Endangered Entrepreneurs

Herbert E. Meyer writes about the importance of entrepreneurs as the creators of jobs. He’s so close to being spot-on, but then he makes the following assertion:

We have reshaped our society to protect endangered species whose continued survival is of no discernible benefit, such as the black-footed ferret or the spotted owl, while blithely writing laws and regulations that threaten the survival of the one species — the entrepreneur — on whom our lives and welfare utterly depend.

No discernible benefit? So the whole of nature's splendor exists for no other reason than to serve a purpose for us? I guess we may as well shut down the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, since entrepreneurs are more important than some silly wildlife. And then those former FWS employees can line up at some entrepreneur's newly created minimum wage job!

And if we push forward anyway and actually do create a job — and assuming the company isn't hit with a multimillion-dollar fine because one morning I lost control of myself and said something vicious like, "You look nice today, Lucille" — rather than be celebrated for our achievements we will be berated or reviled for getting rich on obscene profits.

I don't mind people succeeding at business. Getting rich on obscene profits at the expense of the hard workers who earn them for you, though, is a different matter. I do mind people thinking that their personal wealth is somehow more important than the safety and well-being of all the people who work for them. I do mind executives' excessive bonuses and their golden parachutes, luxuries far beyond the reach of most of the employees working for Meyer's vaunted entrepreneurs.

But then again, I’ve never understood what the importance of all that wealth is. After all, you can’t take it with you. If only we could get these fabulously wealthy entrepeneurs to pursue Justice as Fairness …