Income Inequality?

[Cow Poke]

allocating wealth

And how, exactly, are YOU dealing with it, Sam? By endlessly posting charts and graphs and spewing forth arguments which don't do a DADBLAMED THING?

[Sam]

And how, exactly, are YOU dealing with it, Sam? By endlessly posting charts and graphs and spewing forth arguments which don't do a DADBLAMED THING?

Increasing the minimum wage would help reduce income inequality, bringing millions of people out of poverty and posing a net benefit to the economy. Legislation setting a "living wage" law for states to implement would reduce income inequality. Taxing investment income above a certain point would reduce income inequality, as the top 1% hold almost all investments.

These are potential solutions to the problem being discussed. What you've been shouting about does not deal with the actual problem of income inequality and therefore isn't even in that set. That's not to say that what you're doing isn't useful or admirable . . . it's just not going to do anything to correct worsening inequality.

[Sam]

Oh, and I meant to post this chart:

[Sparko]

And how, exactly, are YOU dealing with it, Sam? By endlessly posting charts and graphs and spewing forth arguments which don't do a DADBLAMED THING?

That's what the goobermint is fer! He can sit on his tuckus and let Obama give him money. When he finds out that Obama isn't going to do that, he can blame Bush!

[Cow Poke]

Oh, and I meant to post this chart:

Another chart! Poor people all over the world just breathed a collective sigh of relief.

[Jedidiah]

In what way(s) would it be helpful?

If, for example, a CEO opted to cap his "pay" it would, or might, benefit lower paid workers. If it were imposed from outside it would further tend to drive business out of the country (or state, or city depending).

[Jedidiah]

Increasing the minimum wage would help reduce income inequality, bringing millions of people out of poverty and posing a net benefit to the economy. Legislation setting a "living wage" law for states to implement would reduce income inequality. Taxing investment income above a certain point would reduce income inequality, as the top 1% hold almost all investments.

These are potential solutions to the problem being discussed. What you've been shouting about does not deal with the actual problem of income inequality and therefore isn't even in that set. That's not to say that what you're doing isn't useful or admirable . . . it's just not going to do anything to correct worsening inequality.

No. The actual problem is not that the minimum wage is too low. The problem is that the government has driven so much productivity out of the United States. The problem is that unions have taught people that they should not have to work so hard, but still keep getting raises. The problem is that television advertizing has taught people that they should have more, regardless of what they do.

These are a few of the things wrong. The responsibility lies mainly with the individual, not with government.

[Darth Executor]

Increasing the minimum wage would help reduce income inequality, bringing millions of people out of poverty and posing a net benefit to the economy.

More like it'll encourage people to outsource, automate and hire more of the illegals you imported.

[JimL]

More like it'll encourage people to outsource, automate and hire more of the illegals you imported.

If conservative economic policy works, then explain the Kansas experiment that Republican Gov. Brownback is in danger of losing his job over. Talking points don't help your argument in the face of empirical evidence to the contrary.

[Cow Poke]

If conservative economic policy works, then explain the Kansas experiment that Republican Gov. Brownback is in danger of losing his job over. Talking points don't help your argument in the face of empirical evidence to the contrary.

Hi Jimmy,

You must have received your talking points today!

Your friend,
CP

[Darth Executor]

If conservative economic policy works, then explain the Kansas experiment that Republican Gov. Brownback is in danger of losing his job over. Talking points don't help your argument in the face of empirical evidence to the contrary.

I don't subscribe to american conservative economics so thanks for the tip. If you'd read through this thread you'd know that. Idiot.

[Sam]

No. The actual problem is not that the minimum wage is too low. The problem is that the government has driven so much productivity out of the United States. The problem is that unions have taught people that they should not have to work so hard, but still keep getting raises. The problem is that television advertizing has taught people that they should have more, regardless of what they do.

These are a few of the things wrong. The responsibility lies mainly with the individual, not with government.

per month last year. Are you suggesting that wages be brought down to a low enough level to compete with a Bangladeshi laborer earning $0.21 per hour?

Productivity, as noted before, continues to increase, as does GDP. The argument that laborers are working less hard than some era prior is totally unsubstantiated.

[lilpixieofterror]

Who said anything about vocational training? But, since you brought that up, there happens to be a vocational training center nearby that teaches welding --- people who graduate that course are hired by local industry, and the going START rate is $22/hour. There's also a diesel mechanics vocational training center up the road... their graduates ALSO make well over TWICE the minimum wage. But this isn't good enough for you, Sam, because it doesn't ALSO reward the lazy person who just does barely enough to get by!

I got vocational training though the military and I could use it to make 2 to 3 times the min wage. I wonder what kind of 'vocational training' Sam is talking about that 'doesn't work'.

[Sam]

I got vocational training though the military and I could use it to make 2 to 3 times the min wage. I wonder what kind of 'vocational training' Sam is talking about that 'doesn't work'.

Cow Poke is arguing that a solution for income inequality is some sort of vocational training. I'm noting that such training, while meritorious, isn't reducing income inequality, as even middle-class wages have stagnated while the top percentage's incomes have grown. Thus, income inequality continues to increase, even for people who move up from minimum wage to median wage.

[lilpixieofterror]

now, not the problems we had 50 or 60 years ago.

You sound rather jealous. I did vocational training and seem to be doing rather well. Is there something wrong with training in a vocation Sam?