April 2016 Archives

So you want to be an Employer?

          You, as an employer, must pay disability insurance (SDI),  unemployment insurance (FUI & SUI), workman's compensation and one-half of Social Security-Medicare.   Other obligations include health insurance, vacation pay, sick leave, Crime Victim's leave, Domestic Violence leave, Jury Duty Time off, Military service leave, paid family leave, school appearance leave, volunteer civil service leave and a check of your employee to meet federal I.D. requirements. 

          There are also permits and license fees, health and fire inspections, and you get to collect sales tax and report various withholding taxes for the State and Federal government.

You must protect yourself from work place harassment, discrimination and retaliatory litigation and provide, on a company bulletin board, a mind numbing array of laws and regulations imposed by State and Federal legislation.

          And now California is considering a minimum wage of $15 per hour and a proposal (SB1234) which, if passed, would require employers, who don't offer retirement accounts, to automatically enroll their employees in the state-run plan.

          According to recent estimates, the state-run pension plans (CalPERS and CalSTRS) have an unfunded liability of $175 billion; so it is only logical that an estimated 7 million people, who don't have access to a pension or 401(k) savings plan, should be included in another State boondoggle at employer's expense.

          It is little wonder that many employers offer a "self check-out" counter in an attempt to reduce employee costs.  

          There appears to no end to legislative requirements for those persons who are foolish enough to open a business which requires human help.  Accordingly, many existing businesses have opted for mechanical and automated devices to cut down on employee expense. 

At the current trend, one wonders how long it will be before the unemployed masses will be unable to purchase the products created by manufacturers who no longer employ human help?

All things considered, why would anyone want to be an employer?

Why Donald Trump?

          I am just a simple country boy standing by a river of false promises and juvenile name calling, watching my country float by, heading toward a giant precipice called "the national debt."

          Why, do you suppose, a loud mouthed braggart, who claims to know it all, is the leading Republican candidate for the highest office in the nation?  

      The answer appears simple enough - he is the only candidate talking about the issues which have made the general public angry i.e. ineffective government, misplaced accusations about where things have gone wrong; millions of illegal aliens within the country when the threat of terrorism is very real, engagement in endless Middle Eastern wars which we cannot win, a mounting national debt, declining value of the dollar, deteriorating roads and bridges in our country and unrestricted fraud in the healthcare system.

          Instead of the lynch mob rhetoric directed at Donald Trump to displace him as a front runner, it would appear more logical to join him in the discussion of the real issues facing this nation, and then let the best man win.

In Defense of The Law

             Accountability  is a willingness and obligation to accept responsibility for an intentional act or activity.

            The public is constantly exposed to warnings about the evils of driving while intoxicated, or the distractions of texting and other aberrant behavior.  One wonders why it is necessary to remind drivers not to behave in this matter when these very acts are in violation of the law. 

If these television advertisements actually worked, then creating laws would not be necessary.  Accordingly, the general public could be reminded that armed robbery is not a desirable activity and this repulsive act would promptly vanish.

But, returning to the real world, a traffic ticket or a trip to the local jail facility would appear to be a sufficient reminder that an individual is accountable to the law and will be held responsible.

There exists puzzling contradictions to this simple philosophy.   It is difficult to understand, for example, the current rush by many State Legislators to allow the sale of Marijuana in their state when it is in violation of Federal law. 

Recently, California Legislators have allowed the issuance of driver's licenses to those persons who cannot prove they are in this country legally which, of course, is in violation of Federal Law. 

Members of the United States Senate have openly denied their responsibility to review and approve a Presidential nominee to the Supreme Court. 

And recently a Presidential candidate was asked what should happen to a person who committed abortion in violation of the law?  Incredibly, he was criticized for suggesting the woman would have to be penalized.  Logically, if someone violates the law, there are consequences. 

            The real issue here is: "If our elected representatives not only ignore the law but refuse to accept their sworn duty to honor and defend the Constitution of the United States, who remains to be held accountable?"