Business owners do cite "uncertainty" as major factor inhibiting investment

April 6, 2011 — I firmly disagree with a large part of your assessment [of regulatory uncertainty’s effect on business growth and investment]. As a publisher, I’ve attended, as guest or speaker, 29 business and networking meetings in the past month alone, with over 1,600 business owners.

Many of these business owners have clearly expressed that the lack of certainty is a major factor in their business plans. Uncertainty breeds (understandable) reluctance to make commitments. There are segments of the economy that will rise to the top, depending on the current conditions.

I’ve also been in the financial services business for 28 years, and the conclusions reached in this article are limited by “selective facts”. A broader and more in-depth examination will reveal quite a different story. I leave you with this thought: this country was built community by community…and will be re-built community by community. Let’s support reality rather than viewpoint.

— Eliot Silber (Northbrook, Illinois)