• MINIMUM WAGE – Where's The Confusion?

It is regretable to observe the fact that CEO's of America's 1,000 largest corporations have demonstrated little restraint on their personal accumulation of wealth while too many of their own employees or subcontractors earn below subsistence wages. In the face of such minimal display of reason or wisdom, the answer defaults to “legislation” to minimize devastation at the bottom of the income spectrum.

Even the middle class has seen no increase in its real income for over 20 years, while the income for the top 5% of earners has been skyrocketing. The millions of low income earners don't need to read the current Forbes list of the wealthiest to know there is a fast growing imbalance. Let's pay attention.

Heeding that imbalance and reducing it will ensure there isn't a complete breakdown in our social system and our social contract. All arguments presented in opposition hold little logic, common sense, or reason. They also demonstrate an absence of compassion. Such assertions are usually misinformed and proffered by individuals too busy cashing monthly checks higher than the average annual Income to care. We all deserve what we get, after all, don’t we? Perhaps not.

Are we truly concerned that most of our goods are produced by people earning poverty level wages in distant foreign backwaters? Not much really, pass the ketchup. We're just thrilled to get our furniture or designer jeans at cheap prices. Are corporations making sure that the goods they import are made in safe conditions or assembled by people earning a reasonable wage? Nope. How can such companies know such things . . . they use sub-contractors, don't they? The rationalizations are endless.

Let's make sure that the minimum wage enables at least the human beings at the bottom of our own food chain to rise above the level of an indentured class. Slavery is neither legal nor politically correct . . . so why is it so present and pervasive? The statistics are overwhelming. Let’s not ignore them.