Government and Economy A GM Bankruptcy: Disaster in the Making When it comes to the auto industry, President Obama isn't just ruling on the fate of a single company. A GM bankruptcy could easily devastate the very economy he is attempting to stabilize. BusinessWeek.com Auto Crisis Hits Minority Dealers Hard After years of work to bring minorities into the automobile industry, minority car dealers are now expected to be hit hard as GM and Chrysler make cuts in their retail networks. WSJ.com [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy American Business Grapples with Pending Climate Bill The "American Clean Energy and Security Act," better known as the Waxman-Markey bill, isn't a law yet, but it has become the basis for the debate over how the US should respond to pressure to slash its carbon emissions. WSJ.com What Qualifies for an Emergency Business Loans? Not all businesses will be eligible for the SBA's forthcoming loan-relief program. For example, the loans cannot be used to pay down existing SBA loans. Past borrowers, however, will still be eligible for help with other debts. CNNMoney.com Management and Fi... [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Obama: Small Business Key to Economy In a speech welcoming winners of an SBA award to the White House's East Room, President Obama acknowledged that small business is responsible for half the nation's private sector jobs and so deserves support from Washington. Google.com/AP Congress Failing American Small Business While they talk a fine game, when it comes to action on supporting what they, themselves, describe as the “backbone of the economy” our legislators seem happier to play possum. HuffingtonPost.com [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Emergency SBA Loans to be Available in June According to the SBA, a new emergency loan program to help struggling-but-viable small businesses will be open for applications in mid-June. CNNMoney.com Merced County: Desperate for Small Business With a staggering 22% unemployment rate and ranking Number Two in the nation in foreclosures, Merced County in California is now pinning its economic hopes on small business. BusinessWeek.com [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Geithner: Economy Stabilizing, Pain Ahead Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday the U.S. economy was beginning to stabilize, but cautioned that consumers will still feel the pain of the current recession. Reuters.com Post-Recession America: A Vastly Different EconomyWith the US economy beginning to show some early signs of stabilization, people are wondering what the “new normal” economy is really going to look like? Here are some thoughts. MSNBC.com Management and Financial Issues [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Mills: Banks Are Loaning Again According to SBA chief Karen Gordon Mills, efforts to get money to capital-strapped small businesses are beginning to pay-off, with banks starting to make government-backed loans. WSJ.com GM Begins Cutting 1,100 Dealers Facing General Motors, facing a probable bankruptcy filing by June 1, is telling 1,100 U.S. dealers they will be terminated as the automaker starts shrinking its retail network. Bloomberg.com [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy White House: A Bit Loose with Stimulus Success Figures It is difficult to capture the full effect of the stimulus at this early stage, but with the high bars set for success, the White House seems to be playing fast and loose with the facts in their first report on the effect of the program. Google.com/AP Will Business Forward Help Small Business? Business Forward, a Washington-based group soon to be launched by the Democratics, is dedicated to improving the business climate in the US, especially for small business. But the group prefers to remain silent on specific issues and now some are counselling caution about the... [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Is Obama Anti-Business? The weekly assault on business by President Obama is becoming a fixture of this administration, or is it, as some Democrats say, merely an assault on business-as-usual? Yahoo.com/USNews & World Climate Bill: It's On Its Way There is a compromise in the works on carbon caps and while it may not garner Republican votes, it could bring skeptical Midwestern and Southern Democrats on board. BusinessWeek.com [Read Full Article]