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Jim Amos, Chairman and CEO of Tasti D-Lite and Planet Smoothie was interviewed by FoxNews host Greta Van Susteren last month.  In the interview, Amos called small business owners and franchisees heroes.  These folks, he said, put their life and savings on the line while providing jobs in uncertain conditions marked with regulations and tax burdens.  He laments that the U.S. tax rate on corporations is the highest in the world.  Regulatory policies, too, are out of control, says Amos.  There is talk of a lot of money but banks don’t lend. He concludes, “So I think there’s not just a lending gap, but there’s an information gap and a philosophical gap somewhere that’s preventing these kinds of loans to be real for these folks.”

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: So Jim, tell me, why do you say small business people are heroes?

JIM AMOS, TASTI D-LITE, PLANET SMOOTHIE CHAIRMAN & CEO: Oh, well, Greta, I think small business in general, and certainly franchisees in particular, are heroes because these are folks that put their entire life on the line and certainly often all of their savings. They’re pursuing a dream with every bit of fiber and strength that they have.

VAN SUSTEREN: Jim, I’m trying to understand what — you know, for these small businesses, what is sort of the impacts, or the natural cycle of having a rough economic time, and also having the influence of economic times overseas, and what’s a direct result of administrative policies, I mean, that the president can be held accountable for, for small businesses.

AMOS: Well, I think if you look at just the general concept of taxation, we have the highest corporate tax in the world on our business community. We have really an out-of-control regulatory policy.

Historically, the organic growth of franchising has come from these people, these business folks, that we’re talking about, who brought 10 to 20 percent of their savings to the table. They often financed about 80 percent out of the net worth in their home. And today, if any banks are lending, and they are not, they want 40 percent or 50 percent down, and there is no equity in anybody’s home, practically.

VAN SUSTEREN: What about the — now, tell me about the bank loans, though. Do you hold the Obama administration accountable for the fact that the banks have the money to lend and they won’t lend?

AMOS: The reality is, if you talk to the bankers themselves, the regulatory policy has been such that they just won’t allow them — they downgrade the banks if they’re making commercial or business loans today in this environment.

So I think there’s not just a lending gap, but there’s an information gap and a philosophical gap somewhere that’s preventing these kinds of loans to be real for these folks …

Photo by cvolkmer