When the Declaration of Independence referred to all men being created equal, it certainly wasn’t referring to how much money people could make. There have always been the wealthy, the poor, and those in-between, but never have those disparities entered the political discourse as they have today. Is there really a 1 percent versus the 99 percent? Is the $100,000-a-year salary a fantasy for this generation, or is there still an abundance of high-income opportunities?
For several decades Dovid a father of a large Orthodox New York family seemed to be living the “American Dream.” A graduate of one of the country’s most prestigious universities Dovid worked his way up the ranks becoming a senior manager and departmental head at several multinational corporations. His compensation package reflected his hard work talent and the appreciation of his higher-ups.
Along came the recession. Dovid’s superiors notified him that his entire unit was being dismantled. Suddenly bereft of a livelihood in a market where new jobs were scarce Dovid upgraded his expertise by learning some new skills in an “up and coming” field where he eventually found a job. However even when totaling his experience and new skills he is now earning less than he did decades ago as a rookie in his previous field.
Dovid is thankful to Hashem for being a breadwinner once again but can barely hide his mistrust of the corporate world that callously cut him down in his prime. “The official reason we were given for the layoffs was ‘the economic downturn’” he says “but I have no doubt that it was simply a ruse to siphon off money from our department and transfer it to another part of the company that some executive preferred.”
Others involved in the corporate world report a better and different experience.
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