Letter from Jay Browning on small businesses and America's current economic situation:
January 28, 2010
As an American and a small business owner, my concern for the economic recession is growing larger and larger every day. I have been an owner and operator of an Oregon logging company for 30 years, and when I see politicians’ lack of concern for our small business owners, I feel it my duty to speak up and out about their struggles; my struggles. Don’t these elected officials work for us. Sure, we may be validated by our legislators and elected officials with a nice pat on the back, but that’s about all the bureaucratic effort extended to us! My deep concern is real!
Due to our highly publicized economic downturn, anyone living in and outside the United States knows of the financial meltdown that occurred last year. Small business owners have been merely making educated guesses to stay in business this past year. For many years now, small businesses have been in an economic chokehold whichhas been slowly tightening around our necks; however, this year it has finally succeeded in crushing our windpipes. We all are playing the waiting game until our money runs out and our businesses go bankrupt. As I have financially maneuvered through the last year, I have come up against road block after road block. The most disturbing of all are the banks. At a time when banks should be opening their doors to men like me, they have failed me miserably. I am someone who has been successful in the past with excellent credit and assets. I have tried securing a line of credit to help me through what has become a cash flow nightmare, but bank after bank has turned my company down. I have been told repeatedly that the value of my business has fallen by 60% in one year. Jobs for my business have been reduced by 40%. I have used all my cash to stay afloat this last year and that has run out. Here is how I feel about banks: how dare they! Billions of dollars they have been given to keep their doors open without having to lay off workers and they, in their lofty building and with their cushy pensions and bonuses (really noble guys, huh?) get to pay their bills before me. Where is my help? Where is the small business man’s help? Our security should have been in those banks. They accepted my tax dollars to feed themselves, and they tell me I am a “risk” to them... to them I am a risk. What a joke! They are the “greedy” risk and the tax payers lost. Now I ask, why aren't they being forced to make loans to small businesses, so we can get back on our feet? Wasn’t that the ultimate goal of the bailout?
As I watch President Obama spend my children's and my grand children's tax money, I have become more and more disheartened. Yes, he inherited our financial problems, but he has done nothing but exasperate our problems by giving money to people who did not earn it, and who will not stand up for small businesses. Without small businesses in America, you will have socialism. Are we closer to a One World Order? Is that what we’re allowing to happen to us? Surely I am not the only person who feels the government, right now, is worthless. I feel the government has done NOTHING but cost me more money.
I have pondered long and hard on this situation and my thoughts are never ending. As I explore every avenue on how to make my business run efficiently on less money, and on how to make it safe and steady for my remaining employees, I have decided this: year after year, I have invested in my own company, and have bought state of the art equipment to make my workers more efficient and considerably more safe. I have done so with the knowledge that the cost of the equipment would be outweighed by the benefit of the new technology. I embraced these new ideas, however expensive the choice, and my company has benefited from the increased production that resulted from these technological improvements. I took that risk and accepted the costs because it was essential to stay competitive due to the fact that technology changes daily. Improvement happened quickly enough. But now, I have no ability to stay with the curve. If I stay in business, how will I ever catch up after the “recession years” held me back? The price I receive for logging jobs is now the same as it was 25 years ago. The same rates!
Every expense has inflated in the last 10 years. My company health care package has increased 29% for 5 years straight. Fuel costs were outrageously high & unchecked for over 5 years. Yet with all the increases, I have not seen an increase in the price of timber in over 25 years. In the healthcare field, technology improves minute by minute because larger companies like GE put aside money to develop tools for healthcare. With this idea, the public realizes and accepts that the constantly rising healthcare costs are necessary to keep up with the ever changing technology. This industry has never been expected to absorb the ever increasing cost for the new technology because they have always just passed it on to us. This seems to me the perfect time to change our antiquated way of thinking. In other words, this country is no longer small business friendly and it will continually be our downfall unless big brother demand some changes- and soon.
Why is this being allowed? Why are we paying athletes obscene amounts of money and driving doctors out of business with liability insurance premiums? Why are we all allowing this to continue? In my opinion, we should be paying doctors the amounts athletes receive.
Here's what I think we should do to change the course of America: First, let’s start with sending aid to the severely needful Haiti. As taxpayers, we will pay for a portion of the aid packages, no matter what. I am agreeing that this must be done because we will be spending a certain amount on it anyway. Haiti, hopefully, will rebuild in the near future. But here’s a revolutionary thought for this century, let’s send products made in the USA, by Americans, to help stimulate our economy.
The government has freely wasted TRILLIONS of dollars saving the banks and Wall Street firms (we all know they needed the money more than Haiti, poor guys.) but why not, now, put some money where it might actually make a difference. Have the government pay fair price (not the overly increased stimulus projects prices) for products the Haitians will need. The amount of wood products they will need to rebuild would keep my industry busy for a year. Don't misunderstand me because not just the logger will get the work. A multitude of small businesses and workers attached to our industry will benefit from this kind of work. We need start the cash flow happening again for small businesses. We could come up with a list of American made products that Haiti will need, and make our aid package a double benefit. This sort of thinking is extinct in our government and current politician's minds but I’m confident that we can change that if we demand it.
The second part is more of a dream but boy would it be a good one. Send the criminals that call themselves CEO's and investment brokers of the big banks and Wall Street firms, and make them fund the project with the money they stole from us. Part of their punishment should be going to Haiti and physically helping those people rebuild. I honestly believe that it would do them some good because not one of them knows what a hard day’s work is.
How it is that Obama receives & proudly accepts the Noble Peace Prize, but so far hasn’t done anything for humanity but destroy the American Dream? (Besides being a convincing orator, I haven’t seen Obama’s contribution to humanity) The rate he’s going so far, the only legacy Obama will have is his success in turning the United States into the another third world country. For anyone not sure what that would look like or what that means, here’s a brief description: there will be even fewer people with immense wealth, while the majority will be in immense poverty, and our country will be paralyzed due to stifled innovation. If anyone thinks that is impossible for our country, I suggest you call up a small business owner and ask their opinion.
This letter may sound angry, I am! I am very scared! It seems things are falling apart. I see and hear of more and more people struggling everyday. I am concerned for my kids and my grandchildren. More of us need to speak up, what it is going to take to get our politicians to listen to us.
Respectfully,
Jay Browning
Owner
