To All My Valued Employees

[Carnut]

@Studderin"

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 Goodwill 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 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, 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 fire you. I 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.

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

A-fucking-men.

This is how I felt when I closed Hybrid. I was THIS close to moving to Thailand or Toronto.

[LAFENGAS]

@Carnut

A-fucking-men.

This is how I felt when I closed Hybrid. I was THIS close to moving to Thailand or Toronto.

i’m trying to figure out if you love or hate socialism… ?

[boardjnky4]

the trickle down effect works in theory. However, I think part of the problem that has sprouted is that the job market is flooded with qualified applicants. Even a year or two ago, when we weren’t in our current mess.

Any company out there was able to find someone experienced to do a job cheaper and cheaper, because the markets are/were flooded. It’s even more true now. Unemployed people would take any salary, something is better than nothing.

Instead of doing the right thing like paying employees well and giving good benefits, big companies were just continuing to cut costs and make more profits by employing people cheaply.

Tax cuts were given, but with so much good help available, there is still no motivation to pay people better. CEOs were having their cake and eating it too.

http://www.lukevision.com/jobboom.htm

Eventually, the job market will not be flooded. As baby boomers retire, it will go bare. Companies, over time, will have no choice but to pay people well, otherwise there will be no workers.

I don’t know if anything that I said really makes sense, but I think that it can give some insight as to why a trickle down tax cut just has not been working.

edit: I think the really shitty part is that there are small business owners other there with good ethics who are trickling down their profits to their employees, but that big business is ruining it for them.

[Carnut]

@LAFENGAS

i’m trying to figure out if you love or hate socialism… ?

I love not feeling like a piece of shit that has been puked on.

Going to Thailand or Toronto would have been for ME and not anyone else.

As for my political views I’m fairly central, I like alot of what libertarians have to say.

[Fry]

@boardjnky4

Unemployed people would take any salary, something is better than nothing.

Must. Not. Comment.

[boardjnky4]

idunno fry, if I was layed off right now, with the grim outlook in the job market I would be begging for a job no matter what the salary is.

there are people out there who are layed off, selling their cars to try and save their houses from foreclosure. Hell, I doubt that I have enough money saved up to last me more than 6 months or so, after that, I would be basically homeless.

If I am wrong, it is what it is. these are just my thoughts, nothing that I am klinging to as facts.

Just understand though, that while you are sitting at your desk taking your job security for granted, that there are families out there struggling to survive as it is, not knowing whether or not they will have a job tomorrow. I bet any one of them would rather take a pay-cut than get laid off.

[ubengineering]

well im not a business owner, peoples views change when theyre in different situations, i think ill just stay at home and let my mom continue to wipe my ass =D

[boardjnky4]

@ubengineering

well im not a business owner, peoples views change when theyre in different situations, i think ill just stay at home and let my mom continue to wipe my ass =D

You’re lucky to be able to hide in such a bunker during this mess.

[ubengineering]

@boardjnky4

You’re lucky to be able to hide in such a bunker during this mess.

im aware and thankful

[bigwoode]

I think it was a pretty good write-up.

[StrokedZ28]

Why is it becoming common place to post conservative spam on this site? I don’t remember liberals doing that for the last couple of years.

[Blue_Eyed_Devil]

I have read it a couple times and I am still trying to find the part where he is "blaming the current economic collapse on “pregnant single moms on welfare”.:gotme:
I mean sure they don’t contribute to the stimulus but I thought I read a bunch of other things he blamed it on.

[bigwoode]

@StrokedZ28

Why is it becoming common place to post conservative spam on this site? I don’t remember liberals doing that for the last couple of years.

Imho, not everything is always appealing about one side or the other… I am more liberal but do not agree with everything…

[theblue]

@LAFENGAS

• You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
• You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
• You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
• You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
• You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
• You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
• You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
• You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
• You cannot build character and courage by destroying men’s initiative and independence.
• And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

You cannot be serious

• John McEnroe
  

I disagree with all except the last 4… and taxing the top 5% more (back to the percentage still lower than they paid under their beloved president Reagan) does not necessarily cause these.

[Studderin]

@Carnut

A-fucking-men.

This is how I felt when I closed Hybrid. I was THIS close to moving to Thailand or Toronto.

Ya don, I remember that post you made, “I work the hardest and make the least”

[Firehawk853]

@deebo

i thought new era was closing down lol (well when i read the first paragraph anyways)

LOL

[Paulo]

@Blue Eyed Devil

I have read it a couple times and I am still trying to find the part where he is "blaming the current economic collapse on “pregnant single moms on welfare”.:gotme:
I mean sure they don’t contribute to the stimulus but I thought I read a bunch of other things he blamed it on.

Same here. I’ve just learned to stay out of any type of financial debate within the realm of NYSpeed.

[Paulo]

@ubengineering

im aware and thankful

:tup:

I hate the type of people that coast under their parents wing, but try to make it seem like life is hard for them. (LI girls seem to be the worst for this)

My mom and grandmother have helped me quite a bit through college and I am forever grateful for it. And it’s not like they paid for everything either, just a helping hand. I actually turned down money from my mom on a regular basis. I didn’t want to accept the help unless I truly needed it, which I haven’t in years. I’m now, and have been old enough to take care of myself, no matter what. I love her for wanting to help all the time, though.