By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
The fiscal cliff put a choke hold on the economy in December, according to a survey of business confidence, and many small companies expect it to get worse in the foreseeable future.
But like many small-business owners these days, he says, the economy presents a particularly difficult challenge for the little guy.
"In my profession, there are people who are not going to pay their bills no matter what," said Mr. Romola, who owns Alpine Credit Inc. in Colorado. "But when the economy is good, it's easier to collect from those who would normally pay."
