Small businesses are hurt by lack of demand, not taxes or regulations

The right-wing mantra is that taxes and regulations are the biggest problems afflicting small businesses.  This contention is fabulist - as in "made up BS unsubstantiated by the evidence."  Here's a graph, courtesy of the Economic Policy Institute,  showing the relative concerns of small business people dating back to the Nixon years. The problem in today's economy is lack of demand - consumer spending - not taxes or regulations. Overwhelmingly. In fact, concern over taxes and regulations under Obama are at about the same levels they were during Reagan's second term: