Ted Kennedy’s delivered a tirade against those slowing down the minimum wage rise legislation in the Senate. You can explain most of his ideas, stance and thought process from this one line:
How much more do we have to give to the private sector and to business?
Ted my man, you’re not giving anything to the private sector or business. You are taking from them.
In
Unless he sees the people who work for private business as the states slaves.
On the subject of the minimum wage, I had a heated discussion with a friend about it the other day. His points:
– Without a minimum wage, companies would pay people the lowest amount possible (which theoretically would be nothing without a minimum wage and yet I don’t remember that happening it was introduced).
– Poor people need the minimum wage to be able to survive.
– Even if they are offered less hours, they can take another job in the hours they don’t work so it’s all good.
– Something treadingly dangerously close to the Bennite idea that a wage is based on the value of the person rather than the value of the labour, hence allowing low wages is tantamount to telling people they are human beings are worth little, which is surprising given his mostly One Nation Tory views.
– Unemployment is at a low level hence the minimum wage hasn’t been a bad thing.
– If the minimum wage rises too high it will be bad but at the level it is at, it is a good thing.
In his defense, he is totally with you on supply side economics (Laffer curve and all that).
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