191–195 of 195 posts
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Every dollar in the economy is spent and taxed many times. Taxation doesn't make money disappear.
Sure, but if you confiscate the wealth of the 0.01% then it's not in their hands anymore and you can't take it from them again.
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So you want to help the poor from other countries at the expense of poor from your own country, which coincidentally benefits you in the form of cheaper produce. That's awfully generous of you.
How many of the native poor are competing for jobs in the fields? If food prices for me go up by 50% I might grumble, suck it up and pay for it. The poor aren't going to have any choice but to eat cheaper less healthy food. And if food is more expensive to produce in the US because of labor costs, why would it be any different from anything else - the big companies will either start selling cheaper (less healthy) sub…
As we've covered, repeatedly, reduced supply of labor will increase the wages of those poor you're worried about buying food. Based on the first google results I could find farm labor constitutes 10-20% of the cost of food. Even at the high end, if you DOUBLE the wages of farm labor the price goes up 20% but wages go up 100%. And this same principle applies to every sector where new farm labor is pulled from. Wages go up more than prices, so it's a net win. This is great for the poor worker, but bad for the wealthy worker who doesn't get raises due to this increased competition on the low end of wages. To the extent that the wage gap might be a concern of yours, this is one significant way to reduce the wage gap using market forces.
> the big companies will either start selling cheaper (less healthy) substitutes
Millions of new potential customers have extra money in their pocket to be able to afford luxury food products. Meanwhile there are far fewer impoverished people looking to buy food (migrant/illegal workers). So if anything, it increases the market for luxury goods and decreases the market for cheaper unhealthy substitutes.
>import it from places with cheaper labor.
This is only a problem if you believe 100% of the illegal and temporary work visa produced goods could be replaced with imports. Not only is that not true, but even if it WERE true, that doesn't say anything about other sectors predominately filled with migrant/illegal workers such as hotel maid services or construction. My house, in my neighborhood, is not going to be built by someone who isn't physically here.
I feel we've sufficiently covered the initial premise, which is that the policy I've described helps poor middle Americans. You might be able to debate the extent to which it would help them, or that this is good for the over-all economy/country, but it's undeniable that artificially increasing supply of labor in some sectors drives down wages for everyone in those sectors and in the labor markets that compete with those sectors.
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Sure, but if you confiscate the wealth of the 0.01% then it's not in their hands anymore and you can't take it from them again.
The money would end up in the hands of somebody and subsequently it can get taxed again. You tax wherever the money is.
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>Spend that big salary on a home near your workplace and sell the $40,000 SUV. lol a home in downtown DC, where the MD guy likely works, is gonna set you back 2 million at least. you're not gonna find a 1br apartment downtown for less than 2k/mo.
I work in D.C., and there are tons of 3 bedroom houses around mine (in a good school district) for $300,000.
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Does everybody in Germany get to go to college for for 250€ ?
If you're accepted, you only pay "administrative fees" per semester. Covering textbooks, food, housing are on you though there are numerous stipends you can apply for and get. This applies not just to German citizens but to anyone who studies in Germany. The stipend sources may be slightly different where you come from though.
The problem is that most people in the US that "know" Germany gives everyone a college edu, thinks it is literally everyone and it certainly is not the case. Could people from Germany please stop spreading partial truths?