My company Maine Outdoors is an S Corporation which means that I take a small salary for my efforts. (Let’s not discuss my hourly rate it is below the minimum wage by a long shot) As a normal part of getting a paycheck every month I pay unemployment insurance. Because of some wording in the rules I am not allowed to draw that insurance because of being an officer of the corporation. No problem so far, I am willing to do my part to keep the pool going and someday I hope to have an employee that might need the insurance. Not to mention it is a small amount each month.
The kicker came earlier this month when I was informed that my rate was going up. I still cannot ever draw that insurance and am not very likely to lay myself off but apparently in the eyes of the regulators I am a worse risk of not being able to draw than I was last year. So I am paying a few extra dollars each month to support the unemployment insurance fund. I called and asked and was told in no uncertain terms that this was in fact just how it was and that I had no recourse. Amazing!
When I hear business leaders talking about the business climate in Maine I frequently dismiss it as whining. But here is a dramatic personal example that drives home the point of just how costly it is to be a small business in Maine. I am sure that the regulators figure that I will simply pass on the cost to my customers or quietly add it to my expenses. I plan to add it to my expenses; which means in the end that it comes out of my pocket. ‘Nuff said.
We have reached the point in the winter where the weather is settled but cold. This morning it was only 5 degrees and the high for the day will only reach 10. Luckily there is not much wind or it would be brutal. There are few storms in sight other than a few flurries. The air is amazingly dry which leads to cloudless skies and keeps the snow at bay. I noticed this morning that the sun has already made considerable progress back to the north. So spring and summer are coming.
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