Wednesday, 10th March 2010.

Posted on Sunday, 7th March 2010 by admin

This is not an original post from me but fowarded from a friend.  I agree with the message.

I’m 63.  Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I’ve worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven’t called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn’t inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there’s no retirement in sight, and I’m tired. Very tired.  

I’m tired of being told that I have to “spread the wealth” to people who don’t have my work ethic. I’m tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.  

I’m tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to “keep people in their homes.”  Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I’m willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.  

I’m tired of being told how bad  America  is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities  America  offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States  will have the economy of  Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of  China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of  Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela .

I’m tired of being told that Islam is a “Religion of Peace,” when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family “honor”; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren’t “believers”; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for “adultery”; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur’an and Shari’a law tells them to.  

I’m tired of being told that “race doesn’t matter” in the post-racial world of Obama, when it’s all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois.  

I think it’s very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln  wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.  

I’m tired of a news media that thinks Bush’s fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama’s, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush’s military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News?  Get a clue. I didn’t vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.  

I’m tired of being told that out of “tolerance for other cultures” we must let  Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in  America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in  Saudi Arabia  to teach love and tolerance.  

I’m tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a  three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore’s, and if you’re greener than Gore, you’re green enough.  

I’m tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don’t think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I’m tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.  

I’m tired of illegal aliens being called “undocumented workers,” especially the ones who aren’t working, but are living on welfare or crime. What’s next?  Calling drug dealers, “Undocumented Pharmacists”?  And, no,  I’m not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it’s been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion.  I’m willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn’t have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military…. Those are the citizens we need.  

I’m tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war?  You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave?  Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are?  Not even close.  So here’s the deal. I’ll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we’ll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.  

I’m tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I’m tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in  Illinois , where the “Illinois Combine” of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama’s cabinet.  

I’m tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I’m tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.  

Speaking of poor, I’m tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn’t have that in 1970, but we didn’t know we were “poor.” The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.  

I’m real tired of people who don’t take responsibility for their lives and actions. I’m tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.  

Yes, I’m damn tired. But I’m also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I’m not going to have to see the world these people are making. I’m just sorry for my granddaughter.  

Robert  A. Hall is a Marine  Vietnam  veteran who served five terms in the  Massachusetts   State  Senate.  

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Current Events | Comments (1)

Posted on Monday, 1st March 2010 by admin

Consumers find themselves on high alert when it comes to protecting themselves and their credit. How do prescreened offers affect you and what should you do about them?

Understanding that Pesky Pre-Screen Junk Mail

I don’t know how many times I’ve checked the mail this week only to be disappointed that all I have waiting in the box is one of those preapproved or prescreened credit card offers. I’ll admit that I automatically place them in the shredder but I have wondered how they get the information, why they prescreen me and if this affects my credit in any way.

How do they do that?

Similar to instant prescreen offers that can happen on the spot when you are waiting in a bank for an answer or shopping in a store, creditors can basically establish a certain set of data and then use that data in order to sift through a consumer reporting company and choose those people that they are going to prescreen. For example, they might choose to target people that make a certain amount of money or have a certain credit score. Second, a company might just send a list of customers they already have in their database to the consumer reporting agency and that agency will identify people who meet that same or a different set of criteria. So, now you know that the special envelope you thought was meant just for you was actually only sent to you because you met a certain criteria.

Can I Opt Out?

At one point in our lives, my husband and I were receiving three of four of these offers in the mail per day. Finally one day we decided that enough was enough and we decided to opt out. Other people may prefer to opt out because they don’t like the idea that companies are accessing their credit report information. One thing to consider is that you really can get some benefits from those offers. Often times if you are in the market for a new credit card or are shopping around for insurance than it is great place start because it will allow you to easily compare costs.

What about my credit score?

You will be happy to know that opting out does not hurt your credit score. Also, staying in does not hurt your credit score either. If you do check your credit report you will be able to tell which companies have accessed the information. However, it will not affect your score at all.

Junk Mail vs. Store Offers

So, you are not only bombarded with junk mail from companies wanting your attention and money. But, you are also sucked into the instant offers in the store too. Many stores now have the ability to do instant prescreens on the spot in order to approve you for a specific service. This can be a tremendous asset for companies because they can quickly and easily offer you something. It also plays into our sense of wanting immediate gratification and can be dangerous if you don’’ weigh your options before you have the prescreen done. Sometimes having a moment to mull the information over is a good idea.

We are in the age of instant answers; we don’t have to look far to find what we need. However, those prescreen offers can get irritating if we don’t keep them under control. Understanding the benefits and drawbacks can keep you balanced when making decisions about all that junk mail and whether or not you will opt out. Good luck as you make your next trip to the mailbox.

About the Author: Rebecca Beckett is a freelance writer for Innuity. If you would like more information about Prescreen or instant prescreen go to Zoot Enterprises.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Finances | Comments (1)

Posted on Wednesday, 20th January 2010 by admin

Spot the difference….

Chavez Nationalizing the Foreign Owed Bank of Venezuela

Chavez orders nationalization of Cargill

Obama to Nationalize Student Lending with Pending Budget Bill

Okay, there isn’t any.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Posted on Friday, 15th January 2010 by admin

President Obama News –

 Jobless Claims Uphttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/New-jobless-claims-rise-more-apf-1551827594.html?x=0&.v=6

 Retail Sales Drop - http://finance.yahoo.com/news/December-retail-sales-drop-03-apf-3350007934.html?x=0&.v=9

 Record Year for Foreclosures - http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100114/D9D7AN7O0.html

 Let’s Tax Big Bankshttp://apnews.myway.com/article/20100114/D9D7FIMG0.html

 White House blames outdated computers for ineffective governmenthttp://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/75965-white-house-blames-inefficient-government-on-outdated-technologies

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Executive Bonuses for 2009 total $42 Million for 12 executiveshttp://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/59802

Barney Franks says bonuses are “too high” “but nothing can be done now”http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/59848

How much longer must we endure!!!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Posted on Tuesday, 12th January 2010 by admin

Scott Brown at the Massachusetts Senate debate. “With all due respect, it’s not the Kennedy’s seat, it’s not the Democrats’ seat, it’s the people’s seat.” Great reply to a smug question by David Gergen. They assume the Massachusetts Sentate seat must be filled by a liberal democrat.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Posted on Monday, 11th January 2010 by admin

Johnny Carson nailed lawyers with one of his “how cold was it?” jokes!  “It was so cold that lawyers were running around with their hands in their own  pockets!!”  

This is very interesting!  I never thought about it this way. Perhaps this is why so many physicians are conservatives or republicans.

The Democratic Party has become the Lawyers’ Party. 

  • Barack Obama is a lawyer.
  • Michelle Obama is a lawyer.
  • Hillary Clinton is a lawyer. 
  • Bill Clinton is a lawyer.
  • John Edwards is a lawyer. 
  • Elizabeth Edwards is a lawyer.

Every Democrat nominee since 1984 went to law school (although Gore did not graduate).

Every Democrat vice presidential nominee since 1976, except for Lloyd Bentsen, went to law school.

Look at leaders of the Democrat Party in Congress: 

  • Harry Reid is a lawyer. 
  • Nancy Pelosi is a lawyer.    

The Republican Party is different. 

  • President Bush is a businessman. 
  • Vice President Cheney is a businessman.

The leaders of the Republican Revolution: 

  • Newt Gingrich was a history professor.
  • Tom Delay was an exterminator. Dick Armey was an economist. 
  • House Minority Leader Boehner was a plastic manufacturer. 
  • The former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is a heart surgeon.

Who was the last Republican president who was a lawyer?  Gerald Ford, who left office 31 years ago and who barely won the Republican nomination as a sitting president, running against Ronald Reagan in 1976.  The Republican Party is made up of real people doing real work, who are often the targets of lawyers.

The Democrat Party is made up of lawyers.  Democrats mock and scorn men who create wealth, like Bush and Cheney, or who heal the sick, like Frist, or who immerse themselves in history, like Gingrich.

The Lawyers’ Party sees these sorts of people, who provide goods and services that people want, as the enemies of America.  And, so we have seen the procession of official enemies, in the eyes of the Lawyers’ Party, grow.

Against whom do Hillary and Obama rail?  Pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, hospitals, manufacturers, fast food restaurant chains, large retail businesses, bankers, and anyone producing anything of value in our nation.

This is the natural consequence of viewing everything through the eyes of lawyers.  Lawyers solve problems by successfully representing their clients, in this case the American people.  Lawyers seek to have new laws passed, they seek to win lawsuits, they press appellate courts to overturn precedent, and lawyers always parse language to favor their side.

Confined to the narrow practice of law, that is fine.  But it is an awful way to govern a great nation.  When politicians as lawyers begin to view some Americans as clients and other Americans as opposing parties, then the role of the leg al system in our life becomes all-consuming.  Some Americans become “adverse parties” of our very government.  We are not all litigants in some vast social class-action suit.  We are citizens of a republic that promises us a great deal of freedom from laws, from courts, and from lawyers.

Today, we are drowning in laws; we are contorted by judicial decisions; we are driven to distraction by omnipresent lawyers in all parts of our once private lives.  America has a place for laws and lawyers, but that place is modest and reasonable, not vast and unchecked.  When the most important decision for our next president is whom he will appoint to the Supreme Court, the role of lawyers and the law in America is too big.  When lawyers use criminal prosecution as a continuation of politics by other means, as happened in the lynching of Scooter Libby and Tom Delay, then the power of lawyers in America is too great.  When House Democrats sue America in order to hamstring our efforts to learn what our enemies are planning to do to us, then the role of litigation in America has become crushing.

We cannot expect the Lawyers’ Party to provide real change, real reform or real hope in America   Most Americans know that a republic in which every major government action must be blessed by nine unelected judges is not what Washington intended in 1789.  Most Americans grasp that we cannot fight a war when ACLU lawsuits snap at the heels of our defenders.  Most Americans intuit that more lawyers and judges will not restore declining moral values or spark the spirit of enterprise in our economy..

Perhaps Americans will understand that change cannot be brought to our nation by those lawyers who already largely dictate American society and business.  Perhaps Americans will see that hope does not come from the mouths of lawyers but from personal dreams nourished by hard work.  Perhaps Americans will embrace the truth that more lawyers with more power will only make our problems worse.

The United States has 5% of the world’s population and 66% of the world’s lawyers! Tort (Legal) reform legislation has been introduced in congress several times in the last several years to limit punitive damages in ridiculous lawsuits such as “spilling hot coffee on yourself and suing the establishment that sold it to you” and also to limit punitive damages in huge medical malpractice lawsuits. This legislation has continually been blocked from even being voted on by the Democrat Party. When you see that 97% of the political contributions from the American Trial Lawyers Association goes to the Democrat Party, then you realize who is responsible for our medical and product costs being so high!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Posted on Tuesday, 22nd December 2009 by admin

obamanomics-09deficit

President Obama has not proposed any spending cuts, except to order his appointees at the Pentagon to study and recommend cuts in military funding that would not take place until next year.  With the Obama Stimulus plan passed by the House last week, and the bank bailout, 2009 will be the largest deficit ever.  The chart compares what the Obama campaign called the “soaring” deficits of the Bush years with the projected deficit this year.
The chart compares the deficit spending of the Bush era with the first two deficits of the Obama era.

The Obama Administrations first two annual deficits will add up to more than the sum of all the deficits run during the previous three administrations:

  • the GHW Bush Administration; 1989- 1992
  • the Clinton Administration, 1993 – 1997 (surpluses in 1998, 1999 & 2000)
  • the GW Bush Administration, 2002 – 2008 (surplus in 2001)

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Posted on Wednesday, 9th December 2009 by admin

By:

Howard Galganov  Tuesday, December 08, 2009

JOB SUMMIT MY ASS:

Barack Hussein Obama is speaking to all the jerks in BIG GOVERNMENT, BIG BUSINESS AND BIG LABOR for information and inspiration on how to create jobs.

BIG LABOR – WHAT A JOKE!

What has organized labor ever contributed to creating jobs?

Aren’t all these BIG GUYS (government, business and labor) the same bad actors that got all of us into this mess in the first place?

No one in North America creates jobs like SMALL BUSINESSES. And I’m not writing about rinky-dink short-term temporary jobs the likes of which HUGE companies create.

I’m talking about REAL sustainable jobs.

And when the government claims to “create” jobs, in reality, all government is creating are debts, since ONLY taxpayers pay for these jobs.

So, all of those new jobs Obama and Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper claim to create or ridiculously SAVE in additional government jobs, are in truth nothing less than new national liabilities.

HERE’S WHAT EVERY SMALL BUSINESS-OWNER IS UP AGAINST:

TAXES – ENTITLEMENTS- REGULATIONS – BUREAUCRACY.

Where was it carved in stone along the way that I am my Brother’s Keeper, and the government I pay for has the RIGHT to strip me from the fruits of my hard labor and risk?

Where in our FREE society is it a condition of my FREEDOM that I have to be responsible for those who won’t take responsibility for themselves?

Under what codicil is my success through hard work dependent upon how much I have to carry those who will not carry themselves?

If I am to be obligated to make sacrifices for others, do I also have the right to dictate terms to those for whom my sacrifices are made?

How did we ever come to this “NORMALCY” in business, where a business owner of any size enterprise is automatically deemed to be accountable for the well being of those he or she employs?

AND MUCH – MUCH WORSE:

These massive corporate bandits Obama and Harper have bailed-out were bailed out with the tax dollars created by SMALL BUSINESS.

Think About What It Takes To Start-Up And Maintain A Small Business:

One day you might wake up with an idea that you think can provide a better service or product that can make money for you and your family. But, every new idea for a product and service requires several incontrovertible obligations and risks.

1 – As an entrepreneur, you’d have to refine your idea to the point that you have a real strategy. And while doing that, it becomes your entire focus ahead of personal and family life. Even ahead of the job that you are doing that pays the bills and puts food on the table.

2 – After doing the research and development, you have to find the money to get into the next step of setting-up shop. So how do you find the money?

You can go to a bank. But, with little to nothing more than an idea, it’s not likely a bank would give you the time of day let alone money. You can go to relatives. But do you really want to put family members on the hook for something that very well might NOT work out?

There’s always friends, and friends of friends. But, they won’t put up a dime into your dream without getting some ownership in exchange for their investment. Do you really want partners? Especially partners you might not even know? And how much ownership should you give up?

There’s always the house, which is very often the ONLY means available to entrepreneurs to raise money through 2nd and perhaps 3rd mortgages.

3 – Once the start-up financing is in place, which is usually less than what you would really need, then the real hard part begins.

Life in the business world is not for the faint of heart. Just like you want to carve out your market-share by taking it away from someone else with the same products or services, others are doing the same to you.

Because you’re so under-funded, you probably can’t afford staff. So it’s all on you as the chief cook and bottle washer. But, when you finally come to the point when you really need to hire people, chances are better than not that you will forgo taking a pay so you can meet your payroll.

4 – While you’re scrambling to stay alive while building and managing the new business, there’s little to no money coming into the house. If you have children, you have to explain to them why they can’t have the new Play Station. And forget about adult toys, meals out, and vacations.

After all of this, MOST start-ups NEVER survive, leaving crashed hopes, deflated dreams, and very often broken marriages.

What I’ve just written is not anecdotal. This is the way it is. In business, especially amongst most startups, ONLY the toughest survive.

And even at that, very few entrepreneurs get rich. More often than not, the owner of an average small to medium size business earns not much more than just a living. Many who have made it do very well. But many also live from paycheck to paycheck just like their employees.

Being an entrepreneur is more about the FREEDOM of being your own boss than just the dream of riches.

With all of that said; it is the small to medium size business that is the NUMBER ONE creator of jobs and tax revenue. It is also the entrepreneur who carries our North American Society upon his or her shoulders.

It is NOT, and has NEVER been GM, GE, Exxon, the Big Banks and Insurance Companies, or any of the other so-called Blue Chip Companies that have carried our societies. It is, and has always been the small to medium size company owners who are not just the carriers of society, but also the innovators of products and services.

More than being the engine that employs North America and pays the insatiable tax appetite of all forms of government and special interests, the small to medium size independent business owner has also been FORCED to become His and/or Her Brother’s Keeper.

Since Obama and Harper have NEVER experienced any of the above. And have never so much as run a lemonade stand, here’s a list of advice on how they can help create REAL long lasting jobs in North America.

A – CUT corporate and personal taxes.

B – GUT the bureaucracy.

C – Get rid of all NON-necessary regulations.

D – STOP bailing out loser corporations like GM.

E – Pay DOWN the debt.

F – Stop spending like drunkards on a binge.

G – And just get government the hell out of the way.

If you want to know more about Obama and Harper’s Joke on the North American people concerning their expertise in Job Creation, please click on the Radio ICON at the top of the page to hear a 4-Minute editorial.

Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov

Tags: , ,
Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Posted on Tuesday, 8th December 2009 by admin

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Posted on Thursday, 3rd December 2009 by admin

Transcript of remarks made by Leo Carrington (who doesn’t exist) to a mandatory meeting of all employees of Carrington Automotive Enterprises, Inc. (which doesn’t exist either) on August 17th, 2009 at the Royal Payne Hotel (a purely imaginary place) in Norfolk, Virginia (which does, in fact, exist).

I would like to start by thanking you for attending this meeting, though it’s not like you had much of a choice. After all, attendance was mandatory. I’m also glad many of you accepted my invitation to your family members to be here as well. I have a few remarks to make to all of you, and then we’ll retire to the ballroom for a great lunch and some employee awards.

I felt that this meeting was important enough to close all 12 of our tire and automotive shops today so that you could be here. To reassure you, everybody is being paid for the day — except me. Since our stores are closed we’re making no money. That economic loss is mine to sustain. Carrington Automotive has 157 full time employees and around 30 additional part-timers. All of you are here. I thank you for that.

When you walked into this auditorium you were handed a rather thick 78-page document. Many of you have already taken a peek. You were probably surprised to see that it’s my personal tax return for 2008. Those of you who are adept at reading these tax returns will see that last year my taxable income was $534,000.00. Now I’m sure this seems rather high to many of you. So … let’s talk about this tax return.

Carrington Automotive Enterprises is what we call a Sub-S – a Subchapter S corporation. The name comes from a particular part of our tax code. Sub-S status means that the income from all 12 of our stores is reported on my personal tax return. Businesses that report their income on the owner’s personal tax return are referred to as “small businesses.” So, you see now that this $534,000 is really the total taxable income – the total combined profit from all 12 of our stores. That works out to an average of a bit over $44,000 per store.

Why did I feel it important for you to see my actual 2008 tax return? Well, there’s a lot of rhetoric being thrown around today about taxes, small businesses and rich people. To the people in charge in Washington right now I’m a wealthy American making over a half-million dollars a year. Most Americans would agree: I’m just another rich guy; after all … I had over a half-million in income last year, right? In this room we know that the reality is that I’m a small business owner who runs 12 retail establishments and employs 187 people. Now here’s something that shouldn’t surprise you, but it will: Just under 100 percent … make that 99.7 percent of all employers in this countries are small businesses, just like ours. Every one of these businesses reports their income on a personal income tax return. You need to understand that small businesses like ours are responsible for about 80 percent of all private sector jobs in this country, and about 70 percent of all jobs that have been created over the past year. You also need to know that when you hear some politician talking about rich people who earn over $200,000 or $500,000 a year, they’re talking about the people who create the jobs.

The people who are now running the show in Washington have been talking for months about raising taxes on wealthy Americans. I already know that in two years my federal income taxes are going to go up by about 4.5 percent. That happens when Obama and the Democrats allow the Bush tax cuts to expire. When my taxes climb by 4.5 percent the Democrats will be on television saying that this really isn’t a tax increase. They’ll explain that the Bush tax cuts have expired .. nothing more. Here at Carrington we’ll know that almost 5% has been taken right off of our bottom line. And that means it will be coming off your bottom line.

Numbers are boring, I know … but let’s talk a bit more about that $534,000. That’s the money that was left last year from company revenues after I paid all of the salaries and expenses of running this business. Now I could have kept every penny of that for myself, but that would have left us with nothing to grow our business, to attract new customers and to hire new employees. You’re aware that we’ve been talking about opening new stores in Virginia Beach and Newport News. To do that I will have to buy or lease property, construct a building and purchase inventory. I also have to hire additional people to work in those stores. These people wouldn’t immediately be earning their pay. So, where do you think the money for all of this comes from? Right out of our profits .. right out of that $534,000. I need to advertise to bring customers in, especially in these tough times. Where do you think that money comes from? Oh sure, I can count it as an expense when I file my next income tax return .. but for right now that comes from either current revenues or last year’s profits. Revenues right now aren’t all that hot … so do the math. A good effective advertising campaign might cost us more than $300,000.

Is this all starting to come together for you now?

Right now the Democrats are pushing a nationalized health care plan that, depending on who’s doing the talking, will add anywhere from another two percent to an additional 4.6 percent to my taxes. If I add a few more stores, which I would like to do, and if the economy improves, my taxable income … our business income … could go over one million dollars! If that happens the Democrats have yet another tax waiting, another five percent plus! I’ve really lost tract of all of the new government programs the Democrats and President Obama are proposing that they claim they will be able to finance with new taxes on what they call “wealthy Americans.”

And while we’re talking about health care, let me explain something else to you. I understand that possibly your biggest complaint with our company is that we don’t provide you with health insurance. That is because as your employer I believe that it is my responsibility to provide you with a safe workplace and a fair wage and to do all that I can to preserve and grow this company that provides us all with income. I no more have a responsibility to provide you with health insurance than I do with life, auto or homeowner’s insurance. As you know, I have periodically invited agents for health insurance companies here to provide you with information on private health insurance plans. The Democrats are proposing to levy yet another tax against Carrington in the amount of 8 percent of my payroll as a penalty for not providing you with health insurance. You should know that if they do this I will be reducing every person’s salary or hourly wage by that same 8 percent. This will not be done to put any more money in my pocket. It will be done to make sure that I don’t suffer financially from the Democrat’s efforts to place our healthcare under the control of the federal government. It is your health, not mine. It is your healthcare, not mine. These are your expenses, not mine. If you think I’m wrong about all this, I would sure love to hear your reasoning.

Try to understand what I’m telling you here. Those people that Obama and the Democrats call “wealthy Americans” are, in very large part, America’s small business owners. I’m one of them. You have the evidence, and surely you don’t think that the owner of a bunch of tire stores is anything special. That $534,000 figure on my income tax return puts me squarely in Democrat crosshairs when it comes to tax increases.

Let’s be clear about this … crystal clear. Any federal tax increase on me is going to cost you money, not me. Any new taxes on Carrington Automotive will be new taxes that you, or the people I don’t hire to staff the new stores I won’t be building, will be paying. Do you understand what I’m telling you? You’ve heard about things rolling downhill, right? Fine .. then you need to know that taxes, like that other stuff, roll downhill. Now you and I may understand that you are not among those that the Democrats call “wealthy Americans,” but when this “tax the rich” thing comes down you are going to be standing at the bottom of the mud slide, if you get my drift. That’s life in the big city, my friends … where elections have consequences.

You know our economy is very weak right now. I’ve pledged to get us through this without layoffs or cuts in your wages and benefits. It’s too bad the politicians can’t get us through this without attacking our profits. To insure our survival I have to take a substantial portion of that $534,000 and set it aside for unexpected expenses and a worsening economy. Trouble is, the government is eyeing that money too … and they have the guns. If they want it, they can take it.

I don’t want to make this too long. There’s a great lunch waiting for us all. But you need to understand what’s happening here. I’ve worked hard for 23 years to create this business. There were many years where I couldn’t take a penny in income because every dollar was being dedicated to expanding the business. There were tough times when it took every dollar of revenues to replenish our inventory and cover your paychecks. During those times I earned nothing. If you want to see those tax returns, just let me know.

OK .. I know I’m repeating myself here. I don’t hire stupid people, and you are probably getting it now. So let me just ramble for a few more minutes.

Most Americans don’t realize that when the Democrats talk about raising taxes on people making more than $250 thousand a year, they’re talking about raising taxes on small businesses. The U.S. Treasury Department says that six out of every ten individuals in this country with incomes of more than $280,000 are actually small business owners. About one-half of the income in this country that would be subject to these increased taxes is from small businesses like ours. Depending on how many of these wonderful new taxes the Democrats manage to pass, this company could see its tax burden increase by as much as $60,000. Perhaps more.

I know a lot of you voted for President Obama. A lot of you voted for Democrats across the board. Whether you voted out of support for some specific policies, or because you liked his slogans, you need to learn one very valuable lesson from this election. Elections have consequences. You might have thought it would be cool to have a president who looks like you; or a president who is young, has a buff bod, and speaks eloquently when there’s a teleprompter in the neighborhood. Maybe you liked his promises to tax the rich. Maybe you believed his promise not to raise taxes on people earning less than a certain amount. Maybe you actually bought into his promise to cut taxes on millions of Americans who actually don’t pay income taxes in the first place. Whatever the reason .. your vote had consequences; and here they are.

Bottom line? I’m not taking this hit alone. As soon as the Democrats manage to get their tax increases on the books, I’m going to take steps to make sure that my family isn’t affected. When you own the business, that is what you’re allowed to do. I built this business over a period of 23 years, and I’m not going to see my family suffer because we have a president and a congress who think that wealth is distributed rather than earned. Any additional taxes, of whatever description, that President Obama and the Democrats inflict on this business will come straight out of any funds I have set aside for expansion or pay and benefit increases. Any plans I might have had to hire additional employees for new stores will be put aside. Any plans for raises for the people I now have working for me will be shelved. Year-end bonuses might well be eliminated. That may sound rough, but that’s the reality.

You’re going to continue to hear a lot of anti-wealth rhetoric out there from the media and from the left. You can chose to believe what you wish .. .but when it comes to Carrington Automotive you will know the truth. The books are open to any of you at any time. I have nothing to hide. I would hope that other small business owners out there would hold meetings like this one, but I know it won’t happen that often. This hasn’t been about admonishing anyone and it hasn’t been about issuing threats. This is part of the education you should have received in the government schools, but didn’t. Class is now dismissed.

Let’s eat.

Posted in Current Events | Comments (1)

About