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The wages of business in America

Contributed by: Stan Dyer on 8/16/2007

It should come as no surprise to anyone that not all of my mail is fan mail. Yes, it's true. I do receive my fair share of hate mail, and I don't mind. Not all of it, however, is vitriol.

From time to time, I receive something that I am sure was meant to rebut my point of view, but, conversely, only serves to support my statements in an unexpected way. I received just such a letter recently, and I want to share it with you.

An article I wrote concerning the status of illegal aliens brought up the question, "Who exactly are these illegal aliens? It pointed out that people seem to forget this continent was already inhabited when the first European explorers claimed to discover it. If anyone has first claim to the land, it must be those Native Americans. To get to the point, I stated that most Americans are, essentially, illegal, so whom are we going to deport? The article also pointed out how many businesses thrive using illegal and slave labor, while other businesses send their jobs overseas to avoid paying decent, living wages, which, in turn, entices more illegals to attempt a border crossing. Here is an anonymous response I received:

Apparently, Stan is one of those who just can't comprehend that escaping part of the tax load that is imposed on U. S. corporations in support of our massive entitlement and welfare system is one of the major motivations for the outsourcing of American jobs. It's only fair that those who support the processes that cause the outsourcing should suffer from it. Businesses are not instituted to provide social welfare; they are instituted to create profits. If he really feels like an illegal alien here, I'd be happy to drive him to the airport so that he can catch a one-way flight for someplace wherein he can feel less illegal and less alien ... perhaps France or Holland ... maybe Somalia ... how about China or Cuba?

To sum it up, he is saying that I don't understand that companies outsource jobs to avoid paying taxes which support social welfare. As a result, Americans suffer the loss of jobs because our society chooses to fund such programs and businesses don't want to pay their fair share. Business is in the business of making money, and, if I don't like it, he'll drive me to the airport so I can move to a country I've never seen.

Well, Sir, I do understand the tax burden placed on American business and Americans as well. Uncle Sam likes to take a portion of our paychecks, too. We pay income tax, both State and Federal, and we pay both Social Security Tax and Medicare Tax. We are also charged sales tax on everything we buy, pay excise tax on many purchases, get taxed on the money returned to us when we overpay our taxes, and are even taxed on the property we own. We, too, wish we could keep more of that money, but we understand those taxes build roads, build schools, fund education and research, pay wages and salaries to government employees, (including elected officials), and also pay subsidies to support those outsourcing businesses even when they ship American jobs overseas. When jobs go overseas, so does the tax money and the money that would have been paid in wages. Instead of funding programs here and helping workers here, that money funds programs in some other country and helps workers over there. Taxes may be a burden to us all, but the money is essential to our standard of living and not the major reason jobs are going overseas. The major reason is greed, one of the seven deadly sins.

Jobs are going overseas to employ the cheap, "slave", labor in other countries and maximize profits. Other countries don't have Labor Laws, Safety Laws, Minimum Wage, Social Security, and Medicare/Medicaid. Other countries don't have the same laws that protect America and Americans. We all found that out when we thought we were getting nice, inexpensive products from China. We found chemicals in pet food, anti-freeze in toothpaste and lead-based paint on the toys we give our children all coming from foreign suppliers who avoid American regulations. I'm kind of funny about quality. I would rather pay more for a good, quality, American product from a know supplier, than risk my health and safety on an unknown, foreign product from an unsure source. It may cost more initially, but in the end, my pets, my children and I will actually save more money and avoid all the grief. In the same respect, a business is going to make more money in the long term providing a good, reliable, quality product than it will initially by trying to pass off substandard work.

I know businesses aren't in the business of providing social welfare, but, you know, they benefit from it just as much as the rest of us. Businesses still use American roads, railroads, airways and trucks to get their products to market. Taxes pay for those. Businesses still need intelligent, educated and trained employees coming from American schools. Taxes pay for those, too. Businesses still rely on American courts, police, doctors, nurses, hospitals, workers and security. Yes, taxes even pay for those things. To retain those benefits, American businesses stay here, and only send their jobs overseas. They like life here, but do not like paying for it.

So, if I like living in America, (legal or not), I pay my fair share of taxes, I am a responsible member of my community, and I am not sending any of my jobs overseas, why does this man want me to move to another country? It makes more sense that if businesses like foreign labor so much, they should move their organizations to those countries where they can find what they like. Yes, it's true that big business owes no one anything, but it sure seems they profit enough from this society and shouldn't mind helping to pay for what we all pay for.

In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt said:

"No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages
to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By business, I mean
the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all
workers - the white-collar as well as the man in overalls; and by living wages I
mean more than a bare subsistence level - I mean the wages of decent living".

It is as true now as it was then. I agree with President Roosevelt, and I think my anonymous email friend agrees too, even if he does not know it. It is also true that it costs to pay the wages of decent living, but the benefits are great, and, in the end, still cheaper than the cost of the wages of sin.


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Showing 1 of 1 comments
Submitted By: Joan-Marie Reed
posted on 8/16/2007 @ 9:41:56 PM
Rated Story
Wow - I never put it all together that way. Thanks for the eye-opener, Stan.
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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Stan Dyer

Arvada , CO

Stan Dyer has posted 916 stories and 113 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Stan Dyer 's average story rating is 4.35.
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