No one should have to apologize for being wealthy, unless they stole the money. I don’t resent a soul who inherited his or her wealth, won the lottery or hit a jackpot in Las Vegas. And I applaud those who earned a fortune by working long and hard.
Bashing rich business people has become our new national pastime. Even TV commentators—many of whom earn a bloody fortune themselves—have the unmitigated gall to criticize someone like Mitt Romney because he made his money by “eliminating jobs.”
Anyone who has even a drop of business sense knows Mitt Romney did not make money by eliminating jobs. He had to take cost cutting measures to save companies from going under or getting them in better shape for future growth. Terminating employees was a means to an end. It happens in business all the time, even when times are good. I was terminated as a reporter for The Daily News in 1981 when the paper was on the verge of folding. The management was just doing its job. The paper survived and so did I.
Mitt, front and center, and former colleagues at Bain clutch money for a photo shoot
Let’s say you employ a gardener to tend to your backyard, a yoga instructor to improve your balance and a dog walker to exercise your beloved Lab. One day you learn your house needs a new roof, which you’ll never be able to afford unless you cut expenses. So you terminate the gardener, yoga teacher and dog walker. They were great employees but your priority is having a roof over your head. You need to get your house in order. Mitt’s compensation was based on getting businesses in order.
Business people are no different than actors, ball players, comedians, doctors, lawyers, architects, you or I. Some of them are superb at what they do and some of them stink. A bunch of them even get paid way more than their talent would seem to merit. But if someone in a position to pay them big bucks wants to pay them big bucks, that’s their business.
Criticize Mitt because you don’t like his waffling about national health initiatives, his seeming lack of connection with the electorate, or his attitude about our military. Criticize him because you don’t think a businessman should be in the White House. But for heaven’s sake, let’s stop condemning, abusing and censuring him because someone thought he did a good enough job to pay him a lot of money.
By the way, please don’t think I’m endorsing Mitt for president just because I’m defending the way he accumulated his wealth. One has nothing to do with the other.
This is a non-partisan blog.
0 Responses to “Getting our mitts on his money”
Joanne Johnson says:
Yes – Yes – Yes! Thank you, ladies, for telling it as it really is. I’ve worked for corporations large, small, and in-between. No one likes cutting jobs. The people doing the cutting are people like you and me; they ARE you and me. Making those decisions and carrying them out lead to many a sleepless night, first on the part of the cut-er and then on the part of the cut-ee.
Yes, we have become a country of whiners and “victims”, with too many fighters in the class warfare game.
Thanks for this. I’m commenting because you said it was not a political endorsement.
I’m sick of hearing about how anybody who makes or inherits some money doesn’t deserve it, and should give it to somebody else, who presumably does. I am also sick of hearing about so-called “job creation” and ” destroying jobs”.Blah, blah, blah.
I’ve been desperately poor and I am not anymore. Yes, there is a world of difference in the two states, but having enough doesn’t guarantee satisfaction. When I was at my poorest I created my own job- a teeny low-overhead business I kept for over ten years. I didn’t employ anybody.
I never felt somebody else ought to pay my way, even when I was sifting through a charity basket of expired canned vegetables provided by the Christmas Mother.( I would never have accepted it had I not had four hungry children.)
The rich own the businesses which provide jobs for everybody else. If they’re taxed to death, who can blame them for cutting back (jobs) so the business can survive? Nobody in the private sector wants to go bust. The government is going bust, and it can’t employ everybody.
I wish people in our county would just stop whining and get on with life. How poor can we all be? Everybody (except me) has an I-phone, restaurants are packed on Saturday night, and Starbucks ( yuck) is still in business….Not to mention Taco Hell…
And speaking of hell, I’ll probably get it from your other readers. Bring it on, girls.
0 Responses to “Getting our mitts on his money”
Joanne Johnson says:
Yes – Yes – Yes! Thank you, ladies, for telling it as it really is. I’ve worked for corporations large, small, and in-between. No one likes cutting jobs. The people doing the cutting are people like you and me; they ARE you and me. Making those decisions and carrying them out lead to many a sleepless night, first on the part of the cut-er and then on the part of the cut-ee.
Yes, we have become a country of whiners and “victims”, with too many fighters in the class warfare game.
Lisa says:
Kate-you won’t be catching hell from me. I completely agree with you.
Kate Line Snider says:
Thanks for this. I’m commenting because you said it was not a political endorsement.
I’m sick of hearing about how anybody who makes or inherits some money doesn’t deserve it, and should give it to somebody else, who presumably does. I am also sick of hearing about so-called “job creation” and ” destroying jobs”.Blah, blah, blah.
I’ve been desperately poor and I am not anymore. Yes, there is a world of difference in the two states, but having enough doesn’t guarantee satisfaction. When I was at my poorest I created my own job- a teeny low-overhead business I kept for over ten years. I didn’t employ anybody.
I never felt somebody else ought to pay my way, even when I was sifting through a charity basket of expired canned vegetables provided by the Christmas Mother.( I would never have accepted it had I not had four hungry children.)
The rich own the businesses which provide jobs for everybody else. If they’re taxed to death, who can blame them for cutting back (jobs) so the business can survive? Nobody in the private sector wants to go bust. The government is going bust, and it can’t employ everybody.
I wish people in our county would just stop whining and get on with life. How poor can we all be? Everybody (except me) has an I-phone, restaurants are packed on Saturday night, and Starbucks ( yuck) is still in business….Not to mention Taco Hell…
And speaking of hell, I’ll probably get it from your other readers. Bring it on, girls.