Is Stealing From The Corporation Really Stealing?, by S.C.

 Print This Post Email This Post Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit Google LinkedIn LinkedIn

Every day I encounter people, at my workplace, at my church, with friends going out to dinner, et cetera, who are doing something I find questionable, to say the least. For some reason, otherwise ordinarily honest people who you could trust if you left a stack of twenty dollar bills out on your table do not consider that taking money or goods from a corporation is stealing at all. This has been driving me crazy for the last several years as I see more and more people doing it.

Thou Shalt Not Steal

I go to what I would consider a “strict” church, and my preacher never preaches on matters such as these. All he seems to talk about is how if you drink or cuss you are going to hell. Well, shouldn’t we start with the Ten Commandments and then work our way down from there, namely “Thou shalt not steal”? Okay, I’m not a big fan of drinking or cussing, I have to admit. But why are those the number one priority?

Lying On Hours Worked

I know people who lie on the amount of hours they work every week just to get some overtime. They need some extra money, so they falsify their hours in order to get those extra dollars on their paycheck. How is that not stealing? I think that is stealing from every other employee in the company through lost raises, lost profits, bonuses, et cetera. Oh yeah, they will justify it by things such as “I am underpaid.” My response is, you agreed to work for the dollar amount you are working for when you took the job, and by staying at the company you are agreeing to work for the amount you are being paid.

The story in the Bible that tells where people were complaining about people coming to the job site late and being paid the same amount as the ones who worked all day comes to mind. If you are underpaid, you have two options in my opinion– ask for a raise or quit. Stop stealing and lying to pad your pocketbook!

Stealing Supplies From the Company

Others I know steal things as ridiculous as coffee, toilet paper, and paper towels from the company. I am being serious! I’ve caught someone walking out the door with these items and was so surprised I didn’t know what to say. They simply said, “I ran out at home.” Another justification is typically, “Well, the CEO makes so many millions of dollars per year he can’t even pay me X thousand a year.”

Workers Take Pay Cuts To Pay For Theft Loss

I have news for you on this front. The CEO is going to make millions regardless of how much you steal. His salary is built in; it’s guaranteed. It is the ordinary workers, the ones working right beside you doing the same job as you, who won’t get a raise or will have to take a pay cut when the company loses money.

I have another friend who justifies bringing stuff home from work saying he’s “borrowing it”. Somehow, in his mind, if he says he is just borrowing it and someday may return it, it is just fine. I can tell you, he has no intentions of returning any of it.

A Good Days Work

What about those who don’t put in a good days work for the pay they are given? I try my best to work hard and give my company a good day’s work for my wages. Keeping a good attitude is difficult sometimes when I think about all the times the corporation has done me wrong. You know what I mean with increased healthcare premiums, taking vacation time, not paying what I felt were legitimate expenses, and the list is endless. Still, all of this does not justify stealing.

Insurance Fraud

Secondly, there is insurance fraud. How is it that people will do damage to their roofs and file an insurance claim and not have any guilty conscience whatsoever? That means doing deliberate damage to your roof and claiming that a storm did it.

Oh, I know, you pay into insurance every month and that is what it is for. Well, I disagree. Insurance is for a true disaster and not some made up entitlement because you paid into it. That is why insurance rates are so high. You are stealing from every other customer who has insurance from that same company, in the form of increased rates when you make these fraudulent claims.

Car Indebtedness Above Worth

Another common theme I hear is having a car that someone owes more than it is worth. In this instance, they may choose to have someone steal it, or they may even dispose of it in the bottom of the river themselves. Making a bad decision and either choosing a car that depreciates too much or not putting a big enough down payment so the payments are affordable and you can pay them down in a reasonable time frame is not a problem of the bank or insurance company. It is a poor decision on your part and one you need to accept responsibility for. I am 44-years old and just bought my first new vehicle. I have always bought used to keep from the very scenario mentioned above, mainly owing more on a vehicle than it is worth. For my most recent purchase, I insisted we put $20,000 down to do two things– start with equity in the vehicle and keep the payments affordable.

Taxes

Thirdly, and probably the most controversial of all, let’s take a look at taxes. Now I agree that the government is very corrupt and uses tax money to fund some of the most hideous things imaginable, including everything from abortions to running drugs, and too many to mention actually. Didn’t Jesus say, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” That really makes me cringe to think about.

Pay What Is Due, the Least Amount Possible

Now does that mean we have to volunteer more than is due? No, I don’t think so. I think you should take advantage of every possible deduction and loophole available to pay the least amount possible to this corrupt government, just as the elites and congress people do. Getting creative and finding ways to pay the least amount possible, I think that is only the smart and right thing to do.

As much as I hate to admit it, our taxes do help a lot of people in need. There are widows and people who are truly down on their luck, and I try to look at the positive and think this is what “my” tax money went towards and not the corruption.

Deliberately Lying and Hiding Money Is Wrong

I think that deliberately lying and hiding money to keep from paying taxes is also not the right thing to do. Have you ever been to a third-world country? The poverty is so rampant, so widespread. We are blessed in this nation and should share with those less fortunate that also reside in this nation.

Expectant Complainers

Also, what about those who complain excessively expecting to get something for free. I know someone who complains about every job they hire out. Sometimes they get a discount, sometimes a free hotel room, and sometimes a free dinner. They are always getting something discounted or free. Sometimes it is a legitimate complaint, but most of the time it’s just their unreasonable expectations.

Now they may think they are getting something for free or that the corporation is going to “eat” this loss. Well, I beg to differ. The company will simply add it onto the next person’s bill. Okay, it’s not directly billed to the next person but indirectly by raising prices on everyone else. Folks, nothing is free in this life, and someone is paying whether we like it or not.

Related To Prepping One’s Heart

I know this article has nothing to do with prepping, in the ordinary sense. It has more to do with prepping of one’s heart. It’s about being able to say, “I was honest in my dealings with people as well as the corporation.”

Corporations Are People And An Entity

Over the past few years, it has become so apparent to me that people don’t consider corporations as people or an entity at all. Therefore, they feel it is of no consequence to lie, cheat, and steal from them. I see it a different way.

Stealing From the Corp. Is Stealing From and Cheating Yourself

Not only are you cheating, lying, and stealing from all those other employees of that same corporation, you are doing the same to yourself. You work for that company, right? Maybe you haven’t got a raise in the last several years. But consider the possibility if every employee didn’t steal and didn’t cheat on their hours and if everyone did their best to put in a good eight hours of work that they were being paid for. In this situation, would you have gotten better raises over the years? Would you have gotten bonuses that more than make up for the $22.49 you took in office supplies? I suspect you would.

Something To Think About

This is just to give all the readers something to think about that I have never heard discussed, though I listen to many hours of talk radio as well as go to church every Sunday. Even though a corporation isn’t an actual person, it is made up of many people, and you are a part of the corporation in which you work.

Being honest and honorable is something that you need to take into consideration in your prepping. Thanks for reading.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 73 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value), and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 73 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.


56 Comments

  1. I had to double check the author’s initials just to make sure that I hadn’t somehow written and posted this while I was sleep walking. I have always heard, “If you’ll lie, you’ll steal and if you’ll steal, you’ll lie”. At a previous employer I would have people who would come roaring into the parking lot every day at 7:29, run inside to clock in and then spend 10 minutes parking their vehicle. When confronted with what amounts to stealing almost an hour a week they would look at me like I was speaking Chinese. Usually the younger ones could be made to understand and corrected their behavior, but not always and if they were older it would often turn into a passive-aggressive thing because they had such a work ethic and low personal standards. I didn’t do the hiring but I could send them packing and those usually didn’t last long.

  2. Theft and misappropriation are not acceptable. I have worked numerous retail and service jobs. Pilferage and theft are sometimes tolerated in small matters and minor affairs by businesses and owners. You should know everything is seen by the eye in the sky, that is omnipresent cameras everywhere. Also coworkers are notorious snitches for the bosses. If you value your paycheck and need it to buy groceries pay expenses and live you should never pilfer or steal. If you do you will be blacklisted as a ROGUE EMPLOYEE and put in various data bases. If you are rich and have resources and education you should likely never work for anyone but yourself. The rich affluent and self reliant and self sustaining are targets for legal action by disgruntled co workers and supervisors and bosses of lesser ability and means. Many jobs are more about assuming LIABILTY rather than TAKING RESPOSIBILITY. Be alert on the job to the SET UP for LEGAL PUNITIVE ACTION. BE ALERT BE AWARE. If you have all the money resources education and pedigree just stay home & keep up high insurance coverages keep the doors locked DO NOT tell anyone how much cash is in you wallet or where you live. Stay away from strangers. It is a very DANGEROUS society best kept at arms length. OPSEC .

  3. Global corporations that work to advance the agenda of open borders and endless immigration to increase profits via cheap labor and to destroy the fabric of communities so as to make us all easily controlled atomized resource units deserve whatever happens to them. For years we have had stupid people in America that wanted to eat the rich. However rich globalists have been busy importing people from countries that have recipes. Years ago business leaders were part of the community and nation and acted in the best interest of their fellow citizens. Today corporations are headed entirely by multicultural transnational cosmopolitan globalists who see nothing wrong with hollowing out the middle class to increase their short-term profits. 100 years ago I would have agreed with the author. We have become a tribal Balkanized society. The Corporation is not on your side. In fact, it is trying to replace you. I gave a corporation almost 18 years of the best years of my life, I worked as if there was a war going on and was 100% dedicated to my job. I missed countless family and social events due to the need to work overtime and weekends.My job became my life.I was full of contempt for those who did not commit themselves to the job and skated by on the job and took shortcuts. Today the plant is shut down and converted into a giant storage center for people to store belongings they no longer use but can not throw away yet. I was a fool.

  4. Caesar, when they tried to trap him into saying something seditious, ok. But, it has gotten to the point where I refuse to work overtime, even take time off without pay — not because I couldn’t use the money — but because I don’t want to pay those corrupt, thieving, parasites any more than I already do.

  5. To me, “Thou Shall Not Steal” means Thou Shall Not Steal. It doesn’t say “Thou Shall Not Steal From Private Entities.” Simple as that. Now, I’ve worked for companies before that could truly and accuarately be called greedy bloodsuckers. They blatantly and obviously looked for means to cut costs by reducing employees pay (the job was largely commissioned based). Every 6-8 months the Executive board would retool the commission structure, inevitably requiring more work for less commission, meanwhile there stock continued to trade north of $100 a share on the Nasdaq, even post 2008 crisis. That being said, my solution was to quit and move on. To me, your very good article highlights 2 important factors. One, gain and maintain your education and mobility, allowing yourself to remain relevant and marketable so that you do not find yourself in a dead end job you can’t escape. Or 2, the best way to have a great boss is to be him. Grow and develop your own business so that you do not have to rely on another.
    Regardless, stealing is stealing, and no justification exists.

  7. This hits home like no other. Stealing has become an American habit and not only is it wrong but it destroys the soul that should have honesty as it’s only policy.

  8. This was thoughtful, thank you.

    It seems to me that as healthcare, government, finance, and other bureaucratic type ‘industries’ occupy a growing slice of the economy’s pie, the work an average person tends to do will become increasingly bureaucratic, with all of the associated problems in monstrous bureaucracy.

    I work with computers. I once was in charge of managing networks. At that job, I worked hard, and I was rewarded. There wasn’t much bureaucracy touching my work; when something needed to be done, it could be done immediately and without oversight; the results spoke for themselves.

    Now, I work in arguably one of the most regulated industries it is possible to work in. I cannot do anything without paperwork. We joke at work: we are lumberjacks by proxy. There is great waste. There is also an enormous negative incentive associated with doing the job requirements (which are not very flexible). An incredible amount of effort accomplishes very little ‘real’ work. Such is bureaucracy; it is ridiculously inefficient. To be fair, I speak with the perspective of an engineering mind; I am biased.

    I’ve made some bad personal life choices, and might abuse greater freedom. Still, being a slave sucks. The absense of freedom and control is demoralizing; I also feel that the ‘work’ I do is irrelevant and meaningless.

    I’m not justifying stealing in general, nor my own failure to give 100%.

    I worked in another bureaucratic environment, doing computer security. I pushed our team management to provide employees with greater freedom; to reverse direction: I said that it seemed to me that computer management was centralizing control, not decentralizing it. Management basically said that they wanted to continue going that way; to continue that process of centralization. At the time I was angry and frustrated with that decision; looking back, I now realize: who was I to disagree?

  9. I worked for the Univ of Missouri for 13 years and saw the same things. I believe a lot of the employees actually worked 2 1/2 hours in the mornings and 3 hours in the afternoons.

    1. So should we give more than the employeer asks for? If the employeer asks me to sit and do nothing shouldn’t I do just that? I know that most don’t ask that, but some do. Rather than evaluating our labor as a “full” days work shouldn’t we give our bosses what they ask for (no more (perhaps) and certainly no less)?

  10. S.C.,
    Your article has more to do with prepping than I think you realize. The people you describe will be the ones that have failed to prepare in any way for a SHTF/WROL situation. They will be the ones beating down your door, using any means possible to take what you have. Use them as motivation to prepare to defend yourself and your loved ones.
    The biggest lie ever told: A vehicle is an investment. Cars are nothing more than rapidly depreciation tools marketed as status symbols. I would have recommended you put as little down as possible, used the 0% or low rates offered by the manufacturers, and invested your money in something that appreciates in value. Imagine if you would have bought $20k worth of Bitcoin a year ago? You could have paid off that car and 10 more just like it.
    Taxes are theft. ZeroHedge posted an article yesterday you should read:
    “The ‘War on Terror’ has cost the US taxpayer $250 Million EVERY day for 16 years.”
    Let that sink in for a minute. How many widows and disabled persons could that money have helped? Don’t blame the victim of a crime for trying to avoid the crime. Ron Paul had a plaque on his Congressional office desk that read: “Don’t steal! The Government Hates Competition”
    Don’t worry yourself with the monumental question of why human nature is the way it is. Such things will drive you insane if you allow them. Do everything you can do to be the best person you can be. God will handle the rest.

    1. D.D.,you are partially right but a 10+ year old car doesn’t depreciate it is a tool that can hold it’s worth(very little) and the government has spent the money but not to help widows and orphans but to make them and thy are mad as hell and we have multigenerational problem. The government doesn’t mind if corporations steal as long as the campaign money and the revolving door for the top keeps turning. Stack PM’s silver/lead/steel.

  11. what about corporations stealing from America? Happens nearly every day. Enron paid 140 executives $680 million before leaving us taxpayers holding the bag. Stealing a stack of post it notes pales by comparison.

    1. What exactly, did they “steal”?
      When our elected idiots bail out a business, it’s not the business stealing from the taxpayer, but our elected idiots.
      Just because a company charges exorbitant fees and fiddles the books in their favour, doesn’t mean they are stealing from you. Same with the big banks and corporations on Wall St.
      You have a CHOICE whether or not you deal with them, so they’re not “stealing” from anybody.
      On the other hand, taking something from your employer without permission IS stealing, in it’s most rudimentary form.
      Those of us that are or have been employers, for the most part I suspect, have been victims of employee theft, by many of the forms described in the article above.
      What it did to the bottom line was to raise the cost to the consumer, so we all end up paying for theft. Research theft/shoplifting rates at some of the big box stores. The results will blow your mind.

        1. The corporations didnt pay the taxes that they should of(raised yours instead). I guess you don’t get a paycheck in FRNs,you will be arrested,charged,convicted and jailed if you don’t deal with them(money laundering is anything they want to say it is,even taking your own money out of their banks)

      2. Curious how artificially inflating energy prices to public utilities who buy said energy and resell that same energy to us isn’t theft. In the short term, due to price setting, consumer prices do not increase, but next year, when the price per kilowatt-hour is computed, the previous years fleecing turns into increased consumer rates.

        Sounds like you are shilling for the corporate fat cats.

        1. @BobW
          Two wrongs do not make it right. Stealing is ethically wrong. period.
          Your options in regards to public utilities from an ethical standpoint are two-fold:

          1. Work within the system to get it changed. This entails attending public hearings, drumming up public support for your point of view, working with the PRC at the state level, etc.. and getting the policies changed. or
          2. Vote with your feet and/or pocket book. It is entirely feasible to be off-grid right now. Most of us don’t because even with the abuses of the utility company, it is still less expensive to pay their price.

          Remember that the price/value of something is not what the seller wants, but what the buyers are willing to pay at that moment in time. If nobody buys their electricity/gas, they will find a way to drop the price.

          1. HJL, please review case of woman in Fl. that was arrested,jailed and her home taken for going off the grid. Your actions are almost useless against huge political bribes called campaign contributions(unless you have many millions to get into the game).

      3. I used to work at a job I loved. Then the management changed. The new CEO fired 17 people in 2 weeks. We were all scared for our jobs. New time clocks came in with 32 different functions (I kid you not). the one thing they didn’t do was clock our overtime. We typically worked without breaks and left a bit early. It worked out. Not really as we should have been paid overtime for the worked breaks. We had to submit a written statement as to why we didn’t take our breaks. We were to scared to claim the overtime so we worked it without being paid. Sure I could have left the job but it was the only place I could do what I do for 90 miles in either direction. I had a mortgage and had to suck it up. DO YOU THINK I FELT GUILTY ABOUT WALKING OUT OF WORK WITH A COUPLE OF PENS IN MY POCKET? I worked as an ER nurse. So many times I wanted to tell my co-workers, okay everybody, stop CPR and I’ll see you back here in 15 minutes.

        Sorry but when the corporations steal from the employees turnabout is their due.

  12. I have found that when you take ethics out of the equation…people get creative and rationalize. For any system. The search for a better banana. This process also gives us influential speakers, new innovations, different technology. It also empowers self-defeating processes like the bite the hand that feeds you behavior you observed. I think this is all some sort of survival mechanism at play at its root. I like to remind myself that everyone always has a goodish reason but the actions of people often confuse me a lot more than trying to take an opportunity to make their life better…I get that. I don’t get willful blindness that one sells oneself in order to rationalize. I should also point out that many view any opportunity as exploitable. The whole idea of bankruptcy for example…and how that technique gets USED. I think the thing you are talking about is an aspect of human nature that a lot of folks have accounted for. Can it be fixed? Is anything actually broken or is it misdirected? Maybe it is ethics…but when ethics compromises your survival or comfort…well values are at stake. Everyone had their own values and it is real shakey for me to say my values are better than someone else’s. There are exceptions everywhere. But the world and government seem to try to be as equally unfair to everyone…maybe that helps

  13. I’m glad to pay taxes for roads and defense.

    I’d just as soon leave the charity to the churches. It is a much more rational, hands on approach that should get more money to more needy people that an oversized government ever will. In addition, there are Kingdom issues at hand. In giving Christ the glory for our giving, we are really being better stewards over both our physical possessions and our Christian duty.

  14. CNBC in july 2017 reported CEO’s made an average of 271 times more than employees. they have justified layoffs and sending jobs overseas by stating ” a corporation by definition has no feelings, they are non human entities responsible to shareholders only.” stealing is wrong and i will not justify it. these elitist CEO’s are gutting our country to line their own pockets ,and i have not yet mentioned their overseas tax shelters.employee theft is wrong and so is the robbing of our great country by corporate fat cats. many times the money saved by layoffs goes to corporate bonuses, not really improving shareholders stake. stealing is as wrong from the top as it is from the bottom. i do not disagree with this article but wanted to add these points. we dont have enough time to discuss politicians stealing. thank you.

    1. Numbers like that are what kill me. They are essentially telling their employees that they are 271 times better than them. They work 271 times harder and they are 271 times smarter.

      1. I’m not sure that is a good way to look at that. Basically, with greater risk comes greater rewards. The CEO should be at the greatest risk in the workplace because he is leading it. If things go south, his job (and reputation) is on the line. If he does a miserable job, he may never find work again due to the public exposure. Of course, when a company board does stupid things like provide a “golden parachute” if he performs poorly, it defeats that purpose. But the bottom line is that pay is not really tied to how hard you work (though it is, or should be, a factor in the calculation).

  15. I got my current job because the two obese millennial’s who previously worked there finally got caught putting an entire DAY on their paycheck that the boss was IN the office for and they weren’t (small business). My coworker and I are SO thankful to even have a job. I work time I do not ask to get paid for (due to the way the bus runs) and I’m fine with what I get. I also contribute by buying good coffee for us, on my money since that’s my choice. My boss had more than 80 resumes, many from out of state for this very small office. There are a lot of people lined up who will likely be happy to take your job if you lose it, think about that.

  16. I agree – but don’t forget companies and bosses have no problem stealing time and labor from their employees. The social contract is broken, it doesn’t justify stealing by us the worker but always remember to company and your supervisor will take all they can from you and they are not your friend.

  17. This past year I sold my business in the big city where I had three employees to “retire” and relocated to the Redoubt to be near my aging parents. To keep myself from being completely bored I went out and got a job working for someone else for the first time in over 20 years. I am in my early forties. I was used to working 53 hours a week (60+ during the holidays) and often 7 days a week. At my new job I am getting 40-41 hours a week with weekends off. I love it! However it is only for 10.5 months out of the year. I do notice though, since it is a corporation, the amount of milking the clock, dragging of feet and overall laziness of my co-workers. The prevailing attitude is “we should all be making at least $10 more an hour” (for what?, showing up?), “its a paid 15 min break so lets make it 25”. “I will make a second pot of coffee even if I only drink half a cup”. “We all should have a print out even if only 2 people actually need it”. Basically everyone (except my direct boss) thinks that money grows on trees and they are entitled to whatever freebie they can squeeze out of the company or have no problem wasting the companies resources. I find it disgusting! I work my time and don’t dilly dally or “cheat the clock” and often work through my paid breaks if something needs to get done while others drop the work like it’s hot. I told my boss he’s getting the best value out of me. He agreed and said I can have as much overtime as I want and when the new budget is open (in January) I will be getting a raise. He and I are both Christians. He knows that I would think of it as stealing (and beneath me) to lie, cheat or steal because we both operate by the same code. The work ethic of the other employees (young and old) is severely lacking. Because of this my boss threw the coveted “winter” position at me that covers the 1.5 months that my regular position doesn’t cover.

  19. The federal debt is $10 Trillion greater in just 8 years because of the Big Bailout of 2008. $20.5 Trillion debt divided by $2.4 Trillion (annual federal tax revenue) gives 8.5 years. Take your tax payment for this year , multiply it by 8.5 and that is your share of the federal debt. About 50% of that incurred in just the past 8 years. What did you get in return.

    And I am not even talking about the Social Security/Medicare Ponzi scheme — which will extract 48 years of payroll taxes with a question of whether you will ever get it back.

    Nor am I mentioning the additional $Trillions you are on the hook to pay if the dreck that the Banks gave to the Fed in 2008 suffer any losses. On Christmas Eve 2009, Obama gave you a lump of coal in your stocking –making you liable to pay Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac losses.

    SC is looking in the wrong place for the real thieves. His article is the equivalent of criticizing people for leaving a nickel in their pocket when they are mugged and forced to hand their wallet/credit cards over to the mugger.

  20. The “world” presents a major problem to obedient believers. The Lord says two of the original 10 words can be summed up to “Love the Lord you God… and your neighbor as yourself. Render to Cesar what he is due. if Americans understood this, meaning they understood Title 26 (and it is legal, it is in its application by the IRS that fraud occurs) and its defined legal terms, such as “wages,” they would not be giving the federal government much if anything, if privately employed. The “world” has deceived us to the point of practical ignorance in most areas of life. Remember what the Lord said about “not being deceived.” We the people gave the federal government its existence. It can lawfully claim sovereignty over its creations, not God’s. The Supreme Court said in more than one opinion that the “work of a mans hands is the foundation of all property…” it cannot be taxed. What the federal government can tax is “gain” on the use of its creations even with the use of our hands, such as use of federal property, or federal corporations. This tax is known as an income tax on the privilege and activity of the use of federal things. I am hoping that Americans wake up.

  21. S.C.
    You are right to be concerned about this trend. However, don’t lose heart.

    I think the problem is rooted in a society that has lost touch with a moral code, a moral compass and the reality of objective truth. This trickles down into the minds of those who have consciously confused right for wrong. Up is now down and the motto of the day is, “to each his own.” What these people may not realize is that their reward could be restricted to this life only (Proverbs 11:18). For them, that is the most unfortunate truth.

    I also hear the pain written here in other responses. People are acutely aware of our corrupt and unethical leaders who steal from the people in broad daylight, without any shame. Oh how I yearn for justice, especially for those who are “poor in spirit.”

    For those who yearn for such justice, this verse is comforting: “‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied'” (Matt 5:6, NASB).

  22. It stunning to see how public education and the constant mantra of the left has made wealth envy a big thing.

    I do not care if a CEO makes ten million per year or 100 million.
    Do you think “if” the government confiscated 99% your life is going to get better.

    Apostle Paul Stated it perfectly, be content with what you have.

    To covet is destructive to your soul and disobedient to God

  24. To be honest( pun ), as a believer who see’s the Bible to be taken literally and lived, too many people have no problem with stealing from the boss, I worked for a manager who got a company car, he was allowed as part of his salary to fill up said car with fuel, obviously he could use the car for weekend use, he was given a company fuel card, so he used his card to fill all his family members cars along with friends, he bragged about ” his right ” to do that as he felt he was owed !, he got caught out months later and fired !, again my wife works for a small company that openly abuses staff, the boss bullies his staff into not taking lunch break, working overtime without pay and being a standover merchant, but he goes on long lunch breaks, trips when he wants, I tell my wife to take her lunch breaks, do her work to the best of her ability and pay no mind to what others do, I have found that dishonesty ALWAYS finds you out, rich or poor, famous or not, there is always a accounting somewhere along the line, stealing that pen you have your eye on is no differant than stealing that maserati! is it ?, no such thing as a small sin before God, too many think there is !,personaly I hate theft, I really do, I live in a inner city suburb, where theft is rife, and most people are ambivilent to theft, so long as it does not happen to them, I really see the widespread acceptance of corporation theft has deep roots in the collapse of fundamental biblical beliefs not being taught in the church, this lack of belief is a very,very good reason to understand and fear why a societal collapse will be so devastating to such a shallow self centered society that is here now.

  25. I’ve owned a few companies and had lots of employees. In most positions we care less about your productivity than how many minutes you spend in your seat. Some people who are on time every day and are lousy employees while others are late every day and produce like crazy. We also understand they’re going to print their kid’s soccer schedule, use company Internet for personal purposes, and other de minimum things, but a proper profit sharing program should dissuade misuse. It’s no more stealing than when the owner does it because they are technically stealing the taxes they owe on personal use of deductible items from the IRS, but they don’t care either. Whether or not something is considered theft depends on corporate culture. Follow the example of the executive board. Yes those under the law (1 Timothy 1:11) of the old covenant are bound by “thou shalt not steal,” those in Christ keep his commandment to “give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back” (Luke 6:30) so it all works out.

  26. Speaking of jilting the gov on your taxes, I used to moan and gripe that they are wasting “my” money. That is until I woke to the realization that we serve a God who is faithful and true and not the author of confusion.
    I started praying over my tax money sent in to the federal or state that God would direct “my” money to do right and be used for necessary useful things for our nation and state; to not let it fall into the hands of corruption and the wasteful. To blind the eye of the enemy where “my” money was concerned and to be used to glorify Him and the Nation He gave us. I truly believe that if more Christians would do this and to ask Him to direct “their” tax money that we would see pools of graft, corruption and wasteful spending dry up.

  27. I like the point you’ve made that when people (whether employees or irrational customers) are stealing from corporations, that they’re actually stealing from the other employees or future customers. You’re right, someone has to pay for the loss, and it sure won’t be the CEO or the stakeholders. As you’ve said, corporations aren’t just things – they’re actually made of up other people, so that’s a great point.

  28. TL;DR version:
    I don’t care that I work for an evil corporation that is cheating and doing other actual and grave evil to it’s vendors, employees, and customers because I really don’t feel like quitting, but I’m really bothered that I might accidentally take a paperclip or pen home.

    If you are working at a place you don’t feel comforatable blessing them with extra effort, you should quit and find some place that you would be happy for less, or otherwise be willing to help because it is doing the right thing by everyone.

    Shortly, if you prefer to remain in Sodom, it won’t matter who you work for or what you do. If you are safely in the tents of the righteous, even a small wage will make you better off than the wicked.

  29. Thou Shall Not Steal.
    So corporations shouldn’t deduct things because the IRS says they must steal from their employees? Sophistry works both ways.
    If I’m being stolen from, I don’t think I am required to cooperate with the robber to make it easier or maximize his take.

  30. Corporate America is THE necessary evil: We must work because of property taxes, which keep your public school indoctrination mills turning out Liberals—You can’t live off the land even if you’re off grid in a self sustaining mode– $X amount of dollars per annum must be paid for property tax. You must work at a job!

    Having said that, you forgot to add…
    1) Non-Profits: I have worked in the accounting world as a CPA for many corporate contracts and you wouldn’t believe the amount of money funneled to woman’s causes [breast cancer, abortion, women only non-profits to help only women, Senators, Congresswomen, Susan G. Komen, et al.]. Women run everything at work or else men are terminated. There is, what I call, legal grand-theft in large transfers of money associated with women influencing the corporate purse. Yes, another form of theft.

    2) Lawsuits: More legal grand-theft. How many of us have taken the obligatory sexual harassment training. Right from the first day of work, men are pictured as the sexual predators and women are taught they have a license to sue. HR Departments cater towards women issues and bully men.

    3) Socialistic Principles: In the People’s Republic of California they tax the men to pay for the women being NOT AT WORK. Their laws allow mothers to stay home with a newborn for up to six months with full pay—never producing at their post. This is theft in my book, as the bible says, “If you don’t work you don’t eat.”

    4) Gender Equality: There are over 500 scriptures pointing towards the difference of God’s creation of being MALE and FEMALE. There’s no gender equality ever on God’s timescale for His creation—Best Wishes suing that into existence as our government and corporations are raped financially.

    5) Outsourcing: In the last generation, an influx of our jobs went to foreigners. In this generation the American Homemaker is being outsourced by and large. I married an Asian [imported right for China] and was tired of being fired, police called on me, my name all over the Internet, and harassment just to find a wife and have some babies in my own country. Sorry ladies, you’re conduct is unbecoming an American wife! Best Wishes becoming a man-gender equality. This’s also theft of generational proportions! SAD!

    Excellent, excellent article and thank you for stating the obvious! When there were fathers in the homes, children were seeded with precepts of morality and patriotism. Sadly with the increase in American divorce [62%] morality is going by the wayside.

    Keep up the good work and God bless!

  31. WOW just WOW

    I tried hard to do the good thing and as I Look Back it has been GOOD. I caught many Brakes in my working years for doing the Best I could. Now Retired an enjoying life at 80, We live with in Our means and enjoy a lot We never expected.

    Peace too all

  32. The bottom line is that we will all have to answer at the judgement seat of Christ for our deeds. That extra hour added here and there, the supplies taken and work not performed up to par, all will be scrutinized and that is what keeps me on the straight and narrow.

  33. Perhaps the biggest corporate thieves are the corporations themselves. Sure, it is damned easy to look superficially at what any employee might be doing that isn’t ethical, let alone lawful. However, this country is being run without ethics, from the government down through the financiers and into the big business and so on. For the past twenty years I’ve worked for a number of large corporations, most of them contracted with local and federal governments, and it didn’t take much to see just how unethical every last one of these corporations is run, and has to run, because of the nature of the work and the clients they work for.

    It is a hard target to preach to the simple man trying to make a buck or two who decides to take a box of kleenex home, when the company he’s working for is charging the client $500 for every box of tissue they use on the job. Sadly, lack of ethics has pervaded every aspect of our lives these days. The higher up the food chain you go, the worse it is. It isn’t just the big corporations, a lot of the mom and pop businesses have foresaken ethics just to keep the doors open. I’m not saying everyone does it, but it is naive to lay what has become a cultural and societal norm at the feet of the layman and say he is responsible. This started at the top and has worked it’s way down. We can defend against it individually and communally. But the world is against us.

  34. A Lot of good comments and points of views here. I started my Business back in 1994 and Incorporated in 2000. In the beginning as a sole proprietor,the problems with employees were pretty much confined to their personal lives. transportation problems, divorce,sick family member, I took a personal interest in many of the problems they had. As my company grew,So did the problems I had with employees. Now, Drug and Alcohol addiction seemed to top the list, along with the problems that go with it like court dates, and fines and jail time… I have long since scaled back my operations because It was turning more into an adult day care than a multi-state contracting company.It seemed that everyone was addicted to something except showing up for work. Peoples attitudes changed they expected their jobs to be waiting for them after they got out of jail, or another failed trip into rehab. Entitlement seemed to have taken over where value of employment used to be. I recall new hires asking for a draw on their paychecks 4 hrs into their first day I can only imagine the level of entitlement that large Corporations are experiencing.

  35. 1) As the saying goes, Fish rot from the head down. Witness the recent exposures of massive offshore havens for tax evasion and fraud — see yesterday’s release of the Paradise Papers and last year’s release of the Panama Papers.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Papers

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers

    https://www.icij.org/investigations/

    (Note: The ICIJ database is searchable, in case any of you want to check up on your wealthy neighbors. heh )

    2) I don’t approve of stealing. But to use an analogy, I am not interested in sermons on the sin of premartial sex if they come from pedophile priests who rape small children.

  36. It sounds to me as if all of the mentioned scenarios have one thing in common; bad decisions by human beings. I’ve heard so many people say “I have/had no choice.” Everyone has a choice in every situation; even though we may not like the choice, we have a choice. It takes courage to make a decision and face the consequences of that decision. Sadly, it seems the more part of the people are making bad decisions, rather than keep their integrity in tack. When the majority of people make poor decisions, business leaders, judges and politicians become corrupt and government follows the path of least resistance.

  37. I can tell from a lot of the comments here a couple of things:

    1) Not many here have run a business, even a small one.
    2) Some here think it’s OK to “stick it to the man”, which is pure unadulterated Marxist ideology.

    Stealing from a business has no justification, ever.
    Large corporations take the road that provides the most profit, in order to continue to be a viable business. To do otherwise means going out of business.
    Whining about shipping jobs overseas is a disingenuous argument, as is complaining about tax breaks for corporations. These symptoms can all be traced to government interference in the marketplace, so don’t blame the businesses!

    For the record, I have never owned/run/worked for a business of more than several dozen employees, so I’m not a shill. I have, however, owned and run successful small businesses for over 30 years.

    If we want to improve the business climate in this country we need to create jobs here, BUT, one thing I have seen and experienced over the last four decades is a distinct worsening of the work ethic in this country. It is virtually impossible to find good help. People have more of an entitlement mindset, lack of interest in achieving anything, and are generally more content to sit back and get their free stuff.
    I have had more than one job applicant tell me they can make more on welfare, and that’s filling a $15/hr job. They want all the benefits, vacations, time off and generally think that as an employer, you owe them a living, on their terms.

    I don’t know what lies ahead for this country, but when I see comments protesting and complaining about big corporations, as if they control everything, and lamenting the evil big business messing up every ones life, it makes me think we’re doomed for sure, because it sounds like the Occupy Wall Street crowd has taken over Survivalblog. Lord, help us!

  39. I can’t believe the bitterness in most of these comments. If you don’t like your situation, CHANGE IT! No one is forcing you to work for corporations that you loathe. No one is forcing you to vote for the same idiot politicians election after election that will NEVER cut spending. Take responsibility for your own situation and do something about it!

  40. Of all the arguments and points made, no one seems to have noted this: Your sins (theft, in this case) are a matter between you and G*d. G*d will know if you have stolen, and believers are often disciplined by G*d as a matter of course when they fall out of the saddle. It doesn’t matter how you justify or rationalize a thing, if it is sin, it is sin, and the first thing is that it is a matter between you and G*d. If you steal anything, it must be restored, and other fees may rely. It never matters if the people you stole from are righteous or not, that, is G*ds’ business, not yours. You are either honest or not.

  41. The comments about why it’s ok to steal from companies is stunning.
    However I noticed a trend line it’s only applicable if it’s a big company.

    So I wonder what is the cut off for people that think it’s ok to steal from big companies, $10 million; $20 million dollar companies or what?

    Note it’s a trick question.

    1. They’ve all been convinced it’s evil to make too much money!!!
      Unless, of course it’s THEIR money we’re talking about.
      I, too, am astounded by some of the comments on this article. That it’s OK to stick it to the man if the man is (looking for quantifier) rich. Marx would be proud.

  42. Oh my gosh, s.c. here, the writer of this article. I had no idea the firestorm this would ignite. I read every comment and stand by my article as written. I am not condemning anyone, just asking you to think about what you are doing and ponder the hard questions. Thank you for all the comments and opinions positive and negative. I consider survivalblog readers my family.

Comments are closed.