Not Ranked
We are one of the only countries that does not use tariffs the way they were intended, you bet its protectionism, it used to be that if a shoe cost $20 to be made in the USA and it only cost $5 from China, then the tariff was $15 to level the playing field, and so what if it goes to the government coffers, that's less we would have to pay, the tax burden is now on the middle class to make up the shortfall, every other country does it, the reason we don't is these multinational corporations, who have no vested interest in our country and barely pay taxes because they shelter it overseas have over time paid off some position to change the rules in their favor.
It's not the unions, all they are trying to get is a fair living wage for their employees, do you want us all to be Wal-Mart employees, and have to get food stamps to feed our families after working a 40 hour work week, and no healthcare, do they work any less hard then the union worker at Safeway's but they get a living wage and don't have to depend on taxpayers to offset their low wage with food stamps and emergency room healcare.
If we had affordable healthcare that would level the playing field significantly, and it would not be such a large part of union demands, but when CEO's are making in excess of 700% more than the workers on the floor, where they were only 20% higher in the 60's what does that tell you about greed on the top. And now they and the share holders have come to expect 20 to 30% profits every year, its un-sustainable in the 50s and 60s growth was 2% 3% on a good year and they were grateful for it, but the culture of greed changed everything.
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