Like many Americans, I haven’t gotten a pay raise in years - because the money that would have been added to my take home has instead been sent to feed the healthcare system and now the Obama mandate.
I barely remember what a simple ‘paycheck’ even was, let alone a ‘raise’. When I had the Family Business, I was on a monthly check schedule, but didn’t take a payroll check for 9mos of 2009, and all of 2010 & 2011; all the other bills got paid, and I lived off my remaining savings, unless the Business needed it.
PA Commonwealth Law prohibits owners/officers/stockholders of Sub-S Corps from receiving any UC (unemployment comp), so in 21yrs, I was never eligible, although I paid-in many, many tens-of-thousands to the UC fund. What a bunch of crap that is. If I could have invested all that $ paid-in, at just 5%, I would have had a nice retirement fund. I got *bupkis*.
Such is the lot for most small business owners: us always last, if at all. When I saw all of the red ink coming in 3rd Qtr 2011, I pulled the plug. All bills were paid; no creditors were stiffed. It was painful to let 28 people go, but I gave 4 wks notice. All found jobs.
The Ag/Hort Business-Industry is being squeezed to death by AgriBusiness and Gov’t intrusion and interference. In a few years, it’ll be mostly gone from America as thousands go out of business each year.