THE BUSINESS OF A BUSINESS

I think I talked about this before, but it hit me again at how surprised I am that not all people think as I do. After all, my conclusions are derived by careful thought, intense research, and good old common sense.

What got me thinking this time was the Tony Dungy statement made a couple of weeks ago regarding the drafting of Michael Sam, who would be the first openly gay player in the NFL. To paraphrase what Dungy, a former  Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts and   coach, said: he said he would be concerned about drafting Sam only because of the distraction to the team that media coverage of Sam's attempt to make the roster would create.

Coach Dungy had no problem with Michael Sam being drafted or playing in the NFL. He merely said he would not want the distraction. That sounded perfectly logical to me. A coach is trying to manage a team to the championship, which is the job coaches are hired to do, and the job his customers (fans) expect him to do. Dungy simply felt the distraction caused by Sam, a 7th round draft pick whose chance of making the team was slim at best, would only interfere with a coach successfully doing his job.

Again, sounded logical to me and sounded like a good business decision, but the Left attacked him like he called for the beheading of every gay over 12 years old.

What was the difference between my Conservative view of the situation and the view of many Liberals? Am I a homophobe because I didn't jump on the "String up Dungy" bandwagon? I know I'm not, but why do I think the way I think?

It's all in the definition....

Conservative definition of a business: "The activity of making, buying, or selling goods or providing services in exchange for money." A person or group gets an idea of a product or a service they can provide that will be needed or wanted by another who will pay money for that good or service. The owner will design his or her business and all of its parts (equipment, employees, finances) in a way that will cost the least to produce the good or service so that he /she can sell more than the competitor.

Liberal definition of a business: " A person or group gets an idea of a product or a service they can provide that will be needed or wanted by another, who will pay money for that good or service. The owner will design his or her business and all of its parts (equipment, employees, finances) in a way that will provide the employees with a wage that will allow the employee to live a middle class life regardless of the employee's skill level or his/her contribution to the business. In other words, Liberals tend to think of a business as an incubator for social justice.

This is why, I believe, Conservatives and Liberals disagree on a government-mandated minimum wage. Should a business pay workers what the workers want from the business, or pay the workers what they are worth to the business?

It is also why the "Dungy disagreement" occurred. A coach is running a business. The introduction of an employee (Sam) that would undoubtedly interject a distraction thus impeding the coach's ability to provide his "customers" with the best product for the cost, is to be considered very carefully. Should a coach concentrate on winning more games or making a social statement?

This, I guess, is why all people don't think the way I do. We often times have a different core definition of the subject. If I believe the main objective of a business is to make a profit through concentration on the customer, and a Liberal friend sees the business as a way to implement social justice through concentration on the employee, we may have to agree to disagree.

There is a lot of that going around.........at least the disagreeing part.