Dear Crystal Lou,
I was standing in the janitorial supply section at the Rusty’s Nail and Feed picking up some shop rags for Cash, still thinking about corporations, when this guy who was entirely too well dressed for grunt work, asked me if I preferred Ajax or Comet to getting porcelain clean. That sounded like a weird question because one look at his hands told me he hired someone to do that work but I said, “Either one would work, you need Pine-sol for disinfecting and Pledge for dusting, and Dawn for anything greasy.”
He said his wife told him to get something organic and I said, don’t bother.
He liked that, and laughed, so I added that if he really wants to be “natural” he could get some baking soda and rock salt and use that with some plain old vinegar if he didn’t mind using some elbow grease or the smell.
Get this: He asked me where to get elbow grease! I just about split my pants!
He said that it was for the cleaning crew for their lake house and it didn’t matter that much to him. I said, “Well most cleaning crew people bring their own things. They know what works. Just make sure your check doesn’t bounce.” Ha Ha.
He laughed again, like he had been waiting to laugh for a long time and hadn’t been allowed to.
He introduced himself and told me he was a lawyer in Raleigh so I asked him if I could ask a question and he looked at me funny and cleared his throat. “Well, I’m a…kind of …business lawyer, not criminal law.”
So I said, “Good, cause this is a business-y question”
His eyes kind of bugged out a little so I just asked him, “My question is, Why would someone like me, care about corporations?”
I could see he was confused so I kept explaining,
“I get why a corporation would like to be a corporation, I just don’t get why it’s good for the rest of us, who will never form a corporation. I mean, why should some businesses get special treatment, when the rest of us don’t?”
He took a minute thinking then said, “Well, for one one thing, corporations have been around a long time, it’s something we brought over from the British system. (News Flash Crystal Lou-I did not know that!) And the idea is that, if the government allows corporations to form, it helps create business and stimulate the economy.
People are more likely to start businesses if it’s a little less risky for them. If they can be a part of the business, invest in it to start, and not worry about the business failing and them losing their whole house and savings. Their business itself might fail, but at least the people who started the business won’t lose everything else and be on the streets.”
That makes sense to me. I do appreciate the government wanting business to be successful. And I want people with great ideas to start businesses so we can work and have a good economy.
Now I’m no economist, but that Eileen has a business that employs her daughter and she is supporting her mama, her daughter, her grand baby and herself with her business. I bet she’d like the same protections as a corporation….
I still have to think on this for small business.
He walked out of the store with me and smiled. “You know, I thought you were going to ask me legal advice for a criminal case, not a business law question.”
You know I thought a few unchristian things about him, and I guess it showed on my my face so he quickly said, “I’m sorry that was rude”
So I smiled and just said, “ I guess we shouldn’t make assumptions about each other right?”
Then he fished out his wallet and gave me one of his business cards which is almost as thick as cardboard, and told me to give him a call if I wanted to ask him any more businessy questions.
I said, ok and you can ask me anything you want to know about our town, next time you are at the lake.
