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“Reform.”

That’s the word bandied about by the government and its media friends these days in America. The notion is that the current government was elected to reform everything from health care to gaseous emissions from cattle. And right now, the big reform on the table is financial regulation.

Poll after poll shows public support for the administration’s reforms, especially health care, financial regulation, and the looming cap-and-trade “environmental reform” is low, and falling lower. Most experts assert the government is riding for a fall at the polls that really count: the ones that open the first Tuesday in November. Be that as it may, pundits now say the administration is planning to ram through an accelerated slate of “reforms,” in the couple of months they’ll have between being voted out and giving up their office space to new representatives in January.

All this “reform” has had a chilling effect on business and investment in America. The debt being piled up by the administration and its spendthrift agenda is the new boogeyman in U.S. industry (could “reform” be a code word for “spend like crazy?”) Taxes are set to skyrocket to make a feeble swat at all that debt, and that makes for a bad climate for doing business, both in the U.S. and throughout the world. Economists say American businesses are sitting on more than a trillion dollars in cash, but are scared to death to invest it. And each new “reform” serves to keep that money more firmly on the sidelines.

That means more new plants and business locations not opening… more product lines and new innovations not being launched… more research into problem-solving technologies not being sponsored… and more jobs not being created. If you are looking for work, or to improve on your current job, you need someone to invest in you. It’s tough hunting this season.

Many news reports will assure you we’re in recovery… but the smart money says it’s about to get a lot worse before it ever gets better.

You’d be well advised to come up with a back-up plan now, while it’s still relatively easy to get set up. Consider starting your own business – part-time, if you are employed, or maybe full-time. If your gifts of time, energy, and talent lend themselves to, say, opening a little coffee shop or perhaps a car wash, go for it. If you have less time and less money to invest, consider taking your business into cyberspace.

Either way, we all have a mountain of debt to face, unless we want to leave it to future generations to clean up the mess created by our current government. You may be all right now… but think how handy an extra revenue stream will be if things really do go from bad to worse.
Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant specializing in helping people maximize their potential and enjoy inspiring lives. As part of his inspirational leadership mission, he coaches executives and leaders in growing their personal sense of well-being through wealth creation and management, along with personal vitality.