General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do you think the Federal minimum wage should be $15 per hour? [View all]cascadiance
(19,537 posts)Yes, not just minimum wage up to $15 (which is a GOOD first step!), but finding ways to rebuild the middle class across the board. That comes with getting rid of these "guest worker" programs (aka indentured servant programs) like H-1B and H-2B which take away more workers' rights and lower average salaries, etc. too for the rest of us.
If companies want to hire foreign workers, they should be willing to ante up for green cards, etc. for these workers, and let them work alongside domestic workers with the same rights and therefore salary demands to keep salaries from dropping in the toilet. And that would help us be able to organize unions more too, if green card holders, as opposed to other "guest workers" have the rights to vote and be members of unions too. Start reverting back to the tax rates before Reagan too.
The right wing keeps telling us that prices are all going to go up if this happens. Well, I'd rather have a job and/or higher salaries that dwarf the amount of extra costs I might have for a FEW things that I buy outside of rent, insurance, and other things that HAVE and ARE increasing more than our salaries are. And if those at the top that will get lower income with more taxes and have to pay a little more for day to day expenses, well I don't have any sympathy for them, since they've been stealing from us for years with the wealth redistribution that's gone on towards the top for the last 30 years.