General Discussion

hunter

(39,121 posts)

18. A more generous welfare system makes it more difficult to abuse workers.

Tue Dec 30, 2014, 12:41 PM

Dec 2014

I'd guess more than half of all businesses use bullying, harassment, and physical abuse as "management" techniques. If low income workers didn't fear homelessness and starvation they would not tolerate that. This is the most overt form of wage slavery.

We ought to have a generous welfare system that not only provides for the unemployed and the unemployable, but also competes directly with the crappiest jobs and crappiest employers. Businesses that practice wage slavery ought to be severely punished, both directly by enhanced labor protections, regulations, and enforcement, and indirectly by creating an economic environment in which it is impossible to find workers who will tolerate sub-living wages and abuse.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

65 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

This City Eliminated Poverty, And Nearly Everyone Forgot About It - HuffPo [View all] WillyT Dec 2014 OP

dont they have voting in canada? and if so belzabubba333 Dec 2014 #1

You know if minimum wages were much higher like they need to be... Kalidurga Dec 2014 #2

golly, they might actually have time to pursue other interests--art, culture, peace, for example. niyad Dec 2014 #5

Other interests like taking time to do things with their family. jwirr Dec 2014 #12

Powers negoldie Dec 2014 #26

There is nothing inherently socially valuable about labor. lumberjack_jeff Dec 2014 #8

People like to feel useful knightmaar Dec 2014 #22

I "work" in the sense we are using the term here, about 20 hours a week. lumberjack_jeff Dec 2014 #23

Nobody in their right mind wants to work aspirant Dec 2014 #25

+1 geardaddy Dec 2014 #28

So "Work" knightmaar Dec 2014 #33

Very interesting NewDeal_Dem Dec 2014 #3

Exactly. lumberjack_jeff Dec 2014 #9

The other side aspirant Dec 2014 #16

two sides of the same coin i'd say. NewDeal_Dem Dec 2014 #51

The main problem with poverty is the Economic state it brings Demeter Dec 2014 #29

"a leash of poverty" Boreal Dec 2014 #42

That is something that most people don't think about Marrah_G Dec 2014 #47

The trap idea is also what happens to most poor here also today. I hope that this can somehow jwirr Dec 2014 #15

Nationalized Healthcare knightmaar Dec 2014 #20

Great program! Boreal Dec 2014 #43

They could have just done what American cities are starting to do Victor_c3 Dec 2014 #4

Bravo! A further advantage to criminalizing poverty and homelessness is that it KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #10

The take the next logical step - as proposed by Jonathan Swift in 1729 csziggy Dec 2014 #34

seems like a reasonable suggestion Victor_c3 Dec 2014 #55

thank you for posting this fascinating piece. niyad Dec 2014 #6

You Are Quite Welcome !!! WillyT Dec 2014 #7

The GOP makes out that helping others doesn't work because hand-outs make people lazy. Octafish Dec 2014 #11

afriend here runs one of the local food banks. she wrote the other day that a person she had niyad Dec 2014 #14

When in fact the opposite is true. lumberjack_jeff Dec 2014 #24

Thanks fish !!! WillyT Dec 2014 #38

I'll bet a lot would change their tune on that Boreal Dec 2014 #44

VERY cool. A great example of up-front investing in humans, which saves everyone lots of money and ancianita Dec 2014 #13

You Are Quite Welcome... WillyT Dec 2014 #39

Another benefit would be getting rid of the upper class people who get paid with tax money NewDeal_Dem Dec 2014 #52

Incredible underpants Dec 2014 #17

A more generous welfare system makes it more difficult to abuse workers. hunter Dec 2014 #18

Eliminated might not be the right word The2ndWheel Dec 2014 #19

What is the true purpose in life? aspirant Dec 2014 #21

Like wealth, labor demand should be allocated optimally. lumberjack_jeff Dec 2014 #27

I think one issue would be that our environmental issues would increase The2ndWheel Dec 2014 #30

True purpose aspirant Dec 2014 #32

"Heaven on Earth, Enlightenment" Boreal Dec 2014 #45

The true purpose of life is metaphysical adaptation and procreation seveneyes Dec 2014 #36

Imagination moves the human mind to eventual cosmic reality aspirant Dec 2014 #37

Accurate post. Thespian2 Dec 2014 #59

capitalism is a loser aspirant Dec 2014 #60

"If the money didn't keep coming..." Money is a creation of the state, and used to maintain the NewDeal_Dem Dec 2014 #53

How odd that the conservatives buried the program and the data. truebluegreen Dec 2014 #31

The concept is getting more international interest aspirant Dec 2014 #49

Moderate wealth redistribution works. Period. True Blue Door Dec 2014 #35

Thanks! Very interesting. Made me think of a snark.... Trillo Dec 2014 #40

Anytime, Trillo !!! WillyT Dec 2014 #41

lol Boreal Dec 2014 #46

Just turned on the radio Boreal Dec 2014 #48

No matter how hard we try, we'll never compare to our fair cousins to the north. mackerel Dec 2014 #50

This cannot be true. I've never heard this on Fox News. You're making shit up. Enthusiast Dec 2014 #54

LOL !!! WillyT Dec 2014 #57

Tax um The Jungle 1 Dec 2014 #56

So income "redistribution" really works? So the rich are wrong. Dont call me Shirley Dec 2014 #58

Which wicked rich witch is wrong? It's the wonderful "Wizard of Oz" aspirant Dec 2014 #62

Courage, a heart and a brain. So, fearlessness, compassion and wisdom. There were only 2 Dont call me Shirley Dec 2014 #63

Can our dreams come true with these innate tools, too? aspirant Dec 2014 #64

The ever present optimist in me says, yes. Dont call me Shirley Dec 2014 #65

k and r...nt Stuart G Dec 2014 #61