CLOSING THE BUSINESS IS A BETTER OPTION THAN FIGHTING ALL THE PAPERWORK, REGULATIONS AND UNIONS!

My family business was started in 1949 by my father and his brother. It now employs 24 people, and if we get to either 25 or 50 and all sorts of numbers in between, different rules will apply to us as an employer.

These rules will mandate, mandate not ask or suggest, that our little company MUST provide this or that benefit, or we can't fire this person or that person, we must hire that person or this person. If an employee that becomes unable to do the job because he has to go up on a ladder but now has gained 250 pounds, we have to "accommodate" him-whatever that means. Never mind that the ladder manufacturer says that the ladder can "accommodate" up to 250 pounds! So what are we supposed to do in that case?

Our company provided a great living for the family and as it was handed down to us, the kids of the founders, we continued its success and provided a living to our families and those of our employees.

After reading the plans of government local and federal, the plans to increase our taxes, the plans to mandate new rules and regulations and to fine us if we do not have or provide mandated programs, we as long time company owners have decided that it is not worth while to continue to struggle every day with the countless bureaucrats that want to have a say in how we run our business.

Over the last few years, a large labor union has tried to organize our technicians and we have had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs to oppose this, even though the majority of our employees did not have an interest in joining.

We have decided to take our money, which we made sufficiently to live the rest of our lives, and just enjoy our retirement. No hassles, no fines, no inspectors, no government mandates, dozens of taxes and forced benefits-just fishing and boating and relaxing.

Statistically, we are a small business, but we are the backbone of America, and we have been forced to make a choice to close up...rather than continue solely due to the bureaucratic morass that is impeding every aspect of our business. We know other business owners who are doing the same.

For instance, after the sale of our business equipment and the real estate that our business occupies, we will have a substantial amount that does not come close to the "profits" that we can hope to generate over the next 10 or 20 years.

The government does not seem to understand this. It is more profitable for us to close than to stay open!

Down the block, the government forced a car dealership that employed about 40 people to close by pulling its GM franchise, I can't figure that one out.