Social contract severed

Sarah Rykken (Sept. 3) says keeping taxes low keeps capital free for the hiring and retention of workers. In theory.

Business owners and the extremely wealthy are not upholding their end of the social contract: Take what they need, perhaps some extra, and reinvest the rest back into their business in the form of expansion, keep jobs here at home, the opportunity for affordable health care and fair pay for fair work.

I used to work for a small business of 200 employees. The business prided itself on being local, a real family company. Employees busted their humps for this business because they believed themselves lucky to be a part of doing things the right way.

On the backs of 20 years of small-business tax breaks, the owner sold the company recently to the rumored tune of $20 million. Twenty employees have lost their jobs with more layoffs to come as the company is merged with a national company that is publicly traded. C’est la guerre, but I have a real problem knowing that I, as part of the middle class, helped this business owner succeed in such a manner.

Katie Delderfield

Spokane