ENTERPRISE AND FREE MARKETS: obama read on.

The entrepreneurial spirit has been a key source of America’s greatness since the nation’s founding over two hundred years ago. In addition to being the primary engine of our economic growth and prosperity, the entrepreneurial spirit is inextricably linked to the inalienable rights enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, including liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As Winston Churchill once said, “America is an idea, not a place.” Central to the American idea is the notion that individual dignity necessarily includes the freedom to work hard, be creative and get ahead in life without interference by the state. As such, entrepreneurship has historically been seen in America as a fundamental expression of the human spirit. 

In recent years, however, the entrepreneurial spirit in America has been increasingly stifled by burdensome taxes, regulations, and other government-imposed requirements that discourage risk taking by business and diminish the freedom and flexibility of American workers. Entrepreneurship in America is also currently dampened by over-criminalization in the judicial system, deteriorating public education, and a broken immigration system which discourages highly-skilled knowledge workers from coming to America. If left unchecked, these obstacles to entrepreneurship will have an increasingly negative impact on economic growth, America’s competitive position in the world, and ultimately our very liberty itself. It is therefore imperative that we unshackle America’s entrepreneurs and allow the power of economic creativity to flourish.