email sent to Rep Phil Roe, and Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander.
Capitalism is an economic system distinguished by certain basic characteristics. Capitalism is the drive to earn profits, invest them, innovate, and grow the economy. In the 1950s the chairman of presidents Council of Economic Advisors said “The American economy’s ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods.” In 2001 President Bush included shopping in the daily activities that he said were the “ultimate repudiation of terrorism.” When the country was in shock the president told us to keep shopping. Most environmental deterioration is a result of systemic failures of the capitalism we have today. Infinite economic growth is not sustainable. Capitalism’s need for profit requires a culture of consumerism to support it. Capitalism as practiced in the United States is not sustainable.
In 2009 the Happy Planet Index produced by The New Economics Foundation rated the United States at 114th of 143 countries evaluated. In 1957, 35 percent of the citizens of the United States rated themselves as “very happy” a level we have not reached since.
Some aspects of capitalism do not work well for the majority of the people or for the environment. In 2008 the average full-time Wal-Mart employee was paid $10.84 an hour, $19, 165 for the year for the 34 hour workweek and $2,000 below the poverty level at the time. In 2007, the Wal-Mart CEO was paid $29.7 million. More than 1,500 times the annual income of an average full-time Wal-Mart associate and he was not even a Walton. Sam Walton deserved everything he received. He had developed a better mousetrap. No one involved with Wal-Mart since then deserves anything like that CEO. Due to the low wages the United States taxpayers subsidize that bloated salary by paying for healthcare, Medicaid, food stamps and subsidized housing for Wal-Mart associates.
I encourage you to keep in mind more voters relate to the Wal-Mart associates than the CEO. The number of jobs is not as important as the number of jobs paying livable wages. The conundrum is most likely you relate more to the CEO than the associates. As we see with Mitt Romney our elected officials are out of touch with The People.
Capitalism is an economic system distinguished by certain basic characteristics. Capitalism is the drive to earn profits, invest them, innovate, and grow the economy. In the 1950s the chairman of presidents Council of Economic Advisors said “The American economy’s ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods.” In 2001 President Bush included shopping in the daily activities that he said were the “ultimate repudiation of terrorism.” When the country was in shock the president told us to keep shopping. Most environmental deterioration is a result of systemic failures of the capitalism we have today. Infinite economic growth is not sustainable. Capitalism’s need for profit requires a culture of consumerism to support it. Capitalism as practiced in the United States is not sustainable.
In 2009 the Happy Planet Index produced by The New Economics Foundation rated the United States at 114th of 143 countries evaluated. In 1957, 35 percent of the citizens of the United States rated themselves as “very happy” a level we have not reached since.
Some aspects of capitalism do not work well for the majority of the people or for the environment. In 2008 the average full-time Wal-Mart employee was paid $10.84 an hour, $19, 165 for the year for the 34 hour workweek and $2,000 below the poverty level at the time. In 2007, the Wal-Mart CEO was paid $29.7 million. More than 1,500 times the annual income of an average full-time Wal-Mart associate and he was not even a Walton. Sam Walton deserved everything he received. He had developed a better mousetrap. No one involved with Wal-Mart since then deserves anything like that CEO. Due to the low wages the United States taxpayers subsidize that bloated salary by paying for healthcare, Medicaid, food stamps and subsidized housing for Wal-Mart associates.
I encourage you to keep in mind more voters relate to the Wal-Mart associates than the CEO. The number of jobs is not as important as the number of jobs paying livable wages. The conundrum is most likely you relate more to the CEO than the associates. As we see with Mitt Romney our elected officials are out of touch with The People.
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