Dear Contractor,

Is your state imposing new laws and licensing requirements that make it nearly impossible for you to continue in an already declining and competitive business environment? Is your business trade association failing you? 

My father is now retired. In his business career he was involved in numerous industries from aviation, to construction, finance, manufacturing, retail and several others. As such, he was always a firm believer in supporting his local industry trade association, and over the years I watched him lobby for many of his and other business owner's rights to do business in this country. He was always a member, officer or an executive of a trade association for whatever business industry he was in at the time.

Traditionally these associations were a driving and powerful force at our state capitol, and most were branches of national associations that had an even stronger voice in Washington D.C.

Not many years ago he was heavily involved in the trade association that represented the financial services industry. Many of their member companies were large financial services institutions like Citifinancial, AIG and other large (and some smaller) independent finance companies like his. This particular association had clout on Capital Hill. They were a very well known lobbying group, and hugely successful in getting bills and amendments past that greatly affected the consumer finance industry. I can remember him getting calls from governmental agency officials asking him to be on advisory boards; from attorneys and senators calling about house and senate bills that they didn't even understand. He was always at a conference, annual meeting, or volunteering for his industry's cause.

Being an active member of that association, his reward was that his own business flourished from the efforts he, and the other members, made to that industry. Watching this over the years made me a strong believer in trade associations and what they can do for their membership. Until now, we, my brother and I, who are masonry contactors, and our business associate, who is in the insurance business, were all active members of different trade associations that affected the businesses we're in.  

When I told my father about the PASB100 and how upset we were, he said: "Now I've seen it all." He believes that most trade associations are "not affective any longer," and that "many industry trade associations are dropping like flies." He says "the main reason is a dwindling membership base, no funds to pay management, staff, and, most importantly, their lobbyists. The PAC funds that were used to lobby governmental officials, Congressmen and Senators will become just a good memory, as these funds were derived from the organization's membership and their loyal employees."

I believe our government has become too big, corrupt and totally out of control! We the small businessmen, and businesswomen, of America must do something about this now, or we will continue to see higher business taxes, new licensing requirements and other nonsense taxes and fees (not to mention the aggressive tactics our government will use to collect them)!

Trade associations will only continue to exist for big business like oil, pharmaceuticals and the few other industries that still have a captive membership base. Think about it: What has your trade association, or even you're local chamber of commerce, done for you lately? Among many other so called advantages of membership, they'll  hook you up with someone they're in bed with to give you a deal on workers comp or liability insurance, just to find out that your local insurance agent has a lower premium for the same policy. If you want to pay their dues be my guest, but don't expect them to understand, or even care about, the needs of your small business. It's all about them and their agenda.

In the past several years government agencies have created thousands of new positions, in just about every department, with no real means to pay their salaries other than increasing taxes, auditing, licensing and other user fees. This hiring equation of our government's voodoo economic system works fine in a good economy, but in a deep recession like we're in now it creates real deficits, leaving us to wonder why our state and federal government is upside-down.

Again we need smaller government!

We small business people we can no longer count on our trade associations, or local chambers of commence, to be our voice in the state and federal government!

Manufactures associations watched Asian imports destroy a majority of the entire US manufacturing sector, and did nothing about it. A prime example of this is in High Point, NC, which was the "Furniture Capitol of the World," and is now nearly a ghost town as the furniture manufacturing sector has slowly moved its manufacturing base to Asia. The American furniture and textile manufactures and their associations did nothing to stop this, and today they wonder why they're basically out of business.  

More recently, many trade associations and others stood by as state congress passed PA Senate Bill 100 requiring independent contractors across the state to register with, and pay dues to, the state attorney general's office by July 2009 or face criminal prosecution for their continued operation.  This legislation, designed to protect consumer rights, creates legal and financial obstacles that threaten to snub out many of the state's smaller business contractors while leaving larger firms unaffected during increasingly difficult economic times.  

With your help we will lobby for amendments to SB 100 that we the contractors can live with. We are asking for a token membership of only $28.00 to help us pay for our start up costs, hire a lobbyist and get you the state required contract for free. If you care about your livelihood, and most of all your constitutional rights, send us what you can!   

We and many others in the contracting business are not going to join or renew our membership to our trade associations! We're MAD AS HELL about PA Senate Bill 100! 

We refuse to pay some shyster a usurious fee for the contract. We'll give it to you free with your $28 membership.

Sincerely,
Brian Mannino
President