04-09-2010, 02:49 PM
The minimum wage has never off-shored a fry cook, hospital orderly or hotel housekeeper.
I realize that all the economic consequences of a minimum wage are not cause for celebration but you can't re-distrubute wealth without it costing the rest of us <i>something</i>. I just don't feel entitled to cheap this or that at the cost of having the people that provide it to me living in poverty...or getting used up only to retire into poverty. Whatever it is, I'll pay a nickel more for it gladly, if it means someone sweeping the warehouse gets health benefits. I'd be delighted if the tax system provided incentives to management to kick in a nickel from their side of the equation too.
Entrusting social equity to the apostles of the free market has never increased the likelihood of a non-sharehlder (be that a worker, a customer, a resident near a factory...) getting a square deal.
I don't consider my view radical as much as I consider it enlightened self-interest. I don't want to live in fear of a desperate underclass.
I realize that all the economic consequences of a minimum wage are not cause for celebration but you can't re-distrubute wealth without it costing the rest of us <i>something</i>. I just don't feel entitled to cheap this or that at the cost of having the people that provide it to me living in poverty...or getting used up only to retire into poverty. Whatever it is, I'll pay a nickel more for it gladly, if it means someone sweeping the warehouse gets health benefits. I'd be delighted if the tax system provided incentives to management to kick in a nickel from their side of the equation too.
Entrusting social equity to the apostles of the free market has never increased the likelihood of a non-sharehlder (be that a worker, a customer, a resident near a factory...) getting a square deal.
I don't consider my view radical as much as I consider it enlightened self-interest. I don't want to live in fear of a desperate underclass.