I was very happy to see that the Great Recession is over for Sam. I read a small blurb in the Business section the other day telling me Sam got a nice raise. This is particularly heartening since so many of us are getting our wages cut or losing benefits, or just being laid off. It said that Sam got a 19% raise last year. Oh - who is Sam? Sam is Sam Palmisano, CEO of IBM. With his raise Sam's total compensation package is now $25.2 million. ($25,200,000.00) a year. That works out to $12,115.38 an hour, based on a standard work week. The average American worker makes $48,000.00 annually before taxes. Sam makes more than the average worker makes in a year, every day before lunch time! Is this a great country or what? I tried to be fair to Sam and reasoned that he probably works longer hours than the average Joe. I calculated that probably drops his hourly wage to somewhere just south of $11,800. And, I'm sure he works hard, increasing the stock value by sending American jobs to other countries. In 2009 alone Sam laid off over 5000 Americans and sent their jobs to India. He cut more in 2010. And he's just one of many CEOs to do this. The small blurb in the Business section didn't mention that part- I had to look it up.
I've said in other articles that I believe we are at a cultural crossroads. When I noticed this blurb about Sam I wondered how many of us stop to consider what this kind of news really means to us and the fabric of our society. Consider the work you do and how much you get paid (average would be about $23.00/hour). Is there anything Sam does in an hour worth 526 times more than what you do in an hour? Is Sam 526X smarter than us? Does he put out 526X more effort? Obviously, NO! But the wealthy in this country have established a system that is a wealth generating machine. Over the last thirty years, and at an even greater rate the last two years, the rich have increased their wealth more than any other time in our history They have set up a system where they own the rule makers. They've done this with huge campaign contributions to the conservative politicians who create laws and rules that have shifted wealth from a vibrant middle class to the top of the wealth heap. When you own the rule makers- you make the rules.
New conservative state Governors, and U.S. Senators and Representatives campaigned last fall under the banner: JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! Since this new batch of politicians have come to power they have not proposed a single piece of job creating legislation. The truth is they don't want more jobs. Jobs now will not benefit then in the next election and won't continually cheapen the cost of labor. Instead they have used their new positions to pursue ideological ends. They are trying to cut Head Start, de-fund NPR, cut Medical programs for children, reduce student loans and Pell grants, de-fund Planned Parenthood, institute major cuts to basic education, cut heating oil aid to senior citizens, and destroy the ability of workers to earn a living wage through collective bargaining, just to name a few items. They are not on the side of the American worker or the poor. They are Sam's side!
Part of the debate at the center of this cultural crossroad is a great myth. The conservatives are great at promoting this myth. It has come out of years of conservative think-tank propaganda that gets repeated on the mindless news programs each day. It says that we have to let the rich accumulate wealth through tax breaks and corporate welfare because "they are the job creators". Bunk! The big corporations are, in fact, job destroyers. Yes, they own industry- but they do every thing in their power to replace the American worker with cheaper labor. They do it because we let them. We bought the myth that we need the rich. This began with Reagan's nonsensical " Trickle Down and Supply Side" economic ideas. The truth is, all the corporations need is cheap labor and that's what they are driving this country to be. All the while they get their paid-for politicians to go in front of the camera and yell, "We're Broke!" America is not broke, we've just let the rich guys have too much money and power. Screaming "we're broke" is part of the scare tactic that enables them to manipulate us.
When I think about Sam and his friends, I know they are what's wrong with our country today. They are the greedy, and they are opportunists. Look at what the investment bankers did when they nearly toppled the world economy a few years ago. The S&P top 500 companies in America pay their top person an average of well over $9 million a year. But if you listen to the conservatives, they will say the real problem is the $35,000 a year public school teacher, the janitor, the firefighter, the folks who pick up your garbage and wait your table, clean your motel room, or check out your groceries. They are being asked to give more all the time, while the rich steadily increase their wealth. On top of all that, conservative politicians are doing their level best to give the rich even more tax breaks and sweetheart deals. These are not arguable talking points- these things are happening.
If you are a merchant, a skilled laborer, a real estate agent, a small business owner, work construction, a nurse, or anyone who earns a living because someone consumes goods or services (and that is just about all of us) consider this. As the new conservatives seek to make the middle class, and the poor, even poorer, they are destroying your customer's ability to help you earn a living. Sam and the other CEOs aren't your customers. The teachers, the factory worker, the small business employees and, yes, the public employees- the working people-are your customers. You need them earning a living wage. Complain about taxes if you will, but the greater cost to you is so much more if we do not have a middle class in this country.
There are things we can do. Support people who are now rising up in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. Sign the letters of support that show up in your Email. You can pick up the phone and call or E-mail your Congress people. Tell them to stop giving breaks to corporations, subsidizing the rich- and work on sensible solutions for working people. Solutions are available if we have the political will to enact them. Most of all, study the issues. Don't believe what you hear or read in any one media (even this article). Check it out and devote your thoughts- Different Thoughts- to the public debate. I assure you, Sam will be OK. Let's make sure the rest of us are too. Thanks for looking in.
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