“I’ve always resented the smug statements of politicians, media commentators, corporate executives who talked of how, in America, if you worked hard you would become rich. The meaning of that was if you were poor it was because you hadn’t worked hard enough. I knew this was a lie, about my father and millions of others, men and women who worked harder than anyone, harder than financiers and politicians.”
Howard Zinn
Henry Ford CREATED a market which had not existed when he paid his employees $5.00 per day. The average wage of the day was around $1.25 per day. Of course, the wall street types and the banksters howled that Ford’s wage rates would destroy capitalism. Guess what?? The OPPOSITE happened. Henry Ford knew one of the basic tenets of a free, capitalistic society, that a well-paid work force would be able to participate and contribute to a strong economy, unlike what is taught in business schools today–that wages must be kept to a bare minimum and that the stockholder is king. Our “free trade” politicians have assisted the greedy wall street types and banksters in depressing wages on the promise of cheap foreign products. A good example of this is the negative criticism that Costco receives for paying its employees well above market wages. These same wall street types praise Wal-Mart for paying its employees barely subsistence wages. Any sane person KNOWS that in order for capitalism to work, employees need to make an adequate wage. Unfortunately, this premise does not exist in today’s business climate.
Henry Ford openly criticized those of the “tribe” for manipulating wall street and banksters to their own advantage, and was roundly (and unjustly) criticized for pointing out the TRUTH. Catholic priest, Father Coughlin did the same thing and was punished by the Catholic church, despite his popularity and exposing the TRUTH of the American economy and the outsider internationalists that ran it . . . and STILL run it.
Our “race to the bottom” will not be without consequences. A great “realignment” is necessary (and is coming) . .
I’ve never heard that just working hard would make anyone rich.
It may be one of the elements of achieving wealth, but it certainly doesn’t stand alone in the process.
You’ll find far more people wishing wealth would just happen to them than you will people willing to both work hard and make the nescessary contributions and sacrifices it takes to actually achieve it.
Which is why you find so many people that are poor or just getting by than you will find that are wealthy.
Take 5 minutes and watch this quickie profile of one rich man:
Success leaves clues.
that is one of the whiniest quotes I”ve ever seen. there will never be a place where only hard work will make you rich – it also takes some combination of thought, planning, persistence, discipline, self-motivation, desire, luck, etc.
“I knew this was a lie, about my father and millions of others, men and women who worked harder than anyone..” – simply, not everyone can be rich, and many born rich don’t stay that way.
Yet, Howard Zinn did quite well compared to his parents and where he started.