"Obamacare" has been cast as a left vs right issue. Democrats are in favor of it. Republicans hate it. However, the reason for this is that it is framed as a "lazy do nothing people being given healthcare paid for by good, hard-working citizens who already have healthcare". This is silly, yes. However, as far as entrepreneurship goes, there should be far more right-wing support for Obamacare than there is.
Why is this? Because, here in the US, healthcare and employment are very tightly linked. This is fine for those with a job. However, it is not so fine if you want to quit your job and start a company. I thought Obama's remarks yesterday summarized it perfectly:
"They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great."
Government programs which allow people to walk away from their job and start something new are critical for new company development. Entrepreneurship and free enterprise should be cornerstones of the
Republican platform, and they should favor any policy which promotes new
company development. It seems that this point is being lost in the noise.
Showing posts with label entrepreneurs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entrepreneurs. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Hive networking event
Earlier this week I spoke at a networking event for entrepreneurs called The Hive . I was extremely impressed by the organization of the event, and I think it's a great opportunity for Melbourne based entreprenuers.
I have been looking for events like this to meet new entrepreneurs and to talk about my investment interests and there haven't been many well targeted events. There are various conferences about Cleantech and business financing, and there are various lunchtime seminars put on by government organizations (which can be quite good - especially Innovic's), however, my experiences at MIT have taught me that the most exciting startup activity happens when a bunch of really smart, really motivated people get together over a beer. This is what The Hive offers.
About 100 people were on hand to listen to me give some of my thoughts on the industry (I'll boil these down to a few blog posts in the future), but more importantly, I felt that this gave a really good cross section of those interested in starting their own companies. There was a lot of passion in the room, and that's something that I think fills me with the most optimism about the future of the Australian startup scene. If you are based in Melbourne be sure to check out future events!
I have been looking for events like this to meet new entrepreneurs and to talk about my investment interests and there haven't been many well targeted events. There are various conferences about Cleantech and business financing, and there are various lunchtime seminars put on by government organizations (which can be quite good - especially Innovic's), however, my experiences at MIT have taught me that the most exciting startup activity happens when a bunch of really smart, really motivated people get together over a beer. This is what The Hive offers.
About 100 people were on hand to listen to me give some of my thoughts on the industry (I'll boil these down to a few blog posts in the future), but more importantly, I felt that this gave a really good cross section of those interested in starting their own companies. There was a lot of passion in the room, and that's something that I think fills me with the most optimism about the future of the Australian startup scene. If you are based in Melbourne be sure to check out future events!
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