“Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.”  Ronald Reagan

May 2011 - There is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the head of American business. Although many companies in the metals industry are experiencing a resurgence in sales activity, executives have an overwhelming sense of caution—a feeling of guarded optimism. I hear it in their voices and see it on their faces at conferences and in meetings in the course of traveling around the country throughout the year. Many have seen a steady increase in company sales due in large part to a shift to new markets and pent up customer demand. Either way, executives clearly are grateful for the turnaround. Yet, that feeling of apprehension lingers.

Recently, I attended the North American Steel Alliance’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. One of the keynote speakers was Philipp Lisibach, CFA, head of Credit Suisse Research U.S. LLC. For more than an hour, Lisibach addressed a room full of mostly small to mid-size family business owners and company executives about the state of the overall U.S. economy. Although there are some economic indicators trending in the right direction, ultimately I came away, as I know many others did, with the feeling that unless we get a handle on our nation’s debt, we’re sunk. Continuing to print, tax, spend and borrow more money is not the solution. Compounding the issue is a lack of consumer and corporate confidence in our leaders to solve this impending crisis.

In my home state of Illinois, the governor’s office recently passed legislation that raised personal income taxes from 3 percent to 5 percent and corporate business taxes from 7.3 percent to 9.5 percent. As a result of this hike, large businesses like Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar, one of the state’s largest employers with 23,000 workers, will pay an estimated $40 million more in taxes. If the company decides to relocate, the impact on nearby communities will be palpable. In the end, CEOs and hourly workers will all lose, as will countless small businesses. Like many other states, Illinois is bankrupt. The state is facing a more than $9 billion deficit.

If the people are expected to keep their financial house in order, then so should local, state and federal government. It is the duty of every working citizen to remind your congressman or congresswoman that paying down the debt is priority No. 1. After all, it is our money. Write a letter, send an e-mail or call them on the phone. Get engaged, and let your voice be heard. Together, we must be diligent stewards of government. We owe that much not only to those who have sacrificed so much in the name of freedom and prosperity but also to America’s future generations.

Ronald Reagan once said, “Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.” True change starts with each individual—not government.  MM