05-14-2008, 03:31 PM
You could choose not to buy CDs or game tickets, and handle your own business affairs. Then whatever money those people make isn't coming from you, and if your doctor, teacher, or garbage man would like to spend his hard earned money on the latest Madonna CD and a couple Lakers tickets, I don't really see a problem with that.
I think the state of the middle class in the U.S. and the weakening of unions has a lot to do with the globalization of business in this time period. It's a difficult thing to solve from within the country when the working class of less fortunate countries live in a much, much, worse state and therefor would happily work for so much less. That's how these migrant worker issues get started in the first place. Where I work it is closed shop and the hourly wages are negotiated on a national scale, but there hasn't been an increase in the starting wage for at least 10 years. Those jobs can't go overseas, but so many other jobs can that it creates a real pressure on the wage for unskilled labor. We could destroy trade agreements and put up walls, but I suspect that will cause all kinds of other problems.
I think the state of the middle class in the U.S. and the weakening of unions has a lot to do with the globalization of business in this time period. It's a difficult thing to solve from within the country when the working class of less fortunate countries live in a much, much, worse state and therefor would happily work for so much less. That's how these migrant worker issues get started in the first place. Where I work it is closed shop and the hourly wages are negotiated on a national scale, but there hasn't been an increase in the starting wage for at least 10 years. Those jobs can't go overseas, but so many other jobs can that it creates a real pressure on the wage for unskilled labor. We could destroy trade agreements and put up walls, but I suspect that will cause all kinds of other problems.