Corporate Exploitation or Corporate Salvation? On a recent edition of “The O’Reilly Factor”, substitute host John Gibson interviewed Charles Barron, president of the Harlem organization Dynamics of Leadership. Mr. Barron was upset that Bill Clinton had decided to move his office to Harlem. Barron felt that Clinton’s move was only the beginning of an immigration of corporate interests into Harlem that would lead to the downfall of the black community in the area. His point was that businesses like McDonald’s would move into Harlem and hire people for entry-level jobs paying the minimum wage. This would be “economic exploitation” of the community because these corporations make “big money” from selling products and services to people in Harlem, yet only supply jobs that are low on the totem pole. Barron went on to argue that what was needed was not more corporations moving in, but more black-owned businesses (his words: not a “Rite-Aid” drugstore, but a “Rite-On” drugstore). I was a bit dumb-founded at Mr. Barron’s reasoning. Harlem is economically distressed, and he was arguing that the last thing that the area needed was more job opportunities. An entry-level job paying minimum wage is infinitely better than no job at all. Not only does it create an income where there was none, it creates a skill set for the worker and provides the satisfaction of an honest day’s work (not to mention exposing the harsh reality of payroll taxes). Mr. Barron seemed adamant that community-owned businesses were the way to go. Well, what is stopping anyone from opening his own business? It doesn’t even have to be a fast food joint or a drugstore – every community in America has needs that can be met by a hard-working entrepreneur. To decry corporate America just because it sees a business opportunity is outrageous. However, making an assumption that McDonald’s wants to open in Harlem in order to exploit an available pool of workers is not outrageous – it makes perfect sense. What would not make sense would be for McDonald’s to open a new restaurant in an area where there was full employment. That restaurant probably wouldn’t stay in business very long (if it could find any workers, it would have to pay wages too high to break even). It is ideology like that practiced by Charles Barron that is preventing the economic progress and individual achievement that is needed in many parts of our great nation.