Masks are the mark of the times, symbolic of so much more than a means for virus protection.  The true masking in America is the nefarious hidden agenda of the Democrat party, co-opted by socialist ruffians.  The good news is that portions of the electorate are moving from the bewilderment stage on what is happening to our country to revealing the left's inner sanctum on how and why they are attacking our nation.  The more our minds dig for the ground truth, the more the subversive anti-America plot is revealed.

There is a war on small business right now in this country.  The battle lines are tied to the tenets of capitalism and free markets, which value property rights and private ownership of production, versus socialism and communism, which value "workers" and communal or state property.  When we think of property rights, land and home ownership comes to mind.  But it also includes the right to own and operate a business and be the beneficiary of the risks and rewards.  The Marxist goal is to deplete the ranks and efficacy of small business in America and have the remains subsumed by fewer and larger corporations, as well as government.  The next stage will focus on dividing the leadership and workforce in large corporations.  The "workers" can then revolt and take over the last private masters of industry in partnership with the state.  Right now the revolutionaries need the titans of industry on their side.  Non-cooperation is synonymous with blasphemy.  Evidence of this was the apoplectic response of the left's messengers when the CEO of Goya Foods did not sing their tune.

It is amazing, the speed with which private property rights of businesses were suspended by government dictates under the umbrella of pandemic lockdowns.  The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) reported in May 2020 a record fall in private employment (versus public employment).  "The largest decline for any size group was for employers with 20 to 49 employees, with a decline of 21.5 percent.  The smallest decline was for employers with 1,000 or more employees, with a decline of 13.3 percent."

Traditional tools for inhibiting small business growth include stifling regulation and burdensome taxation.  The weapon of choice is now COVID-19-sanctioned lockdowns and restrictions.  A recently published Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) study, titled "The impact of COVID-19 on small business outcomes and expectations," highlights the vulnerability of small businesses during the initial impact of the lockdowns, many of which were already financially fragile.  Survey analysis reports that 43% of businesses temporarily closed and 39% on average reduced active employment.

The median firm with monthly expenses over $10,000 had only enough cash on hand to last roughly 2 wk.  Three-quarters of respondents only had enough cash on hand to last 2 mo or less.

The crisis duration plays a central role in the total potential impact.  For a crisis lasting 4 mo instead of 1 mo, only 47% of businesses expected to be open in December compared to 72% under the shorter duration.

This is a lengthy paper worth reading, which "provides insight into the economic impact of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) on small business."

The data and the definition of small business in the U.S. are deep and wide in complexity, and they vary immensely depending on factors such as timing, industry sector, type of ownership, firm versus establishment, non-employer businesses, number of employees, and average annual revenue.  Reporting varies significantly using these factors.  The total number of small businesses counted can range from 20 million to over 30 million in the U.S.  However, the reporting consistently shows that small business constitute over 99% of all businesses and up to 50% of private sector employment.  Small business is often referenced to fewer than 500 employees.  Surprisingly, the percentages remain high at over 98% for fewer than 100 employees and 89% for fewer than 20 employees.  In 2012, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) stated that "in 2010 there were 27.9 million small businesses, and 18,500 firms with 500 employees or more."  That is a ratio of 1,508 small businesses for every one large enterprise.

Small business and capitalism have a symbiotic relationship relying on competition and private ownership.  A quick read called "Capitalism Explained" offers a concise overview of types of economic systems.  The importance of private property rights is central to capitalism, including a system to protect these rights. 

Think of it like this:  A restaurant provides quality food and excellent service because the owners want to build a strong reputation and earn money for a long time.  But if the restaurant could be taken away at any time, and all work and investment were lost, the owners would be less willing to pour their time, effort, and money into it.

Private property rights also mean the owners of property are entitled to the value it creates through its activities (like business operations) or its sale.  That restaurant owner gets to keep the profit from his day-to-day operations.  He also gets to sell the business one day and keep that money.

When private property isn't recognized, but instead shared by the public, a problem called the tragedy of commons may emerge.  If everyone owns a resource, everyone will have an incentive to extract value from it and no one will have incentive to conserve it or reinvest it.  

Socialism moves the ownership of property and production into the community, and communism eliminates private property wherein all production and property are managed and owned by the state.  When we connect the dots, advocates of socialism and communism welcome undermining private ownership of business, and the best tactic would be to start with the most vulnerable: small business. 

Small businesses have been further decimated during the lockdowns by online completion with Big Tech (a big winner), BLM looting and riots, and the emboldening of criminals via actions by liberal prosecutors and anti-police elected officials.  Juxtapose the New Jersey gym-owners striving to gain access to their own business with anarchists destroying and terrorizing Main Street shops. The former are arrested and vilified; the latter are held unaccountable and free from the jaws of the law.

Grit, patience, fortitude, innovation, investment, independence, sacrifice, and delayed gratification characterize the nature and will of small business owners in America.  Just as the globalists hollowed out middle-class America in the last decades, the social-justice Marxists seek to hollow out private enterprise, starting with small business.  From the beginning, Trump fought for middle class America.  It is time to declare protection and promotion of small business in America.