Let's Keep
A Progressive Podcast
In The Top Ten !!!
MAY 2009 BULLETIN
YOUR VOTES ARE NEEDED
RIGHT NOW TO JUMP
AHEAD OF RIGHT-WINGERS!
Already voted and want to know other ways to help spread the Blast The Right message? Click here
Play the latest podcast (click here)!
Be notified of new podcasts by
entering your email address:
   

Thursday, September 15, 2005

7 - Scare a Right-Winger to Death: Advocate Reducing Poverty by Raising the Minimum Wage to a "Living Wage"

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we Americans have discovered (once again) that many of our citizens live in dire poverty. A proven way to substantially cut the poverty rate is to raise the minimum wage to a so-called "living wage."

The very idea scares the hell out of right-wingers and they fight it tooth and nail.

I'll describe how living wage laws have worked out where they've been tried. I'll show you how to effectively rebut the right-wing arguments against raising the minimum wage.

And as always, I'll point out the underlying lunacy of the right-wing position.

PS: You'll be quite surprised at some of the historical figures who have supported the living wage concept, and you'll hear an audio clip of one such supporter made in the earliest days of sound recording!

Jack Clark 2:14 PM [+]
Post #112676204414117747


Comments:  This section is for listeners. To receive a reply from Jack Clark, you should call the comment line.
















You hit the nail right on the head sir- the economic philosophy that Right Wingers live by runs counter to logic. Keep up the good rant!
posted by Blogger Frank Black  1:50 PM   [+]
 
Yes, I agree it would be nice if minimum wage was raised to a “living wage,” that is if it were that simple. I do not consider myself a right winger either, just someone who has lived with the increase of minimum wage over the years, back when it was only $1.75. Raising minimum wage only causes a cascading effect: when it is raised, my wages do not go up the same percent; therefore, I make less on the dollar. Not only that but when minimum wage goes up, soon to follow the cost of living rises, hence the minimum wage worker is in the same position as they were before the increase; the same percent of their wages are spent for basic living. So, where does this really benefit anyone, especially the poor??
posted by Blogger djs  4:31 AM   [+]
 
djs shows us a typical right-wing no-nothing response. gobbledygook economic assertions without a shred of real-life stats to back them up. Only a right-winger would argue with a straight face that raising the wages of the working poor won't help them! I guess djs thinks that cutting their wages would be the way to help them. In fact, maybe cutting djs's salary would be the way to help him.
posted by Blogger Jack Clark  9:24 PM   [+]
 
Also, in addition to a minimum 'living wage', it should be regularly adjusted for inflation. Besides being just and right, it also gets around the Right's phony (and yet often effective) argument about wage increases automatically lead to price hikes and are therefore self-negating. This is a faulty and over-simplistic argument, of course; in fact, prices increase at a much faster pace than do wages. Without an inflation adjustment, any newly-won "living wage" would before long cease to be such as its value would be left to deteriorate over time....
posted by Blogger brad Janzen  2:37 PM   [+]
 
Why don't we just make the minimum wage $100/hr? That would truly be a living wage. If we're using the government's power to force businesses to pay their employees a certain rate, why not make it something worthwhile?
posted by Blogger Dale  7:32 AM   [+]
 
This podcast is the best and clearest argument for a living wage that I have heard in modern times. Should be required listening for Americans who are interested in amending the Constitution, as something really worthwhile to amend the Constitution over...rather than marriage and flag-burning.....Glendon R. Whitworth, P.T. (author of Family Medical Leave).
posted by Anonymous Glendon R. Whitworth, P.T.  11:17 AM   [+]
 
First of all, I am a conservative. Not a right - winger! I'll make this short and sweet for all you liberal morons who think the government should be in the business of telling the free market enterprises how to run their businesses. IF YOU ARE WORKING SOMEWHERE MAKING A WAGE THAT YOU DON'T FEEL IS HIGH ENOUGH, OR A LIVING WAGE AS YOU PEOPLE CALL IT. THEN GET OFF YOUR DEAD ASSES AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO FIND ANOTHER JOB! I know this is kind of hard for you brick heads to understand.......but give it a try anyway for the sake of this country!
posted by Anonymous Anonymous  8:13 PM   [+]
 
So who gets this "living wage"? And how much is it? Does it include 1 or 2 paid vacations a year, paid sick time, benefits, etc?

> Does the college student working part time while putting self through school get a partial living wage or are they entitled to the whole thing?

> Does the person who delivers the newspaper(whether your 10 years old, or 40 years old) get a living wage?

> Does the janitor who drinks on the job and never actually completes the task at hand deserve a living wage?

> How about the high school dropout who has worked so hard to attain the skills needed to pump gas?

If your only motivated to make a "living wage" congratulations you set the bar low enough that you automatically have the skills required for that position at birth - a beating heart.

If Company A was paying the "living wage" and its competitor Company B was paying more than the "living wage" (jobs being exactly the same)how many people from Company A would interview for that same position at Company B? Better yet, how many people from Company B would interview at Company A for the same position? If you were looking for a job and saw both Company A and B were hiring, who would you apply with?
posted by Anonymous NIS  1:11 AM   [+]
  Post a Comment
Archives

08/15/05     08/22/05     08/27/05     09/01/05     09/05/05     09/08/05     09/15/05     09/22/05     09/29/05     10/06/05     10/13/05     10/20/05     10/27/05     11/03/05     11/10/05     11/17/05     11/24/05     12/01/05     12/08/05     12/15/05     12/22/05     12/29/05     01/05/06     01/12/06     01/19/06     01/26/06     02/02/06     02/09/06     02/16/06     02/23/06     03/02/06     03/09/06     03/16/06     03/23/06     03/30/06     04/06/06     04/13/06     04/20/06     04/27/06     05/04/06     05/11/06     05/18/06     05/25/06     06/01/06     06/08/06     06/15/06     06/22/06     06/29/06     07/06/06     07/13/06     07/21/06     07/27/06     08/03/06     08/10/06     08/17/06     08/24/06     08/31/06     09/07/06     09/14/06     09/21/06     09/28/06     10/05/06     10/12/06     10/19/06     10/26/06     11/02/06     11/09/06     11/16/06     11/23/06     11/30/06     12/07/06     12/14/06     12/21/06     12/28/06     01/04/07     01/11/07     01/18/07     01/26/07     02/01/07     02/08/07     02/15/07     02/22/07     03/01/07     03/08/07     03/15/07     03/22/07     03/29/07     04/05/07     04/12/07     04/19/07     04/26/07     05/03/07     05/10/07     05/17/07     05/24/07     05/31/07     06/07/07     06/14/07     06/21/07     06/28/07     07/12/07     07/26/07     08/09/07     08/23/07     09/06/07     09/13/07     09/20/07     09/27/07     10/04/07     10/11/07     10/18/07     10/25/07     11/01/07     11/08/07     11/15/07     11/29/07     12/13/07     12/27/07     01/10/08     01/24/08     02/07/08     02/21/08     03/06/08     03/20/08     04/03/08     04/17/08     05/01/08     05/15/08     05/29/08     06/12/08     06/26/08     07/10/08     07/24/08     08/07/08     08/21/08     09/04/08     09/18/08     10/02/08     10/16/08     10/30/08     11/13/08     11/28/08     12/11/08     12/26/08     01/08/09     01/22/09     02/05/09     02/19/09     03/05/09     03/19/09     04/02/09     04/16/09     04/30/09    

Speak to Jack and other listeners! (a separate show from numbered shows to the left)

Live shows are currently on hiatus. In the
meantime, listen to Jack debate Jenn from www.screwliberals.com  Debate

* Subscribe in iTunes
   (if you already have iTunes installed)
* About Jack Clark   
* Podcast Feed
 
*

Great podcast - a must listen to
Jack Clark documents the right's wars on the poor, civil liberties, the right of workers to organize at work and obtain a decent working wage and work conditions, and against other countries who refuse to accept American domination. Jack provides all the sources so that you can see for yourself how the right is out to enrich itself at the expense of everyone else. Great job, Jack!
Submitted By: magyarbill
 
awesome show
Clark always backs up his statements against the right wing with fact and data, which gives him all the more credibility. As conglomerate media controlled by politics clouds the mainstream news media, Jack Clark, along with NPR and Democracy Now! have become my primary news source. Awesome podcast!
Submitted By: jgates118
 
In-Depth, Meaty, Hardcore Knowledge
This podcast is not just entertainment, humor, chimp-bashing, or gee-whiz recap of the weeks events. Instead, it hits hard and in-depth on the world economic situation and how right-wing policies impact the poor and less advantaged all over the world. He examines Americas support of the World Bank, IMF,multinational corporations, etc., and connects the dots. This is a podcast for grown-ups. He gives good reasons why the right wing is NOT living up to its precious Bible, without putting down the Bible. As a Jesus-loving Christian and moderate Democrat, I respect this podcast for its subject matter. The grown-up manner of the speaker is just icing on the cake. He IS funny, but hes not trying to be, he just has a deadpan delivery but doesnt have to make jokes to make it interesting. The facts make it interesting and devastating.
Submitted By: ebrenn1
 
A Breath of Fresh Air
Jack Clarks Blast the Right podcast is truly a breath of fresh air when it comes to political commentary. Jack is not like some commentators who simply climb on their soap box and state their own opinions as fact. Instead, Jack welcomes competent challenges to his way of thinking, and with logical analysis and sound research, debunks the lies, distortions, and self-deceptions of the right wing. I strongly recommend Blast the Right for people who seek the truth and care more about the long term health and well-being of the whole citizenry than the short term personal gain advocated by modern conservatives. Listen as Jack carefully shows how the high-sounding "God and country" rhetoric of the right wing is really just a smokescreen for policies that ultimately lead only to the increased misery, suffering, and death of the less fortunate for the particular benefit of the wealthy and the well-connected. And, if you find yourself in agreement, return to Podcast Alley to place your vote! Thanks!
Submitted By: automatic

BLAST THE RIGHT COMPILATION CD'S
NOW AVAILABLE!

MORE INFO &
HOW TO ORDER/
DOWNLOAD
Jack Clark interviewed by
“Check It Out” podcast
Comment Line
Skype: jackfromblasttheright
From any phone: 310-933-5891
Music Resources Page
Data Resources Page
Progressive Podcast Directory

 

|   Home   |   Email   |   Send this page to a friend   |