Does anyone realize how much work this is going to take?

Speeches are fine and all. Having a black president is a refreshing change. And not having a leader who stumbles over three-syllable words will take a little getting used to.

The galas are over. The inauguration is done. Now we have to take those whispy ideas of “change” and “hope” and actually DO something about them. That’s the very hard part, and that’s the part where we risk utter failure. Strategy is all well and good, but tactical execution is what gets things done, and I’ve yet to see any tactics which would prove workable and successful.

I hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised. I hope we turn from a society of consumers into a society of makers — that’s what Evelyn and I are trying to do.

But I’m not optimistic. Big government works as well as big business — it doesn’t.

We talk about “fostering small business” on one hand, and on the other make the paperwork almost insurmountable. We talk about people “making things” and on the other hand inact laws making it impossible for a small business to create childrens toys and clothes. (If you haven’t been following it, take a look at the Handmade Toy Alliance.)

That fucking lead law is a death knell for all but the biggest businesses and yet another example of how knee-jerk reactions are always, always, always wrong. It’s also a major reason why Evelyn and I can not longer target any of our projects to children — which is exactly the group whom we wanted to help — who need the help! As a small business we can’t afford to certify that our products are lead free, especially when so many electronics (even a simple switch) contain lead. I don’t want kids getting sick, but come on, we can’t live in a bubble. Because when you live in a bubble you never learn.

You want to build up this country again? Exempt small businesses from a wide range of reporting requirements. This means annual tax payments instead of monthly–or no taxes at all for profits under $100K. This means a streamlined business startup process. This means realizing that a million lead-lined toys from China is fundamentally different from a dozen handmade wooden blocks made in someones basement.

Isn’t it ironic that we are always touting the “guys who started in their garage” — and yet make it nearly impossible for a new startup to exist in the current environment.