Charles Koch want to eliminate the minimum wage.

[Snubiz]

That would be good for the unemployed. Minimum wage was put into place to keep blacks out of work place anyway.

I'm all for helping those without jobs.


[Infracted]

[Wells]

The federal minimum wage is unconstitutional. Regardless of your reasoning for the minimum wage being good or needed, you need a Constitutional amendment if you want a legitamite federal minimum wage. We don't have either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...arby_Lumber_Co.

That would be just as unconstitutional as the minimum wage currently is without an amendment.

The government has the authority to set a 100% tax rate.

[GreatOak]

Alright, eliminate Minimum wage, but cap millionare/billionare salaries.

Excess wealth goes to the government, infrastructure, and public funding.

How would he like if he was screwed over?

You do realize that capping salaries would make it a lot worse for low skilled agents in the workforce if the minimum wage was prohibited nationwide under federal law as well, as it would put a ceiling on the amount of money they have in their pool so to speak. That would give them more of an incentive to give themselves an even larger piece of the pie. I don't have a problem with the minimum wage in theory; only in its current form. I just think it should be on the state level, where they can create incentives for other states to facilitate better working conditions while competing with each other to draw more labor to their respective state. If they raise it too high or low and end up failing, other states will learn from the others' mistakes. And yes, the minimum wage can get to be too high quite easily.

- - - Updated - - -

Eliminating the minimum wage would be great for blacks and young people.

Well it would have various pros and cons. You're right though that it would be good for small businesses hiring low skilled workers, not necessarily "blacks and young people". I see merits on both sides of the argument.

[Underverse]

You do realize that capping salaries would make it a lot worse for low skilled agents in the workforce if the minimum wage was prohibited nationwide under federal law as well, as it would put a ceiling on the amount of money they have in their pool so to speak. That would give them more of an incentive to give themselves an even larger piece of the pie. I don't have a problem with the minimum wage in theory; only in its current form. I just think it should be on the state level, where they can create incentives for other states to facilitate better working conditions while competing with each other to draw more labor to their respective state. If they raise it too high or low and end up failing, other states will learn from the others' mistakes. And yes, the minimum wage can get to be too high quite easily.

Why is interstate competition a good thing, really?

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

In fact, Koch said “we need to analyze all these government subsidies"

How about starting with the subsidies and tax loopholes for people with billions of dollars worth of assets?

[Recondition]

Both.

Looks like we learned nothing from the 18th-19th centuries.

Yeah the people on the right who want to abolish the minimum wage and say that wages will go up across the board don't know anything about what working conditions were like pre-unions...

[GreatOak]

How much after taxes and crap take out? :/

I am making $8.25/hour in Illinois and after taxes, I get about $6.50-6.60... it's absurd.

To meet the poverty line in Illinois now, it is like a 77 hour work week, like hell I'm going to work fucking 77 hours. I'd have no life, none whatsoever.

Let's just hope the Republicans don't give in to his shit and try and twist it to make it look good to the idiotic American populace... you know they would just love to see Koch get paid more!

The minimum wage is only good if it allows people to live in relative comfort and security if they work full time. No minimum wage is better than a sub-standard minimum wage. But you also have businesses like costco that pay their employees an average of ~20 dollars an hour who are much more productive.

[RicardoZ]

Full article here: http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/...rles-koch.html

I'm glad this article isn't biased or anything. How can they say that the entire GOP is wanting to eliminate it and throw everybody in debtor's prison when not even a year ago Mitt Romney ran on a platform of keeping it and raising it slowly over time?

Strange how people just decide to skip facts in their haste to make headlines that will grab attention and create panic against their enemies.

"Frankly, the right way to process it is to look at the minimum wage, look at how unemployment rates are, make adjustments as time goes on based upon our need to compete, the need of the job market, and, of course, what's happened to inflation." -- Mitt Romney on Kudlow Report, CNBC, March 5, 2012

I challenge the OP to show any part of the Republican Party's official platform that calls for an elimination of the minimum wage. That has been part of the Libertarian Party's schtick for a long time, so if one or two Republicans cross over and a Libertarian says "Good for you" it does not make it official party policy.

[Schmeebs]

On the people saying Minimum wage is unconstitutional, Income tax is unconstitutional.

[GreatOak]

How about starting with the subsidies and tax loopholes for people with billions of dollars worth of assets?

Wish we would get rid of all subsidies to be honest, especially those that go to the military industrial complex and those like the Koch brothers.

They're hypocrites who lobby for subsidies for themselves but say things like that.

[Deleted]

Can someone educated in economics tell me how do countries without minimum wage laws (Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria) do so well, then?

An honest question, don't flame me.

EDIT: I know collective bargaining exists, but that is something else than law.

[Adam Jensen]

Anyone actually surprised that rich billionaires want cheaper labor to exploit?

Yeah, conditions in India for workers is so much better than it is here in the US.

[GreatOak]

On the people saying Minimum wage is unconstitutional, Income tax is unconstitutional.

The 16th amendment says otherwise, but I think that's the point you are trying to make.

[MonsieuRoberts]

That bit about 34k a year making you wealthier than 99% of the world is offensively stupid.

So what, all of the part time and full time students, all the single parents or young adults out there, anyone who's suffering from low income and trying to work towards a better life & pay should count themselves lucky that they have a roof over their head? They should be thankful that they at least GET paid?...You're absolutely right. It's literally offensive. That is some fucking retarded bullshit right there.

Perhaps this billionaire needs to walk a mile in the shoes of a 20 year old who's moved out of an unwelcome home and is struggling to pay rent, tuition, student loans and all of life's other expenses via minimum wage, or maybe he should instead be placed in the position of a mother of several who doesn't have the qualification to work a job that can properly and healthily provide for her children.

The arrogance...the flat out ignorance is fucking infuriating. I'm not even American and I'm mad about this! How? HOW can unenlightened scum, people like this, how do they get the right to make decision and govern the futures of others? Why do they, with their clearly unrealistic viewpoints & opinions, get to theorize and hypothesize about what would be "best" when they clearly have NO concept of consequence? How their choices would directly and indirectly impact millions upon millions of people?

Why is it that a 20 year old who works a part time job as a cashier in retail who plays video games in most of his spare time can clearly see that this would be tremendously horrible if enacted, and yet he can't?

[Underverse]

Can someone educated in economics tell me how do countries without minimum wage laws (Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria) do so well, then?

An honest question, don't flame me.

Idk about other countries but in Germany, exploitation is kept in check by other forces. There's a minimum wage by law for certain professions, and for others they use union bargaining. Also, it can be taken to court if someone feels as though they are being exploited

[Schmeebs]

The 16th amendment says otherwise, but I think that's the point you are trying to make.

You should read the 16th amendment and compare it to the tax code.

[MonsieuRoberts]

I have a feeling that I'm not quite grasping this, still. It just seems...insane.

[chocobo606]

In other words, if America wants more jobs we should all stoop to slave labor levels and enjoy the shitty pennies that billionaires flip to us. the Koch brothers, the tea party and anyone stupid enough to agree with someone like this can get hit by a bus. People like this are the people that use all of their money to try to control the government and why corruption and control exists, but I'll stop here and avoid any Koch brother conspiracies.

[Deleted]

Idk about other countries but in Germany, exploitation is kept in check by other forces. There's a minimum wage by law for certain professions, and for others they use union bargaining. Also, it can be taken to court if someone feels as though they are being exploited

Thanks. Anyone know about the others?

[Veyne]

Bastard's tarnishing my first name. You have to carry the name Charles with honor and dignity.