The Good Employer Award

You've probably heard of some of the awards they give out on the other side.  Our own SC legislators are always getting awards, including pictures all over the local papers and on their websites, for some noble cause or another.  Just last year Tim Scott got the Standing Up for Seniors Award.  Why they even remember to honor the little guy -- Peter McCoy proudly touted his Peas & Carrots Award during his debate for state representative last year.

You and I both know that behind all those fine sounding names lurk groups of fat cats whose real purpose is to continue to push for things like repealing social security and the right to continue to decimate the environment.

But it works.  Voters think Tim Scott is up there at the capitol working hard for seniors, and not just the seniors who run the big corporations.  Here in Charleston, the folks at that debate were impressed that an "environmental group" would give Peter McCoy an award for his work on saving our beautiful lowcountry.

I think we need to recognize -- and I mean loudly, publicly, recognize -- those who truly do fight for us.

A group that comes to mind is made of up the small business owners who are not currently whining about the Affordable Care Act.  There actually are employers who feel strongly about providing a living wage with decent benefits for those who work to make their company grow.  There are employers who understand that, even though these are tough economic times and the cost of just about everything is going up, the place to cut corners is not by hurting the people working for you.

There are employers who respect their employees, and I believe that if you respect your employees, you respect your customers.

And so, I propose that you out there who have the know-how, create some awards, and then give them to those good employers.  Maybe a Good Citizen Award, but with a fancier title.  And then use all your contacts to get those employers' names out to the public, so we can continue the good by giving our business to those that deserve it.

I for one would rather pay a few cents more to Costco, whose management thinks it's important that their employees have health care than to the criminals who run Wal-Mart.  Money talks, and I'm thinking that once the word begins to spread, the Wal-marts will start to see their employees as humans and not just commodities.