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Democrats keep trying to increase minimum wage, read a fucking News source.
The problem is, we need caps on profit margins on necessities, and to stop the making of things we need for basic survival investment opportunities.
But that would be difficult to get done. So they go for the low hanging fruit of wages, which never permanently solve anything because they’ll just keep raising prices under this scamflation cycle we’ve been in since COVID.
Every service that is necessary for human survival should have a not-for-profit vendor.
When all it takes to stop them is the nonbinding opinion of an unelected advisor, are they really trying, though?
Have you tried voting harder this midterm?
Whooooosh.
Maybe if Democratic legislators vote harder, the Republicans won't be able to stop them!
It should be like one of those buttons you hit with a hammer at a fair. Higher up it goes, the more your vote counts!
Or a single House speaker that refuses to even bring it up for a vote. Or or a dipshit that brings it up for vote, then filibusters their own bill (coughMcConnellCough)
The obvious fact that Republicans are much worse doesn't make it ok for the Democrats to not fight for the things the overwhelming majority of their voters want.
The parliamentarian's word is law, baby.
If only people could eat Democrats' excuses, no one would ever go hungry.
They just repealed right to work in Michigan, and Meijer employees presumably used that leverage to significantly improve wages and benefits.
Right to work is another BS right wing policy that needs to die. I put in less than two weeks notice, I'm an asshole; company drops me in an instant, business as usual.
“Right to work” as the name of an anti-labor policy sure has a dystopic newspeak feel.
*Pretending to try
Important distinction. Its an old tried and true election year chestnut they trot out every few years to hoodwink a few idiots. They refuse to use power when they have it, and cry about being unable to do anything when they dont.
inb4 - That they havent packed the court to unfuck Roe negates any point you may conceivably be contriving in the moment you read this. So save your breath.
When will they finally increase it to something plausible, and then appoint some department to review and increase it in line with inflation every year according to XYZ rules.
Seems silly to need acts of congress to increase it every time.
Minimum wage is not the same thing as a living wage. The minimum wage should be a living wage, but it isn't.
See: NY. We just got our minimum wage increase and it's 15-16/hr depending on where you are in NY... That's what we were fighting for more than ten goddamn years ago. $15-$16/hr is an absolute joke on Long Island and NYC. I finally managed to claw my way up to 60k/year and as a single guy the thought of homeownership on long Island is as fantastical and far-fetched as a unicorn, forget about 15/hr... You can't even rent most illegal apartments at that income alone.
The conversation needs to be about what constitutes a living wage and how to calculate it at a given time for each area not just blanket minimum wage increases to specific numbers that sound nice to chant like "fight for fifteen."
Achieving a living wage starts by raising the minimum wage.
Lol getting down voted out of pure tribalism. The complete unwillingness of their base to seriously criticize Democrats is such a massive fucking turn off to voting for them.
Minimum wage and living wage are two very different things. Most Democrats absolutely do not support a living wage, and don't try to lie to us about how they do.
Why are they trying, and not doing tho?
Republicans
Republicans aren't stopping states like NY or CA from passing a living wage. Democrats are stopping that.
So sick of the straw men and blatant gaslighting coming from the democratic party. Anything to excuse why corporations keep getting their way with Dems. Meanwhile it takes 10 fucking years to increase the minimum wage in a blue state.
Exactly. Two party system is a scam.
No, one of the two parties makes posts like this to make stupid people say "both sides" whilst said party passes laws to suppress black votes, discriminate against gay folk, and ban abortions.
Quit trying to "both sides". It's what stupid people say.
But I'm not saying that. I'm saying that a two-party system is stupid. And I'm saying that as a citizen of a country that has 9 political parties. edit: to make it clear, if I'd be an American, I'd definitely vote for Dems, no question about it.
Take a civics class
Sure they do. Keep believing, any day now...
My home state of Oregon mandates a minimum wage of $13.20 in rural areas and $15.45 in the Portland metro area, and it adjusts to inflation. Oregon has been governed by Democrats for years. Thanks to these and other laws, I can go down to a McDonald's and get a job that pays $16-17 an hour to start in my city. TriMet in Portland is always advertising a $28 starting wage for bus drivers (no CDL) up to $37 after three years. Rent in my city is $800-900 for a one-bedroom flat with excellent free public transit and fair bikeability. Fuel prices are reasonable. We have strong protections for tenants against abusive landlords. Strong anti-discrimination laws. Everyone has paid sick days. No regressive sales tax. Working-class people can afford a roof over their heads and decent food on the table.
Check out the neighbouring state minimum wages.
- Washington (Democratic government): $16.28
- California (Democratic government): $16.00
- Nevada (divided government): $12.00
- Idaho (Republican government): $7.25
But yeah, keep harping on about how both parties are the same and that Democrats don't do more to help the working man.
My home state of Oregon mandates a minimum wage of $13.20 in rural areas and $15.45 in the Portland metro area, and it adjusts to inflation.
I was part of that! I was on a team that made a web site that visualized the effect on poverty levels on a county-by-county basis when the minimum wage was at different levels. It made the need for a split minimum wage obvious, since the minimum wage that is necessary for metro areas is inappropriate for rural areas. Rumor has it that the legislature used it in the decision making to some degree.
🫡
- Washington (Democratic government): $16.28
- California (Democratic government): $16.00
- Nevada (divided government): $12.00
- Idaho (Republican government): $7.25
Now factor in the cost of living in a "safe" area in those states with those wages. In 2024, it's not enough.
I agree, clearly, the Democrats are the better option for anyone but the billionaire class. However, I agree more with OP: Democrats can do better and not be so corporatist neo-lib.
I think that's why it's important to encourage participation in the primary process. There are the neoliberals mixed in with the social democrats and actual socialists. We should be voting for and supporting the latter in the primaries if we want to influence the party in a leftward direction.
That's actually better than I thought. People in other states are so used to the dysfunction that they literally don't believe these things are possible.
Good news doesn't spread as quickly as bad news and rage bait. "McDonald's Workers Can Afford Flat on 1/3 of Income" isn't a good headline but "Families Increasingly Priced Out By Red-Hot Housing Market" does.
None of these are living wages. You don't get a cookie for doing the bare minimum of keeping people out of effective slavery. Give me a fucking break.
Your other comment says—
So pathetic how you claim to support democracy but shit on anyone who criticizes your precious political party and then make juvenile excuses for doing so.
I don't. But it's undeniably true that one party is much better, in my opinion, than the other. They aren't a perfect party but to equate them with the Republican Party simply because they aren't doing a perfect (or in many cases, even a good) job is stupid.
Right now, the choices are "bare minimum" or "nothing at all". These choices are not the same. One is clearly better.
If you would like a more nuanced opinion then read carefully the rest of my comments in this thread. I'm not going to repeat my points for every person who comes along with the same retort and insult thinking they've "got" me.
"Look at how well the democrats allow the capitalists to treat me as they ensure they can continue to exploit my labour for their own profit uninterrupted!!11"
(seriously - start by looking at those companies profit margins for a tip of the iceberg idea of just how much they are making off of your labour before you do a happy dance over a couple of dollars more they're willing to throw your way to keep you from demanding actual freedom)
But yeah, keep harping on about how represented you are in the sham they call electoral politics..
I think OP is just saying that democrats are better than Republicans. We have multiple parties in my country but people vote for tree ones that support capitalism and rich people. We also have people that support a politician that was found guilty of fraud.
Rich people have power so they can do what they want.
OK so one of the slavers is nicer than the other... You're still owned by slavers. Holy fuck, Liberals are just as fucking dumb as conservatives.
Funny meme, doesn't make me wrong. The comic itself agrees with me.
Funny how people deny the truth when it's not stated as a joke. Almost like you all aren't actually processing the message. Democrats are liberals. Democrats are still allowing Republicans to keep your wages down.
Arguments against electoral democracy by so-called socialists always boil down to "it's not perfect so why bother".
Okay, so keep complaining. Your vision of a better tomorrow isn't going to magically come true if you complain hard enough. You can help make it come true only by participating in the political system we have today. Even if you think it doesn't work, you have no choice but to participate anyway and hope you are wrong.
This is how I got banned from Hexbear. I told someone "You can either participate in the current system or plot to overthrow it. Are you working with the next Lenin or Mao, or merely fantasizing about it?"
So what about you? What are you doing to build the future you want?
I'm not complaining to complain and I'm not saying don't vote. What the flying fuck are all these assumptions coming from you?
What I'm saying is the two party system gives you a choice between two enemies. Yet you dumbasses CONSTANTLY pretend that Democrats good just because Republicans bad.
A vote doesn't, and SHOULD NOT, come with an ass kissing.
I make these assumptions because the type of people who use the type of language that you do and espouse similar views to you tend to also do these other things. It's called "generalisation", and although I apologise if I've made an incorrect one, it is a part of human thinking and everyone does it, including you.
It is my belief that the terms "good" and "bad" are poor labels and not suitably descriptive, especially for most political ideologies. I can only say that Democrats tend to enact policies that I agree with more while Republicans do not. That is why I say that Democrats are "better". Whether "better" means "good" is irrelevant. I don't like the two-party system and I work to change it by circulating ballot initiatives to move us toward proportional and ranked-choice voting. But when we only have two choices, it makes sense to vote and campaign for the one you disagree with least, then criticise and exert political pressure as necessary to nudge them in the right direction. Note that political pressure comes only collectively as a voting bloc, and a voting bloc that doesn't participate isn't going to be effective at exerting political pressure and having their demands acceded to. I understand that you vote, but not everyone who thinks the way you do does.
"... and then criticize and exert political pressure as necessary..."
Yes, exactly. and it'd be really fucking nice if people would stop treating me like a Republican for stating the BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS of, "hey guys, the Democrats aren't your allies, either."
So pathetic how you claim to support democracy but shit on anyone who criticizes your precious political party and then make juvenile excuses for doing so.
Isn't California full of homeless people?
Have you ever been to California actually? Yes the situation is bad but not everywhere is California is like that.
Yes, and that's because the progressive and left-wing of the Democratic Party is losing a power struggle against the centrists and neoliberals. If you want to change that, be sure to vote in the party primary elections and to encourage everyone you know to do the same.
That's waaaay more complicated than just minimum wage. $16 isn't even a living wage here in L.A. where we've got lots of homelessness.
We ought to employ Land Value Taxation to fund the basic necessities for survival, and the remainder should go towards a UBI.
For what it's worth, the minimum wage in LA will rise to $17.28 in July of this year. I get that's still not very high by LA standards, but I stress that progress is better than stagnation.
California is full of … people.
There's an $18 minimum wage in Denver, for instance. Republicans sure as hell didn't vote for that.
- puts fingers in ears and starts screaming “lalalala…”
puts fingers in ears and starts screaming “lalalala…”
Lmfao, no you -
https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/10/14/liberalism-and-fascism-partners-in-crime/
https://libcom.org/article/capitalist-democracy-illusion-choice
You're correct, but Lemmy seems to be full of liberal morons who think they're leftist simply because US conservatives are so far right.
They aren't leftists. They're moron incrementalist Liberals who don't understand how CONSTANTLY capitulating to fascists is in fact NOT progressive. At all.
Having fun in fantasyland?