If we think back in the history books, we'll find events that have significantly changed American life. Starting with the American Revolution, through the Civil War, then the evolution of our agrarian economy into the industrial revolution, and more recently we have our present information society.

Capitalism grew slowly at first, and then as a speeding freight train, sped through this past century. Capitalism and entrepreneurism fueled the growth of prosperity in our country. Everyone benefited from the success of America.

I was in school through the 1950s and 1960s when communism was a major threat to our country and countries around the world. I saw the rise and fall of communism. Simply put, with communism the 'state' controls everything; everyone works for state-interests in some way or fashion.

In the dark ages, it was the feudal Lords who owned the land and gave you the opportunity to work the land. The harvest was 'his'. He then gave you a small house to live in, enough food to survive, and if attacked you could run into his castle and his soldiers would protect you. The food was his to distribute to whoever he chose. Doesn't this sound like our present 'redistribution of wealth' that is so much in the news today. "Who decided to change our democracy into a fiefdom?"

God has provided us with freewill...we make decisions, we take chances, we live with the consequences...good or bad.
I grew up in America at a time when I had the freedom to make choices.
I grew up in America at a time when I had the freedom to succeed or fail based on my efforts.
If I went to school, I could study, I could do the work, I could find a career, I could work my way up the ladder by my demonstrated efforts and ability.
If I started a business, I succeeded or failed because of my choice of concept, my skills and commitment to succeed.

The freedom of the individual to succeed is being hampered, restricted, and made more difficult by the machinations of government through a plethora of rules, regulations, mandates, and taxes.
Fortunately for the food industry, people have to eat and need distractions from the horrific news from Syria, Afghanistan, Colorado, and the mayhem on the streets of Chicago.

Today restaurants are busier than they have been in years. Again there are waits at most full-service restaurants on the weekends and new fast food and casual-dining restaurants seem to be opening up everywhere.

Fortunately capitalism, optimism, and shear will drives entrepreneurism.
The incentive for one to go into business was that you could be your own boss, create a wonderful lifestyle, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. That scenario has changed with our socialism-bent president, our ineffective Congress, and the overall loss of respect for our Constitution.
There was a time when going into the restaurant business you could expect a legitimate 10-12% net profit (mostly in cash)...now down to 4% or less, freedom to create a concept that would drive customers to your doors, and create a staff of employees that would be an extension of your family. Those aspirations have been dulled by the dictatorial controls of our government.

The government, whether local or Federal, is controlling who you hire, what you pay them, what ingredients you can or can't use in your recipes, how many seats you can have, what kind of light bulbs you can use, when you can fire, what you can or can't say in advertising, how you must treat customers, ad nauseum.

More significantly, the government is taxing everything you do or buy. The government is taking almost 50% of every penny you earn through your hard work and investments and distributing it to the millions of people who don't work, who are here illegally, and those that are in the public sector who know how to beat the system, i.e. the huge increase in the number of people claiming to be disabled from an accident on the job.
The future of small business is on the line. Two things are very clear to me. First, if Obama and the liberals in Congress are reelected and ObamaCare is not repealed, we will slide into a deeper recession than what we begun to emerge from. Second, with the myriad of taxes hidden in the Healthcare Reform Act, with the repeal of the Bush tax cuts, and with the strengthening and expansion of regulations on all aspects of our businesses, no one is going to want to invest in a business...we'll all be clamoring for government jobs...at least I will. This is the most important election in your lifetime. Please vote for America...vote for small business.

Dennis Serpone is president of New England Restaurant Brokers, and the National Restaurant Exchange, Wakefield, Mass.