A real letter from a CEO to his employees

[Juan_Bottom]

Can be found here:
http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Find-Fre ... &From=News

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job.

What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for -- it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, Race, creed, religion, etc.

Please vote who you think will serve your Interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interest. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story.

This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's.

My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button For me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby.

You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't.

The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check?

Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand; to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine.

Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the backstory: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, Your boss,

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

This really made me smile.

On a related note;
http://www.aim.org/on-target-blog/bailo ... ican-wars/

Appearantly the true cost of the bailouts is greater than the cost of every American War ever.

According to CRS, all major U.S. wars (including such events as the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, but not the invasion of Panama or the Kosovo War), cost a total of $7.2 trillion in inflation-adjusted 2008 dollars.

According to Bloomberg, the federal government has made commitments worth a total of $8.5 trillion in the bailouts of 2008. That includes actual expenditures as well as loan and asset guarantees.

Bianco Research puts the total value of the bailouts at $8.7 trillion.

The $296 billion spent on World War II, America’s most expensive war, would be $4.1 trillion adjusted to today’s dollars, according to the CRS report from June.

The adjusted cost of the Civil War would be $60.4 billion for both the Union and the Confederacy combined. The inflation-adjusted cost of the Vietnam War would be $686 billion. The cost of the current Iraq war up to last June was $648 billion, while the adjusted cost for Afghanistan to that point was $171 billion.

The total cost of the American Revolution was a relatively inexpensive $1.8 billion.”

This doesn’t necessarily count the $1 trillion “stimulus” bill that will come up in January or the additional $1 trillion that the Federal Reserve says it is likely to guarantee in the near future. From Marketwatch on December 16,

Still, just wanted to share the letter.

[Backglass]

This reeks of Urban Legend and most likely was not written by a "real" CEO at all as claimed.

Some commentary I found:

Firstly, the letter says that the company was started "12 years ago." The real Mr. Crowley ought to know that, according to his own wesbite, the company was incorporated in 2001.

Secondly, the letter states, "[a]t that time, I lived in a 300 sq.ft. studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you."

Of course, the real Mr. Crowley also should know, that according to his own professional summary, he went into business for himself the year before incorporating with other associates, and prior to that had held executive-level positions "with several engineering firms in North Carolina and Maine."

Whether the story is real or not, agreement with the author's stance boils down to whether one agrees with the "Trickle-Down" theory of economics.

First of all, if a business-owner has only 14 employees, most of whom are probably receiving average engineering salaries, and he is paying $288k grand a quarter in taxes, odds are he's doing just fine financially. Especially if he states that he can pick up and retire at any time.

Second of all, the free market will determine what political and taxation systems are sustainable or not. If washington is crippling businesses with taxes worse than taxes imposed on businesses in other countries, businesses will set up in other countries. However, small businesses, which might serve a local demographic in a particular community, might not have the same mobility to where they can just pick up and move to another country. This tug-of-war needs some political attention, not a gripe to one's own employees.

Lastly, the author, by divulging his "bringing-himself-up-by-his-bootstraps" story, is indirectly showing everyone that he feels entitled to be compensated in some way for his hard work. The ability to work hard in a skilled profession, have the freedom to start your own business, and to own a mercedes, among others, is a luxury many americans take for granted. Just my $.02.

And in closing:
Waaaaaa OBAMA WON

[HapSmo19]

Can be found here:
http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Find-Fre ... &From=News

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job.

What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for -- it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, Race, creed, religion, etc.

Please vote who you think will serve your Interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interest. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story.

This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's.

My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button For me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby.

You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't.

The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check?

Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand; to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine.

Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the backstory: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, Your boss,

Michael A. Crowley,
PE Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc.
Professional Engineers 1
906 South Main Street, Suite 122
Wake Forest, NC 27587

919.562.8860 x22
919.562.8872 Fax

Sweet.

[InkL0sed]

An uneducated, illiterate fool if you ask me.

[HapSmo19]

I know but, what do you think of the guy that wrote the letter?

[jesterhawk]

Since this Michael Crowley is real and his company is real, I contacted him and asked if this was from him and this is his response. I asked him if this letter was authentic.

From: Michael A. Crowley, PE [mailto:mcrowley@crowley-crisp.com]
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 9:10 AM
Subject:

In reference to the “To all my valued employees” letter currently circulating the internet:

This letter was forwarded to me by a colleague. While the letter may indeed be authentic, I was not the author and I do not know the identity of the original author. I forwarded it to the “John McCain Joe the Plumbers” email group prior to the election. Someone moved my contact information into the body of the message making it appear that I was the author of the letter. I would appreciate your removing my contact information prior to forwarding this message.


Michael A. Crowley, PE

Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc.
Professional Engineers
1906 South Main Street, Suite 122
Wake Forest, NC 27587


Phone: 919.562.8860 x22
Fax: 919.562.8872

[InkL0sed]

Personal information?

Ban him!

[PLAYER57832]

Good piece of verification there!

Such things make good political rhetoric, good stories, but as Paul Harvey used to say ... "now for the REST of the story.."

[alex_white101]

Though this is probably a made up letter (does it make any difference I wonder?) and I have to say I thourughly agree with it (in some respects)

f*ck eqaulity, we should all be rewarding those who did well and let the rest slide. I mean if you arent earning 100k a year thats your own fault.

Well ok thats a bit extreme, but I do find in this modern world too much emphasis is put on equality in outcome rather than that of equality on oppurtunity. Why should those who messed up be bailed out at the expense of everybody, especially those who were careful and protected themselves.

For example in the UK interest rates were slashed to 1.5% basically chucking money at people who previously spent all their fucking money, took loans, spent all that and were the base cause for all the trouble we are in at the moment. Why the hell is the best way out seen as chucking even more money at them?! Also of course those who were careful and have savings are now screwed as the pittance they are earning means they are pointless to keep, so we spend it, again meaning the banks have even less capital to lean on, which could easily bring about a repeat crash.......

I seriously am struggling to follow the so called "good decisions" taken on recently by governments and central banks alike. It all seems to defy sense, can anyone point out the logic in ANY of the decisions made?

[MeDeFe]

Personal information?

Ban him!

Crowley is not a user, so it's fine.

[pimpdave]

That guy might seriously have the smallest penis in the world.

[mccallan25]

Who cares if the letter was real or not. The sentiment is the same for me and many of my friends. I can’t count how many times sitting around after dinner this conversation comes up.

I cannot tell you how many times I have sat here at this computer and wanted to write that letter. No, I did not vote for Obama, but I do hope he is able to pull things together. If he does hit me hard (much higher taxes) as previously stated I will not be opening a new restaurant that was going to employ 110 employees that has been planned for almost 3 years now. Raise my taxes and watch those planned jobs go away. I have no reason to create them since the higher taxes will negate my effort and investment. Why risk 6 million to build something only to get taxed to death, which it looks like will bring down my net profit to a mere $ .06 on a dollar.

If he does levy these higher taxes as promised, I am not going to move as in the letter. I love America, I have fought/bled for it and sit as a judge for it and pay a lot of taxes for it. I am not alone in my feelings either amongst my friends. They also create businesses and none of them have any plans for doing anything new for fear of watching our taxes go up again. Not every business owner is greedy. We create business when we see a need and of course we risk for a reward. Give us incentives to start them and grow our economy not tax us into submission.

[Backglass]

Who cares if the letter was real or not. The sentiment is the same for me and many of my friends. I can’t count how many times sitting around after dinner this conversation comes up.

I cannot tell you how many times I have sat here at this computer and wanted to write that letter. No, I did not vote for Obama, but I do hope he is able to pull things together. If he does hit me hard (much higher taxes) as previously stated I will not be opening a new restaurant that was going to employ 110 employees that has been planned for almost 3 years now. Raise my taxes and watch those planned jobs go away. I have no reason to create them since the higher taxes will negate my effort and investment. Why risk 6 million to build something only to get taxed to death, which it looks like will bring down my net profit to a mere $ .06 on a dollar.

If he does levy these higher taxes as promised, I am not going to move as in the letter. I love America, I have fought/bled for it and sit as a judge for it and pay a lot of taxes for it. I am not alone in my feelings either amongst my friends. They also create businesses and none of them have any plans for doing anything new for fear of watching our taxes go up again. Not every business owner is greedy. We create business when we see a need and of course we risk for a reward. Give us incentives to start them and grow our economy not tax us into submission.

I don't believe you.

You will try to open your business regardless, as you are an entrepreneur and that is what drives you. You will find ways to make it work. This threat of "if the taxes go up, business will give up" that Is going around is an empty threat IMO. Besides, the taxes will only go back to where they were under Clinton and you certainly didn't see business throwing up their hands and quitting then.

[huamulan]

What a tragically unoriginal letter. You sense that he is only one paragraph away from lecturing poor people on the subject of 'You Could All Be This Rich If You Tried'.

If only the whole world felt as persecuted and unwilling to help their fellow man as this man does.

(Before you argue that his sentiments and world view are just 'how successful people feel', my father was a CEO for a long time and never expressed the attitudes of the man who apparently wrote this letter. It's possible to become a CEO without bearing a chip on your shoulder about the idea of social unity.)

[natty dread]

inb4 phatscotty falls in love with this thread

[2dimes]

I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission.
You see me park my Mercedes.
I'll shut down this company and move to another country. I'm done with...

The guys sounds swell.

[Maugena]

Hi, wonderful thread. I never thought that a CEO can be full of emotion while writing letter to his employees. I have doubt that this letter is not real as I have seen CEO’s attitude and they never say such things to their employees working under their shadow.

ranker.com

Y U NECRO

[Woodruff]

Hi, wonderful thread. I never thought that a CEO can be full of emotion while writing letter to his employees. I have doubt that this letter is not real as I have seen CEO’s attitude and they never say such things to their employees working under their shadow.

ranker.com

Y U NECRO

He just joined the site, posted that one message in a thread 3 years old and no others, and has not played in any games. Weird.

[natty dread]

Spambots are getting smarter.

... unfortunately, not as smart as to check the date on threads.

[Haggis_McMutton]

Spambots are getting smarter.

... unfortunately, not as smart as to check the date on threads.

Seriously, that's an interesting spambot right there.

I assume the creator realized many forums will have threads made about certain popular floating internet copypasta jokes/letters/etc so he made a bot with a standard reply for each one of them.

Huh, I wonder if one will pop up in the thread about the atheist joke.

[MeDeFe]

Spambots are getting smarter.

... unfortunately, not as smart as to check the date on threads.

Seriously, that's an interesting spambot right there.

I assume the creator realized many forums will have threads made about certain popular floating internet copypasta jokes/letters/etc so he made a bot with a standard reply for each one of them.

Huh, I wonder if one will pop up in the thread about the atheist joke.

Should we wait and see or just remove it immediately?

[spurgistan]

Spambots are getting smarter.

... unfortunately, not as smart as to check the date on threads.

Seriously, that's an interesting spambot right there.

I assume the creator realized many forums will have threads made about certain popular floating internet copypasta jokes/letters/etc so he made a bot with a standard reply for each one of them.

Huh, I wonder if one will pop up in the thread about the atheist joke.

Should we wait and see or just remove it immediately?

I feel like we should see if it learns any new tricks first.

[natty dread]

Spambots are getting smarter.

... unfortunately, not as smart as to check the date on threads.

Seriously, that's an interesting spambot right there.

I assume the creator realized many forums will have threads made about certain popular floating internet copypasta jokes/letters/etc so he made a bot with a standard reply for each one of them.

Huh, I wonder if one will pop up in the thread about the atheist joke.

Nope, check the posting history of that bot. Apparently, it just reads & analyzes the thread title, then madlibs a pre-written form to create a post that is somehow related to the threat topic.

The one other post the bot made was in a tournament thread that had "baseball" in the title, and this is what the algorithm produced:

Hi, wonderful thread about baseball competition. You really have put a lot of time in maintaining this thread. I also gathered some information on baseball history, if you are interested. I think that baseball should be played in every country with the same spirit as Americans shows in every game.

So apparently it just searches for keywords in thread titles that match with things the creators of the bot want to advertise, then it tries to fit the spam to the thread topic. Often with hilarious results I presume.

Still, a pretty clever spambot. I wonder if we'll soon get to this...

[BigBallinStalin]

Spambots are getting smarter.

... unfortunately, not as smart as to check the date on threads.

Seriously, that's an interesting spambot right there.

I assume the creator realized many forums will have threads made about certain popular floating internet copypasta jokes/letters/etc so he made a bot with a standard reply for each one of them.

Huh, I wonder if one will pop up in the thread about the atheist joke.

Should we wait and see or just remove it immediately?

I feel like we should see if it learns any new tricks first.

Let it learn the ways of our people. Then we will hold a ceremonial trial, a rite of passage into its CC adulthood.

[spurgistan]

I mean, this bot clearly has the capacity to learn and adapt to its surroundings, yet it only exists in this CC forum. I believe that banning it would be tantamount to killing a living thing, which I obviously oppose on principle.