| Snake Doctor |
10-16-2008 12:30 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin-SFBucks
(Post 14908212)
A nice thought except the grunt work no one wants to do is that way for a reason. How can you justify the value of that work outweighs the fact that the people most qualified to perform it are the ones that decided a long time ago that they weren't interested in pursuing the criteria necessary to attain other more interesting/acceptable employment?
The fact is, we have bred a population of people who believe they are really worth more than they are. Natural Selection has been thrown out the door and replaced by the US Welfare System (in its many forms and disguises), of which minimum wage and it's discussion is a huge part.
The last time I personally cared about minimum wage was in 1986 when I was 14 (what, it was $2/hr?). I was happy to get it then. By the time I was 18, minimum wage was like $3.25/hr and I was going to college and making $8/hr. I worked and took jobs that paid me more so I could get qualifications to make more money. Where the fuck do all these people that expect handouts and protections come from? Who taught them core values that exclude doing better for yourself everyday? This seriously perplexes me and makes me wonder where we are going as a nation.
|
I disagree with your premise that people at the bottom of the income scale made a conscious decision to not pursue better jobs or careers....but, that's not the reason for a minimum wage.
We have a system in which it is better for the overall stability of the economy to have at least 4% of people who want a job unemployed. If unemployment drops below that rate, the powers that be do everything in their power to slow down the economy, because too low of an unemployment rate puts upward pressure on wages, and can become highly inflationary.
This happened in the late 1990's when Greenspan raised rates 17 consecutive times.
We learned in the 1970's that the inflation toothpaste is really difficult to put back in the tube once it gets started, so we create a surplus of "human capital" to prevent inflation from getting out of control.
Now that your eyes have glazed over, I'll get to the point. Since the powers that be create a constant surplus of workers, it's impossible for wages at the bottom to be controlled by supply and demand. There's always an excess of supply, so those wages would always drop if allowed to go unchecked.
IF you're going to have a system like this, then it also needs to include a floor for wages, since the regular rules of supply and demand don't apply. That's why we have a minimum wage and also why it should be set at or above the poverty level. |
