Tax The Poor!

No, this is not about balancing the federal budget on the backs of the 99%, so please call off the Czar of Fair Shots. Adam Smith, in his seminal work describing intelligent and enlightened capitalism (popularly referred to as The Wealth of Nations), insisted that all citizens should pay some tax, however small, into the national coffers.

His ultimate point was that an engaged citizenry could feel good about contributing to the country's economic well-being, if only at a token level - that their voices had legitimacy. It's a little like the parable of the widow's mite, in which a trivial sum, given with some sacrifice, might have more value than a large amount , which might not be missed by someone wealthy.

Today, we see vast numbers of our citizenry who pay no Federal income taxes whatsoever, and armies of folks who receive so-called entitlements and transfer payments from various governmental entities.

Translating the notion to our world of supply chain management, I wondered how many working practitioners simply do their jobs and collect regular paychecks (admittedly paying taxes) without thinking much about what they might contribute to continuous improvement in their companies, or how they could help to advance the profession.

We need, in a healthy and vibrant profession, people who are putting in, as well as taking out. Let's not slide into an environment in which half of us are not contributing to growth and excellence, but are merely taking home their wages.