tschmath Loc: Los Angeles

This country has always been about people working hard. Not everyone has the advantage of privilege, but everyone has the opportunity to do an honest day's work. If someone is willing to work hard, then he or she should not have to live in poverty. Plain and simple. If someone is working at Wal Mart, he or she should not have to apply for food stamps to survive. If someone is a janitor, or a garbage man, or a housekeeper, there should be enough dignity and sufficient pay in that work to ensure that that person can survive on his or her own.

If guaranteeing that everyone has a living wage means I have to pay an extra $1.00 for a Big Mac, or an extra $.50 for a package of socks at Target, or $.75 more for a gallon of milk, then bring it on. Knowing my neighbor can pay his rent and afford school clothes for his kid is all I need to justify the extra cost.

Please don't hand me bullshit about improving his or her own situation. Not everyone can afford a college degree. No one should have to put their family second by having to work 2 or 3 or 4 jobs to survive. That's just another reason why the family structure in this country is going to shit, and why so many children are latch key kids.

As to your second question, the Constitution guarantees everyone "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". The first word there is "life". If you get sick and die, you don't have life. Health is as basic a human right as free speech. We guarantee our citizens the right to carry guns, we should guarantee health care to everyone. Being healthy should not send people into bankruptcy or make them homeless. As human beings we need to take care of each other, and guarantee that everyone has access to quality healthcare.

As a society we decided over a century ago that a basic right for our children is free, public education. We decided that we wanted to pay for that through our taxes. We need to do the same thing with health care for all of us.

I know that bcheary, Racmanaz, Gitzo, Los Angeles Shooter, and all the rest of the crazies will disagree with me and call me a shitty teacher because of my liberal views, like they always do, but this is about basic human needs and I don't give a flying crap what any of them think. So go ahead and attack, I'm used to it.

Steven Seward Loc: Cleveland, Ohio

This sounds well and good, but it does not answer my question "Why should they not have to live in poverty?" You just kind of said "Well, they just shouldn't!" We live in a super abundant society and I think that people are so used to this that they sometimes get the idea that everybody deserves to have whatever they need, because of some immutable law of nature. I know this is an ideal that most people strive for, but things don't always work out like we want them to. You might think this seems like a minor point, but you can't just blink your eves like "I Dream of Jeanie" and declare that it will be.


"Please don't hand me bullshit about improving his or her own situation". I have no idea what you mean by that.

"As to your second question, the Constitution guarantees everyone "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". The first word there is "life". If you get sick and die, you don't have life. Health is as basic a human right as free speech. We guarantee our citizens the right to carry guns, we should guarantee health care to everyone. Being healthy should not send people into bankruptcy or make them homeless. As human beings we need to take care of each other, and guarantee that everyone has access to quality healthcare."

I don't think that the writer of the Declaration of Independence (not the Constitution) had in mind socialized healthcare when he wrote that. He meant that "we will not kill you". There is no right to healthcare. You may think there SHOULD be one, but there is not one in this country. As far as everybody should have access to quality healthcare, they already do. And they did long before Obamacare was enacted. But I know personally, people who have received free healthcare that did not deserve it in my opinion. I actually don't buy into this notion that everybody deserves healthcare.

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

So are you implying that all restaurants should adopt Bar Marco's voluntary pay and benefit practices?

moondog Loc: afton ny

I'm with the right wingers on this, I do not want the government invading every aspect of my life. How can any one think that someone who runs up 10 trillion dollar debt in 6 years, has any idea how to run a business?? Maybe we should invest another half a billion dollars in Solindra or some other stupid scheme to line the pockets of Obama's cronies??

NeilL Loc: British-born Canadian

It's a form of racism.

user47602 Loc: ip 304.0.0.33.32

:roll: what? bigotry against the conservative race? :roll:

NeilL Loc: British-born Canadian

When you see your psychiatrist next, be sure to mention your inability to comprehend. :roll: :roll: :roll:

user47602 Loc: ip 304.0.0.33.32

please...stop your insult stream for a second and tell me how that comment is racist? :mrgreen:


...or use one of your patented catch-phrases.

NeilL Loc: British-born Canadian

I don't have to explain anything to you, so reread my previous response when you visit your psychiatrist. Now let's keep this topic on track, if you can. Otherwise SHUT UP!!

user47602 Loc: ip 304.0.0.33.32

I was betting that you couldn't answer that... but it shows you consider White Christian Conservative Males to be a race of their own...

ok, add your final insult... bye bye! racist?? hahahaha

NeilL Loc: British-born Canadian

POST IGNORED AS POSTER IS A TROLL!!

user47602 Loc: ip 304.0.0.33.32

.

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

???? A restaurant ON ITS OWN, decided to pay waitstaff more money... thinking that this is against right wing mantra is ridiculously stupid. What any right wing would be firmly against is the GOVERNMENT COMING IN AND DEMANDING THEY PAY wait staff more, and making it illegal to tip for good service! DUH!

But I know first hand about places that pool tips and this is sort of the same thing. The good waiters and waitresses leave those places because they can make more when left to their own skills...or if they stay, they quickly learn to not do more then the worst of them.. why should one talented waitperson get six tables, but get paid the same as another who can only cover two? The socialist in you won't comprehend the problem.

To Liberal left wingers- this is an offense, why should one person make more in tips then another... we should all be paid the same... damn the customers.

Steven Seward Loc: Cleveland, Ohio

:thumbup: Great Points!

chrisscholbe Loc: Kansas City, MO

Conservatives are NOT against the minimum wage.

They just believe it should still be at the level it was when it was first enacted.