I was watching ABC news the other night and the Person of the Week was Leonard Abess of Citi National Bank in Miami. Mr. Abess sold the bank to a community-minded group and pocketed a nice profit.
In his interview this CEO told ABC News, he understood the success of his bank wasn't so much about him as about his employees so, he gave $60 million to them! This money was distributed to 476 current and former employees of the bank! That's an average of $126,000 per person! Wow.
Hats off Mr. Abess, that's what America should be about. $60 million is a lot of money but, more than likely, Mr. Abess didn't notice not having it. He passed along this money to the folks that could use it more.
This is the real 'trickle down' economics. Having the rich get richer doesn't really benefit anyone but the rich. Not to sound pretentious, but this is one of the reasons I keep a lawn service and take my car to the mechanic for routine maintenance. Could I do it? Oh yeah, have for years. Could I do it cheaper? Ditto. But by saving a few bucks, I impact a business that employees numerous folks that need money to continue living. It ain't $60 million, but it's my contribution.
Thank you Mr. Abess for restoring my hope that not all rich folks are self-interested asses!
