Why the Minimum Wage Needs a Makeover...
The majority of rational people would agree that you cannot make a "living" working at Wal-Mart. Over the past seven years, story after story of Wal-Mart employees trying to organize for better pay and benefits have come and gone with no change. Growing up in West Virginia I have seen the demise of the middle class firsthand. Wally World is the biggest employer in a state with an unemployment rate of about 14 percent. The rise of the big box stores, with their promises of low prices, have all but eliminated competition in the market. Choice has become an illusion and the american tax payer now subsidizes those low prices. It sounds like I am making a case for minimum wage.....I am not.
Raising the bottom is not going to make this bad situation any better. When you raise the minimum wage in the short-term more people get laid off or fired. This is obviously not helping anyone's standard of living. The real issue is when everyone is getting paid "more", goods and services cost more. This creates the illusion of wealth, but all we have done is taken the same size pizza and cut it into more slices and calling it a bigger pizza. We need to increase the middle class jobs but we also need to do something to protect small business.
I propose a minimum wage on corporations that have more than ten thousand employees. These huge companies create artificially low prices because of ridiculously cheap labor overseas. This will help level the playing field and allow small business to catch up. Yes there will be less jobs from large corporations but more local jobs, and more jobs locally means more competition and competition is good for everyone.
Please comment, I would love to hear any thoughts for improvement.
I propose abolishing taxes instead. Since taxation raises the amount of money you need to earn to survive.
^ And living in Denmark, where everything is insanely expensive, due to the insanely high tax bracket, with 45% as the minimum income tax, 25% vats, and what ever else the government does to squeeze money out of it's people, it's not easy.
^ Furthermore, I live in a tiny town, without a car, and my social network being all around the country, and even in other countries. being "poor" with that, makes it tough to have a social life, because I have to prioritize on what my money goes to, since public transportation here, is rather expensive. (again, due to government control.)
And even being this "poor" person that I am. I would never want to force other people to pay me more money. If I can't deliver the value, for them to pay me more. Then I don't deserve it.
I see your point, does Denmark have any restrictions on how much CEOs can get paid in relation to their workers. I am pretty sure Sweden passed legislation to that effect not too long ago. The reason I bring that up, even if we had no taxes and still had a way for the government to function, we have a disappearing middle class. I envy your lifestyle, I have three children and if not for them I would live at a much lower standard of living.
I don't think there is a law, no. At least, I've seen people complain about the saleries, so probably not.
I actually don't want the government to be there at all. - I don't need other people to tell me what to do, the police harass me for victemless crimes. (I've even been assaulted by them in the past.)
As for the middleclass. It's almost completely gone anyway. It's been taxed into "poverty".
^ And generally speaking. The rich CEO's works in banks, where they get government subsidies. (Your money, taken through taxes, and inflation.) Besides. If the rich keeps the poor, poor. They wouldn't be able to make more money, since no one could afford what they sold. (And without government, there's no one to force you to pay up either.)
I might be jumping a bit too much around, and apologize for that. I'm hungry, and can't really think about anything, but the food on the stove. >.<
I forgot to mention the 1.000% taxation on electricity, heat and water. <.<
Remember it really isn't the employer who pays the worker's salary; it's the customer.
Thus, the rich and the upper middle class can get through it, but the poor are the ones for whom the increasing prices do the most damage.
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