The worker as a consumer

The worker who works a 40 hour week is always looking for a way to get by with less work or easier work for more pay. The worker will join a union in an attempt to get more for her production. If she cannot join a union she will use the union we all have access to, the US Congress. There she will lobby her union and ask that her employer be forced to provide her with health care, rest breaks, vacation, family leave, a minimum wage, and anything else she can extract from her employer. Her employer will not be allowed to force anything from her.

What is seen in the socialist legislation that tries to improve the lives of the workers is a minimum wage, health care, vacation, etc. But, what is not seen? For every piece of socialist legislation that interferes with the market place there are numerous unseen affects.

People fail to realize the worker who works 40 hours per week is also a consumer. The worker, as a consumer, consumes things, even while working; clothes, food, medicines, etc. The worker, as a consumer, drives to work in a car he purchased as a consumer. He uses gasoline in his car, as a consumer.

There are another 128 hours during the week when the worker is not working and is a full time consumer. He is a consumer using pajamas to sleep in a bed he bought as a consumer. He cooks on a stove he bought as a consumer. He plays with items he bought as a consumer. She dresses with clothes she bought as a consumer. She reads books she bought as a consumer.

We are all consumers. Even the old and the young who are not workers. We all benefit by the unseen market that helps production become efficient and providing all of us, as consumers, with the best product at the least price.

We consumers benefit from competition. Competition drives improved production. A computer today has more computing power for less money than a computer 10 years ago. This improved production efficiency is caused by competition. As consumers we love and benefit from this competition.

But, as a worker? Ah, there's the rub. As workers, and owners, we hate competition. We must realize and understand that in the long run, even as workers, we benefit from competition. Our retired parents, and our children benefit from competition.

We should reward hard work and savings by DECREASING the tax rates on additional earned income and income from savings. Our current tax rates increases the more one earns. Our current tax rates punish hard work, risky investments, and savings. The next time you see a man or woman working two jobs to earn extra money, ask yourself why you want to tax their extra earnings at a higher rate.

By allowing workers to keep a higher percentage of their higher earnings you would create fierce competition among workers. This competition would greatly improve productivity, which would greatly improve the lifestyle of the consumers.

Allowing workers to keep a higher percentage of their higher earnings would also help eliminate the sloth that is infecting our society.

Charles Tolleson