My boss received this as an email and I was the only one at work that understood that this is how the system works. I believe this completely sums up the perspective of how chasing the rich to "save" the middle class will end in utter failure as well as demonstrate that not all of the rich were born so and had an easy life.

*EDIT* yes, this is a bit politically charged but if you ignore those parts, this is all truth. /edit



This is a memo written by a Michael A. Crowley, CEO/owner of PE Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc. in Wake Forest, NC to his employees:

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 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'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 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 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 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 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 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 backstory: 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 South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, Your boss

Thank you.

My friend is in exactly same situation. I told him he needs to move out. My other friend has fired his employees already, and still trying to survive.

bumping this... because there are half a dozen people I'd like to hear on this.

i'll tell you my take, that guy was spot on. so many people don't realize that when your boss takes your taxes out of your paycheck, he/she has to match those taxes. if you paid $100 in taxes that week, the boss has to add $100 to that. now that is robbery. plus, as a business owner you still have to pay your own so-called income tax. that means that your boss has basically paid your taxes and his. if he has 100 employees all having $50 taken out for the week, that is $5000 he has to pay on top of all of you guy's $5000 for a total of $10,000 that week. plus all of the other taxes mentioned on each employee. screw that!! this is your good ole federal reserve benefiting from this. it isn't the IRS because the IRS is just the collection agency for the federal reserve. if you have an outstanding bill from a credit card and they send a team of collection agents that are on the credit card company's payroll, they don't benefit from it, the credit card company does. it's a crime and should be punished.

It sounds like 'The Fountainhead' Redux.

And there are some inconsistencies and contradictions in his 'facts'. As someone who spent time being in business for myself, we all know that 'never leaving the office' is one of the prices you pay for the lifestyle.

If you Google this company, you see that it does business with governments. Just where does Mr. Crowely think the money comes from that pays his fees on those projects?

He's also being disrespectful of the professionals he undoubtedly employs. It costs the World to go through engineering school these days, and a lot of engineering students these days are from foreign countries who subsidize their students who are going into the professions. It's not like many of them don't have student loans to pay off and didn't work their butts off to get through school and be successful. Yet, he seems to be taking ALL the credit.

Personally, I think he's just blowing off, making a political statement and is using left-handed blackmail to put a good face on what he's probably made up his mind to do already. Being incorporated and having a partner, I doubt that he'd just pull the plug and close the whole thing down. He'd probably sell and _then_ take the money and run. 'Goodwill' is always worth money.

I think he's also shooting himself in the foot by publishing this screed, because if I were a customer, I'd have to wonder if he'd get a wild hair and let me sitting high and dry on future support if I'd hire him and he made good on his 'threat'.

Just some things to think about...

-Kerry O.

kerry, i just read your profile and you sound like you might be a full fledged government all by your lonesome. by the way, that phone number is the wrong one, it connected me straight to the oval office and obama picked up. i told obama about all of you guy's gripes with him and he's gonna straighten up starting tomorrow.

You've never done a 941, have you?


-Kerry O.

no, but please tell me, if it will benefit me i'm all ears, seriously.

Well think, by reading your input into this thread it's obvious you're just a gadfly when it comes to being in business for yourself. Trust funds don't count.

-Kerry O.

As an employer, you match the _Social_ Security_ tax, not dollar for dollar on _all_ the taxes. And there is a ceiling on SS witholding, it used to be something like 66 Large. And the employee's portion never was your money in the first place.


-Kerry O.

thank you for setting me straight.

To me, this isn't so much a question of cold arithmetics, as in calculating the bloody wound to inflict in order to not kill the victim, but just get enough blood to feast on.

To me, it is much more a question of justice. I doubt that the idea of properly victimizing our best, just not quite to the point of death, was the main thought that stimulated the creation of our nation.

This is cortesy of AndrewAV. I've had it before, and long lost it. Now it is back, I love every word of it:

i just saved that quote, it is a good one.

It's It's It's...A Robin Hood MeNtAlItY



http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/219950/february-26-2009/the-word---the-swede-hereafter