A Boss That Tells it Like it Is (Taxation Letter)

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.

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.

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

“He plans to let go the Obama supporters first. “

given the number of people who agree with you on this thread, I am amazed at how balkanized the country has become.

“It’s time for people to really understand that actions have consequences”

I may be a bit cynical, but I think the population as a whole never really understands this until it is really, really, too late, and even then often circumstances will enable them to continue not understanding it.

The only time the media instructs voters in how THEY are wrong and having tantrums was when they threw out the Dems from control of congress in 1994.

“Where I work the employees need a kick in the ass. It won’t hurt their precious morale a bit.”

Be sure and include the line about them not mentally checking in till noon, that will make the ones that actually get work done before then be sure to reconsider as clearly it is not the expected norm.

I recall a thread recently where people were angry at people being fired for voting for Prop 8 in CA.

Retaliation for your vote; it’s okay when we do it.

One reason I don’t have bumper stickers on my car. The bigger reason being that if I had a conservative sticker on my car, it would be keyed the moment I turned my back.

He retires by cashing in on the investment he created over the last 20 years. The same thing would have happened if he put the money in a bank, but the bank would have been creating investments with his money istead, and would have returned it to him at a fraction of the gains they made with his money.

Riddle me this:
What single dam bit of difference would it have made if the election went the other way?
Isn’t there something like 3.5 million people who work for the Federal Government?
And you actually think voting for 600 or so of them is going to change things?

Put down the pipe, dude!

The only time the media instructs voters in how THEY are wrong

I agree and that's why it's up to us as individuals to do it. One person at a time if necessary.

I will see to it that people understand why we make the business decisions we do and how it affects them both as an individual and as a community. Our county stayed red and our town went blue as usual. That will now be a factor in decisions we make and I'll be happy to explain the reason to people. You don't rob someone at gunpoint and then ask for them for help and I don't see any difference here.

We've already been approached for yet another donation to yet another "worthwhile" community project. Hubby turned them down and explained that we are preparing for our taxes to go up and we were cutting unnecessary expenditures. "You'll have to get that from Obama now."

And that's the answer a whole lot of people are going to get from now on.

He retires by cashing in on the investment he created over the last 20 years.

But he didn't cash in on anything. According to the email he fires all the people who helped him build the company and then shuts it down. Kind of a cut of the nose to spite the face response if you ask me. The story would have made more sense if he had sold out to a Chinese conglomorate and took the money to the Bahamas.

used to, but in that case it is a much larger company, they wouldn’t write this letter for so many reasons, first being you cannot fire them based on who they vote for without opening your coffers to their lawyers.

From what is implied here, the guy probably only has 20-40 employees, unlikely but not impossible they are unionized (engineering firm?.

given the number of people who agree with you on this thread, I am amazed at how balkanized the country has become.

Balkenized? We are about 5 years out from civil war!

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