Mission of The Encumbered
On our website, you will find that there are certain idioms or slogans we repeat.
“The squeaky wheel always gets the grease.”
“The guy with his nose to the grindstone pays for it.”
“Congressmen and women have forgotten what ’for the greater good’ means.”
String them together and it paints a very clear picture of where we stand and what we want to fix. Our mission is to empower small businesses and keep them from political neglect and public indifference. And though this is a very large challenge, we believe there are two fronts where we can be most effective.
FRONT #1 – Support Small Businesses: by creating awareness campaigns of the plight of the taxpayer and local employers. This website exists to do exactly that. As funds are available, we will explore other methods of getting the message out, but for now – drawing traffic to this site is where it all begins. We do not ask for any money for that activity – only membership with us so that our numbers mean something in the world of politics.
Knowing that politics is the vehicle by which our places of employment are affected the most, we intend to study and promote sound fiscal policy measures and other suggestions at this site for bilateral acceptance between the two prominent parties of our electoral system. In essence, good business is not a republican or democrat arena. Good business is just good business for those who are willing to take on the risk and the burdens of regulation and taxation. And unless one wants to see small business become an endangered species – what helps good business is a dialog open to all.
FRONT #2 – Work as a Non-Profit: to contribute back to the local community through workforce development campaigns and charities. The Encumbered.com is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which has the ability to conduct charitable activities that put much needed funds back into the hands of those who make our future employees and entrepreneurs, and assist those who need it most in our communities. As an example, there is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at Louisa County High School. The students enrolled in these hands-on classes engage the community through projects providing labor and creativity to needs they target. TheEncumbered.com can take funds from our events and have them utilized to purchase the necessary materials the CTE needs – freeing up their precious dollars for more pressing matters.
In essence, TheEncumbered.com is a partnership with several players. At the present time, we are focusing our efforts on the Counties of Louisa and Spotsylvania where we have partnered with Pleasants Landing at Lake Anna. By combining forces, Pleasants Landing offers their parkland to us for events, and we in turn will create summer events to be held there. Ticket sales will allow a percentage of the proceeds to go towards targeted programs for funding. It may be the land and marina that you see on the property – but it is the uniqueness of the 501(c)(3) entity that allows us to give back. You can read more under the tab for Our Non-Profit Activity with a link to the Love the Lake, Summer Concert Series.
If we succeed in our mission, then everyone benefits.
- The employer who is less regulated and able to make more profit
- The employee who is able to advance and receive pay raises because his employer is making more profit
- The tax base because with employers and employees making more money – more taxes are paid
- The community because the more taxes raised in a growing economy – the more tax revenue is available to meet needs
- Every taxpayer because with more working Americans, the tax burden is shared by more people, lessening the amount each individual is expected to pay
- Hopefully our health care system and its members, as efficiencies and problem-solving methodologies we develop help alleviate the quagmire that is our national health policy, aiding small businesses in their costs for employees.
Join in us in crafting solutions that help everyone.