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The Good, the Bad, the Underfunded

Robb Mandelbaum's feature about the Small Business Administration was the most balanced article I have read in a while on that topic ["Does the SBA Still Matter?" May]. In recent years, it has been in vogue for politicians to call for the demise of the agency that is directly responsible for helping create countless jobs and companies that have shaped today's business landscape. As we are reminded daily by the media, there is not a single program run by any government agency that is flawless, nor will there ever be.

I can't help but wonder why those who seek the SBA's demise manage to ignore the success stories of many companies that got assistance from the agency in one form or another. Many of today's SBA-assisted companies will be tomorrow's giants, household names making significant contributions to our nation's economy.

Heywot Tesfaye
President
Federal Asset Remarketing Services
Denver

I work with SBA loans on a daily basis, and I can think of a few other government agencies that need to be fixed before they get to the SBA (the IRS, the Social Security Administration, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and FEMA, to name a few). Veronique de Rugy and others who propose doing away with the SBA are living in a dream world. Would they also suggest doing away with Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) (which would implode the mortgage market for home buyers) and Sallie Mae (which would slam the door on most high school graduates who want to attend college)?

The SBA is largely self-sufficient, and it provides access to the new American dream of owning one's own business. (Anybody can get a house these days, thanks to Fannie Mae.) Without the SBA, the vacuum on business acquisitions would have to be filled by seller financing and loan sharks. The naysayers should put a sock in it and support the SBA. It's one of the few government agencies worth saving.

Dave Vernich
Vice president and SBA loan development officer
Bank of the South
Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Yours is the best article I have ever read about the Small Business Administration. Robb Mandelbaum tackles a very complex subject, makes it simple to understand, and accurately presents both the good and the bad of today's SBA.

Bob Coleman
Editor
Coleman SBA Lender Weekly
La Cañada Flintridge, California

Robb Mandelbaum should have made a clear distinction between presidential appointees (those who come in for a short time with a political agenda) and career Feds (those who are legitimately concerned with the mission of an agency). It is the appointees who get to decide whether to further an agency's mission or stymie it. As your article pointed out, under President Bush (who pays a ton of lip service to small business but does nothing else) SBA funding has been slashed, and the SBA has been removed from the Cabinet.

I also found it telling that in big, boldface type you stated that federal agencies are "bloated and slow, or starved and ineffective. They're rife with corruption and staffed by weary workers who'd rather be someplace--anyplace--else" [Editor's Letter, May]. And then, in smaller type, you followed that with, "Or so some would have it." One has to think that is how Inc. would have it.

Mark Amtower
Owner
Amtower & Co.
Highland, Maryland

Marketing to the Disabled

I work with young people who have disabilities, and it seems to me that RediAuto Sport has the right idea [Elevator Pitch, May]. By creating a sports car for the disabled and Soft Touch hand controls for driving, the founder, Daniel Reyes, has a huge, untapped market before him.

There are millions of disabled people and amputees in America. In order to reach the senior citizen market and the disabled community, Reyes needs marketing that speaks to his target population in their own worlds. His marketing plan should include outlets like the Amputee Coalition of America's inMotion magazine.

Chris Harper Sr.
President
Youth Transitions
Knoxville, Tennessee

Currency Clash

This hullabaloo over Pizza Patrón accepting pesos for purchases underscores the hypocrisy of our immigration debate ["Cash and Controversy," May]. Stores on our northern border have been taking Canadian dollars for purchases as a matter of business for a very long time, and I have never heard anyone complain. I also know a number of Canadians who work and vacation in this country, and once again, I've never heard any complaints. I do believe we need a better immigration policy with Mexico, but critics who sent "Get the hell out of my country!" letters and e-mails to Pizza Patrón are displaying their racism.

Marty Hendrickx
President
Component Specialists
Roscoe, Illinois

I've been watching all of the coverage of the "Pesos for Pizza" controversy on several news outlets. Since the late 1950s I have personally used Canadian and U.S. currency interchangeably along either side of our northern border. Where's the controversy over that?

James Martin
Principal management consultant
The Wexford Group International
Alexandria, Virginia

Finding Freezers

In your article about identity theft, you say that "the biggest weapon in your arsenal against identity theft" is to "lock things down" by freezing your credit files ["The Dangers of Identity Theft," May]. That got my attention. Then you tell us that New York and California allow it, among "at least two dozen states." But you never list the names of the other states. Don't you have a responsibility to tell those of us readers who are not in California or New York whether our state is included? We would like to know whether it is worthwhile to go through the hassle of contacting Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

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