Why require sacrifices of middle class first?

It was sad reading that the bookstore Borders was filing for bankruptcy. Stores will close and hundreds of employees will be laid off. But wait, there is a glimmer of hope. It seems that there is a plan to pay key employees as much as $8.3 million in incentives and retention bonuses.

How does a company filing for bankruptcy have enough money to pay these employees, but not enough money to keep the company in business? This sounds like days of old when the taxpayers bailed out Wall Street and big banks, which also paid bonuses before they paid back the loans. Why would anyone with any business savvy want to keep the same people who got their company into the mess? Once again the middle class gets the gold mine — not the gold just the shaft.

This sounds familiar to the big roar when the Republican governor in Wisconsin was going to save the state budget by throwing out collective bargaining of some union employees. Why do they start in the middle and work down? Why not lead through example and start at the top with the governor and work their way down the ladder?

It would be nice just before the elections to see a list of all upper government employees’ salaries, retirement, bonuses and expenses. Also include the Cadillac, or should I say Rolls-Royce, medical insurance and how much they contribute toward it.

Edd Jarina

Rolling Meadows