Home Depot co founder Bernie Marcus has blamed socialism for creating an unemployable workforce that's “lazy,” “fat,” and “stupid.”
In response to the economic idea that is “socialism,” Marcus told the Financial Times, “Nobody works. No one cares. “Give this to me. I'll give you money. I don't have the desire to work because I'm lazy, too fat I'm way too dumb.'”
In contrast, Marcus, 93, said how capitalism can be a beneficial system due to its reliance on merit.
“I'm worried about capitalism,” Marcus declared. “Capitalism is the core foundation of Home Depot [and] millions of people have benefited from this success and achieved success. I'm talking about manufacturers, vendors and distributors, as well as people who are employed by us and who can benefit from the experience that is Home Depot. That's what makes Home Depot successful. Capitalism is the reason.”
Marcus asserted that businesses are designed to earn a profit by offering an item or service. Marcus believes that a business's capacity to make money benefits its customers as well as employees. He also criticizes people who think that business exists solely for “social purposes.”
“The role of a business is to sell a product and make a profit,” he said. “The whole idea that a business is set up for social purposes doesn't make sense to me.”
Marcus said that if he and co-founder Arthur Blank tried to launch Home Depot in today's society and regulatory climate the venture would not be as effective. Big government's obsession with bureaucratic red tape, and an under-performing labor force, is particularly detrimental to small companies in their ability to compete with large companies.
“We would end up with 15, 16 stores,” the man declared. “I don't know that we could go further.”
Home Depot is a successful business. It boasts 2300 stores in North America. The company's capitalization in the market is around $300 billion and it earns $150 billion in revenue annually.
Marcus founded Home Depot in 1979 after having started his career as a pharmacist. He was Home Depot's chief executive officer for 19 years, and chair of the Board until his retirement in 2002.
As a long-time conservative contributor, Marcus supported former President Donald Trump and became one of his top supporters. Marcus's support for Trump during the 2020 election period prompted outrage against Home Depot, even though Marcus has ceased working for the company.
Marcus has told the Times that he has no regrets for his support of Republicans such as Governor Ron DeSantis (R), who may launch a campaign in 2024. “I give money to them because I hope they're going to do the right thing,” Marcus said.
Marcus said Trump's policies were “spot on” but did not specify if he would favor one candidate over the other candidate for his GOP nomination.
“It's likely to become extremely interesting in ‘24 because I believe that DeSantis is going to challenge his opponent. It is my hope that the stronger man will be victorious,” Marcus said.
