Small businesses have led Connecticut and our nation out of economic downturns, depressions, and recessions. Small businesses account for between 70-75% of our entire economy and employ 9 or less employees. Small business owners are active in communities, like New Britain, raise their families here, promote volunteerism, and contribute to the fabric of our community.
With 2010 being an election season there is great bluster and fanfare coming from the Washington and Hartford claiming they love small business. Yet few know how to help us grow and prosper. Washington and Hartford talk about wanting to help small business yet promote policies, regulations, and increase taxes that damage the job creation engines in every community. Remember “too big to fail”? The President’s supposed jobs stimulus summit included every entity except one, small business. I guess we really were “too small to matter”.
There are many factors in the high price of doing business in Connecticut and New Britain. Since the implementation of the state income tax Connecticut has seen ZERO net private sector job growth. That’s ZERO growth in almost 20 years. The only sector that grew was government. Income taxes take money out the pockets of not only businesses but also their employees.
New Britain is not only in competition with towns in Connecticut, but regionally, nationally and internationally. We must compete to keep the businesses we have and attract new ones. We need to incubate, not exterminate its local and small businesses.
Here are things that can help:
FISCAL RESPONSBILITY & GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Businesses are concerned about the impact of long term budget deficits and record spending levels. Record debt and increased taxes at all levels are the last thing Connecticut and New Britain need in these tough economic times. Long term spending cuts must be implemented. New Britain has been able to hold the line on taxes for six straight years. This has helped us compete with our neighbors. Connecticut now must do the same to compete regionally.
GOVERNMENT MANDATES
Businesses will not hire, grow or prosper with economic and political uncertainty. Joe the Plumber was told to work harder and give his hard earned income to the government to “spread the wealth” to others. Businesses do “spread the wealth” by creating and providing jobs. Private sector job creation IS the “spread the wealth” solution. Not government intervention.
The key to turning around the economy is private sector jobs. History has proven time and time again that lower taxes, reduced government spending and reduced burdensome regulations provide the true stimulus to economic growth. Small businesses don’t need more taxes. They need less.
Forcing businesses to offer benefits they cannot afford will cost Connecticut and New Britain jobs and revenue and inhibit small businesses from growing. Mandates and higher taxes are bad ideas any time, but are particularly destructive in the current economic environment.
One of the largest unfunded state mandates that impacts New Britain is binding arbitration for government worker contracts. This system ensures automatic cost of living increases with little, if any, downward movement in wages, health care costs and pensions. Since employee costs are New Britain’s single highest cost this has the biggest impact on New Britain’s property taxes.
MEANINGFUL TAX RELIEF
Small businesses in Connecticut need immediate, meaningful tax relief to help turn the State’s economy around. Lower tax rates help businesses keep more of their money to reinvest, grow their businesses and hire more people. New Britain residents need jobs. Lower income tax rates, state sales tax rates, property tax rates, electric and gas tax rates, insurance rates, college tuition, help families keep more of their hard earned money and help build better communities in New Britain and Connecticut.
Mark Bernacki, owner Sir Speedy Printing Center and
Alderman, New Britain City Council
Alderman Bernacki raises some valid issues. How can Connecticut compete globally or even nationally when we have a legislature that keeps ramming more socialist requirements down the throats of all business owners, like the failed attempt by the legislative Democrats to require every employer in the state to provide paid sick days to all employees? Another example of the anti-jobs atmosphere is one created by an attorney general who attempts to destroy any business he can by suing them out of existence. Did anyone else ever notice that he seems to only pursue issues that are supportive of unions? Could it be because they donate large sums of money to his campaign, and yet he claims that his constant harassment of employers somehow creates jobs?
ReplyDeleteHow can Connecticut compete internationally when we have some of the highest business taxes in the nation? How can we compete with the right-to-work states where unions have little or no authority, if they exist at all, and states like Texas who have no personal income tax and no business taxes whatsoever?
Here in Connecticut we have a legislature led by liberal extremists that seems to be on a mission to punish business owners for their perceived wealth by ramming through one anti-business measure after another--apparently aimed at destroying any business for having a perceived wealth that must be destroyed. Our legislators seem to be destined to "spread the wealth around" through socialist redistribution of income, and that will do nothing but destroy business opportunities and the jobs that private industry creates.
The only thing I could think of that would finish off the destruction of any remaining Connecticut businesses would be to elect a liberal Democratic Governor who would assuredly empower the socialist agenda of the legislature by rubber stamping one socialist bill after another.
The only jobs Blumenthal is able to create is the team of lawyers needed to sue these companies at taxpayer expense.
ReplyDeleteSenator DeFronzo, Reps O'Brien, Terzyak, Geragosian,
ReplyDeleteAre you listening? Mark Bernacki and Thorn make some extremely valid points. Rep Geragosian's parents are small business owners, he must hear from them the problems they have!
Texas must be a very happy place. This is the type of bipartisan cooperation we lack here in CT. Democrats here are mostly radical socialists who care about little other than their own radical agenda regardless of the negative impact their socialist ideology has on our state. You won't see one Democrat endorse a Republican Governor because it is what is right for Connecticut. As you can see, even Democrats in Texas agree that Governor Rick Perry is the right choice to keep Texas so successful. Until we see Democrats putting the needs of the state before their own radical agenda, Connecticut will continue to bleed jobs!
ReplyDeleteBipartisan Group of Mayors and Elected Officials Endorse Gov. Perry
On Friday, Gov. Perry was endorsed by thirty elected officials from the Rio Grande Valley region including mayors, mayors pro-tempore, school board members and city commissioners, including several democrats. They pointed to Gov. Perry’s principled leadership and success in maintaining a friendly business climate and strong economy in offering their support of his re-election campaign.
"I am a Democrat and I am supporting Gov. Perry because he's been a good governor for Pharr, the housing community and economic development," said Pharr Mayor Polo Palacios. "My family came from Mexico and growing up I was always taught to respect those that help you and treat you well. Gov. Perry's efforts have helped our community. We have worked together and, time after time, Gov. Perry has not let us down."
Representative Geragosian's parent's must tell of their business problems. OMG his mom doesn't pay any attention to business rules or ethics.
ReplyDeleteToday's (511/10) column by Chris Powell on the Herald's editorial page adds another dimension to all of the issues raised by Mark Bernacki, to wit, our inept and ineffective, socialist/liberal, Democrat dominated State Legislature and lame duck Governor.
ReplyDeleteGlenn Beck recently did an entire hour long show dedicated to showing how Texas should be the example for the other 49 states to follow, but do you think the radical extremists who have hijacked our legislature would pay attention?
ReplyDeleteDidn't this article run in the Hardware City Journal? And, wasn't there also an opinion offered by none other than Tim O'Brien? Frank, you might offer the blog O'Brien's idea of promoting businesses in New Britain, you know, the green jobs thing.... his dreamy rendition of bringing mfg. back to the Hardware City.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, looks like these two Op-Eds are now historical information.
Didn't this article run in the Hardware City Journal? And, wasn't there also an opinion offered by none other than Tim O'Brien? Frank, you might offer the blog O'Brien's idea of promoting businesses in New Britain, you know, the green jobs thing.... his dreamy rendition of bringing mfg. back to the Hardware City.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, looks like these two Op-Eds are now historical information.
HISTORICAL??? IS THAT WHY O'BRIEN LOST HIS ELECTION BECAUSE OF HIS CLAIMING IF ELECTED HE WILL BRING BRING BACK THE HARDWARE CITY BACK?
I CAN STILL HEAR THE LAUGHTER FROM THE VOTERS OVER HIS COMMENTS!
you mean O'Brien thinks he can compete with right to work states like Texas and South Carolina where unions are illegal????
ReplyDeleteAnd how about the fact that Texas has absolutely no personal income tax and no business taxes of any kind?
Where would you open a new manufacturing business, where unions will dictate how you run your business, or where unions are against the law?
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteRepresentative Geragosian's parent's must tell of their business problems. OMG his mom doesn't pay any attention to business rules or ethics.
May 11, 2010 6:48 AM
That might be just one point to bring up at the CPOA meeting on May 27, 7:00 p.m. when Repr. Geragosian is the keynote speaker. The meeting will be in room 201 at City Hall.