Many Americans have adversely felt the effect of the Obama Economy over the past four years, but perhaps none have felt the impact as directly as America’s small business owners. Today, the results of a survey commissioned by the National Federation of Independent Business and the National Association of Manufacturers were released, and nearly 70% of small business owners responded that Barack Obama’s economic policies have hurt small businesses and small manufacturers in America.

In addition, 55% of business owners responded that they would not start a business in today’s economic climate and more than one out of every five believe that they will have to drop employee healthcare coverage as a results of ObamaCare.

Are small business owners better off than they were four years ago? The answer, most certainly, is a resounding ‘no.’

If you listen to Barack Obama on the campaign train, however, you would believe that he has been a small business advocate, claiming that he has cut taxes for small businesses 18 times. That claim could not be further from the truth, writes Investors Business Daily…

“President Obama has been running around lately claiming he’s cut small business taxes more than a dozen times. That no doubt would be news to the nation’s small business owners. Obama’s been bragging about these tax cuts lately because his soak-the-rich income-tax hikes would hit plenty of small businesses, most of whom file taxes as individuals.

“This is the problem with Obama’s entire approach to tax cuts, and why none of them has made a noticeable difference. They are either too narrowly targeted or too complicated, require businesses to jump through hoops to qualify, or are too temporary to have any long-term incentive effect…Obama may think he can fool the public into believing his tax policies are helping small companies survive and thrive. Small-business owners know better.”

After four years of crippling taxation, burdensome overregulation and general hostility towards American entrepreneurs, it is more clear than ever that Barack Obama’s policies simply have failed our nation’s small business owners. Instead of opening our country for business, Barack Obama has used taxpayer funds to ship jobs overseas, hanging our business owners out to dry. More than ever, our country needs real leadership and adept business experience in the White House, and only one candidate possesses the necessary pedigree to restart our nation’s economic engine.

To find out how Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Paul Ryan will put Americans back to work, be sure to check out “Believe in America: Mitt Romney’s Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth” by visiting www.mittromney.com/jobs.