Small Business Saturday

There are 260 dairy calves in this little barn I took a picture of yesterday. I support small business and this is a key part of a small family farm I visited.

This Saturday is Small Business Saturday. You aren't allowed to go shop at Walmart or big box stores. If you shop you need to go to the smallest store that has the item you are looking for.

That is not the whole truth but you get my drift. It is a promotion to remind us all to support small business. Many have started in the past year in this very difficult economy and we need to give them every chance to survive and make good. Success of small business is a key to economic survival.

If you read this page you know I am pretty passionate about the little guy. We are all little guys and if we don't help one another, things won't get any better. They will get even worse. Many have given up and just accept that.

We started HyMark Consulting in 1994 and expanded our farming operation in 2004. We are small business people.

Some media keep pointing out that 47% of us don't pay taxes. I assume they mean Federal Income Tax. Others point out that the richest need to pay more. For the life of me I can't figure out how almost half our population fall off the income tax radar screen. You and I never did. I have always felt I paid my fair share of Federal Income Tax. LuAnn and I sure did last year and a few years ago.

The total of the two years is enough to put one of our grand kids through college. Most years we can live with the large amount of income tax we pay but the last ten years we have had two where we just couldn't keep that amount down, although we tried.

We are thankful we made enough to pay that much but the whole tax structure is flawed and definitely not fair. I am reminded that if life were fair, "I would be dead or behind bars," a saying I heard in a discussion this summer that had impact on me.

So remember the little guy if you shop this weekend. Tractor Supply and the Superstore have big sales on I hope to take time to look at. I am always looking for those special toys for the little ones.

If this doesn't put you in a good mood, maybe this will! It is really good. I tried it but they all just ran away!

Ed