[hope_full]

Found this on the 'net this morning, but couldn't find an author's name. Nonetheless, it's a powerful piece.

I've owned a small business for many, many years and our current tax code is too onerous on so many levels. Too complicated, too burdensome and too many taxes to too many agencies.

If all Americans were required to pay quarterly estimated tax payments (instead of the payroll deduction plan), there'd be a revolt tomorrow. TOMORROW.

___________________________

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a Back Story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don't see is the BACK STORY:

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 A.M., mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 P.M., I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the Back Story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.

Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero.. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over
2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I'll fire you. I'll fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed, YOUR BOSS FOR NOW

[AlexdeLarge]

Beautiful! And quite beyond the grasp of what most employees can grasp!

You don't want to meet John Gault!

[sittinguy]

sweet

[Arsenal]

Very interesting. Great story.

[mos6507]

This is an impassioned Joe the Plumber trickle-down argument but the fact is, people are going to pay taxes. You can shift the burden around, but somebody's gonna pay and whoever does pay is gonna whine. Too Fn bad.

[Nefarious]

Excellent

[mattduke]

As the government gets more and more rapacious, the most industrious, creative, and capable young people will simply leave. Then, down comes the curtain, as it always does.

[TreeFarmer]

Both of my parents had their own individual businesses so I grew up seeing what they had to deal with on a daily basis. The concepts/problems described in that article are part of the reason why I don't have my own business. I went the other route enitrely, I became a professor at a state university.

I have a couple of "businesses" on the side but I don't have and never will have an employee. Taking on an employee is too much like taking on a child you can't control but yet for whom you have to bear the responsibility. If an employee does something stupid the business owner has to pay for it.

It's almost like you agree to take care of them unitl they die when you hire them.

Not me.

TF

[centralstump]

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I'll fire you. I'll fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed, YOUR BOSS FOR NOW

Lemmings. All of you.

Ya, so what is he going to retire on if he shuts his company down rather than sells it.


He will pay 50% and like it. Why? Because his decisions were better than his friends at a 10% tax rate or at a 50% tax rate. They are better at a 70% tax rate. The idea that entrepreneurs change their decision making based on tax rate is BS.

Don't take my word for it. Ask the richest man in the world. He agrees.

[Leanan]

So who's going to pay for the roads he uses to ship his products? The military that guarantees he has oil to fuel the trucks that ship his products and supplies? The police that keep people from stealing his goods? The schools that educated him and his employees? The SEC that makes sure we have a financial system that let him borrow and invest the money that funded his business?

Okay, that last is probably a waste of taxpayer dollars...

[Fishman]

Bravo!!!
Well articulated, straightforward, and directed at those who will be affected. As Ross Perot said, there will a sucking sound as jobs leave this country (what few there will be.)

[Fishman]

Leanan
I noticed his complaints were not about infrastructure but those sitting on their asp. Infrastructure will be argued also but tax increases during bad economic times just doesn't make much sense.

[MarkJ]

Many of our skilled employees were once self employed, so they know how difficult, expensive and time consuming it is to run a business.

The risk, expense, time, money and effort of starting and running a business eliminates much of the weaker competition. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.


Rather than close up shop, many businesses under financial, regulatory and punitive pressure cut corners, cut wages, cut benefits, cut hours, eliminate employees, hire part-time workers, hire temp workers, hire subcontractors, fire unproductive workers, hire more productive workers, relocate, outsource, offshore or increase productivity through automation, robotics, computerization, specialized tools and equipment.

[Revi]

At this point this kind of letter is not a good idea. Just tell them whether he's going to fire them or not, so they can make other plans. Don't tell them it's their fault if the government levies taxes on his business.

I agree that it's hard for the guy at the top, but he must like it up there.
The workers at his enterprise want the business to succeed, but if he thinks that this will motivate them he is wrong. Does he think that they are somehow responsible for his troubles because they elected Obama?

He is treading on thin ice.

[Leanan]

Leanan
I noticed his complaints were not about infrastructure but those sitting on their asp. Infrastructure will be argued also but tax increases during bad economic times just doesn't make much sense.

I think that's a straw man. Everyone thinks their own use of taxpayer dollars is fine, it's everyone else who's sucking on the government teat.

There are limitations on welfare that don't let people just sit at home and have kids. If that's what he's upset about, then he's upset about nothing.

[Maddog78]

Great letter.

[flapjax]

___________________________

To All My Valued Employees,

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

Lets not kid ourselves. His goal in life was to provide jobs and work hard? Riiight. If he is so damn charitable why does he have such a problem with taxes? Where on earth can you escape the unproductive?

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever.

If you lose your job, don't blame me... the guy that let you go. Its those damn Dems! Nothing to do with the economy at all. Farking brilliant.

If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed, YOUR BOSS FOR NOW

Worry about yourself some more... asshole. See you in hell.

What should we do with those who do not have the tools to self sustain as this man was capable of? If you think everyone has the same chance to make it through life like this man, you don't live on the same earth I do. Yes, there are those who just sit there with thier hands out. Thats not a good thing. But what do we do about it? Stop cutting welfare checks? No more government cheese? Let them die off? Your country gave you the ability to be fortunate enough to retire and not worry about anything but yourself and now you want to turn your back on it? Spare us the sob storry, please. If you're so much more entitled than the rest of us... Beat it!

[MarkJ]

When I first received this E-Mail, I figured it was just propaganda, not a real letter to employees.

[Ludi]

If all Americans were required to pay quarterly estimated tax payments (instead of the payroll deduction plan), there'd be a revolt tomorrow. TOMORROW.

Oh it's not that hard. Depends on the business and location.

[charliebrownout]

At this point this kind of letter is not a good idea. Just tell them whether he's going to fire them or not, so they can make other plans. Don't tell them it's their fault if the government levies taxes on his business.

I agree that it's hard for the guy at the top, but he must like it up there.
The workers at his enterprise want the business to succeed, but if he thinks that this will motivate them he is wrong. Does he think that they are somehow responsible for his troubles because they elected Obama?

He is treading on thin ice.

It sounds like the disgruntled owner of a Mom-n-Pop-Shop and a republican partisan.

Yeah, it's all those wellfare whores out there bringing down the system! Yeah, right.

It's greed and foolishness at the bottom, middle, and, dare I say it, the top?

Writing this kind of letter now will only secure his spot swinging from the nearest tree if civil unrest breaks out. Disgruntled owner of a Mom-n-Pop-Shop meet disgruntled ex-employee with psychological issues and a handgun.

It isn't that some of his points aren't valid, it's just not particularly helpful to be divisive at this point in history.

That's my two bits.