Poverty matters in 2008

I think what we need to do is take action on our countries trade policy and to brings our jobs back into our country.

Great ideals and great pod! Go for it!

Thanks jake. you hear no one talking about a living wage.

I also care about poverty, but the 'solutions' actually accelerated the problems, rather than solve them.

Progressive Taxes:
Imagine if you could earn $100,000 more and that there aren't any income taxes for income up to your current wage. But the job requires you to pay for more classes. But the raise is just enough to convince you to go through the trouble.

Now imagine a new progressive tax of 90% for every dollar earned above your current wage, like pre-1981. You realize take-home pay matters. The job is not worth the extra effort. Since wages abide by supply and demand, the employer needs to increases the wage offering for the skilled job enough for you to get $100,000 more after tax. The job now pays $1,000,000 more!

Instituting a Progressive Tax actually WIDENS the Wage Gap!

Living Wage:
Studies repeatedly reveal that raising the Minimum Wage HURTS the poor most, HELPS the rich the most, HURTS small business, LOWERS competition as a result, thus HELPS large business, and strains charities.

The best way for someone to earn more is to provide what society demands most and has the smallest supply of. Many people know about jobs that interact heavily with people in their everyday lives, but not others. People need to look at what jobs are in demand, and balance that with what their skills and interests are. In some cases, they may need extra skills.

For quite a while, we've needed engineers and medical professionals. Too many people think it’s too hard without trying. Various disasters now spur jobs to rebuild. Some people may do better by moving. People need to reassess careers periodically.

Most of the people earning the Minimum Wage are teens and in their low 20's. Most of them don't need to raise a family on the wage. Some people allow these temporary jobs to become their lifelong career, and expect a living wage, while providing what society has too much of. They often take another Minimum Wage job, further increasing supply and reducing demand and keeping wages low. This also tires the person out, takes away their free time, and in general, solves nothing.

When the government created a Minimum Wage, it made people think they could make a living on it. Now, people actually depend on a literal act of Congress in order to get a raise. They have lost all sense of self worth! They waste their skills! They are often unhappy at their jobs! They don't have time for their families, which affects many generations!

We need to help people learn how economics works in their personal lives. If that's not enough, we may consider trying to match skills, interests, and labor demands to people to help them lead a fulfilling life at a job that makes use of the skills, pays a good wage, and helps us meet the demands of our nation. Meeting labor demands not only closes the wage gap, but makes products more affordable.

Economists used to agree that the Minimum Wage created unemployment. The 1990’s seemed to counter this. But most people overlook the impact of legalized abortion.

Abortion prevented 1 million workers a year from entering the workforce in the 1990's (~30%). Nothing would overcome that when it came to employment. In addition, parents in the 80’s became the me-generation, spending more on themselves by not having many kids. They invested more in the 90's, since Social Security had a bad future. Social Security funding suffers when 1/3 of the workforce is destroyed.

Summary:
Many politicians provide ‘solutions’ that worsen what they claim to fix. When the problem gets worse, politicians take it even further, saying past efforts didn't go far enough. They get voted in, and the problem spirals out of control.

I can't vote for a Democrat if they stand by their party line. I’m in the income range they claim to help, but I can’t let them destroy things further. Their support for abortion and failed economic policies hurt the nation.

Flat/fair is best, we just have to pick whether it’s flat for income, sales, etc.