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. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to
vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political
affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc.
Please vote for who you think will serve your interests the best. However, let
me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in
your best interest. 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 saw 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 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot
studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space 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
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 9 am, mentally check in at
about noon, and then leave at 5 pm, 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 me like
a 1 day old baby.
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 its 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 mud 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 anymore. 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.
While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back
story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars
is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the
economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will
endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the
one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's
the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.
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 in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no
employees to worry about.
Signed, Your boss,
