It is hard to define one issue as being the greatest problem American businesses face today. According to Henry Blodget, “the real problem is that American corporations, which are richer and more profitable than they have ever been in history, have become so obsessed with ‘maximizing short-term profits’ that they are no longer investing in their future, their people, and their country.” This is what he wrote in Business Insider earlier this month.

However, a year ago, Blodget believed American companies were plagued by a variety of problems (not just one).  In an article in the same journal, he argued that problems that have been plaguing the economy have been the same for more than ten years.  These include:  the economy has been suffering from globalization; technology; no increase in average hourly earnings for five decades; tax policies that have benefited investors and high-wage earners and shareholder value obsession (diminishing the value of stakeholders).

Today Blodget sees that really the biggest problem American corporations face is how they view their employees vis-à-vis their profits.  He points to a Tweet from a man called Daryl Tremblay who, on the subject of workers at McDonalds argued, “they are costs. Full stop. They don’t have a stake, they hold nothing. They trade their labor for money.”

Blodget’s issue with this concept is that the only issue businesses or managers are concerned with is “maximized earnings” (similar to the concept he discussed a year ago that is ruining US businesses, namely shareholder value obsession).  If employees are merely seen as “costs” to be minimized, Blodget points out, is “destroying America’s middle class, robbing American consumers (a.k.a., "employees") of spending power, and, ironically, hurting the growth of the same corporations that are making this choice. If your customers are strapped, your company can't grow. And, right now, American companies are choosing to impoverish their customers (employees), while skimming off as much wealth as possible for themselves.”

Thus his solution is for managers to “choose” to share the corporation’s wealth with their employees, reduce their revenue (still making “reasonable” profits) and simultaneously generate “compelling financial returns.”  Further, rather than view their employees as “costs” they can pay their “colleagues” real wages.

Blodget’s arguments are perhaps worth a try before encountering a total crumble of the economy.

Good news for small businesses. Optimism in this sector has been on the rise, peaking in May. The National Federation of Independent Business said on Tuesday that is Small Business Optimism Index increased 2.3 points to 94.4 last month. This is the highest that it’s been since May of last year.

As NFIB said, “Expectations about the future course of the economy clearly improved over the past few months, but not to levels seen in a ‘recovery’ or even in periods of solid growth.”

40% of the index’s rise was due to share of owners expecting better business conditions for the next six month. This level increased 10 points. There were also those who expect a rise in their inflation-adjustment sales and those who think this is a good time to expand their operations and to increase inventories.

In a move that many were watching for its legal precedent, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer just vetoed a measure on Thursday that would have allowed gold and silver to be legal tender in the state. She explained that her veto was due to the fact that the legislation could have resulted in lost tax revenue. The bill would have allowed gold and silver to become legal tender beginning in mid-2014.

The Republican-controlled state legislature voted the measure through last month. Brewer, in an open letter to state Senate President Andy Biggs explained, “While I believe the concern over a devalued dollar as a result of an unsustainable federal deficit is justified, I am unable to support this legislation.”

In recent years, the desire to establish gold and silver as currency has become popular in the US with hardline fiscal conservatives. They’ve been backed by the Tea Party movement, American Principles Project, the Gold Standard Institute and others.

Brewer, however, noted that the “administrative and fiscal burdens” for taxpayers and the revenue department “remain vague.”

Had the measure been signed, Arizona would have become only the second state in the US to establish precious metals as legal tender. Utah has such measures in place.