Covid bailout of existing businesses, unemployment benefits exceeding working for wages, increased taxation and left wing public school teachers are sapping the American entrepreneurial spirit.
Some fair points, though I can't stop loving American outdoor gear by small to midsized family owned businesses, they pump out high quality gear at justified prices. Unfortunately I am not the only one who thinks so, I have to sometimes wait for some fly rods or camping tools or so for months even before covid. Pride of ownership on part of the manufacturer and owner of the product. Win-win. I order every year from some of them, mostly located in Oregon, Washington, or Colorado.
yes, successfully turning the nation of optimists (regardless of political leanings) into a nation of pessimists
I'm actually a bit more optimistic on prospects in the US. I live in San Francisco and I can tell you that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. People from all over the world come here to start businesses. A friend of mine recently started a food manufacturing business (from private equity to meal kits), while another is launching a healthcare startup to generate analytics to improve drug dosage and recommendations. What makes the US great is that we are open (it is easy for talent to come here), we have capital (good ideas can get funded), and we have a large market (lots of existing consumers and businesses). Talent comes here because of 2 and 3, but we also generate talent through some of the best universities in the world. What would make us better, IMO, is large, perpetual, public investments in education, infrastructure, and healthcare, while simultaneously removing business employment regulation (make the state take on labor benefits, so that businesses can adapt faster -- kind of like the Nordic model). Not sure how realistic that is due to the level of division right now on the political front. But hopefully we can get through this...