Posted on 01/11/2012 1:47:59 AM PST by Windflier
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 year’s 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 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.
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,
Michael A. Crowley, PE Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc. Professional Engineers 1906 South Main Street, Suite 122 Wake Forest , NC 27587
Phone: 919.562.8860 x22 Fax: 919.562.8872
Location: This is a real letter
Michael A. Crowley, PE is the owner of Crowley & Associates, Inc., and was President and an owner of Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc., and Michael A. Crowley, PC. As President of Crowley & Associates, Inc., Mike is a lead designer of water supply, treatment and storage projects, regional sewage lift station design, and residential and commercial site development projects and is responsible for the management of the firm.
Mike's industry background includes over 20 years experience in the civil engineering field inclusive of executive level responsibilities in Marketing and Project Management.
Prior to founding Michael A. Crowley, PC, Mike held positions with several engineering firms in North Carolina and Maine . Mike holds a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering from University of Maine and a Master of Business Administration from Boston College.
Mike is a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and holds professional registrations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Indiana, Maine, Tennessee, Australia, and Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies.
Mike is a native of Norridgewock, Maine. The Crowley family resides in Wake Forest.
Reads about the same as the one I posted. Thanks.
Sounds like he likes to fire people.
Just saying.
This sounds like it’s from Romney’s people.
I saw one of those in Wasilla, Alaska. Same message but worded different.
Now I suspect the same message will have Romney;s name instead.
i still cannot understand why the “herd” instinct in voting still exists in this day and age. people are voting on polls only.
Believe it or not; 47,000 people actually went out in New Hampshire yesterday and cast a vote for the party referenced on that van...
I thought the snopes letter was better.
Because we’ve lost our moorings EoU. No longer is the electorate concerned with the Nation as a whole but only their own particular circumstance and whether or not they can continue to recreate.
Interesting thread going on...I’m going to link a response I made but there is some deep thinking going on from alot of the posters. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/vetscor/2831373/posts?page=34#34
American business pays the most taxes of any businesses, anywhere in the world.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/us_companies_pay_the_highest_t.html
Ok, here is the problem with republicans: They think the “employees” care. They don’t care how hard YOU worked to start the company. Even the laziest employee thinks they work hard—and they think they work as hard as you. Your big car, nice house, and your suits are all things your employee thinks they deserve.
Until you realize that your employees do not care about your problems, you will continue to try to make their lives better...until you go out of business.
Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine.
I saved the original 2004 e-mail and will save/send along this company letter too. Thanks for sharing.
Exactamundo ! When I hire, I make people take a 1099 position, and I’m going to start requiring THEM to get their Tax ID and bill me with taxes rendered. Then they can see what I go through just to make the sun rise the next morning. It’s like 4 hours of work AFTER I stop working.
So far, only one person I have “Hired” has made this move. He’s doing very well, and he now works for another guy when he’s not working for me. I pay him only for work performed, and he only works what’s needed to get the job done. Be it 4 hours that week, or 20 hours.
Hell, he even drives a nicer car than I.
There’s a lot I don’t trust about snopes.
I sure am glad I don't work for this guy (He's ficticious, as it turns out. The real letter doesn't say this). Since all the layoffs, his description of himself is a description of me, and I sure as heck ain't the owner of the company.
And then of course there is the government worker I came across years ago at a job site that was ambitious too, and had two jobs. His government job and then one in private. The trouble was - they were both 8 to 5! Seriously! He was NEVER around unless you made an appointment and then would set up a time to meet you at the job site.
My boss tried several times to catch him at his office. Finally his secretary let him in on it. He would show up, turn on his lights and computer and pull out some papers. Then would leave for his private job. 5 - 5:30 he would show back up, turn off the lights and computer, straighten up his desk, and leave.
As a newbie worker I thought it was terrible - but didn’t know what to do about it.
That’s pretty blatant. A lot of the government workers take a private sector job (after retiring from the public job) for enough quarters to qualify for Social Security so they can double-dip for life.
Anyone who would write that to his employees is a complete dick and a poor business man.
Therefore, I call BS.
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