Small business week: Tammy

Earlier this month, McCain held a town-hall meeting focused on women entrepreneurs as part of unveiling his economic plan. This week I'm featuring interviews with a variety of small businesswomen, sharing why they support McCain for President. Thanks ladies for sharing your thoughts!

Tell us about yourself. I’m Tammy from Redmond. I am 45 years young and have an 18 year old daughter.

Tell us about your business. What do you like most and least about it? I have been a Hair Designer for 29 years. The first 17 years were in Scottsdale, Arizona and the last 12 here in Washington.

I have owned my own hair business for the last 22 years and love working for myself. It has allowed me to set the hours that work best for my family. I currently work 38 hours a week which is way more manageable than the 70 hour weeks that I used to put in before having my daughter.

I love making people feel better about themselves. Every day is different depending on who I see and which services they are having done. It’s a very social business which suits me really well. What I like least is that after all these years my tendons in my arms are wearing out from overuse. This is very disturbing as I truly have a passion for my business.

What is your involvement in politics? How would you describe your political views? I am not very "active" in politics but do have some strong opinions and several clients who are very involved in politics so I get to hear a lot of different views. I have always leaned more towards Republican (dare I say that in Washington, hahaha!).

I’m someone who sees issues as more 'black and white' versus living in the 'grey zone.' I like absolutes and for decisions to be made and acted upon. There is nothing more upsetting to me than a whole lot of talk and no action. Just going round and round in circles and never getting anywhere. I think there are a lot of people out there who would like our world that way then no one need be accountable for anything and they can keep pointing their finger at someone else. I say get off your ass and do something!

Have your views changed this year (is this election any different)? I find this year's election quite interesting. For me the answer is pretty simple, McCain is the only one who understands what needs to be done from a defensive standpoint. I will vote for experience over promises made.

I also support Republican business views which are very important to me. Being self-employed does influence my decisions on whom to vote for. I’m very interested in tax laws and would like to see them changed to a "flat tax" system.

Who do you support for President and why? I am absolutely voting for McCain. I do think that it is time to figure out this gas thing in our country. We need to be less dependent on other countries for our fuel and tap our resources here to lower gas prices.

What should McCain do to appeal to business owners like you? I think McCain should offer more deductions or a "flat tax" for Small Business owners. So many do not succeed as they cannot keep up with their overhead and tax payments. Self-Employment insurance needs to be more affordable also.

As a stylist, you hear lots of opinions from male and female customers. What do you think McCain should do to appeal to your customers and people like them? I love hearing my clients' views on their choice in candidate and I have noticed that the Obama supporters feel that if he becomes president that he will sweep in and end the war like a magic war fairy. Do they not understand that things don’t work that way? Do people really think that it is that easy?? I too would like to see this war end but know that it will take some time to get out of there. People need to remember that the President only has so much power and that he is at the mercy of his House and Senate also.

Any other thoughts to share? Personally I have tried to stay away from the media as much as possible, as I get tired of hearing the same debate presented in 100’s of different ways. I tune in periodically to get updated and my clients keep me pretty well informed also. As the election gets closer I will tune in a bit more but right now I find it to be a huge waste of my time.

I think it would be an interesting concept to have a Democrat and Republican working together as R- President McCain and D-Vice President Obama for a more balanced world but maybe we would implode if that happened.


Tammy's next big project is a charity walk to benefit Multiple Sclerosis research. Please consider making a donation here or donate to our Slatecard candidates in Tammy's honor. Thanks!