What's with the animosity towards the wealthy?

Why do you think countries with lower inequalities have higher self employment rates? Why do you think market fundamentalism has driven up poverty and driven a wedge between productivity and wage? The 'I likes rich people I does' narrative of right wing economics doesn't seem to provide any answers. Indeed, trickle down economics was a desperate failure (except in terms of coercing inefficient Victorian-esque inequalities)

 

the essential workers need to be paid more, time to raise the min wage

 

The current crisis has ably illustrated the myth of "you get paid what you deserve" that is religiously fed to a compliant working class.

 

That is a very simplistic perspective - but OK - I like rich folks too.

What I also like is fair and free markets - and tax code - one that does not favor the rich - over the poor.

 

Free markets cannot fair, given market power

 

What's with the animosity towards the wealthy?
It is merely the natural reaction to the hostility inherent in the attitude of "the wealthy".

 

This essentially sums it up.
Whose sons and daughters die to defend us collectively? Who profits the most from that collective effort?
Who is kidding whom?

 

Most essential workers make more than minimum wage..

 

Unions embody greed whole heartedly. The initial conception of unions was to keep poor freed slaves from obtaining employment in the the north. Unions don’t promote the free exchange of capital. They coerce and threaten through the price fixing of labor. Their greed helped give the rise to globalism which now threatens American production as a whole.

Further more, in a free society unions have no place. In fact their whole existence relies on exclusion: not freedom. Without the cronyism you say you despise, unions could not exist. They need government corruption to force feed the American people overpriced poor quality goods, all the while collecting fat paychecks looted from their poor sap members.

 

If you don't like your job....QUIT. Go start your own business and write your own checks. Better yet, haul your ass to a 3rd world country and complain about your wages.

 

This isn't a response to what I said. We know that wages do not reflect ability or worth. Why don't you care about that?

 

Because I did exactly what I said. I started my own businesses....busted my ass working 80+ hours/week...that's why I DON'T CARE. I write and sign my OWN checks.

I DON'T CARE if you think you deserve more money yet someone else pays you.

I DON'T CARE if you think minimum wage isn't high enough. How about this, JUST WORK 80+ HOURS A WEEK LIKE I DID AND YOUR WAGES DOUBLE.

I swear, people that whine about wages in a first world country are the worst. A lot of people making minimum wage aren't even worth the minimum wage.

 

The wealthy's share of the taxes are, as I pointed out, far proportionality greater. Opposite of your claim, It is the bottom 35% to 40% on income earners that pay no tax -- that is no as in zero--. and this is commonly year after year In fact many in the lower brackets pay a negative income tax, meaning when tax paying time rolls around the government sends them money. The wealthy income earners almost never pay no tax, and the few that do pay zero tax is temporary like maybe one year out of 10 or 20 once in a while.

 

I own my own business. It doesn't give me any right to belittle anyone else.

This actually does sum up right wing opinion. They don't care that workers aren't paid according to their worth. Of course it is ironically in agreement with what I said: a working class person who votes right wing is only showing their compliance.

 

You receive recompense for your time/labor at agreed up levels. Freedom is if you don't like the recompense, you are free to move to another employer that offers what you want. Those that do not pay what the labor is worth, will find themselves without workers.

It is not the employers responsibility to make sure your need is fulfilled. That is your responsibility.

 

I don’t have a problem with people being rich, I do look down on greed.

 

Why do you call a desire to create a more balanced society "animus?"

When the wealthy went about destroying labor unions I don't recall anyone calling them out for their animus?
When the wealthy try to damage social security and medicare I don't hear about animosity toward the elderly?

The system requires rebalancing.

We can do it the easy way through retooling the tax system or it will happen thar hard way.
The French revolution way.
The Russian revolution way.

 

What does this have to do with anything in this thread??? McDonalds pays less tax than you on a relative basis????? Are you kidding??? In 2019 McDonalds paid $2B in income taxes (federal, state, and local) and had $6B of net income. That's a 33.3% tax rate. What was yours? Forgetting income for a moment, do you have any idea how much state and federal (and some local) road taxes an 8-wheeler pays compared to your automobile??? For starters there is a $600 or so annual federal heavy use vehicle tax -- a tax that you pay exactly $0.

 

Nonsense, Rod. Pay your fair use.

 

Sure you do.

 

As you are showing your compliance to the right wing ideology.

 

I own a couple businesses. I pay workers what I can afford to reasonably pay them. I pay them what their labor is worth to me, not to them. IF they don't like the contract set forth then they are free to leave and find a situation more agreeable to them. If I paid people what they thought they were worth then I would not have employment to offer to them as I would be out of business.

It blows my mind how the left does not understand how business works.

 

That applies only to the Income Tax and the proportion is a good deal less than you seem to imply

 

Any market power will assuredly ensure wage underpayment. This is basic supply and demand. Why can't right wingers comprehend such simple economics?

 

Of course it's his responsibility to fullfill your need, just as it is your - the employee - to fullfill his need. You're engaging in a contract, a quid pro quo, something for something, I give you what you need, you give me what I need. Does that need involve fullfilling every need an employee might want? Of course not. If I was a US employer, and I had the choice to do it, I wouldn't pay for my employees health coverage, dental, etc. And I'd laugh in the face of anyone who'd like me to pay a "minimum wage". If I own a business, and the service I need done, can be done by a thirteen year old kid, why the hell should I pay him whatever the US minimum wage is? I should pay him what he and I, or organized labor representing him, can agree he needs for his labor. No damned government involvement neccesary.

Point is, business - good business - the good deal, is about respecting your trade partners rights to maximize his profit, his interests. That's what the employee and the employer are. Someone you're making a deal with, and crucially not just someone you can just scam once and never see again. No, the good transaction is one where the seller and the buyer have a mutual respect and acceptance of their right to make the best deal and benefit in the long term. That's the sort of business that builds trust.