Steve Eckart

Lesson # 1:

 * U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000

* Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000

* New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000

* National debt: $14,271,000,000,000

* Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000

Let's now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

* Annual family income: $21,700

* Money the family spent: $38,200

* New debt on the credit card: $16,500

* Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710

* Total budget cuts: $385

Got It?

OK now Lesson # 2:

Here's another way to look at the Debt Ceiling:

Let's say, you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood; and your home has sewage all the way up to your ceilings.

What do you think you should do?

Raise the ceilings, or pump out the crap?

You be the judge.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,

The alarms were all set with the click of a mouse.

The cameras all aimed to the darkness outside

"I'm guarding my family," my Glock at my side.

The children all snuggled, safe in their beds

With visions of X-Box, and games in their heads.

Momma in her nightgown, me in my ball cap,

Hot chocolate beside me, my Glock in my lap.

When outside my window I heard such commotion,

The cameras all humming, recording all motion.

I quietly crept to the window with care,

Hoping to find that no-one was there.

And much to my fear, twas not the case

Cause staring back at me was a hideous face.

All covered in dirt with a nefarious grin,

The burglar was searching for ways to get in.

"Call the police!", I screamed to my wife,

I could see by his actions that he'd take a life.

The moonlight reflected the gun in his hand,

But I was prepared, I had a plan.

I had practiced and practiced and trained at the range

So that something like this would not feel too strange.

The front door was bowing from heave after heave,

I ducked behind cover and shouted, "Just leave!"

The pushing, the banging, the door he did kick,

I knew in an instant, I had to be quick.

I must shout a warning and try not to lose it,

"I've got a gun and I'm ready to use it!"

And to my surprise the banging just quit,

I peered out the window and saw the man split.

He dashed across lawns and leapt over a fence,

The police in pursuit, a K9 on his scent.

My family and I, we're all safe and sound,

The burglar was caught and now was jail bound.

The lesson my friends is to always be ready,

Practice and practice, your aim must be steady.

I lay down on my bed, my head pillow bound, 

Twas the night before Christmas and we're all safe and sound.

Michael D. Wisdom

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. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc. 

Please vote for who you think will serve your interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interest. 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 saw 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 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space 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 Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill 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 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 PM, 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 me like a 1 day old baby. 

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 its 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 mud 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 fire you. I 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.  

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't?  Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't. 

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 in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about. 

Signed, Your boss,

Michael A. Crowley, PE 
Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc. 
Professional Engineers 
1906 South Main Street, Suite 122 
Wake Forest, NC 27587 
Phone: 919.562.8860 x22 
Fax: 919.562.8872

A prepper is an individual or group that prepares or makes preparations in advance of, or prior to, any change in normal circumstances or lifestyle without significant reliance on other persons (i.e., being self-sufficient), or without substantial assistance from outside resources (e.g. government) in order to minimize the effects of that change on their current lifestyle.

Preppers are sometimes identified as modern-day survivalists or neo-survivalists but are different from the stereotype of past survivalists.  Prepping has also been dubbed as survivalism light.  Many do not identify themselves as doomers or follow the 2012 phenomenon.

Preppers have many different mindsets and cover a broad spectrum of survival and preparedness interests.  Some preppers prepare for economic disaster or to escape genetically modified foods through organic farming or urban gardening.  Some may prepare for the possibility of a complete breakdown of society while others store up extra food and water for a more localized disaster. I n addition to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, as well as other crises, preppers also prepare for personal disasters and economic hardship.

Ambit Energy in Dallas, Texas is a young but vibrant electricity provider currently doing business in just a few states. They direct-sell electricity by way of the recent deregulation that has occurred in Texas, New York, Illinois and some others.

What deregulation of the energy industry offers is competition in the marketplace, which translates to a win/win situation for the consumer.  Currently, there are 18 states which have deregulated energy.  Ambit has established a customer base in three of those states, which are Texas, New York and Illinois.  Ambit consultants can live in any state or country.

Here’s the impressive part; the guys at the top such as the CEO, COO, CFO, Senior IT guy, and Chief Marketing Officer, all office out in the open near each other and with no walls, doors or partitions.  They went basic on the furniture by choice and maintain a philosophy of frugality that has spread throughout the company.  They pay their office support staff a fair wage and their salespeople well, too.  The thought of needing to call a board meeting to express ideas, concerns or solutions is merely a waste of time since they can just roll their chairs over to one another and hammer it out.

If you are a person who is serious about improving and securing the financial condition of you and your family, you OWE it to yourself to thoroughly investigate this business model.  It is a fact that the network marketing business model is a successful one.  It is a fact that timing is critical when considering becoming involved with a network marketing program.

It is also a fact that those determined and disciplined individuals who can see the long term vision of this business opportunity and have the availability to blaze a trail will have a very good chance of creating the kind of wealth we all read about in Success magazine. But, it is up to you to be willing to do the work, and spread the word.

If we listen to what Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki say, the only question should be "which network marketing business should I join?"

With the exposure we have had to the downfall of corporate giants like Enron, Arthur Andersen, MCI and many others now being bailed out by the Feds, it causes me to pause and wonder if wealth creation is possible with a team of honest, hardworking people unified in an effort to take a product or service to the highest level.

It seems with each new day we are faced with yet another scandalous indiscretion by either a business person or politician who was trying to get ahead.

I am thoroughly impressed with Ambit Energy and how responsible they are with their customer’s money, I thought I would share this model with my readers.  It turns out that when you run a business that is not top heavy and based on greed, you tend to not topple over.  Ambit is one of the fastest growing companies in US history and only just beginning to walk.  You should run, not walk to join this company.  Call me for a free magazine and DVD.