My Economic Stimulus Plan

I think I've come up with a way to truly stimulate the economy, and make America a much stronger country at the same time. And my plan only costs $500 billion - half the cost of Obama's failed stimulus plan - and mine is guaranteed to work. It's time to increase our exports, and we should start with liberals. I'm really not joking, stay with me on this and I'll explain how it works.

Barack Obama received approximately 62 million votes in the last election. I'm going to be generous and assume that at least 12 million of those people now realise their mistake and would like a do-over. That leaves around 50 million "true believers" who hate their country and the principles it was built on as much as Chairman Obama does. These are the people ruining this country, and it's time for them to go. These people's thinking is more in line with Joseph Stalin than Thomas Jefferson. Of course when Stalin needed to get rid of 50 million people he just had them rounded up and shot. I'm offering something a little more attractive. How about $10,000 and a plane ticket? Seriously, these people are constantly telling us how much better things are in places like Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, and France. Hell, Michael Moore has made a career out of it. I say we help them live in a country that they prefer over this one.

For $500 billion we could export our most expensive commodity - our home grown neo-coms - to countries where they will fit in and be happy, since they aren't happy here. And I believe my plan would be "deficit neutral" since most of the people we are exporting are no doubt receiving some type of government assistance. Think about it. We can drastically reduce the number of government employees, Marxist college professors, career college students, and welfare recipients. Shouldn't take long to recoup our investment. And unions will be all but defunct here when their members are all living somewhere else, talk about "economic stimulus"!

I know you think I'm joking, but I'm really half serious about this. If you offered the people who hate this country enough to hand it over to a Marxist community organizer $10k and a ticket to the socialist utopia of their choice, more than a few would take it. Of course they will be required to give up their U.S. citizenship and agree not to return, but that shouldn't be an issue for these people.

Getting rid of the America haters and their families for good is more than worth the price. We can take back our country and get back to the prosperity that we deserve. And with 50 million fewer liberals, we won't have to worry about another Barack Hussein Obama being elected anytime soon. I say we all suggest my plan to our members of Congress and hope one of them will have the guts to actually propose it. Just the proposal in Congress might wake some people up.

Unfit To Serve

Today is Thanksgiving, and one of the things I am most thankful for is my freedom. I didn't earn it, it was given to me by those who were willing to fight and die for it. Today I will exercise that freedom by spending time with my family, eating too much, and watching football just like most of you. And while we do that, there will be other Americans standing guard and protecting that freedom. They deserve our thanks today and everyday.

Three of those people are Navy SEALS who are now facing a court marshal brought about by pressure from the Obama administration. What was their crime? Torturing a prisoner? Not following orders? No, their crime was punching a known terrorist in the mouth and giving him a bloody lip. And not just any terrorist, the one who earlier killed four American troops in Iraq, hung their bodies in the street, and set them on fire. Yeah, I guess the SEALS should have used more restraint. Obama seems to think so, he pressured Sec. of Defense Gates to court marshal the three. To "send a message" to the world that our soldiers don't abuse prisoners. And to score points with the radical left who hate the military in his own country.

I want you to think about something. Imagine being given orders by a superior that might involve killing another person. Now imagine not knowing if that superior would back you up if you followed that order. Think that could be a problem? That is what every member of our military is now faced with, especially those on the front lines like SEALS, Rangers, and other Special Operation units. Barack Hussein Obama, for political reasons, has guaranteed that some of these soldiers will die. I promise you they will, because when they're faced with that life and death decision - "Do I shoot? - some of them will hesitate. Some of them will try to exercise too much caution when engaging the enemy. They wont have confidence that their leaders will back them up. It will happen, if it hasn't already. We'll never know when it happens or how often. But every one of those deaths is the direct result of 53% of America voting for an unaccomplished man-child without ever thinking that their community organizer might not be fit to serve as Commander in Chief of the armed forces. This incompetent fool is now directly responsible for future battlefield deaths due to a total lack of leadership. It's not me saying that, it's several high ranking military officers saying it. And the fact that some of them were even willing to call a national radio show and criticize their Commander in Chief is proof of how bad things have gotten in the military.

I've always tried to be tolerant of other points of view, and we can disagree on health care, gun control, pretty much anything and still be friends. But I draw the line at the military. Those people volunteer to do things that you and I wouldn't have the stomach for. They make very little money, are away from their families for months or years, and risk their lives to protect ours. All they ask in return is that we support them. Not necessarily the wars they fight, but THEM. So if you think it's Ok for their Commander in Chief to throw them under the bus for his own political gain then I guess we won't be friends. That's where I draw the line.

I hope when we're with our families this holiday season we'll all take a couple minutes to think about those who aren't with theirs, and about how they're being treated by this idiot President. They deserve better, remember that next time you vote.

The Best Speech (N)Ever Given

The following is a speech that was never given, by a small business owner who doesn't exist. But this speech should be given by every business owner/manager to all of their employees. Someone has to educate people, and if the schools can't do it maybe it's time for employers to take the lead. This is long, but it's probably a better economics lesson that you ever got in college.

-I would like to start by thanking you for attending this meeting, though it's not like you had much of a choice. After all, attendance was mandatory. I'm also glad many of you accepted my invitation to your family members to be here as well. I have a few remarks to make to all of you, and then we'll retire to the ballroom for a great lunch and some employee awards.I felt that this meeting was important enough to close all 12 of our tire and automotive shops today so that you could be here. To reassure you, everybody is being paid for the day --- except me. Since our stores are closed we're making no money. That economic loss is mine to sustain. Carrington Automotive has 157 full time employees and around 30 additional part-timers. All of you are here. I thank you for that.When you walked into this auditorium you were handed a rather thick 78-page document. Many of you have already taken a peek. You were probably surprised to see that it's my personal tax return for 2008. Those of you who are adept at reading these tax returns will see that last year my taxable income was $534,000.00. Now I'm sure this seems rather high to many of you. So ... let's talk about this tax return. Carrington Automotive Enterprises is what we call a Sub-S - a Subchapter S corporation. The name comes from a particular part of our tax code. Sub-S status means that the income from all 12 of our stores is reported on my personal tax return. Businesses that report their income on the owner's personal tax return are referred to as "small businesses." So, you see now that this $534,000 is really the total taxable income - the total combined profit from all 12 of our stores. That works out to an average of a bit over $44,000 per store.Why did I feel it important for you to see my actual 2008 tax return? Well, there's a lot of rhetoric being thrown around today about taxes, small businesses and rich people. To the people in charge in Washington right now I'm a wealthy American making over a half-million dollars a year. Most Americans would agree: I'm just another rich guy; after all ... I had over a half-million in income last year, right? In this room we know that the reality is that I'm a small business owner who runs 12 retail establishments and employs 187 people. Now here's something that shouldn't surprise you, but it will: Just under 100 percent ... make that 99.7 percent of all employers in this countries are small businesses, just like ours. Every one of these businesses reports their income on a personal income tax return. You need to understand that small businesses like ours are responsible for about 80 percent of all private sector jobs in this country, and about 70 percent of all jobs that have been created over the past year. You also need to know that when you hear some politician talking about rich people who earn over $200,000 or $500,000 a year, they're talking about the people who create the jobs. The people who are now running the show in Washington have been talking for months about raising taxes on wealthy Americans. I already know that in two years my federal income taxes are going to go up by about 4.5 percent. That happens when Obama and the Democrats allow the Bush tax cuts to expire. When my taxes climb by 4.5 percent the Democrats will be on television saying that this really isn't a tax increase. They'll explain that the Bush tax cuts have expired .. nothing more. Here at Carrington we'll know that almost 5% has been taken right off of our bottom line. And that means it will be coming off your bottom line.Numbers are boring, I know ... but let's talk a bit more about that $534,000. That's the money that was left last year from company revenues after I paid all of the salaries and expenses of running this business. Now I could have kept every penny of that for myself, but that would have left us with nothing to grow our business, to attract new customers and to hire new employees. You're aware that we've been talking about opening new stores in Virginia Beach and Newport News. To do that I will have to buy or lease property, construct a building and purchase inventory. I also have to hire additional people to work in those stores. These people wouldn't immediately be earning their pay. So, where do you think the money for all of this comes from? Right out of our profits .. right out of that $534,000. I need to advertise to bring customers in, especially in these tough times. Where do you think that money comes from? Oh sure, I can count it as an expense when I file my next income tax return .. but for right now that comes from either current revenues or last year's profits. Revenues right now aren't all that hot ... so do the math. A good effective advertising campaign might cost us more than $300,000. Is this all starting to come together for you now? Right now the Democrats are pushing a nationalized health care plan that, depending on who's doing the talking, will add anywhere from another two percent to an additional 4.6 percent to my taxes. If I add a few more stores, which I would like to do, and if the economy improves, my taxable income ... our business income ... could go over one million dollars! If that happens the Democrats have yet another tax waiting, another five percent plus! I've really lost tract of all of the new government programs the Democrats and President Obama are proposing that they claim they will be able to finance with new taxes on what they call "wealthy Americans." And while we're talking about health care, let me explain something else to you. I understand that possibly your biggest complaint with our company is that we don't provide you with health insurance. That is because as your employer I believe that it is my responsibility to provide you with a safe workplace and a fair wage and to do all that I can to preserve and grow this company that provides us all with income. I no more have a responsibility to provide you with health insurance than I do with life, auto or homeowner's insurance. As you know, I have periodically invited agents for health insurance companies here to provide you with information on private health insurance plans. The Democrats are proposing to levy yet another tax against Carrington in the amount of 8 percent of my payroll as a penalty for not providing you with health insurance. You should know that if they do this I will be reducing every person's salary or hourly wage by that same 8 percent. This will not be done to put any more money in my pocket. It will be done to make sure that I don't suffer financially from the Democrat's efforts to place our healthcare under the control of the federal government. It is your health, not mine. It is your healthcare, not mine. These are your expenses, not mine. If you think I'm wrong about all this, I would sure love to hear your reasoning. Try to understand what I'm telling you here. Those people that Obama and the Democrats call "wealthy Americans" are, in very large part, America's small business owners. I'm one of them. You have the evidence, and surely you don't think that the owner of a bunch of tire stores is anything special. That $534,000 figure on my income tax return puts me squarely in Democrat crosshairs when it comes to tax increases. Let's be clear about this ... crystal clear. Any federal tax increase on me is going to cost you money, not me. Any new taxes on Carrington Automotive will be new taxes that you, or the people I don't hire to staff the new stores I won't be building, will be paying. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You've heard about things rolling downhill, right? Fine .. then you need to know that taxes, like that other stuff, roll downhill. Now you and I may understand that you are not among those that the Democrats call "wealthy Americans," but when this "tax the rich" thing comes down you are going to be standing at the bottom of the mud slide, if you get my drift. That's life in the big city, my friends ... where elections have consequences. You know our economy is very weak right now. I've pledged to get us through this without layoffs or cuts in your wages and benefits. It's too bad the politicians can't get us through this without attacking our profits. To insure our survival I have to take a substantial portion of that $534,000 and set it aside for unexpected expenses and a worsening economy. Trouble is, the government is eyeing that money too ... and they have the guns. If they want it, they can take it. I don't want to make this too long. There's a great lunch waiting for us all. But you need to understand what's happening here. I've worked hard for 23 years to create this business. There were many years where I couldn't take a penny in income because every dollar was being dedicated to expanding the business. There were tough times when it took every dollar of revenues to replenish our inventory and cover your paychecks. During those times I earned nothing. If you want to see those tax returns, just let me know. OK .. I know I'm repeating myself here. I don't hire stupid people, and you are probably getting it now. So let me just ramble for a few more minutes. Most Americans don't realize that when the Democrats talk about raising taxes on people making more than $250 thousand a year, they're talking about raising taxes on small businesses. The U.S. Treasury Department says that six out of every ten individuals in this country with incomes of more than $280,000 are actually small business owners. About one-half of the income in this country that would be subject to these increased taxes is from small businesses like ours. Depending on how many of these wonderful new taxes the Democrats manage to pass, this company could see its tax burden increase by as much as $60,000. Perhaps more.I know a lot of you voted for President Obama. A lot of you voted for Democrats across the board. Whether you voted out of support for some specific policies, or because you liked his slogans, you need to learn one very valuable lesson from this election. Elections have consequences. You might have thought it would be cool to have a president who looks like you; or a president who is young, has a buff bod, and speaks eloquently when there's a teleprompter in the neighborhood. Maybe you liked his promises to tax the rich. Maybe you believed his promise not to raise taxes on people earning less than a certain amount. Maybe you actually bought into his promise to cut taxes on millions of Americans who actually don't pay income taxes in the first place. Whatever the reason .. your vote had consequences; and here they are. Bottom line? I'm not taking this hit alone. As soon as the Democrats manage to get their tax increases on the books, I'm going to take steps to make sure that my family isn't affected. When you own the business, that is what you're allowed to do. I built this business over a period of 23 years, and I'm not going to see my family suffer because we have a president and a congress who think that wealth is distributed rather than earned. Any additional taxes, of whatever description, that President Obama and the Democrats inflict on this business will come straight out of any funds I have set aside for expansion or pay and benefit increases. Any plans I might have had to hire additional employees for new stores will be put aside. Any plans for raises for the people I now have working for me will be shelved. Year-end bonuses might well be eliminated. That may sound rough, but that's the reality. You're going to continue to hear a lot of anti-wealth rhetoric out there from the media and from the left. You can chose to believe what you wish .. .but when it comes to Carrington Automotive you will know the truth. The books are open to any of you at any time. I have nothing to hide. I would hope that other small business owners out there would hold meetings like this one, but I know it won't happen that often. One of the lessons to be learned here is that taxes ... all taxes ... and all regulatory costs that are placed on businesses anywhere in this country, will eventually be passed right on down to individuals; individuals such as yourself. This hasn't been about admonishing anyone and it hasn't been about issuing threats. This is part of the education you should have received in the government schools, but didn't. Class is now dismissed.

America's "Entitlement" Culture

I was at the local Walmart today, working not shopping, and I noticed something disturbing. I must have seen 8 or 9 women of the 400+ pound variety riding around in those motorized wheelchairs/scooters that they have for the handicapped. Did I miss something? When did being a fat, lazy slob with no self respect become a "handicap"? And one of these women was there with her daughter, who was also 400 pounds and also riding a wheelchair. WTF? I'm just guessing that if one of these beauty queens were to drive past some 80 year old, passed out on the floor because there were no wheelchairs available, they wouldn't even feel guilty. No, they're "entitled" to that wheelchair. Just like they're entitled to their food stamps, their subsidized housing, their handicapped parking places, etc, etc. What the hell happened to our great country? When I was growing up I can honestly say I never knew anyone who was overweight who wasn't at least trying to lose a few pounds. And I couldn't imagine seeing any of my friends or family cruising through a grocery store in a wheelchair they didn't truly need. We've become a country where a certain percentage of the population seem to think they are entitled to anything they want simply because they breath American air. These are the people who gave us the housing crisis by purchasing $300k homes on $30k incomes...because they "deserved them". They're the people who voted for "hope and change" because Mr. Hope told them it wasn't their fault they couldn't pay that mortgage. And now you and I get to provide for their health insurance too...guess we weren't doing enough before. I have a lot of answers to a lot of our problems, but I'm afraid I don't know how to fix our "entitlement culture". But I'm still working on it.

Thank You Veterans...Past and Present

I'll start by saying that it's a travesty that Veteran's Day is celebrated on a Wednesday while Labor Day is on a Monday, giving us a three day weekend to celebrate...the Labor Movement? How the hell did that happen? But I digress. This day isn't about me, it isn't about our politicians (thought they will all use it for their photo ops), and it isn't about the American people who all too often take their freedoms for granted. No, this day is about you. I'm not even going to comment on your Commander And Chief today, though my fingers are now bleeding for having typed that. But it's not about him. It's about all of you. I can sit here in suburbia with my heat set at 70 and a beer in my hand, posting things on the Internet, without any worries because of you. I can take my family out to a restaurant this weekend without worrying about a suicide bomber blowing the place up because of you. I can go to my nice, safe, well paying job tomorrow because of all of you. So tonight I'm just going to say thank you and leave it at that. It's not enough, but it's all I've got. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Dictators and Tyrants

Throughout human history mankind has been ruled by dictators and tyrants. There have been a few exceptions. Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, pre-Julius Ceasar (they were a republic like us before Ceasar), and in recent decades the entire western world...thanks to the United States and our willingness to use our military power to protect the freedom of others around the world. In every case, the free societies eventually gave way to dictators and tyrants. Greece, a true democracy, eventually gave way to mob-rule as all democracies do. And eventually they were taken over by the Spartans (also Greeks, but totalitarians) who were in-turn conquered by the Romans. The Romans were a republic where the people chose their leaders democratically for a few hundred years. But little by little, the people wanted their government to do more so they could spend their time drinking wine and pursuing various pleasures that did not include working. So along came Ceasar, promising "hope" and "change". Within a few short years, Ceasar - with the backing of the Roman people - reduced the Senate to a powerless group of "representatives" who's only real purpose was to make people believe they still had a voice in government. Ceasar ruled Rome as a dictator, as did his predecessors. Eventually the once mighty Roman Empire decayed from within, due to sloth and immorality, to the point that they wouldn't actually be conquered - at least not all at once- but would simply cease to function as a unified country or culture.

And in the past century most of Europe has traded the freedom and liberty that we helped them win (to say the least) for varying degrees of socialism and communism. The socialists have conquered Western Europe without firing a shot, just as Eastern Europe is emerging from half a century of communist rule. Guess our friends in England, France and Spain are slow learners. Maybe if the folks in West Berlin could have seen what was happening on the other side of that wall for 40+ years they would have been more reluctant to embrace the teachings of Marx and Lenin. Oh well, don't be surprised if they ask us to come to their rescue for a 3rd. time sooner or later. Maybe next time we should just sit it out. If we're even still a world power by then.

I apologise for the Cliff Notes version of the decline of former empires. Just wondering if any of this sounds vaguely similar to what we've been seeing here in the U.S. lately? Something to think about. Especially since the head of the National Endowment for the Arts recently compared Barack Obama to Julius Ceasar - and he meant it as a compliment.