall Street Journal op-ed joint published by editors. The article discussed the eleventh-hour Obama idea of creating a Secretary of Business. The editors have critiqued the idea, and found that the root of the problem was that businesses had no confidence in their ability to succeed. The article proposes that the actual change that needs to happen is not in the Cabinet; it's a bit higher.

 “They’ll [small businesses] invest more and hire more workers if Washington would impose fewer costs, reform the tax code, and stop trying to allocate capital for political reasons. Rebuilding business confidence doesn't require a Secretary of Business but a new President.”  

To someone, every small local business that closes is, in some way, as dear as Bill's Barbecue was to us. While based in economics, this issue affects ourselves and the people around us. Should every business still be smacked by this Administration's tax gauntlet then compacted by pressing regulations? Should the Obama Administration be allowed to sink hundreds of millions into government-backed energy companies that are failing?

The answer is, "Not while American small businesses are suffering." Those businesses are made up of people, and as the video says, we as the people cannot afford another four years of what we have been dealing with for the last four years. Bill's is just one example of the cost of this kind of hostile business climate. There are small businesses worrying over their ability to stay in the race everywhere, and those worries demand a change.

VA GOP Caucus

vagopcaucus.blogspot.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ummmm maybe it's cause your restaurant was rated 2 stars on yelp and sucked?

Anonymous said...

Well, the business stood for nearly a century of history in Richmond. Great grand children and great grandparents alike could have gone to that restaurant as kids. I have been to Bill's and if it were still around, I would recommend it. Would you tear down Ben's Chili Bowl because the chili is a bit runny and the floor is dirty?