In 1792 Congress passed The Coinage Act for the minting of the new government's coins. A facility was built in Philadelphia, the country's capital at the time, which still produces coins along with the Denver mint. Bills are produced at the U.S. Mint in Washington D.C. and Janet and I toured it, through high security and thick plexiglass walls, on one of our many excursions there, my birthplace. Interestingly, the Mint was the first Federal building authorized by Congress to be built, and now we have tens-of-thousands of Federal buildings. In 1866 the motto In God We Trust was stamped on all coins except the dime. By this time many regional mints have come and gone, yet Denver and Philadelphia remain. In 1874 the San Francisco Mint was built. The Mint also began producing foreign coins for a fee. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which produces all U.S. bills, was merged with the Mint under the Treasurer in 1981.
So that's where Kennedy half-dollars, coins, bills, Sacajewa dollars etc. are made and distributed from. Easy right? Up until 1861, silver was the standard, not gold, to provide the actual value of the coins, along with "the full faith and credit of the United States." Other countries also followed the Silver Standard. Beginning in 1906 the Gold Standard was adopted, but suspended throughout the World Wars. After 1946, the dollar was valued at $35 a troy ounce, and other countries pegged their currencies to the dollar. President Nixon ended true convertibility from dollars to gold in 1971, and the International Monetary Fund was established to fulfill a similar role, based on financial conversions, not gold conversions.So now, money is only backed by the full faith and credit of the issuer.
That's one reason we have trillions of dollars in debt. We don't literally print and mint the money we need to pay government expenses. The Feds borrow it, essentially, from themselves, investors in T-bills and China etc. -- but interest payments accrue. This gets to my point. When you have a finite government, "n" number of employees, "x" number of programs, and identifiable costs, setting tax rates and policies is straightforward. But the staffing, programs and costs to government change daily.
For example, take the Department of Human Services in the State of New Jersey. 10,000 employees and dozens if not hundreds of programs. Take DYFS, the Division of Youth and Family Services, still a part of Human Services. However, all they do now is certify and regulate child care centers in the state. At one time they also had hundreds of case workers working with children and families. My good friend David Gainer used to be one. DYFS workers could come to your home or the child's school and take your child away, no questions asked, usually to foster care, in cases of supposed or real abuse. Now that function is performed by a Department -- the Department of Children and Families. Ever since a gruesome death of a child by the neglect of their parents some years ago, which highlighted the division's spotty track record, monies have been poured into the new department to avoid future recurrences. So policies and staffing changed overnight.
Unforeseen things happen, and funds, and sometimes laws, are required to address them. Unplanned funds, uncollected funds are needed. That's why everyone ends up borrowing. "Life is plotless," Stephen King says, you never know what will happen. But in New Jersey we're lucky. We have a balanced budget amendment - it is illegal to borrow indefinitely like the Feds do to pay bills -- unforeseen or not.
Look at Hurricane Sandy. Billion of dollars in damages to East Coast infrastructure, homes, business and shorelines. New Jersey government has no "found" money to help make repairs -- which is partially its responsibility (with owners and insurance companies). Look at FEMA -- making low cost loans to homeowners and businesses. Where do you think they get the capital for those loans? Right, they borrow it from the Treasury. Congress just passed $50 billion in aid to NJ and NY hard hit by Sandy. You guessed it, where did they get the $50 billion from? There's no rainy day fund that big. Multiply that by disasters everywhere, building infrastructure, the cost of solving crime etc., and you see we would be crippled without borrowing. So the debt keeps increasing.
How do we pay it off? Simple: higher taxes, fewer deductions, and cuts to spending. We could continually hike taxes. That would just mean a revolving door in all governments every two and four years. And you know what they say about FNGs -- by the time they're trained, they leave. So, in my opinion, if New Jersey and many other states have to have balanced budgets, the Feds should also. Borrowing must be allowed for staffing, program changes and emergencies. But the piper needs to be paid back sooner and not later. A set time period should be fixed for paying down debts incurred, and plans formulated to do so, before incurring the debt in the first place. Laughingly, The NJ League of Municipalities has been trying for years to get the state to pay for all its "unfunded mandates" (laws), which local communities have to obey, implement and pay for. I have personal experience with this and New Jersey unfunded liability pension funds which jeopardize tens of thousands of future pension payments.
There are alternatives to borrowing. No FEMA. No Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Few government services. No more loans and a constant outlay of borrowed cash, especially when there's no hope of reasonable payback. (Look at the cause of the mortgage crises -- the lenders evil practices, buyers inability to pay, AND the collapse of home values.) Obviously, we couldn't live under such draconian measures. But, its simple really. When I signed my bank mortgage, I agreed to pay my loan back at a fixed rate for a fixed period of time, based on my income at the time. The bank didn't consider my future earnings -- it looked at my income and job stability when I applied. In 1989 we obtained a home equity loan to build our house addition. Again, given under terms of expected repayment. Janet and I can borrow on our VISA credit line, and we do. But we also pay it off every month, regardless of how much we have to spend that month. We were lucky -- we both had decent jobs, and later, decent pensions. Expenses must be offset by income, even if they're paid over time....
The Feds need a humongous debt-relief service. There's hundreds out there, they should call one.
Like you, I've had many ups and downs, and quite a few sideways experiences. I firmly believe everyone should write theirs and share them, whether just for themselves or their kids. Here are some from my memoirs, observations and thoughts.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Time will Tell for Now is the Time
The White House has released its plan to reduce gun violence in America. You can read it at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/wh_now_is_the_time_full.pdf It contains four areas with action points.Some of them, like a national assault weapon and high-magazine ban, require action by Congress. Some states, like New York on Tuesday 1/15/13, have already passed restrictive laws in this regard. I hope New Jersey follows. Some points do not require laws, but do require funding, such as the hiring of police and school resource officers. Some require regulation as well, like background checks, and improving mental health resources (funding also).
On the surface, the language used in the document "Now is the Time," is broad, clear, simple and to the point.
Point One: Closing background check loopholes. Step one is requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales. A positive response will cancel the sale. This includes all sales by gun dealers and private owners as well. Did you know right now I can legally buy, on one day, as many guns as I want to? No limit. I could, and some do, turnaround and sell those guns on the street for high profits. I've also heard, but don't read here, that a gun sale should be restricted to one gun purchase per month. That one rule would greatly cut down this proliferation of guns in illegal hands. Background checks (and gun registration) seems a no-brainer to me. I have to register my car in order to drive legally. So what's the big deal here? This point also precludes gun purchases by mentally ill persons. I've written elsewhere that mentally ill folks like myself, should not be allowed to own guns.
Point two: Banning automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, except for military (as is the case now) and police organizations. This is self-evident. How many bullets in one second does it take to kill a pheasant or a deer? And, why would shells need to be armor-piercing? I understand that some folks may believe we are even now in a police state, like 1984, and need to defend themselves from . . . what exactly? If we ever get to that stage, I will be the first to go out and try to buy a gun. I just don't see it now. And the bigger question: Will my owning a gun (and using it) prevent such a state from happening? What's the point of owning a gun if I'm not going to use it? This is where, besides background checks, registration is also required and should be vetted. Why exactly do I need this gun?
Secondly, the ATF needs to be strengthened if we are serious about gun regulation and control. This goes along with stricter enforcement of laws and prosecution for infractions. As is the case now, assault with a weapon is different than simple assault. I was on a County Grand Jury for 16 weeks and heard those cases first hand. Weapons can hurt people easier, quicker, and deadlier than a beating, although neither is "preferable" to the other.
Why would anyone pass a freeze on gun violence research (or deny funding) if they aren't being manipulated to a degree by the gun lobby? Can they actually say they have the best interest of American citizens at heart by such a ban?
Lastly, doctors need to ask their diagnosed mentally ill patients about violent tendencies or feelings, including suicide, and report unstable individuals to authorities, or at least prevent gun ownership. I've already said, when I'm in a manic phase I could do anything, including harm others, because in those episodes wayward thoughts can control my actions. If I'd kill myself I might kill others. I'm talking from experience here, even though I never thought to harm others. Thankfully I'm on medications that prevent that. But what if I miss some doses?
Thirdly, Making Schools Safer. "Resource officers" and mental health professionals will certainly help, but there are wide disparities between the effectiveness of counselors, teachers and others in recognizing and addressing child development problems. The first step schools take is investigation by a Child Study Team, and they are already overwhelmed. Secondly, teachers are not given formal, medically based training on recognizing these issues (to my knowledge, in college training -- perhaps in in-service sessions?), so effective treatment and application of scarce resources is haphazard at best. And timeliness may not be close either when problems occur or need management. All schools, public, private and parochial should have trained counselors and school nurses. Fund more of these. Now some elementary schools "share" their school nurses (and librarians), getting them only a few hours per day.
Fourth, Improving Mental Health Services. There's no cure, but I'm a very lucky bipolar, mentally ill, person. I've found a drug cocktail that works for me -- as long as I don't miss multiple pill doses. That's the thing, if it weren't for Janet having reminded me for ten years, I wouldn't remember to take my pills regularly by myself. According to NAMI there's 10 million bipolars in the US. There's about 24,000 psychiatrists nationally. That's one psychiatrist for every 417 bipolars. That's another reason why it takes an average of 10 years to be properly diagnosed, and 30% of those who don't get treatment commit suicide. There are hundreds of mental disorders. Bipolar is just one. These issues are much bigger than possibly owning a gun, although, as I've stated, as a diagnosed mentally ill person, I should be prohibited from owning a gun.
In short, these proposals have merit and should move forward quickly.
On the surface, the language used in the document "Now is the Time," is broad, clear, simple and to the point.
Point One: Closing background check loopholes. Step one is requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales. A positive response will cancel the sale. This includes all sales by gun dealers and private owners as well. Did you know right now I can legally buy, on one day, as many guns as I want to? No limit. I could, and some do, turnaround and sell those guns on the street for high profits. I've also heard, but don't read here, that a gun sale should be restricted to one gun purchase per month. That one rule would greatly cut down this proliferation of guns in illegal hands. Background checks (and gun registration) seems a no-brainer to me. I have to register my car in order to drive legally. So what's the big deal here? This point also precludes gun purchases by mentally ill persons. I've written elsewhere that mentally ill folks like myself, should not be allowed to own guns.
Point two: Banning automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, except for military (as is the case now) and police organizations. This is self-evident. How many bullets in one second does it take to kill a pheasant or a deer? And, why would shells need to be armor-piercing? I understand that some folks may believe we are even now in a police state, like 1984, and need to defend themselves from . . . what exactly? If we ever get to that stage, I will be the first to go out and try to buy a gun. I just don't see it now. And the bigger question: Will my owning a gun (and using it) prevent such a state from happening? What's the point of owning a gun if I'm not going to use it? This is where, besides background checks, registration is also required and should be vetted. Why exactly do I need this gun?
Secondly, the ATF needs to be strengthened if we are serious about gun regulation and control. This goes along with stricter enforcement of laws and prosecution for infractions. As is the case now, assault with a weapon is different than simple assault. I was on a County Grand Jury for 16 weeks and heard those cases first hand. Weapons can hurt people easier, quicker, and deadlier than a beating, although neither is "preferable" to the other.
Why would anyone pass a freeze on gun violence research (or deny funding) if they aren't being manipulated to a degree by the gun lobby? Can they actually say they have the best interest of American citizens at heart by such a ban?
Lastly, doctors need to ask their diagnosed mentally ill patients about violent tendencies or feelings, including suicide, and report unstable individuals to authorities, or at least prevent gun ownership. I've already said, when I'm in a manic phase I could do anything, including harm others, because in those episodes wayward thoughts can control my actions. If I'd kill myself I might kill others. I'm talking from experience here, even though I never thought to harm others. Thankfully I'm on medications that prevent that. But what if I miss some doses?
Thirdly, Making Schools Safer. "Resource officers" and mental health professionals will certainly help, but there are wide disparities between the effectiveness of counselors, teachers and others in recognizing and addressing child development problems. The first step schools take is investigation by a Child Study Team, and they are already overwhelmed. Secondly, teachers are not given formal, medically based training on recognizing these issues (to my knowledge, in college training -- perhaps in in-service sessions?), so effective treatment and application of scarce resources is haphazard at best. And timeliness may not be close either when problems occur or need management. All schools, public, private and parochial should have trained counselors and school nurses. Fund more of these. Now some elementary schools "share" their school nurses (and librarians), getting them only a few hours per day.
Fourth, Improving Mental Health Services. There's no cure, but I'm a very lucky bipolar, mentally ill, person. I've found a drug cocktail that works for me -- as long as I don't miss multiple pill doses. That's the thing, if it weren't for Janet having reminded me for ten years, I wouldn't remember to take my pills regularly by myself. According to NAMI there's 10 million bipolars in the US. There's about 24,000 psychiatrists nationally. That's one psychiatrist for every 417 bipolars. That's another reason why it takes an average of 10 years to be properly diagnosed, and 30% of those who don't get treatment commit suicide. There are hundreds of mental disorders. Bipolar is just one. These issues are much bigger than possibly owning a gun, although, as I've stated, as a diagnosed mentally ill person, I should be prohibited from owning a gun.
In short, these proposals have merit and should move forward quickly.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Limelight or Behind the Scenes?
When I was a teenager and young man I was conflicted. On one hand I wanted to be known and liked by everyone; on the other I was shy. I was in the middle of being an introvert and extrovert, just like many kids. I had a few friends, but was never "popular" in public high school, or sought after or even known by most of my classmates. This was different from my Catholic grammar school experience, when I knew everyone in grades five thru eight, and they all knew me. Palling around was much easier, as was meeting and kissing girls. Yes, we played Spin the Bottle in those days, but it didn't go further.
When I was a Boy Scout in 7th and 8th grades, we had our scout meetings in the CYO youth center next to my church. They had a pool table on the third floor, and we hung out and played pool, and goofed off, regularly. The scout meetings were really pool marathons. One day I was in the right place at the right time, since our Scoutmaster sent in a picture of me and a fellow scout, playing pool, to the local paper, The Trenton Times. It probably appeared on page 8 or something. You could see my shyness and not my bravado.
That was the first of half a dozen times my name would appear in the paper. A few of my Letters to the Editor showed up in the paper over the years. Some were Baha'i-related, including a photo of me giving a public talk on the disparities of wealth in the U.S. c. 1986. Some were just opinion letters, like my crusade to get all taxes listed on NJ utility bills (which never have been). At those times I was proud of the notoriety and promoted myself. I still do to a degree, but things have changed.
I'm much happier being in the background now, although I still write letters to the Times Editor. In early December I wrote a letter about the loss of our weekly Memoir Class at Lawrence Library. Diana, the letters editor acknowledged receipt. The class had been meeting weekly for over two years, lead by our energetic, enthusiastic and positive facilitator Maria. On Nov. 16, Maria was killed by a driver while she was walking across busy Route 206 near Rider University, and our class was thrown into shock and loss. A week later, with the status of the group in disarray, the Library Manager told the group we could only meet once monthly, and not weekly, effective Jan. 1. We were upset, especially since no reasonable explanations were given for the change, other than "It's our new policy for outside groups."
The group formed a committee of three members to meet with the Manager. They did, and there was no change in the Library's stance, even though we knew plenty of meeting rooms were available, and that we were a wildly successful group with as many as 24 class attendees at times. Emails were flying back and forth. I happened to notice one from Robert, a committee member, which mentioned that the Library Manager had directed us to the Director of Human Services, Marygrace, head of all county libraries. On a whim, I emailed her asking for a response to why we had been changed.
To give her credit, she responded the same day. We spoke on the phone. She reiterated the party line "Once a month." Then she surprised me, "However, because you are a long-standing group, and we want to cooperate, we are allowing you to meet weekly through 2013. After that, it's just once per month because you are not a library sponsored group." I was calm and thanked her, but was inwardly ecstatic. I emailed Robert and told him the news. He emailed the group who were also surprised, happy and thankful. Robert even mentioned my role. I received some personal kudos.We are a close knit group. We are friends. We are intimates.
This occurred c. Dec. 22. I wrote back to Diana, the Times reporter I was working with who was ready to publish my acerbic letter about the situation. I retracted my letter and thanked her. But she said she thought this was an interesting story, and was going to pass it on to the Editor-in-Chief, which she did.
The Times assigned freelance reporter Joyce Persico to the story and we corresponded by email. The rest, as they say, is history. Joyce wrote a magnificient story, and the Times published it on Monday 1/14/13, on the front page, with a large photograph of Karin reading from her memoir. I was pictured in the background. You can see and read it yourself at http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/01/storytelling_seniors_pour_thei.html
I am now firmly convinced I like being in the background better (as in the photo) than being in the limelight.We still have unresolved issues with the Lawrence Library, which we will work on. But our case is decidedly stronger now. I have no doubt that as long as we have a core group of writers, we'll be allowed to meet weekly indefinitely. I certainly hope so..
When I was a Boy Scout in 7th and 8th grades, we had our scout meetings in the CYO youth center next to my church. They had a pool table on the third floor, and we hung out and played pool, and goofed off, regularly. The scout meetings were really pool marathons. One day I was in the right place at the right time, since our Scoutmaster sent in a picture of me and a fellow scout, playing pool, to the local paper, The Trenton Times. It probably appeared on page 8 or something. You could see my shyness and not my bravado.
That was the first of half a dozen times my name would appear in the paper. A few of my Letters to the Editor showed up in the paper over the years. Some were Baha'i-related, including a photo of me giving a public talk on the disparities of wealth in the U.S. c. 1986. Some were just opinion letters, like my crusade to get all taxes listed on NJ utility bills (which never have been). At those times I was proud of the notoriety and promoted myself. I still do to a degree, but things have changed.
I'm much happier being in the background now, although I still write letters to the Times Editor. In early December I wrote a letter about the loss of our weekly Memoir Class at Lawrence Library. Diana, the letters editor acknowledged receipt. The class had been meeting weekly for over two years, lead by our energetic, enthusiastic and positive facilitator Maria. On Nov. 16, Maria was killed by a driver while she was walking across busy Route 206 near Rider University, and our class was thrown into shock and loss. A week later, with the status of the group in disarray, the Library Manager told the group we could only meet once monthly, and not weekly, effective Jan. 1. We were upset, especially since no reasonable explanations were given for the change, other than "It's our new policy for outside groups."
The group formed a committee of three members to meet with the Manager. They did, and there was no change in the Library's stance, even though we knew plenty of meeting rooms were available, and that we were a wildly successful group with as many as 24 class attendees at times. Emails were flying back and forth. I happened to notice one from Robert, a committee member, which mentioned that the Library Manager had directed us to the Director of Human Services, Marygrace, head of all county libraries. On a whim, I emailed her asking for a response to why we had been changed.
To give her credit, she responded the same day. We spoke on the phone. She reiterated the party line "Once a month." Then she surprised me, "However, because you are a long-standing group, and we want to cooperate, we are allowing you to meet weekly through 2013. After that, it's just once per month because you are not a library sponsored group." I was calm and thanked her, but was inwardly ecstatic. I emailed Robert and told him the news. He emailed the group who were also surprised, happy and thankful. Robert even mentioned my role. I received some personal kudos.We are a close knit group. We are friends. We are intimates.
This occurred c. Dec. 22. I wrote back to Diana, the Times reporter I was working with who was ready to publish my acerbic letter about the situation. I retracted my letter and thanked her. But she said she thought this was an interesting story, and was going to pass it on to the Editor-in-Chief, which she did.
The Times assigned freelance reporter Joyce Persico to the story and we corresponded by email. The rest, as they say, is history. Joyce wrote a magnificient story, and the Times published it on Monday 1/14/13, on the front page, with a large photograph of Karin reading from her memoir. I was pictured in the background. You can see and read it yourself at http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/01/storytelling_seniors_pour_thei.html
I am now firmly convinced I like being in the background better (as in the photo) than being in the limelight.We still have unresolved issues with the Lawrence Library, which we will work on. But our case is decidedly stronger now. I have no doubt that as long as we have a core group of writers, we'll be allowed to meet weekly indefinitely. I certainly hope so..
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Starting a NJ business
Starting a business is just way to easy. You can do it online and it costs less than $300, or $400 if you also want to register as a NJ small business. I'll go through the steps in a minute.
Your new business won't be vetted by anyone. It seems no one, Feds or State, don't care if you're legit or not. The county and municipalities also have business registration requirements, but could also care less. No welcoming letter, no packet of information on what to do. Nothing -- except web resources. Everything you need to do to start a business can be done online with a credit card, except your business name registration. You can lie. The only thing they check is your social security number. Oh, you also have to register your commodity codes - i.e. business categories, which could mean anything, and you must fill out a long State questionnaire, the REG-1, but all in all, very easy.
Starting a NJ Business 101: First, Google your proposed business name and make sure its not taken.
Second, any adult can register online with a company name and personal information. First, you will need a Federal EIN, Employer Identification Number, which is free, and also available the same day online. (www.irs.gov -- don't fall for the companies that charge you -- it's free). If your registration is successful, it means the Feds don't know any other businesses with the same name, a good thing.
Third, you register with the NJ Div. of Revenue, pay the fee (up to $250), and you're all set. (www.nj.gov) You also have to register with the NJ Div. of Taxation to charge 7% Sales & Use Taxes on all your invoices, because you must pay tax on your business income, quarterly. Unless your a so called professional, then you don't. Register and they tell you how to pay quarterly, although it could be improved. You can do that online also. Like I said, its easy, especially if you register your business as a Limited Liability Company or Sole Proprietorship, which most people do when starting out. That's one reason there's so many scam artists out there, and why thousands of businesses fail every year.
Bottom line: if you can't figure this all out yourself, you probably shouldn't be going into business. You shouldn't pay anyone to do it for you either, unless you have deep pockets and are lazy, or are starting a big company with employees.
There is a lot of online help available, on how to start and run a business properly. For NJ, just go the official state website (www.nj.gov) and click the "Business" tab at the top. You'll be taken to a page that has tons of information on "Starting a business," "Growing your business, "Licenses and permits," and much more.If you are starting a serious business, it pays to read through it all. It might take you all of half-an-hour. The most important thing to do is click the "Business Checklist" on the left side menu, print it out, and follow it.
Also, there's www.SBA.gov, the U.S. Small Business Administration website. It includes similar information, but much more of it, and on video, and also has tips on getting government contracts or getting a loan. It's almost impossible anymore to get grants for your business. Maybe if you're into renewables or something exotic, maybe. Do NOT pay money for any grant look-up services; there's tons of those services. If you're just a little Internet savvy, you can do it yourself. Bottom line, you won't find much if you're just a run of the mill business. The NJ equivalent is NJ SBDC at www.njsbdc.com, with free info and counseling for start-ups, as well as classes you can purchase.
There's one other basic thing you should do, and that's register your business name with your County Clerk in person. Here in Mercer County, where I've registered both my business names, it only costs $50 per company name, including a notary located there. Its a great protection, and also makes sure no one else has that name. It protects you (by date), if the same name somehow gets registered. As far as your company name goes, you should already have Googled it and gotten your EIN to make sure no one else has it.
Registering as a formal NJ Small Business online is a debatable proposition. Relatively speaking, its expensive: $100 for three years. You do get access to their database, but usefulness is proscribed. It can be helpful getting government bids, since they have set-aside goals. Well, not goals but rather soft "targets," they don't have to adhere to.You will also get access to the NJ Small Business Development Center, free and paid seminars, and free business person-to-person counseling. I didn't find the counseling that helpful, other than to tell me I was on the right track. But they will give you a few good handouts, and their free seminars are worth it.
Another thing you can do is register online for access to all State of NJ bids through email. The State has a lot of Cooperative Purchasing contracts used by counties (21), and municipalities (566), as well. Big audience, but no guaranteed sales. But bidding can be helpful if you're chasing new business, and have the resources to fit their requirements. It doesn't cost anything to register to receive bids by email from the Treasury Division of Purchase & Property. Their website is https://wwwnet1.state.nj.us/treasury/dpp/
The only cost to bid, is the cost of preparation, which you can get back if you win. The documentation requirements for bidding government contracts can be daunting. The requirement for $1,000,000 worth of general liability insurance can be expensive, but you can build that in by hiding it in your bid price. That alone can cost you $10,000, and all NJ contractors have to have it, which is a good thing. You also have to declare any political contributions if your contract is worth $17,500 or more. My advice? Only contribute small sums to candidates or parties. Better yet, do what I do, give them nothing except my vote, and only if they deserve it.
But the most important thing you need, before you do any of this, is to write a simple Business Plan. There's lots of help to do it, but you have to do it yourself. SBA.gov has free videos on it, as well as all other aspects of small business. So there's no lack of excellent resources if you want to start a business.
Good Luck! And I hope you're honest.
Your new business won't be vetted by anyone. It seems no one, Feds or State, don't care if you're legit or not. The county and municipalities also have business registration requirements, but could also care less. No welcoming letter, no packet of information on what to do. Nothing -- except web resources. Everything you need to do to start a business can be done online with a credit card, except your business name registration. You can lie. The only thing they check is your social security number. Oh, you also have to register your commodity codes - i.e. business categories, which could mean anything, and you must fill out a long State questionnaire, the REG-1, but all in all, very easy.
Starting a NJ Business 101: First, Google your proposed business name and make sure its not taken.
Second, any adult can register online with a company name and personal information. First, you will need a Federal EIN, Employer Identification Number, which is free, and also available the same day online. (www.irs.gov -- don't fall for the companies that charge you -- it's free). If your registration is successful, it means the Feds don't know any other businesses with the same name, a good thing.
Third, you register with the NJ Div. of Revenue, pay the fee (up to $250), and you're all set. (www.nj.gov) You also have to register with the NJ Div. of Taxation to charge 7% Sales & Use Taxes on all your invoices, because you must pay tax on your business income, quarterly. Unless your a so called professional, then you don't. Register and they tell you how to pay quarterly, although it could be improved. You can do that online also. Like I said, its easy, especially if you register your business as a Limited Liability Company or Sole Proprietorship, which most people do when starting out. That's one reason there's so many scam artists out there, and why thousands of businesses fail every year.
- In 2009,there were 27.5 million businesses in the United States, according to Office of Advocacy estimates.The latest available Census data show that there were 6.0 million firms with employees in 2007 and 21.4 million without employees in 2008. Small firms with fewer than 500 employees represent 99.9 percent of the total (employers and non-employers).
Bottom line: if you can't figure this all out yourself, you probably shouldn't be going into business. You shouldn't pay anyone to do it for you either, unless you have deep pockets and are lazy, or are starting a big company with employees.
There is a lot of online help available, on how to start and run a business properly. For NJ, just go the official state website (www.nj.gov) and click the "Business" tab at the top. You'll be taken to a page that has tons of information on "Starting a business," "Growing your business, "Licenses and permits," and much more.If you are starting a serious business, it pays to read through it all. It might take you all of half-an-hour. The most important thing to do is click the "Business Checklist" on the left side menu, print it out, and follow it.
Also, there's www.SBA.gov, the U.S. Small Business Administration website. It includes similar information, but much more of it, and on video, and also has tips on getting government contracts or getting a loan. It's almost impossible anymore to get grants for your business. Maybe if you're into renewables or something exotic, maybe. Do NOT pay money for any grant look-up services; there's tons of those services. If you're just a little Internet savvy, you can do it yourself. Bottom line, you won't find much if you're just a run of the mill business. The NJ equivalent is NJ SBDC at www.njsbdc.com, with free info and counseling for start-ups, as well as classes you can purchase.
There's one other basic thing you should do, and that's register your business name with your County Clerk in person. Here in Mercer County, where I've registered both my business names, it only costs $50 per company name, including a notary located there. Its a great protection, and also makes sure no one else has that name. It protects you (by date), if the same name somehow gets registered. As far as your company name goes, you should already have Googled it and gotten your EIN to make sure no one else has it.
Registering as a formal NJ Small Business online is a debatable proposition. Relatively speaking, its expensive: $100 for three years. You do get access to their database, but usefulness is proscribed. It can be helpful getting government bids, since they have set-aside goals. Well, not goals but rather soft "targets," they don't have to adhere to.You will also get access to the NJ Small Business Development Center, free and paid seminars, and free business person-to-person counseling. I didn't find the counseling that helpful, other than to tell me I was on the right track. But they will give you a few good handouts, and their free seminars are worth it.
Another thing you can do is register online for access to all State of NJ bids through email. The State has a lot of Cooperative Purchasing contracts used by counties (21), and municipalities (566), as well. Big audience, but no guaranteed sales. But bidding can be helpful if you're chasing new business, and have the resources to fit their requirements. It doesn't cost anything to register to receive bids by email from the Treasury Division of Purchase & Property. Their website is https://wwwnet1.state.nj.us/treasury/dpp/
The only cost to bid, is the cost of preparation, which you can get back if you win. The documentation requirements for bidding government contracts can be daunting. The requirement for $1,000,000 worth of general liability insurance can be expensive, but you can build that in by hiding it in your bid price. That alone can cost you $10,000, and all NJ contractors have to have it, which is a good thing. You also have to declare any political contributions if your contract is worth $17,500 or more. My advice? Only contribute small sums to candidates or parties. Better yet, do what I do, give them nothing except my vote, and only if they deserve it.
But the most important thing you need, before you do any of this, is to write a simple Business Plan. There's lots of help to do it, but you have to do it yourself. SBA.gov has free videos on it, as well as all other aspects of small business. So there's no lack of excellent resources if you want to start a business.
Good Luck! And I hope you're honest.
Monday, December 17, 2012
"Never forget" is not Enough
I first heard the phrase "Never forget" at a commemoration of Krystallnact
at the Rider University Chapel in the mid 1980's. Wikipedia says
Krystallnact was a pogrom (a series of coordinated attacks) against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on November 9-10, 1938. It was carried out by SA (Stabzarzt, i.e. German military) paramilitary and civilians. German authorities looked on without intervening. The attacks left the streets covered with broken glass from the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues. We all should know how it ended.
I was sitting in the third row of pews, with about forty other people, listening to personal stories of despair and horror. Then six candles were lit on the menorah. When the service was over, I left, not knowing what to say to anyone there. The Rider University Holocaust/Genocide Resource Center, first opened in 1984. Marvin, Joan, Harvey and Carol were (and some still are), the dedicated people I met, and got to know, who were spearheading the Center's outreach and education programs.
In the early 1990s the Center hosted a free bus trip for clergy to the newly opened (1992) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I was representing the Baha'is, and there were about fifteen of us going. On the way down, the bus showed videos of the Center's education program, to be used in NJ schools. At the museum, like everyone who entered, I was given a card describing a person who had been killed by the Nazis. Some of these cards were also of children, or aged grandparents.
The museum itself was very evocative of the time period, with life sized cattle cars inside, where the Nazis transported thousands of Jews. The most touching part for me, was listening to stories of some of the survivors on a TV screen in an open auditorium. I vowed to "Never forget" what had happened. The real purpose of the vow however, was to never let it happen again.
Of course it has, and on a big scale, as recently as Syria, or Israel and the Palestinians, or the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, where some Hutus slaughtered Tutsis. Over 800,000 people died in that civil war. On a small but no less shocking and painful scale, we now have Newtown, CT to add to Aurora CO, and Columbine High School, also in Colorado. These were committed by lone gunmen, but they are genocide none the less, the killing of innocent adults and children. But saying we won't ever forget them is not enough.
We forget the news all the time. There's so much of it now, it crowds our head for attention. We are bombarded with news channels on TV, radio, even our cellphones. We can't escape the news. That's why we forget. We are pulled from one ugly event to the next, with no time to process the impact and ramifications, and act on what has happened. To act - to change society and people so it doesn't happen again. That's what we are looking to our leaders for - leadership. Guidance - a path away from violence and insecurity. A path to safety and peacefulness which we all want above all else, for ourselves and our chiildren.
Something needs to be done about access to guns in this country. and there's easy things we can do:
1. Maintain a database of anyone diagnosed with mental illness, and prevent them from buying or owning a gun legally. This means doctors must be required to report mentally ill patients to a government administered database, accessible online. Call it NDMI - National Database of the Mentally Ill. We've finally reached a stage in our development where mental illness is no longer a stigma. I should know, I've been bipolar since 1979.
I say this because, being mentally ill, and having been manic or hypomanic almost five times, I can tell you that I was not in control of my thoughts or actions. I had no semblance of reality or rationality to stop me from doing anything that occurred to me. Anything. A good example, is that one time while having an episode, the thought came to me while driving, "Go ahead, speed up and drive right into that tree." If while manic I have no cares about my own physical well-being, I can tell you that others count even less.
Another word for manic is psychotic. During my episodes I was psychotic; I cared only and exclusively about myself. Luckily, I did not become psychopathic as well, with a total disregard for others well-being. The point is, I WAS NOT IN CONTROL. Being bipolar means I have an incurable mental illness. However, luckily, my condition can be helped, and is helped, with the right medications. That is not true for all mentally ill persons.
2. All guns sold must be registered in the seller's name, and in the buyer's name. Full verifiable address information must be available on both the buyer AND seller. They both must be legal adults, and they each must register their Social Security number as well, which is the closest thing we have to universal ID (which is sorely needed). Their (criminal) backgound must be checked. Any violent offense should be cause for immediate rejection.
3. All gun shows and their sales must be carefully monitored and controlled by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives). Again, both buyers and sellers must be fully vetted. Buyers and sellers must be screened on premises with the NCIC database. (National Crime Information Center). Anyone arrested, or convicted of a crime, must be on this central database. Anyone with a record of arrest for violence of any kind, as in domestic violence, assault etc. or possessing a firearm illegally, and/or they are convicted of such crimes, are forever barred from legally acquiring a gun of any kind. Ideally not just in the United States, but all countries.
4. As they are now, all hunters must be legally licensed and monitored. They must be forbidden to sell a gun privately, however, they can sell a gun to a registered dealer or a registered gun owner, as long as the transaction is recorded and reported immediately. Once annually gun owners must bring their guns to the police station to check their valid registrations, or the police can set up administrative personnel to go at the gun owner's home, for an administrative fee to cover expenses.
5. No one is allowed to conceal a weapon when in public. The only exceptions are police and detectives, FBI, Secret Service, military, licensed private detectives etc. General citizens have no right to a concealed weapon of any kind.
6. Assault weapons must be banned, like Uzi's and AK-47's. That also includes high-capacity ammo and gun magazines. The only guns allowed for private sale will be handguns and rifles for a person's private protection and safety (with a limit on how many), and guns used by hunters.
7. I believe there's already law or regulation that states owners must notify police (?) if their gun(s) is/are stolen. This should stay in force, and have penalties for non-compliance.
These rules and laws will be a start to curbing gun violence, because it still takes a person to pull the trigger. People kill people, with or without guns. And all killing must be illegal except in self-defense. That includes re-looking at manslaughter in death-by-auto cases.
Maybe, just maybe, rules and laws like these will begin to help prevent these senseless crimes. And there seems to be a sea change, a tipping point, after these children's shootings. I've heard on NPR that a few conservative Republicans were even calling for review. On Fox 29, watching the news at 8 am, they showed demonstrators outside the offices of the NRA in DC this morning. There was no response from NRA spokespersons. But a man there said to the crowd, "Instead of banning guns, we should arm the teachers." I don't think much about that idea. We need good laws to prevent chaos.
Bottom line, we have moved on since 1787 and our original Constitution. Owning a gun should no longer be a right, but a privilege, a monitored and controlled privilege -- whether by private citizens, police, military or others.Autos don't kill people, drivers do, but we license them in all 50 states. And all states require vehicle registration. In 2011 there were over 32,300 automobile deaths of all kinds.
CNN reported 5,400 licensed firearms manufacturers, as well as 310 million non-military firearms, in the U.S. in 2011. In mid-2011 there were 311 million Americans.
I was sitting in the third row of pews, with about forty other people, listening to personal stories of despair and horror. Then six candles were lit on the menorah. When the service was over, I left, not knowing what to say to anyone there. The Rider University Holocaust/Genocide Resource Center, first opened in 1984. Marvin, Joan, Harvey and Carol were (and some still are), the dedicated people I met, and got to know, who were spearheading the Center's outreach and education programs.
In the early 1990s the Center hosted a free bus trip for clergy to the newly opened (1992) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I was representing the Baha'is, and there were about fifteen of us going. On the way down, the bus showed videos of the Center's education program, to be used in NJ schools. At the museum, like everyone who entered, I was given a card describing a person who had been killed by the Nazis. Some of these cards were also of children, or aged grandparents.
The museum itself was very evocative of the time period, with life sized cattle cars inside, where the Nazis transported thousands of Jews. The most touching part for me, was listening to stories of some of the survivors on a TV screen in an open auditorium. I vowed to "Never forget" what had happened. The real purpose of the vow however, was to never let it happen again.
Of course it has, and on a big scale, as recently as Syria, or Israel and the Palestinians, or the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, where some Hutus slaughtered Tutsis. Over 800,000 people died in that civil war. On a small but no less shocking and painful scale, we now have Newtown, CT to add to Aurora CO, and Columbine High School, also in Colorado. These were committed by lone gunmen, but they are genocide none the less, the killing of innocent adults and children. But saying we won't ever forget them is not enough.
We forget the news all the time. There's so much of it now, it crowds our head for attention. We are bombarded with news channels on TV, radio, even our cellphones. We can't escape the news. That's why we forget. We are pulled from one ugly event to the next, with no time to process the impact and ramifications, and act on what has happened. To act - to change society and people so it doesn't happen again. That's what we are looking to our leaders for - leadership. Guidance - a path away from violence and insecurity. A path to safety and peacefulness which we all want above all else, for ourselves and our chiildren.
Something needs to be done about access to guns in this country. and there's easy things we can do:
1. Maintain a database of anyone diagnosed with mental illness, and prevent them from buying or owning a gun legally. This means doctors must be required to report mentally ill patients to a government administered database, accessible online. Call it NDMI - National Database of the Mentally Ill. We've finally reached a stage in our development where mental illness is no longer a stigma. I should know, I've been bipolar since 1979.
I say this because, being mentally ill, and having been manic or hypomanic almost five times, I can tell you that I was not in control of my thoughts or actions. I had no semblance of reality or rationality to stop me from doing anything that occurred to me. Anything. A good example, is that one time while having an episode, the thought came to me while driving, "Go ahead, speed up and drive right into that tree." If while manic I have no cares about my own physical well-being, I can tell you that others count even less.
Another word for manic is psychotic. During my episodes I was psychotic; I cared only and exclusively about myself. Luckily, I did not become psychopathic as well, with a total disregard for others well-being. The point is, I WAS NOT IN CONTROL. Being bipolar means I have an incurable mental illness. However, luckily, my condition can be helped, and is helped, with the right medications. That is not true for all mentally ill persons.
2. All guns sold must be registered in the seller's name, and in the buyer's name. Full verifiable address information must be available on both the buyer AND seller. They both must be legal adults, and they each must register their Social Security number as well, which is the closest thing we have to universal ID (which is sorely needed). Their (criminal) backgound must be checked. Any violent offense should be cause for immediate rejection.
3. All gun shows and their sales must be carefully monitored and controlled by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives). Again, both buyers and sellers must be fully vetted. Buyers and sellers must be screened on premises with the NCIC database. (National Crime Information Center). Anyone arrested, or convicted of a crime, must be on this central database. Anyone with a record of arrest for violence of any kind, as in domestic violence, assault etc. or possessing a firearm illegally, and/or they are convicted of such crimes, are forever barred from legally acquiring a gun of any kind. Ideally not just in the United States, but all countries.
4. As they are now, all hunters must be legally licensed and monitored. They must be forbidden to sell a gun privately, however, they can sell a gun to a registered dealer or a registered gun owner, as long as the transaction is recorded and reported immediately. Once annually gun owners must bring their guns to the police station to check their valid registrations, or the police can set up administrative personnel to go at the gun owner's home, for an administrative fee to cover expenses.
5. No one is allowed to conceal a weapon when in public. The only exceptions are police and detectives, FBI, Secret Service, military, licensed private detectives etc. General citizens have no right to a concealed weapon of any kind.
6. Assault weapons must be banned, like Uzi's and AK-47's. That also includes high-capacity ammo and gun magazines. The only guns allowed for private sale will be handguns and rifles for a person's private protection and safety (with a limit on how many), and guns used by hunters.
7. I believe there's already law or regulation that states owners must notify police (?) if their gun(s) is/are stolen. This should stay in force, and have penalties for non-compliance.
These rules and laws will be a start to curbing gun violence, because it still takes a person to pull the trigger. People kill people, with or without guns. And all killing must be illegal except in self-defense. That includes re-looking at manslaughter in death-by-auto cases.
Maybe, just maybe, rules and laws like these will begin to help prevent these senseless crimes. And there seems to be a sea change, a tipping point, after these children's shootings. I've heard on NPR that a few conservative Republicans were even calling for review. On Fox 29, watching the news at 8 am, they showed demonstrators outside the offices of the NRA in DC this morning. There was no response from NRA spokespersons. But a man there said to the crowd, "Instead of banning guns, we should arm the teachers." I don't think much about that idea. We need good laws to prevent chaos.
Bottom line, we have moved on since 1787 and our original Constitution. Owning a gun should no longer be a right, but a privilege, a monitored and controlled privilege -- whether by private citizens, police, military or others.Autos don't kill people, drivers do, but we license them in all 50 states. And all states require vehicle registration. In 2011 there were over 32,300 automobile deaths of all kinds.
CNN reported 5,400 licensed firearms manufacturers, as well as 310 million non-military firearms, in the U.S. in 2011. In mid-2011 there were 311 million Americans.
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