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This is a discussion forum. How is the government going to solve wealth disparity with more money?

toomuchtodo 7y ago
Labor regulations (an example would be increasing the minimum wage, $15 an hour gets thrown around and would provide workers with a living wage). Universal healthcare, preventing destitution from medical expenses and increasing worker mobility. Subsidized education preventing the need to go tens of thousands of dollars into debt for a degree employers can require at no cost to themselves. Big fan of a Green New Deal; the country needs a massive infrastructure overhaul, and it'd provide quality jobs to participants. You squeeze more from capital (who has been raking labor over the coals for the last 40 years) for labor. What's capital going to do, leave the country? We'll tax it on the way out, and we still get to keep the market if you want access to it from the outside. Disclaimer: My politics are firmly in the democratic socialist camp. Allow success, but not too much, and make failure cheaper and less painful.
- manigandham 7y ago
  All of those things can be done with the money we have now, while probably costing less. Taxes and insurance are already socialist. I see no point in "democratic socialism" that isn't just better spending like I talked about, outside of some extreme views on limiting wealth. My point remains that if these policies don't change now, more taxes will change nothing while concentrating more money/power into a few political hands that have proven to be bad at spending it.
- lightedman 7y ago
  "an example would be increasing the minimum wage, $15 an hour gets thrown around and would provide workers with a living wage" Not in most of California or any other 'wealthy' state, it wouldn't. I know people making $18/hr and more than half of their post-tax income is going to rent ALONE.
  - toomuchtodo 7y ago
    Super HCOL locations aside, it’s a solid start for most of America.
    - jki275 7y ago
      No, unfortunately for that idea raising the minimum wage simply raises the cost of living commensurately.
      - toomuchtodo 7y ago
        That has not been born out in data from Seattle and Washington DC where the minimum wage has been raised.
        lightedman 7y ago
        It certainly bears out here in California where every year our wage increases are immediately followed with a rent increase. I'm the person paying literally the cheapest apartment rent in the entire county, because of being grandfathered in due to long tenancy. $1300/mo. Everyone else in the same complex, for fewer or the same amenities, pays easily $300 more. Rent everywhere else runs about $1800 and quickly rising.
    - lightedman 7y ago
      When wages increase, so do prices. Happens every time. So I really don't think that's a solid start for America, at all.

Labor regulations (an example would be increasing the minimum wage, $15 an hour gets thrown around and would provide workers with a living wage). Universal healthcare, preventing destitution from medical expenses and increasing worker mobility. Subsidized education preventing the need to go tens of thousands of dollars into debt for a degree employers can require at no cost to themselves. Big fan of a Green New Deal; the country needs a massive infrastructure overhaul, and it'd provide quality jobs to participants. You squeeze more from capital (who has been raking labor over the coals for the last 40 years) for labor. What's capital going to do, leave the country? We'll tax it on the way out, and we still get to keep the market if you want access to it from the outside. Disclaimer: My politics are firmly in the democratic socialist camp. Allow success, but not too much, and make failure cheaper and less painful.

manigandham 7y ago
All of those things can be done with the money we have now, while probably costing less. Taxes and insurance are already socialist. I see no point in "democratic socialism" that isn't just better spending like I talked about, outside of some extreme views on limiting wealth. My point remains that if these policies don't change now, more taxes will change nothing while concentrating more money/power into a few political hands that have proven to be bad at spending it.
lightedman 7y ago
"an example would be increasing the minimum wage, $15 an hour gets thrown around and would provide workers with a living wage" Not in most of California or any other 'wealthy' state, it wouldn't. I know people making $18/hr and more than half of their post-tax income is going to rent ALONE.
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  Super HCOL locations aside, it’s a solid start for most of America.
  - jki275 7y ago
    No, unfortunately for that idea raising the minimum wage simply raises the cost of living commensurately.
    - toomuchtodo 7y ago
      That has not been born out in data from Seattle and Washington DC where the minimum wage has been raised.
      - lightedman 7y ago
        It certainly bears out here in California where every year our wage increases are immediately followed with a rent increase. I'm the person paying literally the cheapest apartment rent in the entire county, because of being grandfathered in due to long tenancy. $1300/mo. Everyone else in the same complex, for fewer or the same amenities, pays easily $300 more. Rent everywhere else runs about $1800 and quickly rising.
  - lightedman 7y ago
    When wages increase, so do prices. Happens every time. So I really don't think that's a solid start for America, at all.