Abigail Disney's Stunt Against Capitalism

Ultra Rich Leftist Loons Need to Spare Us the Guilt Trip!

By Rich Kozlovich

On July 16, 2109 Nicole Lyn Pesce published an article entitled, Disney heiress 'livid' after going to one of her family's theme parks undercover, saying:

"So much for the “Happiest Place on Earth.” The heiress to the Disney fortune recently went to one of its theme parks undercover and says the visit made her livid."  

"Abigail Disney told the Yahoo News show “Through Her Eyes” that a worker sent her a Facebook message expressing how tragic being employed at the Magic Kingdom has become. So she went to Disneyland to see it for herself."  

“Every single one of these people I talked to were saying, ‘I don’t know how I can maintain this face of joy and warmth when I have to go home and forage for food in other people’s garbage,’” Disney, 59, told Yahoo News host and human rights activist Zainab Salbi in an interview posted Monday.

Apparently she thinks her experience in life, which as far as I can tell means feeling guilty for being worth 120 million dollars she never earned, qualifies her to criticize the CEO, who has 200,000 people employed worldwide.

Now, I will agree that paying anyone a yearly $65 million dollar pay package to be the CEO is “insane”, but that's not germane to the issue at hand. It's a logical fallacy designed to evoke a feeling of outrage about "fairness".  And I keep coming back to the same question.  Who wrote the book of fair? 

Is it fair some live in poverty and others live in luxury? Maybe it is! Fairness isn't about equal outcomes. It's about equal opportunities. If any individual or group of individuals fail to take advantage of the opportunities life offers, why does that become the responsibility of others?

If someone takes a diametrically opposing view of life refusing to get educated; refuses to get and hold a job; live on welfare; live as drunkards or are drug addicted; live irresponsible lives and end up in poverty and misery; why isn't that "fair". Isn't that what we should expect for such behavior?

So then, why is it fair for the rest of us to have to support lazy or irresponsible people?  Now, if you want a definition for what's not fair, that's it! 

Why is it paying employees a "starting" wage of $15 an hour, which is over $31,000 a year based on a 40 hour work week, including a "free education package" to help them get ahead in life "unfair"?

This story leaves out some important information.

If an employee's "starting" wage is $15 an hour, what's the top wage?  What's the average wage?  What's the typical wage?  And how many are in those categories? 

Why didn't the writer address that?  Because it didn't fit the narrative they're pushing.  The average wage at Disney $19.50 an hour.  On a 40 hour week that's over $40 thousand dollars a year.  And this is the average, not the typical wage, or the top wage.  For all we know the typical wage, which is the wage most earn, could easily be over $50 thousand dollars a year, and who knows what the top wage is for non-managerial staff.  And that's unfair? 

Disney pays for their health insurance with the worker's contribution starting at $6 a week.  Companies are paying health insurance costs of ten to fifteen thousand dollars a year, and somehow an employee having to contribute $310 dollars a year is "unfair". 

Does this foolish person know and understand how much Disney pays in health insurance?  Does she know how many people in this country, with company health insurance, are paying a whole lot more than 310 dollars a year? Answer.  I doubt she knows, I doubt she cares, that's not part of the narrative.

Clearly, she's not the brightest pebble in the Disney brook.

A Disney representative responded regarding the education package saying:

Our Disney Aspire initiative is the most comprehensive employee education program in the country, covering 100% of all tuition costs, books and fees so our hourly workers can pursue higher education free of charge, and graduate free of debt.

Is she aware of how big that is?  Is she aware of how much debt Americans are incurring over student loans? That currently totals 1.5 trillion dollars, and she's "livid" over the way Disney employees are treated.  The Disney company is giving these people a huge step up in life if they're willing to work at it.

The Disney response went on to say:

Under Bob Iger’s leadership, Disney has made an initial commitment of $150 million to fund this program in the first five years, and will continue to make significant investments to make Disney Aspire available to as many employees as possible,” the statement continued. “Disney also provides flexible schedules and subsidized childcare to make it easier for employees to take advantage of this opportunity — and we’re proud that more than 40% of our 88,000-plus hourly employees have already signed up to participate.”

And with all that they can't smile for the customers?

Of course Abigail Disney thinks $150 million is chump change.  Well, maybe it is, but it's $150 million dollars they didn't have to commit in the first place.

According to the author:

"nearly three-quarters of full- and part-time employees (73%) said that they didn’t earn enough money working at Disneyland Resort to pay for basic expenses each month. More than half were worried about being evicted, and about one-tenth reported being homeless in the previous two years."

What?  How much does it take a year to live in Florida?  And if conditions at Disney are so bad they can't "act" happy at work; they can't pay their bills; they're homeless; they're losing their homes;  foraging for food from the neighbors garbage; I have to ask: Why don't they quit and get another job?  Or better yet, why don't they get a second job part time?

How about this! Maybe those making these claims, assuming any of that's true, are not able to get other work due to lack of education or skills, and maybe they're lazy, and maybe they're actually being overpaid for what they do?  Is that possible?  I don't know, but Abigail Disney is absolutely clueless, and I don't care what she says about what her grandfather "thought", because I seriously doubt if she really knows what he thought.

Do you really believe he (Roy Disney, not Walt Disney) discussed his business plans and thinking to his granddaughter, who was in no way going to take over the business?  I don't! And I would be shocked if Walt did, and Walt was the boss. 

But now we come to the heart of the issue:

"Disney, whose own net worth is $120 million, joined a group of 19 ultrawealthy Americans, including George Soros, who signed an open letter to the 2020 presidential candidates last month calling for a moderate wealth tax on the richest 1% to help reduce inequality. She recently told The Cut that she has donated $70 million to charity over the past 30 years. "

First of all, that proposed 1% isn't going to reduce inequality.  It would be wasted in the great bureaucratic wasteland known as the federal bureaucracy.

Secondly, can she explain what inequality means?  Does it mean everyone makes the same amount of money?  That's what it sounds like, and the fact she donated $70 million dollars over the last 30 years is another logical fallacy known as a non sequitur, meaning her contributions have nothing to do with the issue at hand. 

What's far more telling is the fact she signed an open letter to all 2020 Presidential candidates with Soros, a far left wing lunatic who's working to  impose socialism worldwide, is a clear demonstration of just how clueless she is, as she's clearly part and parcel of that insane movement spouting nonsense saying:

"We need to change the way we understand and practice capitalism." She told members of a House committee that companies should deliver returns to shareholders "without trampling on the dignity and rights of their employees."

So, exactly what rights are companies trampling?  No one is forced to work for anyone.  This is America. You can walk out the door and find something that suits your needs and wants.  You can walk out the door and start your own business for that matter. 

This isn't about being paid too little, it's about being paid "equally".  No one ever seems to able to explain to me what that means.  Does inequality mean everyone should be making the same amount of money, no matter their skills, work ethic, education or whether or not they own a business.  A business they started?  A business that became successful by working amazingly long hours, putting their house on the line, going without pay checks to meet payroll.   If a company owner does all of that and his janitor makes the same money, why should he bother?  And if that happened would there be an economy? 

The article goes on to say:

"She also told Yahoo in the new interview that she’d emailed Iger her concerns, telling him he was “a great CEO by any measure, perhaps even the greatest CEO in the country right now,” and urging him to “be known as the guy who led to a better place, because that is what you have the power to do.”

So, what constitutes a better place? What does she think everyone should make? What does she think Iger should offer employees?  She doesn't say, and she doesn't say because she hasn't a clue, and it's no wonder Iger no longer responds to her communications.  She's a loon, and if her name hadn't been Disney, no one would ask for her opinion or care what was her opinion!

I will say this.  Based on Walt Disney's history, who was noted for not overpaying his employees, and the history of his struggle to make Disney enterprises famous and successful, it's my conviction, if he was alive today, he'd have wanted to wash her mouth out with soap.   She and her ultrawealthy friends need to stay home and suffer their wealth guilt without burdening others.

Do you feel guilty you were born in America with all the privileges and rights so many others lack?  Do you feel guilty we have access to the greatest health care system in the world, when others have little or none.  You may reasonably feel sorry for them but there's no reason to feel guilty for the bounty America provides. Bounty that was created by those who actually know what it takes to generate capital.  Capital which created the greatest economic engine the world has ever known. 

That economic engine that created a system so equitable that everyone has a chance to make a good life for themselves and their families, if they're willing to work at it.  It's called American capitalism, and the only economic equality we should be concerned about is that all continue to have an equal chance to go for the brass ring.  All else is nothing more than leftist scams and con jobs by either corrupt leftists or useful idiots. 

Let's face it, this was nothing more than a stunt.  She was undercover?  Really?  Get real, who's kidding who? She's an embarrassment.