There appears to be some sorrow among the laid off Sears employees who “feel” betrayed by a company in trouble. I have news for all employees. You have a “job” and you serve at the pleasure of your employer. By pure definition, if you decide to take a “job” you are giving up some of your autonomy. If you should so choose to have a portion of your pay handled by a private pension plan, what gives you the right to think that there is no “risk” in having a third party manage those funds or to think that the company will be financially fit to make ongoing company contributions on your behalf? In socialized Canada we are fed this line that you are marginalized if “self employed”. I have news for those who believe that your company will be there for you. You are one bad relationship or two bad performance reviews from the exit sign and if you think you have “job security” think again in the context of a financial system teetering on the brink. If you worked at Sears and have witnessed a steady decline in retail traffic over a period of years, you should have taken a look at the competition or at the least upgraded in the evening with some career changing course work. Now is not the time to be looking to a bankruptcy trustee for answers or the CBC for sympathy. There is nothing more defeatist and sad than the state of a workplace in decline with hangers on sinking with the ship believing that the company will throw a life vest last minute in the form of a “severance”.
Category Archives: Free Enterprise
Your Tax Money At Risk For Bombardier
While your CRA is charging you arrears interest, instalment interest and an egregious personal income tax rate at the same time that you may be managing debt associated with growing your small private business undertaken by earnest capitalist passion, your government is charging zero interest to Bombardier for a $372.5 million dollar loan repayable over 15 years of which no payment is due during the first two years. This is capitalism in Canada folks. Lobbying corporate directors of Bombardier with operations in a politically sensitive part of Canada (Quebec) are so proud of their product that they can’t seem to find investment capital outside of their government and hence you as the taxpayer now will bear the risk with an apparent zero rate of return on the prospect a success. There’s something not right here. Does our government not believe in capital markets in a capitalist system? Does it not believe that investment wealth follows good news stories from companies’ aspirant to match their innovative products with financiers? Does our government think that our first world country lacks pools of available capital? Or, perhaps, it’s about politics and our government believes you are naive or too self involved to take issue.
Oxfam Report on the Wealthiest
Of course the Oxfam report is written from the perspective of inequity without reference to the direct benefits bestowed upon society as a result of products and services deployed into the market by such individuals of immense financial success. Certainly, Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Gates weren’t always as philanthropic as they are today. However; with time and with some contemplation of their position within society individuals in the class of these gentlemen come to learn about their larger role serving mankind. How does one measure efficiency gains realized by the technology created by Mr. Bloomberg or productivity power generated by accounting clerks deploying Microsoft Excel? Capital markets have always put a price on new products and services and the price has always included the risk undertaken by entrepreneurs to create something from nothing. Without the financial reward offered in order to undertake a risk, life as we know it would lack industrial progress and an improved quality of life for the masses.
Governments’ role is not to redistribute wealth. Governments’ role is to administer the rule of law, protect citizens from military incursion, and collect taxes for the purpose of paying for resources that serve citizens collectively such as roads and hospitals, and jails. Some governments are more liberal and determine that there are many more resources that its people need to rely on collectively and hence more tax receipts are needed to serve this agenda. Some governments bring particular progressive ideals which don’t necessarily align with the populous’ appetite for increased taxes.
At the heart of the capitalist model is payment for the delivery of products and services. Those who deliver get paid. Those who don’t, don’t. The market establishes pricing and particular providers may demand higher pay in the context of the nature of their product or service. Hence; inherent within the capitalist model is competition. Those less successful providers may be motivated by the system to change industries or change tactics in order to improve results. There should be no reward for failure but the incentive to find victory.
Those members of our society whose contributions are not directly associated with the capitalist models and hence have a lower income may qualify from government programs, family support, and receipts from charitable foundations.
The backdrop of the release of this new research from Oxfam is a reminder that the capitalist model is under siege and there is an increased propensity of interest groups to want everything from their governments while contributing little of themselves.
Corporate Culture Revisited
Looking back on an old corporate culture is never the healthiest way to grow your business but there are lessons you have taken forward and there are delights to pontificate from past work environments in which you will never again be required to tolerate. When you call the shots, there are people you have left behind. There were those who gossiped incessantly. There were those who had a snooty disposition strutting a one upmanship display of ego. There were those who skipped basic training in etiquette. There were those who thought they knew so much but hadn’t read from a book of n0n-fiction in years. There were those who treated others indignantly and then sought respect. There were those who did the work and there were those peculiarly familiar with management.
The entrepreneur despises a corporate culture of dysfunction…so much so that if heeded positively can turn into a primary motivating force precipitating a life long journey of commercial liberty. “The pilgrims with Columbus did not board up on three ships and come to America to get a job.” – Dave Severn
Rockets Red Glare
June 11, 2007
Well the Albanians love George Bush and ya can bet it’s not ’cause of his personality. This is a nation that has struggled asserting its autonomy and sees George Bush as a symbol of freedom and hope. The nightly news is a huge reminder of the privilege bestowed upon us first world democratic citizens. It hurts me on a daily basis to witness hopeless souls trade time for money in low paying jobs without deploying the seeds of capitalism as a tool to improve their lives. Internet and e-commerce is now available to the masses. The cost of entry has now declined to the point where the capital risk component has been eliminated. If you are reading this message now, I encourage you to get informed. If you are not a professional, a traditional business owner burdened with a large capital outlay, a tradesman stuck in the bush, or independently wealth, then please do some reading on the growth of e-commerce and non-traditional business. A great place to start would be to listen to the video on my page. This man has a message for you.