NEW TESTIMONIAL VIDEO: When Trump Wins, the Little Guy Loses
On the night of the California primary, in the clubhouse of the Trump National Golf Club Westchester, Donald Trump touted his less-than-stellar business record and claimed he would “make it very, very good” for small business in America.
Architect Andrew Tesoro designed that clubhouse. Trump loved it. But when Tesoro sent Trump a bill for his work, he replied through his lawyers: Accept pennies on the dollar or I’ll tie you up in court for years.
In a new video released by Hillary for America, Tesoro says he was humiliated by Trump and felt he had no choice but to accept a low-ball payment for his work. Trump almost put him out of business. He made nothing for years, maxed out his credit lines, and dipped into his son’s college savings to survive.
Tesoro is one among many Trump has targeted, and Hillary for America is updating the ArtOfTheSteal.biz to outline Trump’s step-by-step guide to getting rich on the backs of those don’t have the resources to fight him. Call this the “Trump Discount.”
Trump’s “master grifter” strategy has sunk small businesses and hurt working families. Forcing those who cannot match him in court to either sue or settle for less than they deserve, Trump has shown again and again that for him, winning means the little guy loses.
Trump’s grand scheme for business success had four steps:
1. Contract out some work to a local small business.
Now, this part seems nice! If you’re looking for someone to install the chandeliers in your mansion or build some cabinets, why wouldn’t you hire a mom-and-pop operation who will put some real care into the job?
2. After the work is done, just don’t pay.
That’s right -- after completing the job, the aforementioned small business would send out an invoice for payment… that wouldn’t ever come.
This is the step where Trump loses me. It’s also where Edward Friel of Atlantic City found himself:
“After submitting the final bill for the Plaza casino cabinet-building in 1984, Paul Friel said he got a call asking that his father, Edward, come to the Trump family’s offices at the casino for a meeting. There Edward, and some other contractors, were called in one by one to meet with Donald Trump and his brother, Robert Trump.”
3. Offer the contractor two options: Begin an expensive lawsuit, or accept way less money than previously agreed upon.
We’re talking a fraction of the price of the job -- after the work was already done. Take landscaper Herman Caucci and marble supplier John Millar:
“Caucci, who himself was owed more than $500,000, says Millar agreed to take 10 cents on the dollar, but court documents suggest he got about 30 cents on the dollar over the next year. Millar is deceased. His family wouldn't respond to repeated calls for comment.
Either way, the money wasn't enough. Millar eventually had to lay off workers, shut down his business Avalon Commercial, close many of his retail stores and borrow from friends to make ends meet, according to court documents and Millar's lawyers and former employees.”Maybe bigwigs with wealthy fathers like Donald Trump can afford a bankruptcy or two, but small business owners? They can’t.
“'HE ALMOST bankrupted us,' says the retired owner of a construction business on the east coast. Thirty years ago he ran a small business with around ten employees, which was hired by Donald Trump to work on an 11-month project at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City. It was the biggest contract, by far, that the business had ever had. The builders worked as they had never done before to complete the job on time. As soon as they finished, Mr Trump stopped paying. He owed around $200,000 of a bill totalling about $700,000, a huge sum for a small company."
4. Watch as the business sinks -- hitting owners and employees alike.Trump is not even ashamed of this strategy. Hillary, on the other hand, thinks small businesses should be protected from this behavior.
While Donald gets off with discounted work, more than one business were nearly driven to shut their doors. Seems exactly the opposite of “looking out for the little guy” to me.
We’re not talking once or twice here. According to USA Today, there have been literally hundreds of suits against Trump for unpaid bills. That’s hundreds of hard-working people who have been cheated by the Donald -- and been brave enough to fight back.
Read the rest at http://www.artofthesteal.biz/
Hillary for America Unveils Plan to Ensure Small Businesses Get Paid, Not Stiffed By Bad Actors in Big Business
Hillary Clinton has a new plan to strengthen small businesses by cracking down on bad business actors whose fraudulent business practices jeopardize small businesses and their workers. Hillary Clinton’s plan proposes giving small businesses recourse to fight back against unscrupulous big business practices that stiff small businesses when bills come due. She will leverage hundreds of billions of dollars in federal contracting to make sure small businesses get paid faster – and expand programs that put more working capital in the hands of small business owners so they can thrive, grow and hire. These proposals are part of her plan to fight for the largest investment in good-paying jobs in her first 100 days in office, one of her five major goals for our economy.
The announcement follows Clinton’s speech in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Wednesday outside the former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, where she decried Trump’s failed business record and was joined by one Atlantic City small businessman, Marty Rosenberg, who was not paid in full for his work on a Trump property.
“I thought a lot about my dad in the last weeks as I learn more about Donald Trump’s business behavior,” Hillary Clinton said in Atlantic City. “My dad was a small businessman. If his customers had done to him what Trump did to these companies, he wouldn’t have made it, either. … We believe in an America where small businesses are respected, not scammed. I have a plan to make sure big businesses can’t stiff suppliers and contractors like Donald’s been doing for years.”
Clinton’s plan would enhance legal protections for small businesses that are repeatedly stiffed by large firms and give them better tools to protect themselves against predatory behavior by large companies. She would increase federal regulatory enforcement for unscrupulous big businesses that have a pattern or practice of using their market power to repeatedly exploit small businesses by not paying them, or otherwise defrauding or deceiving them. She also would ensure that small businesses have expanded means of recourse, such as through banding together to hold these practices accountable in court.
“Small businesses are the foundation of the American Dream, for generations providing opportunity for millions of American families and workers,” said former Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills, now a senior fellow at Harvard Business School. “Despite their resilience the recession hit them hard, but they have proven that given the resources and opportunity, they can and will continue to drive our nation’s economic growth and competitiveness. Secretary Clinton has laid out a plan that ensures small businesses aren’t taken advantage of and get paid on time, leverages federal dollars to ensure prompt payment, and expands access to working capital. This is important because whether it’s a Main Street shop or a startup tech firm, customer demand, cash flow and a friendlier tax and regulatory environment are critical. Secretary Clinton’s focus is on making sure small businesses have a government that is working for them, fighting for them and enabling them to grow and create jobs.”
Additionally, Clinton’s plan calls for leveraging the more than $400 billion in federal government contracting to encourage businesses to pay their suppliers in full and on time. Her plan also calls for expanding proven SBA loan guarantee programs that broaden access to working capital, so small businesses can weather periods where they are not paid on time – and thrive, grow, hire, and expand.
To read Clinton’s full proposal for defending, protecting and supporting small businesses from abusive big business practices, visit her website here.
