Rep. Dan Shaul (Facebook).
A Missouri representative is rushing to kill off a minimum wage hike, on the basis that certain jobs weren’t ever meant to provide a living wage, so hey, you can keep paying people shit wages. It’s interesting, if depressing, to read all the twists and turns republicans use to justify being corrupt, villainous assholes, with a pointed interest in keeping people poor. Well, some people.
A Missouri Republican introduced legislation that would stop Kansas City from enacting a higher minimum wage — because he said workers weren’t meant to live on those wages.
Rep. Dan Shaul (R-Jefferson City) wants the statehouse to quickly pass his bill that would prohibit cities and counties from paying a higher minimum wage than what is set by state law, reported the Kansas City Star.
The bill contains an emergency clause that would allow it to go into effect as soon as the governor signs it, and the newspaper reported Shaul’s bill is moving quickly through the legislative process.
“The minimum wage wasn’t meant to be a living wage,” Shaul told the Star. “I’m all for family sustainable wages, and I certainly don’t want a family to have to work two or three jobs to get by. But grocery store baggers and fast food work isn’t where you should be working to sustain your family.”
Right. Because if the jobs you can manage to get might be as a grocery clerk or working in a restaurant, well, you should have known better, you stupid peon! Those aren’t proper jobs! Get a good, white person type job, er, white collar job! That way, you can call it a career, and get by just dandy. All that cost of living jazz, well, that doesn’t mean anything. House payments? Pfffft, get a proper job and you can get a loan! Being in debt up to your neck is the American way, you bet. Or you know, you should have just been born rich. It seems the concept of choice is a rethug Shibboleth.
Eat the rich.
So what are people supposed to live on?
Low wage jobs are just a form of hidden subsidy. The company makes more profit and the worker has to get some form of public assistance, which is then treated like a generosity, keeping them in permanent dependence and poverty.
If there is any full-time position that you can’t both have and survive on its wages, what the fuck is the point of the job in the first place? To trap and kill people who didn’t do the math or who have no other options? Jobs exist because work needs to be done, and people take jobs because even 50% of the money you need to survive plus debt is better than nothing.
It seems the concept of choice is a rethug Shibboleth.
Except reproductively, of course.
Right then, ‘minimum wage laws’ is on the list of items where the Republicans don’t want small government but are happy to legislate the hell out of. How odd. It can see a sort of pattern emerging. It’s almost as if the Republican’s ‘small government’ thing was an excuse to avoid action -- or take it -- as it suits their agenda, not a guiding principle for all their policies. But that would be hypocritical in the extreme, so it can’t possibly be true.
P.S.: Chigau:
Eat the politicians and elect new ones. Two birds with one stone. And their successors would pay much closer attention to the electorate’s rumbling tummy.
Pierce @ 4:
You misunderstand me. Republicans act as though things people have no choice about is a type of choice.
chigau @1:
No thanks. Feed them to the pigs, then I will eat the pork.
All jobs that CEOs depend on to be able to enjoy fancy clothes and houses, nice cars, lavish meals and luxury vacations deserve a comfortable living wage.
I think that covers pretty much all jobs.
Caine @ # 6: Republicans act as though things people have no choice about is a type of choice.
According to the great guru Milton Friedman, choice is infinite. Republican metaphysics requires decades of intensive Foxwatching to grok, not to mention choosing the right epidermal-melanin-regulating-genes to start with.
Saad
Pretty much all jobs done by everyone else, that is.
So what, 25% of existing jobs ‘you shouldn’t be supporting your family on?’