Griping
I have a couple gripes.
Apple just released their third version of the Iphone in as many years, the 3Gs. I find Apple’s Iphone strategy rather annoying. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Iphone and the 3.0 software update adds to the goodness although there are some more annoyances there as well, but lets just talk hardware for now.
The good news about the 3Gs is the camera has been upgraded and OFFICIALLY supports shooting video. What angers me about this is the lack of “official” Iphone support for video with the camera on the older models. The existing camera works just fine for shooting video as evidenced by the jailbroken Iphones that shoot video easily. However Apple has chosen to not turn it on and instead wants to tie it into new hardware.
I think it is pretty shitty to force customers (that don’t want to hack their phones) to buy yet another new phone to get a feature that has been available on many lesser phones for YEARS already. I mean cut me a break. Yes surely this is all part of the Apple master plan for keeping their bottom line sufficiently plump but it annoys me, a lot. I don’t want to buy a new phone every year.
Like I mentioned, the 3.0 software update has a lot of nice features like cut and paste, landscape mode typing for more apps and even tethering! For those that don’t know what tethering is, it means you are able to use your Iphone as a gateway to connect a computer or laptop to the internet. Again this is a feature that other phones have offered for years. Hell I could do it on my Treo 650. However there is one small catch. The feature is available but AT&T won’t support it in the US! WTF?? That is total bullshit. Between our two phones I spend over $130 a month but because AT&T wants to be stingy with their 3G bandwidth they won’t allow their customers to tether? This is just another reason it is ridiculous that the Iphone has been enslaved to only one carrier. There is no competition for them so they can dick with Iphone customers as much as they please.
Again I love my Iphone, I do not love Apple or AT&T.
Gripe number two. Companies and government manipulating the current short term economic situation into long term gains. Example in point here in Collier County, fees. County government has been crying the blues about getting less money in their coffers because of the huge decrease in property tax revenues. Of course when their funds were increasing 15-20% every year for a half decade or more they had no complaints and did the best they could to spend every penny, in many cases in a wasteful manner. Well now that money is tight their answer is to invent new fees.
They want to do all sorts of fun things like require permits and inspections for individuals wanting to install water heaters, require a full code inspection for any house that is on the market before it is sold and the most annoying of all, institute a $75 fee for residents that want to use the county beaches. This sort of practice infuriates me and this is why. Governments use the economic downturn as the reason for the need to invent all of these new fees and charges. The problem arises when economic prosperity returns, property values increase yet all of these fees and charges that were invented to help the short term funding issue are never removed.
The same shit is happening with local businesses. As my mom can tell you they are laying off people left and right, cutting salaries, cutting benefits again all in the name of economic hardship. Once that hardship passes do you think the employees will magically have their salaries and benefits restored to their prior levels? Of course not, at least not until long after the cash has been rolling back in.
Instead of the owners of these businesses tightening their belts, maybe buying one less exotic sports car, yacht or private plane they instead hack and slash at the people on the front line. It’s far easier than making a concerted effort to streamline business practices to maximize efficiency.
It’s a dirty practice that seems to be happening almost everywhere.
Sir Randall
Your griping reminded me of this:
To All My Valued Employees,
There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.
However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.
First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a Back Story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You’ve seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I’m sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.
However, what you don’t see is the BACK STORY:
I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn’t have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business — hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom’s for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn’t look like it was birthed in the 70’s. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.
So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don’t. There is no “off” button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden — the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations… you never realize the Back Story and the sacrifices I’ve made.
Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn’t. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.
Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I’ve paid is steep and not without wounds.
Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:
I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don’t pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my “stimulus” check was? Zero.. Nada. Zilch.
The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.
The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you’d quit and you wouldn’t work here. I mean, why should you? That’s nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.
Here is what many of you don’t understand … to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn’t need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don’t defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.
So where am I going with all this?
It’s quite simple.
If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I’ll fire you. I’ll fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child’s future. Frankly, it isn’t my problem any more.
Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I’m done. I’m done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.
So, if you lose your job, it won’t be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about….
Signed, THE BOSS