And a large percentage of the poor would be able to do that if they didn't have 15% of their income seized to perpetuate a vote-buying Ponzi scheme.
Guess what would happen if those taxes were done away with - wages would go down by the same amount. Maybe not immediately, but in a matter of a few years. The poor would never get enough of that money to invest.
In factory situations, when hours go too high accidents go up quite a bit. You think if one of the factory machines gets something caught in it and breaks down for a few hours because one of the workers was tired and accidentally dropped a wrench into the gears, productivity doesn't go down?
I don't understand why anyone would work an 80 hour week, other than perhaps junior doctors and the like whose work really is a matter of life and death.
Seems like it would be a better to simply train more doctors, so that they could all be well rested and capable of making good decisions all their working hours.
The US has a less-than-replacement birth rate as well. The only thing keeping our population change in the plus column is massive immigration, quite a bit of which is illegal.
As with all things, it's a matter of power. In this case, that power takes the form of wealth.
Generally, the wealthy don't suffer from the worst of the diseases out there - generally they can shield themselves from them and get excellent health care. Plus, when oil gets so expensive that it is ten times as expensive as it currently is in real dollars, the rich will be able to afford it.
But all people succumb to the rigors of old age eventually.
So of course the wealthy will spend the most on what affects them personally. And with increasing wealth dispairity (www.lcurve.org) you'll see less and less money spent on humanitarian concerns.
Actually, a company could make money by saving their initial investment capital until another company has blown a lot of money inventing something new, then using their extra capital to get their manufacturing up to speed quicker than them and/or undercutting them.
That is, until every other company figured that out, and then the only people inventing things would be hobbyists who would then have their inventions stolen by corporations.
But one thing I've noticed is that Scandinavians in general are averse to working long hours, or go that extra mile to make things happen. Even more importantly, they expect several paid days off and are lacking in a spirit of capitalism that I've noticed in the US.
You seem to have the idea that "spirit of capitalism" means "giving everything to your company with no expectation of a reward".
Here's the problem - I'm sure that every executive actually does see the problem, and knows that if every executive stopped offshoring, then we could avert this eventual crisis.
Except those executives only work for one company, and if they refrain from offshoring while no one else does, their company dies even sooner.
Similarly with the average person and Walmart, for instance. They may know that Walmart is killing their town. But if they alone refrain from shopping there, they only hurt themselves.
It's a classic prisoner's dilemma instituted among many participants, with predictable results.
I think I'm going to have some guilty pleasure when I see executive compensation finally fall victim to globalization.
When that happens, watch them sudden realize the benefits of protectionism, as well as all the politicians they've bought.
Unemployment is lower now (and has been for some time) than it was for much of Clinton's terms.
And what's even more important is that Clinton started with the unemployment rate very low and watched it skyrocket, while Bush started with a high rate and brought it way down.
Indeed. I started taking my Master's off of my resume, and it helped. But now, I can't really do that anymore, since I've worked as a college instructor which requires a Master's. So either leave it in, or explain a large gap of time.
Sure, get rid of those taxes. How long would it take for employers to reduce salaries by exactly that amount? Exactly as long as it would take for us to face a tight job market (at present, it would be near immediate). Then you can't get those savings in the first place.
I can with absolute certainty state that if I was on a jury where a guy was on trial for having assaulted or killed some councilman who stole his house out from underneath him and paid the guy 65% of what his property was worth that jury would be hung. Jury nullification is the last bit of reason left in this country.
Just never mention those two words (jury nullification) or the judge and prosecutor will make sure your ass is tossed, and will possibly even get a mistrial declared.
I've heard of people doing stuff like this. I used to simply send back the empty envelope every time.
Then they started adding a little warning on the back, saying that tampering with the envelope or the contents would be prosecuted.
Now, I'm not stupid enough to think that they can make something illegal simply by putting a warning on the envelope. But they very well might have bought a law making it illegal if they warn you about it. So I stopped doing that.
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In factory situations, when hours go too high accidents go up quite a bit. You think if one of the factory machines gets something caught in it and breaks down for a few hours because one of the workers was tired and accidentally dropped a wrench into the gears, productivity doesn't go down?
I doubt that the AMA would allow that though.
The answer to both questions is the same, as wealth is power.
The US has a less-than-replacement birth rate as well. The only thing keeping our population change in the plus column is massive immigration, quite a bit of which is illegal.
So you're a giant AND a contortionist?
As with all things, it's a matter of power. In this case, that power takes the form of wealth.
Generally, the wealthy don't suffer from the worst of the diseases out there - generally they can shield themselves from them and get excellent health care. Plus, when oil gets so expensive that it is ten times as expensive as it currently is in real dollars, the rich will be able to afford it.
But all people succumb to the rigors of old age eventually.
So of course the wealthy will spend the most on what affects them personally. And with increasing wealth dispairity (www.lcurve.org) you'll see less and less money spent on humanitarian concerns.
Actually, a company could make money by saving their initial investment capital until another company has blown a lot of money inventing something new, then using their extra capital to get their manufacturing up to speed quicker than them and/or undercutting them.
That is, until every other company figured that out, and then the only people inventing things would be hobbyists who would then have their inventions stolen by corporations.
Exactly. The feudal lords didn't especially care about people who just terrorized the peasants. But poach a nobleman's cattle and you'd get the rope.
Exactly. The feudal lords didn't especially care about people who just terrorized the peasants. But poach their cattle and you'd get the rope.
"Einstein would be spinning in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." - Chairman Shengi Yang
Trust me, it is as bad as you'd feared.
Chart of incomes from lowest to highest in the US
Also has a section lower down that says the top 1% own more than the bottom 95% combined.
Sounds more like a slave mentality to me.
Except those executives only work for one company, and if they refrain from offshoring while no one else does, their company dies even sooner.
Similarly with the average person and Walmart, for instance. They may know that Walmart is killing their town. But if they alone refrain from shopping there, they only hurt themselves.
It's a classic prisoner's dilemma instituted among many participants, with predictable results. When that happens, watch them sudden realize the benefits of protectionism, as well as all the politicians they've bought.
Hey, thems the breaks. If the market decides you're no longer useful, you should find a corner in which to quietly starve to death.
Isn't this new Ownership Society wonderful?
I have a friend who used to work in an office environment, customer service, until the company downsized.
None of the fast food places she applied to would take her.
Wait... reverse that.
Indeed. I started taking my Master's off of my resume, and it helped. But now, I can't really do that anymore, since I've worked as a college instructor which requires a Master's. So either leave it in, or explain a large gap of time.
Repeat after me: cheap labor conservatives.
Sure, get rid of those taxes. How long would it take for employers to reduce salaries by exactly that amount? Exactly as long as it would take for us to face a tight job market (at present, it would be near immediate). Then you can't get those savings in the first place.
China has nukes. We're not going to mess with them.
My question would be whether or not the victim needs to press charges, or if the government will do it for them.
After all, who's going to fly to India just to press charges?
I've heard of people doing stuff like this. I used to simply send back the empty envelope every time.
Then they started adding a little warning on the back, saying that tampering with the envelope or the contents would be prosecuted.
Now, I'm not stupid enough to think that they can make something illegal simply by putting a warning on the envelope. But they very well might have bought a law making it illegal if they warn you about it. So I stopped doing that.