How Do You Like Your Tea?

As we approach another Tax Day the country readies for another big protest of Government spending and intrusion run-a-muck. Tea Party protests are scheduled around the country to bring some heat, light and focus on our current fiscal and financial woes of the country.

It amazes me that this same group of protesters were not long ago called "irrelevant", "astro-turf", "tea baggers" and made fun of not only by the members of the main stream media but by the Speaker of the House herself. Laughing at them as if their opinions did not matter and that the voice of the people should not be heard.

Now a year later, the Tea Party movement has become more relevant than either the press or the White House could have imagined. They have energized hundreds of thousands voters and tax payers to raise their voices and concerns to the point that the Democratically controlled Congress recognizes that they are in a position to lose House and Senate seats. It has become so relevant that there have been attempts by a web site to infiltrate the movement and utilize offensive signs and totally disrupt organized protests as to make the movement look bad. So much for irrelevance!

From irrelevance to political powerhouse. The Tea Party movement does not have a true leadership group and is comprised of not only conservatives but some liberals and independents as well who all oppose the run away spending in Washington. There is no official logo or permanent head quarters address and no press team. They have come to symbolize what has been for too long ignored, the tax revolt of the people.

My biggest concern is that the Tea Party Movement has become associated too closely with the GOP (and has been embraced by some of the same individuals that should be voted out) and that the left has found another way to demonize the people by calling the protest movement violent racists. But what else can the call what opposes them but racists.

So as many Americans write their checks, seal their I.R.S. addressed envelopes, and mail their hard earned tax dollars off to Washington, remember that you still have a voice and if you are tired of wasteful spending along with taxation without representation, then throw the Tea into the bay.

These are my words! Please post yours!

A Letter From Da Boss...

...to those employees that do not understand who created and own the job that they currently hold.

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 and 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, is it 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 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

These are not my words. But they are my sentiments. I have posted it as a response to the continued attack on those who create jobs in this country but are being told by our representatives and other wealth envy citizens that they do not pay enough and are too "greedy". Our government does not create jobs and cannot create 4.1M, 3.0M or 2.5M whatever number Obama thinks he can create in jobs. Government creates taxes and that is all. The federal government is the largest employer in the country with 1.8 million bureaucrats not including the quasi government postal service. So if getting a federal job is your goal then you can get a government created job.

Please post your words before it is too late!