Small businesses, which have created 70% of new jobs in America over the last 10 years, have been particularly devastated by this historic recession.

The latest jobs numbers dealt another blow to struggling small businesses: The unemployment rate increased to 9.8%, the highest level in 26 years. This number includes 15.4% of African Americans and 12.7% of Hispanics out of work. If you factor in workers who gave up looking or settled for a part-time job, the unemployment rate is an astounding 17%.

With 21 straight months of job loss and more than 15 million people out of work, there is clearly a desperate need for policies that create jobs.