I am a World War II veteran. After I came out of the service in 1948, I started a small business making hardwood pallets. I scraped together $2,000 and purchased an old planer and a cut off saw, hired two men, went on the road and was able to land a couple of customers. We were able to get 13 or 14 customers over the years.
We are going on our 63rd year in business. I spent a lot of 16- to 17- hour days out in the snow and rain unloading lumber and in the dark. There were times when my family went without so that we could pay our employees. My wife keeps the books, collects federal, state and local taxes, and submits them to the proper authorities. We receive nothing for doing this. I confronted Senator Spector twice face-to-face about this at Town Hall meetings. Told him as long as my wife is forced to do this work under penalty of fine or prison, we think this is a violation of our Constitutional rights, under the 13th amendment to the constitution.
My wife and I never received a salary so there was no way to get a tax deduction, as would be possible by hiring someone to do this. Sen. Spector said he would get back to me but he never did. Then in the first part of September 2012, I was watching the news on television, they broke in with a speech that President Obama was making. I got the shock of my life when he said "that you small business people out there, you did not build that, someone else built that and you could not have done it anyway if the government had no built the road and bridges for you to use." I am confused. I paid a lot of federal taxes for the past 63 years. Did they separate my taxes and did not use them for building roads and bridges? I don't understand what he is talking about here. I feel insulted.
Eugene F. House
Mansfield
