Keating’s CyberColumn

by Raymond J. Keating- The latest report on personal income from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed growth in personal income resuming in December, after two months of rather stark declines. However, small business income clearly continues to suffer. Personal Income Grows, Small Business Income Shrinks After declining by 0.7 percent in October and […]

by Raymond J. Keating- President Joe Biden favors more than doubling the federal minimum wage mandate from $7.25 per hour to $15. But as with any massive regulatory measure imposed by government, while it might sound nice to many and serve up benefits to some, such a mandate comes with real and significant costs for […]

by Raymond J. Keating- For better and for worse, 2021 promises to serve up some big policy changes from Congress and the White House. But that process is already underway in various states – again, for better and for worse. Consider some key state tax changes affecting entrepreneurship, small business, working, and competitiveness. Arizona. Small […]

by Raymond J. Keating- If you want to get overwhelmed by an online search, just plug “business lessons from 2020” into Bing or Google. The list is lengthy, to say the least. I combed through an assortment of entries – including lots of firm-grasp-of-the-obvious declarations – and found some items that offer value as insights […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Besides deciding the presidency and control of the U.S. House and Senate, voters in certain states on Election Day also weighed in directly on an assortment of policy measures that would impact their state’s economy, small businesses and competitiveness. Several of these key matters are highlighted below. Illinois Voters Say No […]

by Raymond J. Keating- When voting this year, citizens in two states – Arizona and Illinois – will be asked to increase taxes on individuals, families, entrepreneurs, small businesses and investors. Specifically, ballot measures in each state call for the imposition of higher income tax rates. Let’s be clear, hiking income tax rates is never […]

by Raymond J. Keating- If there’s one area where government is creative, it’s when it comes to finding ways to reach into people’s pockets. Today, in this pandemic economy, more people are working from home, that is, working remotely. Politicians and their appointees obviously haven’t missed this development, and many are wondering how they can […]

by Raymond J. Keating- What’s in the water in New Jersey? Elected officials in the Garden State are making the wrong decisions on a regular basis, especially when it comes the inflicting heavier governmental burdens on individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. There was a time – decades gone by – when people from New […]

by Raymond J. Keating- October 14, 2020 is an important anniversary in the history of pro-growth, pro-consumer, pro-investment and pro-small-business policymaking. Forty years earlier, President Jimmy Carter signed the Staggers Act into law. The Staggers Act was a major step forward in deregulating the railroad industry in terms of pricing services and establishing rail rates, […]

by Raymond J. Keating- With it being National Small Business Week and a national election looming just a few weeks away, it’s the right time to look at a key burden for entrepreneurs, small firms, investors, and businesses across industries: regulation. A few years ago, SBE Council laid out the costs of regulations in a […]