I don't think all layoffs are a good idea or good for a business in the long-term, but sometimes they are. They are part of a free market system that maximizes liberty, generally rewards merit, encourages innovation, and grows wealth.
Those who fault Romney for his responsibility in layoffs, or for saying that he likes being able to fire people need to realize that they have likely laid someone off or fired someone, too.
When you change service or product providers (or decided to do something yourself), whether we're talking about an accountant, lawyer, tutor, bank, insurance company, therapist, doctor, personal trainer, hair stylist, phone/Internet/television provider, magazine subscription, plumber, gardener, mechanic, auto dealer, dry cleaner, clothing store, restaurant - anything for which you have paid in the past - you are laying someone off, if even on a small or fractional scale. You are firing them.
Let's take the example of a mechanic that you weren't happy about. Maybe you found a better or less expensive mechanic and you switched. What happens if enough people do likewise, no longer taking their vehicles to that first mechanic? The mechanic either has to find a new line of business, move his or her business, improve his or her business, or retire. Or, maybe there was nothing wrong with the mechanic, but you decided you needed to save money and do your oil changes yourself, or paid your nephew less money to do it. That's a layoff or firing. What would you think if the mechanic were to pick your house and say that you earn enough that you should have kept going to him or her for your oil changes? What if your mechanic cited the model of car you drive as proof that you have enough to keep paying him or her for those oil changes?
Should you be prevented from laying those people off? Are you obligated to keep using the same person/provider for the rest of your life, just because you've used them before? Not if you don't have a binding contract with them.
If you have stopped buying paper books an adopted, as so many have, the use of electronic books, you have laid off paper and ink providers and those who transport paper, ink, and finished books. If you ever bought movies on VHS buy now buy them on DVD or Blu-ray, you laid off the people making VHS tapes.
When business managers lay people off, is usually out of a responsibility to business owners, which often means shareholders, which often includes many people on Main Street. The company must slim down or die, and even more people will lose their jobs and people will lose their investments. Business managers usually are not laying people off to be mean. But when we lay people off by changing our service or product providers, it is sometimes for petty or arbitrary reasons, sometimes for nepotism. Sometimes, we do it for the same reasons as managers like Romney - for the sake of efficiency.
Ideally, more jobs are created through new businesses, new companies, and growing companies, than lost through layoffs, but layoffs are a necessary part of how the market functions.
So those who point fingers are people like Romney need to take a look in the mirror first.
Previously:
Nobody Owes You a Job
Those who fault Romney for his responsibility in layoffs, or for saying that he likes being able to fire people need to realize that they have likely laid someone off or fired someone, too.
When you change service or product providers (or decided to do something yourself), whether we're talking about an accountant, lawyer, tutor, bank, insurance company, therapist, doctor, personal trainer, hair stylist, phone/Internet/television provider, magazine subscription, plumber, gardener, mechanic, auto dealer, dry cleaner, clothing store, restaurant - anything for which you have paid in the past - you are laying someone off, if even on a small or fractional scale. You are firing them.
Let's take the example of a mechanic that you weren't happy about. Maybe you found a better or less expensive mechanic and you switched. What happens if enough people do likewise, no longer taking their vehicles to that first mechanic? The mechanic either has to find a new line of business, move his or her business, improve his or her business, or retire. Or, maybe there was nothing wrong with the mechanic, but you decided you needed to save money and do your oil changes yourself, or paid your nephew less money to do it. That's a layoff or firing. What would you think if the mechanic were to pick your house and say that you earn enough that you should have kept going to him or her for your oil changes? What if your mechanic cited the model of car you drive as proof that you have enough to keep paying him or her for those oil changes?
Should you be prevented from laying those people off? Are you obligated to keep using the same person/provider for the rest of your life, just because you've used them before? Not if you don't have a binding contract with them.
If you have stopped buying paper books an adopted, as so many have, the use of electronic books, you have laid off paper and ink providers and those who transport paper, ink, and finished books. If you ever bought movies on VHS buy now buy them on DVD or Blu-ray, you laid off the people making VHS tapes.
When business managers lay people off, is usually out of a responsibility to business owners, which often means shareholders, which often includes many people on Main Street. The company must slim down or die, and even more people will lose their jobs and people will lose their investments. Business managers usually are not laying people off to be mean. But when we lay people off by changing our service or product providers, it is sometimes for petty or arbitrary reasons, sometimes for nepotism. Sometimes, we do it for the same reasons as managers like Romney - for the sake of efficiency.
Ideally, more jobs are created through new businesses, new companies, and growing companies, than lost through layoffs, but layoffs are a necessary part of how the market functions.
So those who point fingers are people like Romney need to take a look in the mirror first.
Previously:
Nobody Owes You a Job
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