Entrepreneurship is a critical measurement of our country’s
political vitality, and of our own personal liberties. Over 200
years ago, James Madison wrote that the citizens who are their
own masters “may be viewed as the most truly independent and
happy.” So that it follows “that the greater proportion of this
class to the whole society, the more free, the more independent,
and the more happy must be the society itself.” When citizens
become more independent, our democracy is strengthened -- power
and responsibility is distributed broadly. As Americans, we have
always viewed entrepreneurship as a fundamental way for upward
mobility, where average people can build their wealth through a
business venture that can be passed on to their kids or sold at
retirement age. It could be the family farm, a local restaurant
or a retail store that provides income and teaches children, and
others, the value of responsibility and working hard. Compared
to a generation ago, it is much harder to run a business in
American and