0 posts 8/18/2009 3:37 pm
Last Read:
8/30/2009 4:52 pm
|
The Death of Small Business
I�m sitting here tonight watching a special by Glenn Beck of the Fox Network. Glenn has brought on a panel of small business owners with their stories of personal hardship in a down economy. There are many points that he brings up, some of which I agree with, some that I don�t. Since I can�t think of anything better to blog about, I figure I will add my thoughts to the debate. Being on the Fox Network you can expect that absolutely nothing that Barack Obama does is any good, but don�t let his lack of proper objectivity interfere with your good judgement.
Just picking an issue randomly there was a complaint about achieving union certification with a simple show of hands. Currently unions are certified by secret ballot, which is the same way we elect our congressional representatives. Certifying unions with a show of hands is a formula for peer pressure and bully tactics against those who disagree with joining a union. Now personally I don�t think there is any better way to extract a fair wage and benefits from a company than through collective bargaining, but I respect a person�s right to disagree. The types of open elections that the unions are advocating are inherently unfair and lead to a hostile environment in the workplace for those who dissent. As much as I think Glenn is a neo-con practitioner of pretzel logic, I will have to give him this one.
Glenn goes on to complain about the bailout of various companies like GM for example. He goes on to lament about GM receiving 64 billion dollars saying that 64,000 small businesses could have received a million dollars each. What he fails to account for is that many so-called small businesses are ancillary to large businesses. If you go to a Boeing, Lockheed, or GM plant what you will see is an industrial park right outside building all the sub assemblies. GM doesn�t build doorknobs, tires, or floor mats, these are all built by small business subcontractors. If GM goes down the tube, all these small subcontractors go down the tube with them. Glenn uses a bowling alley franchise as an example of a small business that would be adversely affected by increased government requirements as if going bowling is what gives our lives meaning.
My favorite is the typical rightwing whining about taxes, lets take a theoretical model. Lets take a small business that has made a million dollars after expenses over the year, and the current top tax bracket is 35% on income over $357,700. To make the math simple, out of that million dollars the company pays taxes of $350,000 leaving a net profit of 650,000. Actually they pay less because taxes are on a graduated scale but play along for a minute. If the tax rate goes up 2% then that business owner must then get by on $630,000 instead of the $650,000 they were before, why my heart just bleeds for them. As I stated earlier these are actually high estimates because of the graduated nature of the tax structure. Now if you take a company with a billion dollars profit those lower tax brackets that distorted our estimates become far less relevant and for every percentage point that taxes go up, profit drops by 10 million dollars. It isn�t small businesses that are paying Glenn�s paycheck it is mega millionaires like Rupert Murdoch.
There was also this diatribe about a need for an increase in immigration because Americans are too lazy and unwilling to take certain jobs. I don�t know about you but I found that comment about Americans being lazy to be particularly insulting. This is just as insulting as when he says that unionized workers will destroy businesses while ignoring the fact that the sweat of its workers built many businesses. On the face of it, an increase in immigration is probably a good thing but the right does not want immigration conducted in a fair and balanced manner. The right wants to cherry pick the cream of the crop from other countries and steal only their best and brightest. A proper debate about levels of immigration should center more on how much we can afford since there is a responsibility to all residents of this country.
That brings me to the next point about healthcare reform, Glenn complains about illegal immigrants receiving medical care. If anyone took two tenths of a second to think about it, the thought of people perishing in the streets from neglect is a totally unacceptable result. Sure I don�t want undocumented persons entering the country, but once they are here I can�t treat a human being like a non-person. As a last resort he turns to calling national health care socialism. He ignores the fact that if you travel to Vancouver, Edmonton, London, or Sydney these are all spectacular cities with grand civic structures, and did I fail to mention national health care. Britain, Canada, and Australia all have national health care and haven�t turned into the outback of Mongolia, they are thriving civilizations with relatively happy citizens.
I could go on but I know that blogs have to be short and sweet just like the girls I love most, so I, m going to abruptly cut it off here. I just could not let Glenn go spouting half-truths like they are gospel. The path that best serves our country is not exclusively the domain of left or right, but the rights unwillingness to enter into a meaningful debate is like a petulant that doesn't get its way. They have become adept at framing the questions in simplistic manners for simplistic minds and bullying, badgering and bluffing us into getting their way. It is time to tell the right to grow up and come into committee willing to have a real debate instead of having their lackeys at Fox News frame some hypothetical debate that has no application in the real world.
|
I Swami Johnny see's all, knows all, tells very little.
|
|
8/18/2009 11:22 pm
|
Swami,
Well I read this blog and it's very interesting.
Just one comment: The HotMatch.com popularity algorythms are closly tied to blog post [at least that's what I believe].
If you make this nice LONG blog into say six blogs and post one each day you might find yourself becoming Mr HotMatch.com Popular himself!
What a lovely thought ...
Cheers
Jane XXX
|
|
8/19/2009 8:37 pm
|
A split infinitive Swami - bad boy!
And "tells very little" an impossibilia if I read this comment correctly!
Cheers
Jane XXX
|
|
8/20/2009 9:12 pm
|
Quoting honestjohn4u:
Rationing myself would be useful if it wasn't for the fact that I have an endless plethora of ideas for blogs. Asking me to hold back is like asking an alcoholic to not drink.
Swami, this is the split infinitive: "... alcoholic to not drink."
It should read "...alcoholic not to drink." "To drink" is the infinitive and splitting it is a no no. For example in Star Trek's :"To boldly go .." should be "To go boldly ..."
I'm not usually pedantic about language. I'm just a nice simple gal who's never been invited to Hollywood to write scripts ...
Cheers
Jane XXX
|
|
8/21/2009 9:52 pm
|
Quoting honestjohn4u:
I'm a frustrated choreographer that has never been invited to the San Fernando Valley to make a musical.
Mmmm - you're a dancer Swami!
Choreograph a nice Hobson's Choice for me and I might be interested.
A short dance, two minutes, a poor sex slave given a choice that is no choice, a few erect men the only option...
Cheers
Jane XXX
|
|
8/22/2009 7:07 pm
|
Actually, it was not a attempt at humor. I was merely prancing around the subject of MY blogs - sex, bdsm, gangbangs - that sort of thing.
Hobson's is a take it or leave it choice. If my suggested dance step fell flat - well so be it.
Of your choice - it's the SWING part of the dancing that sound interesting to me.
My own special blog - I must away to see this wonderous thing. To be honest Swami, I have not read any of your other blogs. Your "...I hope you WERE amused ..." assumes that I do. I shall comment on your preposition or proposition page.
Cheers
Jane XXX
|
|
8/23/2009 4:24 pm
|
Ahh the vagaries of language - and I thought that was meant for me.
Well, I apologize for thinking it was a barb thrown at me when in fact it was a self flagellation of sorts.
Cheers
Jane XXX
|
