I know there are a lot of smart people on NOSTR but I wanted to point out something I realized yesterday.

The US economy is in a tail spin. JPow is raising interest rates and screaming we have to reduce employment so that inflation can get under control. All the while, you have ads on ever media outlet promoting the Employee Retention Tax Credit where the Federal Government is giving back payroll taxes for keeping employees on payroll during the Pandemic.

While there are valid instances where a business should take advantage of this (Forced Shut Downs being the primary qualifier in my opinion) The problem is, the rules determining eligibility are so broadly written, I’d be willing to bet that 99% of all businesses could qualify if the right promoter was used to apply. The promoters are taking a 15-20% fee based on how much credit a business gets back. There is a clear incentive for promoters to convince businesses to apply for this credit.

I was contacted by a promoter yesterday who was astonished that I didn’t want “free money.” He said it three times..”you don’t want free money?” If we want to make society a better place, we have to be willing to stand up for right and call out what is wrong, be willing to make moral decisions that may not benefit us in a positive way financially, but benefit the society for the better. Nothing is free and the idea that “everyone else is doing it, so I will too” doesn’t make it right.