Clockwise from left: A screen shot from President Joe Biden’s video declaring his backing for the Amazon workers organizing in Bessemer, Ala.; right top: Bessemer workers rally for support outside their warehouse; right bottom: An Amazon warehouse worker processes packages for shipment: White House / RWDSU

Guest Column –
By James Rhodes –

I am motivated by the most recent comments by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell explaining why he, nor his party, could support the national Biden infrastructure proposal: “…because the most unworthy would receive the vast majority of benefits…”

As it turns out, the “most unworthy” are basically defined as those making “under $400,000 per year.”

As a nation allegedly founded upon the basis of Judeo-Christian beliefs, and whose Congress — in the name of religion — has hindered stem cell research, opposed the ERA, legislated against birth control and abortion, and routinely supported state legislation opposing expanded voting rights, equal pay initiatives, cut WIC and other programs targeting women, poor whites, and minorities, I am curious as to what the religious basis against this specific bill might be. (Let there be no mistake, this is not political rhetoric but statements of fact.)

The only explanation given to date is that now certain people are opposed to expanding the federal debt — an issue that was of no concern when three presidents (Reagan, W Bush, Trump) more than doubled America’s debt by cutting taxes for the most wealthy and ballooning military expenditures. In their attempt to make up for lost revenues, social programs, education, mental health services took serious funding hits.

Even with Democratic administrations in power, there has always been one group of people in the United States that has never feared for their instant pensions, after only a few years of “work,” their great retirement packages, their socialized medicine (not available to the general population) — for when entitlement cuts are on the chopping block, these people (political retirees) keep their booty safe but malign the ‘greedy’ workers, ‘greedy’ unions, veterans, Social Security, those on disability, social programs, education, mental health.

The latest United Nations figures indicate more than 689 million people live off less than $1.90 per day; of this, 2/3 are children and youth with women being in the majority of all categories. Our minimum wage has remained stagnant at $7.25/hour for decades. Whenever workers attempt to organize to secure better benefits, an actual living wage, they have been demonized as being anti-American freeloaders who want something for nothing.

Pre-COVID, according to recent U.S. Census data, black men in the United States made $29,376 on average per year; black women were at $22,690; white women came in at $25,221 per year; while white men averaged $40,632.

While the “Average Joe” may live pay check to pay check; that is not the situation with everyone. Sixty (60) of our Fortune 500 companies not only paid NO taxes; but, also received refunds. The two that stood out in my mind was CBS, who made $1.8 billion, paid no taxes and received a $235 million refund; GE made $33 billion, paid no taxes and had about $1.4 billion kicked back to them.

And thanks to the politicians in Congress, according to recent tax data, they made sure their special interest friends were rewarded with a variety of federal subsidies: GM $3,494,237,703; Boeing flew high with $13,174,075,797; Disney was in fantasy land with $381,525,727; Wal-Mart who can’t seem to afford benefits for their workers was given $149,942,595; Shell $2,038,202,298; Google $632,044,922; Dow $1,408,228,374; Goldman Sachs $661,979,222.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg; far too long have these corporate giants hidden behind the false mask of “creating jobs,” “being good for the economy,” and more recently “NOT being able to create jobs because of high labor costs.”

The “high labor”cost factor is interesting because in recent years annual compensation for executives has been obscene: Elon Musk (TESLA) $595,266,817; Tim Cook (APPLE) $133,727,896; Tom Rutledge (CHARTER) $116,995201; Joseph Ianniello (ViaCom) $116,565,495; Jonathan Gray (Blackstone) $107,630,680.  How dare those ingrates making $7.25 an hour complain?

Some years ago I evaluated retirement packages awarded to various CEOs who seemed to feel paying employees a living wage was against “God and country:” Aubrey McClendon (Chesapeake Energy) $45 million; Hank McKinnell (Pfizer) $161 million; Thomas Ryan (CVS) $185 million; Edward Whitacre (ATT) $230 million; William McGuire (United Health) $600 million; Jack Welch (GE) 417 million; Lee Raymond (EXXON) $321 million.

These are indications that we are currently viewing our workforce and categories of employment incorrectly. Until we realize the value of the individuals who clean our restrooms; do our yard work; watch our children; our janitors; our garbage men; the disabled, doing whatever work they can; and as Ed Norton said on the “Jackie Gleason Show” — ‘even us people who work in the sewer’ — until we realize and understand all have value and self worth, we will continue to stagnate and not progress as God intends us to do.

And we must overcome our current attitude that for whom God has given much — nothing is required in return.