Quote from fframe38:
The reason you need integrity in the system is to prevent sweatshop scenarios that come from anti-competitive monopolies, price fixing, bribes of public officials, no pay equity, sexual harassment issues, etc. It also causes all participants (both corporate and individual) in the system to pay their fair share of taxes, rather than attempting to "free-load" off the rest by enacting loophole schemes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
The properly functioning system should to be self-regulating - in other words the government functioning with officials with integrity would attempt to level the playing field and prevent unfair oppression or discrimination, etc. The corporations would attempt to adhere by standards that would promote vigorous competition, but without resorting to illegal or immoral tactics to gain advantage. The employees operating with integrity would give a fair day's work for a fair day's pay, would not steal from the company, and would genuinely work for the best interest of the corporation as well as themselves. Corporations would ensure that the workplaces were safe for workers even though it would increase costs. The corporate boards would operate with a conscience by enforcing sanity in executive pay packages, and attempting to make sure that profits were shared more equitably throughout the employee ranks, rather than just concentrated at the executive levels.
Those corporations and individuals breaking the law would be dealt with immediately and with equal justice regardless of position or wealth. In other words, rich individuals or corporations could not "buy themselves out of trouble".
The basic argument is that the "trickle-down theory" of prosperity does not work correctly without integrity in every participant of the system. Since that is basically impossible, then you must take the proper steps to make sure that individuals are not taken advantage of by corporations or government.
Corporations should be dis-incentivized from replacing U.S. workers by hiring workers in other countries which are being paid "below-market" wages such as China, India, etc. To do otherwise is to profit at the U.S. worker's expense (who is now unemployed, or has lost wage bargaining power) and the foreign worker's expense (who is not being paid fairly for their work). To encourage massive outsourcing to other countries whilst the population at home is struggling and unemployed is at its heart immoral. Particularly because the supposed "cost savings" from such moves is not really passed onto the consumer through lower prices, but instead just enriches the corporation's leadership. Knowingly hiring illegal aliens should result in an immediate fine of $200,000 per illegal. In other words, take away the incentives to do the "wrong thing".
