Blogging on the Debt: The Start

My name is Kathy Buggy and I am a small business owner in the Twin Cities region. A proud mother and wife, I currently own and operate Kate and Company LLC, an event and project coordination company serving the needs of our region for charity galas,​corporate events, fundraisers, weddings and more.

With more than 20 years of experience in this field, as well as marketing in the non-profit sector, I see firsthand and understand the diverse set of parts that make up our economy. In Minnesota, in addition to the 3Ms or Targets that make the region hum, companies like mine and others fight every day to not just make ends meet but prosper while doing what they love and serving their community.

That seems increasingly difficult though. While not entirely discouraged, I undoubtedly notice the undeniably sluggish economy and the struggles of those around me. Times are tough and are a far cry from what they were not long ago.

While this depends on a myriad of factors, as someone who balances the family checkbook, I believe this has a lot to do with the fiscal situation in our state and our nation. Specifically, I believe that our nation’s nearly $17 Trillion debt has and continues to hinder investment and growth by companies like mine.

That is why I joined the Minnesota Chapter of the Campaign to Fix the Debt alongside 105 former U.S. Senators and Representatives, support from the National Small Business Association, 2,700 members in the campaign’s small business council, 100+ chapters of The Can Kick Backs – millennial supporters, 100+ economists from universities across the nation, and more than 350,000 citizens who have signed the Citizen’s Petition asking members of congress to work together on the national debt.

Put simply, the unsustainable trajectory of our debt – and the fear that politicians will only employ poorly thought-out, rushed efforts like sequestration to try and tame it – is bad for businesses, large and especially small. An environment conducive to business growth is one with economic predictability and policy certainty.

This is something I feel strongly about and is why I have created this blog to discuss the issue, as well as various tenants of the larger picture, including effects on Minnesota, the fallout from sequestration and my involvement in the campaign.

I hope that you find this to be an honest and compelling dialogue and welcome your feedback. I will write here weekly, weighing in on issues and reporting on things like my recent trip to Washington, D.C. with the campaign in which I met with members of the Minnesota delegation and/or their staffs, including Senators Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, and Representatives Tim Walz, Erik Paulsen, John Kline, and Keith Ellison.

Thanks for checking me out – I hope you come again!