2012  budget $12.8 BILLION     17,848 employees       LITTLE CLEANING UP  HERE  I  THINK

This is where all our money is going..2013 Defense Department Budget...$553 BILLION....Lots and Lots of Cleaning up to be done here...We should be able to trim this down to 100 Billion very easily....that leaves 400 Billion a year for Education, health care and Social Security....Problem Solved...

Only in your world Bob, in this one they would instantly find projects that needed five times the funding if that money was saved!

If projects you mean productive things like rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure I would be in favor of that....at least then we be using the money for something of value...or of course they could always use the money to just pay off the debt...now there's an idea...but That definitely won't happen...lol

The same "crumbling" infrastructure that the 800 billion stimuflop was the do all save all for?? We were all informed by the brilliant libtards here how many projects and jobs that joke would create!! One of them is even wind bagging on another post here of how great the economy is...clueless!

Iceman, You can not find one state website that has not bragged about infrastructure repair in thier states and the jobs these projects created ,   I know cause I tried.  LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OMG you are giving me some great chuckles today Iceman,  my sides are hurting from laughing so hard,  Now you call posting the ISM business report windbagging,  lmao  how funny can you get.  You are really missing your calling and should be a satirical comedian.   Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in April for the 33rd consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 35th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®.Of the 18 manufacturing industries, 16 are reporting growth in April, in the following order: Furniture & Related Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Machinery; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Primary Metals; Paper Products; Transportation Equipment; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Plastics & Rubber Products; Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Chemical Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Computer & Electronic Products; and Petroleum & Coal Products. The only industry reporting contraction in April is Wood Products.

Stick to sucking up to shiti03, it suits you better!! as usual you are all full of yourself and the usual stagnant air that follows...I remember several of us explaining the benefits of incorporating, another subject you were clueless about....Keep up the trash cut and pastes, you are a great laugh.

 Benefits AND drawbacks of incorporating versus sole proprietorship, etc are easily found by googling Iceman, and  from some really good reliable sources, never listen to people mouthing on the internet , LOL,  always go to professional sources and get the info and then discuss it with your CPA firm like I did. Hopefully you do have a full service CPA FIRM like I use and don't just depend on an individual CPA unless he/she is a really good one.

HMMM< that is if you have ever used a CPA at all. I am guessing maybe not since you have said before you are union which means employee and not biz owner. You did say you had a restaurant that went belly up I think, maybe you incorporated that. LOL or used a CPA firm or individual but whatever/ whoever must not have been very good with advice since it went belly up. Oh , wait I think you blamed that on Obama but since so many restuarants have flourished the last few years that really does not wash does It ?

And now to be nice instead of just being an Iceman tit for tat BS er ,  a good biz person is always learning and I still have a lot to learn and hope that I never do stop learning and improving my biz and if it ever does fail instead of continuing to improve I hope I don't  blame it on republican or liberal policies and instead take responsibility for it myself. Good biz people I am told can adjust no matter what the economic policies of the time are.  I hope that I can do that.

I closed the place as the total worth of the equipment exceeded the projected cash flow projections, I, like Magoo, buy them for cash flow not like you bought a job/ bucket truck and some saws. I can go onto Union jobs and not worry if I will have anything left when I return as my people do know doodley, unlike your 1099 scam.

If so many have flourished then why are they on the market at or less than FMV?? Stick with the job you bought as it certainly doesn't sound like a successful business.

Hiring legitimate contractors who have thier own biz to do clean-up work is NOT a 1099 scam  drama queen Iceman, no different than my customers that hire us regularly as we have our own biz.  And I suppose it depends on what one considers a successful biz whether they would classify my biz as successful.   For me a biz does not have to bring in billions in profit to be a success , if the biz does better each year expanding growing and  bringing in more profit each year I regard it as a successful business so I consider my biz successful.  I live quite comfortably, I can't  buy jet airplanes. LOL, but I doubt if you can either.

crumbling infrastructure? I agree but if its going to that it needs to be used more efficiently. seeing the same overhead bridge thats not being used rebuilt yearly is a great use of money. If its supposed to go to infrastructure do it but dont work on the same spot yearly when there are other more pressing issues

Barbara Jones:

And now to be nice instead of just being an Iceman tit for tat BS er ,  a good biz person is always learning and I still have a lot to learn and hope that I never do stop learning and improving my biz and if it ever does fail instead of continuing to improve I hope I don't  blame it on republican or liberal policies and instead take responsibility for it myself. Good biz people I am told can adjust no matter what the economic policies of the time are.  I hope that I can do that.

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Hmm.............I have difficulty in believing you are the business person you describe in this Barbara....I like you...I have absolutely nothing to gain or lose from how your business operates...nada...I could care less...except that I like you and would therefore like for you to be successful....In the above statement you say a good biz person is always leaning and improving their business and takes responsibility for their actions....Ok that is all great....but as I said I have no interest in your business...does matter to me one bit...except I like you and want you to succeed...I noticed in your postings the signs of a possible problem that I have personally experienced in my own business and so I made an attempt to point this out so that you could continue to learn and grow...and instead of taking responsibility and admitting that was something that you have difficulty with or could improve on you immeadiately got defensive and shifted the blame to others....I do not mean to pick on you Barbara, I like you...You are smart and compassionate and I am sure you are a fine leader, but quite often it is difficult for us to see ourselves or our business from a different perspective....As I tried to point out in the previous post the problem I was pointing out is not one that you alone have...not even close...This is something that every employer must deal with and most have difficulty....but I stray from the topic we are not having that discussion, I only bring it up because it shows a contrast to the statement you make here about a good biz person is always learning and growing...I offered a chance for you to learn and grow...and you pushed it aside in typical Self Employed fashion..."I no what I am doing, I know more about this business than all of you combined" sort of reply...lol...no you did not use those exact words...I think maybe I may have said that at some point...lol...anyway...You did not demonstrate the qualities that you profess to have in the above statement and therefore it causes me to doubt...

Hiring legitimate contractors who have thier own biz to do clean-up work is NOT a 1099 scam drama queen Iceman, no different than my customers that hire us regularly as we have our own biz......................Hmm.....This is great I just love this....Ok...so there is really no way to know for sure if Barbara is or is not abusing the system....And that is why I say the system does not work as it is....Maybe she is not using the 1099 setup to cheat the system and get workers without having to provide things like insurance or Social Security, or Workmans Compensation...Maybe...I have my doubts...but let us assume she is Actually hiring legitimate companies that are paying their employees as they should....but Probably not...and I don't mean to say she is doing anything illegal...no...just morally questionable...if she is...and we do not know...all we have is her word...and she may not actually know the answer herself...it is easier to handle as a boss if you just don't ask...and therefore do not know....it is not your responsibiity anyway, so why ask?....She mentioned that some of her "employees" have started their own businesses and she hires them occassionally...or has hired them whatever...so you see it goes kinda like this...one day Ahmid is employee...Employer pays SS, Workmans comp, and part of taxes...Let us say Ahmid makes 8/hr...this means Employer pays about 15/hr for that employee after paying the taxes and so forth....now Ahmid quits and goes to work for himself as Ahmid DBA Ahmids Cleanup Company....As a self-employed person He can set his own rates for his services and the customer pays him....the customer does not take out taxes, or provide insurance etc...it is up to Ahmid to do that...so what happens here...Well what I have seen is that Ahmid goes into business for himself and here is what he does...He understands that it cost Barbara 15/hr for him to work for her and he is only taking home a little less than 8/hr...so he goes into business for himself and charges Barbara 12/hr...She no longer has to pay any of the other costs and is in no way responsible for those payments...It is up to Ahmid...At the end of year Barbara gives Ahmid a copy of the His 1099 form reporting how much she paid him for the year...or telling him the amount she told the IRS he has to pay taxes on....of course Ahmid should have been paying quarterly payments on his income tax, but Ahmid has a family and needs every penny he can get....so when he gets the 12/hour from Barbara he uses it all to live on...Housing, car, tools , etc...there is nothing left for the Taxes much less for things he was receiving from Barbara like Workmans Compensation, (not required to have for yourself or family) Social Security, and maybe health insurance....Now is this Barbara fault?....No...But it is morally questionable because people that do participate in this setup help to drive prices and wages down...It is a sort of loophole...it makes easier and cheaper for people like Barbara...and it is not illegal...See it is as she said...in this cleanup area she does not have enough work to justify a regular employee...she does not have work for them everyday....with contract labor you do not have to offer anything but work, when you have it...the contractor does not have any assurance that there will be work tommorow...but usually they get enough work they are still available when you need them...Often they are working full time just like an employee...While not illegal it is morally questionable....What should she do?...

BD your complaint is a State level issue...The Highway funds are generally distributed to the states and the state decides how to use it...so the problem you discuss is a problem with your Local Government...

Robert if your suggestions applied and I had not already gone that route as far as I could take it I would use them,  but as it is the suggestions would have been useful about 10 years ago before I decided to to go that route myself as far as I could take it. .   Thanks anyway.  And again,  like I said the contractors we use for clean-up work and certain jobs such as rock, cement work, etc etc etc. are just as much as biz as we are so they are quite legitimate and I have no idea what benefits they do or don't provide their employees LOL. that is their business, I deal with the biz owners,  not thier employees.   I would try giving you advice about your biz but I am not so high headed that I think I know everything about everyone else's  biz  I am quite comfortable admitting I know very little about the construction biz except in the few areas where it applies to my own biz.

If lower levels didnt have to worry about losing there federal money if they returned it then maybe we wouldnt see the same bridge being built repeatedly. Sure its the locals choice where the money goes but if they recieve several million for "infastructure" and cant spend it all the choice is spend it pointlessly or return it and have funding cut for next year. If areas didnt have to worry about losing funding then Id think more of these local areas would be able to get things done rather then having to spend X amount of dollars on what the funding is intented for.