General Discussion

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)

79. Americans are SPECIAL. Our incomes should be higher than the world average.

Thu Jun 30, 2016, 12:46 PM

Jun 2016

Oh wait, that's American exceptionalism. If we criticize American exceptionalism then we should agree that average American wages should be the same as average wages globally. But if we don't want to get by on $1 a day like most of the world then we must believe that Americans are exceptional, and deserve better than people everywhere else.

Hmmm. What a dilemma. Which do I want, good wages for Americans and screw everyone else? Or the same wages for everyone and tell Americans to suck it up and get used to the same poverty that exists everywhere else?

I guess I'll stick with American exceptionalism. I deserve more money than people who aren't Americans. Glad I settled that. Now I can, in good conscience, criticize globalization because it raises the wages of non-Americans at the expense of Americans. Don't send "our" jobs to China. That only puts money in the pockets of non-American workers and we don't want that! American first. Rah! Rah! Rah!

Anybody see a problem with demanding fair wages for Americans and starvation wages for non-Americans? Really? You're O.K with that?

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How low should the Average American Income be? [View all] HughBeaumont Jun 2016 OP

us serfs should take the leavings and crumbs from the tables of our betters and be GRATEFUL! hobbit709 Jun 2016 #1

and not having to fight the dogs for them. nt Javaman Jun 2016 #2

Crumbs: It's STILL Asking Too Much, You Quasi-Republican Peegs! HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #3

So much hyperbole and pearl clutching.... JaneyVee Jun 2016 #4

so much unwillingness to face facts. hobbit709 Jun 2016 #6

Necessity costs are what's killing the middle/working/poor, not the price of tchotchkes. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #12

The only people against raising wages are Republicans.... JaneyVee Jun 2016 #35

Boy, could I win money off of you . . . HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #48

Good God Ishoutandscream2 Jun 2016 #109

I hear you. It leaves you dumbfounded. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #116

Lol. Raising wages by how much? To what level? KPN Jun 2016 #58

Those saying that $12/hour is a fine minimum wage? AllyCat Jun 2016 #39

Umm no. JaneyVee Jun 2016 #43

Unions are not about just the wages. We work for safe working conditions AllyCat Jun 2016 #44

This. Not raising minimum wages encourages union membership... scscholar Jun 2016 #81

The minimum wage doesn't move union wages up or down. There's no connection. It's made up. eom fleabiscuit Jun 2016 #68

Free trade means no regulations and is the reason many people are taken advantage of and poor. Rex Jun 2016 #55

Free trade means no regulations? Igel Jun 2016 #61

Well then you support fair trade, good to know. Rex Jun 2016 #63

That's a vacuous response. eom fleabiscuit Jun 2016 #69

Yes your response is most vacuous. Rex Jun 2016 #70

Nope, reading it wrong gives me a sad. Sorry. Although finding I read it wrong gives me a happy. :-) fleabiscuit Jun 2016 #75

Excellent. Rex Jun 2016 #76

Read DU posts re same! N/T Silver_Witch Jun 2016 #56

pearl clutching SoLeftIAmRight Jun 2016 #57

You ignore the past 25 years of free trade -- KPN Jun 2016 #65

What have the Romans done for us? fleabiscuit Jun 2016 #72

Those are all cost of production factors KPN Jun 2016 #103

No need to end in a non sequitur. fleabiscuit Jul 2016 #127

You mean the free trade Drahthaardogs Jun 2016 #110

Rust Belt Denizen here! HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #117

The average American wage doesn't need to be low at all. Just pay the 1% enough to pull it up. Scuba Jun 2016 #5

The 1% could buy everything FOR us. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #10

Ugh. If a job is repetitive, dangerous, or just plain icky, jobs will be replaced by robots. fleabiscuit Jun 2016 #78

Message auto-removed Name removed Jun 2016 #16

How about doing something beyond ruining the economy? HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #18

K & R mountain grammy Jun 2016 #7

There is no going back to some idealized vision of the 50s. Odin2005 Jun 2016 #8

And you think giving the corporations more power will help everyone? hobbit709 Jun 2016 #9

Who said anything about giving corporations more power? Odin2005 Jun 2016 #11

Who is in charge of this global capitalism? seabeckind Jun 2016 #21

We all are. You buy products made overseas all the time. JaneyVee Jun 2016 #36

Because there is little else to buy. AllyCat Jun 2016 #41

Needs are a tough call. Igel Jun 2016 #67

When do you think you'll get around to fixing that airbag problem? seabeckind Jun 2016 #49

Y'all have this idealized vision where workers have a say in the outcome of American progress. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #13

Hence the reason for Unions madokie Jun 2016 #20

Well, when you have governors doing the work of the Kochs . . . HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #25

Message auto-removed Name removed Jun 2016 #32

I would like to have corporate charters changed. seabeckind Jun 2016 #26

Should be easy to change a corporate charter in that regard. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #34

so lets put support for global labor organization in the platform tk2kewl Jun 2016 #28

+1 Go Vols Jun 2016 #106

I think if the US wanted to we could turn around globalism in a heartbeat. fasttense Jun 2016 #42

Post removed Post removed Jun 2016 #14

Is this fucking serious? HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #15

Message auto-removed Name removed Jun 2016 #29

And speaking of BS Gormy Cuss Jun 2016 #31

"Communists" . . . . HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #33

Why don't you ask all of the working people he ripped off? TBA Jun 2016 #19

Message auto-removed Name removed Jun 2016 #30

Guys on the lido deck don't like this attitude. seabeckind Jun 2016 #17

The Lido Deck . . . and I just watched Love Boat recently!! HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #22

What? A box isn't good enough for you? Bettie Jun 2016 #97

Cricket and Aphid sauce wraps are amazing. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #98

If you can manage to steal them Bettie Jun 2016 #100

I was just reading yesterday that thistles are very edible passiveporcupine Jun 2016 #113

Congressional salaries should be tied to Downwinder Jun 2016 #23

It isn't the salary, it's the perks. seabeckind Jun 2016 #24

That is another matter. Downwinder Jun 2016 #27

I pretty much think it's the most important matter. seabeckind Jun 2016 #50

You mean median, but still Too high passiveporcupine Jun 2016 #111

According to whom? malthaussen Jun 2016 #37

Capitalism can't work with NO income. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #40

Sure, but who says the ruling class are capitalists? malthaussen Jun 2016 #46

So what's the solution? IronLionZion Jun 2016 #38

The answer is regulated capitalism Moostache Jun 2016 #47

Excellent. I may just have to borrow that. seabeckind Jun 2016 #53

I support regulated capitalism and markets IronLionZion Jun 2016 #73

While everything you said here is 100% correct, what you failed to mention passiveporcupine Jun 2016 #114

Oh, the CEO Larceny Cabal needs to have a rein put on their asses. HughBeaumont Jul 2016 #126

The trick is to push it as low as possible ... Martin Eden Jun 2016 #45

Per capita income now is $57,000 compared to ~$40,000 in Sweden, Germany and other progressive pampango Jun 2016 #51

If we drop off the top 400 seabeckind Jun 2016 #59

We should go after more than the top 400 but that would be a start. pampango Jun 2016 #60

Back when the tax rates were much higher seabeckind Jun 2016 #62

Standing ovation!!! Silver_Witch Jun 2016 #52

That isn't a remotely meaningful question - the average wage has nothing to do with poverty. Donald Ian Rankin Jun 2016 #54

Is there any way you can word your questions without being patently insulting? HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #92

I feel your OP leaves you in something of a glass house in this respect... N.T. Donald Ian Rankin Jun 2016 #94

That is a very good question that makes some uncomfortable. Rex Jun 2016 #64

Divide GDP by Population Octafish Jun 2016 #66

They sure are crying all over the place about fair trade. Rex Jun 2016 #71

$4.25/hour, like Puerto Rico MisterP Jun 2016 #74

Not bad, that's double what they make in India. Rex Jun 2016 #77

Americans are SPECIAL. Our incomes should be higher than the world average. Binkie The Clown Jun 2016 #79

$1 a day would put pretty much all non-financially independent people under a bridge. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #82

How low should the average WORLD wages be? Binkie The Clown Jun 2016 #85

$5000 a year for everyone. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #87

I can live comfortably on 18k a year Lance Bass esquire Jun 2016 #80

I DO live comfortably on less than $12,000 per year. Binkie The Clown Jun 2016 #88

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHH HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #93

"Not as bad as..." Binkie The Clown Jun 2016 #101

On the bright side, if 90% of people only made $18K, housing and everything else would be less or Hoyt Jun 2016 #83

That's a "Bright Side"?? HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #84

Sorry, if they can't sell a product to the masses, they aren't going to make any money. You'd Hoyt Jun 2016 #90

Someone better tell the universities that. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #96

I think it was a joke. Rex Jun 2016 #91

I suggest that Charles Dicken's London would be an excellent model to follow. Kablooie Jun 2016 #86

Let's benchmark the golden age at 1968 for minimum wage. fleabiscuit Jun 2016 #89

I hope your next screed will be in opposition to nuance. Stinky The Clown Jun 2016 #95

Working all the time and still have total poverty. Rec for comments. nilesobek Jun 2016 #99

Thank you for this post TheFarseer Jun 2016 #102

It's depressing for sure. HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #104

I've met business types who resent the idea of paying for an employee's car payments. Spitfire of ATJ Jun 2016 #105

I think that depends on who the person with the checkbook thinks is average. jtuck004 Jun 2016 #107

Oh come now. McDonald's is expanding in India - Earth is Saved! tenderfoot Jun 2016 #108

I've even seen "say hello to your replacement, $15/hr supporters" trolls . . . HughBeaumont Jun 2016 #115

If you aren't starving to death Aerows Jun 2016 #112

Better to die and decrease the surplus population. PowerToThePeople Jun 2016 #118

KNR. n/t DirkGently Jun 2016 #119

Supporters of unfair competition are anti-society and support breaking down civilization AZ Progressive Jun 2016 #120

Define average. Define income. mwooldri Jul 2016 #121

kick for exposure. BlancheSplanchnik Jul 2016 #122

This message was self-deleted by its author senseandsensibility Jul 2016 #123

Kick because I agree senseandsensibility Jul 2016 #124

Ross Perot told us the plan in 92. He laid it all out. And thus far, all has been going just silvershadow Jul 2016 #125

At a level that would please a Pakistani bricklayer. AngryAmish Jul 2016 #128