Faithfully yours - Building a responsible society, part 2

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Published on Saturday, September 19, 2015

By Neil Strohschein

The Neepawa Banner

In last week’s column, I noted how rural communities were built by people who refused to buy into the idea that “The world owes us a living.” They believed that their communities would only be as good as the contributions they made to building them.

So they worked at their jobs during the day and after hours, they built the community facilities they and their families needed.

These people took great pride in their work. They dared to excel—to do the best they could with the resources they had; and many of the facilities they built are still in use today.

I have noticed with dismay how much of that sense of responsibility has disappeared, especially in the last two generations. So this week, I offer the following suggestions to help rebuild it so that our nation can remain economically and socially strong.

Our work begins at home and in the classroom. We need to teach our children that there is no such thing as a job “that is beneath their dignity.” Every job is important. Every job provides a valuable service to someone. Every job will help you develop the skills and abilities you need to better serve the people in your community. The pride you take in doing your best at a job that no one else may want to do will be noted by those you serve and by those who may, at some time in the future, choose to offer you a job with more responsibilities and a higher rate of pay.

Second, employers need to reward those who work hard by paying them a living wage. Ideally, this should be done at the employer’s initiative. But it hasn’t been—and so governments have had to step in and increase the minimum wage; at which point businesses have cried “foul” and laid off workers, arguing that they can’t afford to keep them on the payroll.

So these workers apply for and receive Employment Insurance and when that runs out, they may apply for and receive Employment and Income Assistance; both of which are funded by income taxes paid by businesses and individuals.

Governments fill a vital role here. When they raise minimum wage, they must also find ways to enable businesses (especially small business) to retain their employees, pay them well and still make a profit for their owners. The laws they pass must balance a business owner’s right to make a profit with a worker’s right to make a living wage. And those in government must lead by example—by not voting themselves excessive salary increases, taking for themselves financial benefits or other privileges that ordinary Canadians cannot access, or resorting to massive layoffs of front-line government workers in order to balance a budget.

The Scriptures remind us that “the workers are worth their wages” (1 Timothy 5:18). They urge us to develop an atmosphere of mutual respect in society—where business owners are honored for their investment in a community and workers are honored for their service to their employers and to those who patronize the business. These are high standards—but they are achievable.

Third, governments must not punish those who work hard by taxing huge amounts away from them. Taxes have their place—and they are to be paid. But those funds should only be used to provide services that individuals cannot afford to provide on their own. In a responsible society, individuals must pay their way and live within their means. It’s time governments did the same.