Small businesses the real casualty of credit mess

For week we've been hearing about mortgage companies shut down, banks being bailed out and corporations being forced into bankruptcy.

No one can pay their bills, but those at the top are getting enough money not only to keep going, but not lay off anyone either.

So who pays? Small businesses. They are so low on the totem pole, no one cares about them. They don't have enough money to send their late clients to court, nor do they have enough clout to shame them into paying.

Here's an example. Let's say a developer secured high-interest, short term loans from a private lender. While this is risky, when you want to get money and build fast, it's a standard practice.

So developer gets his loan but then private lender goes bankrupt. Developers stop paying their employees, their bills and those small businesses they've signed contracts with.

So what bills get paid? Hard costs, like rent, power, etc.

The small businesses who don't have large reserves of cash are screwed. They have to file bankruptcy and no one is there to bail them out. The companies THEY work with have more than enough money to send them to court for money they don't have.

Eventually the developer will get his money, but the small business gets none of it.

Wasn't America built on small businesses? What's next?