Video: You Asked the White House. The White House Answered

In January, the White House Office of Digital Strategy reached out to Patch to obtain questions from its users. In return, Sewickley Patch put out the call for questions from Sewickley and neighboring communities.

One of the responses chosen was directed to John Luff, a television technology consultant who opened his home Jan. 24 in Sewickley for a local gathering to view the president's State of the Union address. His question to the White House:

"I ran a small business for 20 years but am concerned about the long-term prospects for American innovation and manufacturing. What can we do to change the downward trajectory that could leave the USA as a second-class consumer economy?"

In the video above, you can see the response from National Economic Council Deputy Director Brian Deese, who notes that small businesses create new jobs but face major challenges. Watch the video for the full response.

Patch reached out to representatives from the Republican party with similar questions but received no response.

What would you ask the president if you had the opportunity? Please sign in with your real name to leave a comment. Thank you!

Around the Rivers is a weekly feature that highlights stories from other Patches in the region. When this story originally appeared on Sewickley Patch, John Luff posted the following comment:

My full question was perhaps a bit too long for the White House to quickly answer:

Mr. President:

"I ran a small business for 20 years and was successful, but am concerned about the long term prospects for American innovation and manufacturing. American labor and manufacturing brought us out of the Great Depression and won WWII, created the wealth that made many baby boomers members of the first middle class generation, and made the space age happen. Today we seem to be lost in second place or further back as Asia and Europe drive forward with high tech manufacturing that has speed and capability we can't match. Education, and research, seem to be keys to that success, but we no longer lead the world in innovation, leaving American workers struggling to find low wage jobs in a down economy. What can we do to change the downward trajectory that could leave the USA as a second class consumer only economy, dependent on the rest of the world to manufacture at what we once excelled?"

The answer while not very specific shows the genuine concern the Administration has and their commitment to improving conditions for small business. We can't starve government and expect it to foster innovation and growth. Personally I do not agree that lower taxes on wealthy individuals fosters job growth. Hiring decisions are made on the basis of demand and the margin employers can make on new workers.