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Occupy Wall Street Is No Friend of Small Business

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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While many small-business owners share some populist anger at Wall Street banks, they should look closely at the protestors' positions before aligning themselves with the movement.

More...
 
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poznahv

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Well as a citizen you should protest from time to time. Don't expect anything out of it tough.
 

s_sherrell

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Do most people know how America boomed in the 1950 to 1980 when top marginal tax rates were 75% to 91%? Why there was plenty of good high paying jobs, pensions, one income house holds, a plethora of local small business owners?
Do you know who it was 'redistributing' the wealth during those decades? I have worked on Republican and Democratic campaigns, so it is not an ideology it is just facts. I can tell you the answers, but I never understand why people can say high taxes kill jobs when we had the highest levels of employment when the taxes were the highest. Deregulation is the answer? Ever hear about the Robber Barrons of the 1890's or the little thing called the Great Depression in 1920's? Blame the unions for the ills of our economy? Gave us non-union folks the 5 day work week, vacations, sick days, safe working environments, employer helath care.
Do not call me a lefty by any stretch. I do not believe we will ever get back to those days when everyone believed in the 'American Dream'. I just can't stand the total ignorance of history. I beleive it is just that though, history. We are going to have to forge a new economy and reality. We must become owners of our own businesses to make it in the 21st century. Tha being said, is it fair that Walmart (and other big box stores) gets to keep the sales tax we pay at the register for themselves? While if you or I start a hardware store in town we can't get the same deal. Is that worth getting upset about? You could price products lower than them, but since they are keeping say the 7% sales tax, we will always lose. I understand why unemployed and small business owners support OWS. Our government has been bought by huge corporations and they call the shots. Instead of marching I choose to forge new businesses that operate outside their rules. That is why I am here, but I certainly understand the anger.
 
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77startup

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Maybe because they didn't have Odesk in 1950 - 1980? I simply don't understand how OWS supporters think anything good will come from raising taxes. You can't recreate the world of 1950-1980. It's a global economy now.
 

s_sherrell

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You want to compete in a global economy? Do you know that Chinese manufacturers are now outsourcing to parts of Africa where they literally have slave labor? Yep, they found it even cheaper than paying their workers $5/day.
Nothing good from raising taxes? Ask Greece what happens when no one pays taxes.
You would see the return of local mom and pop corner shops at least. I still love the idea of family run businesses. That is very possible.
I just don't see manufacturing jobs coming back no matter what though. The assembly line was revolutionary in its day, but not anymore. We need to stop preparing our children for an industrial model that has passed.

Maybe because they didn't have Odesk in 1950 - 1980? I simply don't understand how OWS supporters think anything good will come from raising taxes. You can't recreate the world of 1950-1980. It's a global economy now.
 

Graves

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Do most people know how America boomed in the 1950 to 1980 when top marginal tax rates were 75% to 91%? Why there was plenty of good high paying jobs, pensions, one income house holds, a plethora of local small business owners?
Correlation does not imply causation...
 
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s_sherrell

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Correlation does not imply causation...

Umm, it sure does.
In today's terms the top rate kicked in after $3.2million. What did people do once they got to that income? Now of course there were plenty of loopholes to use to avoid paying those full rates then as well. However the mark was still there and it did what FDR originally wanted to do. Ask what you would do after you hit $3.2mil and were faced with a 91% tax on everything going forward? First you would try to get around it as best you could, but there comes a point when you just can do so much. So all that extra money went back into the business instead of being cashed out to executives. That is why average workers had pensions, higher wages (thus the house wives and all those soap operas were invented), took those long vacations, and save money as well.
That also meant there were more entrepreneurs. A worker could 'retire' with a pension at 45 in some instances. Say they worked in a powder coating shop. Since they had money saved and were pretty set with a pension, it was popular to start their own smaller shop and hire a few workers. They wouldn't be as big as their employer, but they would be a local business owner. More of those guys started little bait and tackles or bought bowling alleys, etc. Churches and charities would get flush with donations from the working masses as well. They had the money to do it. This is not theory, that is just the way things worked back then.
Now make no mistake, this was government maybe not redistributing wealth, but it did manipulate wealth by the tax code. Those days are gone and not coming back like I have said. We all have to learn to play by the current rules and dominate to win. Now, because the rich can keep so much more of their money to an unlimited degree, it makes sense to keep making more and more. If I can make 3.2mil or 32mil and only pay 15% (if that) then of course I am going to get mine! If you aint got it, go get your own.
So OWS whether they know it or not was taught to believe a system that is no longer in place. That is why I said our education must change. If you are going to win this game the way it is setup now then you must be the owner, not the worker. However, I do understand the anger. The top 1% share of income has gone up nearly 300% since 1980 while workers have nearly flat lined. Again it is based on the tax structure. Our workers have been more productive and with less to show for it. They just can't figure out why. Now you know.
 

77startup

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You want to compete in a global economy? Do you know that Chinese manufacturers are now outsourcing to parts of Africa where they literally have slave labor? Yep, they found it even cheaper than paying their workers $5/day.
Nothing good from raising taxes? Ask Greece what happens when no one pays taxes.
You would see the return of local mom and pop corner shops at least. I still love the idea of family run businesses. That is very possible.
I just don't see manufacturing jobs coming back no matter what though. The assembly line was revolutionary in its day, but not anymore. We need to stop preparing our children for an industrial model that has passed.

Tell that to the Euro zone. They have way higher taxes on businesses and they are worse off then we are. Nonsense.
 

kahem89

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I live in a country with the taxes and i can tell you, if we didn't have oil pumping out our ears, we would be a larger problem than Greece. Our national budget Is 400 000 NOK pr citizen which is about 73 000 USD.

For you who think of Socialism and history, why not study Stalingrad(not US history, the capitalistic nation).
 
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s_sherrell

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Tell that to the Euro zone. They have way higher taxes on businesses and they are worse off then we are. Nonsense.

Funny that all we hear in America is that our business taxes are higher than competing nations. Can't have it both ways. The only thing that makes Europe worse than US is not the tax rates, it is our ability to print money (which will lead to inflation). Europe banded together and are on the Euro. They do not have the ability to do so.
I can talk Greece, Spain, or France. It is just that Greece is the most news worthy right now. Greece simply lied about their debt to get on the Euro. They needed 3% debt to GDP, and magically that is what appeared on their application. As for taxes about 64% of the country files as self employec. For example about half the doctors in Greece claim to earn less than $13,000. That exempts them from all taxes. Having a high tax rate and what is collected are not the same thing.
Please understand, I am not advocating higher taxes as a way to punish people. It is just that we have been lied to about what is going on. Government and all its regualtions are really bad...until you want the courts to enforce your contract and make your debtors pay you. Or if your house catches on fire. Just saying there is a reason we need to collect taxes to have a functioning and competitive society. There has never been a time in American history when we had a recession due to high taxes. Before you say how about Carter in 1978, that was inflation. America ran up the credit card on a silly little war in Viet Nam. Had to eventually pay for that. About as dumb as starting 2 middle east wars and cutting taxes at the same time!
I guess what I am saying is don't believe the junk either side tries to feed you. Study for yourself. Don't sit around and complain though. Figure out the loop holes and go make some freaking money!
 

Russ H

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Funny that all we hear in America is that our business taxes are higher than competing nations. Can't have it both ways. The only thing that makes Europe worse than US is not the tax rates, it is our ability to print money (which will lead to inflation). Europe banded together and are on the Euro. They do not have the ability to do so.
I can talk Greece, Spain, or France. It is just that Greece is the most news worthy right now. Greece simply lied about their debt to get on the Euro. They needed 3% debt to GDP, and magically that is what appeared on their application. As for taxes about 64% of the country files as self employec. For example about half the doctors in Greece claim to earn less than $13,000. That exempts them from all taxes. Having a high tax rate and what is collected are not the same thing.
Please understand, I am not advocating higher taxes as a way to punish people. It is just that we have been lied to about what is going on. Government and all its regualtions are really bad...until you want the courts to enforce your contract and make your debtors pay you. Or if your house catches on fire. Just saying there is a reason we need to collect taxes to have a functioning and competitive society. There has never been a time in American history when we had a recession due to high taxes. Before you say how about Carter in 1978, that was inflation. America ran up the credit card on a silly little war in Viet Nam. Had to eventually pay for that. About as dumb as starting 2 middle east wars and cutting taxes at the same time!
I guess what I am saying is don't believe the junk either side tries to feed you. Study for yourself. Don't sit around and complain though. Figure out the loop holes and go make some freaking money!

No more parking for you. Rep speed + + +

I agree with most of what you've said-- for different reasons.

By far the most valuable point you've made (in my opinion) is that politics has little/nothing to do w/what's going on.

I've always been amazed at the really smart people (some on these forums) who think political parties or candidates are the ones that are making the rules/goofing things up. Aint so.

Politicians have become a foil/smoke screen-- someone/something for people to root for, to blame-- to find fault in-- while the folks behind the curtain (ie, those really running the show) get to move forward and do what they want.

If any of you are big proponents of one political party over another, I'd urge you to study history. PLEASE. It may change your life, in how you move forward, and how you make money.

Money can be made from any political environment. Staggering amounts of money have been made in the past 3 years, during this economic crisis. But most of the folks who are making the money are not bragging about it-- they're adding to the smoke screen (which totally makes sense, if you think about it-- who would want others to see what is happening, if you're making millions or even billions on things-- better to keep cranking away, and hope that you can do it a while longer before someone figures it out).

My compliments to all who have posted on this thread and kept it "clean" of politics. Bravo.

Making money-- and lots of other economic things-- are not about politics.

Politics are little more than a sporting event-- Bread and Circuses-- to keep the masses talking/distracted from what is really going on.

-Russ H.
 

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