In the Nov. 11 edition, there was a letter ("We need more solutions from the left") that referenced the welfare clause of our Constitution, and asserting that this clause, and others, "require us to redress income disparity through the minimum wage and redistribution of wealth."
Related StoriesReally? I had to look at the top of the page to make sure it wasn't April Fool's Day.
Why not ask the author of such drivel to provide one shred of credible proof or precedent to support that ridiculous assertion? At this point, even trying to address the rest of that manifesto is impossible. It is difficult to laugh uncontrollably and type at the same time.
Craig Hollingsworth
Sandersville
Pay a man what he is worth. That should solve the problem. Sorry work, low pay. Good worker...Pay him well, he deserves it.
Liberal democrats read the constitution like they do the Bible. They take things out of context and change the meaning so they can justify living the way they want to live.
People get paid by the value of the job and the demand for the skills involved in the job. Entry level jobs teach employees how to be good employees but the technical skills aren't particularly high and the value (profit the employee generates) isn't particularly high so the employee doesn't get paid much but learns to work and establishes a record. A highly skilled wheel right may not make much money because even though he is skilled he isn't in demand and a machine can make wooden wheels cheaper and quicker. You can not "demand" increased wages for entry level jobs since the value isn't there in the job. You either destroy the job or increase the value of the product so the employeer isn't competative. You need to work two jobs or increase your skill set!
fairness is compensating a person for what he or she brings to the business...i am sorry a cashier at walmart is not doing a highly skilled job..if you pay these low skilled workers a high wage you will pay more at the cash register as a consumer..my advice to those who want to make more **be of value to the business not a clock puncher..if as an adult you are making minimum wage ..dont complain about the employer look in the mirror...
The quote sounds more like the Communist Manifesto. That wording is not in the Constitution of the United States. "....require us to redress income disparity through the minimum wage and redistribution of wealth."
peace, ‘No business should be allowed to set up shop here unless they agree to pay a living wage which is 3 to 7 dollars above the minimum wage.’
If you don’t like what someone pays don’t work there it is that simple.
The left will not be happy until we are all equal. Equal income, equal stuff, equal living quarters, equal cars, you name it!
They are well on their way to doing it and they are destroying America and the rest of the world's economies in the process.
Peace4784 wrote:
Limbaugh conservatives believe in exploitation of workers just like the facists.
Actually, Peace, fascism is a left-wing form of government in which the government exerts strong control over those private companies it allows to exist. It is a form of government in which croneyism, favoritism and unionism are prevalent. It is the form of our government today. True conservatives are enemies of fascism.
You know what happens when you pay all employees a good wage whether they are good performers or poor performers? The Post Office, our county government, our school system, and most government agencies. Everybody is getting paid but nothing works too well. The great thing about this country is that if you feel you are not being paid enough you are free to prove it to yourself by finding a higher paying job. If you are worth it, somebody will pay it. Some people feel they are "entitled" to a good paying job but I assure you that is not the intent of anything in the Constitution. You are entitled to the opportunity to educate yourself and prove yourself in the workplace. And your are entitled to change jobs if your employer doesn't pay well. But the employer is only obligated to pay you what they think you are worth to their business. If you are a poor performer but want a good salary try the Post Office or Augusta's Human Resources Office. Both pay double or triple the minimum wage to minimum wage level employees. The military recruiting offices are open 5 or 6 days a week. They pay a fair wage and have good benefits. But if you are slinging burgers at Mickey D's or running a cash register at WalMart don't look for too much sympathy from me on the wage issue. You knew what they paid when you took the job and you probably voted for the guy who has caused your payroll deductions for Medicare and Medicaid to be going way up over the next few years. When those higher deductions start coming out of your minimum wage checks between now and 2014 don't be hollering at the Republicans who will be in power by then. Write it down now so you will remember. Obama/Pelosi/Reid did that to you in 2010.
Speaking of the post office, I heard today on the news that the Postmaster General will be getting a $3.1 Million retirement pension.
This after doing such a fine job running a "company" at an $8.5 BILLION loss!
Ain't government great?
In business, buy-sell transactions are made when both buyer and seller are satisfied. If the buyer feels the product or service purchase to be inadequate, he/she no longer deals with that seller and the seller eventually goes out of business if other buyers feel similarly. The seller likewise must benefit from the transaction and that benefit is "profit," that amount of revenue in excess of cost to provide the good or service. No "profit," no benefit and ultimate bankruptcy. This LTE presumes that businesses exist to provide jobs. That presumption is in direct conflict with the purpose of the buy-sell transaction. Those businesses that provide "win-win" buy-sell results are the ones that prosper and provide more jobs. As other posters have mentioned, it an employee is dissatisfied with a wage, then he should take the action necessary to increase his value in the buy-sell transaction.
There is a "General Welfare" clause in the Constitution, but the original LTE without a doubt misunderstood its intent.
"The first clause of Article I, Section 8, reads, "The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States." This clause, called the General Welfare Clause or the Spending Power Clause, does not grant Congress the power to legislate for the general welfare of the country; that is a power reserved to the states through the Tenth Amendment. Rather, it merely allows Congress to spend federal money for the general welfare. The principle underlying this distinction—the limitation of federal power—eventually inspired the only important disagreement over the meaning of the clause."
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/General+Welfare
Here's a thought. If the writers of the constitution originally intended for the welfare clause to ensure governmental intrusion of equality of wages, job opportunity, welfare, etc. for all citizens, why didn't they start our original form of government on that track. Just sayin'...
Thanks, everyone, for your comments (yes, including peace, even). I don't know how I can add much more other than to say that one way to keep jobs that have been leaving for overseas would be to ELIMINATE the minimum wage. That is one reason for the illegals being here, too. A lot of them are not getting the minimum. When one company does it, how are the others going to compete?
Oh, and I get a little tired of libs thinking that they can drop people into their neat categories. "Limbaugh conservative"? Well, I do agree with some of what Limbaugh says, but I also like Beck and (watch the spelling) Krauthammer.
I think most here would agree that minimizing transfer payments and other extra-constitutional spending (and governance, for that matter) is the best, maybe the only, way out of this mess.
May God bless America.
All economists agree that minimum wage laws harm the lowest-skilled people in our society. If employers are forced to pay someone more than they are worth, they simply will not hire them.
Morally it is wrong too. If A and B want B to work for A and agree on a price for B's labor, what business is it of C shat that price is? C has no authority to forbid A and B to enter into a contract for less than what C thinks is fair. This is true whether C is one person, or a million people, or a government body.
I work commission, which seems to be a lost art. I've taken a hit of nearly 30 percent this year. I have to keep my skills sharp, maintain and purchase my tools, and pay my own healthcare. Its what I have done for the past ten years. While you don't necessarily write your own paycheck, you do get paid more for working harder and smarter. I just paid nearly $700 for a impact gun that makes me more efficient. Its an investment, but well worth it. I take pride in my work and that's what is missing from most of the workforce.
There you go, Taylor B. God Bless.
Self-motivation is not always easy.
Taylor, you rock! This is the spirit we need more of. Sure, you have a lot of risk, but I image there are rewards, and not just monetary ones either.
Dixieman, you are so right. Black teenagers are having a heck of a time of it, and the unemployment numbers tell that sad story. Our first jobs teach us a lot about how the world works. If someone does not have a first work experience until their 20's, what are their chances for success?
Burninater – on this one we can agree.
The scope of General Welfare clause in both the Preamble and Article 1 section 8 is limited to the powers expressly give to the federal government by the rest of the Constitution as stated by the 10th Amendment:
Amendment X (1791)
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Note that the 9th Amendment make sure that the federal govern can’t take a right away from the people by simply saying … well the Constitution did give the people that right and then the 10th Amendment specifically takes away all powers of the federal government that isn’t specifically given in the Constitution. Well at least the federal government can’t do it without violating the US Constitution.
‘Black teenagers are having a heck of a time of it, and the unemployment numbers tell that sad story.’
The black teenagers have been taught that it is not their fault that guvamint should take care of them.
The minimum wage and the federal poverty level should be linked. A full year's employment in a minimum wage job should earn not less than the federal poverty amount. And the minimum wage should be subject to annual COLA's like social security too. To illustrate:
2080 working hours in a year and the Georgia per capita income was $21,154 in 1999
$21,154 divided by 2080 hours equals $10.17 per hour
So the minimum wage in Georgia should have been $10.17 per hour in 1999 and made self adjusting with annual COLA's like social security.
"Paying an adult human minimum wage is unethical. Some businesses in Augusta are notorious about paying their workers meager wages so they can reap huge profits."
You're right. There are huge number of people drawing minimum wage who are over paid. Businesses don't exist to provide jobs. They exist to make a profit.
No way to even respond to the drivel from GASPRINGWATER. As usual, he rambles and make no real point, other than that we need more government in our lives.
funny how those who have never taken the financial risk of starting a business and employing people have all the answers for how it should be done.
they can be found in Congress and on here making the disparaging remarks.
You know, I am real tired of people who make big plans for us without figuring out how they are going to be paid for. They design economic perpetual motion machines and expect us to not laugh in their face. You can redistribute all you want to, what you are redistributing has to come from somewhere. If you expect me to make it so you can take it, I'm not going to make it in the first place.
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