The Smoke Break

You want some brie with that whine?

Different But Equally Racist?

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The White House has actually warned folks to “be careful” as President Obama’s choice to replace Supreme Court Justice Souter, Sonia Sotomayor, begins the confirmation process.  It seems that because Sotomayor is a Hispanic woman, that is such a big deal in and of itself it should trump any all legitimate questions and their answers – such as looking closely at her on the job performance – when deciding if she is really and truly qualified to sit on the Supreme Court.

Frankly, boys and girls, I watch this nonsense and shake my head.  Anyone who uses things like race or economic circumstances in an attempt to elevate themselves above others is, at best, a fool.  To claim that your race or gender makes you somehow wiser than those who are different from you is a racist statement.  Kudos to ANYONE who works hard and makes something productive out of themselves.  We all know that a piece of paper from a prestigious university has no bearing on common sense or eventual life outcome; if you want to talk about real wisdom I will bet you can find more in a ditch digger than in some alleged “Constitutional law professors”. 

But I digress. 

Affirmative action and equal opportunity are a direct result of freedoms provided in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  It is on a level playing field that every nominee must be judged; without prejudice, without discrimination, blindly – and those who are found to be lacking in objective judicial abilities must be sent packing.

Judge Sotomayor does not appear to be an appropriate choice for the Supreme Court simply because she is on record as advocating legislating from the bench, and because of her racist statements.  Both are bad news when being considered for a job that calls for upholding the Constitution and doing so without prejudice, meaning doing so blindly.  It makes no difference that she is Hispanic.  It makes no difference that she is female.  Lady Justice doesn’t discriminate, Lady Justice is not divisive, and upholding that literal objectivity is simply a fundamental test that Sonia Sotomayor does not pass.

I Think I Miss G.W.

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You know, I was never a fan of George W. Bush.  I’ll even go so far as to say I didn’t like him.  But I always knew that if I was patient, in either 4 or 8 years he would be relegated to the history books.

The one thing I never felt during the Bush administration, however, was fear.  That cold, visceral fear that starts in the pit of your stomach and seeps into your bones like the painful, arthritic portent of a thunderstorm.  Well, ok, just like every American I felt that fear on 9/11 but it faded soon enough and, until January 20, 2009, it never came back.

It never came back because even though I didn’t like George W. Bush, I still had great faith in this country.  I knew that I could count on the Constitutional fact that even this man I did not like and others in Congress would do everything possible to insure our safety, and that eventually our freedoms would provide the opportunity to change what I saw as one set of numbnuts for one perhaps less so.

I watched Barack Hussein Obama in the final days of the 2008 presidential election and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that what I was seeing was something wicked, if not something downright evil.  This was not just the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing politician, no; this was like the deadly suicide bomb in the backpack of an innocent-looking youngster as they wander with seeming aimlessness into a crowded marketplace.  A pretty face hiding death to those who may not agree with the fanatical ideology hidden behind the deliberately wide-eyed expression.

Today, as our country spirals out of debt and out of control and the media licks Obama’s jackboots instead of reporting facts or investigating allegations, that potent, portending fear has settled back in and now become a constant companion.  With nothing coming from Obama but continuing campaign rhetoric, things continue to grow worse.  Congress continues on its hell-bent path to destroy every shred of free enterprise and all those promises of “transparency” – along with all the other oh-so-important “words” – continue to mean nothing for there are no actions backing them up.  As just one example, what happened to 5 days of public review and comment on “non-emergency” legislation?  Just which one of these pieces of legislation signed by President Obama so far was a true emergency? 

1. [111st] H.J.RES.38 : Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2009, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Obey, David R. [WI-7] (introduced 3/6/2009)      Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-6
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2. [111st] H.R.1 : Making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Obey, David R. [WI-7] (introduced 1/26/2009)      Cosponsors (9)
Committees: House Appropriations; House Budget
Latest Conference Report: 111-16 (in Congressional Record H1307-1516)
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-5

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3. [111st] H.R.2 : To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] (introduced 1/13/2009)      Cosponsors (43)
Committees: House Energy and Commerce; House Ways and Means; House Education and Labor
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-3
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4. [111st] H.R.146 : An act to designate certain land as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] (introduced 1/6/2009)      Cosponsors (10)
Committees: House Natural Resources
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-11
Note: Omnibus land bill.

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5. [111st] H.R.586 : To direct the Librarian of Congress and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to carry out a joint project at the Library of Congress and the National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] (introduced 1/15/2009)      Cosponsors (4)
Committees: House Administration
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-19

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6. [111st] H.R.1105 : Making omnibus appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Obey, David R. [WI-7] (introduced 2/23/2009)      Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Appropriations; House Budget
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-8
Note: An explanatory statement was submitted by Mr. Obey, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations “as if it were a joint explanatory statement of a committee of conference.” It appears in two 2/23/2009 Congressional Record documents on pages: H1653-H2088 and H2089-H2599. See also the House Appropriations committee print.

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7. [111st] H.R.1127 : To extend certain immigration programs.
Sponsor: Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] (introduced 2/23/2009)      Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Judiciary
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-9

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8. [111st] H.R.1388 : A bill entitled “The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service laws.”
Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] (introduced 3/9/2009)      Cosponsors (37)
Committees: House Education and Labor
House Reports: 111-37
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-13

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9. [111st] H.R.1512 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] (introduced 3/16/2009)      Cosponsors (5)
Committees: House Transportation and Infrastructure; House Ways and Means
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-12

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10. [111st] H.R.1541 : To provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] (introduced 3/17/2009)      Cosponsors (3)
Committees: House Small Business
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-10

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11. [111st] H.R.1626 : To make technical amendments to laws containing time periods affecting judicial proceedings.
Sponsor: Rep Johnson, Henry C. “Hank,” Jr. [GA-4] (introduced 3/19/2009)      Cosponsors (3)
Committees: House Judiciary; House Energy and Commerce
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-16

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12. [111st] S.J.RES.3 : A joint resolution ensuring that the compensation and other emoluments attached to the office of Secretary of the Interior are those which were in effect on January 1, 2005.
Sponsor: Sen Reid, Harry [NV] (introduced 1/6/2009)      Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-1

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13. [111st] S.J.RES.8 : A joint resolution providing for the appointment of David M. Rubenstein as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor: Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] (introduced 2/10/2009)      Cosponsors (2)
Committees: Senate Rules and Administration; House Administration
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-17

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14. [111st] S.39 : A bill to repeal section 10(f) of Public Law 93-531, commonly known as the “Bennett Freeze”.
Sponsor: Sen McCain, John [AZ] (introduced 1/6/2009)      Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Indian Affairs; House Natural Resources
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-18

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15. [111st] S.181 : A bill to amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and to modify the operation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to clarify that a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] (introduced 1/8/2009)      Cosponsors (54)
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-2

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16. [111st] S.234 : A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2105 East Cook Street in Springfield, Illinois, as the “Colonel John H. Wilson, Jr. Post Office Building”.
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 1/14/2009)      Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-7

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17. [111st] S.352 : A bill to postpone the DTV transition date.
Sponsor: Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV [WV] (introduced 1/29/2009)      Cosponsors (10)
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-4

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18. [111st] S.383 : A bill to amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (division A of Public Law 110-343) to provide the Special Inspector General with additional authorities and responsibilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen McCaskill, Claire [MO] (introduced 2/4/2009)      Cosponsors (9)
Committees: House Financial Services; House Oversight and Government Reform
House Reports: 111-41 Part 1
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-15

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19. [111st] S.386 : An Act to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities and commodities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to Federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] (introduced 2/5/2009)      Cosponsors (27)
Committees: Senate Judiciary
Senate Reports: 111-10
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-21

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20. [111st] S.454 : A bill to improve the organization and procedures of the Department of Defense for the acquisition of major weapon systems, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Levin, Carl [MI] (introduced 2/23/2009)      Cosponsors (14)
Committees: Senate Armed Services
Latest Conference Report: 111-124 (in Congressional Record H5795-5805)
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-23

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21. [111st] S.520 : A bill to designate the United States courthouse under construction at 327 South Church Street, Rockford, Illinois, as the “Stanley J. Roszkowski United States Courthouse”.
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 3/3/2009)      Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Transportation and Infrastructure
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-14

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22. [111st] S.735 : A bill to ensure States receive adoption incentive payments for fiscal year 2008 in accordance with the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.
Sponsor: Sen Baucus, Max [MT] (introduced 3/30/2009)      Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Finance; House Ways and Means
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-20

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23. [111st] S.896 : A bill to prevent mortgage foreclosures and enhance mortgage credit availability.
Sponsor: Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] (introduced 4/24/2009)      Cosponsors (2)
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-22

 

It’s so out of control that the AP is reporting that Rhode Island State Democrat Rod Driver has said he’ll donate $100 to charity for every second former President George W. Bush withstands waterboarding.  He also made the same offer to former Vice President Dick Cheney and ex-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

While it can now be legitimately argued that he is overpaid, this begs the question:  is Rod Driver nuts, stupid, or, like Florida Representative Alan Grayson, is he just that rude, crude, and socially unacceptable?  In either case, is he truly representative of the people of Rhode Island who elected him to represent them to the rest of the country, to the rest of the world?  I asked this same question about Henry Waxman and a few others the other day and it has dawned on me that perhaps cap & trade is necessary after all.  Cap the idiotic blatherings of both Congress and the administration, and then promptly trade in every last one of them for a normal, rationally-functioning American.  Because surely there is something poisonous wafting through the corridors of Congress – how else does one explain the sheer insanity of racing to legislate so much fascism in such a short amount of time?  How else does one explain the White House creating its own media outlet and locking out journalists and reporters from covering what is, by all accounts, a rather innocuous “photo-op” event?  How can one explain the most recent blatant, flat-out lies of Nancy Pelosi about the CIA and her shameful, crony-backed stonewalling at yesterday’s press conference?  (Not to mention that her daughter was allowed to film it with equipment banned for normal media reporters.)

I could go on and on; indeed, I do so on a regular basis right here in this blog.  And I am grateful to the core that I may speak my thoughts and my opinions, that I may voice my perceptions of reality freely.  It is often cathartic yet, unlike my frustrations during the Bush administration, the relief is short-lived.  Truly, we have sold out our country to the hounds of hell when we voted in the current administration (actually it was not “we” but “thee” who voted them in because I cast my ballots otherwise) and as the lips never stop moving in that teleprompted sing-song lullaby cadence of only one more lie after another, as the coverups grow more blatant yet no one is willing to step up to the journalist plate as during those infamous days leading up to Watergate (ACORN would be a great starting point), my constant companion pokes me in the ribs and I shiver with a cold, cold fear.

Will we survive this “man-made disaster”?  Despite the fear, most of the time I believe it is possible.  As do others.  Other conservative voices continue to speak out with the soothing tones of reason (not to be confused with the majority of currently-seated Republicans, for what should be clear by now is that there is a great and deep chasm between being conservative and being Republican, which today is little more than being a “Democrat Lite”); there are a handful who actually have proper, Constitutionally-based plans to root out this cancer as it threatens to metasticize, in spite of most of the media ignoring this completely or dismissing it, as they did the tax day Tea Parties, as apparently not being “newsworthy” if they cannot attach a crude, sexual joke to their reporting of it.

But it promises to be a hard, ugly fight.

And so I think I actually miss George W. Bush.

National Archive Data Theft A Dangerous Red Herring

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It’s now been reported that a hard drive with “massive amounts of sensitive data from the Clinton administration” has gone missing from the National Archives.  The theft apparently occurred sometime between October 2008 and March 2009 and contained 1 terabyte of data…

…including Social Security numbers, addresses, and Secret Service and White House operating procedures, congressional officials said Tuesday.

One of former Vice President Al Gore’s three daughters is among those whose Social Security numbers were on the drive, but it was not clear which one. Other information includes logs of events, social gatherings and political records.

Archives spokeswoman Susan Cooper said in a written statement that the agency was preparing to notify affected individuals of the breach. The representative of former President Bill Clinton has been notified, but Cooper gave no indication whether the former president’s personal information was on the hard drive.

“The drive contains an as yet unknown amount of personally identifiable information of White House staff and visitors,” the statement added.

The drive is missing from the Archives facility in College Park, Md., a Washington suburb. …the Archives had been converting the Clinton administration information to a digital records system…[and]…the hard drive was left on a shelf and unused for an uncertain period of time.  When the employee tried to resume work, the hard drive was missing.

Committee staff members were told there is a copy of the massive amount of information, but Archives officials have only just begun to learn what was on the drive.

Coming just as former President Clinton is named as U.N. envoy to Haiti; coming just as  Congress approves the final version of a bill intended to enhance enforcement of financial crimes, including creating commission to investigate the causes of the financial crisis, the beginnings of which point to Clinton-era policies and practices; just as other witch hunts about Democrat-approved interrogation of terrorists are being demanded; coming just as the Democrat-derided Bush-era Homeland Security practices foil yet another terrorist attack on American soil; and combined with President Obama’s “do as I say, not as I do” definition of “transparency in government” and track record of gaffes, flubs, blunders, and dangerous policies, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to ask just what potentially-incriminating evidence might be included in that missing data and – most importantly – why is it only being reported as missing now?  Now that Congress has pushed Waxman’s enfant terrible cap & trade legislation out of committee.  Now that the other parts of the world are developing a nervous tic as they watch Iran aggressively move forward with its nuclear weapons program and Obama gives Iran until the end of the year to decide if it “wants” to “cooperate”. 

It’s a serious matter, this data loss.  But it’s also a red herring being used to distract Americans from the truth.  The truth that things in Washington – and even President Obama – aren’t what the administration wants us to see.  The truth, as I and others have noted before, that despite their own foibles at least Bush and Cheney kept America safe and Obama is throwing Israel under the bus in order to force Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran in pure self-defense.  Thereby throwing the world into political chaos, if not outright war; which, boys and girls, has historically been the “best” way to American economic recovery.

Deja vu….

A Letter To The Deliberately Clueless

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Dear Mr. President,

I’m “waving my tea bag around” with both anger and with  pride because I, along with over a million other Americans willing to do the same, stand for something.  And that something is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights of the United States of America.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because the principles upon which this country was built are what allowed you, Mr. President, and your wife to attend college.  In fact, it was MY money you borrowed and were given in grants as a result of my working hard and paying my taxes.  And it was then my money again that you used to pay me back because just who do you think was helping to pay your salary when you were supposed to be representing the state of Illinois in the Senate those 2 years you spent on the campaign trail?  And who do you think was the real source of those federal tax dollars used by those “community organizing” groups who paid you to hone the skills necessary to subvert the laws of this land?

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because despite their great publicity, you apparently could not be bothered to notice that an enormous outcry against yours and Congress’ self-serving, spendthrift ways was taking place on April 15th.  Even though it is your job to know what is happening in this country.

Which tells me that I wasted my money sending you to college.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because just like the vitriolic drool running down the chins and spilling over onto the keyboards of your lapdog mainstream media reporters, you have the audacity to use their very same tactics when forced to acknowledge there is a great and growing groundswell against your ideologies and attempts to manifest them against the will of at least half of the American people.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because when I say the pledge of allegiance, I am able to recite it clearly.  Unlike you, who were somehow unable to properly voice your oath of office in January; and it is irrelevant whether that was because the words were not given to you on a teleprompter or because you choked over having to actually say them out loud and really mean them after 20 years of listening to your chosen preacher tell you “God DAMN America”.  In that moment, you told those who have eyes to see exactly where you stand and it is NOT on the side of America.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because the 1st Amendment’s the right to free speech still lives despite your efforts to silence anyone who disagrees with you, and I find it deplorable that a high school teacher would bully a student who chooses to read news at an outlet like Foxnews.com instead of what is, in their opinion, a more “acceptable” one.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because I do NOT apologize for the actions taken by your predecessors to keep this country safe.  Nor will I apologize for their actions and the trillions of hard-earned citizen tax dollars sent by this “arrogent” society to other countries to help alleviate their poverty and help them create a similar republican form of government.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because I will not bow down to anyone.  Not to you, and especially not to those who harbor or outright encourage people doing everything possible to wipe us off the face of the Earth.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because your rights end where mine begin.  I pledged my allegiance to this country.  You, on the other hand, get only the respect due your office.  Anything further must be earned but during your first 100 days you have done nothing towards that end.

When all is said and done, I’m “waving my tea bag around” because I’m ashamed that there are people who will judge us by your hypocritical actions and because for the first time in my life I no longer feel safe in my own country.  The heart and soul that is America is something good and honorable.  It is not childish, petulant, lying, selfish, or blatantly stupid.  It doesn’t waffle or dissemble.

I’m “waving my tea bag around” because you owe the American people an apology.  If not your resignation.

A Small Business Owner Explains U.S. Economic Reality

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A friend forwarded this to me today in an email.  I don’t know who wrote it, but I think the author could be any one of the millions of small business owners in the United States today.  I do know if it were me, I’d be telling my employees the same thing.

This, not the dangerously idealistic, entitlement-lobbied cesspool of “Ivy-League elite” progressive thinking in Washington, is the reality of the the Obamanation.

 

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 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.
 
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