Solution #10:  Refocus the Regulatory State

Far too much regulation, at all levels of government, has hamstrung small businesses and even mom and pop enterprises, discouraging new business creation and hampering the growth of existing ones (often making it impossible to survive).  This is bad for all of us!  It depresses employment and it reduces our consumer choices.

At the same time, huge monopolies and oligopolies, who provide the majority of campaign funding in the United States through unregulated PACs and other corrupt but legal methods, escape the clear intent of anti-trust regulation that protects consumers from anti-competitive behavior.

Crony capitalism is what is behind the increased focus of the regulatory state on small businesses.  The huge corporations are allowed to continue their monopolistic behavior, largely protected from competition, while regulators look the other way, thanks to their campaign contributions ... meanwhile, the abundance of bureaucrats in Washington, Austin, and even in our local city governments mean SOMEBODY has to get regulated.  And that somebody ends up being small and medium-sized businesses who already have to compete every day for survival.

We need:

1. Campaign finance reform that does not violate the free speech rights of individuals to stop the ravages of crony capitalism, including a constitutional amendment that supersedes the Citizens United ruling.

2. To the extent possible, elimination of regulations that disproportionately impact small businesses in already-competitive markets and industries.

3. Renewed enforcement of all federal anti-trust laws, to prevent monopolies in essential industries (utilities, communications, media, defense, banking, tech, etc.), to break up or at least discourage mergers that thwart market competitiveness.