BY RUSSELL TURNER
NO RESPECT
For those of us who are a little older, we can remember the comedian Rodney Dangerfield and his routine about getting no respect. I can still see him bugging out his eyes and grasping his necktie all at the same time telling his audience about the lack of respect he receives. While Mr. Dangerfield’s routine was a comedic act, he was right that people deserve to be heard and not simply ignored. In the last legislative sessions of the Oklahoma legislature, which includes the two special sessions, our governor has constantly clamored for pay raises for the state employees and the education department. While I do not doubt that those groups would like to have more income, I can say without any doubts that most other workers in this state could also use more money in their paychecks.
It amazes me how silent our lawmakers have become when it comes to the small business owners and the mom and pop organizations across our state. Too many of our lawmakers have a problem understanding that the small business sector is the foundation of our economic system. Small business consistently creates in the neighborhood of 75 to 80 percent of new jobs in this country every year. Unlike public sector jobs the private sector must learn how to compete and deal with the ebb and flow of the economy on a daily basis. All workers need to be wise with their earnings and for many it is a constant battle to resist the temptation to spend beyond their means; however there are certain things we all need in life. Whatever station in life we happen to be in when we work and help benefit society we should have the ability to pay for our needs, save some money for retirement and have the ability to pay for healthcare or have the ability to purchase healthcare insurance. I have been in the private sector my entire working career, in my business I work with many different professions. I can say without any doubt that the vast majority of small businesses are not able to fulfill those three needs.
I have noticed that many times the people doing the hard, dirty work that is required for our society to function are often forgotten and labeled as being less intelligent as other sectors of our country. The people who keep your autos running, keep all of our modern appliances running, and not to forget the people who grow the food you need to survive are far from being ignorant. We also know that all of the rhetoric and talk our governor is doing about raising revenues will do absolutely nothing to help the small business sector to help us achieve the goals we deserve as well.
Maybe in this New Year our lawmakers need to learn to respect all aspects of our society and all professions. I have the belief that whatever you do in life it is an essential part of what makes this country work. I realize that the small businesses are not organized into a political force and are not the darling of the main stream media, but without them our entire system would collapse. The forgotten people in this country are tired of the political class peeing on our boots and telling us it is rain. The political class complains that they do not have the respect they deserve; they need to remember that to get respect you first have to give it.
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