Union Resurgance

[JoeMerchant]

Funny what people complain about....I've seen crewmembers complain about gas prices while holding a $3.00 cup of Starbucks....If you are willing to pay $3 bucks for a cup of coffee...then you really shouldn't complain about gas prices......

Bottled water and Starbucks cost more than oil....

 

[waveflyer]

each of those starbucks are made to order-- gas is gas-- i can live w/o starbucks- but our government has set up a transportation infrastructure where we cannot make a living or function in our economy w/o oil... that's what makes the price so important... We should be investing in a better transportation system. One things for sure- this'll put the brakes on sprawl if it keeps up.

 

[Carl_Spackler]

I'd love to see where you got that number. B/c you're saying that for every minwage household making $25k/year- there is 1 making $75k/year... and i don't believe that.

Why is it so hard to believe? Libs would have you believe that every minimum wage earner is supporting a family of 5. That is not the case. As I stated, it's very likely that the minimum wage earner is not the only income earner in the house.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1186.cfm

 

[PCL_128]

Libs would have you believe that every minimum wage earner is supporting a family of 5. That is not the case.

It doesn't matter if every one of them is. Some of them are. Everyone who works for a living deserves to make enough to support themselves and their families. Everyone who works for a living deserves affordable health care for themselves and their families. I don't care about those who don't work, but those who do work shouldn't be forced to live in poverty.

 

[Carl_Spackler]

It doesn't matter if every one of them is. Some of them are. Everyone who works for a living deserves to make enough to support themselves and their families.

Do you think an 18 year old with a non working wife and 2 kids should be able to support themselves on 40 hours a week at the BK lounge? Some people just do not have the skills or motivation to demand more than the minimum wage.

Or we could raise the minimum wage to $20/hr, that will solve poverty. Your fantasy utopia will never happen. There will always be poor people.

 

[Soverytired]

What we need is a general 1 day strike and shut the entire airline system down. Only that way would there be enough outrage to force the politicians to start managing the national transportation system instead of wringing their hands and complaining.

I don't care much for ALPA or labor unions in general, but I have to admit that this is something I'd like to see.

What are the feds going to do? Put a Letter of Warning in the file every participant? Talk about a badge of honor.

Ultimately though, this would require inspired leadership and clearly stated objectives. This is where it would get really murky, really fast. 10,000 pilots = 15,000 different agendas, and all that.

 

[800Dog]

It doesn't matter if every one of them is. Some of them are. Everyone who works for a living deserves to make enough to support themselves and their families. Everyone who works for a living deserves affordable health care for themselves and their families. I don't care about those who don't work, but those who do work shouldn't be forced to live in poverty.

If you do not make enough $ to support a family, do not have kids. Problem solved. It is called personal responsibility! Don't expect others to pay for your lousy decisions.

 

[Lear70]

Do you think an 18 year old with a non working wife and 2 kids should be able to support themselves on 40 hours a week at the BK lounge? Some people just do not have the skills or motivation to demand more than the minimum wage.

Or we could raise the minimum wage to $20/hr, that will solve poverty. Your fantasy utopia will never happen. There will always be poor people.

That is a simple, unfortunate, fact.

My wife has been working the same job for 7 years. She makes $15 an hour without a degree. As a single parent, before we got together, she wasn't making enough to pay for everything, yet didn't qualify for any government programs because she made too much.

The sad fact is that, for many people, not working and getting food stamps and unemployment pays just as much as working. I'm torn between the idea of ending government handouts for people who won't get a job and realizing that, even if they get a job, they end up working their butts off and still can't pay their bills.

 

[HalinTexas]

No one makes minimum wage unless they want to.

My 19 year old step-son hasn't finished high school yet. He's going to summer school for one class. He was held back in the 3rd grade. He has a learning disability. He's a moron. Not because of the disability, but because he doesn't care to do anything about it. He's on his fourth p.t. job. He's never made minimum wage. He's always made more. Now, he's working at Home Depot making $8.50/hr, techically p.t. but working over 30 hours/week sometimes. He qualifies for their medical and retirement plans.

I'll say it again. My stepson is an unmotivated individual with a learning disability and has never made minimum wage.

I'm an unemployed pilot, former ATA, and I don't blame anyone for the airline's demise except managment.

 

[PCL_128]

Do you think an 18 year old with a non working wife and 2 kids should be able to support themselves on 40 hours a week at the BK lounge?

Yes. I don't expect them to make enough money to have a new car and a fancy apartment, but they should make enough money to feed, clothe, and shelter their family. They should have health insurance to protect the health of their family. No one who works for a living should live in poverty.

 

[Carl_Spackler]

Yes. I don't expect them to make enough money to have a new car and a fancy apartment, but they should make enough money to feed, clothe, and shelter their family. They should have health insurance to protect the health of their family. No one who works for a living should live in poverty.

To do that you would have to raise the minimum wage by a huge amount. Doing that would increase unemployment and drive up costs. People make minimum wage because they have minimum work skills.

If an employer agrees to hire someone for $X per hour and the employee agrees to accept that job at $x per hour, why do the dems need to step in and demand that the employer pay more? A conservative would not block an agreement like this that both parties find acceptable.

 

[HalinTexas]

No one needs to be having or starting a family if all they can make is minimum wage. And don't tell me, "it just happens." BS.

I was 31 when my first (and only) was born.

 

[PCL_128]

To do that you would have to raise the minimum wage by a huge amount.

Not really. In most areas of the country, $10/hr would suffice.

Doing that would increase unemployment and drive up costs.

Companies that can't afford to pay their employees enough to survive shouldn't be in business. It's time for low prices to stop being subsidized by the poverty of workers. Let the weak companies fail and the surviving companies can be stronger and afford to pay their employees a living wage.

People make minimum wage because they have minimum work skills.

Minimum wages should never be less than the minimum it takes a worker to stay out of poverty.

 

[PCL_128]

No one needs to be having or starting a family if all they can make is minimum wage.

I agree, but welcome to reality.

 

[CopilotDoug]

It doesn't matter if every one of them is. Some of them are.

I think it matters. Who is to blame for having 5 children when you're making minimum wage?

It's fostering a needy mindset

 

[PCL_128]

I think it matters. Who is to blame for having 5 children when you're making minimum wage?

Even a single man with no kids can't stay out of poverty on minimum wage. The "5 children" myth is nothing but a red herring.

 

[CopilotDoug]

Even a single man with no kids can't stay out of poverty on minimum wage. The "5 children" myth is nothing but a red herring.

You have a point about the single guy. But there are people who have 5 children on minimum wage.

 

[PCL_128]

You have a point about the single guy. But there are people who have 5 children on minimum wage.

Yes, there are. Obama supports eliminating the incentives for extra money in the welfare program for additional children. It provides an unintended incentive for people to actually have more kids to get more money. Increasing awareness of birth control rather than sticking to this ridiculous abstinence only program will also help.

 

[El Pobre]

Yes. I don't expect them to make enough money to have a new car and a fancy apartment, but they should make enough money to feed, clothe, and shelter their family. They should have health insurance to protect the health of their family. No one who works for a living should live in poverty.

I think that what you are trying to say is "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need"

Let's see...where have I heard that before???? Oh yeah...under a communist system, every person shall produce to the best of one's ability in accordance with one's talent, and each person shall receive the fruits of this production in accordance with one's need, irrespective of what one has produced. In the Marxist view, such an arrangement will be made possible by the abundance of goods and services that a developed communist society will produce; the idea is that there will be enough to satisfy everyone's needs.

What you advocate is essentially what Marx and Lenin did. Aside from a terribly repressive political system, the economies of Communist nations have kept more people mired in poverty and dispair than we have in our nation...in fact, while people like you advocate more greater wealth distribution, Communist nations from China to Vietnam to even Cuba under Raul have realized the fallacy of Marxism and have opened up their markets to capitalism.

This is precisely why many people who aren't happy with Bush are very concerned about voting for the Barry Obama.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Even a single man with no kids can't stay out of poverty on minimum wage. The "5 children" myth is nothing but a red herring.

Minimum wage jobs aren't supposed to be careers...Most people CHOOSE to be poor and/or make poor life decisions.....

Rewarding bad behavior creates more bad behavior....A Nanny State isn't going to bring about more prosperity......