Politics & Small Businesses & Getting Involved

If I looked back at myself about 5 years ago I can honestly say I had no interest in politics. Short of the guy sitting in the white house and a vague understanding of the governor of my state & that stuff I learned in Civics class in Jr. High, that's about as far as my interest went.

....and then came the business.

Nearly 5 years ago I started Utah Biodiesel Supply and since doing so I've noticed my interest in politics had changed dramatically.

Why you ask? Perhaps it's because so much of what politics is and does effects small businesses in the United States. But why should anyone care? Well, because it's the small businesses in the US that employ the lion share of the country.

Make life miserable for small businesses here in the US and you can bet it'll effect literally millions of people.

Granted, I'm not a die hard this or that, but when it comes to how politics effect the way I can operate a profitable business it definitely get's my attention.


Let's talk tax policy for a minute.
Under the current administration in the White House, there's a certain tax strategy that's being debated about how to tax individuals. If an individual earns over $250K, then they're going to be taxed at a higher amount.

Well, the majority of small businesses in the US are either sole proprietorships, partnerships, or s-corporations. This means that 100% of the profit that the companies make are directly impacted on the taxes of the owners of the companies.

Now, spread out how many owners own a company and it doesn't get as bad, but if just a few people are "owners" and if that business makes more than $250K a year, that means under the proposed plan these "successful businesses" are going to be penalized. I believe unfairly penalized too.

Let's see, so you start a business, work your guts out trying to make it grow and just as you get it growing the feds step in & whack you over the hand & penalize you if you hit that $250K thresh hold. So, where's the incentive to grow? Where's the purpose to get that big? What's the point?

Also, until I owned a business and started writing BIG, HUGE checks to the federal government for income taxes, I really didn't care much about tax policy. I do now!

It also impacts my view on what they're doing with "my money". I sent the Feds a hell of a lot of money this year. More money than I ever made working for someone else....ever! That's a ton of money that I could have invested in my business to help it continue to grow.

But now I get to watch as the feds piss it away through corporate bail-outs or through all the other things I wish they would've reconsidered. Now, is it all one parties fault? No. But, you know what? What are you going to do about it?

Well, if you do nothing, then you can't complain. That's the first thing. But, if it makes you mad, THEN WRITE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS! You helped elect these people to represent YOU! Email them! Write them! Call them! But for Pete's sake, don't just sit there & whine and complain! Get off your duff & do something about it!

I just choose to "do something about it" on a regular basis. I've written my congressman several times to convey my feelings about what's going on about numerous issues. I think everyone should. How else will they know what YOUR views are? How will they know how to properly represent YOU, their constituents?

I regularly contact my city representatives, state representatives and federal representatives. Want to see who yours are? Just go here...

List of US Senators:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Contacting Congress:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

So what are you waiting for? It really couldn't be any easier! You can even email them right from those links.

So, yes, it took running a business to get me involved, but it's not too late for you if you haven't started. If you like what the government is doing, then write & tell them. If you don't like it, then write & tell them! In other words, get involved.

In other words, you either choose to be involved in government or you choose not to. That's the beauty of this great nation of ours. It's OUR nation. It's OUR choice.

I heard a great quote a while back that goes like this. "Bad things happen when good people choose to do nothing". What will your choice be?