So, since I've already had a controversial topic once this week, why not try for another?
Of course, we've all heard about this Walmart situation, in which a Walmart held a food drive for its own employees, which has sparked an enormous debate about the clear irony that a company, which pays it's CEO multi-millions of dollars, has employees that can't "afford to buy themselves food." Weighing in on the debate was none other than Ashton Kutcher, calling Walmart out on Twitter to bring attention to the fact that they don't pay a working wage. Yep, Mr. Kutcher. Mr. $700,000 a week Kutcher. Mr. I-can-talk-a-big-talk Kutcher, who probably makes as much as that CEO does, yet doesn't pay hardly anyone with his own salary.
Look - I am not going to sit here and say that I agree that anyone in this world should ever make as much as either the CEO of Walmart or Ashton Kutcher do, no matter what you do for a living. There is no job to me that is that important to pay someone that ungodly amount of money. HOWEVER, I am a capitalist at heart and feel like people should earn as much as they can earn. I don't want someone telling me someday, when I start a business or write a book, what salary I can cap out at. If people thought about it that way, they wouldn't want anyone telling them that, either. The beauty of America is that someone's financial position in life can change in a heartbeat, both ways, and if you were to be poor one day and rich the next, I doubt you'd want someone to come by and say, "Well, I think you only deserve to make $30,000 off the sale of your highly-wanted book, the rest of it needs to go to the people who need it most." However, what makes me a Christian is that even though no one should ever impose helping others on you and cap your salary, it should be in your heart to do it on your own.
To get to the point, Mr. Kutcher is part of a section of Hollywood people who think that using their power and voice is calling out a company that employs the most people in the US for not paying people enough, when they themselves sit on a mound of money, in incredibly large houses and employ a team of people whose only job is to make them look good, get them out of trouble, and get them jobs. Well, I am guessing if the rest of us had that luxury, those Walmart employees wouldn't be working at Walmart. If you want to make a difference, then start a company with your large pot to draw from and pay people what you think they should make (considering you could employ 28 Walmart employees for one year off the money you make in one episode, oh exalted one), don't just sit on your high horse and shout down at those of us who don't meet your worthiness.
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