Between raising the minimum wage and supporting the UN, I couldnt watch it anymore

[JosephTheLibertarian]

You speak the truth, of course, but "liberal" was stolen from us. Now they've moved on to "progressive". Can we have "liberal" back?

Aren't we the progressives? We knew that the drug war would fail from day 1 lol

liberals: we need to protect you from drugs

conservatives: you should be punished for drug use

libertarians: do what you want

 

[Roxi]

minimum wage goes up to 6.55 tomorrow...

haven't you noticed the fast food prices all rose 10% over the last week, as well did most grocery items etc...

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

minimum wage goes up to 6.55 tomorrow...

haven't you noticed the fast food prices all rose 10% over the last week, as well did most grocery items etc...

yup.. as inflation goes up lol another brick on the back of the poor and middle class! I think minimum wage is 7.15 here in NJ hm

 

[Kuldebar]

Thomas E. Woods said in a Mises seminar not long ago when asked about how the Liberal label got transferred to big government types...his answer was interesting...I'll paraphrase it here:

He said that in the beginning of our country everyone had a great respect for limited government and liberty and truly believed that freedom was the best way for everyone to benefit. But, over the years, some people became impatient for freedom to "work" when it came to addressing certain problems in society. So, they felt if the government "helped" to even the playing field enough, things could become more fair a lot faster.

In an opposing group, there were a more conservative bunch of folks who believed that letting property rights, free markets and civil society work these issues was the best solution. And, of course, this meant abiding by the Constitutional limits on government.

From this shift and parting of ways, liberals and conservative labels came into use. None of this happened overnight.

The key to remember is that well intentioned people inhabited both sides of the schism, even today we must not forget this.

Even I can't say that Hillary Clinton is evil, I don't honestly think she is...but I do believe she is woefully misguided and has no principled concept of liberty or the inherent value of human freedom. But, the same can be said of nearly all Republican leaders as well.

 

[Ed W]

...

 

[ShaneC]

Problem is, the minimum wage will go up, which will help the people making minimum wage (for a very short period of time).

Then all the bills go up, EVERYONES, and those of us in the middle class are still screwed, and the minimum wage workers will still be in poverty.

 

[NCGOPer_for_Paul]

Great point, ShaneC.

The economic reasons for eliminating the minimum wage are clear enough.

The other problem is moral. What right does the government have to tell an employer how much he/she can pay an employee?

If the employee doesn't want to work for that amount, he/she is free to pursue other options. If the employer cannot get workers for what he/she is offering, the employer would have to raise the wage on his/her own. It's amazing how the market (is supposed) to work that way.

If the government wants to have a minimum wage it has to pay its employees, that's one thing, but to tell a private employer is completely another.

 

[Birdlady]

It's been so long that we have had a free market that people don't even understand the concept. They think this IS free market now, so they want something different (socialism) not realizing they have been fooled for years!

If you get rid of the minimum wage most people would have a fit because they don't understand the bigger picture. They just care about what that check says at the end of the week. How we can we expect Americans to understand economics when we have children (and even adults) who cannot read at their appropriate level in school let alone do critical thinking! Everything in marketing is at an eight grade reading level for a reason.

 

[shadowhooch]

It's been so long that we have had a free market that people don't even understand the concept. They think this IS free market now, so they want something different (socialism) not realizing they have been fooled for years!

If you get rid of the minimum wage most people would have a fit because they don't understand the bigger picture. They just care about what that check says at the end of the week.

Yep, I agree. Minimum wage is a bad subject to talk about in a debate unless you are for increasing it. The average American sees the repeal of the minimum wage as heartless and cold. You can't expect the average American to "get" free market theory.

As a matter of fact, I feel like I'm educated in Politics more than the average Joe and I'm not even sure I agree that taking out the minimum wage is a good idea. As much as I believe in Ron Pauls free market thinking, I can't help but see the exhorbitant salaries and benefits company CEOs and upper management make.

It's a very touchy subject to say the least. Especially when try to tell some single mother trying to raise her family working 2 minimum wage jobs that the free market will actually allow her to get paid more. That's a hard pill to swallow (even if you are right).

 

[NCGOPer_for_Paul]

Yep, I agree. Minimum wage is a bad subject to talk about in a debate unless you are for increasing it. The average American sees the repeal of the minimum wage as heartless and cold. You can't expect the average American to "get" free market theory.

As a matter of fact, I feel like I'm educated in Politics more than the average Joe and I'm not even sure I agree that taking out the minimum wage is a good idea. As much as I believe in Ron Pauls free market thinking, I can't help but see the exhorbitant salaries and benefits company CEOs and upper management make.

It's a very touchy subject to say the least. Especially when try to tell some single mother trying to raise her family working 2 minimum wage jobs that the free market will actually allow her to get paid more. That's a hard pill to swallow (even if you are right).

You're probably correct about the economic intelligence of the average American. However, you can't use the ignorance of the average voter to do something you know isn't right, or is against the free market.

Does it really matter how much money someone is making? While it would be NICE if the CEOs and upper management types would take some of their earnings and donate more to charity and the like, forcing them to is against anything anyone here should advocate. And, even by raising a minimum wage to whatever, isn't going to "equalize" the playing field.

It's difficult, but tell that mother that her "raise" has just been taken away from her by the increased cost in employing her and others, and it will cost her more to feed and clothe her children. Her "raise" also puts her closer to the unemployment line, as her employer may have to make a profit decision on whether to cut hours or cut employees.