OFFBEAT MAIL

One of the sensitive issues that was taken up during the recent debates between presidential candidates incumbent President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney centered on how to tame the rate of unemployment in America. Unquestionably, the exchange of gangnam rhetorics between the two protagonists appeared to have satisfied the appetite of those who wished to hear something new as both of them articulated themselves on how to solve the massive unemployment, which put many Americans to rely on welfare funds to survive the dog-eat-dog competition. Surely, others may have just shrugged their shoulders but in their minds they knew who to vote for. Whether or not the rhetorics had worked to the advantage of both candidates, nobody knows. One thing sure, many corporations that are successfully operating in China and other Asian countries,  where labor is much lower, may be re-thinking on whether to take the bait or not. For sure, it won't be easy for them to decide yet at this point in ti...

Uncertainty over economic conditions may drag small businesses across America into recession. This fear was reflected in the October 2012 report of the National Federation of Independent Business, which showed that 38 percent of the respondents viewed the problem as critical.  The cost of health insurance, another factor that caused worry among the respondents, topped the same survey at 52 percent. Tied for the number three spot are issues that impinge on the cost of fuel and uncertainty over government actions, which garnered 35 percent each. Other worries of small businesses are unreasonable government regulations, 34 percent; imposition of federal taxes on business income, 30 percent; and  tax complicity, 29 percent. While other factors include frequent changes to federal rules, property taxes, and state taxes on business income, with 24 percent each. "At the beginning of next year, federal tax increases and spending cuts equivalent to 15 percent of the GDP will autom...