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| First Person |
The Populist's Capitalist
Charlie Crystle
05/01/2007
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I also tried running for the U.S. Senate. It wasn’t something I
really planned, but I was angry about the way the government has handled the war
in Iraq—and the failure of the U.S. government to act on behalf of small and
midsize businesses when it comes to trade policy. We trade with China on the
same basis that we trade with Canada or England, which are democratic countries,
whereas China engages in illegal trade behavior. It’s an authoritarian regime,
it executes democracy activists, and it uses its economic power to violate
almost every clause of the WTO agreement. That’s why I ran a campaign for the
Democratic nomination. I raised a bit of money, but it was mostly my own funds.
I was polling decently, but I was not prepared, so I backed out of the primary.
It is very hard work—and Pennsylvania is not a state that has healthy, clean
politics. Joe Hoeffel, who won the Democratic nomination, lost to Arlen Specter
in the election.
From the Pulpit
The issue of healthcare was definitely part of my platform.
Just as our company makes our software free to the needy, I think healthcare
ought to be available to everyone who needs it. So I’m using my money to do
something about that. I’m working on bringing universal healthcare to
Pennsylvania. After I dropped out of the primary, I began working with a group
of community activists, and we started an advocacy organization called
Pennsylvanians United for Single-Payer Healthcare. At our first meeting in
January 2004, only 70 people showed up, but it has grown since then.
I often ask myself questions like, ‘How much is enough?’ What is
the difference between reasonable wealth and excessive wealth?’ |
In 2005, I hosted the Pennsylvania Conference on the Healthcare
Crisis in Harrisburg. We had a diverse turnout that included representatives
from both the AFL-CIO and the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, as well
as healthcare leaders from across the country. At the meeting, we resolved to
address the healthcare crisis through legislation, and out of the conference
came a bill for a single-payer system that would lower the costs of doing
business and cover everybody comprehensively. State senator Jim Ferlo introduced
the bill in the Senate last year, and this year it was introduced in the state
House of Representatives, where we have about 30 supporters. We have some real
momentum. We have tried the market system of healthcare and it has failed
repeatedly, so it is time to make healthcare part of the dial tone of our
society and our economy. I always say to doubters, "Look at our roads: They are
publicly financed and they’ve worked out pretty well."
Health insurance represents about 17 percent of my company’s
payroll costs. That is considered low by today’s national standards, because we
are a tech company and we pay higher salaries than a manufacturing company. But
our costs have doubled over the past four years. That’s money that doesn’t go
into marketing and doesn’t go toward hiring the next person. We’ve grown from
three people to 21 now, but the cost of healthcare keeps us from growing
faster.
I am a capitalist. We’re nice people at our company, but we
still want to crush the competition. I think, though, that the relationship
between capitalism and democracy has been turned on its head. Capitalism is an
economic system, not a political system. It is supposed to serve a democracy,
but it is the other way around now—democracy in the service of capitalism.
I often ask myself questions like, ‘How much is enough?’ What
is the difference between reasonable wealth and excessive wealth?’ I have a
cutoff line. I put a certain amount into a trust and live off the income; the
rest of it goes into investments for the long-term and a foundation. I don’t
have a family to support yet; I’ve been pretty busy, but maybe I will someday
soon. I don’t have a great desire for things. I used to play in a country rock
band, and I like guitars and recording equipment, but I have all of those things
already. This is going to sound arrogant or overblown, but I think my life is
about improving the human condition. It seems to be the thing I keep getting
drawn to.
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