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Agree re: your comments on small biz,

but there is a specific problem for small biz in the loss of jobs in "manufacturing".

The huge increase in DOD spending cut out small biz.

Gov sector did this consciously and willingly, saying that Small Biz Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts were enough to sustain small biz in the R&D federal marketplace.

The entire SBIR program is smaller than many 8A "set aside to minorities" individual contracts.

Yet to "win" even an SBIR award, small companies have to bring in government agencies and or .edu's to share the money with,

outside of the legislative process.

Add to this that mega SAIC calls itself a small biz and politically grabs these contracts with a wink and nod from congress (really!),

and that Lockheed has wink nod subsidiaries too who are SBIR mills,

how can small biz survive in the really big dollar federal manufacturing sector driven by small biz R&D.

A huge dollar effort that was going to the small biz high tech. manufacturing section is gone (Eagle publishing has the solid montonically decreasing numbers done for SBA.) When e.g. MDA (BMDO) decided that competition was not needed for their success, nor testing by the way, be gone also all independent oversight,

many small biz were dropped quickly by Primes -- to the tune of the per cent required by law for small biz,

and big biz gets a bonus for giving contracts to the unqualified, soon to be qualified -- anyway 8A set asides.

Trickle down works if you don't plug it up and

then let the small biz compete, which used to be the case.