bunner: Obviously this lazy prick isn't bootstrappy enough. If he were he, could be a billionaire now and job out all of his work to 9.00 an hour temp monkeys and get huge tax breaks like the TRUE job creators.

Whiny freeloader.

Cut taxes on the wealthy and he'll be fine.

/bootstrappy

Worked for Adam Carolla, just ask him.

Sounds like someone is a shiatty businessman.

Bertsch told a friend at the auction he is selling out because government was taking more out of his business than he was.

But auctioneer Merle Booker said Bertsch's wife put it differently.

"She said Bob told her he was shedding his skin," Booker said. "I'm not retiring. Just slowing down."


So he decides to downsize because he's getting too old to run the place, but decides to blame the ebul government. Sounds like a typical bootstrappy republican .

Please allow me to translate small business owner into standard English.


"tax burden got too expensive to stay in business" = I mismanaged my company into the ground and I'm not taking responsibility for it.


This logic worked in the real world, every American would have quit their jobs because they have payroll deductions.

NFA: "tax burden got too expensive to stay in business" = I mismanaged my company into the ground and I'm not taking responsibility for it.


This logic worked in the real world, every American would have quit their jobs because they have payroll deductions.



Should read IF this logic worked inthe real world, every America would ahve quite their jobs because they have payroll deductions.

"We used to have 24 employees at our peak. Now, all of those people who used to work here are in unemployment lines"

True Tea Party Patriot

We used to have 24 employees at our peak. Now, all of those people who used to work here are in unemployment lines

Because you FIRED THEM YOU COCK.

GAT_00: We used to have 24 employees at our peak. Now, all of those people who used to work here are in unemployment lines

Because you FIRED THEM YOU COCK.

Yeah - I doubt the cost of his licenses and bonds were enough to mean he had to fire 24 people to keep them up. I'm more likely to believe his construction business just isn't getting any work right now, what with the housing slowdown and the bad economy generally. Sucks, but it's true all over.

Benevolent Misanthrope: GAT_00: We used to have 24 employees at our peak. Now, all of those people who used to work here are in unemployment lines

Because you FIRED THEM YOU COCK.

Yeah - I doubt the cost of his licenses and bonds were enough to mean he had to fire 24 people to keep them up. I'm more likely to believe his construction business just isn't getting any work right now, what with the housing slowdown and the bad economy generally. Sucks, but it's true all over.

It sounds like he planned on doing this to "slow down" and is blaming the gubmint so his former employees don't blame him.

A lot of business people are throwing in the towel. The choking regulations and the left wing hostility toward business owners is taking it's toll.

GaryPDX: A lot of business people are throwing in the towel. The choking regulations and the left wing hostility toward business owners is taking it's toll.

Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

kronicfeld: GaryPDX: A lot of business people are throwing in the towel. The choking regulations and the left wing hostility toward business owners is taking it's toll.

Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

We'll even settle for specific examples of OMGLEFTY Oregon/Portland law. Go for it. We'll wait.

kronicfeld: GaryPDX: A lot of business people are throwing in the towel. The choking regulations and the left wing hostility toward business owners is taking it's toll.

Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

Not being able to use lead in paint, asbestos in insulation and human body parts in ground meat.

Sabyen91: Benevolent Misanthrope: GAT_00: We used to have 24 employees at our peak. Now, all of those people who used to work here are in unemployment lines

Because you FIRED THEM YOU COCK.

Yeah - I doubt the cost of his licenses and bonds were enough to mean he had to fire 24 people to keep them up. I'm more likely to believe his construction business just isn't getting any work right now, what with the housing slowdown and the bad economy generally. Sucks, but it's true all over.

It sounds like he planned on doing this to "slow down" and is blaming the gubmint so his former employees don't blame him.

Also, how little money was he making that permits ate half his profits?

kronicfeld: GaryPDX: A lot of business people are throwing in the towel. The choking regulations and the left wing hostility toward business owners is taking it's toll.

Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

Drew doesn't have enough drive space for them all. It's not black or white, it's a matter of coming to the conclusion it's just more trouble than it's worth for many business owners.

But I'll give you two BIG ones just for the lulz, Obamacare and the Gestapo EPA for starters. Just in Obamacare and Dodd/Frank over 5000 pages of new regulations AND power to create more on the fly within those arena's. That's 2 of countless. But between Fed State and Local, a lot of people are crunching the numbers and getting out.

twoody: Hmmm... isn't he about retirement age?

Am I the only one that thinks this guy just wanted to retire, but didn't have the balls to just say it? So, he blamed it on he govt...

Why would someone be embarrassed to retire? I'd be all, "I'M RETIRING, BIOTCHES! SUCK IT"

kronicfeld: Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

GaryPDX: Obamacare and the Gestapo EPA

Because 'the Gestapo EPA' is a specific regulation.

GaryPDX: Drew doesn't have enough drive space for them all.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the worst dodge on this site since the last time DIA posted.

I can bring the nachos - can someone else pick up some dip? I want to make sure this pity party is well stocked.

13 licenses? Sounds like something that only needs a day or two per year to take care of. Maybe if he didn't fire all his employees...

kronicfeld: Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

For the record there are 3,573 of them. Compliance can be a bit difficult.

jbuist: kronicfeld: Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

For the record there are 3,573 of them. Compliance can be a bit difficult.

Every single one of those is equally destroying every single business?

jbuist: kronicfeld: Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

For the record there are 3,573 of them. Compliance can be a bit difficult.

How many applied to his business? How many need them to do something affirmative rather than not do something awful?

Sabyen91: jbuist: kronicfeld: Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

For the record there are 3,573 of them. Compliance can be a bit difficult.

How many applied to his business? How many need them to do something affirmative rather than not do something awful?

The bigger question, for me, is how - exactly - do these regulations make it impossible for him to sustain his business, but not impossible for others to sustain theirs?

So your competitors being able to wind themselves through these licenses, or rather, keeping their businesses lean enough to not need a dozen licenses to operate, is the fault of the government?

I love when folks who lose sight of their business plan blame others for their own bloat...

I work in a fairly regulated industry, food service. That means that I have to deal with employment regs, licenses for food, I have to deal with equipment, waste disposal, and a few more.

You know how we manage? We are aware of the regs, and we don't push them. We don't try to skate on waste disposal. We don't try to skate on hiring illegal workers. We don't try to skate on serving minors. We don't try to skate on over serving customers. We keep temperature logs. We do keep sanitation up. We clean. We only use purveyors that we can vett.

I've seen folks that have been "choked" by the requirements. They usually suck at management, and are running operations that aren't just fast and loose, but actually run afoul of the regs as SOP, because their management sucks.

Blaming regs because you're not bright enough to comply or worse, not bright enough to realize when your operations aren't suitable for the market your trying to penetrate, don't blame the government for that.

There's a reason that not all restaurants deliver. There's a reason that not all restaurants do banquets. There's a reason that not all restaurants do off site catering. Some businesses aren't meant for that, and in order to change your SOP to gear up for that, it is sometimes not worth the effort. Not because of the regs, but because your business model is ill suited. Blaming others for that doesn't do you much good though. You can, I suppose, but not understanding your own business, or the capabilities of your business, that's your own failure.

The cost of licensing is a lot more apparent when you can't find enough work to justify staying licensed.

hubiestubert: So your competitors being able to wind themselves through these licenses, or rather, keeping their businesses lean enough to not need a dozen licenses to operate, is the fault of the government? ....

Well said. I'm a small business owner, in an industry that is amazingly very unregulated (IT support). I've got 45 clients, in everything from healthcare to insurance to accounting to legal to manufacturing. While some are struggling, those struggles have NOTHING to do with regulation, and everything to do with a slow economy. As a matter of fact, the only one that is in real trouble is there because the owner is a woefully ignorant person that keeps shifting the focus of his business instead of concentrating on the thing that grew his company.

jbuist: kronicfeld: Cite the specific regulations that are choking businesses.

For the record there are 3,573 of them. Compliance can be a bit difficult.

Sure it can. If every single regulation that goes into effect affects every single business equally and without exception. They don't. This guy just sounds like he wanted something handy to blame, and the government is always the biggest goblin around. I'd have more respect for someone who said, you know, I'm getting up there in years, I'm retiring and closing up shop. Or someone who said, you know, the economy is in the crapper and we just can't justify hanging around any longer, I'm closing up shop. My small business manages to comply with the things that affect us, and no, there are not 3K new regulations that we have to follow.

Benevolent Misanthrope: The bigger question, for me, is how - exactly - do these regulations make it impossible for him to sustain his business, but not impossible for others to sustain theirs?

And even bigger than that is the question of what bad things these regulations are preventing.

I'm all for doing away with regulations that serve no purpose, but I want to be damned sure that getting rid of the regulation does not do more harm than good. I'd like an unbiased assessment of costs and benefits. I'd bet the kind of things this guy would like to get rid of would make him a little richer while farking over a bunch of other people in some way.

I'm sure he wouldn't be selling off a SUCCESSFUL company, no matter how much he paid in taxes. If he was making money off it he'd continue being completely happy making money off it.

I'm sure he's frustrated, I'm just not sure it's the government that's the actual source of his frustration.

GaryPDX: twoody: Hmmm... isn't he about retirement age?

Am I the only one that thinks this guy just wanted to retire, but didn't have the balls to just say it? So, he blamed it on he govt...

Why would someone be embarrassed to retire? I'd be all, "I'M RETIRING, BIOTCHES! SUCK IT"

Umm...because all his employees are now jobless and might not want to be?

You're not very perceptive are you?

That being said he could have retired and kept the business. If it were making money he could have gotten someone else to shoulder the load while he went golfing or fishing or whatever. I still say the business was tanking and he decided government was a good scapegoat.

Now that he doesn't have the business to be regulated and pay taxes on, now he can complain about how much money the gubment is going to take from his sell off

GaryPDX: A lot of business people are throwing in the towel. The choking regulations and the left wing hostility toward business owners is taking it's toll.

I used to watch Comedy Central for laughs but now I just read your posts. Hilarious!

Dinki: hubiestubert: So your competitors being able to wind themselves through these licenses, or rather, keeping their businesses lean enough to not need a dozen licenses to operate, is the fault of the government? ....

Well said. I'm a small business owner, in an industry that is amazingly very unregulated (IT support). I've got 45 clients, in everything from healthcare to insurance to accounting to legal to manufacturing. While some are struggling, those struggles have NOTHING to do with regulation, and everything to do with a slow economy. As a matter of fact, the only one that is in real trouble is there because the owner is a woefully ignorant person that keeps shifting the focus of his business instead of concentrating on the thing that grew his company.

This mirrors my experience except I've got just under 200 clients. The ones that are hurting are blind to the damage they do to themselves while 99% of my clients are doing great. It's always fun when one of them leaves for a less expensive support company because it usually means they are going out of business very soon.