General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The closed circle of Wal Mart economics [View all]OneMoreDemocrat
(913 posts)I totally agree with Reich's argument, but as we sort of touched on in another 'conversation', what happens at Walmart will inevitably spread to other retail outlets and I wonder how many of them can afford to do the same.
Ford's idea to make sure that his employees made enough to be able to afford the products they were making was the 'right' thing to do, I'm just not entirely sure the economics would work the same way now...at some point we are going to have to accept that there will be low paying jobs that you simply cannot (and shouldn't try to) make a living at. There will always be a lower-middle/poor class in this country.
Now, I think (and don't kill me for this), that that might be a good thing in the long run as it will make people realize that there is another choice...you don't have to settle for a low paying job; you can stay in school and get an education or start a business yourself (certainly I realize that's a blanket statement and it still won't be an option for a lot of people but it will be an option for some).