No Good Deed Goes Unpunished *sigh*

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Well-- I have been basically missing in action from My Lot for a few weeks-- we have lost our farm. I'm not homeless-- but I am now a sharecropper, living in my 1976 travel trailer instead of the house. As many of you know, my other half and I faced a decision a few years ago when we began to feel the effects Obama had on our business, and on the businesses of those we knew-- we watched old friends lose everything several times. We had, at the time, over 250,000 dollars-- we could have paid off our land, which is what our business friends urged us to do, then sold what was left of our company, or closed the doors and put our 9 employees out of work. We chose instead to give all our money to our employees, to keep them in their apartments and in college, to help them build savings and get debt free, etc. Over the summer, this year far worse than any other year since 2001, the business lost an amazing amount of money, and so did the farm, due to a series of breakdowns, equipment replacements, a few blown engines in trucks-- and keeping our employees on full time pay when we didn't have work. Last week, we hit the wall-- our mortgage went into default, and was going to foreclosure. And then my other half learned what people can be like-- he asked his brother to take on the mortgage. His brother (who is worth over 1 million) said NO WAY. He told the employees that we were flat broke, and asked if they would take hours cuts to keep their jobs-- they told him they would all quit together, at the start of our busiest season when they KNOW we don't have the time to train new hires if we didn't keep them on full hours, despite the fact that the number of events we have is less than half what it was last year, almost 3/4 less than the year before, and we lost our kettle corn stand at the mall. My other half was stunned, and very hurt-- he sees them as family, and we have done far more for all of them than any other employer would do. Yet as soon as he turned to them for help, and asked that they accept the hours cut so they are only getting paid when they are seriously working, they all decided it was every man for himself/herself. He hasn't told them yet, but after October he is planning on selling the business for whatever he can get from it-- which is not much anymore, because no one is buying businesses right now, and they won't be for a while-- especially not a business as seasonal as kettle corn in Arizona. Back in 2008, we were busy as all get out 8 months out of the year, and breaking even the other 4. Now, this past year (2011) we were busy as all get out 4 months, breaking even 3 and losing money the other five. This year, to date, we were only seriously busy 2 months, breaking even 2 and lost serious ,money the other 3. Thank You Congress and Mr. O. We built it, and now it's gone. So, I am now a sharecropper. We found a friend here in Washington that bought the farm from us and is allowing me to stay on, with my animals and my gardens. He bought it for exactly what we still owed-- which was 1/4 what it's worth-- but he signed a contract with the other half so when we make some more money from the gold mine and building mining equipment, he will transfer it back to us for what he paid for it. So we may get it back in a year or so-- but in the meantime, I am simply devastated. A question, my friends-- my other half is torn, and so am I. We know we won't be able to sell the business, and we know we won't be able to keep it open beyond Thanksgiving if sales don't increase. We could keep it going if our employees would agree to the hours cut, meaning they would go back to just making and selling kettle corn and not doing all the extra things we COULD do ourselves but paid them to do so they would not lose money-- things like housecleaning, laundry, landscaping, handyman stuff, etc. But since they made it clear they won't tolerate that, my other half feels we don't owe them any warning about closing the business. After all, we have given them everything we had-- and this is what they have done in return. On the other hand, we did this in the first place because we felt it was morally wrong to leave our employees vulnerable to the current corrupt administration and the financial upheaval that is coming very soon-- so it could be considered immoral not to tell them that the safety net is being taken away, and they will soon have to fend for themselves. They already know things are bad, because we asked them about the hours cut-- does that seem to be enough warning under the circumstances? We are worried about saying more because if they all quit now, together, then we will lose what little chance we have of building up a small cash reserve to get through the rest of the year and fund making mining equipment for other people. At this point, they all have savings in the bank, they all have paid off cars and paid off bills, rent etc. The two in college have enough saved to continue going and finish. I am personally very angry at all of them-- because they hurt my other half with their attitudes. I gave up expecting honorable behavior from people some time ago, so their reaction to our request didn't surprise me. But hurting him, after all he has done for them-- that made me angry. I don't think we should say anything else to them-- just work their butts off until November 1st, then let them all go and close the business, and sell the equipment off. What are your thoughts? P.S.-- all three of my female alpacas are pregnant, thanks to Roscoe LOL. At least I'll have plenty of alpaca wool to spin, weave with and sell come spring, and crias (baby alpacas) with their very valuable wool this coming fall.