Sometimes the centre of gravity pulls leftwards, when voters rebel at grotesque wealth side by side with shaming poverty; the rich child who cannot fail beside the poor child with no chance, greedy bankers beside hospital cleaners not earning enough to keep their family. In political economics that calls for a bigger state and better public services, more taxing of the comfortable to help the unfortunate, lower pay at the top and a higher minimum wage. Redistribution redresses the deformities of the market. The ethical short-hand says: sharing more fairly, we all do better morally and economically. The Nordics are the model.
Really? When the Nordics don\’t have national minimum wages? Well, at least Sweden and Denmark don\’t.
…and Swedens tax system is less redistributive than ours they start more equal . We are less equal but then we keep letting people in to start at the bottom
So again not what she meant to say
We here in the US, with things being a little sluggish, we could send the Swedes, and the Danes, each a few million undocumented workers. That would allow us to test the laws of supply and demand. It would also provide some indication of whether minimum wages do in fact provide support to the wage levels of legal citizens.
The Swedes and the Danes would of course need to subsidize their agricultural sector in the identical fashion that the US does, so as to keep things commensurable. But, we in the US are not shy about imposing our will on others — and, Scandinavians have a penchant for subsidies anyway, they ‘should’ appreciate our guidance. Especially once they realize how much better their food situation is with a Mexican influence.
Go and look at the top tax rate in each and every Scandinavian country.
“..the rich child who cannot fail ..”: well, except at exams, eh, Poll?
dearieme,
The rich even have advantages regarding exams:
http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-disadvantages-of-an-elite-education/
ray, the dig was at Poll’s own, tragic examination record. Happily, she had enough in the way of privilege – family connections – that her failure to exploit wealth didn’t hold her back.
dearieme,
Sorry. Was only on my second cup of coffee at the time. Don’t let my sluggish thinking deter you from reading the link I provided though, it is good even if irrelevant.
How can ethics be put forward as a basis for a situation that requires coercion under threat of imprisonment or dispossession?
Ah, Ray, the poor fellow seems to be wrestling with the octopus of the American class system. It’s so much subtler and more tenacious than the English one, though of course it officially doesn’t exist.
If high earning is made difficult would that not make people move into the ‘bully trades’ ( politics , trade unions, tax inspector, police) to get the power that their forbidden incomes cannot give them.
@john malpas,
Also management?
Here‘s a more articulate response to Tim’s argument.