If you've been reading these cheesy newsletters through the years you are painfully aware by now that over the last 3 or so years my politi-speak has become more and more prevalent ... my opinions dystopian. Some readers seem to love my Washington bashing... Some not so much. I've gotten a lot of new subscribers because of it.. Lost some.  A few comedians even demanded their money back.  I understand and I feel your pain. For the most part,  most of us agree that a motorcycle related newsletter shouldn't have politics injected into it unless there is a damn good reason. The problem is easy to diagnose. No need for a high paid shrink or psychic hotline. My anger at the Obama administration for putting this business (that I built, btw) on the brink of ruin has bled over into every aspect of my life.. conversations... dreams.. emails... and yes.. even newsletters. With that said... I'd like to apologize. I'm sick of it too.

For the record, this may be the last newsletter with the full tilt political lean so feel free to revel in it and continue unabashedly on.. or trash it  right now and read no further.  You see.. after the upcoming presidential elections, there will be no need to talk politics.  As of  the night of November 6th.. the die will have been cast. If Obama wins a second term.. we'll most likely be out of business within 6 months unless Amber can pull a financial miracle out of her hooha.. If Romney can overcome a biased press and a mislead public and pull it out.. Pirates Lair will survive and probably be back on top within a year or two.  It's that simple.. As black and white (no pun intended) as that.  For the first time in my life.. my destiny depends on the voters in the USA... and that scares the shit out of me.

Just for a moment or two.. lets disregard the facts that only 4 years ago Pirates Lair was one of the largest BMW accessory vendors in the US. Probably second only to Bob's BMW. Full and part time workers on the dole.  30% increase in business every year for 10 straight years. Almost unprecedented in the dotcom pantheon. In 2008 we were closing in on our first million dollar year. Life was good.. Track days every month.. Vacations. Nice restaurants. Swimming pools.. Movie stars.. 2-ply toilet paper.  Amber and I were planning on building a new home and had mountain top property almost paid for. A modest retirement account  was just waiting in the wings. Top o' the world, ma!  Amazing the difference one presidency, endless business killing regulations, and impending taxes can make.

Today, that 200K operating capital is gone... The stock is bare bones. Biz is down 70%. Most of my retirement $$ has been siphoned off to keep the doors open. I've sold 2 of my 3 bikes to keep us in the black.. In the same time period, I've added 40% more products to the menu  just to break even almost doubling the work, yet had to lay off all our part time workers. Amber has had to go searching for a real job.. Are ya feelin' me here? Like many of our competitors.. we're teetering on the edge of extinction.

Yea yea.. I can hear the Liberals now... "It must be something you're doing wrong." Can't be anything the Obamassiah has done. I'm a victim of  my own ineptitude. I wish that were the case as that would be easier to swallow.. No.. If it weren't for the fact that at least 13 of the vendors we've been dealing with over the past 12 years have closed their doors over the last 24 months.. I'd be taking this personal. Some were small like me.. some large. All competent business people. Up until 2008 we had lost maybe 2 vendors in the previous 12 years. The ONLY reason we've survived is low over-head and my willingness to work endless 12-14 hour days..  No..it's these clowns in Washington with their hell bent determination (or inadvertent ineptitude) to crush the life out of small business owners with Orwellian taxes, regulations, and  a wealth distribution agenda causing  all this.   So are you expecting this pirate to come right out and plead for our readers to vote for a certain candidate just to save our asses?? Not a chance! In the scheme of things, Pirates Lair is just a little blip on the business community's radar.  Whether we survive or not won't mean a thing 100 years... or even 50.. or 20 years from now. No.. there are bigger, more important issues in play here. IMHO.. nothing less that the future of our country.

There are many reasons to vote out the current president.. His seemingly inexplicable actions and  extreme ideology should be looked at and seriously scrutinized and yes.. judged by all Americans.  I could go on and on and on about  how our country is virtually bankrupt owing over $16,000,000,000,000 dollars. 23 million unemployed!  47 million are on food stamps. How the White House is purposely trying to sign up more and more by running adds in many states stating how easy it is to get food stamps.. WTF!?  Gas prices have doubled under Obama and yes.. he does have some control over price.  His Orwellian regulations have stifled "future" domestic fuel production capabilities and  has even shut down 400 coal plants over the last 24 months in favor of his green energy agenda which ironically is a total failure. Solyndra and Abound Solar?  They got almost 1 billion dollars of tax payer money yet both plants closed within 24 months.  Both contributors to Obama's campaign. Cronyism? You be the judge.  "Cash for Clunkers." The program where the White House gave poor people $2000 of YOUR money to buy new car.. How charitable. Auto industry bailouts.  Massive pork filled stimulus plans.  And then there's the inexplicable actions.. The White House openly condemns the Tea Party movement (which basically consists of fiscally responsible senior citizens from the golden generation who want to stop reckless spending and require a balanced budget... (those wacky radicals!!)..  yet  praises and supports the Occupy Wall Street Movement which consisted (past tense) of bored college kids and wannabe anarchists against capitalism. What else..? The White House is suing at least half a dozen states for protecting their own borders and enforcing federal laws. Hard to believe, huh?  Recently, President Obama and the DOJ instructed  ICE agents in many states not to arrest, prosecute, and deport millions of illegal aliens.. in effect giving them back-door amnesty.  Pretty sure that's illegal and is not a power the president actually has to wield. Remember Obama's apology tour shortly after taking office?  And how about his foreign policy of  "lets give them money, talk nice, and they'll stop wanting to kill us" working out?  Anyone forgotten the "Fast and Furious" cover-up? Is anyone paying attention to the current cover-up about the Libyan Embassy? Probably not as the main stream media isn't intersted in informing you. Lets see... what else.. Most don't know this (again because the press isn't even talking about it) but do you know Congress is required by law to pass a budget every year, yet under this president they haven't passed one in almost 4 years. Outrageous!! I'll go out on a limb here and predict that if he's re-elected, by the time he leaves office they'll be rioting in the streets, a greater racial divide, and civil unrest the likes that our country has never seen..

In the 2008 campaign then Senator Obama promised he'd end the power of lobbyists... cut pork out of future bills... offer up the most transparent administration in history with all meetings shown on CSPAN... cut the budget in 1/2 in the first 4 years.. and bring the country together and put and end to partisanship. Has any of those promises come true? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?  And then there's Obama Care...Yes... the tax that's not a tax. The bill that Obama rammed through Congress' back-door without  or a single Republican getting to read or debate it.. The largest bill in history.. Never read.  I'm pretty sure that's not democracy or what our fore-fathers intended. It's already predicted to cost 3 times what they told us up front (I'm sure it was honest accounting mistake) and will hit 6 million middle-class Americans with a $1500 tax penalty just because they don't want to buy health insurance.  I'm sure the non-doctors who thought it all up have a work-around for the fact that there will be 30 million new patients... and no new doctors.  A minor detail, I'm sure. 

I have serious issues with all of the aforementioned actions taken by this administration, but the following are the two that  really make me publicly embarrassed by the current president and truly shocked that anyone could even consider re-electing this man for a second term.  In the video that's gone viral everywhere on earth except the main stream media, Barack Obama flat out says he' is all for wealth redistribution. The words actually came out of his mouth.  Finally.. a moment of non-teleprompter truth and a frank look into what Obama's long term goals are. I hope potential voters realize that wealth redistribution is the foundation of socialism. Second.. the president is actively promoting class warfare. Pitting US citizen against US citizen for the simple goal of staying in power. That's his idea of leadership? Shameless..  As I said... the survival of Pirates Lair is simply NOT a reason to even consider when voting on November 6th...

At this late date, most of us have made up our minds who we're gonna vote for. While I generally want to grab my Liberal friends by the lapels and tell them.. "You're living in a dream world, Neo.".. I've pretty much given up on them as while I can explain the situation to them.. I can't understand it for them. Virtually 90% of the media and magazines are shills for the Obamassiah and the cool-aid runs deep. At the time of this writing.. over a month out, the mainstram media is already telling the populace that Romney can't win. Why vote for a loser? (shaking my head).. With this Manifesto I'm only offering the truth and a hope that Zion survives.  I'll just ask this simple question of those Obama supporters .. "Have your standards for defining  "success"  actually dropped so low that when you look around .. you think things are going well?.. Really? "

And for those still on the fence...think about this. The choice between these two men couldn't be clearer. One wants massive government, control over virtually every aspect of your life (and most private industries), and admits his goal is wealth distribution... The other is a  moral, successful businessman who has virtually never failed at anything he's ever done, is a committed capitalist who believes in energy independence, a balanced budget, fiscal responsibility, and that people should have to work for what they get, rather than have it handed to them.  It's that simple. And this is important. PLEASE VOTE.

No matter how it turns out... it has been a pleasure and an honor being in this business, meeting youz guys and gals, riding with hundreds of you, and having your support and friendship through the years. Fingers crossed that it's not gonna come to a screeching halt in the upcoming year... Again.. Please vote in November.. Your vote has never been more important. I'm Jerry Finley and I approved this message.