Ok, what would all the current minimum wage workers be doing now without government intervention and where would they be living? They don't have the education to move up to higher skilled labor. Without government intervention they never will. They would most likely be making less living in the ever increasing power voids that come with capitalism. Crime would rise, and in these vacuums a mix of capitalism and might-is-right that already exists would further blossom. Open the borders to allow low wage workers from Mexico - would the US benefit from absorbing Mexico or would these power vacuums spread even further? Do you want the US to be less like Europe and more like Asia? Asia seems like a much rougher place to live, IMO. The quality of life seems much less for the common person.
More correctly, capitalism's answer is that they will learn & adjust to support it. What is the standard of living in countries where workers are protected by the government is a better question. Look at countries in Europe that have 20% unemployment & lower productivity than us. It is because of government interference into capitalism. Despite your ideals that capitalism needs big government to function to the betterment of society, it was a purer version of capitalism that made this country great & into the super power it is.
America is a terrible place with totally inadequate people making decisions for us. This may be hard to swallow, but not all politicians are bad, and not all are stupid. Some even have our people's best interest in mind. Not even considering the benefits of a minimum wage reflects how unwilling you are to compromise with others of differing beliefs. And I am the one trying to push my will on others? It is not every American's right to own a business. If your profit is so little that a minimum wage raise increase kills your business, you probably need to rethink your business plan. You are against a minimum wage, period, so we differ in opinion at a very fundamental level. The key to resolution is finding something both parties can agree on instead of endlessly arguing their own opinions without understanding their opponents point of view.
they would be paying far less taxes and have more money and better lives. they dont need you to make decisions for them. if they want to work for 5 an hour, it isnt your job to stop them. i know you want to control everyone, but you shouldnt. there is a market for unskilled labor. i dunno what you are talking about with this "power voids" stuff. i suspect you are making this up as you go. what part of asia are you talking about? where is the failed capitalism? i know there is lots of failed big governments. you are casting this "might-is-right" situation as if workers have no leverage at all. but employers need them very badly. thats why we need immigrant workers so bad. most americans are too good for minimum wage jobs. employers cant find workers. the workers have leverage, because they will work for the employer who pays the most. it isnt like some evil employer is gonna decide to pay his workers 10 cents an hour. he can try that, but he wont be able staff his business. prices will be determined by the market just fine. whether people are selling widgets or labor, buyers and seller can come to agreements and make their own decisions. you do not need to decide everything for everyone.
And with the magic of capitalism, people will not take those jobs - forcing the companies to voluntarily offer higher wages in order to get the workers they need. Of course, not all. But when it is an economic decision, the overriding logic should lie with capitalism. You have more faith in the government than I do. And no, it is not better to err on the side of inflation - this has undeniable negative economic effects. The other side would not be to err at all, but to allow the free market economy to do its job via the "invisible hand". What gives you this confidence? No society can function without a lower class. Capitalism allows fluctuation between classes & offers the ability to move out of being lower class. Instead of blaming companies for not paying enough or our society for not demanding high enough wages, why don't we blame who is really at fault for your "power vacuums" - the ghettos themselves. The government is partially to blame for not providing better schools etc in those areas, but ultimately it comes down to the residents of these areas & the culture they have. They make a decision to be lawless. Society does not force them into it.
yes, people like you who want to step in between employers and workers and shackle them unless they do your bidding. yes, you are. i like to allow people to make their own decisions. if a worker's wage is too low, and they have skills that are worth more, they can work somewhere else. if an employer tries to pay below market value for his labor, all his employees will be morons or he cant hire anyone at all, and his business will suffer. so businesses who pay good wages for compeetnt workers are rewarded and employers who employ a gang of lazy morons go out of business. everything works out without your help. one time i got a minimum wage job keeping score at BREC softball games. nothing could be easier. i was happy, the players were happy. i sat around watching people play softball and made a couple dollars. but you would protect me from that, eh? i am too dumb to quit. you force the players to pay more for their scorekeeper. they had no idea what they were doing before you told them what to do. i understand your point of view perfectly. you think you know better than workers and employers and want to impose your rules on them. exactly. for any given country, over time their financial success will be determined by the extent to which their government allows free trade. and that includes free trade of labor.
Point taken about countries in Europe. You have to keep an edge to people or they will go soft, but if the edge is too sharp it can make people a little too mean. I don't believe in big government, but I do believe in strong government. Too many government programs are inefficient. Is a stricter form of capitalism the answer? It seems harsh, but maybe so.
the world is a much less harsh place when you allow the wheels of capitalism to turn and your country becomes so rich that the poor people live like kings compared to poor in other countries, and immigrants are literally dying to get here to work jobs we are too rich to bother with.
Ummm, it isn't? Then the business owner can make that decision for themselves & the market will show him the decision to make. No need to decide it for him.
