[Vision2020] Minimum wage

[Austin Storm]

Dear Joe,

Didn't actually read the whole thing, but it sounds like a sort of reductio
ad absurdum to me.

Cheers!

-Austin

On 8/5/06, Joe Campbell <joekc at adelphia.net> wrote:
>
> Chevy,
>
> I just want to make sure that I have the structure of your argument
> correct. As far as I can tell, it is this:
>
> 1) Here is a crazy idea: Suppose we raise the minimum wage to $100 per
> hour.
> 2) That won't work.
> 3) Therefore, it is crazy to raise the minumum wage.
>
> Is that your argument?
>
> As of yet this fallacy has no name. On the other hand, it doesn't need
> one!
>
> Best, Joe
>
> ---- J Chevy <j_chvy at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> =============
> "Everywhere is freaks and hairies
> Dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity
>   Tax the rich; feed the poor
>   Till there are no rich no more..."
>
>   Interpret the above as you will.
>
>   Now, in the purest democrat fashion…
>
>   Hey, I got a grand idea; let's skip all the non-livable wage
> propositions and raise the minimum wage in Idaho to $100.00 per worker per
> hour worked. Skilled, unskilled, college educated, black, white, green,
> position in society, blue collar, white collar, high or low intelligence, no
> matter. Better yet, assign everyone identical salaries. We are all equal,
> right?  Why shouldn't we deserve the same pay?  Does any among us think that
> they're better than the other?  Maybe our government should just handle all
> the finances in the United States--issue us all an identical check every
> Monday.  Shoot, why do we even need money?  Or property?  Or the right to
> have a say in the political arena for that matter? (Socialized medicine, at
> this point, is a no-brainer.)  Shant we all fulfill out own niche to society
> and one big utopia will result?  Aw, community, egalitarianism, I love
> it!  Mind you, we need bums, losers, drug addicts, illegal aliens,
> derelicts, miscreants, hippies,
> gypsies, and environmentalists just as we need doctors, engineers,
> teachers, attorneys, chemists, military personnel, law enforcement, and
> authors.  We are all equal, we simply play our own and unique role in the
> societal hub. True? We are all dependant on each other for survival.  The
> drive to earn a bigger wage and live more affluently is no motivation to
> better oneself—or the country for that matter.  Perhaps the ailing Castro,
> Putin, Ill, Hu, or the ghost of Lenin or Marx could help with the logistics
> and implementation of this socioeconomic bit of brilliance. It's a noble
> idea. It will be tough in the beginning. We will have to start on a
> small-scale basis. The first experimental community could be called, say,
> the Socialist Republic of Moscow. Next, when we have successfully worked out
> the bugs, we could fan out to neighboring areas, then to the entire
> state.  How's the People's Republic of Idaho sound?  Catchy, huh?  Apropos,
> I'm suddenly having a deja vu.
>
>   Not funny, you say? Remember the natural progression, according to Marx,
> that Nations typically take? The US is knee deep in Socialism already. The
> last step is communism…and, as we all know, it's track record is flawless.
>
>   Performance, specialization, and supply/demand should dictate salary..
> When all is said and done, no one will work for (or pay) the ridiculous.
> There should be no minimum wage, whatsoever.  Just think, and I'm not
> totally a free market wing nut..
>
>   But, let's say our socialist, Idahoan quixotes have their way and manage
> to get the minimum wage raised to say, $8.00, the highest in the nation. Can
> any of you, without any other state contributions, survive on that?
> Doubtful. So, what then? $9.00? 10.00? 15.00 per hour?
>
>   The answer is to eliminate the minimum wage altogether (and oust the
> aliens that'll work for next-to-nothing).  Any person left who wants
> something for themselves or their family will do what it takes to climb the
> ladder. 'Cause 'meritocracy and the American Dream' ain't no riddle, man; to
> me, it makes good good sense. Good sense.
>
>   J
>
>
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-- 
Austin Storm
Sky Cow Books
P.O. Box 9128 Moscow, Idaho 83843
208.596.5752 work | 678.550.5503 fax
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