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A license to get a license, a fee to get an application, the joy of collecting bills.
When you are a one man operation it is a lot of work and a lot of tension.
Oh and Rush Limbaugh is right. If you want to really appreciate how much you are paying in taxes, try paying them without large amounts of withholding. You will really get it. It’s like the prices at rental places. It seems small but the end result is pretty high.
As I was going door to door yesterday I stopped at a book store that absolutely screams “progressive” but is a mostly cool place with a fair amount of Anime and some wonderful used old volumes. At the store I asked the question I ask at almost every business, what would you do to stimulate the economy?
It was his opinion that the problems were systemic (first person to have that conclusion that I talked to) however there is one thing he knew for sure:
I wouldn’t give tax cuts to the rich.
I don’t know who he thinks actually hires people (I’ve never seen a paycheck written by a poor person) but his opinion has been a distinct minority in the hundreds of doors I’ve knocked on in the last month.
It’s certainly not my business to argue with potential customers (and he is more than welcome to get on our customer waiting list with the show sold out) but let me make the opposite case.
It has been amply demonstrated that Cutting Taxes across the board increases tax revenue as the money gets spent over and over (and is taxed over and over at the lower rate). It’s a simple business principle. You make more money selling 5 items with a $1 markup then 2 items at a $2 markup.
Remember Williams Restaurant? If you can’t sell a $20 steak sell $8 burgers and sell more of them.
People seems to have this image of rich people as Scrooge McDuck with a Money Pile diving into it, or of Mr. Krabs chasing pennies, you are more likely to see the rich chasing profit and or comfort and both of those things generate jobs.
It is the rich who chasing profit, invest in new business’ and ventures financing both their ideas and the ideas of others. This is the a big job creator.
And it is also the rich who after making said money buy expensive things like yachts and customer cars or restoring WW 2 Tanks and other expensive hobbies, this employees a lot of people.
And it is the rich who keep their houses spic and span hiring staff and cleaning companies and landscapers etc…
And if you are an artist, tell me who is going to pay you $5000 for some bent metal or a faux stuffed emu? It is not going to be the avg guy. It is either going to be the rich who have money or the government who is spending another persons money.
The truth is many people don’t care about the revenue levels, they are simply socialists looking to redistribute wealth and punish those who in their mind have too much.
The secret to a happy life is to not worry about if someone else has more than you. Do the best you can with what you have and appreciate it.
And as I type this the unemployment rate went up to 9.8%. Unexpectedly I’m sure.
Market Basket knows what day it is!
For having this picture in their window.
Market Basket is handling this exactly the right way. By putting a sign that explicitly says Merry Christmas they are eschewing the political correctness that has frightened and intimidated the multitudes.
What many business don’t understand is that by trying to placate a vocal and angry minority they actually upset the vast majority of customers who have many other alternatives for shopping. When I see “Happy Holidays” as opposed to Merry Christmas I am inclined to spend my money elsewhere and I’ll wager a lot of other people are too.
And for the few in the “tolerant left” who do not want “Merry Christmas” on anything Market Basket has not ignored your, nor have they ignored those who don’t celebrate Christmas but are not as easily agitated as some. Take a look at the poster next to the first one
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Side by side in perfect harmony
This allows everybody to take a deep breath, the explicit Christmas poster allows them to say “Happy Holidays” elsewhere without insult because of the acknowledgment of the actual federal holiday that the country celebrates.
Would that more business’ had that degree of courage and common sense.
Chris has been in business for 27 years so he knows how to stay in business during good times and bad:
His advice keep up or increase quality, decrease quality and give some low-end options for people who can’t afford a $20 steak but can afford a $9-$12 meal.
It sounds like some business didn’t take that advice:
The manager of Don Otto’s – a recently shuttered food market in the South End – is blaming neighborhood patrons for its untimely demise, cooking up an angry message to fair-weather fans of the Tremont Street eatery.
Blaming the customer? It gets better, or worse depending on how you look at it.
“People don’t understand their purchases make a difference, and that by buying something that wasn’t exactly what you want, it gets you closer to what you want. It’s an investment.”
It’s not our job to provide you with what you want. It’s the customer’s job to buy what you don’t want to keep me in business.
And unlike Tom Kahale advice Don Otto’s believes price should be no object.
Among their customers were U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has stopped by for their locally made lasagna. But in this economy, $28-per-pound steak and $8 cartons of eggs was not a recipe for success.
The arrogance is simply astounding. That’s why Don Otto’s is out of Business and Williams is about to start its 28th year without the advantages of a major metropolitan area or customers like Tom Menino or Barney Frank.
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