I am splitting hairs here, but this is really bothering me as I feel like the below data points are incredibly misleading and reveals the gap of experience in lawmakers creating policy. These data points come up again and again by Reps, Congress, in the SOTU, etc.

1. "10.5 million new business applications in 2021"

• First off, it's now 2023. What about 2022? Where are these businesses now?

• Secondly, what business application? No one needs to apply to a government - federal or state - for permission to do business. An entrepreneur may need certification and insurance to practice their trade, which is often governed by a professional association in collaboration with a state. Otherwise, you simply pay a fee and register your business so the state knows how to tax you. An 'application' implies there is an approval process. There is not. So what are they counting in this list? Is is state registration? Why not say that?

*There is no such thing as an application to do business. Full stop.

• Thirdly, MOST small businesses are micro businesses, i.e. side hustles. Only 1.8 million of these 'new' businesses would potentially hire employees. Again, potentially hire. If the JEC pulled the '12 million' jobs number from the average employee base of these potential employers, that makes the 12 million suspect.

Also, this large biz 'application' number being majority side hustles implies people need side hustles on top of their regular income to survive which would prove the opposite of a booming economy. Just sayin'.

It's bad data all the way down. I've replied to a Rep on this committee and tagged the JEC for both Dems and Repubs about these 'applications'. No one has answered me.

https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/2022/5/jec-report-shows-new-business-applications-reached-highest-level-on-record