The Assumptions of Capitalism.

[kentuck]

They assume they are superior to labor. Because they put up the initial investment to create jobs and more wealth.

They assume they can pay the worker whatever he will accept and there is no moral imperative to share in the future wealth created by his labor.

They assume they should receive special tax breaks because they contribute more to our society.

They assume a higher and more respected position in society because of their wealth.

But, we should question those assumptions.

Most likely, their initial investment was created from the labor of others. It did not grow on a tree or magically appear.

Most likely, they will have a security backup fund if their investment fails. The truth is that they do not have as much invested as labor. They may lose their money. The worker may lose his home, his family, his life, depending on the type of labor he agrees to perform. He may live from day to day and week to week. His entire life is invested in his work. Few investors have as much invested. So, that assumption should be questioned.

They feel no duty to pay more than a minimum wage, no matter if they make millions off the labor of their workers. But, we should argue that they do have a moral imperative to share in the profits that are made. If Bill Gates borrows a thousand dollars and turns it into a 100 billion dollar business, how much does he deserve? That is a fair question that society should ask. We should no longer assume that the investor is superior to the creator of wealth, the labor.

They have assumed, like a caste system, a superior and respected position in society because of their wealth. But they would have no wealth without labor.

The quote by Lincoln is sometimes more timely than others:

"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. Capital has its rights, which are as worthy of protection as any other rights. Nor is it denied that there is, and probably always will be, a relation between labor and capital producing mutual benefits."

Abraham Lincoln

[inna]

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