When you think about what is being said, it almost sounds unfair to those who own or work at one of these big retail businesses.
At least that is exactly what came to my mind when I first read and saw this meme my cousin posted to Facebook.
It was an unconscious thought, about the ludicrously unfathomable idea, of any retail business being forced out of business for a year by our elected officials.
I mean we voted them into office, and while we as small businesses haven’t and didn’t line those elected federal, state and city politicians pockets with deep money during their campaign, as did big business retailers. Nor did we send attorneys to represent us in Washington, send gifts or stock tips to anyone. Nor did we send politicians to Hawaii before or during a pandemic to advocate our agendas. Many of us did what we could to help those men and woman get elected, whether sending small financial contributions to their campaign or merely being social media warriors during our off-hours to promote them as the ideal representative.
Maybe we should of lined a few pockets instead of wasting money on our daughters braces for their teeth, or taking our dog and cat to the vet. Maybe we should not have put that money aside for our child’s community college school books, and instead sent our elected representative who claimed to be pro small business to Disneyland. I mean we could of probably at least gotten them a two-day pass. Maybe.
But this is exactly what many states did to those of us who have small businesses. Not for six months, but for over a full year now. And for the smallest and most vulnerable of small business, the micro-small business sole proprietors, they didn’t waste time advocating for PPP forgiveness money to help those survive.
Meanwhile, giant corporations, foreign corporations doing business in America, even Americas most expensive universites that you would feel small just walking into the admissions office, received small business PPP relief, while even many larger small businesses who did apply for help were denied.
Sure, some states like California gave $150 a week in pandemic unemployment assistance, but only if you didn’t make any money or try to save your business.
If you were honest, and told the truth, that you struggled to keep your small business alive, not making any money but working 50 hours a day to hopefully remain open, well, then you were just straight out denied the pandemic assistance for those weeks and months altogether.
Remember this, the next time your city, state and federal legislatures run for an office. Remember that they left you out.
Remember they got paid their federal and state and city salaries. Remember that they still expected to receive that $250 city business license fee. Remember that they locked you down, while an unmonitored amount of people entered and left Walmart all year long.
Remember that while your online shop was locked down locally, Amazon’s CEO became the richest billionaire in America.
Remember that idea, when you look at this meme, and how it sounds almost ludicrous, unfair, unreasonable a suggestion to close big retail and allow small businesses to fill those needs for six months. But hey its a meme, it supposed to be ridiculous, right?
So why isn’t it ridiculous?
It is what your state did, what city and County, what the majority representatives did to small business and micro-business,
Maybe even what yours did to you.
Statistically, unlike big business, many small businesses amd most micro small businesses operate with everything “at risk”, which means they have their personal finances at risk and invested. Unlike big business which has investor and share holders money at risk only.
Just remember this meme and how ludicrous, unfair, unrealistic and unreasonable it sounded in your head when you first read it.
Remember this, the next time your city, state and federal legislatures run for an office.
Remember that they left you out to die, while letting big retailers remain open. While Amazon expanded with massive tax free state economic grants.
Remember, remember that last time, you casually voted for whoever you voted for, and they ate their fancy ice cream, sat in their comfy leather council members chairs, and some even went on vacation while you were restricted from flying, some ate with big pharmaceutical executives without a mask in restaurants that were supposedly locked down or under restricted rules, that they didn’t have to follow.
Remember seeing them in the news getting their hair cuts at a fancy salon, without a mask, while you had a year long man-bun or frizzy-split ends.
Never forget.
Remember that at the end of the year, after forcing your small business out of business, your state still forced you to pay those sales taxes you received on those few sales you had while you existed.
Perhaps you even found a way to make your small business survive this time.
All I am suggesting, is to remember.
