Michael and Jim talk about the realities of globalization and what small businesses should do to benefit from it instead of being a victim.

Bill and Jim talk about some of the current economic issues, including what the current cooling off of the economy is going to look like and what small business owners should be doing about it. They wrap up by talking about their thoughts on the fall Congressional elections.

Ray and Jim talk about a number of small business public policy issues, including minimum wage, estate tax, eminent domain, etc. They also talk about the upcoming Congressional elections in the fall.

Stephen joins Jim to report on the 2006 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and what he has learned about what it takes to become an entrepreneur.

Sam talks with Jim about his recent survey of business professionals who provide a mixed bag of indicators about the U.S. economy for the current month and the next two. Listen in to see what Sam says about the potential for a recession.

Richard provides a report on the condition of the U.S. economy and what he thinks the Fed will do with interest rates. They also talk about how small businesses are disproportionately harmed by rising rates that are targeting consumers.

Ted talks with Jim about some of the newest developments regarding China, including their reaction to an outbreak of rabies, which speaks to how the Chinese think about their relationship with nature. They also talk about the wage scale in China compares to that in the U.S. (hint -- it doesn't). They wrap up talking about how critical future planning for U.S. infrastructure is to our ability to be competitive globally.

Bill reports on the current Small Business Survey he conducts each month. The news is not bad, but there are signs of softening as a result of sustained high energy prices and of course, higher interest rates. All of the recent prosperity has contributed to higher inflation.

Ray joins Jim to talk about the most recent Congressional Scorecard, a rating he does on how members of Congress voted on small business issues. They also talk about some of those issues.

Bill joins Jim to report on the most recent NFIB economic survey of small businesses. The news is good, just not as good as the last quarter. They also talk about the prospects for inflation.