By Nathan Jackson Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is leading a charge of merry CEOs to Washington DC, mocha in hand, to say to our elected leaders, “Hey Congress! Cut more social services and give us rich guys more money.”
They have a more subtle way of saying it, but that’s the primary message of the so called "Fix the Debt" organization, whose backers include Schultz, Chase Bank CEO Jamie Dimon, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, and many other 1% CEOs.
What message do you want to send to Schultz and his “cut, cut, cut” buddies?
Speaking of messages, in Washington DC Schultz actually made Starbucks baristas advocate for the “give the rich lower tax rates, cut every other social spending” message on customers’ cups--while they were working. These workers had to write a slogan that is in opposition to their own interests--by executive order from the CEO.
Let’s see how he likes getting a message from his customers.
Here’s a few ideas to get your mouth watering, but feel free to come up with your own. Our elected officials’ priorities should be: full employment, good jobs that pay living wages, the rich paying their fair share, and investing in quality education and healthcare.
We’ve tried the “tax breaks for the wealthy” double espresso before, and it didn’t lead to economic growth or good jobs. It led to the biggest recession since the Great Depression and a bitter taste in our mouths.
Starbucks is from here. It is one of the companies that people identify with Washington State. If their CEO wants to start advocating in the political sphere it should follow our shared community values--good jobs, quality healthcare, quality education and a tax system that makes the rich pay their fair share.