Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
Furthermore, who exactly are those minimum wage workers? I'd bet that a lot of them are high school kids working at the local fast food joints, housewives & retired folks seeking something that will get them out of the house for a few hours, and similar. People with low skills, in other words.
The corrolary should be obvious: if you want to earn more than minimum wage, learn a skill (or a collection of them) that people are willing to pay more than minimum wage for.
Oh, and there's a second corrolary: not many people stay in that minimum wage group for long. It's a population in constant flux, people starting out move into it, and (with some effort & planning on their part) eventually move out. It may be trite to claim that "the poor are always with us", but they don't stamp the label "poor" on your forehead at birth.
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And let's add to it: the labels "rich" and "poor" have now become relative concepts in modern America.
The poorest person in America today is well off compared to a few places on earth that still experience political chaos and a lack of basic human needs of survival (usually stemming from internal local and national political strife, blood feuds and oppression).
The poorest person in America today enjoys a level of comfort and basic standard of living that was not available even to many of the richest and most powerful people several centuries ago. Is that not progress, in terms of creature comfort and material benefit?
"Rich" and "poor" are now reduced to relative terms. Nothing more than that.
Yes, "the poor will always be with us". But "poor"
compared to what? Bill Gates? Michael Bloomberg? Hell, we are ALL poor compared to those few billionaires. But the "poor" aren't starving and won't starve in a civilized world, either, WILL THEY?.
None of their improvement of quality of life was brought about through Socialism or the old Marxist playbook ideology: Blame the rich. Confiscate their wealth. Pure retribution that solves nothing, improves nothing.
Capitalism isn't perfect. Nor is democracy. It's only better than the alternatives.