the2real4mafol said:
You can't have a healthy economy that way. Capitalist economy is also based heavily on consumerism. If most people can't afford more than basic goods to survive (food, water, shelter, education, energy, healthcare in US etc) then the economy would start to collapse as wealth or profits would start to disappear. Really it should be in the interests of the capitalist class to ensure people can buy their stuff but instead it's done with fake credit rather than real cash. Also, why would a company hire more people if labour is cheaper when it's not expanding? that makes no sense. Pushing down wages may sound good to you but because of constant inflation it would never work. Yet alone the opposition from unions and workers. The thing with minimum wage is to be a balance to allow people to start on decent wages to live on but also keep the balance with the constant cost of living which seems to always rise. Going to 15 is really taking it to where it should of been had wages not stagnated since the 80s. |
Your assertion that a capitalist economy is based on consumerism is strictly false. Capitalism is based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the free exchange of goods and services under the motivation of profit. Capitalism is no more based on consumption than any other economic model. All economies rely on buying and selling.
Now American society at large might be based on consumerism (keeping up with the jonses, massive amounts of consumer credit and debt etc.) you could certainly make that argument but Capitaism? No.
We shouldn't have to "push" down wages they should naturally fall or rise to where they need to be through individuals making the decision for themselves on how much their time and energy is worth.
There are many reasons for hiring more labor if you can afford it besides the expansion of your business. It gives you a larger pool of workers with which to spread the work load, thereby ensuring you can cover lost days of productivity when another woker is sick or on leave. It allows you to keep operations open for longer periods of time or to not close shop at all. It eases work stress on employees thereby helping them to be more productive. It isn't simply about expanding.
Going to $15/hr is an arbitrary number with absolutely NO real data to support it being the silver bullet to end poverty or create equality or raise the standard of living for those who make minimum wage today. Because we have minimum wage laws we are doomed to repeat this cycle over and over and over again and all well have to show for it is a nation of millionares who still can't afford to buy a loaf of bread.
