Comments on: The Metrics of Protest – A Christmas Carol for 2012: Good News in the Fight Against Low Pay? http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/12/the-metrics-of-protest-a-christmas-carol-for-2012-good-news-in-the-fight-against-low-pay/ Informed reflection on the events of the day Wed, 15 Jul 2015 17:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.23 By: Michael Corey http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/12/the-metrics-of-protest-a-christmas-carol-for-2012-good-news-in-the-fight-against-low-pay/comment-page-1/#comment-22262 Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:50:00 +0000 http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/?p=10544#comment-22262 I feel like the Grinch that stole Christmas. I understand that there are problems with income distribution; however, steps towards wage and price controls have been disastrous; and will likely be so in the future. France has significant problems today, and I don’t see its approaches as a model for successfully empowering people. If we look at how people have escaped the underclass, and how others have been upwardly mobile, we might have a better idea about what needs to be done. Most government support programs unfortunately have left the structural causes of the problem untouched, especially for those who are unfortunate enough to be trapped in poverty.

I realize that establishing what is described as a “living wage” is one small step in that direction. Government directed wages regulations do nothing to change why people are earning too little, and doesn’t help equip them to do those things to improve their prospects.

We all know that solving this problem is a complex problem. People need a variety of different skills to become upwardly mobile, and it is more and more difficult to nurture them as people age. Virtually all approaches require the establishment of a foundational base to build upon. Opportunities will not develop in economically devastated areas unless there are incentives to do so; and without these development efforts the areas will continue to struggle. Either development must come to these areas or ways need to be found for preparing people to succeed, and helping people seeking opportunities to move outside of devastated areas to areas where there are real opportunities.

When people are prepared and are integrated into the economy, they have a much better chance of creating value; benefitting from the value creation; and far exceeding any living wage that can be mandated. There are ample examples of this happening in the private sector.

]]> By: Michael Corey http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/12/the-metrics-of-protest-a-christmas-carol-for-2012-good-news-in-the-fight-against-low-pay/comment-page-1/#comment-22261 Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:50:00 +0000 http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/?p=10544#comment-22261 I feel like the Grinch that stole Christmas. I understand that there are problems with income distribution; however, steps towards wage and price controls have been disastrous; and will likely be so in the future. France has significant problems today, and I don’t see its approaches as a model for successfully empowering people. If we look at how people have escaped the underclass, and how others have been upwardly mobile, we might have a better idea about what needs to be done. Most government support programs unfortunately have left the structural causes of the problem untouched, especially for those who are unfortunate enough to be trapped in poverty.

I realize that establishing what is described as a “living wage” is one small step in that direction. Government directed wages regulations do nothing to change why people are earning too little, and doesn’t help equip them to do those things to improve their prospects.

We all know that solving this problem is a complex problem. People need a variety of different skills to become upwardly mobile, and it is more and more difficult to nurture them as people age. Virtually all approaches require the establishment of a foundational base to build upon. Opportunities will not develop in economically devastated areas unless there are incentives to do so; and without these development efforts the areas will continue to struggle. Either development must come to these areas or ways need to be found for preparing people to succeed, and helping people seeking opportunities to move outside of devastated areas to areas where there are real opportunities.

When people are prepared and are integrated into the economy, they have a much better chance of creating value; benefitting from the value creation; and far exceeding any living wage that can be mandated. There are ample examples of this happening in the private sector.

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