Quote from: _Miracle on September 23, 2021, 01:51:58 AM

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I agree with almost everything you've written there.

Quote from: _Miracle on September 23, 2021, 01:51:58 AM

We have a federal minimum wage in America of $7.25 it's been there for over a decade and while I don't agree with having one:
since we do, it should be tethered to some livable wage based in reality.

But to me this part seems a contradiction, and I don't understand how someone could be against a minimum wage but, if there is one, then in favour of it being raised.

Quote from: _Miracle on September 23, 2021, 01:51:58 AM

I'm not ready to scrap democratic capitalism but it needs more of us people to pay attention to the ways our individual liberties have been usurped in this top down fashion and for us to collectively reassert ourselves.
People do not have as much liberty as a corporation and I personally feel that's an affront to humanity

Democratic capitalism is the best system we have, but it needs to work for the people rather than for the elite. In order for this to happen, the government must not be enablers of exploitation and crony capitalism, they must instead act as an opposing force (to a carefully calibrated extent, not overwhelmingly so). A right-wing government is largely pointless in this regard.

I would say that most people have constraints on their freedom because they are in effect wage slaves. If for example you have to work say 60 hours a week in a low-paid job just to be able to support your family, then you are not able to pursue education opportunities, or move to a different part of the country where there are better jobs, and it is not surprising that people feel there is no way out. This makes them antagonistic towards the state, increases feelings of disenfranchisement, and enables the rise of populist demagogues such as Trump who prey on people's fears and prejudices in order to further their own ends (it's scarcely believable that someone who actually lives in a tower of gold can harness the support of much of the nation's poor).

The way to empower ordinary people is surely to loosen their shackles. A minimum wage is a first step here, but (and I suspect you will be against this) a UBI seems the ideal solution. The concept is often misunderstood as 'free money', when in fact it's simply a more equitable distribution. I feel that in a society with a UBI, the worst jobs would have to be at least somewhat more appealing in terms of working conditions than they are now.