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Monday, December 3, 2012

The Small Business Myth of Job Creation

I have been a small business owner for my entire business career. Most of those small businesses have been real estate ventures of come type such as real estate brokerages, property management and owning different types of real estate. But I have also owned and been involved in insurance, restaurants, bars, garment factories, hotels, building and general contracting, convenience stores, food marts and gas stations. I was a partner in my first small business, a diner, at age 18. Even while I worked as an employee in someone else's small business, I owned and operated several of my own at the same time.

I have only worked for one large corporation, and I hated every minute of the time spent there. I was employed for less than a month before I quit. I felt as if I were in prison. My boss was someone who had been in his position for many years, and he was counting the days so he could begin his impending retirement. Some of my co-workers were spending more time thinking up ways of not doing their jobs than actually performing their jobs. I was a nameless and powerless spoke in a wheel. When I realized that I had more authority and responsibility in my after-school jobs than in that behemoth of a business, I knew that I wanted to be my own boss at all costs even if it meant never playing with the big boys in the corner offices. So when you hear someone say a "mom and pop" operation, I am that business owner.

Some of the businesses I had were out-and-out financial disasters. Others became very lucrative. Most, though, just allowed me to make a decent living. I never started one in my garage that ended up being an Apple Computer. All of my businesses were just small operations. A few times when I felt the business was becoming too big, I either sold it or cut back. I wanted to know everything about the operation. Even if I did not possess the skills to do every job myself, I wanted to be able to at least understand what was needed to succeed in performing that particular job in my shop.

Why does someone like me decide to toil as an owner-operator and chief bottle washer than pursue a career with IBM? There are several reasons for taking the plunge into a life of entrepreneurship. When I was growing up most of my family, including my parents, were owners or employees of small businesses. My father went from owning a bar to being a bartender for someone then owning another bar again sometimes within weeks. That is why today I understand that failure is not defeat if one learns and tries again. We were a working class first generation and immigrant family looking to earn a decent living. For someone without skills or fluent in English or familiar with American customs, owning your own small business is the only way to grab for the brass ring. Small business ownership is in my genes. Even though I went to college and could have gone a different path, my personality and characteristics nudged me toward entrepreneurship.

Small business ownership is not for someone who doesn't want to sweep the floors or carry out the trash. It is not for someone that wants to go home after their shift and leave business worries on their doorstep. It is not for someone that wants a guaranteed two week uninterrupted vacation each year or a pension or health insurance. It is not for someone who doesn't possess a little of the dreamer in his soul. To be a successful small business owner, you need to be a romantic pragmatist, with a strong ego who can get out of bed in the morning day after day, week after week and year after year. You need to be self-motivated and confident that whatever happens, you can handle the day's problems.

During this crazy political season, the four candidates for president and vice-president are extolling the virtue of small business people as job creators and the backbone of the United States' middle class. They poetically tell the electorate that this policy or that policy is what is needed. It would be nice if one of them had ever owned a small business. The only person that states he had a job in a small business is Congressman Ryan. In high school, college and for a short time after graduating while waiting to be employed by the federal government, young Paul toiled at McDonalds, as a waiter and a trainer.

Mitt Romney at least made a fortune in the private sector. I guess you could call his boutique firm, Bain Capital, a small business. But I bet he never swept the floor trying to save the money on a cleaning person. He may have built that fortune but it wasn't with the proceeds of his house being mortgaged to the hilt to allow him to pursue that dream. He had contacts and referrals from his father and mother. Governor Romney went to Harvard Business School and Law School. He worked hard and diligently for everything he accomplished. But Mitt is certainly not one of the guys from the neighborhood who made good. I doubt he can understand what it is like to be sweating out collecting what is owed to you so you can pay your employees that week.

President Obama apparently didn't even have a job while in high school or college. Harvard and Yale is where he learned about private enterprise. He never experienced being a stock clerk at the corner hardware store or the kid that delivered the pies from the neighborhood pizzeria. His knowledge of small business comes from being a customer. He never invested his savings into opening a dry cleaner or even a law office. While his running mate, Joe Biden, might speak as if he knows how it is to work the factory line, he has been in politics his entire adult life. His greatest financial risk is if the Republicans shut down the government and he misses his paycheck.

The myth, we hear from our candidates, is that as small business people we are going to add jobs to the economy, that we are the job creators. It has and continues to be my firm belief that hiring additional employees is the last thing any smart small business person wants to do. I would much rather work harder and keep that person's salary. I would much rather spend money on technology to be more efficient. A robot or computer program never walked out or didn't come into work. Small businesses are not Fortune 500 companies. A small business owner has no bruised ego with not having thousands of employees under him. It might sound good to say I own a company that has 10 employees but I would rather have 5 employees and have more money in my pocket. That is the only way I will ever have a raise.

That is not to say that I don't hire additional employees. I am not going to lose business over staffing issues. Additional employees have to have a benefit directly to me... not the macro economy of the U.S. It is true that small businesses hire the bulk of American workers. It is also true that small businesses jettison the most workers because most small businesses fail. The great thing about the United States is that failing is no barrier to trying again. Small business people get up, analyze why they failed and open a new business.

Another myth is that small businesses will expand by hiring more employees. That may be true for a very few business startups like Microsoft, but for the vast majority growth is measured in increases of one or two employees not hundreds. If I open a 24 hour a day 365 day convenience store no matter how successful it is, I will only employ so many workers. Even if I buy another store a mile away and staff it; have I increased the number of people working? The answer is probably not. Because if I hadn't open that convenience store someone else would have. Sometimes, especially for small businesses, it really is a zero sum equation.

Our politicians need to stop making scape goats and heroes and concentrate on facts. The first fact is, Mr. President, I did build that business by my own ingenuity and hard work. However, Mr. Romney, I needed to count on the government to provide security, infrastructure and the rule of law to be successful. When I opened my first business more than 40 years ago, I never worried what I would pay in taxes if successful, I only worried about success. The tax rate never stopped me from going into business. Going into business is what I do just like an actor acts and a clergyman prays. What I so need of my government is consistency in laws, and tax rates and regulation. For my planning purposes I want to know what I can expect, today, tomorrow and next year.

I don't mind being regulated. I've been a New York City property owner and building manager, I have lived with the stupidity of rent regulation. I've succeeded and prospered in spite of it. What I want to see is smart regulation. Any regulation or law that requires thousands of pages to explain its meaning becomes meaningless. Simplicity is the key to enforcement. It is not productive for the economy to have lobbyists, congressional staffers and attorneys writing arcane laws and regulations. That only ends up employing people in those nonproductive occupations. At the end of the day, it adds no new products to the American economy.

I think most Americans and the majority of small business owners agree with my sentiments. I would like my elected officials to reflect the American electorate. Perhaps we need fewer graduates of Harvard, fewer lawyers and career politicians running for office. Harry Truman was a farmer, a citizen soldier and a failed small business man before turning to elected offices. A little practical world experience would make for a better president.

The Death Penalty - Ineffective, Irrational and Fiscally Irresponsible Building Cultural Icons and Tearing Them Down - It's Wrong and Even Those Who Do, Know It China's Stealth Fighter-Bombers and the US Military's Political Sequestration Problems Pondered Getting Elected Is the Easy Part, Why Is It So Hard for the Obama Campaign to Win Reelection?

December 21, 2012 - A Portal Opens

This date has stirred so much emotion, confusion and anticipation around the world. So many felt threatened by the forecast of doom and gloom. It is not surprising that resourceful and enterprising groups found an opportunity for profit, capitalizing on the fear and naivete of so many. Hollywood did its share of fear-mongering.

To prepare for this dreaded day, there are rumors that some countries have actually built "bunkers" for the safety of some. It is foolish to think that a country can save all its citizens. But some chosen groups need protection. For the general public, the internet is flooded with information on how to survive and live through December 21st. There are some brave seers that dare pinpoint the dangerous zones that will be most affected, even to the extent of completely disappearing from the face of this Earth.

Did the Mayans really predict the end of the world? Actually, the Mayans were not the only ones who had prophecies about the dawn of a great shift.

Prophecies from the Hopi Indians

It is believed that the Hopi prophecies of the coming earth changes are among the most ancient and accurate.The Elders came forward since they believe that man has reached a point of no return. It is their hope that man will return to a simpler and more spiritual way of life. The Great Shift has actually begun.

Reflect on the weather pattern these past few months. You won't read about these in newspapers. There are reports of tornadoes spinning the wrong way, there are places in Mexico where the ground temperature is heating up above 200 degrees. Over a seven-day period in early June 2012, 772 earthquakes were recorded on the California-Nevada border near Mammoth Lake. Skeptics will say there is an earthquake everyday but it is too low to feel it.

Simon Hunt writes:

"In an unprecedented and totally unexpected way, Hopi Elders for the first time in history have openly shared their sacred, and heretofore secret prophecies with the world. Robert Ghost Wolf, noted Native American Prophet and author arranged for two Hopi Elders to appear for three hours on the nationally aired Art Bell show (out of Pahrump, NV) and freely discuss their sacred, and heretofore secret prophecies."

Carrington Event of 1859

Going back to some historical data, in September 1,1859, a powerful solar storm was observed by British astronomer Richard Carrington. Its effects were felt from the Rocky Mountains to Cuba where the northern lights were visible. There was a collapse of the telegraph communication around the world. There were reports of sparks showering from telegraph machines and setting papers ablaze.

The event happened without warning in the midst of an average solar activity cycle. Some thought it was the end of the world. But Carrington spotted the true cause for these bizarre happenings-a massive solar flare with the energy of 10 billion atomic bombs which spewed electrified gas and sub-atomic particles towards earth. This resulted in a geomagnetic storm, thus the name Carrington Event.

Ice core samples have determined that the Carrington Event was twice as big as any other solar storm in the last 500 years. What would be the impact of a similar storm today? According to a 2008 report from the National Academy of Sciences, it could cause "extensive social and economic disruptions" due to its impact on power grids, satellite communications and GPS systems.

According to NASA report, more severe eruptions/solar storms than the Carrington event may be in store for us.Yet,with this possibility and with the advanced technology of the 21st century, the government and the general public seem to show an apparent lack of awareness of this threat.

Are solar flares a random phenomenon? With the use of supercomputers, patterns of solar flare cycles were discovered. Is it just coincidence that these cycles correspond with the periods in the Mayan calendar? The long count calendar is based on astronomical calculations of the solar year, and in terms of our calendar, it extends from 3114 BC to December 21, 2012.

Can solar storms wreak havoc on earth? In 1989, a solar storm knocked out power in Quebec province of Canada. This disabled the communication system- computer systems, traffic signals and air traffic. There was a massive disruption of everyday life. The province was plunged into darkness due to massive power outage.

A similar event occurred in Sweden in 2003. A solar storm knocked out the country's electrical grid. This proves how life can grind to a halt in the face of a massive power outage.

Astrophysics and solar storms

Massive amounts of gases are emitted from the solar corona during a solar storm. This corona is the outer layer of the solar atmosphere, visible at sundown as a pearly faint halo that extends to a great distance. Experts refer to these as " mass coronal projections". These electrically charged masses spew hot plasma into space at speeds of millions of miles per hour. If these particles enter the Earth's atmosphere, they can provoke magnetic storms and polar lights, which affect the geomagnetic field and thus all life on Earth. It is scary to think that its effects can go deep into the cellular level of all living things, especially mankind.

"The explosions, called coronal mass ejections, are as powerful as billions of nuclear explosions and can affect radio communications, electrical power systems and satellites orbiting Earth."...MSU Solar Physics Group

Currently, there is an increase in solar activity. It is believed that at certain times, the Earth's orientation may make it vulnerable to particle bombardment. It is observed that the electromagnetic fields of Earth are weakening and so is the heliosphere, the protective sheath of energy put out by the sun. This makes our planet increasingly susceptible to transformative effects of cosmic radiation and solar winds.

"Cosmic rays are the fastest matter known to man. Some cosmic rays are moving at more than.999999 times the speed of light."..Astrophysics.com</i>

To the Mayans, the Sun is significant. Their observation that our galaxy contains a central sun is scientifically accurate. Astrophysicists confirm that this " central sun" that Mayans refer to is the black hole phenomenon which is thought to be at the center of our galaxy and around which the entire solar system orbits. Such orbit takes 225 million years.

"A black hole is a region, where the gravitational pull is so strong that even light cannot escape from it. This celestial object is formed at the end of a star's life cycle. There are many interesting facts regarding black holes in space"... buzzle.com/black -holes-in-space

Scientists observed that in recent years radiation has been detected at increasingly short intervals directed towards Earth. These are referred to as GRBs- gamma ray bursts. They believe these originate from the farthest reaches of our galactic center- from the black hole.

"Until recently, GRBs were arguably the biggest mystery in high-energy astronomy. They were discovered serendipitously in the late 1960s by U.S. military satellites which were on the look out for Soviet nuclear testing in violation of the atmospheric nuclear test ban treaty.As recently as the early 1990s, astronomers didn't even know if GRBs originated at the edge of our solar system, in our Milky Way Galaxy or incredibly far away near the edge of the observable Universe."NASA

The White Light- a new era of spiritual dimension

The Mayans and followers of other indigenous cultures like the Hopi Indians of Arizona add another dimension to this prediction. The prophecy is about a new era as the Solstice portal opens on December 21,2012. Such an interpretation has also been offered by contemporary Mayans and followers of other indigenous cultures with prophecies about this time. Does this has anything to do with the white light Carrington referred to?

Some believe that a cosmic electromagnetic force and gamma radiation will have far-reaching impact on the human body. There is supposed to be a beam of radiation from the Milky Way and synchronizes with the solar cycle. This could transform, re-encode the double helix of our DNA. Are human beings as they are today be re-structured?

There are also proponents of a spiritual awakening, raised consciousness and non-believers will perish. Perhaps a calamity of never before seen magnitude will teach mankind a lesson. It will not be because of an cosmic-electromagnetic force that will all of a sudden elevate mankind to a new level of consciousness and awareness.

After all, humanity is all about opposites- perfection-imperfection, truth-false, good-bad, truth-hypocrisy, love-hate, brotherhood and sisterhood, ambition or lack of it. Looking back into history, mankind has made great strides into progress and of course retrogress. What is man without love and emotions- these are our driving forces.

The world today is more aware of spirituality. It is believed that a portal opens for many to enter into a new dimension of spiritual awakening. There is hope that with this awareness, man will learn to be in tune with the forces of nature, respect the earth and all life on this planet. This is beneficial to the continued healthy survival of Mother Earth. This " awakening" may hold the key to peace and goodwill among mankind and among nations, regardless of spiritual beliefs and cultural differences.

2012: The End of Time Patricia J. Heavrene

"Options for 2012: Impending doomsday disaster? Global financial market collapse? Earth changes? Or perhaps a consciously held combination of all three? What about an impending quantum shift, the presence of higher human or divine values in the commerce and exchange of relationship? What about the possibility of a world-changing tsunami of consciousness? And if the latter is my choice, what are the steps necessary to have that call to consciousness heard and made manifest?"

Ref: MSU Solar Physics Group

NASA

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/cosmic_rays.html

www.buzzle.com

Patricia Heavrene

Our Beliefs and Preferences Follow Our Passions and Not Our Power to Reason

It is natural for us to believe only what we want the truth to be. We are a product of bias, prejudice and bigotry that has formed throughout our lives. We tend to see things through a prism that shapes and distorts all that we take in and makes it conform to our own comfort.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to shake us from a position that we have long held and steadily reinforced with selective information that we have gathered for that purpose. We close our ears to anything that would threaten to disprove that with which we have become comfortable and we become annoyed if not angry with anyone who attempts to have us see another point of view.

We reject any input of any kind from people whose bigotry is different from our own. When we hear that a certain piece of information or opinion came from Glen Beck or Al Gore, we reject it out of hand as misinformation or simply laugh it off as being totally without merit because of its source. At other times we become committed to an idea or opinion because it gives us an opportunity to demonize someone we don't like and we resist all efforts to let them off the hook.

Any time a big problem or harmful event occurs we are quick to blame it on someone or something we are prejudice against. This is the basis for most conspiracy theories. The CIA killed Kennedy; Bush had the twin towers brought down; Roosevelt was in on the Pearl Harbor bombing and on and on. If there are five possible explanations for something and one of them fits our prejudice, the other four will never be considered.

That's just the way we are. Something goes wrong; someone we don't like has to be punished. Or in some cases, the person or persons actually responsible for the problem are held harmless because they are one of us. This is nothing new. This bigotry in action has been around forever. The problem only gets serious when it causes harmful action to occur.

In the mid nineteenth century, a Cholera epidemic claimed thousands of lives in London England. The common belief at the time was that it was caused by miasma (the odor and fumes from industrial pollution and sewerage) but it was not true. According to Bill Bryson's "At Home" subtitled "A Short History of Private Life" The true cause of the epidemic was drinking water polluted with human feces. This was discovered by a physician named John Snow.

Even though he was able to prove the cause beyond any rational doubt, and back it up with extensive research, Snow was detested for his evidence and accused of "being in the pocket of business interests which wished to continue to fill the air with pestilent vapors, miasmas and loathsome abominations of every kind and make themselves rich by poisoning their neighbors."

Unfortunately, the desire to blame business interests was stronger than the desire to stop the cholera epidemic and many people died in order to satisfy this hateful urge.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a "Bigot" as one who is strongly partial to ones' own group, religion, race or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. We all tend toward bigotry, at least to some extent and in extreme cases the bigotry defines a person and becomes a way of life. It is hard not to be partial to ones' own group or ideological persuasion, especially when one has been educated into it from an early age. But the intolerance component of Bigotry is what causes all the problems.

Intolerance quickly escalates into hostility and when that happens, tragedy is just around the corner. People have shown that they are willing to sustain great tragedies in support of their bigotry. The Cholera epidemic is a case in point. Others include the American Civil War, lynching's, internment camps, unions that would rather see a plant closing than yield and budget disputes that result in government shut-downs.

Religion, one source of bigotry, tends to be passed from one generation to another and so, to some extent do racism, attitudes toward sexual preference, politics and more. Unfortunately, hostility toward other people and groups is also passed on. Members of the Ku Klux Klan, for instance, have generational dislike for African Americans, Jews Catholics and foreigners among others. Others are raised in families and cultures that have disdain for Corporations and the people who run them, Unions, Gays, various nationalities, different social levels and occupations.

These biases have a strong emotional content and any attempt to dislodge them by way of reason will usually prove futile. As has been said many times "You cannot reason someone out of something they have not been reasoned into."

Views of what or who is responsible for something that goes wrong is often formed by what or whom we have been taught to dislike. The collapse of heavy manufacturing in what has come to be known as the rust belt, was caused by unions who were constantly pushing for more pay, better benefits and more restrictive work rules backed up by repeated strikes and the threat of strikes, or greedy corporate executives who would do anything to protect their obscene salaries and bonuses. You can also throw the politicians who do the bidding of one group or the other into the mix.

While it is fairly harmless to rant against those who are the object of our bigotry, when the sentiment runs strong enough to begin to impact law and policy making, we are on dangerous ground. Ignorance, the handmaiden of bigotry, can trump reason and create disastrous results. The nineteenth century London cholera epidemic is a case in point. Thousands died rather than let an unpopular truth prevail.

Then there is the case of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. As President, Nixon did more to advance Liberal causes than Clinton and Clinton did more to advance Conservative causes than Nixon. Yet Nixon remains despised by Liberals and Clinton is broadly disliked by Conservatives. Sometimes our system of bigotry is such that our bias against an individual overrides our stated beliefs and ideals. In fact, Nixon proposed a National Healthcare bill very similar to the one supported by President Obama and it was killed in congress by Liberals. Go figure.

A Smarter, More Responsible Approach To Healthcare Reform

Signed into law on March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act (better known as Obamacare) was a large step towards a needed reform in healthcare. However, it was a large step in the wrong direction.

Democrats and President Barack Obama resorted to a flawed system of government-subsidized healthcare accompanied by a mandate (now regarded as a tax) forcing every American to purchase healthcare if they are not offered coverage by their employer.

Critics have highlighted many issues and possible problems with Obamacare ranging from underfunded "high-risk pools" to a growing government deficit due to a lack of revenue to provide for those who will be receiving healthcare for very cheap prices. Surrounding the law are several myths that Barack Obama and his allies in Congress like to parade around Capitol Hill and through the media.

Republicans and Democrats agree that the American healthcare system is not perfect. It is flawed, and there are many Americans who are not receiving coverage simply because they cannot afford it. However, despite these worries, Barack Obama's healthcare law is not the solution to an ever-growing problem. In fact, the Affordable Care Act could likely cause many more issues separate from the issue of how many Americans are covered by health insurance.

It is for these reasons that I bring forth a new idea for healthcare reform. I feel that this plan is one that both parties can rally behind because of its simplicity and ease of institution. The Affordable Care Act was highly criticized because the Speaker of the House herself did not even know what exactly was in the law. Nancy Pelosi admitted this when she uttered her now famous phrase, "We will just have to pass it to see what is in it." If a law is so complex and large that those voting on the law do not even entirely understand the principles of it, then it is not a good idea to blindly accept the law so that America can "see what is in it."

Here is my proposed healthcare reform plan:

Political ideology and world viewpoints aside, economists and politicians generally agree on the fact that the laws of supply and demand and the dynamics of price action are constantly at work in the market. Furthermore, all Americans generally agree that incentives are very strong things. Consider taxes for example. If a business owner will be taxed higher for every dollar that he makes over a certain point, what incentive does he have to work harder in order to earn more money above this tax threshold? If this threshold were not present, then he would be much more inclined to work, therefore, earn more money.

The reason I bring up this tax incentive, or lack thereof, is because of the role that taxable income can play in a smarter route to healthcare reform.

Consider this scenario: A physician runs his own practice in downtown Charlotte. Every day, he treats people that have health insurance; he receives his payment from the insurance company, and he pays his taxes. His costs remain high because of his need to make a profit, therefore stay in business. He must take into account how much of a percentage he will be taxed on the revenue that he is generating.

What if this physician did not have to worry about how much of a percentage the government would take in taxes, however?

In my plan, when a doctor or physician treats someone without health insurance, every cent's worth of that treatment will be non-taxable income that the doctor has generated. For instance, if Mary, an uninsured single mother, gets treated for an illness at Doctor Smith's office for $100, Dr. Smith would not have to pay taxes on any of that $100. However, taxes would still be taken out on income generated from payments originating from insurance companies.

Obviously, in this situation, Dr. Smith would not set the same price for Mary that he would for an insured person. In an effort to attract more uninsured patients, Dr. Smith would lower his prices for the uninsured so that he could generate more income that would not be taxed. Dr. Roberts, another physician down the street would see that Dr. Smith has lowered his prices for the uninsured, and he would attempt to undercut his prices to be more attractive. Barack Obama has flaunted the idea of "shopping around" for the most affordable coverage. This plan causes a healthcare market that promoted exactly that.

Think of how gas station owners determine prices. There is a general accepted price for a gallon of gas in each state based on the cost of a barrel of oil, the state taxes on gasoline, and other factors. After determining the accepted price in the state, gas station owners attempt to attract more customers by setting their prices a little lower than their competitors. Why would doctors not do the same provided with an incentive to generate more income for themselves?

Furthermore, this plan has an effect on the already existing insurance companies. To prevent their customers from dropping their healthcare plan and choosing to become uninsured due to lower costs, premiums would decrease. The insurance companies would also want to remain attractive to customers, and the only way of doing this would be to lower the cost of their own healthcare coverage. Premiums would especially decrease if these insurance companies were also extended tax breaks.

I understand that the issue of high-risk patients and those with pre-existing conditions would still need to be met. No matter to what extent doctors lower their costs, those considered "high risk" would likely still not be able to pay for the frequent coverage that they would require. However, my plan does a much better job at addressing the largest portion of Americans who are uninsured.

This plan is far superior to Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act for several reasons.

First, there is no government healthcare pool that requires an individual mandate to ensure an equal distribution of costs. Let's be honest, if the government must require that every uninsured American either buy healthcare or pay a tax in order to pay for its own subsidized healthcare, it is highly likely that the plan will crash and burn. Such an approach is just not smart. In my plan, neither the government nor individual citizens are responsible for ensuring that costs are equally distributed. The pure method of implementation is already much simpler.

Second, Obamacare provides no incentive for doctors or physicians. Many have already expressed concern over the healthcare industry and whether this law may negatively affect those that work in the industry. My plan provides an incentive for all in the healthcare field to provide more coverage. If we are seeking to reform healthcare, is it better to incentivize those in the industry or ultimately hurt them through government-subsidized healthcare that cuts into their profits and ability to make their own decisions?

Thirdly, the current Affordable Care Act is a job killer. If a business hires over 50 employees, then it is required to either buy every employee equal healthcare or pay a penalty. Why would any small business seek to hire if they are near this threshold? With this threshold removed, businesses can again feel free to hire new employees.

Without a doubt, Obamacare will be a failure. While it will bring healthcare coverage to millions of Americans, it will place undue strain on the government, the American people, and the healthcare industry. A much smarter, much simpler approach has to be instituted. I feel that my plan is the beginning to such an approach. My plan addresses and solves many issues generated by the Affordable Care Act, and it also provides a much easier method of implementation.

As stated earlier, I feel that healthcare reform is something that our nation needs to address; however, I do not feel that Democrats and our president have taken responsible steps to ensure that their plan is one that can ultimately solve the healthcare problems in America.

The Loss of Confidential Documentation

It doesn't seem like a month goes by at the moment where there isn't a news story of either a large corporation accidentally sending their clients details out to all and sundry, or a politician dumping sensitive documents in a public bin. This is very worrying as it means our personal data can easily get into the wrong hands, encouraging fraud.

In a recent month long study, in which the contents of London's commercial rubbish bins within certain areas were examined there were worrying findings, among the sensitive items found were:

The records of 70 vulnerable patients including their names, addresses and details of their treatment, which had been dumped by a leading private hospital. Top legal offices in London were found to have dumped documents including clients personal details and case information in black bin liners on the pavement outside. Outside a chemist's, the rubbish contained over 20 prescription labels, some of these included patients names, addresses, details of medication, doctors names, date of birth and future medication needs.

It is worrying to think these items were found as part of a small study, how much more would be found if a larger study were carried out.

Another case that has been reported is where a document was found on the seat of a bus that contained sensitive data relating to criminals and victims of crime. All of the page's were marked 'restricted' and revealed the addresses of the most dangerous criminals being supervised by a county police force and the prison service. Also included within the document were the names, addresses and phone numbers of witnesses, victims and those who were thought to be at risk from the listed offenders.

Firstly you wonder why a document like this was allowed to leave a secure area, and how a person knowing it contained such sensitive data could accidentally mislay it.

By law all companies and organisations are required to protect private data, and should have policies in place to ensure that nothing like this can happen. The Data Protection Act also states that all companies should have the correct polices in place to ensure that all private data is properly destroyed and disposed of. So why isn't this happening, and why aren't there harsher punishments for those that do perpetrate these crimes. Maybe if the punishments were made more severe it would deter others from treating our details with so little respect.

Rich People Are A Minority Too, Why Doesn't Anyone Care About Them?

Not long ago, I was at Starbucks and I was listening to an occupy protester speaking with a few of his friends. They went on and on about the top 1% and also claiming their group was the 99%, and that the top 1% rich people didn't care about them. I laughed to myself, because it was obvious to me that "they" representing the 99% surely didn't care about the top 1%, so I had to stop them and ask a question.

"Do you care about the rich people?" I asked.

"Hell oh," one of them said.

"Okay then, I guess you are even," I simply stated.

They were taken aback, they hadn't considered that argument, and then I went into a quick lecture that rich people are a minority also, as a matter fact, the 99% want them to become an even smaller minority, as in make everyone equal, by taking away their money and redistributing, in some Robin Hood socialist motif. Make no mistake, in the story of Robin Hood, he may sound like a very nice gentleman, but he is a socialist nevertheless.

Okay so, in Los Angeles it is 65% Hispanic, and yet, Hispanic is said to be a minority, but I ask; how can that be a minority when demographically speaking it is in fact the majority? Indeed, I have several friends who are Hispanic, a few that were born in Mexico and are now American citizens, and they laughed when I mention this, and said I was correct, but they still like the idea of getting discounts, and a good deal in getting government contracts for their business, or with their children applying for college to get student loans or grants.

Only one of my Hispanic friends votes Democrat, the rest are Republicans or conservatives due to their religious displacement, and the fact that they own businesses and really don't want to pay higher taxes. In fact, most of them would like to get into the top 1% themselves. In other words, they like the idea of their minority status, and they would like to get into an even smaller minority.

Rich people are Americans just like poor people. We shouldn't have class warfare of the majority versus the minority. Is amazing to me that so many people who are left-leaning liberals want to pick and choose which minorities we picked on, and which ones we hand out a bonus to.

If everything was totally fair and we really were equal under the law, then we wouldn't enlist our government, or vote for political leaders who promised to attack the rich and give their wealth to the poor. That's called stealing, and Americans should never steal from minorities, even rich ones. Please consider all this and think on it.