Re: Effects of raising minimum wages in USA

Robert Kolker wrote:

This obsessive behavior goes so far that some of them oppose the
democracy just because most of the governments in the world are
democracies. Some even prize places like Somalia, regardless of what is
going on there.Just because .... there is no government.

There is a difference between small government and no government.

It was not me giving Somalia as a good example :-)

Americans eat way too much and excercise way too little. If they would
take care of themselves, health care costs would plunge.

In that study it was revealed that brits smoke much more than Americans and
drink the same or more. As for food habits, I doubt the difference betwen
average European and American is that much.

The exercise may be an issue. The average Swede for example have over 4
times more vacation days than the average American worker. A movement for
more vacation is US will definitely help.
The stress is also much reduced in Europe compared with US where people have
a much better job and housing security. A movement for increase job
security and unemployment insurance can also help cut the incidence of
sickness.

But the core issue is the lack of access to health care in US. We are like a
third world country in this respect. When an uninsured is admitted at
emergency room for free care, usually it is too late for a full recovery to
happen. Things that could been cured years ago with a 300 in pills now cost
hundred thousands on emergency surgery. This is the real reason for this
huge expenses.

Healthy people just pump money into the pockets of insurers while the
taxpayers have to subsidize emergency care. Private insurance system it is
a failure, an universal health care system it is the only sane option.


And
the latest outrage this so called drug plan is a government sponsored
gang rape of the American consumer.

Correct because gov. was denied the ability to negotiate cheaper prices
instead all the money are funneled into a one hundred of cronies, private
company interested only in their profit.


The problem is that economic power is additive. Once one have more than
others he can use it to get it more from others. Remember the example
with W and P? Since P is dependent by W he can be prevented to create any
wealth he need to get rid of dependence.

All the more reason to keep governmets out of economic activity except
dealing with fraud.

There are activities where the proffit is second to social benefits. This
economic activities will never ever be done properly by private entities.
Health insurance, education and retirement are such economic activities.

There are things where a private business can do better. Like mass
production of goods.

The sane approach will be to let private industry to do things that can be
done better as a for profit business and have gov. do things that can be
better done as a social service.

Only a fundamentalist taliban-like want all of them one way or another.
A fanatic socialist wants beer production and distribution to be a public
service. A fanatic libertarian wants health insurance and retirement to
be private businesses.
Well, none of them is better than the other and both approaches are as
faulty.


The first step is to remove the immunities of
corporations. While given business a royal or government charter may
have made sense at one time, the time is long past. Corporations are,
far and away, the biggest welfare bums in our system.

And we need strict supervision to prevent formation of oligopolies.
Remember the stuff with nurses ? There was an oligopoly at work.
And when an oligopoly act, the free market will fail lamentably.
Gov. intervention and justice department are required to set the things
straight.


Only a democratic oversight can prevent this forms of abuse to happen.
Again, it is called economic coercion and it is widespread world wide.
Libertarians even deny that such thing exist. Again, they lie just
because this is not as the mythology say.

Democracy is the government of the wolves sanctioned by the asses.

This is again a typical libertarian propaganda trash.
It is false in purpose, it is useless and have no connection with the facts.
But since sound well, you like repeat it so some weak minded readers may
fall for it.

Reduce the size and scope of government and there will be less incentive
for corruption.

Again. There are things incompatible with business practice.
You can't run them properly as private businesses because they just don't
work that way. Removing them just because it is government it is yet
another proof of fundamentalism.

If all the U.S. did was run the post office and keep an
army we would not be in the trouble we are in.

Like in Somalia maybe :-)

.

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