The Myth of the “Job Creators”
Phil Polizatto, WWH – The right wing in this country must think we are stupid! Maybe they’re right. Maybe the appalling ignorance among so many Americans is the result of a well-conceived, intentionally implemented tactic that has been going on for decades. Funding for education has never been lower. It shows in the fact that we of an older generation graduated from 8th grade with skills considerably superior to those who are graduating from the 12th grade today. It’s all part of the dumbing down of America. And to what end? To more easily persuade people to vote against their own self-interests and to uphold the interests of the wealthy and powerful.
Another important factor is the complicit mainstream media which reduces all issues to sound bites. Ten years ago, the average television sound bite was 15 seconds long. Wow, you can sure explain a complicated issue in 15 seconds, can’t you? Well, try 7 seconds! Yes, that is what the average sound bite is today… just 7 seconds long! And sadly, much of our electorate makes their decisions based solely on the sound bites they hear. We are such a shallow and superficial country. No wonder we are in such a mess! As a test to yourselves, get out a stop watch. Think of a major issue. Now try to explain it to your neighbor in no more than 7 seconds! Do you think you will have fully educated your neighbor on that issue? Ludicrous!
My mind creates a little movie. I see both Democrats and Republicans gathering behind their respective closed doors to brainstorm a 7-second sound bite that will lure voters to their side. The Republicans are masters at this. “I’ve got it,” says Boehner or Cantor. “Let’s use ‘job creators’ as our phrase of the month. Whenever one of us speaks or is interviewed we will henceforth use that phrase as much as possible until it is drummed into the undereducated ears of our electorate. After all, we did sign that pledge from Grover Norquist, and as absurd and unproductive as it is, we are men and women who are true to our wallet… I mean our word.”
“We cannot raise taxes in any way, shape, or form. If we do, we will impact the ‘job creators’ negatively. In fact, only by lowering taxes on corporations and the wealthy will the ‘job creators’ have the incentive to create jobs.”
This is pure horse shit! If I hear that phrase “job creators” one more time, I will puke all over my keyboard! This is nothing but a revamp of Reagan’s “trickle down” theory, which everyone knows does not work! It is rubbish… or maybe it is we who are rubbish in the eyes of those in their ivory and gold towers.
Wall Street is thriving. Corporate profits are high. Exorbitant executive salaries and bonuses are a slap in the face of those who can barely make ends meet. By not increasing revenues through taxing those who can afford it does not make these individuals and corporations “job creators.” The recession has actually been a boon to corporations. When you can’t increase profits by increasing production, the alternative is to cut costs.
That creates another movie I watch in my mind. I see a large room filled with cubicles. One woman, Sheila, is packing up her personal items into a cardboard box. She has been laid off due to the recession. As she leaves, the person in the adjacent cubicle, Sam, feels her pain and worries he might be the next to be laid off. A low-level manager walks by, picks up a pile of files off Sheila’s desk and drops them on Sam’s desk.
“Shame about Sheila, eh Sam? Well, upper management says we have to cut costs somewhere, so I guess you’ll have to pick up the slack and take on Sheila’s work for a while. You’re OK with that, aren’t you Sam?”
Sam looks up afraid and intimidated. His silence is an implied “of course.” The manager walks away and Sam looks at the pile of unexpected files, and in resignation presses his nose even harder into the grindstone and gets the bloody work done.
In the meantime, the Board of Directors and the executives are meeting in the penthouse Board room. The CEO says, “Gentlemen and lady, we have managed to decrease our costs by laying off 20% of our employees. And I am most pleased to announce that productivity has not decreased whatsoever! Therefore our shareholders will be very happy and all of you will be receiving substantial bonuses.” There are smiles all around the table. “Since we seem to be achieving the same amount of productivity with fewer employees, I see no reason at this time, to rehire any of them, even after this recession is over.”
Everyone at the meeting walks away with a fatter wallet, while the 20% laid off, walk the streets looking for work. But every company they go to has done the same thing and has absolutely no incentive to hire. They, too, are doing just fine with fewer employees.
This is the myth of the “job creator.” They do not create jobs. They merely make more profit for themselves and their stockholders at the expense of the very people who dedicated themselves to their work. I like to think there are a few privately owned companies who take into consideration economic justice, the welfare of their employees, and their ethical and moral responsibility. A CEO of a privately owned company may say, “I have two choices. I can maintain or possibly increase my own wealth by downsizing and still keep productivity at its present level. I can make those who are left work harder; cut their paid vacation time and sick days in half. Or…I can have a contented and loyal workforce by taking a reasonable decrease in my own salary, not giving myself or any of my executives a bonus, and not lay off a single person.”
There must be some who choose the continued welfare of its employees over their personal profit. However rare, the few who choose this course of action (please tell me there are some!) will not create jobs in the numbers that are needed. Nor will the “job creators” make this a reality. Nor will lowering taxes, keeping subsidies, not closing loopholes, not taxing corporate jets, etc. It will only put more money into the pockets of those who need it the least! Put money into the pockets of those who are living on the edge and they will spend it. Put money into the pockets of the rich and they will hoard it.
The only way large numbers of people will be put back to work is through public spending. The only way out of this recession is from the bottom up, not the top down. FDR understood this all too well. We have so much that needs to be done: our infrastructure, alternative energies, rapid transit, and rebuilding our educational system to be on a par with other industrialized nations. At the same time, both parties refer to “entitlements” as if we who receive them are free-loaders. They are trust funds and insurance policies created with OUR money. They were self-sustaining and solvent until the federal government, without our permission, dipped into OUR pockets from which they borrowed for totally unrelated things.
Obama! Forget compromise. You have moved the “center” far too much to the right already. If you bend over any farther, they will bugger you good and the rest of the nation along with you. The debt ceiling? Invoke the 14th Amendment if it comes to that. The deficit? Once and for all, do not cave; take Social Security and Medicare off the table! Spend money on public works. It’s the only way you will put millions back to work. Spending money on large scale projects will not only create jobs, but will move the country forward in the right direction… that of a European socialist democratic government and economy; not one similar to a Latin American dictatorial tyranny, where the tyrants are global corporations. Stand firm with the progressive left who made you President in the first place.
“Job creators?” Bah, humbug, and bullshit!
To contact Phil or find out more: check out his website and blog
For a copy of HUNGA DUNGA
Phil Polizatto – Worldwide Hippies Bureau Chief – West Coast USA, is a graduate of The School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He was a feature writer for the overseas division of UPI, a copywriter for CBS, and an award-winning corporate film producer. Mr. Polizatto is a published poet and a regular contributor to Worldwide Hippies as well as a variety of other arts and literary journals. Hunga Dunga is his first published novel. He resides in the Pacific Northwest.
I love this article. I have been trying to explain to my republican family how jobs are created by people purchasing things to create demand not by some small number of wealthy elites having more money.
Phil, I would like to add The State Church to the Stupid Formula. When I dated the Lutheran Minister, he often referenced The State Church – where preachers never draw the congregation’s attention to a government that spends a fortune on War but leaves our citizens impoverished and without health care. There’s a symbiotic financial relationship between the government and religious institutions. And preachers often hesitate to take a congregation to task over matters of conscience because they rely on the collection plate to pay the bills. The result is another piece of The Establishment working to maintain the status quo. Not only are people pushed through an education system that abandons Critical Thinking to Teach the Test which consequently makes people Dumber – people are also convinced that God likes them better that way. And when God is the Almighty Dollar, as it is on Wall Street and in Washington – you can bet God prefers non-questioning obedience.
Phil, there was a CEO here in Mass. that went the extra mile. The Malden Mills where a lot of military clothing is made, caught fire. The CEO continued to pay all his workers as the mill was rebuilt. Unfortunately, this crippled him financially and he had to sell off part. Yet, this was a CEO that people could rally behind. In many corporations, the CEO or even some mid-level execs barely give people the time of day.
That being said, the idea that cutting taxes for the rich will make jobs is, like you say, hogwash. They are making profits now. While workers salaries maybe get a 1 or 2 percent raise, CEOs are seeing 27 percent increases. Of course, when everyone sits on each others boards, it is hard not to vote each other pay raises.
Another point you raised is about workers being afraid to speak out. There is a long line waiting out the door of people wanting our job and willing to put up with it to put bread on their table. Employers know this and I have actually had one say it point blank.
Yes, we are being dumbed down, or worse distracted. Is it any wonder that there is such an increase in ADHD or ADD or whatever letters you want to throw together? We are bombarded daily with the Internet, iPods, iPhones, iPads, I-yi-yi-yi… They even have a new condition regarding not being able to get to Facebook to check your updates. We are constantly running around with no where to go.
Oh, as to given you an update in four seconds. Gotcha on that, SNAFU (Situation Normal – All F—- Up)
Until the majority of us who are not “job creators” become vocal and take to the streets, nothing will change. They could do it in Egypt and so can we!