> Did could it be that this hope has failed us ? and if so, Why ? What can be done to enable more niche businesses ? or is it the wrong answer ?
Small businesses can't compete with global mega-corps who exploit cheap labor and lobby(bribe) the government in their favor. Young people can't afford to start their own businesses when the smartest among them have massive amounts of student loans, rising housing costs, and are under the threat of bankruptcy if they get sick. If we want to stimulate small business growth while also increasing economic development in rural areas, we need to do something about globalization. People need to feel economically secure to have the leverage to start a business, which necessitates a rising quality of life for all the classes, not just the upper class.
> Young people can't afford to start their own businesses when the smartest among them have massive amounts of student loans, rising housing costs, and are under the threat of bankruptcy if they get sick.
You think that 35-year-old with a wife, 2 kids, and a mortgage has those problems any less?
Not having universal health care is an economic drag. We have study after study on this.
Rising housing costs are a drag by preventing labor liquidity. People can't just move from one area to another when so much of their wealth is tied up in an illiquid asset.
Neither of these is inherently tied to globalization.
Small businesses can't compete with global mega-corps who exploit cheap labor and lobby(bribe) the government in their favor. Young people can't afford to start their own businesses when the smartest among them have massive amounts of student loans, rising housing costs, and are under the threat of bankruptcy if they get sick. If we want to stimulate small business growth while also increasing economic development in rural areas, we need to do something about globalization. People need to feel economically secure to have the leverage to start a business, which necessitates a rising quality of life for all the classes, not just the upper class.