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| Author |
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| 25 new of 176 responses total. |
twenex
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response 151 of 176:
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Mar 17 13:07 UTC 2006 |
Too many contradictions to bother pulling apart.
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cyklone
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response 152 of 176:
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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?
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jep
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response 153 of 176:
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Mar 17 14:14 UTC 2006 |
Regarding my teenage stepdaughter having a job next summer: I don't
understand the questions. Why *wouldn't* she have a summer job when
she will be 16 years old? Yes, she will be saving for college. She'll
be driving by then and helping to pay for her car. And she'll be
building skills which will get her through her life, like showing up to
work on time and doing a good job, and even applying for work (and
being turned down by people before she gets one.) Unless she's either
physically incapable or has some important educational goals to
accomplish, of *course* she will have a job.
I certainly expect she will have a job this summer, but the minimum
wage doesn't go up until October, so I directed my attention into the
future a year.
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jep
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response 154 of 176:
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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.
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jadecat
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response 155 of 176:
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Mar 17 15:52 UTC 2006 |
John, out of curiosity- what certification is she going for?
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jep
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response 156 of 176:
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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.
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richard
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response 157 of 176:
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Mar 17 15:59 UTC 2006 |
re #138 think klg think, bill gates is the EXCEPTION, the extreme exception
to the rule.
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keesan
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response 158 of 176:
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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.
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edina
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response 159 of 176:
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Mar 17 16:01 UTC 2006 |
It very much depends on where that 16 year old lives.
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twenex
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response 160 of 176:
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Mar 17 16:08 UTC 2006 |
It's ok, Bill Gates & Co. make up for their charitable giving with lots of
other shenanigans.
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keesan
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response 161 of 176:
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Mar 17 16:18 UTC 2006 |
It sounds like the job would pay less than the car costs, and I can't think
of any reason a kid needs a car other than to get to a job.
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edina
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response 162 of 176:
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Mar 17 16:19 UTC 2006 |
It depends on the car.
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jadecat
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response 163 of 176:
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Mar 17 16:23 UTC 2006 |
resp:156 CNA=Certified Nursing Assistant, LPN=Licensed Practical Nurse
and RN= Registered Nurse. :) My Hubby is going for the RN (via a
associates degree, nursing at LCC) although at the end of the next term
he can take the LPN licensing exam.
resp:161 A 16 year old may also have friends that they want to see and
parents may a- not want to drive them every where, and b- teach levels
of indpendence, trust and self-reliance to their child.
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jep
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response 164 of 176:
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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.
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klg
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response 165 of 176:
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Mar 17 17:18 UTC 2006 |
Why is sindi so concerned about the realively few millionaires, when
the thousands of people working real hard are living lives that 100
years ago even royalty could not enjoy?
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slynne
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response 166 of 176:
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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.
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klg
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response 167 of 176:
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Mar 17 17:30 UTC 2006 |
(If their jobs are not eliminated or cut back.)
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slynne
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response 168 of 176:
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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.
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tod
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response 169 of 176:
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Mar 17 18:11 UTC 2006 |
re #126
because lower wage earners put more of their income back
into the economy than the rich
It makes sense since the economy has quicker effects on lower wage earners.
If I live in Detroit, are you saying I should buy one of the Big 3's cars just
because the majority of that economy is affected by my car purchasing
decisions because that is what I'm reading from your statement.
What's the point of capitalism if the IRS is going to rob everyone? Its not
like your taxes are paying for anything more than it is paying for war in the
Middle East. You should be thinking more about tax CUTS for lower wage
earners rather than tax HIKES for higher wage earners.
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nharmon
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response 170 of 176:
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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).
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edina
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response 171 of 176:
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Mar 17 19:23 UTC 2006 |
I know that the managing partner of my office makes a good 7 figures. Is he
worth it? I believe so. Number one, I *know* he works at least 12 hours a
day. When I go home at night, I stop thinking about this place - he doesn't.
He takes work home with him. Number two (and this is me being incredibly
partial) - he's a legal genius. His intelligence generates a lot of money
for this office in terms of postive verdicts and business.
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tod
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response 172 of 176:
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Mar 17 19:52 UTC 2006 |
I know what I pay our gardener is worth every penny.
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happyboy
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response 173 of 176:
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Mar 17 20:18 UTC 2006 |
heh!
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tod
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response 174 of 176:
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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.
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gull
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response 175 of 176:
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Mar 20 04:35 UTC 2006 |
Re resp:31: The minimum wage is currently at its lowest level since it
was created, if you adjust for inflation. I wouldn't worry about it
getting too far ahead of inflation.
Re resp:58: That's good to know. For the record, I don't really
consider klg a representative conservative, either.
Re resp:68: Good arguments can help, but money and fear are what really
win elections.
Re resp:138: A drop in taxes *can* result in an increase in revenue, but
only if the tax rate is so high that it significantly hinders the
economy. There aren't any respected economists that I'm aware of who
are saying we're on that side of the demand curve. Republicans take it
on faith that we are, because it supports their policies -- much like
they take supply-side economics on faith, in spite of the fact that it's
disproved about once a decade.
I know some people will point to Reagan, but the fact is, tax revenues
only increased under Reagan if you don't adjust for inflation, which was
pretty high in the early- to mid-80s.
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