Four years ago today

[Toots_mcgee]

My dad worked the night shift at a local mining operation, got off at 6:00am and opened his business and worked until 1:00pm when my uncle would relieve him.

He did that for 15 years. Two full time jobs. Then quit his job and had 3-4 businesses for the next few decades. I saw how exhausted and consumed he was with his companies and this encouraged me to get educated and work for corporate America.

After 13 years of that I realized how insignificant corporate America really is and took a huge pay cut to teach and coach.

Now my son has two thriving local businesses after getting 10 years of his own corporate experience. We all were educated by public schools, have a work ethic, yet still believe in government programs to help people who haven’t been as fortunate as we are.

Conservatives aren’t the only ones with great work ethics.

 

[65TPT]

Running a business isn’t for everyone. To thrive as a country we also need workers who are educated and life long learners. The public school systems in the USA educating every child instead of just the chosen was a huge advantage for our nation.

That’s a socialistic concept that a lot of conservatives still don’t want to fund. Yet when they look to move to a new state, the first thing most look at is the quality of the local schools.

And this is why I am in the middle. Because even though I support a lot of conservative stances, I do not support their view on education or trying to take away teacher retirement.

 

[65TPT]

My dad worked the night shift at a local mining operation, got off at 6:00am and opened his business and worked until 1:00pm when my uncle would relieve him.

He did that for 15 years. Two full time jobs. Then quit his job and had 3-4 businesses for the next few decades. I saw how exhausted and consumed he was with his companies and this encouraged me to get educated and work for corporate America.

After 13 years of that I realized how insignificant corporate America really is and took a huge pay cut to teach and coach.

Now my son has two thriving local businesses after getting 10 years of his own corporate experience. We all were educated by public schools, have a work ethic, yet still believe in government programs to help people who haven’t been as fortunate as we are.

Conservatives aren’t the only ones with great work ethics.

You just made my point. I'm sure your son is successful because of his work ethic. Not because the government gave him handouts. If you are willing to work in this country and are financially literate you can thrive in this country. My complaint is the people that claim to be a victim because they weren't dealt the same hand as someone else. People teach their kids that it's someone else's responsibility to provide for them. And then think the government should hand over money to them to feed their bad habits. Finance is not taught in school enough. People can't manage money.

Everyone has a different perspective on life. To some it may be how much money they can make and how many businesses they own. Others may be spending time with their family and giving up the grind to have more family time. Others may be to do the bare minimum and spend time doing things with friends. Whatever it is that's fine, just don't complain when someone else has more than you. Being a multi millionaire isn't important to me, I love being close to my parents and wife's family. But I'm not going to complain about what Jeff Bezos is or isn't paying in on taxes.

 

[Toots_mcgee]

I don’t think there are as many freeloaders as you think there are. Most want to work and contribute. But I know there were a LOT of businesses that abused the PPP loan forgiveness for thousands of dollars and folks didn’t seem to even care.

I know people who lost their homes and didn’t get bailed out like the bankers in 2008.

But send someone $600 to feed their kids during the pandemic and we are suddenly a socialistic nation and will never recover.

 

[r14veer]

I think part of the reasons start-ups fail is because people don't fully understand what being a business owner is. They see Bezos and Elon Musk or maybe even their own CEO and think that in a year or two they'll get to where they're not working 60-80 hours a week. But the fact is, most of the time to start a company from the ground up, you have to be willing to work 60-80 hours. You don't have to build a billion dollar corporation to create a good living. I know a lot of small business owners that live well, but I also know the headaches they have to deal with as well. Is it worth it? To them it is, to others it isn't. It's your choice and outlook on what you truly want.

That is some of it for sure.

 

[Expect2Win]

All of this complaints about freeloaders but these same people are OK with the ppp freeloaders?

 

[65TPT]

All of this complaints about freeloaders but these same people are OK with the ppp freeloaders?

Did some businesses take advantage of the PPP, yes. Did it keep other businesses and their employees afloat, yes. A lot of them had to use that money to pay for employees sick leave. People were taking advantage of covid and would say they "were in contact" with someone who had it and then take their 5 paid days off. And they would do it over and over. Were there companies that didn't have to pay sick leave because they had good honest employees, yes. There were just as many that had a bunch that would abuse the COVID leave. It went both ways for sure. Heck at the start of COVID I think it was 10 days off. Companies had to pay that time off if you were in quarantine.

But again this brings me back to my point of everyone thinks it's great being a business owner. You have just as much opportunity as any other person. As stated earlier, businesses need employees to thrive and I get that. Just don't complain if you want to be the employee and not the business owner. All the employees do is complain how hard they work and how they're getting screwed by the business and blah blah. Then go become the owner. Work 60-80 hours a week for years trying to make it on your own.

 

[Expect2Win]

Did some businesses take advantage of the PPP, yes. Did it keep other businesses and their employees afloat, yes. A lot of them had to use that money to pay for employees sick leave. People were taking advantage of covid and would say they "were in contact" with someone who had it and then take their 5 paid days off. And they would do it over and over. Were there companies that didn't have to pay sick leave because they had good honest employees, yes. There were just as many that had a bunch that would abuse the COVID leave. It went both ways for sure. Heck at the start of COVID I think it was 10 days off. Companies had to pay that time off if you were in quarantine.

But again this brings me back to my point of everyone thinks it's great being a business owner. You have just as much opportunity as any other person. As stated earlier, businesses need employees to thrive and I get that. Just don't complain if you want to be the employee and not the business owner. All the employees do is complain how hard they work and how they're getting screwed by the business and blah blah. Then go become the owner. Work 60-80 hours a week for years trying to make it on your own.

Interesting how that again becomes about individual freeloaders.

 

[65TPT]

Interesting how that again becomes about individual freeloaders.

If you don't think it happened then you are blind. That or I guess wherever you live has actual honest citizens, but it sure wasn't that way around here. I know many people that took advantage of the "Quarantine"

 

[Expect2Win]

If you don't think it happened then you are blind. That or I guess wherever you live has actual honest citizens, but it sure wasn't that way around here. I know many people that took advantage of the "Quarantine"

Not saying that didn't happen.
I am saying that you defended businesses taking advantage of PPP by blaming individual freeloaders.
How about the congress members who took advantage? Were those the freeloaders too?

 

[65TPT]

Not saying that didn't happen.
I am saying that you defended businesses taking advantage of PPP by blaming individual freeloaders.
How about the congress members who took advantage? Were those the freeloaders too?

You must not be able to read very well. Because my first sentence said "Did some businesses take advantage of the PPP, yes." That is not defending businesses. What I was arguing is that for some businesses it allowed them to pay their employees that had to Quarantine and they were forced to pay it.

 

[Expect2Win]

1 sentence out of that diatribe was about the businesses that didn't need it or use it properly.
Then you go on to talk about individuals cheating the system again.

PPP fraud is ‘worst in history’: $200B stolen and blown on Lamborghinis, beach houses and bling

Justice might finally be catching up with some of the fraudsters: A total of 803 arrests have taken place as of May 2023 for pandemic fraud, according to the SBA.

nypost.com

Please tell me more about the welfare queens.

 

[65TPT]

1 sentence out of that diatribe was about the businesses that didn't need it or use it properly.
Then you go on to talk about individuals cheating the system again.

PPP fraud is ‘worst in history’: $200B stolen and blown on Lamborghinis, beach houses and bling

Justice might finally be catching up with some of the fraudsters: A total of 803 arrests have taken place as of May 2023 for pandemic fraud, according to the SBA.

nypost.com

Please tell me more about the welfare queens.

Well in order to explain how PPP helped businesses and wasn't abused by all I did have to type more than one sentence. And you post an article about people getting arrested for Fraud and I say good! I hope they all are. You act like I defend fraud and cheating. I'm simply stating I know a lot of our small local businesses and their employees that benefited from it. When people were actually sick and their employers were able to pay them because of the PPP. And I also know businesses that were forced to pay employees multiple times because they had to "Quarantine" because they "came in contact with someone with covid."

The simple point is there are bad guys on both sides. There were people that didn't go back to work because they were getting $900/week in unemployment or they would fake being sick, and there were also businesses that didn't have to use the PPP money because their employees didn't fake being sick or they abused the PPP money. But its always about you all complaining. It's always the businesses have it so much better than the employee. Then go be a business owner!!

 

[Veer2Eternity]

Well in order to explain how PPP helped businesses and wasn't abused by all I did have to type more than one sentence. And you post an article about people getting arrested for Fraud and I say good! I hope they all are. You act like I defend fraud and cheating. I'm simply stating I know a lot of our small local businesses and their employees that benefited from it. When people were actually sick and their employers were able to pay them because of the PPP. And I also know businesses that were forced to pay employees multiple times because they had to "Quarantine" because they "came in contact with someone with covid."

The simple point is there are bad guys on both sides. There were people that didn't go back to work because they were getting $900/week in unemployment or they would fake being sick, and there were also businesses that didn't have to use the PPP money because their employees didn't fake being sick or they abused the PPP money. But its always about you all complaining. It's always the businesses have it so much better than the employee. Then go be a business owner!!

https://nypost.com/2023/07/14/ppp-f...0b-stolen-splurged-on-lamborghinis-and-bling/

 

[65TPT]

https://nypost.com/2023/07/14/ppp-f...0b-stolen-splurged-on-lamborghinis-and-bling/

That is literally the same article that he posted lol. I'm confused on what your point is. I literally said good! in the above post.

 

[Veer2Eternity]

That is literally the same article that he posted lol. I'm confused on what your point is. I literally said good! in the above post.

MANY business people are flat out crooks. I'm guessing the % matches or exceeds the non-business owner.

I get it man. You're a business owner and want the accolades. The fact is that the vast majority of business owners have had some kind of 'help' along the way be it family, government or whatever.

The picture you paint of lazy people skimming the programs happens the same amount or more among business owners.

 

[65TPT]

MANY business people are flat out crooks. I'm guessing the % matches or exceeds the non-business owner.

I get it man. You're a business owner and want the accolades. The fact is that the vast majority of business owners have had some kind of 'help' along the way be it family, government or whatever.

The picture you paint of lazy people skimming the programs happens the same amount or more among business owners.

And I never have said that it doesn't. I literally stated above that there are bad guys on both sides. Just don't constantly complain about business owners. Everyone has the same opportunity, yet people sit here and complain how they are constantly getting screwed.

And I actually don't work for myself full time. I still work as an employee for a company, work part time for a cleaning company that I've worked at since I was 15, have started growing a business on the side that I hope one day will replace my 9-5 and manage rental properties. My point is anybody can do that, but it all depends on how willing you are to do it.

I know a lot of business owner who inherited what their parents or grandparents created and did nothing to build it. I also know a lot that started with nothing. The guy I use for a plumber on my rentals found out his company was going out of business and the next week started his company from nothing and is now doing great. The guy I mowed for in high school and college started his business at 20 years old and has now grown it into a multi million dollar lawn and landscaping company. A guy I went to school with traveled the US painting bridges working 6-12s for 5 years to come back home and open a company because they managed their money to help them get it started. The kid graduated at almost the bottom of our class and is doing great with his business. I don't say this for any accolades, I say it because anybody can do it. But all people want to do is complain about the business owners. I just have respect for most of them because I know the risks they had to take and what they had to do when they started.

 

[Veer2Eternity]

And I never have said that it doesn't. I literally stated above that there are bad guys on both sides. Just don't constantly complain about business owners. Everyone has the same opportunity, yet people sit here and complain how they are constantly getting screwed.

And I actually don't work for myself full time. I still work as an employee for a company, work part time for a cleaning company that I've worked at since I was 15, have started growing a business on the side that I hope one day will replace my 9-5 and manage rental properties. My point is anybody can do that, but it all depends on how willing you are to do it.

I know a lot of business owner who inherited what their parents or grandparents created and did nothing to build it. I also know a lot that started with nothing. The guy I use for a plumber on my rentals found out his company was going out of business and the next week started his company from nothing and is now doing great. The guy I mowed for in high school and college started his business at 20 years old and has now grown it into a multi million dollar lawn and landscaping company. A guy I went to school with traveled the US painting bridges working 6-12s for 5 years to come back home and open a company because they managed their money to help them get it started. The kid graduated at almost the bottom of our class and is doing great with his business. I don't say this for any accolades, I say it because anybody can do it. But all people want to do is complain about the business owners. I just have respect for most of them because I know the risks they had to take and what they had to do when they started.

Ok ok ill let you have the last word. I do that with my mother in law too.

 

[Expect2Win]

I don't hear anyone complaining about small business owners the way I hear complaints about the welfare queens abusing the system.
Now do we complain about corporations, and the billionaires, yes.

 

[HomeyR]

I don't hear anyone complaining about small business owners the way I hear complaints about the welfare queens abusing the system.
Now do we complain about corporations, and the billionaires, yes.

How quickly you forget... corporate welfare is totally acceptable.

 

[Toots_mcgee]

This is ALL Joe Biden’s fault—just like when the egg companies got busted for fixing prices.