Good reason to place people over profits

Governor Rauner, like President Trump and most GOP politicians, is the very embodiment of government as the problem rather than the solution.

Instead of representing the interests of ordinary Americans, which government is supposed to do, the GOP priority is to amass power and reward their superrich paymasters at every governmental level. This modus operandi explains their obsession with giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us. It explains their proclivity to gut government regulations and social programs that protect the health and welfare of all of us.

The GOP's ideology is simply a way to justify selfishness. It has worsened our extreme income and wealth inequality, which undermines our democracy, impoverishes our economy, and turns the American dream into a nightmare.

Germany and the Nordic nations demonstrate the way to build a thriving economy, which is the exact opposite of what the GOP has been advocating. Having laws that protect workers' right to join labor unions without being fired is key to protecting the basic right of working people to earn a living wage with decent benefits and a secure pension. Having strong labor unions goes hand in hand with having a robust middle class, which contributes to a vibrant and stable economy and a well-functioning representative democracy.

Notwithstanding its far higher worker wages and superior worker benefits due to its powerful labor unions and strict government regulations, high taxes, and expansive governmental social programs, Germany has benefited from globalization, with high exports, a very prosperous economy, and a higher standard of living than the U.S.

Placing people over profits is not only good for the soul, it is ultimately good for economic prosperity as well.

Lanlan Hoo

Wheaton