Dec. 20, 2017, the passing of the new “loot (tax) laws”, will be remembered as the day when a government of, by and for the people became a government of, by and for wealthy campaign donors… and of, by and for wealthy politicians themselves.
We thought the corruption, self-dealing and social indifference of the Gilded Age were long behind us… but no… the years of the “robber barons” are upon us, again. 
We all know trickle down doesn’t work, so all these announcements after the tax cuts passed are probably “fake news”
Comcast announced Wednesday that due to Republicans’ tax overhaul and the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rules, 100,000 employees will receive a $1,000 bonus.
AT&T announced it will give a special $1,000 bonus to over 200,000 AT&T U.S. employees and invest $1 billion in the economy, and Boeing announced a $300 million investment.
Additionally, CVS announced it will hire 3,000 additional workers and FedEx announced it will increase its hiring.
Fifth Third Bancorp announced it will give over 13,500 employees a bonus and raise its employees’ minimum wage $15 an hour.
Wells Fargo announced it will give $400 million in donations next year as well as raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour.
That is some off the funniest stuff I’ve read all day.
If this was the game fable…hahahaha
But, there’s also a “dividing line” in there somewhere that I’ve yet to be able to put my finger on. So I’ll apologize in advance, but try to convey my sentiment as best I can.
While I fully agree with you from the “mom and pop” aspect (even to certain degrees of “the corporate level”)… I think a great many of the very “well to do” get lumped in, primarily because of jealousy, and then compounded by the bad actors.
Bad actors being:
Employees are more commonly viewed as cattle that are easily replaced, rather than the key link between how well the company performs.
Granted, there are some industries that are best served by machines/automation (think computers for instance) where that level of speed and accuracy is simply not obtainable by human means. However, that’s not my point of focus here.
My point is, in all the other “huge everyday industries”, Joe worker is typically not shown the level of value, or appreciation, that they were in say the 1950/1960’s. And to me, that’s What’s responsible for the current situation. It’s just that it’s taken this long for things to have devolved and become glaringly obvious.
When payment was commensurate with the work, level of skill, time investment, etc, people took pride in what they made. They made them better, which meant they lasted longer, which meant they sold for more, which meant you were proud to own one, etc.
The cycle of positivity recycled, and sustained.
Now it’s, which dvd company is best this year? Throw it away. Alright time to find out again. Oh? Apex is out of business? Next…
The whole thing is just disgusting, infuriating, and sad. I wish I had an answer… And now I’m beginning to wonder why I bothered. But, I guess, like your counterpoint was much needed (as there really are some truly great business leaders, whether philanthropic or not), but sadly, the above is what’s become the standard over time, and the biggest offenders have earned the poor reputation, and high level of disdain that they receive.
I wish beyond all else @Beaufort_Batches, that the people you refer to, were still the majority. Things would be alot different I believe. But, you’re absolutely right to give credit where due, as they not only deserve it, but need to be held in higher esteem by those who aren’t aware they still exist!
(I haven’t given up, just seriously dejected about the subject/state of things as a whole)
Had family doing automobile line work and it started in the 90’s if I remember right. Healthcare got gutted first, 401ks came in and New hire wages went down as the tops year end bonus increased. Hiring practices make no sense either. Business graduates straight out of college get priority for management over 30 year employees who know the job and the workers.
And where did this value go? What happened and how do we change it? The answer to this is widely theorized and also easy to explain yet it is flooded with opinion based on high numbers of individual experience and mindset. Employee appreciation can be defined today by wage increases, benefits, bonuses and promotions and for good reasons one would argue. But what keeps a competitive and company that does value it’s employees from providing these things? I can tell you that it’s much more than what we talk about and need to but are not really allowed.
The best way to combat this is not to work for companies that you don’t like. It is a cop out and a lack of confidence for anyone to think that they are “stuck” in a job or career that they don’t like or a company that they don’t believe in. Either move into a different field or better yet, “start your own business.” Nothing is better on the job than producing the results you are looking for and being the guy that calls the shots in a manner that is fair and shows your employees value. You can be sure to grow as long as you follow the right choices and reward value with value and show consistence.
If I was 25 years younger I’d agree.
Wish I could triple like your post
Loved the quote by Mr Van Praagh:
Things to think about…
Not the “screwing it up” part, but definitely the passion/brain part.