OPINION:
It was corporate greed and recklessness, not American working families, that brought our economy to the brink. But you wouldn’t know it from Jeffrey H. Birnbaum’s recent opinion piece (“Obama’s bogus pro-business credentials,” Commentary, Wednesday).
Mr. Birnbaum seems far more concerned with parroting Wall Street talking points than with the working families who have suffered most for corporate America’s malfeasance. His critique of proposals to give federal contracts to companies that reward employees fairly for their work is truly misguided. We are not talking about giving people yachts, we’re talking about the basics that working people need to support their families: living wages, health care benefits and retirement plans.
We’ve seen what happens when corporations are allowed to call the shots, and it isn’t pretty. It is time to get back to reality. Millions of working families are facing unemployment, foreclosure and an economic future that is uncertain at best. If America’s working people cannot afford to buy consumer goods, none of us is going anywhere. But if we protect workers’ rights to bargain collectively for a shot at the American dream, we can build a win-win economy that lifts up working people and businesses - not just corporate chief executives.
KIMBERLY FREEMAN BROWN
Executive director
American Rights at Work
Washington
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