Heard on the Street....Malarkey.......

I was going to be like everyone else in the world and start talking about politics, as it is that
time again, and there is no shortage of "lying," "half truths" and, of course, what we often call "the spin."

We are all used to it, by now, it is hard to tune all this noise out, and for most of us, at least, we do
not live in one of those "key battleground states" (sounds like a military term, no?), as I understand
that one can hardly come up for air in Ohio without someone using all forms of media to hammer their
message home.

I know this is all partisan, but that is not where I am coming from today.   I just think this it is ironic
that both parties feel that the economy has a good of room for improvement, but at the same time,
all of this noise as I call it, seems only to make people more cautious and less likely to engage new
purchases or spend money for fear of the unknown future.   Like a catch 22 type of thing: that everyone
wants people to go out and spend money cause they are confident about the future, but their actions to get elected or re-elected only serve--it seems to me, and other small business people--make people more likely not to spend as there is a great deal of uncertainty as to who our leaders will be both in the White House and in Congress.   Maybe it really does not matter, anyhow, but boy, these politicians can spend the money, to no end

One of the key terms used in the Vice Presidential debates last evening was "malarkey."   I understand that this word is now challenging "amazing" as the most overused word of the day--by both sides of the political
spectrum.   But at the same time, to me, it only shows that these politicians are really far away from the problems of small business and in particular, for those in the moving and shipping business.

I have heard some owners in this business describe the times today as "some of the slowest times in the
moving and shipping business that they have seen in over 30 years.   Three decades, that is a long time and
I really feel that while small business is a big issue in this campaign, most of us feel unrepresented in this large
political circus.  I often joke that I never get a chance to speak to my lobbyist, like I even know a lobbyist, in the first place.

Yes, it is true that Box Brothers is a member of California and Texas Mover Associations, as well as being
a member of the American Moving and Storage Association--who do employ lobbyists, I am told, but
every single small business person I know who puts a paycheck into their employees hands so that they can put food on their families tables, is not having the best of times and most of us feel that no matter who is elected and when the NOISE stops, nothing will change and that is our greatest fear of all.

At the same time, I have not been appointed to speak on any mover's behalf and while most of my comments are truly subjective, I am not speaking out of turn.  Like other firms, we at Box Brothers
have the greatest respect for both our customers, and for our employees, which is why times like this are so hard on all of us.  We have a great reputation for packaging, crating and for helping our customers get their
belongings or merchandise safely, anywhere in the world.   We all just wish we were busier and our issues were how to handle the flow of work, instead of how to translate the work we have into paychecks for all.

Do you think if we locked these guys in the back of a moving van, told them we would not let them out until they made things better for all, and instead of spending 2 billion dollars on ads, they decided to cure a disease and get this economy moving for all of us.....it would work?....I do not think so either.

Here is hoping things get better, no matter who you want to be elected to any office.