U.S. businesses are being destroyed faster than they’re being created

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

Small businesses are doing fine and the price of your home will go up indefinitely, and faster than the rate of inflation.

Stop being lazy. What's next, unionizing?

"Keep them busy so they won't pay attention to lies" - Pharaoh in reference to the enslaved Jews

Ever wonder why free thinking, "individualistic" people are so often encouraged to start small businesses? All small businesses work for the same conglomerate anyways, at the end of the day. Keep them busy.

a reply to: DARKJEDIG

Bank of America, from my point of view, is a criminal organization and has been as long as I could remember. They confiscated my account after it had been inactive for a year or so. They just helped themselves to my money. That was 40 years ago.

I think they have also been busted for foreclosing on homes they didn't own. I would pull my money out of there and try out a local credit union. You may also need to lawyer up. Gather you documentation and proof. The bank will have to prove you actually signed up for their card. If they have no signature on record, you should prevail.

Hopefully a letter from your lawyer will sober them up, or some small claims court activity. This guy actually got a lien put in on a local branch and the sheriff was going to confiscate the banks assets. One small victory for the good guys.

archive.digtriad.com...

originally posted by: DrinkMoreWater
a reply to: bobs_uruncle

Small businesses are doing fine and the price of your home will go up indefinitely, and faster than the rate of inflation.

Stop being lazy. What's next, unionizing?

"Keep them busy so they won't pay attention to lies" - Pharaoh in reference to the enslaved Jews

Ever wonder why free thinking, "individualistic" people are so often encouraged to start small businesses? All small businesses work for the same conglomerate anyways, at the end of the day. Keep them busy.

No, small businesses are not doing fine, I have been seeing very definite increases in "for rent" signs of commercial properties after a business fails and higher numbers of businesses going broke and having "fire" sales. It has gotten to the point in many areas of the city where the failed businesses producing vacant storefronts are in the same numbers of active businesses, half of which are having closing sales.

When I occasionally talk with small business owners, even the ones who don't appear to be suffering, they are telling me the same things; the economy is pooched and they are seeing massive downturns and they want to leave and go to some country where there might be opportunity. One of the people that spoke with me has a hair dressing shop and he has a friend who owns a bar. He wants out, but his friend who orders liquor for his bar has found that he is ordering half the liquor he ordered last year. That is kind of telling for the economy as liquor is generally recession proof, it is not however, depression proof.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: DARKJEDIG

I had a small business that I spent $30k on, my entire nest egg. The only way to survive was to spend $1500/wk on adverts that would produce $800'wk in revenue. yeah that bad.

My wife used to have a cleaning co and did very well. She also worked for a couple that did ok. But in today's local economy, the only way to make it happen is by hiring illegals that are willing to work for $5/hr. They are all on welfare and get paid under the table to work part time.

There are a few businesses surviving that dont have deep pockets. But they all spend every penny on weekly advertising.

The more I crunched numbers at CBA. I discovered that the ONLY businesses that thrive are either big corps, fronts for illegal activities, and deep pocket old money families.

What I SHOULD have done out of high, instead of military-college-more military-engineer, was be a drug dealer. Many that I went to HS with are all rolling dough in real estate they bought off of drug money!

Actually, being a slum lord is about the only money maker there is here in socal.

He might want to do an internship to keep his skills learned in college honed, maybe it will turn into something better...

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

It wasn't Obama, this stuff has about a 7 to 14 year incubation interval.

The economy of an entire country is a really big thing.

And then we have that globalist BS which makes everything even more difficult to gauge.

You didn't do this, it isn't your fault, go enjoy yourself.

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

Back in the old days the aesthetic component involved many other trades and skillsets.

Now a guy with more than two brain cells and a knowledge of computers can do what 20 men used to.

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

If everyone got together and boycotted major corporations and banks involved in this type of crony capitalism them we could change the course and I really see mass boycotts as the only viable solution unless politicians actually started doing their jobs.

I run a very small contracting business in a booming area so I count my lucky stars every day and never think about how f&^%ed my family and I would be if it all went to #e and yea I do a pretty good job of boycotting as much as I can. I can honestly say if the majority voted with their wallet like I do then they would have to change.

What?...is that by chance called "short term paper" ?.

The credit crunch of 2007-08 never did end.

I have an intimate relationship with such things, I am not in debt to anyone.

If one must go into debt, it is better not to do so with such entities as "banks".

I would feel more safe with a loan shark and friends.

a reply to: buster2010

yupyupyup



yup



yup
a reply to: Slickinfinity

a reply to: HanzHenry

The vast majority of drug dealers never make any substantial amount of money and often end up dead, permanently injured, or in the slave trade. They make enough to get by. The cartels and their US distribution affiliates run like any other large corporation. Screw the workers and take all the money. They even use the same banks.

Many people pretend to have made it big selling drugs because it has been embedded in their self image through one corporate avenue or another.

Then you have the few who actually did make it big, and they are extremely rare. I'd say you shouldn't have started a legitimate business in an illegitimate market, AKA the "free market." The general idea is to over-regulate small business and deregulate big business. That's why so many brand-name Republicans promote the "free market" and "deregulation." They might claim to be for small business, but their idea of helping small business is simply to help big business. Anything other than helping big business and the ruling class is simply "communism, socialism, envy, and class warfare." Democrats are at least decent enough to be all-inclusive in their hate and view the human race as their own personal herd to manipulate psychologically.

Ronnie was talkin bout that, I think he called it "Trickle Down Ecomonomicali(spurious)lisms"..

Not sure what he was blabbering about

Indeed I am too familiar.

a reply to: DrinkMoreWater

originally posted by: MyHappyDogShiner
He might want to do an internship to keep his skills learned in college honed, maybe it will turn into something better...

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

A good suggestion but internships are like slave labour these days. He does contracts after working the day at MacDonalds, mainly on the computer creating graphics for adverts, movies and games, so he is keeping on top of his educational/career choices. He's such a smart kid, quite motivated and driven at times. He has never been in trouble and I feel bad for him, we didn't bring him into the world to struggle with jobs after getting a good education.

But this is seen in many facets of society. With political direction and the economy collapsing at the same time, I don't hold out much hope for the future. I am actually surprised people are still working since almost everything these days is being driven by the service industry and retail outlets, very little manufacturing compared to the past. Back in 1999, there were roughly 690 machine shops in the Toronto, Ontario area, an area that services about 4 million people (I think they say 6.5 million now in the GTA). In 2013 there were a half a dozen machine shops, that's roughly a 99% drop in outsourcing component development to local machine shops. Of course a lot of that capability has been absorbed by local manufacturers, but we have still experienced a loss of manufacturing jobs by 60% to 80%, those jobs have gone offshore to China.

With the downturn in all sectors even service jobs suffer from waitresses to lawyers (we know a few out of work lawyers). It is not a pretty situation and I firmly believe it is going to get a lot worse. This could all be fixed of course, but the government won't do that unless instructed by their handlers and they want collapse.

Cheers - Dave

Yes, I understand that internships are basically slave labor.

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

a reply to: HanzHenry

If you have the stomach for it, a friend of mine was a pawn broker for years, made a very nice sum of money, enough to buy 4 houses with very small mortgages which she rented out and paid off with renter's money. Of course running a pawn shop, you have to be clear with yourself that you are screwing people at a disadvantaged or disenfranchised and taking advantage of them for your own personal gain. Myself, I can't do that, I can't operate that way.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: bobs_uruncle
Well, bobs_uruncle - here we are....whining about how "they" are screwing us...and will continue to screw us...until the hole's threads are entirely stripped bare...
Can anything be done?
Is there a Remedy? (Black Crows reference)
You are obviously an intelligent individual... What can be done?
We must get into their heads...
Into their...strategies...and...schemes...and
- turn the tables.
How?
The same as has been done throughout history - (think WWII) - where former foes & enemies lay down their differences and unite as allies in opposition...to the threat.
Can we do it?
Is It Possible?
It is... We could, literally, get it started...here...
... BUT ...we're more interested in arguing and debating with, and slaughtering...each other... ... ...
...All the "do-gooders" expressing their 'do-gooding' philosophies...but...won't set down their pitchforks long enough to actually DO ANYthing...

Yeah - I had a business. Did great for a couple of years - and...I won't go into 'why' I elected to shut it down, except to say that, the Ayn Rand quote was so close to a prophetic dissertation that I'm still in awe.

Anyway. Not picking at you or anyone. I do, however, believe ATS has enough intelligence to actually find a way to DO Something about this...
Thanks for the thread!

originally posted by: DrinkMoreWater
a reply to: HanzHenry

The vast majority of drug dealers never make any substantial amount of money and often end up dead, permanently injured, or in the slave trade. They make enough to get by.

50/50.

Dumb dealers end up in prison. but, many never get caught. There are ways, but that is T&C. More guys are making coin than you realize, they never hold. Just intro people to people. I know way more than i care to elaborate. One dude has customers that are lawyers, asst DA's, professors, highway patrol, county/city employees and mgr's, retired judges, etc.

The well-off and well connected have quite a few "cola" addicts. Oh and he usually deals thru the country club, spends his time at the bar.
I agree the repubs are not genuine with wanting to help small business. Either they choose their corp interests, OR they have a small(ish) biz and dont want the competition.

a reply to: HanzHenry

Spend almost a decade hands on and your perspective will change, albeit based on your perceptions which are not to be trusted. Dumb or smart has nothing to do with it. Constant alertness and discretion are required. One slip up means your life or your freedom. It's like that by design, so that the market self-regulates and the most favorable (at any given time) cartels, banks, and most likely intelligence agencies (the economy is a matter of national security) are the only ones immune to prosecution. Corporate America wages war on the minds of inner city kids. They don't call it a school-to-slave camp pipeline for no reason. Out of what must have been close to a thousand people I knew in the game, less than 5% avoided prison AND avoided getting shot if they spent any substantial amount of time in the street, and that is including the snitches. As for the country club and bar hang-arounds, they have normally already been to prison and are not grinding full time but instead are looking to make some quick money by charging rich and/or white collar people double (or even more) the market value. The real money (long term) is in moving volume for cheap, and you can't move volume in a bar or a country club charging double the market value.

There are always exceptions to the rule(s), but that game was designed to enslave and it is highly effective for that purpose.

a reply to: WanDash

Simple. Don't do business with anyone who likes Ayn Rand and calls themselves "job-creators." (hahaha, now back to reality)

Actually, there is a way to fix this country. Take the psychology professors who are teaching future perception management people, psy ops soldiers, and PR people to manipulate people - and have them write up course work for 7th grade and up - then present it to the board of education in each state, each year, until they do something.

Middle school and up could even have a mandatory "Human Influence" class that has students trying to manipulate other students into voting for things that are against their own self interest. After the academically inclined run laps around the less inclined for 5 or 6 years, everyone will have an understanding of what they are in for before they even graduate high school.

You see, the single most pressing issue is that the vast majority of workers, business owners, and voters are thoroughly unaware of the psychological manipulation they are subjected to from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed.

I don't remember learning about Edward Bernays in high school.

When the masses finally understand that their self-images are false, do not even exist, and have been embedded in them by people who view them as a, and I quote, "bewildered herd" - things will change.

The only problem is that "you can not free a mind once it has reached a certain age." That is too dangerous, and has been known to cause insanity. - One thing The Matrix got right

How do they embed false self-images into people? Through their sin (pride almost always being a necessary ingredient).

Odds are none if it will happen though. Most of the prophecies are currently being fulfilled or already have been, which means an age of deception is at hand and will persist until Jesus returns.

Yes, the secular solution is simple. But, the intent of the ruling class will prevent it from being implemented.

originally posted by: WanDash
a reply to: bobs_uruncle
Well, bobs_uruncle - here we are....whining about how "they" are screwing us...and will continue to screw us...until the hole's threads are entirely stripped bare...
Can anything be done?
Is there a Remedy? (Black Crows reference)
You are obviously an intelligent individual... What can be done?
We must get into their heads...
Into their...strategies...and...schemes...and
- turn the tables.
How?
The same as has been done throughout history - (think WWII) - where former foes & enemies lay down their differences and unite as allies in opposition...to the threat.
Can we do it?
Is It Possible?
It is... We could, literally, get it started...here...
... BUT ...we're more interested in arguing and debating with, and slaughtering...each other... ... ...
...All the "do-gooders" expressing their 'do-gooding' philosophies...but...won't set down their pitchforks long enough to actually DO ANYthing...

Yeah - I had a business. Did great for a couple of years - and...I won't go into 'why' I elected to shut it down, except to say that, the Ayn Rand quote was so close to a prophetic dissertation that I'm still in awe.

Anyway. Not picking at you or anyone. I do, however, believe ATS has enough intelligence to actually find a way to DO Something about this...
Thanks for the thread!

This seems like a baited question... but, I`ll bite anyway since CSIS knows who I am ;-)

From my days with the military and examining/analyzing military strategy overseas (in trying to breach my own and other systems developed for national security infrastructure), I can certainly develop a strategic plan to create a coup de tat, a bloodless one even (under perfect circumstances), since the technology is better now than it was 25 years ago LOL. Still, that requires extreme amounts of organization and some rather hefty technology that has to be mounted on semi`s. It also requires that the military in ***most*** cases be on board with the plans, which may or may not be a hard sell.

As an example, a certain government (not the US) could be knocked down in less than 1 hour using a dozen trained merc`s, a couple of techies and some rather nice technology mounted on two 18 wheelers, one just has to pick the right day when all the people are in the right place. Looks good on paper anyway LOL. Of course the PTB would be pissed and whomever was installed to run the new government would probably be dead inside of two weeks, more than likely the US would declare the new government part of a rouge nation since they would opt-out of the BS IMF/BIS framework.

Apart from a military option, the only good option left is starving the beast while exercising the hell out of it. Unfortunately, one has to cut off the corrupt government`s source of power and that lays in banks, money, networking and economies, but it requires a concerted effort by almost everyone in the nation. Hypothetically;

Everyone has to be informed/educated in how the government works, first they have to become politically intelligent
Stop paying all taxes personally, but must include retailers and manufacturers, if they pay taxes boycott them
Flood the government with legal requests like FOIA requests, send the $5 fiat for each request and make them dance
Barter where possible rather than using fiat currency
Demand audits of ALL government departments by third parties and clarification of ALL treaties
Request the rescinding of ALL Bills over the last 10 to 20 years, in writing
Demand Transparency and Personal Responsibility/Liability from all politicians, in writing
Demand ALL of the present politicians step down or resign, in writing
Demand the removal of Lobbyists and Rotating Door policies between government and industry, in writing
Question ALL presumed authority every chance you get, both verbally and in writing

When the government starts bitching before they fall using instruments/NGO`s like revenue services, make sure you understand their statutory law, the UCC, superior law and common law. Obviously there would be economic collapse to some extent, but sometimes you have to take one step back to take two forward. However, if the corrupt government were removed tomorrow and replaced with an equitable and responsible government, GDP might drop by 1% for one day, but in the year forward, GDP would increase by the level of personal federal tax.

People have to realize that collectively they have the ability to remove the present corrupt system of government and that those who can destroy a thing, control a thing.

Disclaimer: Consider this post simply hypothetical and as an examination of possible solutions and outcomes. I don`t advocate violence (as I have been involved in enough of it overseas), but I do advocate people thinking critically about their collective future.

Cheers - Dave