05-21-2015, 11:40 PM
(05-21-2015, 09:27 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I am of the position that feels that the entire movement to get rid of "income inequality" is just a bunch of lazy folks looking for something for nothing.
Yep, that's right, I said it. If you want to earn more, study more, learn a marketable skill that pays.
My thoughts are primarily motivated by those that feel the minimum wage should be raised to $15/hr. I also feel that crowd is a bunch of bozos that should try their hand at jobs that pay better than minimum wage, just to see if they could cut the mustard.
Minimum wage jobs pay the least for a reason. That reason is because it takes the least amount of skill, experience, or talent to perform those duties. They feel that $15/hr or 30K (based on a 40 hr. work week) is suitable pay for the least common denominator in terms of employment opportunities. What those folks do not realize is that even if that were to happen, it would only be a very short lived victory, as inflation would occur, and make their $15/hr. worth about the same as their $7.25 is today.
More to the point; Why should the lowest achievers (for the ones that never move out of minimum wage jobs) and those with virtually no work experience, make as much as people who have worked and studied hard to develop a marketable skill? 30K is about the same as an average starting Teacher or Fire Fighter. (just to put it in perspective) Does it mean that if minimum wage should be 30K, then all jobs that currently pay in the 30K range should automatically go to 60K? How would that work? If everyone got paid a living wage to do menial work, what would the incentive be to study and work hard?
But it's so unfair that people at the top have all the wealth.. Bullshit. Try your hand a running a billion dollar corporation, tell me how that works out. Try getting millions of fans to come and watch you perform on stage, or the big screen, in the stadium, or in the arena. Likely won't work out so well.. So, basically, you need to get a freakin' education, learn your sorry ass a skill that has a pay grade above minimum, and start plugging along like most Americans that want to live the dream.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/
http://reason.com/archives/2014/06/04/income-mobility-myths
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=25295
I am not rich, likely will never be financially "rich", but I have what I need, and most of what I want in life. My grandmother made minimum wage until the day she retired, and was the first female to ever graduate from her High School, but it never stopped her from being the happiest person I've ever known.
Folks, if you want to make more money, then make yourself worth more.
The bottom line.
I think what most people are referring to when talking about income inequality is the gap narrowing between rich and poor and the disappearing of the middle class. I remember reading a while back in some news paper article about CEO's today making something like 600x's their average employee. Where as 30-40 yrs ago your average CEO made 30-40x's it's average employee. It's become increasingly harder to climb that corporate ladder before you make too much and get the axe because of it. Happened to my dad, forced into retirement.
A lot of these companies could probably keep jobs here in the US and pay a livable wage. However that means those CEO's aren't going to make that 600x's their average employee.
:snark:
