Originally posted by: JacobJ
With so many of our goods being manufactured overseas now, I wonder how much it actually would drive up the price of goods...in fact inflation of wages/prices might not be a bad thing considering the sinking price of our dollar...I wonder what various economists have to say on that subject...Originally posted by: Orsorum
Originally posted by: isasir
One of the things in the debates that stuck out to me was Kerry's desire to raise the minimum wage to $8/hr. So while this wasn't a major focus of the elections, this would help alleviate the problem of people feeding themselves (assuming of course they put food high on their priority list of necessities.)
I've come to realize though that a lot of people really just care about themselves (hence "moral values" having such an impact on the election) and as long as these poor people don't harass them for change, they'll just continue on their merry way.
How is raising the minimum wage going to change the poverty level? All that will do is drive up the prices of goods even further. When you raise the minimum wage you raise not just the direct cost of labor to corporations, but all the indirect costs that come with it. You're diluting everyone's earning power.
I have known families that raised 10, 15 kids in a farmhouse on a farmer's widow's income. Yes, money can be tight, or nonexistent. But it's doable. Kids get jobs and contribute to supporting the family. Remember hand-me-downs? I do. My mother's family does. Remember not having a car? Or living in a trailer? Or working menial jobs?
No one has a right to anything in this world beyond the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not happiness, not a leg up, but the right to pursue the paths we choose.
but the bottom line is that something is seriously wrong when 12 millions households struggle to eat in the United States of America.
I'm asking for the definition they're giving of "struggle", because I know that it's possible, though never fun, to survive on very, very little money.
