“I will not sign a 30-day or a 60-day or a 90-day extension," said President Barack Obama. "It is not going to get easier; it is going to get harder. So, we might as well do it now.”

Many economists agree that businesses need a clearer picture of the economy before they will begin hiring again. Ayman El Tarabishy, who teaches economics at George Washington University, said, "Even President Obama coming out and saying you need to raise taxes. It’s not that they [business owners] don’t understand it, they do understand it. But what they don’t understand is the implications from a bottom line because they are still fighting it out. And until this settles down, until they see a clear path forward, they are going to wait.”

Uria said one of the things businesses have learned over the last two years is that they can survive without the workers they lost, giving them less incentive to hire.

“I think most of us have learned that we can stay still with less than what we had before," she said "Of course, if the economy gets to the point to where it was before, I will have to have more people to handle the amount of work I have."

Even then, she said any new workers would not be full-time employees. She said the key is confidence. Confidence the economy is growing. Confidence that consumers are willing to spend. And confidence that politicians in Washington will find the right answers to revive the nation's economy.