As I was scrolling through the various diaries last night, I noticed an ad banner for South Padre Island, one of those "come visit us and see how wonderful we are" promos. Not that I have any desire to visit South Padre Island (I'm sure it's very nice), but something popped into my noggin:
Who normally goes to South Padre Island?
So, I went to the first place one goes to research such things: Wikipedia. From them, I have learned that it's a spring break destination for college kids and also draws families with its beaches and waterpark. And they have a music festival and fishing tournaments.
Who goes to South Padre Island? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's the millionaires and billionaires.
It's the middle class.
And if you shrink the middle class, you shrink the number of people who can go to South Padre Island, and accordingly, all those businesses who rely on the middle class visitors are going to lose money and possibly their businesses because nobody can afford to go there any more.
Destroy the middle class, destroy your business. Catchy slogan, don't you think?
So, don't you think it makes sense that we start driving this message home to business owners that if the middle class dies, their business dies?
And not just small businesses, but bigger family entertainment companies like Disney, Seaworld, Six Flags and Busch Gardens. And how about the chain restaurants like Outback, Olive Garden, PF Changs? I don't think Paris Hilton and the Walton family are dining there. But you know who is?
Middle-class families.
How about home improvement and home living/style stores like Lowes, Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond? I'm fairly certain that the upper crust wouldn't dare be seen dead in such places.
But my family would.
How about things like cars, appliances and electronics? Where would Ford, Kenmore and Dell be without the middle class? Much smaller or non-existant, IMHO.
If wages aren't keeping pace with inflation, and folks are losing their jobs left, right and center, well perhaps repainting the house or replacing the carpeting is going to have to wait, because there is no money to do it.
Destroy the middle class, destroy your business.
As Democrats, lefties, progressives, pro-labor, etc., we sometimes look at business as the enemy. Perhaps, we need to start reaching out to some of these companies and appeal to their basic business sense. We are the ones who are keeping them going, not the Rockefellers, not the Waltons, not the Hiltons. It's the Smiths, the Johnsons, the Millers.
I think small businesses understand this better than larger companies as evidenced by the outcry from small business owners that continuing the tax cuts will do nothing to create jobs. And with today's economic uncertainty, people are rolling back their discretionary spending and only buying the necessities.
That means no trips to Disney World, no more dinners at Olive Garden, and no new flooring from Lowes.
I'm not a business genius, but this seems to be a simple equation. You take away the buying power of your client base, you sabotage your business' success.
Destroy the middle class, destroy your business.
So, I'm asking for guidance. How do we get this message through? Congress seems to pay more attention to business (yes, primarily big business), but if we created a joint effort between businesses and workers lobbying on behalf of the middle class, I think Congress would take it much more seriously. How do we do this, and do you think businesses would get on board with this?
I'd love to get feedback from everyone. Am I on to something, or have I completely missed the mark?