I read with great interest Peter Goldmark’s column, “End corporate tax avoidance,” on May 17. Though I agree with many of his points, I would like to point out that the “public outrage” he suggests as necessary has become a clever new way of controlling large swaths of American voters who are unable or unwilling to research the information that so enrages them.
I believe the most important thing we, as Americans, should be doing to counter this is to stop envying it. Every time I see a Fortune 500 list or read about who makes the most profits in Las Vegas I get sad. If the article is coupled with how much that individual contributes to his community, then my sadness is replaced with a belief that the millionaire in question is wise enough to understand that his gifts come with responsibility.
Corporations won’t stop finding ways to profit with no ethical responsibility until we place our respect in those wealthy individuals who understand that leadership (wealth) comes with the responsibility of caring for the communities from which they profit.
Creating legislation is expensive and time consuming. To be honest, why bother? The cheats with dollar signs in their line of vision will find their way around it. Respect those who deserve respect. Their success may just lead us away from the need to try and arm-wrestle the cheats. Personally, I’d rather you give that legal and legislative arm-wrestling money to public schools.
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