Joyful Alternative

Free Trade Agreements = Evaporated Jobs Worldwide

Retraining is generally silly; by the time a laid-off worker finishes a retraining program, the jobs are gone. Retired businesspeople aren't much help to entrepreneurs, either, and the SBA already has a corps; things move fast in business these days. And as Gemini just said, "permanent jobs" don't exist; we need to aim at "continual employability," with ongoing skill upgrades. That's what I've had to do, on my own as a self-employed person, to sustain my viability.

As far as biasing tax laws toward small businesses, what we small businesses (and no, that's not my small business on my link; that's my hobby) need is universal single-payer health insurance. Many would-be entrepreneurs are stuck in jobs they hate because they need that employer-sponsored health insurance plan for their families. I personally know dozens who want to be or were self-employed but can't do without the health insurance, so there might be millions out there with great or foolish plans who'd jump at the chance if they didn't have to worry about a child developing cancer or a spouse becoming "uninsurable."

And after that, some tax code changes, particularly in recordkeeping. Some of the rules my accountant explains are just plain dumb for a small business.