http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/opinion/25dowd.html?_r=1&em
Maureen Dowd, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, recently wrote an article in which she expresses her frustration at the fact that, while the American economy is struggling, business officials are off spending our money at their lavish events.
The article begins with the Northern Trust of Chicago. In a posting on TMZ.com, the website stated that shortly after receiving $1.5 billion in bailout money, the company sent employees to Los Angeles where they were treated to "posh hotels, salmon and fillet mignon dinners, music concerts..." and a variety of other luxurious perks. Choosing to include this example in the front of the article underscored Dowd's opinion that these businesses were sly and sneaky. Readers could then identify with a solid example of this deceit and wonder: Did they really need the $1.5 billion bailout? Shouldn't that taxpayer money be put to good use? Why am I paying for luxurious "business trips" for other people?
Dowd continued to emphasize her belief as she referred to the Northern Trust as "Northern No Trust" and "Northern Untrustworthy" at various places throughout the article. This element was successful in presenting her beliefs to the public as she offered the readers not-so-subtle clues that this company was deceitful; just bad!
I agree with what Dowd is saying because it seems like companies oftentimes participate in luxurious "meetings" such as these, but are they really necessary? In a time when many Americans are out of work or struggling financially to make ends meet, is it fair and morally right that these other employees are living such a glamorous and luxurious life? In my opinion, companies such as Northern Trust need to cut back on this type of spending because that is not where taxpayers want to see their money going. I think these big companies need to make some sacrifices so more jobs can be made available in society and more Americans can obtain financial stability.
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I agree both with Dowd and your position on this issue. American's are very trusting in government, and pay taxes not always knowing what that money is going towards. It is a shame that businesses cannot wake up and realize that they need to cut back on unnecessary spending, and focus on creating revenue and stimulating the economy. As far as the lavish trips are concerned, I think that business has been practiced that way for so long that is going to be a rough transition into a new world where these kinds of arbitrary spending are cut from company budgets.
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