Small-biz owners fuming over ‘plethora’ of rules

Boston Herald ^ | 7 May 2006 | O’Ryan Johnson

[Radix]

Peabody businessman Bruce Lerner is joining the fast-growing list of entrepreneurs “frustrated out of business” by strict state and local regulations that small-business advocates say are choking the lifeblood of America’s economy.
    “It’s the sheer plethora of regulations,” said Carolyn Logue, a state director with the National Federation of Independent Businesses. “It seems many were just drafted to give someone, somewhere a job to do. Nobody looks at the goals and whether they’re actually accomplishing anything.”
    Three weeks ago, the North Shore Tobacco Control Program sent a 17-year-old decoy into Lerner’s Main Street Smoke Shop in Peabody. She made it 14 feet from the store entrance to the register before a clerk told her to leave because she lacked ID.
    Moments later the antipuffing G-men pounced, slapping Lerner with a $200 fine, not because he sold cigarettes to an underage person - which he hadn’t - but because an underage person had simply walked into his store.
    “I just feel as a business owner for 19 years, what does it benefit me to run a business?” Lerner said. “If the state wants to run my business, they can get up at 4 a.m.”
    Lerner is entertaining offers to sell the shop rather than endure the aggressive policing of the Tobacco Control Program. Logue said that puts him in league with businessmen across the country who, rather than wade through piles of paperwork in a ceaseless battle with bureaucracy, are simply closing shop.
    “That’s the frustration of small business owners who are saying,my employees are safe, I’m doing the right thing,” Logue said. “But someday someone will walk through my door, I don’t know who that person is, but when they show up I’m going to have to pay thousands of dollars as a result.”
    Lerner said he appealed the fine to the Peabody Board of Health, which agreed to waive it as long as there were no further violations. But he said the Tobacco Control Program wants him to lock away all his tobacco, which he refuses to do because it would eliminate his “roll your own cigar” display.
    Asked if he’s being pushed out of business by bureaucracy, Lerner said he hopes not. “Everyone you talk to who’s in a position of power says no,” he said. “But it certainly doesn’t help.”  

[spinestein]

[He should have been "disappeared" right there.]



I wonder how often that happens.

Some business owner who did two tours in Nam is standing there watching as some poorly educated government toady is arbitrarily racking up fines (*chik, *chik, *chik *chik, *chik....) against his business which he built from scratch putting in 60 and 70 hour weeks and he knows this is going to cost his company AND his employees AND hurt his and his family's budget AND this government toady is all by himself and no one is looking right now...........

[patton]

It does happen. No idea of how often, though.

[Muleteam1]

We in New Mexico are likely to soon start gaining seats if things continue to grow as they have. I heard Rumsfield say something about his (wifes' horse farm in NM?) this morning and I groaned. Not too many years ago people thought they had to have a passport to come to NM. We were virtually undiscovered when I first came out here in the 1960s. At any rate, maybe its the conservatives from MA and NY that are coming to NM. We can only hope. We need them.

Muleteam1

[Gabz]

That's such a shame, isn't it? :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Funny thing though, Earlier that same day in that same store I was not carded for a 12 pack of beer."

But, Gabz! Alcohol is LEGAL and Cigarettes are...um...Oh, NEVERMIND, LOL!

[Dasaji]

We opened a coffee shop (which sells tobacco) last July. We've had FIVE checks since we opened. We've passed them all, but it's like GEEZ LOUISE, go bust the 18 other stores up and down this pike who have poker machines in the back!

[Richard-SIA]

Your list is incomplete.

You left off the several Tax's paid to obtain a Concealed Weapon "permit", required in most states in order to exercise your "Right" to keep and bear arms!

[FreedomCalls]

When one has an unlimited credit card, well I appreciate it when they ask for an ID. A couple of day's ago I made a purchase on a CC and the sales attendant had the perfect way to bring up ID verification. She asked: "Would you like for me to verify identification on your card sir"? I didn't hesitate for I knew I was the one toting my card! ; ) More can be achieved via honey than by vinegar...

And if it was stolen from you and the thief was at that store attempting to use it, and the reply was "no, thanks" then a thief could use it without verification?

[mmercier]

You have to be a lunatic to open a small business in this state.

Unless all of your employees are untraceable illegals paid cash daily who will scatter when necessary you are a fool.

Any business here with an actual address is in danger of being consumed by state and local apparatus that are running short on food.

This state is hemorrhaging productive people, the state and local governments answer to this is to keep opening other veins.

[elmer fudd]

If you are located in MA, you have my sincerest sympathies.

Nope. I'm from Washington state where the Seattle leftist's fascist urges are blunted somewhat by a good state constitution and the rest of the state which isn't nearly as liberal. We still have a lot of crap to deal with, but no serious gun control or income tax and we do have the power of initiative so we can sometimes go right over the heads of the 'rats that run the state. Those three right there make it a hell of a lot better than Massachusetts IMO.

[wrench]

I have heard of one instance where this happened. A state inspector was on his 3rd trip through a small, family owned manufacturing facility that he had written up twice in recent months, fines totalling 40,000 dollars.

Somehow a 90 pound box of parts fell from an overheqad walkway and hit him square on the head. Broke several bones and really screwed up his back. He was unable to work for months.

Strangely, his replacement never found any problems with that facility.

[ClaireSolt]

A banker advised me to write "check ID" in the space for signature on credit and debit cards, so I did, and I thank clerks when they ask for ID to verify.

[NRA2BFree]

Peabody businessman Bruce Lerner is joining the fast-growing list of entrepreneurs “frustrated out of business” by strict state and local regulations that small-business advocates say are choking the lifeblood of America’s economy.

“It’s the sheer plethora of regulations,” said Carolyn Logue, a state director with the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Carolyn is exactly right! I owned two credit bureaus and a collection agency, and just trying to keep up with the laws, rules and regulations of the federal and state governments was a full time job. Congress changed laws every time they were in session, and made it almost impossible to do business. Every time they changed the law, I had to retrain my employees and that was a pain in the butt. There is a huge manual that I had to use to train my employees to make sure they KNEW the laws. IF they didn't and they made a mistake it could have got me fined, license revoked or put in jail. Depending on what it was, I could have had all of those penalties applied. THAT was only on the federal level. The state laws were almost worse. I had to renew my collection agency manager's license every year. My bill collectors had to be licensed every year too. As if that wasn't bad enough, the auditors came around once a year to audit my books. IF I made any mistakes I could lose my licenses.

Because I had the largest territory (two states, with several cities) of any privately owned credit bureaus (by a woman ;o)), in the US it caught the eye of a large corporation. When they approached me with an offer to buy, I could not refuse it. That was in 1997 and I have NOT regretted selling one time. Getting out from under government controls made the deal even sweeter. :o)

At the same time, I owned a beauty/nail salon and a full service floral shop. They also have inspectors from the state, and the EPA that come around to check and make sure you don't have bugs, or fungus and things like that. I sold both of them right before I sold my bureaus. THIS just proves how intrusive the government is into small businesses. I'm an entrepreneur and if I ever work again, I will own another business because I don't want to work for someone else, but it's going to be one with NO AUDITORS OR INSPECTORS, of ANY kind. LOL!!

[leda]

now we know where "kelly destroyer" inherited from... ;)

[Mears]

Gabz,about a year ago a new clerk at a store asked my my year of birth to sell me cigarettes. She said those were the rules.

I laughed and said "You have GOT to be kidding". She wasn't.

I said "1962",knocking thirty years off the actual date. She accepted that.

The customer behind me thought it was quite amusing.

[traviskicks]

"Moments later the antipuffing G-men pounced, slapping Lerner with a $200 fine, not because he sold cigarettes to an underage person - which he hadn’t - but because an underage person had simply walked into his store."





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[VermiciousKnid]

You've got my vote, Patton.

I'd "do" the very same thing in office.

Regards,

[VermiciousKnid]

If his bad ticker hadn't done RAH in already, these new Nanny laws would surely have done the trick. He'd have blown a gasket long ago.

Regards,

[Sir Gawain]

I hate JBTs.

[Hardastarboard]

it was founded as a Puritan religious community.

Actually, when you think about it, it's not as crazy as you might think. Liberals are the new Puritans. They want you to live the way THEY think you should live, not how you want to live. They want to snoop into every corner of your life. If you protest, they deride and insult you in every way possible, and then proceed to try to make your life even more difficult.