Formula for labor success

As the CEO of a fast-growing, profitable insurance company, I have a unique perspective on creating private-sector jobs.

 My formula for success begins and ends with honoring the workers who sell and service our product. For more than 50 years, American Income Life Insurance, based in Waco, has negotiated union agreements with our employees. We have never had a layoff or a strike and have consistently grown our home office staff and agency workforce. We create jobs in every state.

 So how do you create private-sector jobs during the worst financial crisis in our country? You get rid of the notion that austerity will solve the problem. First, you say no to layoffs, and then you say no to stagnant wages. You say no to forced time off without pay, and finally you say no to increased employee contributions for health and welfare benefits.

 By cooperating with our union workforce, increasing the amount of money invested in recruiting, hiring, retaining and training talent, we have happier and more productive workers. Collective bargaining is a powerful vehicle to increase corporate growth. And productive workers create the demand for additional jobs.

This Labor Day. let us honor the unsung, unappreciated and sometimes unnoticed engine behind our economy: the workers who make us grow and prosper.

 Roger Smith, president and CEO, American Income Life Insurance Co., Waco

Upcoming November elections

Republicans and conservatives hyperventilating at the prospect of wresting control of Congress from Democrats in November are advised to breathe into a paper bag and remember that Republicans held Congress and the White House for more than a decade and were largely ineffectual in advancing the conservative agenda. Spending went up, abortion remained a moral blight, and federal intrusion into our daily lives grew unabated.

A conservative victory in midterm elections might stem the pace of damage, but only a veto-proof majority in both houses of Congress would enable a rollback of Obamacare and stifle the tax-avalanche about to crush us all come Jan. 1.

Gary Stokes, China Spring

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America is arriving at the gates of destiny. The America I once knew is making a transformation instigated by political stealth. A new and hybrid agenda, carrying the weapons of deceit, is lying in the belly of a Trojan horse as it makes its way to encounter the Statue of Liberty.

Patriots of America, we have a calling. Are we to watch the beast of malfeasance descend on the symbol of patriotism and freedom without donning our body armor?

If we do not rise and pull the bridle from its mouth, the Statue of Liberty will be no match for the ensuing destruction.

Marxist liberalism is what is lying in the belly of the machine. The torch of freedom awaits the collision. We will hear the sounds of battle in November, and we must hope, pray and believe the Statue of Liberty will be the only one standing.

Mario Scorza, Waco

‘Spend-crazy Congress’

When will we voters learn? It should be embarrassingly obvious by now to everyone that the ideology of President Barack Obama is in total opposition to the simple meaning of our Constitution. To make matters worse, we have a self-serving group of puppets in Congress who go along with everything he and his czars suggest.

I am fed up with hearing how money is being spent on useless, unnecessary projects and personal comforts with no concern whatsoever to the taxpayers.

I would never try to claim that George W. Bush did everything right, but why don’t we hear about the fact that the last four years of his term, the spend-crazy Congress was dominated by Democrats?

I am at the age where my life expectancy is rather limited. However, I am extremely concerned about my grandchildren having to face these frightening changes to the American way of life. Remember Obama ran his 2008 election campaign on “change.” Does anyone who voted for him think this was the change they expected?

Oscar Holgerson, Clifton

Harry Potter comparison

Trib guest columnist Susan Nelson [“ ‘Mudbloods’ & immigrants,” Aug. 29] must live in the same fantasy world with Harry Potter. What is wrong with requiring that immigrants meet certain requirements to move to this country? Why shouldn’t we keep the murderers and rapists out of this country? We have enough homegrown ones already. If you are a good citizen in your home country and you want to immigrate to the United States, we would love to have you. But if you sneak across the border under cover of night, it doesn’t matter what country you are from — you are breaking the law and a criminal and you don’t deserve to be here.

If you want to move here to make a better life, do it the right way. I have a friend who is a first-generation American. His parents immigrated from Greece. They did it the lawful way with visas and then citizenship.

Immigration is a wonderful thing. and we all welcome new ideas. But when you get here, you should become a citizen and not allow yourselves to be taken advantage of. Don’t be a servant, be a leader.

John Baxter, Waco

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The Harry Potter series is about good versus evil. There is nothing evil about American citizens expecting immigrants to live here legally. Any immigrant who illegally crosses our border, or who stays after his or her visa expires, is breaking important laws that protect this country.

Melissa Closs, Waco