Small business is around half of of non-agricultural US GDP. Yet, large business receives most of the subsidy money from government.

So, many, and now, most, of the large centralized corporations have been bolstered by government subsidies since the Reagan administration.

And: "After World War II, the nation's tax bill was roughly split between corporations and individuals. But after years of changes in the federal tax code and international economy, the corporate share of taxes has declined to a fourth the amount individuals pay, according to the US Office of Management and Budget." --Boston Globe series on Corporate Welfare from 1996 http://www.corporations.org/welfare/#globe

So, how long will this last? I think that it is now safe to say: not much longer.

One of my questions is this:

How to identify where the best areas for economic growth and development are for people pursuing what I call "commons based" business models?

I propose the following:

* Local Food Systems, where knowledge is pooled, and localfood producers collaborate to compete against suppliers not from the region (by working together to choose to produce both products that are unique to region, and/or specialty products. In all cases, avoiding cheap commodities). This also includes ways of finding uses for plants that are generally overlooked as "weeds" that can be cultivated for both food and for industrial production (biofuels, new ways to make building materials out of compressed plant material, and plastic out plant material, etc)

* Free/libre open source flexible fabrication: a coworking style arrangement to produce physical infrastructure, new solar/wind/geo thermal energy designs, and newer better ways to produce items people use for general quality of life, plus *re-use* of existing mass produced waste materials

* Free/libre open source software production, and the literacies to use the software to solve problems

* Open data systems, and collaborative knowledge bases about places. The economic growth model here is what users and participants can *do* with these knowledge bases and data sets.

* New arrangements of networks and social publishing systems, where people possibly are self-employed as multi-media reporting, writing, producing consultants.

There is probably more that I am not thinking about. All areas of growth include connecting and working with existing traditional businesses, education institutions, local and regional governments, etc