We need to encourage entrepreneurs of all ages who want to start all types of businesses.

For example, a friend of ours started a business creating fantastic pastries and desserts for restaurants. Her company will never go public. But she employs 8 or 9 people who probably never would be hired by a tech startup.

A couple of the big obstacles to starting a business need to be addressed:

1. Healthcare - our friend wouldn't have started her business if she didn't have coverage through her husband's employer. She couldn't afford the financial risk.

2. Intellectual property laws are a mess. Everyone on HN already knows about the patent fiasco, but the continual and unjustified extension of copyright law also presents an obstacle for some endeavors.