Wal-Mart and the "living wage"
Time and time again I run across this economically disasterous concept of a goverment-mandated "living wage" - artificially inflated wages raised above the actual value of work performed. Neither the government or an employer is required to pay you wages on which you can live.
An employer says, in essense, "Here is what we will pay for this position". If you don't feel it is adequate for either the amount or the type of work you will be doing, don't work there. If you are not qualified to work anywhere else, whose fault is that? Wal-Mart's? I'm constantly reading all these bitches and moans by Wal-Mart employees that they don't make enough, and there's even a host of websites devoted to griping about how little they pay and how employees can hardly afford to shop there themselves. What's funny is that these sites usually bring up how a worker in a Bangladeshi factory that makes shirts for Wal-Mart couldn't even afford the smallest items there.
What doesn't dawn on them is that the very fact that there is a Bangladeshi factory making shirts for them is due to wage-fixing. I myself worked at Wal-Mart in the 80's (back when you could still smoke in the store - imagine that today!), and Sam Walton made a huge deal about as many goods as possible being U.S. - made, unless there was no way they could obtain a U.S. made article at a reasonable price. Indeed the shelves were full of goods stamped 'Made in the U.S.A.' Not anymore. When wages are raised above the actual value for that work, employers have two choices if they wish to maintain the same level of solvency. They can outsource, or they can lay off workers. Wal-Mart, like any other company, exists to turn a profit. In a capitalist society this means exchanging value for value in accordance with what the present market will bear. It isn't a charity, and if the current workers aren't happy with it they are free to leave and work elsewhere. Go to college or learn a trade or something - it isn't anyone's fault but your own if you're working a low-paying job and are unhappy. You are there because of choices you made.
Invariably this outcry seems to come from people who consider healthcare a "right", and think we should redistribute the nation's wealth. You have no "right" to free healthcare, because someone has to pay for it, and rights cannot come at the expense of others. A "right" is a right to action. Nothing more. The right to life does not guarantee that you will continue to draw breath. The right to own property does not guarantee that you will own same, if you have nothing to exchange for it. The right to pursue happiness cannot come at another's expense.
The redistribution of wealth divorces individuals from the products of their labors, fosters a parasitic underclass, creates division and resentment, and leads to the eventual collapse of society. Life isn't fair and never has been. Get over it.
An employer says, in essense, "Here is what we will pay for this position". If you don't feel it is adequate for either the amount or the type of work you will be doing, don't work there. If you are not qualified to work anywhere else, whose fault is that? Wal-Mart's? I'm constantly reading all these bitches and moans by Wal-Mart employees that they don't make enough, and there's even a host of websites devoted to griping about how little they pay and how employees can hardly afford to shop there themselves. What's funny is that these sites usually bring up how a worker in a Bangladeshi factory that makes shirts for Wal-Mart couldn't even afford the smallest items there.
What doesn't dawn on them is that the very fact that there is a Bangladeshi factory making shirts for them is due to wage-fixing. I myself worked at Wal-Mart in the 80's (back when you could still smoke in the store - imagine that today!), and Sam Walton made a huge deal about as many goods as possible being U.S. - made, unless there was no way they could obtain a U.S. made article at a reasonable price. Indeed the shelves were full of goods stamped 'Made in the U.S.A.' Not anymore. When wages are raised above the actual value for that work, employers have two choices if they wish to maintain the same level of solvency. They can outsource, or they can lay off workers. Wal-Mart, like any other company, exists to turn a profit. In a capitalist society this means exchanging value for value in accordance with what the present market will bear. It isn't a charity, and if the current workers aren't happy with it they are free to leave and work elsewhere. Go to college or learn a trade or something - it isn't anyone's fault but your own if you're working a low-paying job and are unhappy. You are there because of choices you made.
Invariably this outcry seems to come from people who consider healthcare a "right", and think we should redistribute the nation's wealth. You have no "right" to free healthcare, because someone has to pay for it, and rights cannot come at the expense of others. A "right" is a right to action. Nothing more. The right to life does not guarantee that you will continue to draw breath. The right to own property does not guarantee that you will own same, if you have nothing to exchange for it. The right to pursue happiness cannot come at another's expense.
The redistribution of wealth divorces individuals from the products of their labors, fosters a parasitic underclass, creates division and resentment, and leads to the eventual collapse of society. Life isn't fair and never has been. Get over it.
posted by Soulend at 6:56 AM
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