21 Aug 2019, 1:05 pm
Kraichgauer
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Location: Spokane area, Washington state.
21 Aug 2019, 3:36 pm
EzraS wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
EzraS wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
LoveNotHate wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
Americans - I think especially conservatives - like to say we are a Christian nation. If that's true, then we can't say it's each individuals responsibility to get along, or just go die if they can't. That's hardly the real Christian message, though many conservatives have attached themselves to very errant evangelical theologies such as the prosperity gospel which says God rewards the righteous with material wealth and curses the unrighteous with poverty. Trump's bought into that, hook, line, and sinker. It justifies not helping those in need, while magnifying the rich. Real Christianity means helping those down and out, not jugging them, or putting them through a litmus test for if they're really deserving of help. And it goes beyond individual or church charity, and includes paying taxes for the well being of our fellow brothers and sisters in need if we're the Christian country we're supposed to be.
Conservatives believe they're helping people when they get them off of assistance programs and onto self-reliance.
When did I ever say helping people get back on their feet is a bad thing? The problem with conservatives is, they are so pro-business that they don't support raising the minimum wage or support universal health care, leaving people worse off than they'd be on public assistance. Give people an incentive to aspire for that includes a good wage and actual benefits whether provided by the employer or the government, not some Horatio Alger fantasy of getting rewarded for saving a rich man's daughter from a run away carriage, and people will take it.
Raisiing the minamum wage just raises prices. Every time there is a big spike in the minimum wage there is a big spike in prices. So it does them no good. And makes it difficult for those on those on a fixed income. If the minimum wage was raised to $25 an hour, then they would end up paying $15 for something they used to pay $8 for before the raise. The incentive to make better wages is to do what it takes to get a better paying job.
Businesses raise prices for goods and services anyhow, making it harder for working people to make purchases, hence the entire economy suffers in the long term. On top of that, wages in general have been stagnate for years. All opposing a minimum wage hike does is ensure a permanent under class of workers.
From what I am seeing looking at Department of Labor & Industry charts, the minimum wage has increased annually. The opposition is against a sudden substantial increase. Are you wanting there to be a universal wage for unskilled laborers to get paid the same as skilled ones? A 16 year old kid flipping burgers should get paid the same as a technician?
No, but I want them paid well enough that they have buying power in order to live comfortably, and to contribute to the economy.
21 Aug 2019, 3:55 pm
21 Aug 2019, 5:55 pm
21 Aug 2019, 5:57 pm
auntblabby
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21 Aug 2019, 8:21 pm
Kraichgauer
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Joined: 12 Apr 2010
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Location: Spokane area, Washington state.
21 Aug 2019, 8:51 pm
21 Aug 2019, 9:26 pm
21 Aug 2019, 10:40 pm
21 Aug 2019, 11:06 pm
21 Aug 2019, 11:18 pm
22 Aug 2019, 1:33 am
22 Aug 2019, 1:53 am
22 Aug 2019, 1:57 am
Kraichgauer
Veteran
Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 49,751
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.
22 Aug 2019, 3:34 am
cyberdad wrote:
LoveNotHate wrote:
cyberdad wrote:
LoveNotHate wrote:
However, I do think most poor people have poor financial management skills. That's how the credit card industry / payday loan stores / pawn shops exist. And it's these poor skills that contribute to their problems.
So poor people are not supposed to take loans to live like the wealthy....they should stick to their slums and leave good quality of life to the people who deserve it...namely the wealthy elite
Obviously haven't heard of marketing...the rich multinationals and banks (also owned by the wealthy elite) sell things to the poor that they know they can't afford. It's called manipulating vulnerable minds.
That's right.
That's the prescription for over spending.
Live within your means.
I think Kraichie makes a valid point that when you leave wages to market forces that you have exploitation of workers.
:Large Companies are now (in the name of shareholder profits) automate jobs wherever possible (e.g. shopping centres now have self-checkouts, take-aways have self-ordering screens), they move entire sections of their companies offshore to exploit cheap labor and they exploit young people who work on internships or minimum wage). Plenty of stories of people working for companies where they don't get superannuation, back paid due to the company going into receivership and in some industries like motor/mechanics, industrial fabrication and hospitality they don't get paid at all.
The biggest issue is wage stagnation and job cuts which forces people to stay in their jobs and take on more responsibility. This does not generate spending, it results in saving as people have no money to spend and grinding economic slowdown.
The wealthy like Trump spend other people's tax money overseas on luxury goods or hide their wealth on tax havens.
Don't think we are all stupid...we need to kick conservative governments out once in a while so workers can get some quality of life back.
Thank you.
22 Aug 2019, 3:49 am
