The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has just released its Small Business Economic Trends Report for this month, and small business optimism continues to decline. Probably not shocking news given the current economic climate and the rising unemployment rate. However, the NFIB's analysis of the cause behind this serious downturn is worth noting.

NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg laid the blame for today's jobless numbers squarely on the Obama Administration's misguided regulations, proliferated by ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank, and record breaking deficit spending of late. Explaining that the White House has failed to bring any relief to the negative trend, Dunkelberg said, "The failure to understand why small business owners are not hiring or investing has resulted in a set of policies that have not been very effective, and Main Street is suffering.  The icing on the cake: the growing debt, large deficits, threats of higher taxes, regulations being spewed out by state and local administrations, and the uncertainty of the new health care law–is it any wonder that optimism is down?"

Today's 9.1% unemployment rate is well above the 6.7% rate Democrats promised by now if their stimulus plan passed.  The stimulus failed, the President's takeover of healthcare and the private sector has caused economic ruin, and our climbing debt and deficit has destroyed jobs and is now threatening America's future. The data reflected in NFIB report may not be surprising, but it needs to be taken seriously. The canaries are starting to grow quiet.