To the editor:

The state of Florida is cutting jobs. A recent news article states it well, “quite frankly state employees are in crisis.”

The governor’s budget is set. It cuts taxes for the rich and decreases spending (wage cuts or wage cuts and job cuts qualify). The goal is to drive costs down while maintaining production. This is happening all across America, both in government and in the private sector.

Increasing profits will mean increase income, as profit will go to CEOs and upper level management.

At the federal level, the next step is to import high levels of foreign work (more than 66,000 per year). The intent is to drive citizens out of jobs forcing them to work for Third World wages.

First we allowed Corporate America to set up business offshore and establish themselves in countries with low wages. We lost thousands of jobs.

This was not enough to satisfy Corporate America and our conservative government.

Bringing in additional labor, despite our effective unemployment rate of 10 percent means that our workers had no alternative but to submit.

The next step will be to pass trade legislation to bring in more goods made with cheap labor to compete with products made in America. As we are a nation of consumers, not producers, we will be buying ourselves out of the job.

At some stage in this process there must be a tipping point. Mass consumption implies existing ability to buy. The masses must have spending power equal to the amount of goods and services. If this does not happen the economy cannot grow (there is a disconnect between production and consumption).

The vast accumulation of wealth at the top siphons purchasing power from the masses. The purchasing power of the rich does not create jobs. Purchasing American-made products by employees create jobs. Henry Ford showed us that with his example.

Citizens must use the purchasing power of their pocketbook, buy American-made products or buy only what they need.

Government is not concerned about American jobs – at this point the goal is a run to the bottom with wages and create no expense for business (no Medicare, no health insurance, no Social Security, no retirement plan, no Workmen’s Comp. expense etc.).

This will not end until there are people willing to say stop.

Who will that be, and when will that occur?

Lewis Robinson

Fort Myers