"There are
three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." This familiar quote has
been attributed to both former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli
and Mark Twain, American author and humorist. If you read the
differing opinions on how well the Federal Government is meeting
its goals for small business (statistics), you get the feeling this
quote is receiveing new life.
If you review one of the eyetests the government calls the Small
Business Goaling Report you will find the truth, or not, depending
on your motivations.
Many of the numbers appear to closely parallel their goals, in total. But
if you look at the achievement by department, of which there are
about 90, you will see that there is great disparity by department
and by the separate goals for each type of set aside. |