For a small business owner, taxes are the key to their vote
Last Friday, as part of a series of conversations we were having with small business owners in battleground states ahead of the election, we talked with then-undecided voter and small business owner Olalah Njenga about why she was still unable to choose a candidate to vote for.
“I really need to support something that I understand how it will be implemented and what I can expect as a result,” she told us then. “Unfortunately, Mr. Romney has failed that test. I had been holding out hope, and it’s taken three debates and a storm…and he still has not given us that information.”
Mrs. Njenga told us she was open to a last-minute call from the Romney camp, but instead got an earful from listeners and commentors online who couldn’t understand why she was having a tough time deciding.
When we called back, Njenga wasn’t willing to discuss her vote — fearing more backlash — but she told us that as a small business owner, she’s hoping President Obama will reconsider some of his math in his second term.
“One of the things that has consistently bothered me,” says Njenga, “is him putting the demark for middle class at $250,000. That $250,000 does not make us feel like we’re part of the new rich.”
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
