Nasty Credit Card Companies?

A question for those in Washington who pick on credit card companies. Along with commentators in the media who fulminate over “outrageous” charges and fees.

Bad debts incurred by the companies generally run close to 10%. The companies in the business are losing money, so they are attempting to earn fees where they can operate. If they cannot get repaid by the deadbeats, they will receive it from the many customers who pay their bills on time.

If the business is so great, why aren’t so many more banks running to get into it?

Job Resume Factors

The right job resume is essential. So make a job application simple and current. Keep it up-to-date.

Dates are important, as is your formal education. In fact, the latter appears to count importantly on a resume.

Yet, much of what you learn in school is useless for a practical job. Therefore, be sure you are explicit about what have you done to make money for your past employers or how you have been able to help them save money.

Or if you feel you have talents as an organizer, describe what you have done and accomplished in this type of effort.

Beware When Hiring "Contractors"

As a follow-up to my previous blog on the hiring of contractors.

Remember: Contractors do not get unemployment checks.

Many newly hired employees want to escape employee payroll taxes just as much as employers do, and prefer being contractors. That is, until they are no longer working and are then seeking unemployment insurance. Then they complain they never were independent contractors but really employees.

They file for unemployment insurance and the employer has the difficult job proving the employer/employee relationship.

Killing Birds to Save the Environment

The Obama administration has plans to have wind power supply 20% of our energy by 2020. At the expense of the bird population.

The project calls for 186,000 50-story wind turbines to be built in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, along with 19000 high-voltage transmission lines.

With the probable killing of tremendous numbers of birds as a result, and the outlay of huge taxpayer subsidies, all this could be accomplished, according to the Nature Conservancy, by a minimal number of atomic energy facilities. And at much lower ongoing cost.

Without the eyesores that will beset the Southwest of the U.S. if the Obama Administration planning comes to fruition.

Ruining the Environment: With Solar Panels

Covering the desert landscape with solar panels is one way to make the environment “green.” Though you may profess love for raw nature.

Which does not work in any event.. When solar panels get covered with desert dust and dirt, they do not accomplish their goal. They have to be washed down with water every month. Yet, precious water is not available in the desert.

The Wildlife Conservancy and other clear-minded environmentalists are against solar panels in the desert. That, in addition to the fact the process still has to be subsidized by taxpayers.

Corporations Treated As Individuals

The status of the corporation as a legal person has been considered valid, going back to Chief Justice John Marshall in 1819.

Equal protection laws always applied to corporations in the past. There are questions which occasionally arise. In fact, they occurred recently during the nomination and approval of Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor.

In a hearing prior to her approval, Justice Sotomayor remarked about corporations not being people. However the Supreme Court has always held that corporations held broad First Amendment rights, as do individuals.

Should her stance become the view of future Supreme Court rulings, the entire basic commercial structure of this country could be overturned.

Are You Really an Independent Contractor?

Whether or not you’re an employee or a contractor is a long running problem for small business individuals. I have written extensively on the subject,

The subject has become trickier, as the courts are vague and tort lawyers have been given more leeway by judges and juries who know ever-less about business.

The rule of thumb for business is this: Basically, if you control how a worker performs, he or she is an employee, not a contractor. Tell the hired person how and when to report to work and you have an employee, not a contractor. Also, when you provide tools for work, you have an employee.

Tricky vagueness comes about when a question arises how important the job is to an employer’s business. You can be a genuine contractor by all conventional definitions and still be considered by some courts an employee of a business. Sharp lawyers come in to help make a complaint against the boss and trouble starts.