Voodoo economics

To the editor:

I wonder why Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ's fight-back doesn't include court action ("Office cleaners, security guards fight back after pay cuts and firings," The Chief, July 5). I don't think it's legal to ignore a union contract, cut wages by nearly half, remove health benefits and lay off workers.

A story in that same issue of The Chief chronicles a proposal by President Biden to protect workers from the extreme heat ("Biden proposes rules to protect workers from heat”). Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed into law a bill that disallows cities and towns from implementing stricter rules requiring rest for those laboring in extreme heat. Biden's proposal would overrule Texas’ and any other state's laws.

Defenders of capitalism often claim it works. But for who? Scandinavian countries have much better protections, wages, benefits and time off for workers. But their systems are dismissed by most of our "leaders" as socialist. But to Donald Trump's dismay, few of their workers come to the U.S.

The problem with capitalism is that it only requires businesses to make money. When Trump talks about eliminating regulations, that means employers can destroy the environment, pay poverty wages, provide no benefits and fire workers without good cause.

Imagine if the police, courts and jails were eliminated and everyone was expected to behave on the honor system. That is mostly what we have under American capitalism. When laws are needed to require employees laboring in the heat to be given rest and water, then common decency is lacking in many businesspeople.

Also, if employers don't want to provide workers with health care and pensions, they need to pay much higher taxes to fund Medicare-for-all and much higher Social Security payments.

Businesspeople who are motivated by only greed and don't hold themselves to any moral standards are gangsters.

Richard Warren