and ?????????
As promised, the following was submitted by a NFBOW (Nameless-Faceless-Business-Owner-of-Week). For those who are new to this jazz, I’ve been loaning out my column space to local business owners who haven’t gotten to speak out about the situation in which we currently find ourselves.
I have kept their identities private and would do the same for you if you decided to partake in the next issue, so to speak. (The chief doesn’t even know who these individuals are.)
It’s been my experience that many people DO have something they’d like to impart but feel uncomfortable doing so for one reason or another. Many wish to avoid being harshly judged by others and fear they could jeopardize their businesses by voicing an opinion. (“Audiences” can easily morph into snowflakes so I do understand the need for anonymity. I don’t just mean the ONE “side” either. I see snowflakes everywhere, no matter what so-called political stripe they might wear!)
Don’t faint but I’ve had to control my urge to burst forth at times too because I am a representative of this fine paper. I can’t be too terribly outlandish, but I oft’ try my best to inch along as closely as I can to “the verge” of “outlandishism.” (Yes, I created a new word, which I haven’t done in a long while.)
If you want to catch up on Rants and Raves for past NFBOW and other columns, you can visit the free downsload website at:
communitynewslinesville.com.
Tom has been gracious enough to transfer those pieces to the site the week after they are published in the now award-winning online edition. (Remember, these awards are given out in my own head.)
Please consider being a guest “speaker” in this space. My phone number is “in the book” and my email address is listed above in my header. Without further bloviating, here is the NFBOW.
Will small businesses survive?
- By ??????????
Most small businesses were ordered to either close or to reduce their services in March. How many will be able to survive? That is a good question.
While small businesses were ordered to close because most were deemed “nonessential” by our government, Walmart was able to sell anything they wanted.
How does the government determine who is essential? They certainly did not determine many of the small businesses to be essential. Why is Walmart essential? Over half of what they sell was not essential; however, they were still able to sell those items when small businesses could not be open to sell from their stores.
Look at the numbers. Walmart spends almost $7 million lobbying the government. I guess that gives them priority to remain open to sell anything they want.
Does anyone remember where they shopped prior to Walmart? I know I do. It was at the small mom and pop stores in my area. The ones that knew us by name and knew our families; the ones that lived in and supported the local area.
What has the government done to help small businesses? If you were lucky enough you could get money from the Paycheck Protection Program or from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan/Grant.
However, these come with all kinds of stipulations that businesses must follow in order for them to be forgiven. The guidelines for these programs has changed just about as many times as the guidelines for stores to follow in order to keep staff and customers safe! Even moving into the “green phase” comes with restrictions that will cost businesses.
Can small businesses afford to open their doors following the guidelines the government has put in place? We will soon see how many more will fall victim to the current situation.
[Editor’s Note - According to news releases from Harrisburg, Crawford County is to receive some $7,642,748.32in block grants.
“This funding is designed to provide maximum flexibility to our counties to mitigate losses and provide resources to help us rebound and move forward in these unprecedented times,” Sen. Brooks said.
“Under the parameters of the federal government’s CARES Act, counties with a population of over 500,000 automatically received these federal dollars,” Brooks explained. “The Pennsylvania General Assembly felt it was important that other counties in our Commonwealth be given these dollars as well. Pennsylvania chose to distribute these funds based upon population. These allocations to our counties are the product of that legislative initiative,” she said.
Funds may be used for such needs as small business assistance, tourism promotion, municipal and county aid, substance abuse and behavioral health, nonprofit organizations, and broadband expansion.”
Wonder if any of the businesses in the county that have announced closings, are barely staying afloat - like beauty salons, restaurants, gyms, and many more will receive any of this money to make up for losses, maybe stay open or reopen]
THE END (“War is a Racket,” by General Smedley Butler, https://cvpandemicinvestigation.com/ )
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