This weekend I read an article in the Sacramento Business Journal in the Opinion section titled A Government Belittled, Justice Denied written by Ralph Carmona a former University of California Regent and a former university professor. Just given those two positions, I'm sure one can figure out where his political views are coming from.
Ralph argues that our society needs to maintain our local law enforcement agencies and prison systems and not succumb to the pressures of lower tax revenues. That our community needs to pony-up more money to support these critical functions of our society.
Not a surpising response from a life long government employee who has never signed the "front of the check" and has always signed the "back of the check." Practicvally every singe person in this country, and the world for that fact, is cutting their spending. Coming up with creative ways to reduce their spending given their incomes have changes or their expectations of their income doesn't look good.
So why is it these government bureaucrats - bureaucrats is defined as an official who works on fixed routines without exercising intelligent judgement - just can't be like the rest of us and make tough decision on how to manage better with less?
Instead we see these bureaucrats making our job tougher each day by challenging our licensing requirements or increasing or changing regulations or by increasing taxes.
During tough economic times these are EXACTLY the opposite things government should be doing. Government should be making it easier to sell businesses and do business. Instead these these officials who are exercising routines without intelligences are making life for the very people who pay their damn bills more difficult.
Government should be making it easier to get business purchase loans. Government should be reducing regulations making selling businesses easier. Government should be helping the broker by letting him do his/her job and not harassing him/her because they are looking for any and all sources of additional income.
Here are examples of the absue of these mindless government people: Larry Braden has experienced some very clear harassment from the Washington State department of real estate and the worker compensation board. In California, the ABC no longer allows individuals to select any ABC office to begin the transfer process regardless of how backed-up the office you need is. It could take 2-3 weeks just to get an appointment these days. Health departments have increased their fees for transfers - in Sacramento they now charge $1,200 for a transfer. In California we have a bulk sale law that was established nearly 100 years ago during at time when there was ramped fraud occuring with people skipping town and not paying their vendors. The law is so out-of-date that California is one of five states that still has this law in place. This law causes at least another 30 day delay in trying to close a business purchase. Add this to the ABC delay of 45 days, and one begins to ask why am I here in this state?
Yesterday I had a clients who is purchasing a liqour license from us. He owns a bar in the redevelopment area of Stockton, and area where the city is screaming for more businesses to come in. He has a beer and wine license right now and is converting to a hard liquor license. He initally got the greenlight from the city to convert the license. Then out of seemingly nowhere, one of those mindless officials put on the breaks and said, "oh, you now need a change of use permit which will cost you $5,000 and take at least another 60 days." Can you believe it! Absolutely mindless!
In times like these the government is our enemy, yet we Americans have elected a government that is tripling in size, stripping away our liberties and making our ability to do business even more difficult. What the hell are we thinking folks!
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