To unsung heroes, the entrepreneurs

Richest blessings to the human engines of the economy, the entrepreneurs. Your names and your businesses are listed in the millions of Yellow Pages throughout the land.

Your names are also found on the lists of prospects for donations from thousands of sources: scouts, churches, ball leagues, school bands and soccer teams, clubs, charities from hither and yon. They are as plentiful as the birds and the beasts.

You have taken up a practice, provided a service, manufactured a gizmo, managed a business. You may be fulfilling an urge to live the American dream. Perhaps whatever you are doing may be obsolete tomorrow, but you plow ahead. You hope to make a difference.

Profit is not a bad word in your world. Profit is a requirement if you are to meet your payroll, pay all of your bills and satisfy the bank when you must borrow. And you and your employees must pay their taxes. The government and state needs your contribution not only to cover your share of the burden, but also to pay the rent for nearly half of the people in our country who do not pay income taxes. The wants of the people are insatiable.

Government doesn't make money; it can only print money. You Pilgrims must do the making of more money by becoming more efficient and working harder so that more people can be hired who will pay more taxes. Our government will continue to try to continue to try and confound you with untried, ill-advised programs, often volumes of provisions, in their effort to “help” you and at the same time get re-elected.

Most of you will somehow survive the ordeal. Bless you and Happy New Year.

Dave Olson

Wheaton