Originally Posted By: sini
Originally Posted By: Derid

2 working adults at pizza shack wages can already obtain that


Not when some asshole CEO decided to switch everyone from FT to 30 hours week so he can make political grand-stand.

These aren't some abstract political ideas these CEO asshats are messing with, these are livelihoods of other people.
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Yes, yes and yes, because alternative is welfare and doing nothing.
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Absolutely not, because "market forces" include $2/day salary for working in sweatshops in third world. Using "market force" as an excuse to drag America down to such level all in the name of profit is EXACTLY why I say market force doesn't always work.



1) Blame the politicians who arrogantly and ignorantly decided to play God and pretend like they could make things better. Good intent or not, politicians are not capable of engineering society. Obamacare was just a fete to Big Pharma and Big Insurance anyhow.

2) Like I said, many people do not need a livable wage. You should really spend a little effort thinking through unintended consequences. Also remember that the same rules you institute with evil evil pizza shack moguls in mind, will also apply to the corner store who is considering hiring an extra clerk so they have more free time.

3) At 2$/hr you wont find many takers in the US yet, thankfully. Unless people wise up to the destructiveness their good intentions actually manifest when turned into reality via govt violence that might change though. If you think that market forces would drive labor down to 2$/hr in a free society you arent thinking it through sufficiently. Conversely, low wages for a particular field simply sends a needed signal to society that " hey! we dont need any more people doing this! its worthless! Find something else to do!". Such signals are needed in order for the economy to run smoothly, and for people to plan intelligently regarding future careers. Your method sends the signal that "hey it doesn't matter, no matter what you will be taken care of. It doesn't matter if you choose to dig holes and fill them back up - someone has you covered!". Which is the wrong signal to send.

Last edited by Derid; 11/16/12 11:32 AM.
For who could be free when every other man's humour might domineer over him? - John Locke (2nd Treatise, sect 57)