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Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus on efforts to bring a voice to small business owners against government regulations and taxes.
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My next guest says the president doesn't have a grip on this economy.
Or even know how jobs are created and that's why it's time for the business community in this country to stand up.
And Begin -- joining us the co-founder of Home Depot Bernie Marcus Bernie good to have you on the show.
I don't -- -- -- great to see -- well it's great to see you Bernie and and and to.
To that point.
The question of business leadership here and that and there has been except for your voice.
And notable few others.
The business leadership in this country big business leaders.
Or all but acquiesced and utterly silent.
There is without a question Lou there's a question of courage.
We don't see it I don't know my baby it's my generation I'm not really sure.
But I think that since we started this organization called the the job creators alliance.
We've had to literally hundreds of people join us he's a small business people.
These are people who -- really struggling decent people that are getting the them run the every regulation and every law that's passed the congress.
These are the people have to struggle every day paying their bills figuring out how to do things they they would run the country the way this country is run.
They know when they run out of money there in deep trouble they know when they can't pay their bills anymore they go bankrupt we'll hear all we do is go out and we we we we we kind of try to tax people it just doesn't make any sense.
So we're trying to recruit business people.
To understand that they have a way of fighting back.
This job creators alliance is a voice for the small businessman.
Two out of three jobs in America.
Actually are created in the sole business area.
That that means they're restaurants and small business owners people and have a 500 people 700 people thousand people -- of them.
This is the brunt of America these are the guys that are really getting it done and they don't have -- lobbyists Lou they don't have the lobbyists GE has the lobbyists always.
They spend that money hernia.
Is gonna chamber of commerce US chamber congress represents small business and big probably -- told me that himself.
Tom -- -- does a very good job but He recommend He also represents all the big companies as well that.
Nobody who represents a small guy I'm telling you -- just not there and and I go around the country -- look.
I'm a I'm a very rich guy and I'm a very successful guy ran -- Home Depot for many many years taught in The Home -- along with my partners.
And we were small business I remember the days that we couldn't pay the bills.
I remember not sleeping nights I remember my my wife and kids outside giving you a dollar bills trying to give it give people come in our stores -- -- remember that also plays -- you went public thirty years ago.
And have been as you point out immensely successful.
Could you and then that was a recession people forget thirty years ago you you took the company public.
In the midst of a recession in a bad one.
Could you do the same today.
No way now why is that -- -- Oxley.
Two words.
You can't do it the capital market -- disappeared overnight.
When we went public we would do 25 million dollars a year.
25 million dollars a year we went public we raise the capital we opened no new stores.
A year later we went public again we raise the capital we open up new stores we did this over a number of years.
Today surveys Oxley you'd have to spend between two to five million dollars a year.
Just to go along with the precepts that separate what company could do that except for a big company.
Burning.
We're out of time but I wanna ask you this.
The alliance for job creators.
-- you're taking on this administration the SEC is driving regulations EPA's driving regulations.
Sarbanes Oxley as you point established we've also got.
Dodd-Frank I mean the list as non stop.
How to people get Ahold of you pay if they wanna join the job creators lines.
Job creators lions dot org.
Come on and join us we need courageous people we need people fight for yourself come on guys don't don't let -- -- you get up and fight.
Bernie Marcus were good terrific advice for small business people across the country and I think big business as well and for all the rest of us to.
Bernie thanks for being -- great to see -- Bernie Marcus.
