The United States is now a low wage economy. Over 30 million Americans are considered low wage workers. Two-thirds of low wage workers, the majority of which are restaurant workers, report some form of wage theft every week by their employers. This could mean anything from being cheated out of hours worked, paid less than the minimum wage, not paid overt time or simply not being paid at all.
Studies estimate that low wage worker lose 15% of their income each year to corrupt employers, the restaurant industry being one of the worst offenders.
According to the Department of Labor, 84 percent of more than 9,000 sit-down restaurants investigated and inspected in the last three years were in violation of wage laws. But the Department of Labor, now little more than a subsidiary of the food service lobbying industry, does nothing, referring those violated and cheated to private lawyers instead.
Meanwhile, in Washington political circles, the food services industry remains an organized and powerful opponent against increased minimum wage and workplace protections, spending millions of dollars each year to lobby against regulations and increased wages.
And where do the majority of the dollars they use to fight minimum wage bills and keep wages low come from? You guessed it, wage theft: the billions stolen from low wage workers.
Imagine how well off you’d be in your businesses didn’t have to pay taxes – but your competitors did?
The “world’s smartest investor” Warren Buffett’s is pretty good at letting other people pick up the tab.
Even when it puts other people out of business.
He’s also not above using intimidation and doing damage to the common good if it will save him a few bucks.
Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a “get out of jail free” card. Just follow in the footsteps of HSBC, Toyota, GM, and others like them to receive a deferred prosecution agreement.
Most recently, the deferred prosecution agreement was a lucrative business proposal between the DOJ and GM. General Motors Company settled their case by paying $900 million to the United States Department of Justice.
No admitting of any guilt and no jail time for decision makers for the GM side; a bundle of cash for the DOJ side. It’s a win-win situation, right?
Except for the monkey in the middle.
It seems that the 2016 presidential election is gearing up to be centered on income inequality, but Bill O’Reilly is trying to skirt the issue altogether.
He is making claims that things aren’t so bad for the middle class simply because of their tax rate in comparison to the wealthy class.
What about the stagnation of wages since the 1970s?
Where are your charts, Bill?
Let’s face it: throughout history there has been a trend of very rich people taking advantage of the poor and setting the rules for society.
While we’re certainly in better shape than we used to be, the old order isn’t going without a fight.
The world’s richest woman exemplifies the destructive position of those who say people just need to “work hard to get ahead”, and she even goes so far as to imply that people should be willing to work for $2 an hour.
The US may have promised to invest 14 billion dollars in Africa to grow their businesses and infrastructure, but is this really a good thing?
Often, company giants come into a war-stricken, poverty-stricken yet resource-rich area to monetize their belongings when they are unable to themselves.
This is how wealthy nations continue to line their wallets while they throw pennies to the poor nations who own the resources, and it’s a cycle that’s been going on for a long time.