It's Immoral to hire people!

So does this mean I am being "immoral" when I pay the neighbors kid $30.00 a week to mow and edge my postage stamp of a yard? Seriously. I am thinking about hiring a maid service to come in once a week to do a deep clean and disenfection of the house. Dad is going to start Chemo soon and his doctor has warned us about not letting him get sick during it (colds, flu, etc). So am I "immoral" for that? Heck I thought I was helping the economy.

First of all, Ted, butlers go to butler school and many if not most earn more per year than you or I do. Sure, the rich could learn to fend for themselves but, as long as there are people out there who need to earn a living, they're not going to. Life ain't fair, Ted, and the rich have as much right to spend their money as they see fit as the rest of us do. My husband's brother buys a yacht...my husband buys a Harley. My bro-in-law doesn't want a Harley and my husband doesn't want a yacht. Bro & Sis-in-law put in long hours between their business, community, social and family obligations so they have no time to cook, clean, mow the lawn or maintain the pool but that's the big business lifestyle they choose to live. Meanwhile, the lawn service companies, pool service companies, boat service & storage companies, cleaning companies, etc. are providing an income to those who need it.

I know their some rich people out there that had to work really hard to get where their at. They have earned it in my opinion and if they want to hire people for things it doesn't offend me in any way.

I hope this discussion is meant to be sarcastic, because I do not feel in any way that it is immoral to hire somebody (if I'm able) to do something that I really don't want nor have time to do. As you said also - these people would not have a job AT ALL if there were not people who needed their services and did not want to do the job themselves. For instance - if I make a little extra money this month, which I already know I will, I might just hire somebody to clean my house. Why not, since I will have 3 extra kids who are likely going to cause a little mess from time to time. Anybody with four kids all age 7 or under knows how hard it is to clean while occupying the kids, keeping them from fighting, feeding them, etc. I don't consider hiring a house cleaner or landscaping company just 'out of the blue', I have to justify it by having 'extra' money, but if I do, then I see no reason not to. That's how some people make a living - or THEIR extra money, and they are probably happy that I'd like to pay them. I hate yard work and cleaning is just barely under that, but it's not okay to not clean - or at least not have your house presentable if you are living in it lol. I don't consider it being dependent on others if you are hiring someone to do something for you that you would and can do without them should you WANT to. I do think it's self indulgent and not really helpful if say for instance, you hire someone to cook all the time for you because you don't know how and aren't willing to learn. THAT is just plain lazy. I know how to cook and I generally enjoy it, but from time to time I don't feel like it or don't have time, so that is when we go somewhere or order something.

If no one stops at the shoe shine people they will not make money. they make the choice to be there to do that job. I get flyers in my mailbox every week on people who are wanting to clean houses, or do my lawn etc. If they did not want to do these jobs then they need to educate themselves and find something else. We are not taking advantage of others, they are paid for their work.

What is wrong in working hard, being successful and making enough money to afford the "better things in life"? I don't see how the rich "make" someone cook and or clean house for them, chauffer them around, do their yard maintenance etc. These are all "jobs" that people apply for. No one "makes" them do it. While I think these types of jobs are all some are qualified to do, I think there are many that enjoy doing these jobs for the wealthy. I'm really not understanding where exactly you are coming from in thinking that people are MADE to do jobs such as yard work, shoe shining, car washing, etc etc etc. There are a lot of people out there that would gladly do any one of these type jobs in order to feed and clothe their families. So, if all those 'rich' people stopped hiring others to do the work for them, and all those people they hire would "not have to work", how would 'those' people survive? Welfare? Is that what you would really want for them?

Absolutely right! Then all the money the rich people saved by not hiring others to work for them could be taken by the government in taxes and given to those poor people. Surely it would be enough to pay for health problems that come with inactivity and mental problems that come with feeling useless, too. We could all just go on the government dole and take our pills and live long, unproductive and unhappy lives. What's wrong with that??

So you want to put all those people out of work? Think of all the people who need thr work as waiters, servants, housecleaners, etc. You can really take this too far if you think about it. You could have rich people go into restaurants and cook their own food, and serve it to themselves. It's going that way in certain businesses -- self-checkout, pump-it-yourself gas stations. Think of all the cashiers and gas station attendants that were put out of jobs. In NYC, self-service machines for metrocards to ride the subway have made the Metropolitan Transit Authority lay off token-booth clerks. So we need rich people to hire people to do jobs for them. As for exploiting them, not paying them enough, working them too hard and otherwise abusing them, we need to enforce employment laws and prosecute people who hire illegal aliens and taking advantage of them because they don't speak the language and are scared to speak up for fear of getting deported. We need to hire people and pay them a living wage and treat them humanely.

Personally, I always feel bad when I can't afford to avail myself of the services being offered by some enterprising person who is trying hard to make a living. A few days ago a young man with an engaging smile came to the door with a flyer offering painting services. He had printed these up on his computer, no doubt, but he had taken the time to devise a clever logo and catchy name for his "business" and I wish I could have hired him. We had just done a lot of painting in the house, but we could barely afford the paint, let alone a painter. If you ask me, it's these people who take the initiative to go out and find something that they can do to make money who are the backbone of the American economy. All great business giants started out as entrepreneurs, someone with an idea who went around and drummed up interest and business. If I were rich I would want to encourage this kind of self-promotion and work ethic. It's the entitlement attitude in this country that is killing the economy. Everyone wants an income, but no one wants to work.

Hi Parated, Well I have never been rich but myself and my husband had to work full time and I had a part time evening job and a young child so we did in fact in the end hire someone to clean on a Friday so that I didn't spend the whole of my weekend (my free time to spend with my family) doing chores although we always cooked for ourselves. This kept someone in employment for four hours a week at a decent wage and helped us out a great deal it wasn't that we couldn't be bothered butdid want to enjoy what little time we did spend together really. If the rich don't want to do it that is up to them at least people are kept in employment. It is only a problem when they nare not paid a decent wage to do so. Huggles. Ellie :D

Is this a joke? If not I don't think you thought this through. OK, lets say rich people did all their own house cleaning, washed their own cars and shined their own shoes how would the people who do these things now earn a living? Most rich people work to become rich and stay rich. And you know what? If I had the money to hire people to clean my house, clean my car or shine my shoes I would hire them so fast they would not know what happened. I see you use the word menial. This is very offensive. Maybe a job doesn't make a lot of money but when someone works hard for their money there is nothing menial about it.

At the end of the day, if cleaners and butlers didn't want to do that job, then they wouldn't. If nobody had them, they wouldn't be able to earn money for themselves and their families, and that might well mean that they'd be out of a job. I know some people might take advantage of their house staff, but we're never going to live in a world where everyone as amazing jobs and nobody is in a lower social class.. it's just not possible in my opinion, sorry.

Talk about preaching to the choir. ParaTed I'm assuming that something in the media has led you to believe that there is some sort of class war going on in the US. As you can see 4 pages of responses and so far no one hates rich people. I did meet a guy that hated rich people once when was 18. People like that are not numerous enough in America to make any difference. The differences between liberals and conservatives is much smaller than Television would ave you believe. The 2 party system is just a trick to make people think they have a choice. All politicians want the same thing and that's more power.

if you only knew... some of those that do menial jobs overseas, they are rich here and have their own maids here. my husband's uncle, works as janitor over seas, do other sideline jobs like clean house, clean toilets, etc. etc... but here he is actually a millionaire already, they have a very big house, car, all those money that they used to buy them came from his earnings doing menial jobs. i dont think its degrading, we are not rich but i had to hire a help because when we still had our business most of the time me and hubby are out and there at our shops, when we come home we both are tired, so the help do the cooking and cleaning of the house but she gets paid for it. when you are already tired and want to take a rest, its not being lazy asking somebody else to do the car washing and pay them for that job. some people dont are not that educated to look for good jobs, office jobs, it's the only thing they know. if nobody will hire them, then they will have no money for themselves, no food for their family.

I agree that this is the way it looks: that there are just a few rich people who are exploiting the masses of poor people. However, the reality is quite the other way round. It is the poor people who are actually feeding the fat cats so that they stay rich and can therefore employ them. It is the power of the masses. Just as in a beehive, there are many workers - far more than are really needed to feed the queen and the drones who seem to live a life of ease and luxury but are actually prisoners in their own hive. Think who actually makes all the fast, smart cars; the luxury yachts; the personal jets; who actually builds the large mansions and creates the large gardens that need maintenance. It is the small people, the 'people of no consequence' who do actually do the work and who, collectively, maintain the illusion that, if you are rich, you 'deserve' these things. Note how the collective mind (which is mainly made up, of course, of poor people) is so careful to build up an image of how a rich person should live. Every day you can watch TV programs and pick up glossy magazines which extol this false lifestyle. It isn't the rich people who are promoting this. They are far too few and, anyway, busy 'enjoying' their life style. Have you ever encountered one of the rich, who has all this needless stuff, REALLY encouraging others to be the same? Every now and again you might hear one of them boasting slightly but they don't really WANT the masses to join them: on the whole they prefer to keep a low profile but accept that the media (run, of course, by the workers) should pay them attention and hold up the life of ease as a model. It is all, really, a huge psychological brainwashing exercise which seeks to maintain the illusion that to be rich and have all the servants and goodies that you 'deserve' is something to be attained and that it shows you are 'someone' if you have them. Notice that it is NOT the rich who seek to perpetuate this illusion - it is the poor who do this: the masses. Some of them (some of us, indeed), are caught up in this illusion and have dreams and aspirations to one day 'make it big' and join the rich 'elite'. Of course, this is necessary because a few actually do realise that 'dream' and thus keep the myth going as it has to be kept going if the poor are to be kept employed. It is a very interesting by-product of this social system we are involved in that there are some who use the kind of arguments you quote as a way of saying that they see it as artificial but the arguments themselves are simply short-sighted and destructive. They don't offer a viable alternative because there really isn't one. That is the way that human society has been organised ever since we became social beings. Experiments with communism have been tried but the net results have always ended up by making just a few people much richer and 'more powerful' than the masses. That the 'power' resides with the rich is, of course, the big illusion, as the fall of the Roman Empire and of many other civilisations and the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution show. The real power exists as a collective will to keep the system going. We really do live in a communist society because that is what human society is and always has been by nature but the reality of communism is that, collectively, the last thing that we really want is for everyone to be equal.

I have to say that I agree and I disagree. The point of disagreement comes when the persons hired hand goes to a point where it becomes greedy. I dont see hiring someone to clean your house when you can afford it so that your family can enjoy time together after a busy day. Many want to come home to a clean house because the energy is drained by the end and you want to eat and enjoy your family. I would definatly hire someone to do that if I had that money. I would love it so much!!! I have also been a housekeeper and a grounds person. I really enjoyed that, got paid well and stayed pretty healthy.

When I first read this post, I thought, "are you crazy or on some substance?" But, then, I realized that you were just being you which means sarcastic. Funny!

I'm fairly certain everyone who works for the wealthy would prefer the opportunity for honest employment rather than the unemployment line. People are professional landscapers, cooks, maids, chauffeurs, etc. anyway - working for one wealthy person gives them the opportunity to limit their services to one household and still retain a steady, fat income. I'd do it.

Its the thing that makes rich people richer the way it was but counters as a benefit for the hired one. The only thing is that a give and take benefit would be good as long as its in a manner for betterment rather than for evil acts.

i dont think so. rich people are busy and just tired to cook or doing the chores. so they pay for housekeeper. this also gives the poor people works. and helps the poor indirectly.