A wage of $25,000/yr for retail workers would...

[Triana]

[TBF]

1. The fix that would work -

I've been saying for years that we need to put the capital gains tax back to the rate it was pre-Reagan and double minimum wage. I'd still rather get rid of capitalism all together, but it would at least give folks a fighting chance.

[ErikJ]

7. Hell, put the top rate for cap. gains back to pre-Harding...77%

which was the same rate as the top income tax rate. The Harding/Coolidge and Hoover Republicon wrecking crew lowered both to 20% leading to the Crash of 1929 and Great Depression.

[TBF]

9. Even better! nt

[sakabatou]

2. And stores like Walmart would fight against this tooth and nail

[NightWatcher]

5. which is ridiculous because the people would spend the extra $ in Walmart

They'd get the money back

[TBF]

10. Let them fight.

I'm sick of subsidizing their employees' wages.

[sabrina 1]

17. Who cares what Walmart does? The deserve zero consideration being that they are part of

the problem and the country needs to move forward and if necessary, roll right over these predatory Corporations and let them whine. We won't hear them.

[tecelote]

3. Trickle down economics in reverse!

If we support the middle class they really will put the money back in to the economy creating more jobs for people like themselves.

[Brigid]

12. It's called "trickle up." And it works.

These stats are not the only proof. I don't know about you, but I am old enough that I grew up in an era that proved it works. The dads of my era could go out and get factory jobs and support their families with dignity. My own dad made a decent living as a lower-management type for a coal company. By the time I graduated high school in 1976, that had begun to change.

[Half-Century Man]

14. Considering how fast the money would be spent by the ones who suffered for so long

It would be throwing up, not trickling.

[CFLDem]

4. What's really sad is that 25k ain't jack,

especially in urban areas. But it is a good start.

[Triana]

11. True. I can't imagine how folks would live on that in many areas. n/t

[Cryptoad]

6. Hell,,,, most School Teachers

in the Super Red South make less than that!

[ErikJ]

8. Need a limit--small indy Mom and Pops cant do that.

Most of the owners of Mom and Pops dont even make $25,000 per year. In fact something like 90% dont make it past 5 years.

[TBF]

13. If they can't make it

Then they go out of business. Isn't that life under capitalism?

[ErikJ]

18. Cards are stacked against small indies by big biz

They need to even the playing field with more tax incentives and credits and less red tape. Local businesses keep more of the money in the local economy. Walmart money sends it all to Arkansas and China.

[DonCoquixote]

19. and then

only corporations can do buisness. Goodbye mom and pop stores.

[TBF]

21. There are plenty of mom & pop stores that do fine -

as evidenced by multiple vacation homes, private school education for their kids etc ... I grew up in a rural area where I saw plenty of that. Reigning in corporations may even help the small shops because right now they get away with so much. Maybe if we actually collected tax from large companies (rather than giving them subsidies for shipping jobs overseas for example) we could put some of that $$$ into loans for small business. I am not against small shops at all but at some point we need to realize all people deserve a decent wage for their labor.

[ReRe]

15. But, but, but....

... yeah, $25,000 might be a living wage for that single lady standing there, if she has a couple roommates. But that is no way a living wage for families. What's the poverty line?
A living wage should at least be above the poverty for a husband/wife or family. Great graphic!

[Glassunion]

16. That's outrageous.

How could you expect a company that makes billions of dollars in revenue to take a hit like that? That will shave a few gross profit percentage points off of that Chinese crap they are shoveling into 'Merican homes?

Why is it a corporation's responsibility to lift people out of poverty? They have to answer to the shareholders. Shareholders are a panicky group of people that cannot look more than 3 minutes and 12 seconds in front of them. They need to be placated to on an up to the minute basis. If gross profit slips so much as .0001% all the investors everywhere will collectively shit their pants and sell all of their stock, and that would cause a great depression and stuff.

It should be the people's responsibility to pick themselves up out of poverty. God gave us 24 hours in a day, you only really need about 6 to sleep. You could be working the rest of the time, then boom! Out of poverty. If you work 80 hours a week at $7.25 an hour your making over $30k a year!!! One should only need to work 3 to 4 part time jobs to pull this off. Our corporate overlords have made it easy. At 6am you start by pulling in a 3 hours shift at McDonalds, walk across the parking lot to work a 4 hours shift at WalMart, go next door to Lowes and work another 4 hours, then go back across the parking lot to pick up 4 more hours at the Red Lobster, then go across the parking lot again to stock shelves at Sam's Club for another 3 hours. What's the problem?

[reformist2]

20. I approve, but it's tragic that we have to be fighting for workers to make just $25,000.

It's practically a crime that any full-time workers are paid less in this country, in this day and age.

[B Calm]

23. My thoughts too, especially when you see the profits companies

are making now days!

[madokie]

22. Amazing what having Representation would do

for the most part right now our congress critters only represent the 1%'s.