[EDITORIALS]Fix polarization with jobs
Published: 20 Apr. 2006, 22:23
A majority of those who took the poll said the polarization between rich and poor could only be resolved when companies boost their investments, creating more jobs.
This is exactly what we have been saying for a long time now.
The public knows that the problem of polarization fundamentally lies in the slow growth and poor performance of companies, which end up cutting jobs.
The biggest victim of the stagnant economy and the nation’s low growth is the lower class.
Polarization is a situation in which those in the middle income class become lower class the moment they lose their jobs and those in the lower income class are pushed further down, into extreme poverty.
The only way to cure the problem of the polarization is to go to the root cause. Through economic growth, jobs will be created, leading to higher incomes for the middle and lower classes.
To do this, an environment in which businesses can invest more must be created. This can only be done if regulations that are holding back companies from making further investments are rolled back.
Only 10 percent of those polled said the government should spend tax money to create jobs.
The survey’s participants know that there is a limit to government support and that it should be companies that create jobs, not the government. No one agreed with the proposal that the government should resolve the polarization of income class by forcefully redistributing wealth.
Some people, though, did like the idea of the government collecting more taxes from the upper class and using the money to support the less fortunate.
But the solution to polarization is clearly laid out; restoring the middle class by creating jobs. If the government is truly interested in solving the problem of polarization, it should stop propagandizing the distribution of wealth as the solution to the problem of polarization ― unless, of course, they plan only to use the problem for political purposes, by encouraging class conflict.
The government should instead focus on encouraging companies to increase their investment, which is what the public wants.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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