Ask an Expert: OK, so who is the small-business candidate?

— -- Q: Will Obama really raise taxes on my business? Are McCain's

tax cuts just for the rich? Who is telling the truth here? — Larry

(Part 1 of 2)

A: While it is

difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff in presidential campaigns, this one is worse than most, with half-truth and flat-out untruths flying fast and furious.

It's

insulting, actually.

Here we are in the midst of two wars, and with an economy on the verge of a seeming meltdown, yet are stuck with two candidates yelping about personal

insults (mostly feigned), lipstick, and pigs?

Are we really going to fall for this stuff?

Look, there are all sorts of reasons to vote for or against a candidate,

and the effect on your business is only one, but that is the one we are concerned with here. But before I get to it, and as long as I am privileged enough to have this soapbox,

let me just say – let's demand better.

They want you to be distracted. Don't be. They want to play small ball. Insist on something bigger. They want to promise you the

stars and hope you won't notice that we cannot even afford the moon.

Personally, I refuse to reward any politician who insults my intelligence; who thinks that they can

get my vote by playing to the lowest common denominator. Tough times demand that we get more than business as usual.

OK, I feel better now.

So what will each

candidate do for your small business? Let's take a look at the major issues:

Taxes:

The McCain campaign continues to claim that Obama plans to raise taxes on the 26

million small businesses in this country. I am so tired of this one.

It's bunk.

They base this on the fact that the senator from Illinois is calling for a tax

increase as follows:

• On individuals who make more than $200,000

• On couples who make more than $250,000

The fact is, most small business owners do

not make this much money, so they would face no tax increase; in fact, most would probably be eligible for Obama's pork barrel giveaway, the $1,000 tax break for middle income