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One thing I have been recently contemplating is about poor people. You often hear about ending poverty, getting people into the middle class, etc. But you never hear people say we NEED poor people. In fact, in someways it would benefit people who are rich or solidly middle class to make poor people even MORE poor.
The US (and most of the World) is a capitalistic society where wealth allows you to buy greater amount goods. The key is however that someone need to be able to produce these goods and services at lower cost than what you make. So for example if people at Mcdonalds was making $30 per hour, people would hardly be able to afford to eat McDonalds that often. To keep that dollar menu, McDonalds need pay people minimum wage. Now if McDonalds could get people to work for $1 an hour, they might even able to offer a 50 cents menu! Of course rich people can afford to dine at expensive 5 star restaurants where they possibly employs more lower middle class people.
The key thing I want to get to is that not everyone can be rich. If everyone was rich who would provide the services and goods that you associate with the upper class? The same can be said about the middle class, not everyone can have American dream. There needs to be someone poorer to give products/services needed for the middle class. To enjoy a rich or middle class lifestyle there needs to be poor people!
One thing I have been recently contemplating is about poor people. You often hear about ending poverty, getting people into the middle class, etc. But you never hear people say we NEED poor people. In fact, in someways it would benefit people who are rich or solidly middle class to make poor people even MORE poor.
The US (and most of the World) is a capitalistic society where wealth allows you to buy greater amount goods. The key is however that someone need to be able to produce these goods and services at lower cost than what you make. So for example if people at Mcdonalds was making $30 per hour, people would hardly be able to afford to eat McDonalds that often. To keep that dollar menu, McDonalds need pay people minimum wage. Now if McDonalds could get people to work for $1 an hour, they might even able to offer a 50 cents menu! Of course rich people can afford to dine at expensive 5 star restaurants where they possibly employs more lower middle class people.
The key thing I want to get to is that not everyone can be rich. If everyone was rich who would provide the services and goods that you associate with the upper class? The same can be said about the middle class, not everyone can have American dream. There needs to be someone poorer to give products/services needed for the middle class. To enjoy a rich or middle class lifestyle there needs to be poor people!
Are you suggesting something, some sort of intervention be performed? Or, are you just commenting on existing economic equilibrium?
When I grewup those working at McDonald's were parttime high school kids except for the manager.Almost all my friends and myself had partime jobs during school year and full time mostly during the summer.But from what I see every society has poor and the group is much larger in socialist socities. Only the political elite aren't mostly poor. poor is what the lowest person makes and from what I have seen it means also a shortage of goods since there is little incentive to produce.
When I grewup those working at McDonald's were parttime high school kids except for the manager.Almost all my friends and myself had partime jobs during school year and full time mostly during the summer.But from what I see every society has poor and the group is much larger in socialist socities. Only the political elite aren't mostly poor. poor is what the lowest person makes and from what I have seen it means also a shortage of goods since there is little incentive to produce.
You're completely wrong. In Scandinavia, most people are middle class, with far less poverty than the US and more social mobility, less of a rich/poor gap and such countries are not at violent or as dog-eat-dog, as a result.
When I grewup those working at McDonald's were parttime high school kids except for the manager.Almost all my friends and myself had partime jobs during school year and full time mostly during the summer.But from what I see every society has poor and the group is much larger in socialist socities. Only the political elite aren't mostly poor. poor is what the lowest person makes and from what I have seen it means also a shortage of goods since there is little incentive to produce.
You couldn't be more wrong. Look up a reference called the Gini Index-it's a measurement of income inequality per nation. The United States ranks between Uruguay and Cameroon. The more Socialist the country, the lower the disparity of wealth. I would hardly call Sweden and Denmark poor.
One thing I have been recently contemplating is about poor people. You often hear about ending poverty, getting people into the middle class, etc. But you never hear people say we NEED poor people. In fact, in someways it would benefit people who are rich or solidly middle class to make poor people even MORE poor.
The US (and most of the World) is a capitalistic society where wealth allows you to buy greater amount goods. The key is however that someone need to be able to produce these goods and services at lower cost than what you make. So for example if people at Mcdonalds was making $30 per hour, people would hardly be able to afford to eat McDonalds that often. To keep that dollar menu, McDonalds need pay people minimum wage. Now if McDonalds could get people to work for $1 an hour, they might even able to offer a 50 cents menu! Of course rich people can afford to dine at expensive 5 star restaurants where they possibly employs more lower middle class people.
The key thing I want to get to is that not everyone can be rich. If everyone was rich who would provide the services and goods that you associate with the upper class? The same can be said about the middle class, not everyone can have American dream. There needs to be someone poorer to give products/services needed for the middle class. To enjoy a rich or middle class lifestyle there needs to be poor people!
LOL You think that people who produce goods are poor. I'm a carpenter by trade and an 8th grade drop out who has made a tone of money off of the rich who are not willing to do manual labor.
I'll never forget the lawyer I was working for years ago who told me that I make more then him. I looked him in the face and told him that he should have been a carpenter if he wanted to make real money.
Just because you're a service person doesn't mean you're poor. I also work for a lady who lives uptown in New Orleans and she reminds me every time I show up that the hired help must come through the side door. Only people of stature are allowed through the front door. I laugh to myself, hand her my bill and go home to a house that is worth three times as much as hers.
Funny thing is, these people always put the bill on a credit card or take out a loan while I pay cash for everything I need. They think they are rich, but they live from pay check to pay check acting like they are the most important around.
But what do I know other than you need the rich to make money from them.
When I grewup those working at McDonald's were parttime high school kids except for the manager.Almost all my friends and myself had partime jobs during school year and full time mostly during the summer.But from what I see every society has poor and the group is much larger in socialist socities. Only the political elite aren't mostly poor. poor is what the lowest person makes and from what I have seen it means also a shortage of goods since there is little incentive to produce.
Mod cut: this should give you even more incentive to produce.
Are you suggesting something, some sort of intervention be performed? Or, are you just commenting on existing economic equilibrium?
I am mainly commenting on on how I see current economic balance in society. Just wondering what people perspective are on how this economic balance is.
You're completely wrong. In Scandinavia, most people are middle class, with far less poverty than the US and more social mobility, less of a rich/poor gap and such countries are not at violent or as dog-eat-dog, as a result.
Scandinavia is more of socialist country. The USA is closer to more pure capitalist system, though it still has some socialism. And yes in absolute purest form of capitalism it would be dog-eat-dog (think 1800s USA).
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