Kansas needs to come up with a solution to ensure those who want a job will have a job. Not just a job, a job that pays well and has benefits, what I might call an "old fashioned job". Providing monetary benefits to the unemployed is necessary but is not a solution to the issue. It is time we focus on long term solutions.

Corporations have been in control long enough. Major corporations continue to receive tax breaks while at the same time they continue to nickel and dime their employees. Because corporations are lacking the responsibility they need to take for their employees, tax payers make up for it. Tax payers provide social services to minimum wage employees because the corporation refuses to pay an adequate wage. A wage a person can viably live on. Tax payers pay twice for a corporation. Once during tax time when a corporation makes use of the loopholes and second when employees are not receiving a living wage and state services need to step in.

House Bill 2538 proposes giving more tax breaks to big corporations at a time when Kansas cannot keep a balanced budget. It stated that for a business to save 95 percent of withholding taxes otherwise owed for new workers starting at five years, and for up to 10 years the business would be required to do several things; provide wages above the county median, provide benefits to full time employees, and must hire Kansas residents who are available before hiring non-Kansas workers when it comes to projects funded by state funds, tax increment financing or state tax and revenue bonds. The business would also be required to pay a $1,000 non refundable fee to apply for this tax benefit.

Unfortunately this bill did not even pass with the wording above. The phrase giving Kansas citizen's first dibs on jobs was struck out (even though it is Kansas citizen's paying for these tax breaks). The non refundable fee to apply was also struck out of the bill.

If we are going to give gracious tax breaks of any kind to our for-profit agencies then we must hold them to a higher standard. We must enforce corporations to pay adequate wages, and benefits, before consideration for a sales tax exemption, or tax exemption period. Corporations may deem this proposal unfair, but it is also unfair that everyday tax payers must make up for a company's inadequacies. We reach into our own pockets when a corporation fails to provide living wages. Unfortunately, every day tax payers don't cause the ruckus that corporations do. We don't have the funds to purchase lobbyists. We have something better, the power of the vote. We need to start paying attention and demanding a change. If we don't, we will not get it.

When we give large corporations such an advantage we are also blacking out small business. They just cannot compete. Corporations have owned America for a very long time, unfortunately corporate responsibility is no longer practiced. What I mean by corporate responsibility, in this sense is corporations taking adequate care of their employees so tax payers don't have to.

My father often has a comical way of saying things to click, or make sense. He told me that we might as well cash in all the money for public schools, get rid of education all together. If we don't do something to stop corporations from taking over, we will all just be working minimum wage jobs like those at Wal-Mart, tourists shops, or gas stations. Ford or Boeing will no longer need to compete with other minimum wage jobs. We will not need our education, as a matter of fact we wont want it. An education would let us know we are worth more, with an education we would not be able to just accept what was going on. We would be smart enough to know that something needs to change.

Let me clarify my point here. It is certainly NOT to get rid of public schools. My point is to demand better from American corporations. If they want tax breaks they need to play ball. Corporations should no longer feel entitled to my tax dollars. White collar welfare is alive and well. Unfortunately the media only chooses to focus on welfare given to our fellow citizens. It is a great deterrent from the real issue, the real expense that is given to citizens, white collar welfare. Unfortunately, we only focus on what we watch. Until white collar welfare is exposed as a scandal in the media we will continue to blame the poor and impoverished in America for what goes wrong. Corporations wouldn't have it any other way.