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Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Another view?
View more of the Las Vegas Sun's opinion section:
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I’m not sure what is being gained by demonizing someone like Steve Wynn because of his wealth.
The idea that some people seem to be attacking the wealthy because of what they have been able to achieve is un-American.
Wynn came from a modest background and was able to build a business beyond what I bet he could have ever imagined when he was a kid.
He was able to do that because of his work ethic and the American free enterprise system that allowed someone who had an idea to make it work.
Our country needs to be championing people like him and entrepreneurs who sacrifice so much for the chance at the American dream.
Especially now, when thousands of Nevadans are still out of work and struggling to get by, we need to be helping job creators, not demonizing them for their success.
Democrats and Obama must continue their campaign narrative against job creators to establish their street creds
Obama had all the big UNION BOSSES in the WH to work out their rewards program
Obama does not champion private SUCCESS.
A big government centric approach can not tolerate successful private business
Bob,
There are many "anti" factions in America. Anti-business, anti-capitalist,anti-religion, anti-authority, anti-police, anti-bank, anti-oil, anti-wealth creation, anti-military, anti-guns and anti-state rights just to name a few and they all tend to vote democrat. Consequently, you're going to hear and read "anti" rhetoric. Collectively, these anti-groups banded together to form the "Occupy Groups" last year however the movement fizzled out quickly.
Bob, a 2010 Gallup poll linked below, showed that 53% of democrats had a positive image of "socialism," while 41% had a negative image which essentially means democrats have to put a negative spin on capitalism and corporations in order to rally its left-wing liberal base to the voting booth.
Democrats don't have any plans to grow our economy. Their anti-business, anti-capitalist rhetoric speak volumes. The middle class grows with job creation and upward job(career)mobility.
Capitalism requires people who save, invest, risk their capital and have a product or service that is desired by consumers. Business expansion and entrepreneurship are important elements to growing our economy and creating jobs in America.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/125645/Social...
"I'm not sure what is being gained by demonizing someone like Steve Wynn because of his wealth."
I have no problem with his wealth, it's the false statements he makes that bothers me.
These last four years made me realize that many of the wealthiest people in this country aren't neccessarily the brightest.
Of course Steve Wynn is a brilliant developer which makes him one especially important job creator. I personally believe he should be held in very high regard.
I have only one slight disappointment. When Wynn Las Vegas was first being built and I saw his fantastic waterfall and mountains being built I kind of dreamed that Mr. Wynn would someday build a stunning project that would be an adjoining reproduction inside of his man-made waterfall and mountains of a cavern modeled from the "Huashan Mysterious Grottos".
I would have dearly loved layers of stone walls that afforded diverging paths in the cavern with gigantic nugget styled columns. My mind wanders in the direction of this cavern having, rooms, beds, bridges and pavilions carved imaginatively from stone. In connecting this cavern to the waterfall, there would be underground water ponds that would contain water clear enough to see to the bottom.
Just my opinion, but I do think this would have made Wynn Las Vegas one of the greatest manmade beauties America could offer. I believe any person with the slightest eye for the beauty of art would not have been able to resist this type of phenomenon.
Of course many more jobs, and the benefits to Mr. Wynn and the Las Vegas economy might well have been enormous. Hopefully, sometime a project like this will be considered at Wynn Las Vegas.
Letter writer is correct. I grew up poorer than dirt in an old poor neighborhood [and never knew it]. In fact, the basement floor in my house was dirt and it was so old there was no record of it's date of being built. I worked as many jobs as I could all the while doing well in school. Others just like me who aspired to do better and have better and admired those who did, consequently did. How sad now that our youth learn the joy of hating those who they should be looking up to and becoming.
CarmineD
The rich are demonized because it plays well to the mindless dumbocrat base who want their "faur share".
I have great regard for the accomplishments of Steve Wynn and the edifices he built. But those accomplishments and the acquisition of wealth do not bestow universal wisdom upon him. Wynn is certainly entitled to his opinion but it deserves no more credence than anyone elses.
Donald Trump is a similar example and also proof that you can acquire great wealth even when in possession of defective common sense genes.
My problem is the special deals they get in paying people less than minimum wage and using tips to meet the minimum wage level. In other words, the customer is paying part of the wage via tips on top of the gains Wynn get from gambling losses.
The employees depend on the tips to gain a increase in income.
Wynn wants to collect the tips and spread them among those who don't get tips. This could allow him to pay lower wages and use the tips to meet minimum wage.
This concept is terrible. Pay a decent wage.
Wynn make enough that he can build casinos in Macau, China, but he has to spread tips.
How can I respect a person who does such things and then contributes huge sums of money to get candidates elected who will continue with the tax advantage he gets as an employer.
This is not unique to Wynn. I think this practice stinks no matter who does it.
Then you have the Twinkie company, whose story is a typical Bain Capital model.
No, I don't respect the users and abusers of people, no matter how good the appear on the surface.
Morality and ethics applies to business as well as individuals.
We are in the middle of a moral & ethical crisis in the US. Some people see it and some don't.
We need to be championing job creators who are examples of morality and ethics in business, that includes how they treat their employees whose work often is the means through which the derive they wealth. If that was the reality, there would be no need for unions.
Sad that democrats bemoan the shortcomings of wealthy GOP business men [like Trump and Wynn] and women and give a conspicuous pass to the wealthy dems for the exact same. Where they stand depends on where they sit.
CarmineD
I can relate to Carmine. I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone was "dirt" poor, but didn't know it and didn't much care. There were far more important things then material "stuff," such as self-respect, family & dignity. Everyone worked for a living & did not expect "free stuff." To do so would have been dishonorable and undignified. Today, thanks to the "progressives" and their anti-capitalist agenda, 50% of Americans have no problem holding out their hands asking for "More, please," and believe they deserve it. We have a president who champions parasites, perverts and criminals and revels in making more & more Americans dependent upon government for their financial survival. And, true to form, some roll over, act like sheep and think they're getting a "good deal" all the while reliquishing their independence, self-respect and honor. The really "good" news is that at least half of Americans reject being sheep and still have both the work ethic and their self-respect intact. I salute them.
CarmineD
"How sad now that our youth learn the joy of hating those who they should be looking up to and becoming." Probably caused by all those left wing teachers they have in school, huh?
You have every right to be proud of your accomplishments as well as the example you have set. I applaud what you've done, but I think you exaggerate when you characterize our youth in such general terms. I seriously doubt that wealthy people even enter their consciousness.
Peacelily,
Unions are a special interest group.
Union labor costs drove manufacturing companies overseas so companies could stay cost competitive with domestic and world markets. Unfortunately, GM could not move all manufacturing overseas. Consequently, GM, who announced 11 plant closings in 1986 and in 1992, announced 21 more plant closings in 2009. Going from 54% of the market share in the 1950's to 18% today will cause a company to downsize in order to survive. With it's costs still too high, GM was not able to sustain in 2008 without government assistance and so a chapter 11 bankruptcy process was chosen to reduce some costs. Unfortunately American and worldwide consumers factor product price into their purchasing decision. In the 1950's, unions were present in 35% of the private sector now its around 7% so the trend is downward. Larry Summers, Obama's former National Economic Director in his book titled "The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics" concluded that unions cause long-term unemployment. Here is an excerpt:
"Another cause of long-term unemployment is unionization. High union wages that exceed the competitive market rate are likely to cause job losses in the unionized sector of the economy. Also, those who lose high-wage union jobs are often reluctant to accept alternative low-wage employment. Between 1970 and 1985, for example, a state with a 20 percent unionization rate, approximately the average for the fifty states and the District of Columbia, experienced an unemployment rate that was 1.2 percentage points higher than that of a hypothetical state that had no unions. To put this in perspective, 1.2 percentage points is about 60 percent of the increase in normal unemployment between 1970 and 1985".
Unions are extortionists. Extortion is forcing people to give up their money by threatening them in some way. Mafia "protection rackets" are extortion schemes. They tell a shop owner that she needs to pay them $100 a week so they can "protect" the shop owner from criminals who might demolish the shop or hurt the family -- the implication being that the Mafia members themselves are these criminals. Extortion or protection? The mafia made it sound so good, "I'll protect you and your business". In GM's case it was "Give me more money or I'll strike and hurt the business". Really nice to hear. GM average hourly rate is $70 per hour. Market share is now 18% vs 54% in the 1950's. GM had to get a bailout and go through bankruptcy. Not every company is a GM and can get a bailout. 98% of companies employee less than 100 workers. Consequently, they have to shed costs proactively in order to avoid bankruptcy when they start to see economic headwinds. American Airlines is another example. A company cannot be a high-cost leader in its industry and expect to survive a severe recession.
If someones house has a basement, they ain't poor. If someone has running water, they ain't poor, if someone has electricity, they ain't poor. If someone has the structure in their life to work odd jobs, they ain't poor. If someone has the ability to go to school, they ain't poor.
Start the violins and the weeping.
@RefNV,
"Union labor costs drove manufacturing companies overseas so companies could stay cost competitive with domestic and world markets"
Not completely true. Taxes and regulations are the biggest reasons they moved overseas. And how's that working? Can you say "lead poisoning"
Tick,
GM employed 877,000 in 1986, now 202,000. Hey, but they get $70.00 per hour. Yippie for the 202,000 employees left at GM. Lets see how much American Airlines shrinks next. It's important for companies to sustain and grow. Greedy unions inflate wages making companies cost-leaders which stifles growth, not an enviable position. Low-fare leader Southwest Airlines from the 1970's ate up American Airlines market share. Tick, maybe you can convince consumers to "buy expensive, the union way".
Dear Bob
I guess Steve don't need us.
He built those casinos with his own bare hands.
He got the money to buy the material by working and sweating on a job for many a year.
God bless him.
Poor old Steve has to get up early every day and work the gaming tables at his casinos. Of course he has to take off and go clean up the hotel rooms after check out time.
Yeah, that Steve Wynn did every thing by himself.
Heck, he doesn't need customers. Money just falls out of the sky because he works so hard.
I bet hard, working Steve Wynn could go to Somalia and open up a hotel and casino and make money hand over fist.
Somalia's a libertarian paradise. No meddlesome government with their taxes, laws or regulations. He can just set up shop and the good people of Somalia will frequent his creation and tourist will flock to this paradise.
Steve Wynn and all the other "job creators" can do anything and everything without the help of any one else.
RefNV:
Corporations are a special interest group that exist primarily on the money of the working class.
They get much more usage of the commons, like roads, bridges, police, and many other benefits.
Unions are a special interest group representing the laborers of America.
I think having both have an equal say in the decision making makes this country stronger and better.
The evidence? Look at where we are today with your assault on unions, we have lost boatloads of manufacturing job, and you and your buddies at the country club hob nob off of 75 cent an hour Chinese labor, while hollowing out America's middle class.
Since your orchestrated attacks on unions have begun (the unions now are what - 7% of the private sector?) we have had a serious loss of financial stability and the middle class has suffered. Record profits to corps are the norm, and the vaunted 2 trillion waiting to be invested? Since they ruined their customer base (the middle class) these smart guys aren't going to make what their old customers can no longer afford.
You guys are like loan sharks. Only you are using America(n)'s money, not the mobs.
Steve Wynn and Shelden Adelson contributed quite a lot to the creation of the new las Vegas in the past 25 years or so.Nobody can take away the fact that these men built many new casinos along with the countless thousands of jobs that came with each new hotel.
We all have our own political beliefs, and they should be allowed to have theirs.This should not play a part in what each man has and continues to do for our great city.After all we live in a free society that allows freedom of choice and speech.
RefNV
I read your hit piece on unions.
First, find me one assembly line worker making $70 hour. Including wages and benefits. Those workers are retired and replaced by $14 - $16 hour workers.
Second, if they were, good for them. You don't begrudge a person for "making money" do you.
Third, union participation is 11.8%, down from over 50% in the 1950's and 1960's. Care to explain to the good people why wages and benefits are down.
Let us go back to your $70 hour comment.
The average wage of union members is $29.78 hour before the loan. Toyota still pays $30 hour. The extra $40 was an older workforces medical costs. Also included in that cost was pension costs that management didn't fund, because they used the money to show profitability to increase the stock price. Guess who make a ton of money of the sale of stock.
In every case, we have bad management, which leads to blame the workers. It's funny how the workers are asked to take less money and the bosses pay themselves huge bonuses.
Funny how that works.
Jeff wrote "Unions are a special interest group representing the laborers of America".
They are a special interest group. How are they doing Jeff? In the 1950's, unions were present in 35% of the private sector now its around 7% which is a downward trend.
'Wisconsin membership in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees--the state's second-largest public-sector union after the National Education Association, which represents teachers--fell to 28,745 in February from 62,818 in March 2011, according to a person who has viewed Afscme's figures. A spokesman for Afscme declined to comment.
Much of that decline came from Afscme Council 24, which represents Wisconsin state workers, whose membership plunged by two-thirds to 7,100 from 22,300 last year.
A provision of the Walker law that eliminated automatic dues collection hurt union membership.'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...
"The idea that some people seem to be attacking the wealthy because of what they have been able to achieve is un-American."
Donald -- pretty evident you're clueless on what it is to be "American." Like free speech. One who puts oneself before the public expecting all comments to be to one's liking is childish.
"These last four years made me realize that many of the wealthiest people in this country aren't neccessarily the brightest."
VernosB -- amen to that
"The employees depend on the tips to gain a increase in income. . . . .We need to be championing job creators who are examples of morality and ethics in business. . ."
peacelily -- you left out the apex predator on those tips, the IRS taxing tips whether or not they actually get tipped. As for the morality, etc., who gets to decide what is moral or immoral, ethical and not? Capitalism is about commerce, and nothing else creates a healthy economy so people can thrive.
"If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability." -- Henry Ford
RefNV
The taxes for business being lower than the U S, no EPA or health and safety requirements on the factories, and no child labor laws overseas. Why pay someone $70.00 an hour when you can pay a twelve year old $3.00 or less an hour? Your right the Union have caused it all.
Steve Wynn has demonized the President and threatened to move his HQ to the Peoples SOCIALIST Republic of China.
So who is embracing Socialism? Who is choosing Socialism over capitalism? Who is making more in a Socialist country than a capitalist country? Which Presidential candidate specialized in offshoring American jobs to a Socialist country?
Thanks for all the belly laughs in the morning right-wingers.
Demonizing is what America and juveniles in the media do best. The short list of demons, Obama, Bush, Bain, Romney, Palin, Bank Of America, Home builders, mortgage companies, developers, Big oil, Credit cards, EPA, health insurance and Wall Street. There's not enough bandwidth to name them all.
Evil people sometimes start out honest. I don't believe anyone is demonizing Steve Wynn because of his wealth. May people demonize him because of his greed though and rightly so. The people who are really demonizing him are the people who continue to publish pictures of a man who has not aged well.
While Mr. Wynn is probably not perfect, he certainly is self-reliant and willing to take risks. Clearly not someone who whines and depends upon the "kindness" of welfare programs. I agree with the letter writer and expand to: ANYONE can be against things. Fewer people are advocating steps in the right direction, any direction but downward, any direction but more of the same government spending.
'The people who are really demonizing him are the people who continue to publish pictures of a man who has not aged well.'
Neither has Hillary Clinton.
Las Vegas' two most famous casino moguls, Wynn and Adelson, hate govt (and each other, apparently) yet their success wouldn't be possible without the tax payer-funded infrastructure, the support systems built by all citizens -- McCarran airport, Hoover Dam, the sewers, roads and bridges -- that bring tourists to those fleece joints and make their stays an enjoyable experience.
Wynn is a glorified bingo barker who understands the hospitality business inside and out. He should stick to what he knows and stay far away from politics, on which he hasn't got a clue.
Stop using the term "Job Creator" which implies that they are somehow God-like. They are employers. Some are good ones and some are poor ones. Some are creative and inventive and because of this, their businesses expand. Wynn is in this category. Unfortunately, much of Wynn's expansion has been offshore in recent years. Some have idiotic outbursts, Wynn is also in this category. Some are humble and some are boastful. Wynn is in the boastful category.
Don't demonize? Okay...true that...But do not worship either! Adelsen and Wynn have both shipped thousands of jobs to Macau and if you consider the loss of high-roller REVENUE -not coming to Vegas
anymore, the actual NET LOSS of jobs in this City is huge!
Both of these guys are the Wal-Mart's of gaming! They accelerated China's competition into the gaming market by 30 years. Wal-Mart did the same thing to China's manufacturing and retail by providing the networking and distribution that would have taken China 20 years to achieve.
"I seriously doubt that wealthy people even enter their consciousness." @Jim Weber
Ever try to get a youngin now-a-days to do a simple chore for a fee that we use to do as neighborly jestures for free?
CarmineD
Just like doubedown_deadender says, no one intends to demonize Steve Wynn, but they damn sure not going to elevate him up and place him on a pedestal and worship at his altar.
The problem with this letter is the simple fact that it is muddied to intend to say that Steve Wynn is rich because of Tea/Republican Party warped ideals and is therefore a "job creator."
Sorry. I don't play into that Tea/Republican Party jargon garbage that has never been proven to be a fact.
The other thing is that Steve Wynn is not just an average run-of-the-mill rich dude. He's a casino owner. Living here in Las Vegas, you gotta understand how they think. They build their places to get people in there and legally get them to remove their money from their wallets/purses and happily give it to them.
In a casino owner's mind, THAT is the only thing that is supposed to happen when you walk through the doors.
If you win? Then they automatically assume you cheated them. They will actually spend more time investigating to see how (and if) you cheated them, more so than worrying about paying off the winnings.
Carrying along with that line of thought, the reason why a guy like Steve Wynn will align with Tea/Republican Party causes is simple: He wants the Former President George W. Bush Jr. Tax Cuts For The Rich to not only be extended, but he wants them to last PERMANENTLY.
Because he feels down deep in his soul the Government is taking that money away from him. He's not concerned with paying his fair share of taxes. He don't consider it economically patriotic. He only wants that corporate welfare to last a lot longer. And he will gladly participate in telling anyone anything to make it happen...don't matter if it's true or not...just tell them ANYTHING so he don't have to pay any more taxes.
Steve Wynn only holds allegiance to money.
If Tea/Republicans were all of a sudden for ending tax cuts for the rich, he'd attack them just as savagely and relentlessly.
I'm not fooled. But then again, that's what the Tea/Republican Party enjoys doing to people. Fool them into getting the votes.
Just today, it came out that they all said to fix their stupid political party, they have to get better candidates. And that's not true. They decide to get someone with a charismatic personality. Because they can't fix their predatory policies that lie underneath. In other words, the message is the same, so to fix it, just find a better messenger.
Steve Wynn will go for this. Because it is monetarily advantageous for him to do so.
"If someones house has a basement, they ain't poor. If someone has running water, they ain't poor, if someone has electricity, they ain't poor." @Jeffery
Our house had a backyard bathroom. They callled it an outhouse. I was a younster when an indoor toilet was added with a pull chain. Our house was retrofitted for electricity, it didn't come with. My uncle and father added electricity when I was a youngster.
I'm always amazed by youngins who think they know it all.
CarmineD
BTW Jeffery: We had a coal furnace growing up. My job in the winter was to keep the fire going and shovel/take out the ashes.
CarmineD
I have to admit I relished my meager and humble beginnings. It made me NEVER forget who I was and where I came from.
CarmineD
Ever try to get a youngin now-a-days to do a simple chore for a fee that we use to do as neighborly jestures for free?
yo, carmine, you age is showing!
Nobody is nice anymore because maybe they don't FEEL neighborly towards the likes of you! It's not universal; it only feels that way because of, well, Carmine, karma!
Many of the rich and very rich are not job creators but job destroyers.
Romney's Bain Capital cannibalized and destroyed many American companies that cost thousands of Americans their jobs.
The Waltons' of Walmart have approximately $24 Billion for each of the four, but they do not have enough money to provide living wages and health insurance for their employees. Walmart employees qualify for Medicaid and get Medicaid. This is Socialism for corporate Walmart, not employees.
Our income inequality is back to where it was in 1928. The USA is slightly better than Mexico and Turkey.
The Great Depression was caused by robber baron manufacturers that cut wages so low that the employees could not buy what was being produced, inventories built up and even more people were fired.
At the same time "Joe and Jane" could buy stocks on margins with very little down. The Brokers called in the margins and the people could not pay and the stock market and the economy collapsed.
Familiar?
Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson are cannibalizing their own products in Las Vegas by building casino's in Macau, Singapore, etc.. Adelson recently inked a deal to build a casino in Madrid, Spain.
The people there used to come to Las Vegas, but will no longer be coming here.
Now, there is a big push for online gambling that will benefit the gambling sector of these big casino's, but will those people come to Las Vegas to spend their money on high quality hotels, entertainment and fantastic food?
Let's face up to the cold, hard facts rather than listen to the lying talking points of the radical extremist republicans with their narrow minded ideologies that have been miserable failures.
"yo, carmine, you age is showing!" @Joe Lamy
And proud of it. When I was a kid if John D. gave me a shiny new dime it was big time. Now I give a new $5 to the kiddies and they think that is big time.
CarmineD
For four years, they demonized our job creator. They called him Osama Obama, they laid down the gauntlet and they foamed at the mouth with partisan vitriol attempting in every move to stop President Obama from restoring our country's vigor and sense of gratitude for our heritage and our potential to create our own lives after the bush years.
Colin,
I am not here to sing the praises of Steve Wynn but what you say is so one sided. Yes, he's in business to get people to gamble and hopefully lose their money. That's a legal business and nobody forces anybody to foolishly (in my view) gamble.
But you make it sound like the fact that they investigate and verify when people win is some kind of crime. Have you ever watched the show on TV that describes all the people and all the ways people try to rip off the casinos. I think it's a pretty sure bet that you'd operate a casino like Steve Wynn operates his, if you owned one.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticize some wealthy businesses and people. You should really stick to those and not go off the reservation with stuff like you just wrote.
Michael
There is something people on both sides of the debate rarely talk about. Our government is the reason the wealth in the country continues to be more and more concentrated. Anyone who believes that either party has a real interest in fixing what causes that is very naive.
All our elected representatives require the private money offered by unions, businesses and other groups, to run campaigns to be elected and re-elected. In return for that money, our elected representatives represent these interests and their lobbyists instead of us.
People on the left will argue that D's are not part of this system. People on the right will argue R's are not part of that system.
They are ALL part of the system and unless we go to a public finance system for campaigns and institute term limits and lobbying reform, we just are not going to see a positive change, no matter which party controls the government.
Michael
The reason given for the massive tax cuts to the rich by the miserable failure bush/cheney administration was the rich would use that tax cut money to improve the infrastructure to make America more competitive, but that never happened.
The ever so greedy rich bought Euro's and waited for the value of the dollar to decrease and it certainly did with the bush/cheney's borrowing and spending.
Then the rich bought the devalued dollars and made a financial killing.
Decades ago the rich were stewards of our economy--making it work, but that attitude hasn't existed for the last 30 plus years.
Now,and in the past, the attitude of the rich is, "I've got mine and I am going to take more of yours," and they have certainly have done that over the years.
Vidi,
The same rich and powerful people that you so despise will continue to use money and lobbying to manipulate our representatives into enacting legislation that advantages them and disadvantages us....until we enact public financing of all campaigns, term limits for Congress and lobbying reform.
Wouldn't you rather see that than leave the system as it is and then depend upon the government to tax the wealthy and redistribute the wealth to us on whatever basis they see fit... of course after extracting a large piece for itself?
Michael
All that matters are the cold, hard facts, not the myths the radical extremist republicans have used the Big Lie propaganda to create those myths.
No one is against job creators, that's just another lying talking point by the radical extremist republicans that have scapegoated just about every individual and group that offers resistance to their totalitarian ideology.
Who are the real job creators? Is it the four Waltons that are worth $24 Billion each, yet pay their employees less than a livable wage and does not provide health care for them? Most Walmart employees qualify for Medicaid which the taxpayer/you pay for.
What about Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson? Do both Wynn and Adelson have casinos in Macao and, or Singapore. Recently Adelson inked a deal to build a casino in Madrid, Spain.
Those people used to come to Las Vegas, but they will most likely not come anymore. Isn't that just cannibalization of their casino's in Las Vegas? What about the loss of revenue from hotel, entertainment, gambling and food in Las Vegas?
How many Las Vegas jobs will be lost?
There has been a lot of effort to get online gambling for the casino's, but is that a a good idea? If people can gamble online, will they be coming to Las Vegas to spend money on hotels, entertainment, gambling, and great food?
Job creators or job destroyers?
Romney's Bain Capital and other robber baron equity firms have destroyed thousands of jobs by cannibilization of the companies they took over. Even "Hostess" is faced with the same robber baron equity firm problem, even though they are blaming the unions.
The majority of the jobs created in America are created by small business's.
At the present time there is legislation that would give guarantee's for small business loans in the radical extremist republican controlled House of Representatives, but they are obstructing that bill.
Our unemployment rate would be approximately 2% lower if the irresponsible republicans had not obstructed and sabotaged the economy since President Obama took office on 1-20-2009.
The almost financial market collapse of 2008 resulted in the loss of approximately 8,000,000,000 jobs.
Were the people responsible for this economic wreck job creators or were they job destroyers?
Fact, without entrepreneurs there would be absolutely no jobs. Government cannot create jobs, if it could the unemployment rate would be at zero, always. Every person who has a job has it because of an entrepreneur. Even government employees have jobs because entrepreneurs have created private sector jobs that produce taxes and are thus able to fund those government jobs.
All government can do is create an atmosphere that either encourages or discourages jobs/growth.
@Peacelilly 5:06AM - very well said and I'm in total agreement. There comes a point when I have to ask how much PROFIT is so much that it becomes OBSCENE - especially when those who play a HUGE part in enabling their employers to make that kind of money get so little in return.
Adelson and other extremely wealthy people whine and complain about socialism. I wonder, how do they feel about Israel being a socialistic country? Israel depends on socialism to survive.
The right-wing-inspired destruction of America's middle-class...
Now, THERE'S your real 'Job Killer'!
Who will buy the products & services that fire the engine that runs the economy, if the massive de-escalation of BUYING POWER of the former middle class continues?
What REALLY 'creates jobs'?
DEMAND for a product or service.
We suck right now because there is not enough fuel to fire the economy's engine.
It's all so senseless; and driven by abject GREED.
Adding to my earlier post:
Eighty percent of Walmart employees are on food stamps.
gmag39,
I will agree with you that it is demand for a product or service that creates jobs. But I submit that in our present day case that it is the demand for American labor (a service) that is low, not the demand for goods in general.
Everyone wants a new TV, and everyone needs food and clothing. But many of those items are being supplied by foreign labor.
Labor is a commodity just like gold or pork bellies on the international market today. We must take steps to maintain our place in the market.
Michael,
"They are ALL part of the system and unless we go to a public finance system for campaigns and institute term limits and lobbying reform, we just are not going to see a positive change, no matter which party controls the government."
Agree strongly.
Not only are They all part of the system, so are WE.
The system is broken, and it will take ALL of us to fix it. That is a problem. Why?
Because we have an inheritance from Ronald Reagan. It was he who introduced the phrase "special interest group". It was an ingenious and lasting meme. It has cause the divisions that have mushroomed in our populous.
What is really interesting is that everyone of us fits into a "special interest" classification in one way or another.
As a result, the populous fights while the US burns. The politicians do as they please.
At least we should drop the "special interest" label and name calling. It is nothing more than a manipulative tool. We all know that, and if we don't it is time to wake up.
With that gone, we could actually look at issues and people. Face the changes in the people, not only the economy, that have taken place since the 70's.
We all need healing from the disorders that have arisen from letting ourselves be USED as weapons, and fighting forces to enable our government leaders to accomplish what makes our whole system dysfunctional for all but those with the money to get what benefits them.
The marriage of money and power=corruption.
Yes, the US is burning figuratively, just as Rome did from fire.
Yes, there is a moral and ethical crisis in our whole dysfunctional society.
Yes, there are people who do what they can to override the effects by sharing their efforts, support and time to filling in the gaps that help people. They focus on the effects rather than the cause.
Yes, there are those who make personal effort at living in social justice, and being just toward others, and this can include some businesses.
So, we have some people and businesses who live and work and relate with the awareness and commitment to social justice, sharing, treating people fairly, investing in business and people.
They are the remnant of what once was.
Until that becomes the majority consciousness again, our system will not change, it will only get worse.
We are a nation, a community that is becoming global. We cannot lead or be led without morality, ethics, in justice and peace, and real caring for one another.
If we don't change, we will be corrected. Cause and effect, what goes around comes around.
What a bunch of drama queens, but right wingers always exaggerate, that's their stock-in-trade. <<"Demonizing the job creators". "Anti-business, anti-capitalist, anti-religion, anti-authority, anti-police, anti-bank, anti-oil, anti-wealth creation, anti-military, anti-guns and anti-state rights just to name a few and they all tend to vote democrat.">>
>>Oh Lord, bring in the violins and the harps. Cry me a river. The only "bemoaning" I've heard after the election is coming from the sore losers, such as the same old blowhards here, still blowing the same old blow that caused them to lose the election. And they're all so shocked! Shocked! So surprised that they lost. Obama must have stolen the election! Obama gave them gifts! You lost 'cause you forgot the workers, and we vote. Educated people vote, you dummies. Crybabies!
Don't demonize our job creators? Did I read that right? Since when is it un-American to speak your mind? Let's face it, Donald Trump is worthy of ridicule. And even if he wasn't, it's our right to do so if we wish. So is Steve Wynn. I love the guy but sometimes I disagree with him and fortunately in this country I have the opportunity to state my case. I guess Bob Donald thinks criticism should be inversely correlated to wealth. I'm not sure about Bob's critical thinking skills today.
boftx,
"Labor is a commodity just like gold or pork bellies on the international market today. We must take steps to maintain our place in the market."
Would you please elaborate on this, and what you propose?
"We must take steps to maintain our place in the market."
You mean, like, the twinkies market? LOL.
"I have to admit I relished my meager and humble beginnings. It made me NEVER forget who I was and where I came from. CarmineD"
>>That, along with your preceding posts re the outhouse and shoveling coal: Les Miserables! That's the good old days for you. That's the country you want back. For everybody else, though, not you. What a shame.
peacelily,
It seems to me that we are buying just as much as ever, but our manufacturing jobs have evaporated. That says to me that the inexpensive labor of other countries is more valuable to employers than our higher priced labor. That makes labor a commodity, in my opinion.
As for what we can do to increase our labor value? We can either raise the quality to a point it can not be ignored, which is unlikely given the level of automation today, or we can level out the playing field with our trade policies.
My gut tells me that we are making trade policy as if we were still the world's largest exporter, when in fact we are now the largest importer. The rules simply are not the same. The latest trade agreement with South Korea, on the surface at least, seemed like an improvement for us. It cut the tariff we have to pay from 8% to 4%. But South Korea is only paying a 2% tariff to us, and it will be five years until our tariff goes away.
That hardly seems like "free trade" between equals, but sounds a lot like "fair trade" as defined by the WTO.
In short, not only our leaders, but the world as a whole views us as a resource to be plucked clean until everyone has had a "fair share" of us. We must reject that world view and take a serious look at the models if we were to take on more of a protectionist stance. That is the only way I think we are going to raise the value of American labor to American employers, by making offshore labor too expensive one way or another.
boftx,
Thank you for your explanation.
From 2010-2012 the real wage has decreased 2.4%, which is equal to the working for 6 days without wages.
At the same time, Americans are once again taking on debt again, mostly buying cars. What cars they are buying I don't know, or whether they are American or imports.
The issue is about taking on debt, because that is one of the reasons individuals and our country are in trouble.
I don't see how we will get out of the problems created by exporting jobs for cheap labor and importing goods made by cheap labor, unless we change the paradigm. We have become slaves to the markets.
The only thing that has come into my mind is that we must take back the production and purchasing power.
If we produce and pay decent wages, those wages will go into buying the products.
This cannot be done through multinational corporations, or even domestic corporations that work under the current models.
We have to transition to a different economy, an internal economy that functions without the influence of an external economy.
This will take a very big change in the thinking of the American public. However, the alternative is ever decreasing real wages and a lack of purchasing power which effects the business community, especially small business.
Large business may eventually move away from the US, driven to bigger markets of both cheap wages and consumption of cheap products in locations with large populations, unless Americans accept working as cheap labor to become competitve.
You talk about protectionism, but I see it as survival, and not business as usual. It is more like rescuing and rebuilding the American economy over the long term.
I wonder if the American people have the spirit and strength to be pioneers again, with the intention to once again demonstrate great character and endurance, acting toward each other with moral and ethical intentions?
Better sooner in freedom, than later in desperation if still possible at all.
"That, along with your preceding posts re the outhouse and shoveling coal: Les Miserables! That's the good old days for you. That's the country you want back. For everybody else, though, not you. What a shame." @Suzy Savarise
No, not true. I like and want the country that allowed me to do better by working hard and making smart choices.
CarmineD
Re Freeman wrote:
"Jeff wrote "Unions are a special interest group representing the laborers of America".
They are a special interest group. How are they doing Jeff? In the 1950's, unions were present in 35% of the private sector now its around 7% which is a downward trend."
I Say:
Their weakness, as a result of corporate malpractice, endorsed by the SCOTUS is a defining chapter in the book to be written about the decline of the American age of exceptionalism. as the unions go, so goes America.
"Eighty percent of Walmart employees are on food stamps." @Vidi Veritas
So are the majority of military and civilian government employees, especially married, at the entry grades and ranks. Has been for decades.
CarmineD
Walmart is the mother of all parasites.
Carmine, We all had coal furnaces back then it was what people used to heat their homes with at that time.If a family had a son it was his job to feed the furnace with coal and take out the ashes. I remember doing all the same things myself,along with everyone else in our neighborhood who had a son.When you are born in 1941 as I was this was considered a normal life style in the Italian community we all grew up in back then.Everyone had it the same.
"Everyone had it the same."
I totally agree. That's the reason I said: "I grew up poorer than dirt in an old poor neighborhood [and never knew it]." We all did. That was just the way it was especially in the inner city of Newark, NJ where I was born and raised.
CarmineD
I wonder if the American people have the spirit and strength to be pioneers again, with the intention to once again demonstrate great character and endurance, acting toward each other with moral and ethical intentions?
@peacelily: this post of yours really struck a cord with me. Definately food for thought. Well done!
While we shouldn't demonize Steve Wynn, we shouldn't canonize him either. The means he and on again off again wife Elaine utilized on their way up were not entirely ethical or legal. He is also not the great defender of Capitalism the letter would lead one to believe. His tip sharing policy is a text-book example of socialism. He is also not a great defender of America, as he is actively educating and employing our greatest economic competitor, China. Steve Wynn earned everything he has, including his less than stellar reputation.
Thank you, chuck.