Let see, I make $251,000, so I qualify as one of these rich people. Now I'm going to go on one vacation this year (we cut back) at $100,000 by Jillian's accounting. Then we ate dinner every day (what were we thinking) 365 x 1,000 = $365,000. So I'm $214,000 in the hole before taxes.
you don't have a 50 person business and aren't making the kind of money we're talking about....
and i can assure you my numbers aren't wrong... although the $100,000 vacation includes meals.
this conversation was not about the gee, 2 to 4% in increased taxes we're talking about for the top 1% so you're not following the topic anyway.
At our peak we had over 300 temporary employees that were working 40 hours a week on our behalf in the offices of our clients. We had an operations staff of 25 permanent employees over two locations...one in Manhattan and one on Long Island. We needed both offices to cater to the interviewing of temps as our assignments were in both areas. We had E and O insurance, Workers Comp and a payroll service.
My partner and I did well.....but to spend anything above 10K on a family vacation for 4 was irresponsible...and usually we spent less. I never took more than 10 days at a tiome...and rarely more than once a year.
An evening out with my wife was a nice dinner of maybe 150 bucks....once a week at most. My kids went to camp and I paid for their colleges. We drove nice cars....usually infinitis although we just got the 335i (wow....love it)....
So, in essence...I employed 325 people, made about 300-350K and lived a nice upper middle class lifestyle. During my waning years, my income dropped to less than 200K....over the 3 decades...making an adjustment for inflation and CoL increases, I averaged in the 300K a year range...
Your perception of business owners is wrong. Most do not have the million dollar salaries and golden parachutes. Most are not "the elite"...and most CARE about their employees.
Until you see that, you will continue to blast hard working individuals who had the gutsa to "take the plunge" and start a business.....and ironically, it seems you blast them once they acheive success....
To be frank...I dont get it.
The "employees" you employed were generating profits for your clients, not for you.
You'd think you'd be honest and tell everyone: "i was a recruiter." But no, let's flat out call them "your employees" and compare them to companies who straight up employ 300 people, themselves.
Save your third party bullshit for comparisons.