emordnilap wrote:
Yes, why not just pay them? Give people something to live for, a decent wage at the end of the week.
They had a vote today in the House of Representatives on whether or not to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 by 2015. All the Republicans voted against it. Every single one. But six Democrats also voted against it. Here are their names:
John Barrow- (Georgia- 12th District)
Jim Matheson- (Utah- 4th District)
Mike McIntyre (North Carolina- 7th District)
Bill Owens- (New York- 21st District)
Colin Peterson- (Minnesota- 7th District)
Kurt Schrader- (Oregon- 5th District)
The bottom three are from states that have a state rate higher then the Federal minimum so it is a mute point to them. Perhaps the others realize that just two percent work for the minimum wage and many of those are young, single and working a first job in the food service industry. http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdf
So it would have cost them nothing to vote for it. So much for 'powerful' senators.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
emordnilap wrote:So it would have cost them nothing to vote for it. So much for 'powerful' senators.
Well those are representatives not senators and are probably still adjusting to this latest election. As the GOP already has the majority in the house the bill had no chance. Perhaps they are jockeying for position with the voters back home looking to 2016?
With Obamacare being phased in over the next few years the minimum wage worker has more to worry about then the wage. After all if your employer can't fund your benefits you may well lose your job or get cut to part time so your healthcare comes out of your pocket not his. $7.25 for 40 hours a week is better then $10.10 for just 20.
vtsnowedin wrote:
With Obamacare being phased in over the next few years the minimum wage worker has more to worry about then the wage. After all if your employer can't fund your benefits you may well lose your job or get cut to part time so your healthcare comes out of your pocket not his.
And that's why the American healthcare system is completely FUBAR.
vtsnowedin wrote:
With Obamacare being phased in over the next few years the minimum wage worker has more to worry about then the wage. After all if your employer can't fund your benefits you may well lose your job or get cut to part time so your healthcare comes out of your pocket not his.
And that's why the American healthcare system is completely FUBAR.
Yes creating a government controlled health care system that retained all the insurance companies and malpractice lawyers along with the bureaucracies that serve them and expecting better service and lower costs was always a bit of a stretch.
vtsnowedin wrote:
With Obamacare being phased in over the next few years the minimum wage worker has more to worry about then the wage. After all if your employer can't fund your benefits you may well lose your job or get cut to part time so your healthcare comes out of your pocket not his.
And that's why the American healthcare system is completely FUBAR.
Yes creating a government controlled health care system that retained all the insurance companies and malpractice lawyers along with the bureaucracies that serve them and expecting better service and lower costs was always a bit of a stretch.
Unfortunately, I think it's now too late and nigh-on impossible for the American healthcare to become properly civilised so that it benefits society as a whole. Which is a huge pity because you folks deserve better.
another_exlurker wrote:
Unfortunately, I think it's now too late and nigh-on impossible for the American healthcare to become properly civilised so that it benefits society as a whole. Which is a huge pity because you folks deserve better.
I doubt that health care can be considered an unalienable right or that Americans "Deserve it" but certainly there have been better options and plans that would have served the majority much better then the present system or the misguided plan we are now being forced into. I expect the system will fail me and mine when the time comes.
another_exlurker wrote:
Unfortunately, I think it's now too late and nigh-on impossible for the American healthcare to become properly civilised so that it benefits society as a whole. Which is a huge pity because you folks deserve better.
I doubt that health care can be considered an unalienable right or that Americans "Deserve it" but certainly there have been better options and plans that would have served the majority much better then the present system or the misguided plan we are now being forced into. I expect the system will fail me and mine when the time comes.
That's probably one of the bigger differences between Americans and Europeans. We very strongly believe that health care is an unalienable right and should therefore be state run for the benefit of every member of society, rather than part of the private sector run for the benefit of those who can pay and the shareholders of medical insurance companies/pharmaceutical corporations. It's been that way over here since the end of the Second World War. Unfortunately, neo-liberal economic dogma is rapidly eroding that.
'Health care' is a term that's been appropriated by those whose sole motivation is profit. A more correct term would really be 'illness fixing'.
'Health care' should mean just that. In a logical world, the best possible health of every individual would be a right.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
emordnilap wrote:'Health care' is a term that's been appropriated by those whose sole motivation is profit. A more correct term would really be 'illness fixing'.
'Health care' should mean just that. In a logical world, the best possible health of every individual would be a right.
Agreed, "health care" should focus on prevention and education.
Aaaand that's another thread successfully derailed. Sorry vt!
'Illness fixing' was just off the top of my head and not particularly good. It's really the 'dealing with ill-health' industry.
We spend countless funds looking for a 'cure' for cancer or a pill for obesity or whatever.
First, get rid of the causes of cancer, the causes of obesity, then tackle the few ill people that are left.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
What empty, illiterate, uninformed, racist, rich man's Tory claptrap. It rarely gets worse than this.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
Seeing as the job of the last three these days is to lie, lie and damned lie, that's saying something!
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said
“These results show once again the disconnect that exists between voters and their perception of the political elite. Rebuilding trust in our political system is a challenge that faces all parties.”
So it's not fault of the political establishment, but the electorate? Yeah, right.
Sorry vt! 
