Call me Grinch

It's Christmas and we are in the worst recession since the depression IE the going back to 1930's. We are not close to what transpired during those times. But, we are at the ledge staring down a very deep ravine. It's Christmas and as an employer it's time to give out Christmas bonus (yes all denominations take advantage of this great Christian giveaway). I do not mind giving out bonuses. I do mind being forced to give bonuses. And it really frosts my ass being told the amount I must give out as a bonus. This is the classic example of government bureaucrats who have no idea what it is to meet payroll, to pay a commercial loan, pay rent, you work for a living.
So, in the middle of the worst recession ever we are forced to increase the bonus amount we are to give our employees. Even the lazy bum, who you are forced to keep on payroll because getting rid of him cost too much (that a whole other issue and another bottle of whiskey). We are talking about $300.00 minimun and $600.00 depending on how many employees you have. OK, let's do some quick math, 14 employees (like the majority of small business) 300 x 14=4200.00 plus that weeks payroll. Now say you are lucky enough to have 15 employees well its 15x600=9000.00. But wait, there's more. You are paying every employee the same amount. What about the employee who's been with you through thick and thin, you can't pay him the same as "lazy bum". So, good employee gets well, pissed, bummed, disappointed, and to an extent rightly so. The law makes no distinction between the good employee and the bad, the one who always is willing to give that little extra, and the one who is always staring at the clock.
You see the law was 1. written by incompetent buffoons,2. and written to mainly benefit government employees. Since the government can play poker with our money they do not care what it costs. They can be magnanimous. The outgoing administration at the Executive level has given out over 500,000.00 in bonuses that we know of at a time when the government has to borrow to make it's payroll, is over budget, and has IOU's in the hundred of million's.
And lastly, you are one of the thousands of businesses coping with losses, struggling and want a dispensation from the government agency who regulated the bonuses ( of course there is an agency who oversees this and they too have no clue what it is to have a real job) you MUST PRESENT AN AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENT FROM YOUR ACCOUNTANT. Which will cost you thousands, and will be, can be used against you in the future. Of course, no one had, has the money for an audited statement so we are stuck, screwed and having to pay the bonus required by law. Call me Grinch, I just don't feel like paying what the government tells me to those who do not deserve it. Have a Merry Christmas, courtesy of "Estado Ensuciado de Puerto Rico".