Health care, taxation, capitalism with a conscience

I just saw a news report that Ex-President Bush believes the private sector will bring the economy back in line. Phooey! In the Great Depression the private sector rolled itself into a little ball and waited for a miracle. Only FDR’s aggressive government spending turned the path around. This current crisis is in many ways the fault of the private sector that ignored the lessons of the past while being blinded by the prospect of quick, easy wealth.

I also saw a news report where some people want to halt any government involvement in health care. The health care industry is following the lead of the big business clowns and seeking an attractive bottom line. Business considerations outweigh people’s needs. We need the power of the government to redirect the focus toward health of the people instead of health of the bottom line.


The Tennessee legislature has passed a budget that cuts services to many who need the help the most and cuts jobs during a time when unemployment is nearing a crisis point. They do this instead of increasing taxes. What causes this is the fact that people who really need the government services do not vote. The poor people and the lower middle class put all their personal effort into surviving and have little left for politics. It is an established fact that much less that half of the qualified voters actually vote. The politicians cater to the portion of the population that votes. The voting public consists of too many people who blindly vote their religion or some other single issue and a large population of relatively successful (read relatively wealthy) self-centered upper middle class families. To this latter group the closing of a mental health support center or the elimination of funding for a battered women’s center means nothing. Cutting police services to balance the budget has no real effect on the people in the affluent neighborhoods – they will make sure they get their share of patrols. Increasing the tuition for state colleges means nothing – their children are not going to some backward state school – they’re going to some “reputable” (read high priced) out-of-state school.

People need to look outside themselves and their little isolated comfortable worlds. Have some compassion for the less fortunate - stop demanding lower taxes and let the government have the resources it needs to provide the services to those who cannot afford to pay. The original income tax structure was a progressive tax that placed a greater tax on those who can best afford to pay it. This also placed a greater tax on those who most benefited from the capitalism that is the backbone of this country. We need to return to this type of taxation. It is a measure of a society in the way the weaker members of that society are treated. By letting our personal comfort and greed blind us to the needs of the less fortunate we are eroding the foundation of our society. A society cannot long survive on a shaky foundation. It has been pointed out to us by recent events where greed and avarice lead the country. We must take steps to improve our society or prepare for the inevitable collapse. Revolutions are usually ignited by persistent mistreatment and/or neglect of lower classes.


Here is a repeat of two of my more radical ideas: No business executive, CEO, Chairman…etc has any need of personal wealth beyond some arbitrary amount (I choose a maximum total annual compensation of $2 million and a total net worth of $20 Million). Now I realize the contributions by many of these very smart people to the business growth and stockholder dividends deserve reward. I suggest putting the reward into charitable contributions. Make a public announcement something along the line of: “The board of directors of Acme Widget Company wish to thank our current CEO John Doe III for his leadership over the past year. In addition to John’s regular compensation package we are donating the sum of $3 million to the following charities and public assistance programs… in his name” This gives the CEO public recognition for his work and puts money where it does some direct good. His power and influence are not diminished. Thirty or forty million sitting in a bank somewhere helps no one – not even the owner of the money. Put it back out in circulation and help the little people whose efforts and daily spending indirectly made the huge profit possible. Many will label me a socialist or communist. In fact I am a firm believer in the power and benefits of capitalism. I believe capitalism must be accompanied by a real social conscience that causes it to self-limit the impact it has on less aggressive members of society. We cannot all be leaders of packs – someone has to watch the kids and tighten the screws.