11.17.2009 6:06 pm
A CEO’s job is about more than cash flow
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
I was shocked by the comments of Emerson CEO David Farr as reported in the Post on 11/13. Mr. Farr indicates he wants to move–perhaps he should move to about a hundred years ago. Then it was OK to pillage the environment, profits at any cost were the norm, profits were made on the backs of workers who had no rights, and, if you got sick, perhaps that was just another means of “reducing the surplus population”. His comments were interesting to compare to Buffet and Gates who are betting on America per the CNBC program that same evening. He also doesn’t like taxes. I wonder if he ever turns down any government services, too? Perhaps Mr. Farr’s job should not be just to grow cash flow, but also be a good citizen in whichever country he decides to live in.
Miles T. Barnett
High Ridge
We’ll all be moving to 100 years ago, pre-electric / paved roads / running water… This country, its culture and government have - in the mushy name of workers’ rights - virtually banned business in the USA. You may not have made the connection, but someday perhaps you will: the legs of the table have been kicked out and the glasses are near the floor - regulation did this. Regulation will continue to expand. Regulation will surely kill us all or die trying.
I applaud Farr.
Egoist,
I posted this to another LTE but it applies:
Our leaders, past and present, are hell bent on the whole global economy thing. Until we make our corporate tax rates competetive with the rest of the world and until we provide incentives for bussiness’, both domestic and foreign to invest here, they are going to go where the cheapest labor and least environmental regulation exists. These are two very conflicting entities; labor and the EPA. It sucks but that’s the way it is at present.
Egotist-
You are absolutely right. We should go back to the days of slavery, then businesses could make all the profit they want. Damn the workers !
Let’s return to the days of child labor.
Egoist has young children who will work for 23 cents an hour.
Pick-up the paste…..Who need’s unions?
Farr will hire kids from Singapore.
Ego looks good in his Wal-Mart speedos.
Let’s hope for his his children’s children.
Nice job Bush-heads.
Happy now?
Take it out of your kid’s…..AH.
I think CEO’s should have some sense of responsibility toward their workers and their country. That is a moral issue, just as surely as abortion and gay marriage and just about everything else most people consider moral issues.
But I also think employees should have some sense of responsibility toward their employers and their country. I’m sure, though, stupid potty-mouthed slobs who can’t think beyond their union playbook can’t understand that, though.
I’ve seen a lot of comments by Garrison before. I wonder if he knows how to discuss anything without getting into insults and veiled obscenities. And just how many ex-wives he has.
Sweet, the debt peddlers lecture me on enslavement and child labor.