Harry wrote:
On 2/1/10 8:28 PM, Bruce wrote:
Harry wrote:

As a business owner, I bet he loved the unions and sent them an
invitation to organize his workers.


At least half my father's customers were union members...mostly highly
skilled factory workers who built helicopters, trucks, ships,
armament, machine tools, and civil servants, like cops, firemen, and
teachers. You know, the men and women who built America and made her
strong. Not lumps of **** like you.


You avoided the message - what's new? So he ran a non-union business.
Good for him! He was allowed to make his own decisions and not pay a
premium for substandard workers. That would help explain his longevity
and success. Too bad you didn't learn from him and just simply cashed
out and ended his legacy when he died. Did the demand for boats, motors,
and service/repairs die with him? I doubt it. You were incapable or
unwilling to take over the company and took the easy way out. If half of
what you said about him is true, he was probably an interesting, and
intelligent, man with a vision that you squashed with an auction. Who's
the lump of ****, Harry? It's certainly not me.

Yeah, *you* are a lump of ****, Krueger. I had and have no desire to
run a retail business. There was no auction. I took a leave of absence
from my advertising/marketing career in DC, returned to New Haven for
a few months, and sold the stores' merchandise out to the bare walls.
I formed a partnership with our family lawyer and accountant, and we
redeveloped the main store's land into a nice little shopping center,
which we all still own. It's been a moneymaker for decades. The
marina's land-little store-and slips were sold to a real estate
developer. No regrets here.

Many people own, but not run, successful retail businesses. Evidently
it wasn't that successful if the land was worth more than the business.
Auction/Going out of business sale - pretty much the same result - you
closed your father's business. If anything you said was true (and there
is an necessary doubt in your case) then I doubt you had a decent
relationship with your father. You made a move to turn it into fast
money and ignored his passion. Sad.