Washington is rewriting the rules for small business contracts and opening the door to cheap imported beef — bad news for small firms and American ranchers.

• The Small Business Administration wants to widen the definition of "small business," letting companies with up to a billion dollars in revenue and thousands of workers grab contracts and loans now reserved for small firms.
• A shop with 10 or 20 employees would suddenly be bidding against companies big enough to chase government work full time.
• On beef, a plan to cut ground beef prices by a quarter through imports would undercut US ranchers, who already pay far more for labor and insurance than foreign producers.
• Ground beef is what lower-income families buy, so the price cut is aimed at easing the pain of high grocery and energy bills before elections.
• High gas and electricity prices trace back to the fighting over oil-producing countries, and those prices are unlikely to go back to where they were.

Outlook: Expect more small firms and ranches to close or sell out cheap, while cash-ready buyers pick up their equipment and customers.