
Originally Posted by
kojax
Also... it hasn't bolstered the minimum wage. And that's the only way to un-concentrate wealth.
Well I would argue that it has bolstered minimum wage somewhat in that our leaders seem to actually be discussing it seriously at this point. I'm sure you're aware that if Minimum wage had adjusted accordingly to inflation over the years it would be something like 23 Dollars now?

Originally Posted by
kojax
Expanding the welfare state won't fix anything at all. It will make the poor more comfortable, but it won't make them less poor. (You can't get rich while you're on welfare.)
Here's where the the waiting game comes in. I disagree, I think the "welfare state" currently will fix things and here is why:
Right now, the rich are busting unions and moving companies over seas, that is if they are not dismantling companies and stealing retirements... That puts people out of work. If people are out work they are more likely to become desperate for income which means they may enter into a job or a contract that doesn't help them in the least. by doing this the rich continue to return a ridiculous amount of profit which means they can continue to stock pile resources.
If people are able to stave off entering into exploitative situations it forces the rich to entice a people back to work with more of their income/resources which means minimum wage goes up and perks show up in order to get people to go back to work for them. Welfare state
right now means 2 things. number one nobody has to work for an exploitative company which means jobs at companies go unfilled. those unfilled jobs mean a higher burden on the rich to sell their product. if people aren't in those job positions then chances are they aren't spending their money on what ever it is that those companies are selling. in the end the rich are losing money, or more aptly, not earning as much as they could be/or have been.
here's the specifics of the waiting game. If there was currently no welfare the rich would continue to make money hand over fist by making the populace bid for the lowest starting wage and continue to stock pile their resources off of that wage. because there is welfare the people have a choice whether to be exploited or subsist until they can get a higher wage. So, the game comes in... Who has the patience to out wait the other? there's no doubt the wealthy have a lot of resources to wait this out but the government has the power to tax, so the rich can get taxed at a higher rate and still basically have to pay for those "moochers" anyway... So how long will it be before the rich decide they can offer something other than minimum wage (which is about 5 dollars less than what welfare pays) They can match the government welfare (or pay a little more) and actually get something for their dollar rather than paying those same people not to work?
12 dollars from the government and have a bare minimum life or 20 dollars minimum wage for working for Mickey D's? If people are greedy they want more money and welfare is out.
I guess we'll wait and see.