Letter to the editor:
From the earliest times since humans formed in bands and villages there has been differences in wealth and influence. Though less in number with the wealthy dominated their weaker poorer in the village. In the news the past week there has been much talk about this subject. There were reports to excessive profit of corporations along with individual executives’ bonuses. Then there were articles about the great turnover of middle management and staff.
The week ended with what could almost be called a labor revolt when workers voted to unionize the labor force at the Amazon Wearhouse on Long Island.
As government leaders were discussing budgets there were many comments made regarding the imbalance of wealth from the working-class laborers to affluent investors and corporations.
Wealth itself is neither good or evil. How it is managed and used is. When the affluent use their resources to exploit or oppress the weaker majority then it moves the combined force of the majority to step-up and work for a more equitable balance of the available resources.
When you ask a individual if they believe in fair safe working conditions for farm laborers they immediately say, “yes of course” then they qualify their comment with but not if it raises the cost of the food we buy. The same may said for all our purchases for daily life. It is also of tantamount importance that the people with the insight and wisdom for improving life have the wealth to make the necessary investments and they make a reasonable profit from their investments. Here is where the conflict arises. Just what is just and fair, and what is exploitive and oppressive.
I have always been an advocate of a correlation of benefits of the served to those who do the serving. Government officials wage direct relation to the public being served. Corporate profits and executive benefits should never exceed a “X” amount more that the combined cost of the labor to produce a product.
When these types of parameters are exceeded or ignored it is reasonable that the oppressed will eventually get tired of the abuse and move for a change and improvement.
When the time for change arrives it is critical that caution is employed that the change are a true improvement and you don’t just change one oppressor for another.
William Gerhard, Scipio