response 150 of 176:

Mar 17 12:25 UTC 2006

The world that Sindi is describing has been seen on this planet. Except,
those worlds had some very ugly sides to them. Slavery comes to mind.
This is because if everyone works leisurely, somebody else has to kick
it in the dick to make up for that in order to keep the standard of
living up. Of course, we might all be able to live like Sindi (not that
there is anything wrong with how Sindi lives), but a lot of people want
better than that.

Re #147:  I don't believe the rich will redistribute their wealth. Which
post did you get that idea from? The rich hold onto their money, which
is why I agree that a progressive income tax is necessary. As for taxes
being stealing, I believe that when our government takes taxes for the
purpose of wealth redistribution, that is theft. It violates the lockean
principles that government's role is to protect life, liberty, and
property. This does not include providing such things (hence the whole
gurantee of the pursuit of happiness and not happiness itself).

Taxes are necessary to the point necessary for our government to function.

This all goes back to the idea of entitlement people have in regards to
other people's money. You are not entitled to benefit from my hard work.
If I want to share the spoils, that is my choice. You don't get to force
my choice.

response 152 of 176:

Mar 17 13:58 UTC 2006

Nate, do you honestly believe the over-paid CEO is working 1000 times harder
than someone on the factory floor or in R&D?

response 154 of 176:

Mar 17 14:44 UTC 2006

It's not up to me to decide if CEOs and professional athletes are worth 
1000 times as much money as I get.  They can get someone to pay them 
that much.  I cannot.  I could not do their jobs even if I were paid 
the money they get.

It's not up to me to decide if I'm worth 3 times as much money as my 
wife gets.  I know she works a lot harder than I do.  She's a janitor.  
Almost anyone could do her job.  I'm in software support, with 20 years 
of specialized skills.  There are few who can do my job.

This is America.  If you don't like what you're doing, or how much you 
are making, you can at least try to get into something else.  Americans 
watch 20+ hours of TV per week on the average.  There are a lot of 
people in despair over their lifestyles who could be using their time a 
lot more wisely than they are.

My wife is in a nursing program.  A year ago, she was working full 
time, raising 3 kids on her own, and taking classes at night.  It was 
tough, but she decided it wasn't as tough as being a janitor for the 
rest of her life.  Due to timing of certificate programs in our area, 
it will be another year before she can complete her program and become 
a nurse.  But when she does, she'll have improved her life.  It can be 
done.

And -- this is important -- there's no other way out of the financial 
cellar.  Increasing the minimum wage will not get very many people out 
of poverty.  It won't allow anyone to buy a home or send their kids to 
college.

I don't mind the minimum wage going up, as I said yesterday.  It may 
provide a little financial relief for some people who desperately need 
it.  I am for that, but it's just not going to help very many people 
very much, or for very long.

response 156 of 176:

Mar 17 15:54 UTC 2006

I think it's CNE -- certified nurse.  But I don't know much about the 
different grades of nurses.

response 158 of 176:

Mar 17 16:00 UTC 2006

The reason some people make millions is because thousands of other people are
working very hard.

A 16 year old does not need a car.

response 160 of 176:

Mar 17 16:08 UTC 2006

It's ok, Bill Gates & Co. make up for their charitable giving with lots of
other shenanigans.

response 162 of 176:

Mar 17 16:19 UTC 2006

It depends on the car.

response 164 of 176:

Mar 17 16:27 UTC 2006

Children are educated in any number of ways by their parents and other 
elders.  My stepdaughter will be educated in, among other things, 
driving a car.  This in turn will present her with the opportunities to 
learn responsibility for driving safely and maintaining the car, as 
well as the need to provide the resources for the opportunity she will 
have.  Additionally it will substantially help her mother and me, as we 
won't have to drive her to some of the various activities which make up 
her life.  (These include band practices, medical appointments, 
shopping trips, etc.)  She will be able to drive to school.  Remember 
that, until this week, she couldn't walk across the room without pain, 
so someone has had to take her to school.

In short, Sindi, driving is in many ways a good thing.  The decision on 
whether it is worthwhile, and whether it should be allowed, are complex 
matters which are highly dependent on individual circumstances.  Her 
mother and I are familiar with all of those circumstances.  Further, we 
have the responsibility of watching out for her welfare.  And, we have 
the accompanying power to make the best decisions for her.  Finally, we 
have our own resources and the power and ability to manage them as we 
see fit.  With all due respect, it is not your decision whether my 
stepdaughter should have a car.  I hope you will be able to recognize 
this and somehow manage to deal with the fact that she is going to have 
access to one, even though, if you had a 16 year old, he or she may not 
be driving.

response 166 of 176:

Mar 17 17:19 UTC 2006

Working hard is a virtue. I think that most people here can agree on 
that. However, raising the minimum wage does not reward the lazy but 
rather encourages work. 

response 168 of 176:

Mar 17 18:04 UTC 2006

Indeed. Raising the minimum wage would not be a good idea in a labor 
market with a very elastic demand for labor. But since the labor market 
we are currently in seems to have a an inelastic demand curve for 
unskilled labor, I'll go out on a limb and say that raising the minimum 
wage might be a good idea. 

response 170 of 176:

Mar 17 18:51 UTC 2006

> Nate, do you honestly believe the over-paid CEO is working 1000 times 
> harder than someone on the factory floor or in R&D?

No, but there are other factors that play into whether I think a salary 
is appropriate for somebody. For example, lets say you open a company 
and work 70 hours a week building it up. You might even pay yourself a 
very small salary (if anything) the first few years. You might also put 
yourself into personal debt by taking out a 2nd mortgage to fund your 
business. After all of this, if you decide to pay yourself a high 
salary, I'd say you've earned it.

But a CEO of a large public company making millions of dollars a year 
is ridiculous. They rarely even work full weeks (ie less than 40 hours).

response 172 of 176:

Mar 17 19:52 UTC 2006

I know what I pay our gardener is worth every penny.

response 174 of 176:

Mar 17 20:51 UTC 2006

I've been sitting on interview panels for jobs that don't pay much at all.
Its kinda weird there are so many hoops.