Consider yourself forewarned.

About this week’s lead article, I’m also expecting to have a bit of followup that I can post about Congressman Mike Michaud (D-ME) and his crusade to get more funding for the SBA Microloan program. This was information that I had tried to get on Friday but didn’t hear from the relevant staffer until this morning. So, I’ll let you know what I find out.

Also in this week’s podcast, Plain Language might come to the federal government after all, and we’ll try one more time to improve the Regulatory Flexibility Act and strengthen the SBA Office of Advocacy.

And, as always, this week’s Policy Matters column.

For more information:

• House Committee on Small Business
• Center for Plain Language
• Sunshine Week
• National Small Business Association
• SBA Office of Advocacy

Economists speculate that perhaps productivity has generally increased to the point that our economy can drag itself out of a recession, with businesses ramping up production but without the need to hire new workers to meet pent up demand.

Another change that seemed to have caught conventional economists by surprise was that those productivity increases did not result in wage increases.

So, out of the 1990s and into the 21st century, we seem to have an economy that creates fewer jobs for lower wages, and even our benefits packages are costing us more.

This is supposed to get it done for American workers.

And yet, over the same period in which traditional 20th century sources of jobs have largely dried up, you can’t help noticing that there has been a positive explosion of new nonemployer businesses.

From 14.3 million in 1992 (74% of U.S. firms) to 21.7 million in 2007, fifteen years later. They have increased in number by 51.7%; employer firms don’t even come close.

If these trends continue, then it would appear that we are on the cusp of a fairly gigantic shift in the way individuals interact with the production end of the economy.

I hope this special commentary provides a little food for thought, to go along with the backyard barbecue, and I hope you enjoyed your last weekend holiday of the summer!

How was that? Enough cliches for you?

At the risk of seeming a bit Chicken Little-ish in reverse, I find myself wondering whether 2009 will become the year when the microbusiness arrived. Which is an odd thing to say, when microbusinesses arrived quite a long time ago.

So, maybe we should call it the year when somebody noticed that the microbusiness had arrived.

It is never a surprise when Kristie Arslan of the NASE discusses microbusinesses during a Congressional hearing or roundtable. It’s not even all that big a deal when Todd McCracken of the NSBA follows suit.

When the NFIB starts talking microbusinesses, that’s worth noting (right after I pick myself up off the floor).

And, of course, there is the study out of Massachusetts which concludes, among other things, that the surge in self-employment they are seeing there “signals a dramatic change in how America works,” as the press release put it.

That is exciting because it is the first time that I know about that anybody even somewhat “official” has made that connection between nonemployers (the self-employed) and the overarching goal of creating “jobs.”

Today, Essex County, Massachusetts. Tomorrow, the White House!

(Hey, I can dream, can’t I?)

But that Massachusetts study, as well as the undeniable trends that have caused everybody in Washington to suddenly start talking about microbusinesses, make it crystal clear that whatever small business support infrastructure we maintain as a matter of public policy needs to do a much better job of actually supporting small businesses.

Which, by the way, is the subject of this week’s Policy Matters column.

For more information:

• Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship
• The Enterprise Center at Salem State College
• SBA Office of Advocacy