There are those at the top, the Goldmanites, the Wall Streeters, the
shakers and the movers behind the scenes.
Then there are the rest of us. The small business owner. The employee
punching the time clock. The nurse working a 12 hour shift. The fireman,
who gets off work, to just go across town to start his EMS job.
The hairdresser who can't go to the doctor, who has to pay all her Social
Security, and never has enough of anything.
The young man who mows yards all summer. Chops wood, and clears brush
in the winter.
All those that work a job, toil everyday for your family, yourself,
just to survive.
We don't want a giant mansion or a Lear jet. Just a nice home for our
families, enough food, some entertainment, a movie once in a while.
Maybe a trip somewhere.
Maybe a hobby, like boating, or motorcycling, or riding a horse. Or
hunting, fishing, nothing big or grand. Maybe you are a college football
fan and like to go to tailgate parties.
I don't think most folks are greedy, or want too much. So what seems
to be the problem. It seems to me that there is too much greed on the
top side.
And then there are those at the top. The ones who collected billions of
dollars to, well I am not really sure where all that Tarp money went. It
certainly did not go to small business investment. Being a small business
owner, My Chase credit card cut my credit line by 80%, same story everyone
else has, no reason, used the card, payed it off every month. But the credit
line went from $15.000 to $3700. I got it boosted back up to $5000, then they
sent me a letter about how great it was that my credit limit was raised from
$3700 to $5000. Somewhere in there, the original $15.000 limit just got
forgot about, credit card companies have short memories, unless you have an
outstanding balance, then they never forget.
So there are those who fly around in their corporate jets, and get millions
of dollars in bonuses for being criminals and stealing from us, or anyone
who would put money in their greedy hands.
I am blown away at the sheer audacity of these others, these banksters/thieves/speculators/criminals/etc.
Everyday for a small company it is a constant struggle. I am not greedy. I just want to be able to pay my bills, take care of my employee's and customer's and make a decent living for my family.
That used not be asking for too much. But these days, I feel it trying to all slip away, no matter how tightly I hold the rope, or how much I cut corners, or advertise, or wring my hands in frustration.
It just comes down to the gilded group which most are not members of, and the
rest of us, down here in the pits, shoving and fighting and struggling for our
corner on the train we know not to where it heads.
We all continue to lurch forward, each one of us trying to survive, live
a decent life, be a good person, be a good business, be a member of the
whole hive. The few at the top care nothing for our struggles or pain or
suffering, it has become an age of the haves and the have not.
Even so, I would rather be one of the many, than one of the few. The
few who seem to have endless greed, and endless choices to inflict pain and
suffering on the many.
I have went on too long, sorry for the rant, but sometimes being a small business
in this time just seems like I am hitting a wall. And rather than bouncing off, the
wall is pushing me back, back tighter and tighter, until I am squished and out of
breath.
If you made it to the end of this diary, thanks for reading. I just had to
rant, it doesn't solve any problems, but sometimes it makes the writer feel
better to share their frustrations. Really, double thanks for reading, it seems
most people don't care much about a small business owner, even though we supply
most of the jobs in this country. I guess most folks think if you own
your own business you are probably rich or something. With leadership comes
great responsibility and it can weigh heavy on a person. Not only are you
responsible for yourself, but your employee's as well.
I am sure this diary will fall off the recent list quickly enough, but if
you were one of the few that read this, please remember small businesses are
the backbone of this country, and many of us are struggling, and about ready
give up. Wouldn't that be a travesty. Maybe nobody will notice, until
there are vacant buildings and empty store fronts. What's it gonna take to
get noticed, a total meltdown? Small Business Owners need help too.