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I wish the lower and middle classes would stop begrudging each other’s thousands and start focusing on the millions and billions being raked in by corporations

I wish the lower and middle classes would stop begrudging each other’s thousands and start focusing on the millions and billions being raked in by corporations and the rich.

refurb 6y ago
I don't care what corporations pay their people, that's not my money. I care what the gov't pays people, because that's my money.
- Johnny555 6y ago
  But when the corporations don't pay employees a living wage and they end up on welfare, that's your money too.
  - cscurmudgeon 6y ago
    Is there a scientific study that shows a causation, or at least a correlation, between X and Y: X: "start focusing on the millions and billions being raked in by corporations and the rich" and Y: "corporations don't pay employees a living wage and they end up on welfare"
    - WalterSear 6y ago
      > Walmart's low-wage workers cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing, according to a report published by Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition of 400 national and state-level progressive groups. https://www.worldhunger.org/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxpayers-6-2-billion-public-assistance https://www.worldhunger.org/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxp...
      - refurb 6y ago
        A progressive group blames Walmart? No surprise there. I guess the alternative is what? Get rid of Walmart jobs? Will people be better off then?
        oarsinsync 6y ago
        > I don't care what corporations pay their people, that's not my money. I care what the gov't pays people, because that's my money. You’ve just been given an example that demonstrates the two are linked, with corporations underpaying their staff, subsidised by the government. Do you have the same opposition to govt subsidies on underpaid private workers as to do for what you presumably consider to be overpaid public workers? Note that Walmart is posting billions in net (not gross) profits, while the employees are using food stamps.
        rtx 6y ago
        Isn't there a minimum wage law in USA, I doubt corporation of this size will be so balant.
        WalterSear 6y ago
        Hasn't increased to keep up with the cost of living in 50 years. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/022615/can-family-survive-us-minimum-wage.aspEwjDkK6Z-cnrAhXIup4KHXsGDSMQFjABegQIDRAG&usg=AOvVaw00UFpgEXOpyxzhx5CW1MZg https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/...
        rtx 6y ago
        Shouldn't the voters be responsible for that instead of Walmart. This looks like a way to blame Walmart for ignoring your democratic duties.
        pas 6y ago
        Blaming Walmart while lamenting the shortcomings of the system can be done at the same time. Usually blaming big corps is a bit more effective than trying to untangle US democracy/politics (first past the post, healthcare/education costs skyrocketing, employment and health insurance too strongly entwined, race, religion and ideology takes the center stage not poverty, because path dependence of the affected groups).
  - RestlessMind 6y ago
    Yes, that just means so we should also fight corporations paying people too low that they show up on welfare. That doesn't mean we should just ignore government employees and politicians banding together to fleece future taxpayers. More than one thing can be bad and can be fought against.
- oarsinsync 6y ago
  That’s good. As well as all that, it may do well to care what corporations aren't paying the govt, because that’s also your pool of money not being fairly funded.
rapsey 6y ago
The media is controlled by the billionaires. They will never allow the narrative to turn against them.
ericmcer 6y ago
At the same time though, lower and middle classes are competing for the same set of resources. Billionaires aren’t driving rent prices up or causing $15 lunches. Their money gives them an unequal share of influence over our democracy, but it isn’t like if we took it all and redistributed it more physical goods would appear.

I wish the lower and middle classes would stop begrudging each other’s thousands and start focusing on the millions and billions being raked in by corporations and the rich.

refurb 6y ago

I don't care what corporations pay their people, that's not my money. I care what the gov't pays people, because that's my money.

Johnny555 6y ago
But when the corporations don't pay employees a living wage and they end up on welfare, that's your money too.
- cscurmudgeon 6y ago
  Is there a scientific study that shows a causation, or at least a correlation, between X and Y: X: "start focusing on the millions and billions being raked in by corporations and the rich" and Y: "corporations don't pay employees a living wage and they end up on welfare"
  - WalterSear 6y ago
    > Walmart's low-wage workers cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing, according to a report published by Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition of 400 national and state-level progressive groups. https://www.worldhunger.org/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxpayers-6-2-billion-public-assistance https://www.worldhunger.org/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxp...
    - refurb 6y ago
      A progressive group blames Walmart? No surprise there. I guess the alternative is what? Get rid of Walmart jobs? Will people be better off then?
      - oarsinsync 6y ago
        > I don't care what corporations pay their people, that's not my money. I care what the gov't pays people, because that's my money. You’ve just been given an example that demonstrates the two are linked, with corporations underpaying their staff, subsidised by the government. Do you have the same opposition to govt subsidies on underpaid private workers as to do for what you presumably consider to be overpaid public workers? Note that Walmart is posting billions in net (not gross) profits, while the employees are using food stamps.
        rtx 6y ago
        Isn't there a minimum wage law in USA, I doubt corporation of this size will be so balant.
        WalterSear 6y ago
        Hasn't increased to keep up with the cost of living in 50 years. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/022615/can-family-survive-us-minimum-wage.aspEwjDkK6Z-cnrAhXIup4KHXsGDSMQFjABegQIDRAG&usg=AOvVaw00UFpgEXOpyxzhx5CW1MZg https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/...
        rtx 6y ago
        Shouldn't the voters be responsible for that instead of Walmart. This looks like a way to blame Walmart for ignoring your democratic duties.
        pas 6y ago
        Blaming Walmart while lamenting the shortcomings of the system can be done at the same time. Usually blaming big corps is a bit more effective than trying to untangle US democracy/politics (first past the post, healthcare/education costs skyrocketing, employment and health insurance too strongly entwined, race, religion and ideology takes the center stage not poverty, because path dependence of the affected groups).
- RestlessMind 6y ago
  Yes, that just means so we should also fight corporations paying people too low that they show up on welfare. That doesn't mean we should just ignore government employees and politicians banding together to fleece future taxpayers. More than one thing can be bad and can be fought against.
oarsinsync 6y ago
That’s good. As well as all that, it may do well to care what corporations aren't paying the govt, because that’s also your pool of money not being fairly funded.

rapsey 6y ago

The media is controlled by the billionaires. They will never allow the narrative to turn against them.

ericmcer 6y ago

At the same time though, lower and middle classes are competing for the same set of resources. Billionaires aren’t driving rent prices up or causing $15 lunches. Their money gives them an unequal share of influence over our democracy, but it isn’t like if we took it all and redistributed it more physical goods would appear.