Last year a Maryland State Legislator whom I presume never owned a small business of any type suggested that franchises in the state needed to be audited every year. This would be every fast food restaurant, small business service van franchise or dog groomer in the state, which was a franchised outlet. The average cost of such audits in Maryland due to all the Maryland lawyers suing is about $40,000. Now obviously this would kill small businesses in the state and cause the raising of prices to all consumers who bought a burger, got a hair cut or had their dogs groomed and the small businesses would have to pass the costs on. We were able to get that asinine proposed bill killed in committee. What kind of a moron could come up with a bill? Well believe it or not such bills pop up all time around our country. One such bill is the Sarbaines Oxley bill, yep came from another Merry Lander Senator Sarbaines who probably sees his ignorant mistake and is NOT running for re-election. Here is the letter we rifled to every legislator in that state, to hell with these folks who propose such potentially damaging blows to our small business community. Here is an excerpt:
". . . I believe this bill to be a terrorist act against free enterprise and all we have built and all we stand for in this great nation. I will not stand for such abuses of power, linear thinking and grand standing. My ancestors came over on the Mayflower and we through tea in the water, Betsy Ross is also in my family tree and we stood for something. If you have even half the similar background you will assist in immediately ditching this notion of required audits and work on a better solution, one, which helps people, brings jobs and supports capitalism and free enterprise.
The best solution is to cut out the franchise registration department in the great State of Maryland all together and let free enterprise and Freedom Ring. This is not a socialist country. Challenge yourself and staff and fellow leaders to come up with a solution that makes since, do not make arbitrary laws which cause barriers to entry and destroy the integrity of the Friedman Economic Model and freedoms that our ancestors gave their lives as a gift to us. Currently Maryland has a wonderful program for consolidated disclosure applications, only CA law will not accept it. CA seeing the folly of their ways is now changing their laws to be more like the rest of the union.
Just when everybody is getting on the same page and streamlining the regulatory process now in Maryland, Mary Ann is offering changes inconsistent with the rest of the country in this Bill. Can you even imagine the myriad of laws that we as franchisors must deal with each day. There are 12 registration states, FTC, 26 countries with franchise laws, 4 notification states and all have just a little different set of rules. How can Franchisors comply and still build and support the incredible infrastructure of legal case laws, law changes and arbitrary opinions? This Bill is a dagger in the heart of franchising for your state and the small business community.
It is Bills like this that will kill this country. Is that what you want, look beyond the words on the paper see the bigger picture, for God's Sake look and think out side the box. This bill is garbage in my opinion, if this passes, Maryland will not get all I have to offer it's citizenry in philanthropic endeavors and consumer benefit. This is an attempt in my opinion trying to destroy the greatest business model known to mankind. In my opinion Mary Ann and anyone else who votes for this Bill or even contemplates it's signing ought to be ashamed of themselves. You could not shame yourselves more even if you joined the anti-war demonstrations. This is unfathomable in my opinion. And I will see you defeated in the next election if this passes. Neither franchisees or franchisors who understand the free market could support this Bill, it helps no one and certainly hurts consumers and spits in the face of small business. . . "
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We must defeat any legislation that is anti small business, follow Caesars directive when it comes to lawyers and then vote our of office anyone who fails to serve the will of the people and uphold our rights to free contract and maintain our free enterprise system. Think about it.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs