"Arbeit macht frei", work makes you free, is the sinister slogan used by the Soviets, then by the Nazis, especially in the concentration camps. Today's consumer society wants us to believe that it is by spending that we become happy. And to spend, we must work before, or worse, after. Of course, we are very far from the atrocious suffering inflicted on the prisoners of the concentration camps. With our housing and our car, we even have the illusion of freedom. However, most of the time, these do not belong to us and we must work so that a third person (physical or moral) allows us to enjoy them.
Work first and foremost frees the one who exploits workers. By making his margin on their backs, he makes profits and enriches himself thanks to the dividends of his company. The only way for an employee to become free is neither by working nor by consuming, but by buying the shares of companies that exploit workers, to become bosses themselves, in their own way.
Work has never made one free. On the contrary, it is a form of servitude. It imposes productivity and schedules to be maintained over the long term (which ends in physical and/or emotional exhaustion), in exchange for a periodic amount of money, which must cover the employee's various needs. A good part of these are also generated by the marketing departments of multinationals., who themselves exploit their employees. I offer you a job, but in exchange I make a margin on both your work and your purchases. In short, whether we consume or work, we get screwed. And in the end, when you are no longer good for anything, you are thrown away like an old pair of socks.
In addition to the margin you pay to the multinational when you buy its products, you pay VAT to the State. In addition to the added value that your boss gives you, you pay social security contributions and taxes on your income. Not only do companies rip you off, but the state does at least as well. Your work frees your boss and senior officials, but not you, that's for sure.
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A left-wing post on a stock market blog is rare enough to be worth noting.
Well done Jerome.
Thanks Thierry. But the State also takes its share… I am a liberal, so rather right-wing in theory. But neither the right nor the left defends the interests of the middle class, the one that works and keeps the system alive.
Good morning,
I share your feeling that employees only get crumbs compared to their work. For my part, I feel it day by day within my company. In the long term, getting out of the usual system could be an opportunity in times of crisis, contrary to what is said. Indeed, States are over-indebted and will not be able to help all sectors of activity. As someone who works in construction, which corresponds to 20 % of the French GDP, I know that there will be damage. As a result, I decided to train or educate myself throughout my life by finding interests such as finance, economics or sports in order to find new professional opportunities.
Let's stop relying on social benefits, especially in France, because sooner or later the social model will explode. Sorry, but this is a reality that will come when the French wake up too late. Consequently, our pay-as-you-go pension system is no longer viable. Personally, my retirement is buried. Unfortunately, my work colleagues criticize me for my pessimism without tangible arguments.
On the other hand, my words should not encourage young people or those less young to leave France because it is full of undeniable assets that are poorly exploited. This is mainly due to fiscal instability. The only solution to survive this system that has lasted for 30 years is to become a rentier by favoring productive investments at the economic level such as shares. The best is to start as soon as you enter working life.
Sincerely.
Read my latest GenY Finances post:
http://geny-finances.blogspot.fr/2013/02/pari-contrarien-revanche-or.html
Hi Sovanna and thanks for your comment. Indeed we can only count on ourselves. The welfare state is drained, plundered by senior civil servants. The big bosses always want more, relocate to emerging countries, destroy jobs here and worsen the working conditions of those who remain. The middle class works to fill the pockets of these big bosses and pay taxes to ensure the salaries of senior civil servants. This whole system is well-oiled. The only way out for the middle class is to rely on its own strengths, its work, its education, its autonomy. To get the share of the pie that is due to it and that it deserves, it must become independent, undertake, invest, like the bosses.
…. and never have politicians sought to stupefy the working classes so much so that this system could continue. Not a single government, left or right, not a single European country has banned the stupid reality TV shows that the working and middle classes watch for hours on end when they come home from work.
The expression "bread and circuses" has never been more relevant. The games of the circus are now every night for the people when they go home and turn on their television.
It was also a left-wing government in France that cut the budget for the show "c'est pas sorcier"... That shows how rotten the system is and the political elites especially do not want an educated working class to emerge!
The downward leveling of education for the working and middle classes is the best bulwark to ensure that nothing changes in this political system and its privileges.
As a business leader, I am disgusted to see the corruption and dishonesty of our so-called elites. Businesses need trained and responsible employees to prosper. We need honest employees, who have moral values and who have mastered the basics of school ... but today we have a generation in the job market addicted to reality TV and with the associated rotten mentality! Thank you politicians!
Oh that's well said romL!
Good morning,
The word boss means: "manager of a company". This word is confusing because by using the word boss all the time, the vast majority of the population ends up no longer making a distinction between the REAL boss (the one who created his company) and the "employee manager" who only passes through, filling his pockets in the process.
I remind you that the REAL boss is the one who has invested part of his capital, or even all of his capital, in his company. If the company goes bankrupt, he often loses much more than the initial capital.
His only salary is the one paid to him by his company (and sometimes only if the company is profitable). There is no question of dividends, stock options, golden parachutes or other things...
The REAL boss has no other objectives than to make his company profitable so that it survives, if possible invests, develops and HIRES.
The REAL boss is sometimes paid less than some of his high value-added employees.
And the REAL boss is not looking to lay off people "economically" to make more profits.
Finally, if through willpower and hard work, his company ends up making money, even a lot of money, it is normal that the REAL boss has a return on investment that is high compared to his risk-taking!
The “employee manager” receives a remuneration that is out of all proportion to his risk, since he does NOT take any!
In the future, please use a non-confusing term (or be more specific) so that people stop comparing their REAL boss to a "managing employee".
THANK YOU !
A former REAL boss who was fed up with:
The State that does NOTHING for SMEs.
Buyers from large groups who are paid more than a REAL boss and who ONLY have the words "low cost" on their lips.
From his own employees who no longer know how to distinguish between a REAL boss and the “executive employees”.
Paul, we agree, we are not talking here about SME bosses, entrepreneurs in the strict sense of the term, for whom I have infinite respect. We are only talking about the "wolves" who navigate from one large company to another in search of the highest profits. Thank you for your feedback which has the merit of clarifying the situation.
How is this a left-wing post, Thierry?
This is a liberal post that denounces exploitation through:
1. The companies' margin
2. State taxation
Isn't it the left that systematically campaigns for an increase in taxes, duties and all sorts of compulsory levies?
On the contrary, in a truly liberal state, which the left rejects, companies would no longer be able to generate such large margins.
Claude, you have clarified one of my paradoxes in a few lines! Thank you 😉 Nevertheless, would even more liberalism improve workers' conditions? Maybe yes, because companies should get the best out of their employees and therefore offer them excellent working conditions in return... maybe no, because they should reduce their costs as much as possible to maintain their margins. It all depends on their strategy: cost management or domination by quality/innovation. And with that, the type of workforce that goes with it. It is clear that a company with low added value will be able to separate from its employees, relocate and squeeze the lemon from those who remain, while a high-tech company will have to provide its staff with the best possible conditions. But all this remains theory because in reality we will find companies that are very generous with their employees or on the contrary very restrictive, in all kinds of situations, growth or not, added value or not.
As for my company (a large cap of the DJ30 …), dividends have been increasing for 11 years, profits have increased by 12%/year since 2005 and constant pressure to freeze the payroll in the West/Japan and reduce staff. Moreover, a severance plan with compensation affecting 8% of French employees should soon be announced. Provided that I meet the criteria and can benefit from the severance pay ;-). I need to regain control of my decisions, therefore within a smaller group or even as an independent.
PS: if I add that Buffet invested in my company in 2011 and that it relocates many services to India, you should be able to know which company I am referring to... for those who are curious, reply in a private message.
I think I found it, but isn't it rather 9 consecutive years of dividend increases 😉?
Answer here with xxx for the 3-letter company name: http://www.xxx.com/investor/financials/. All dividends paid since 1913… non-stop increases since June 2000, so almost 13 years.
so I was wrong 🙁
Hi Yves,
If IBM lays off employees with a €100,000 bonus like Oracle, I understand that you're interested in being on the list... 😉
but IBM has had 17 consecutive years of increasing dividends!
watch out for the 1997 split!
you misled us Yves 😉
Hello Jerome, the pound sterling is showing some weaknesses and yet the United Kingdom is reforming better than the Eurozone. So I am looking for potential dividend-increasing stocks based in London. What do you think of SSE.L (Scottish Southern Electricity)? I am a shareholder of this hydro-electric company at the start, therefore clean energy since its IPO in 1991 ;-). Other quality stocks according to your selection criteria?
Hi Yves, I don't know the English market very well but I looked at this title which seems interesting. However I have some questions about the dividend distribution ratio, more than 300% according to Financial Times
http://markets.ft.com/research/Markets/Tearsheets/Financials?s=SSE:LSE
Good evening Jerome, according to this source http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/SSE:LN in line with my recent readings, this group makes an annual dividend distribution of 0.80 for an Earning Per Share of 1.13, i.e. a distribution ratio of 70%. We are entering a somewhat risky zone after 22 consecutive years of dividend increases. Note that the yield is comfortable at 6.3% and that the Scots are not the worst at managing our money ;-).
uh... I'm a little tired, but I don't see the same numbers as you 😉 even on bloomberg?
ah yes, I found it, you based it on the estimated EPS 03/2013, I see where the difference comes from this time!
Very interesting, an article that borders on populism on a financial blog proves that you remain objective in your approach and it makes you want to follow your publications. What you advocate (buying company shares) reminds me of a movement whose name I no longer remember but in which English proletarians grouped together en masse to buy shares and thus hold the capital in a collective name... In short, thank you for this very motivating and positive article!
A very nice rant, I believe, and I think that many small bosses would applaud you. Because you said it and I think that it is also the big problem, there are too many "high" civil servants and "big" bosses who feel free in this system for it to change. Thank you for this rant
Thank you Clementine.
I was lucky to have this freedom for several years. The problem comes from the administration and the politicians who know nothing about the world of work. In short, it's a mess if you'll allow me this vocabulary.
As proof, the URSSAF in my region (Picardy) have merged to better serve the taxpayer. I requested the administrative closure of my company at the end of January 2013. On May 3, 2013, the administration still has not taken my request into account.
I have dozens of anecdotes of this type... I too would be a rentier when I had set up another structure, but not with the help of France.