Main Street Frustration: "Everything is Going to Banks" (CNNMoney.com)

In his State of the Union speech Wednesday night, President Obama touted a slew of federal initiatives aimed at stimulating small-business hiring and growth. Again.

Small companies employ around half of America's workers and drive most of the country's job growth. Obama talks frequently in his speeches about the vital role small companies play, and his administration has launched several efforts to bolster struggling Main Street businesses. But most of the president's small-business proposals remain in limbo, caught in bureaucratic logjams and the Great Black Hole of Congress.