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How can anyone take you seriously when you praise Robert Reich of all people? Lol, go back under your little red blanket.
I'm praising Reich as smart article guy, on the basis of his erudition and his experience, which I think is far preferable to mocking someone due to his appearance.
It's odd, but reading posts of the few of you who seem to loathe poorer people, it's much more virulent than anything I've ever heard from poorer people against those who are better off. It really makes you wonder about that mindset. Actually, it makes me think of what was said about lower-class slave-holders in the ante-bellum south: They really needed to have slavery, so that there was someone they could feel superior to.
So what do you suggest should be done about inequality. Its always of note that those who complain most about it offer no solutions except increasing taxes.
1. The rich are very able to shift income to low tax jurisdictions, of which there are many in the USA.
2. So you end up taxing the upper middle class, who will move, and please do not deny that fact.
3. This does nothing to help the poor, unless you think that raising a class of people dependent on hand outs is a good thing. Govt can no longer afford to do this, and we need only look at the plight of many European countries to see that fact.
4. The type of jobs that poorly educated people do can easily be automated. Look at how ATMs have vastly reduced the numbers of bank tellers, and email has reduced the numbers of post office workers and couriers. Fast food cashiers can easily be replaced by vending machines, so you are left with a few people at the back assembling the food.
I always find it odd that people like you never ask the question why a 32 y/o should be doing a minimum wage job, and how they can be helped to upgrade their skills (hard and soft) and work ethic (showing more intiative and creativity and relying less on mechanically following orders).
Many employers complain about the lack of QUALIFIED candidates for a number of mid level slots, the result of those who they find lacking hard and sofy skills, or basic literacy/numeracy.
The issue is that with our high costs across the board, many mid level admin positions have been shifted to cheaper locations elsewhere in the USA...even as near as Jersey City, in some cases.
So a thorough analysis of what NYC needs to do to keep and attract mid level jobs is more important than screaming about the rich. With our vast range of educational resources we should have a ahighly talent employment pool....yet we dont...needing to pull in people from elsewhere.
This is what I have been saying all along for the past couple of years. If I was the next mayor I would give business incentives or tax breaks if they choose to hire locally. If business hire a transplant, they will not receive no tex break or incentives.
This is what I have been saying all along for the past couple of years. If I was the next mayor I would give business incentives or tax breaks if they choose to hire locally. If business hire a transplant, they will not receive no tex break or incentives.
Thank goodness you're not the mayor. The local person may not be the person person for the job. A business is there to make money, not hire you because you're from a certain place.
Such a law would be struck down in both state and federal courts as discriminatory.
The problem with our system is that garbage men will celebrate the fact that if they bust their ass for 20 years they can eat and sleep indoors. When the rich can trick a man into picking up garbage everyday and feel fortunate to pay a tax rate that's twice as high as a millionaire's you know the game is rigged.
Imagine that, you actually get a real service you can see with your tax dollars. Wow. What would happen without us, lets say say 2-3 weeks? Right. See I actually earn my pay. You do not know what goes on behind the scenes of the Department. It's an immense operation. You see 2 guys in a truck picking up trash, but you have no clue how much work is involved in the day to day. Privates couldn't do what we do, snow removal alone. Do you understand the logistics? No you don't. Nice try but we pay more into our pension then any other city agency. Worry about the other places your taxes get wasted, sanitation isn't one of them. Most dangerous job in the city and one of the most in the country. Yea, you know what your talking about...
I talked about your wages, which are certainly artificially inflated by union affiliation. The sanitation thread is the most popular of all time. I wonder why?? It's a job that requires little skill and education and pays very well. What if your wages and benefits weren't protected? How much money would you make on the free market? Don't you think that there'd be people lined up to work for less?
It's you who have no idea, because you don't live in the world that most of us do. My husband worked for a large and very profitable company and made a great salary. This company decided to do away with a whole job category (his), fired tons of people and hired others at a drastically lower salary. Why? Because they could! That's life in the free market, which you are not subjected to. Good for you, but please show some gratitude and don't talk down to the "sad little creatures" whose labor supports your houses, cars and comfortable lifestyle. You talk as if no one else works hard! I was always a union supporter, but honestly, I am thinking differently now.
The problem with our system is that garbage men will celebrate the fact that if they bust their ass for 20 years they can eat and sleep indoors. When the rich can trick a man into picking up garbage everyday and feel fortunate to pay a tax rate that's twice as high as a millionaire's you know the game is rigged.
Common sense finally entered thread. Warren Buffett himself knows American capitalism promotes "inequality for all". He knows secretaries pay more taxes than millionaires. Most in his economic standing are not willing to pay more taxes or do much else about it. Secretaries, sanitation workers, policemen, teachers, and other blue collar workers deserve right to American dream without paying more taxes than millionaires. Big ups to Robert Reich and Richard D. Wolff who preach widening income inequality in America.
I do think that hard-working people deserve the right to the American dream, including sanitation workers. It's the attitude of "I've got mine so screw everyone else" that bothers me. I think unions should be expanded in the private sector to give more people access to this dream as well.
I do think that hard-working people deserve the right to the American dream, including sanitation workers. It's the attitude of "I've got mine so screw everyone else" that bothers me. I think unions should be expanded in the private sector to give more people access to this dream as well.
This version of the American Dream is just that - a dream. Except for a couple of post WW2 decades, slightly revivived by heavy gov't spending during the Reagan administration, inequality had always been prevalent in the US. The poor were more miserable as they had fewer access to education and health services. Even the middle class at those times - while gainfully employed - could easily fall into poverty without adequate safety nets.
who ever heard of a freaking right wing garbage man lol?
have some humility for goodness sake. you wouldn't be
anywhere without the civil rights struggle yo. you would
have been lucky to get paid enough to eat back then for
picking up garbage, so learn your history old boy.
This version of the American Dream is just that - a dream. Except for a couple of post WW2 decades, slightly revivived by heavy gov't spending during the Reagan administration, inequality had always been prevalent in the US. The poor were more miserable as they had fewer access to education and health services. Even the middle class at those times - while gainfully employed - could easily fall into poverty without adequate safety nets.
Probably worth it to try to duplicate the post WW2 policies as much as possible, including tax levels and union representation.
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