Editor's Note: All this week in our special series "Broken Government," CNN is taking a hard look at our nation's government; the frustrating problems and the potential solutions. Today, our Carol Costello reports on why banks still aren't loaning and what the answer is for small businesses. Tomorrow on American Morning, we focus on states that are trying to gamble their way out of the recession.

By Ronni Berke and Carol Costello

You're the owner of a small business that's more than breaking even during this recession. You have good credit and want to hire more people. Therefore, you qualify for a small business loan – right? Wrong.

Jimmie Hughes, who runs office supply business “Grand America” outside of Dallas, says although that description fits him perfectly, he's been turned down for a loan by six community banks.

"I could double the size of my company now if I wanted to, but what I need in order to do that is to have operating capital that I can use to stabilize the situation with my company so I can put some good people to work."

Hughes may be caught in the loan log jam now affecting many small businesses. According to the Treasury Department, the nation's 11 biggest banks cut their small business loan balance by more than $2.3 billion in December. In 2009, the Small Business Administration approved only $9.2 billion in 7(a) commercial bank loans, down from $12.7 billion in 2008.

To loosen up credit, President Obama has proposed moving $30 billion of funds repaid under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to community banks to lend to small business owners. But community bankers like Edward Merritt of Boston's Mt. Washington Bank, say cash is not what they need.

"I'm not really looking for more money to lend," he says. "I'm looking for more qualified borrowers to lend to, and that is as big a problem as I see it today as it is the bank's willingness to lend money."

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