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.

Greed Is Still Causing the Meltdown

I would like people to stop screaming, "What about me?"



Because basically, all the criticism of the Obama Stimulus Plan boils down to "What about me?" The more-or-less distinguished members of Congress are upset that their wealthy constituents are going to have to sacrifice a house or a jet.



My co-worker wants to know what it's going to do to help her husband get a job, a question which is far more understandable than the jet problem. However, I try to explain that even if he is not trained to operate the heavy machinery that build roads, jobs will spread as more employed people spend money. I truly believe that, even though here in South Carolina we are at about the bottom of the food chain, given time, things will get better, and some day I will get paid holidays and maybe even cost of living increases again.



Just as raising the minimum wage doesn't just raise the wages of the poor, but the wages of the not-quite-poor, who put in long hours at Wal-Mart and, yes, even our libraries. And then they will spend that money (because it is still not enough to have savings), and that will create more jobs.



And the President's plan to help keep homeowners from foreclosure? Please, people, stop whining about how you are a good, honest, hard-working citizen who bought an affordable house and who makes your payments on time. There are a lot of us around who have had hard luck, lost a job, been struck with illness, lost a loved one in Iraq. There are a few of us who are going to get help that they don't deserve, but they are not going to rip off the government and the American people to the same tune that Halliburton and Enron were playing. If you want to go after someone, go after the people in Congress who helped Halliburton gouge the American people.



To those people who get away with a bailout that don't deserve it, I say, shame on you. On the other hand, there have been a lot more who have not deserved the way they were scammed, and I feel good about our government finally stepping up to help.



For those of you that still want to know, "What's in it for me," I can answer that, too.



A neighborhood without foreclosures increases the value of the neighborhood (and lessens the incidence of crime). Children receiving health care are less likely to end up in emergency rooms with severe illnesses (costing the taxpayer far, far less). Better schools will be better for our economy than better prisons (now and in the future).



So if you can't quite get a handle on why it is good to help others, look at how much better it will be for you when our economy is once again strong.