Robert Reich, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Labor Policy, and Bills Clinton’s former Secretary of Labor, gives an explanation so good, and so funny, about a key conservative talking point concerning unemployment and the minimum wage, that it never gets too old. In fact, it should be in every liberal’s repertoire. It might even help you win a few debates - one can never have enough one liners.
At a town hall meeting in Seattle, he references a comment made by former U.S. Congressman Michele Bachmann, where she said:
The way we reduce unemployment, is if we got rid of the minimum wage completely.
Anytime you hear a conservative talk about how getting rid of the minimum wage will help jobs, all you need to do is channel your inner Robert Reich. Here is how he had the crowd roaring in applause:
Now….there is a certain diabolical logic to this. Maybe, if we were willing to all work for a nickel or a penny, perhaps we would all have jobs. In fact, slavery was a full employment system.
Do you see the absurdity? The goal cannot just be employment…the goal is employment with good jobs. To assume that the goal is just to get jobs by keeping wages down completely puts logic on its head.
Watch Reich throw a key talking point of the GOP down the the drain:
H/T: Robert Reich | screen capture
My twin brother Big Ron calls this the “finger-in-the-butt economic theory.” They believe that if it takes four people to do a job, if they was able to pay less, they’d hire a fifth one to sit around with his/her finger up their butt.
If it takes four people to do a job, and they’re able to pay less, they would rather lay off one and make the others work harder.
All the crap about productivity leading to higher wages is just that, US has the highest productivity work force of any civilized nation, but any standard in the top two or three, but wages haven’t kept pace, while corporations are enjoying record profits, and money is flowing front the bottom and middle up.
If employers actually cared about workers instead of profits, maybe we wouldn’t need a minimum wage but they don’t and people can’t be trusted to do the right thing on their own. We need the government to not only ensure all workers receive a living wage but to create middle income jobs that have always been the backbone of our economy.
There is no such thing as business ethics.
Sorry very few republican’s want to do away with the minimum wage.
What they do want is the same thing as the left wants is higher wages for all to be abundant and off of government assistance the difference is republicans want it done organically instead of being forced by government.
The way that would be achieved is by a abundance of jobs and supply and demand would raise the wages. But greedy democrats that want to tax them to death won`t let that happen.
Robert Reich is also the moron that said the 18 trillion debt will not hurt us at all so his credibility is typical of academic pedigree economist that have never worked in the private sector and have no clue about reality.
And where exactly is this “abundance of jobs” supposed to come from? You guys claimed that if we cut taxes on the wealthy, they would create jobs, but that obviously DIDN’T HAPPEN. The rich just got a lot richer.
Michael corliss
The problem most progressives have is one dimensional thinking if you don’t like an any idea you find ways to demonize it rather than look for ways to modify or ajust the problem.
There are many ways to fix this problem but you have to look at what caused the disadvantages first to be able to tackle the problem.
Some are simple some much more complicated.
One consider the disadvantage America’s corporations have like the highest corporate taxes the burden of health care and the most regulations than our competitors have.
That’s a huge disadvantage.
Just taking the health care burden off of them would be a Hugh help but lower taxes or tax incentives like the state of new York is finally doing after running them out would help.
We also have to look at profit
It’s not a dirty word as progressives seem to think if a company don’t make a profit they close or move plain and simple.
We also don’t help ourselves be letting 11 million low skilled low educated workers here when jobs are scarce.
So don’t blame just the Republicans when your side endorse such hurtful plans.
And yes I know your convinced that this is trickle down economics without considering the majority of jobs created come from small companies .
Joe Langella :
“the highest corporate taxes”
This constant GOP/RightWing mantra is an outright lie. Basic corporate taxes are lower than they have been since WWII and corporations did quite well in the post-WWII era. Major corporations currently pay FAR LESS than the basic corporate tax. Many, like GE, pay NO tax and some even receive a negative tax. They profit from the incredibly pro-corporate tax laws’ exemptions and incentives.
In short, this mantra is a blatant, manipulative lie. This makes you a liar, and not to be considered a rational commenter.
“the burden of health care”
Simple solution: Remove health care from the profit-driven employer-based system that exists and move to a national health system as all other developed countries have. Oh - The GOP will block this to their last breath. So, health care as a burden to business is just another red herring. A diversionary lie. Again - You are a liar.
“We also have to look at profit It’s not a dirty word”
True. Profit is not a dirty word. However, Greed - obsessive, society-destroying overwhelming greed - and the seperation of society to the very few haves and the multitude of sinking have-nots is indeed a national problem. Blindness to this is an intrinsic failure of the GOP/RightWing.
“Letting 11 million low skilled low educated workers here when jobs are scarce”
This is another constant GOP/RightWing boogey man. Exactly which of those low educated, low paying jobs do you regret not having? Do you eat harvested farm products? Would you be willing to work hard hours in the sun to feed yourself? Then again, you can’t afford to have such considerations - They would invalidate your closed, RightWing world-view.
Warped. Wrong. Damaging to America. That’s the GOP/RightWing plan for our nation, promoting and benefiting the 1% wealthiest and the richest, largest corporations while hiding behind false, lying mantras such as those you profess. Stop letting them make you a liar, for that is surely what you’ve become when you attem t to promulgate their BS. You - and America - deserve better than this.
Steve mushynsky
HOGWASH!!!
You have so many holes and misinformation in your reply I don`t know where to start.
None of what I said is a lie!!! you just are having a hard time being objective and looking at it with a narrative in hand and only see what you want to see.
First of all comparing wwii tax rates to todays tax rates is ludicrous because you dismiss the factors of overseas competition that we did not have back then thus needing a lower rate to stay competitive is a good thing,
Yes the loophole these corporation’s get are unfair but have you seen who the top 50 abusers are? 37 of the 50 are progressive run silicon valley high tech companies so putting it on the republican`s proves you bias. second like I mentioned before the majority of jobs created here are from small companies not those conglomerates you talk about and they can`t get those tax breaks and with a rate of 35% we are the highest in the world! so who is the liar now?
Now about those 11 million people no I would not want one of those jobs would you? but I`m not on welfare are you? What you fail to see is not a mantra or a talking point it`s reality that if someone needs help and can`t make it on their own {and please exclude those that can`t work] are we not better off having them work them jobs and have to pay less on welfare for them even if we still need to give them some assistance ? What you have done is reward those that have not put their best foot forward and penalized those that do by making them pay for it get it now? But your way we just create a dependent class but you will never see that because you too busy blaming other people for your mistakes.
All democrats want to do is throw money at a problem and assume that will fix it and sorry that don`t work.
So maybe instead of always pointing fingers at the other side you should start looking at ways to fix your failed policies it would be a lot more constructive.