[Vision2020] Merry Christmas

[Jeff Harkins]

Hmmm, wonder who will pay for all those allowances.  This is very close to 
the scheme that Marx advocated.  Sure helped the Russian economy!  One real 
advantage - you can close most of the public schools - the lower econ 
levels really don't need the education - because they have the rest of the 
working class providing for a "decent standard of living" without having to 
advance themselves.

And you don't have to go to the trouble of teaching them to fish - they 
just go to the state managed food coop for their weekly ration of lutefisk.

I think Korea still uses this model - some of you might want to check it out.

At 09:36 PM 12/21/2004, you wrote:

>Ted,
>
>You will find that many capitalists believe that raising the minimum wage 
>is pointless and only causes inflation. They hold to the notion that when 
>you raise the wages of the lower 10-25% of the population it cause a wave 
>of pay increases to all the other workers. In order to pay for the 
>increases businesses raise prices, and thus the gains (buying power) made 
>by the wage increases are lost to inflation. Now, I happen to believe that 
>this is in part true because the top wage earners in the company are also 
>the decision makers and they are not going to take pay cuts to give decent 
>wages to the workers.
>
>I suggest what we do is stop trying to argue with them and force them to 
>admit their greed by coming up with an alternative form of paying workers. 
>I would require companies to pay allowances on top of small wages.
>
>Require the company to pay housing, medical, food, clothing, and 
>transportation. Every full time employee, working 32 hours a week or more, 
>should get a minimum allowance for each to afford their basic needs in 
>addition to their salary. For workers that receive less than 32 hours, pay 
>them benefits in equal proportion, like if they work 16 hours a week, they 
>get half the allowances as those working 32 hours. The allowances would be 
>based on the Cost of living index for that area, within 30 miles.
>
>This would be the best way to ensure that people are living a decent 
>quality of life. Housing is becoming increasing impossible to afford, and 
>medical care already is unaffordable for those living on minimum wage.
>
>Take care,
>
>Donovan J Arnold
>
>>From: Tbertruss at aol.com
>>To: kjajmix1 at msn.com, vision2020 at moscow.com, auntiestablishment at hotmail.com
>>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Merry Christmas
>>Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004 14:48:03 EST
>>
>>
>>Keely:
>>
>>Thanks for your reply.
>>
>>I considered that Christ might be a conservative thinker who though believing
>>fervently in helping the poor and disadvantaged, would advocate doing it
>>without the governments involvement, by giving aid directly to those who 
>>need it
>>or through private charity organizations.  So taxes to help the poor 
>>would not
>>be the approach of a conservative altruist.  But the minimum wage issue is
>>different.  For those who want to earn their way and not accept charity,
>>especially single parents, the low minimum wage as set by federal 
>>standards (many
>>states have already raised the minimum wage) is just too low.
>>
>>We are in an age of astonishing CEO salaries, bonuses and golden parachutes,
>>yet these same corporations will lobby against raising the minimum wage.
>>So
>>it is OK to pay Jane Fat Cat CEO an extra million, yet if you advocate taking
>>that extra million, which the CEO already making millions does not really 
>>need
>>to feed, clothe and house her children, and suggest giving it via a pay
>>increase to working single parents who are at the bottom, suddenly you are a
>>"liberal" advocating antibusiness policies.  Why then don't we just do 
>>away with the
>>minimum wage, and let the wonderful "free" market place, that seems to have
>>acquired status as a magical solution to humanities problems, work without
>>nefarious government regulation?  After all, ANY minimum wage is government
>>regulation of business.  Many corporations would love this!  No need to 
>>out source or
>>move to China, just pay workers in the USA $.80 an hour.
>>
>>I envision Christ busting into the board meeting of a Fortune 500 corporation
>>and raising a ruckus...
>>
>>I wonder....
>>
>>Ted Moffett
>>_____________________________________________________
>>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>                http://www.fsr.net
>>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>
>
>_____________________________________________________
>List services made available by First Step Internet, serving the 
>communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>