D.J. and Marie started a small bakery delivering fresh bread and rolls to local restaurants. They began on a shoe string budget with four employees. D.J. made all the deliveries and Marie ran the day to day operation. After expenses and the employees were paid, there was hardly anything left for D.J. and Marie. They couldn’t afford an apartment and actually used the office as their bedroom for four years. It was only after the business had grown and expanded that they were able to rent an apartment. Because delivery were the only way for product to get into the hands of customers, four delivery drivers were hired in first two years. More bakers were needed. Payroll and expenses increased exponentially, but not the personal income of D.J. and Marie.
Today, eight years later, D.J. and Marie are finally earning an income that they deserve. They purchased their first home and D.J. no longer needs to drive the company van as his personal vehicle. In their eight years of existence no employee missed a paycheck and their benefits were never cancelled for failure to pay the premiums. D.J. and Marie were model employers. They endured eight years of sacrifice, including four years of hand to mouth existence. And just when they are finally turning the corner and reaping the benefits of their hard work, along comes Barack Obama telling them they need to “spread the wealth around.” Obama’s future Vice-President even said it is partiotic to pay more in taxes. Marie’s response? “Our employees never had to worry about their paycheck, but D.J. and I often had to bum meals off of our family, and we lived in our office for four years. We are the ones who took all the risk and suffered financially. Why should we have to help support those who would never take such a risk?”
Small business owners like D.J. and Marie, share a common bond. The infancy of any new enterprise is its most dangerous stage. Will the business survive? The employees make more than the owners. If the business fails, the employees can get another job while the owners often have to declare bankruptcy and endure the emotional toll of failure. Small business provides more entry level jobs than any other business segment. The experience that will carry many to further success and accomplishment is often honed in small businesses. When taxes go up for small business owners, whether on personal income or business profits, it puts jobs at risk. D.J. and Marie are in agreement that if their taxes go up then an employee or two will likely lose their jobs. Unpatriotic? Joe Biden thinks so.
