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 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 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. 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 anymore.
>
> 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
