People need a purpose. Something to do. That's a big part of what work is -- and our society provides all sorts of incentives that take those opportunities away and destroy the communities (as in people communities) that people with less means once depended on. In the process, we make alot of other people rich.
Crime like what you describe is evidence of desperation -- people are able to strip copper out of buildings because none of the neighbors give a shit, and the local government's policies make it viable for speculators to keep buildings vacant.
Read "The Death and Life of American Cities". Poverty doesn't need to equal misery, and being provided with stuff doesn't equate to happiness. We forgot about that after World War 2.
with no minimum wage limit, what is to stop pay dropping below the 'viable life' line, however you personally define it?
"People need a purpose. Something to do."
They also need money: to eat, to live, to feed their dependents, to transport themselves (to work!), to educate themselves, to clothe themselves and to warm themselves in winter. To medicate themselves. To participate in life.
"Crime like what you describe is evidence of desperation -- people are able to strip copper out of buildings because none of the neighbors give a shit, and the local government's policies make it viable for speculators to keep buildings vacant."
That may be why people get away with it. but people perform those acts out of desperation. because they need money to do all the above.
"Read "The Death and Life of American Cities". Poverty doesn't need to equal misery, and being provided with stuff doesn't equate to happiness. We forgot about that after World War 2."
Im not talking about buying them televisions. Im talking about being able to afford to take your daughter to the doctor, to buy yourself a book for school.
If you can so easily brush off the sodding huge downsides of poverty, I am going to go out on a limb and claim that you have never experienced it in its real form.
Poverty is brutal. It makes people hard, it makes people stupid and it makes them desperate.
What is the "viable life line"? Minimum wage jobs are supplements to other income. The actual minimum wage required to support a small family without external assistance is probably more like $15-18/hour.
I'm not white-washing and pretending that being poor is fun. But the combination of US economic, social and criminal policies in the United States has created great injustices that have destroyed millions of lives. 1 in 3 black men will find themselves incarcerated during their lives. (http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/14873_Chapter9.pdf) That statistic is a national disgrace.
What is the "viable life line"? Minimum wage jobs are supplements to other income."
oh? what other supplements, exactly? more minimum wage jobs? how many supplements do you expect me to utilize?
"The actual minimum wage required to support a small family without external assistance is probably more like $15-18/hour."
how do you define 'support'? do you mean to educate, clothe, provide warmth and food. Do you just mean food? food and housing? food 4 days a week, and housing 5 days a week? are both parents working? who is looking after the kids? just one parent? so they are supporting how many people?
"1 in 3 black men will find themselves incarcerated during their lives. "
Indeed. lets see whether we can find a solution to that which doesn't require lowering the minimum wage.
People need a purpose. Something to do. That's a big part of what work is -- and our society provides all sorts of incentives that take those opportunities away and destroy the communities (as in people communities) that people with less means once depended on. In the process, we make alot of other people rich.
Crime like what you describe is evidence of desperation -- people are able to strip copper out of buildings because none of the neighbors give a shit, and the local government's policies make it viable for speculators to keep buildings vacant.
Read "The Death and Life of American Cities". Poverty doesn't need to equal misery, and being provided with stuff doesn't equate to happiness. We forgot about that after World War 2.