49 Million Americans live in poverty

1) I don't have any issues with minimum wage
2) I'm only left compared to some of the posters here- not in real life.

This thread is getting hijacked into a defense of Wal Mart while ignoring the point of wages, and stopping loop holes, tricks and cheats- nor does anyone seem to understand why you don't want the USA to have the same wealth distribution as Honduras does or why that is a bad thing if you are pro-capitalist.
 
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Here, feel better?
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Your points about political and capital cronycism were good.
 
There is a certain part of the population that is poor due to extenuating circumstances - mental illness, other health issues, and other circumstances beyond their control.

However, there is a much larger percentage that are poor due to bad decisions, lack of initiative, and generally poor effort. Some choose to blame their childhood, while others succeed because of an attitude to overcome it.

I do not have a source, but I remember seeing an interview where a few key things that every individual can do to lower chances of ending up in poverty.

Graduate from high school
Do not have a baby before you graduate
Do not have a baby until you are married

I think this reduces your chances of poverty by more than 90%. I could be wrong..


Beyond that, I often see people on TV discussing their poverty. I see several kids running around behind them, poor living conditions and a discussion about how the only applicable skills are not in demand.

Until our society openly recognizes the core issues, we will continue to see the income gap widen.
 
There are fewer opportunities for the middle class and even for the working poor than in the past. I don't blame unions or teachers, but there are some serious gaps in our educational training and especially in assessment of work skills and helping people find the jobs appropriate for their skills.
 
Great points, iiioftx. The welfare society has made it relatively easy to live in poverty and not have to work. There will never be a way out of that situation unless you win the lottery, which is why so many tickets are bought by people who can't really afford to waste their money on them. As long as you think there is nothing you can do about your situation, then that pretty much guarantees that your situation will not improve.
 
Lefties want to raise inheritance taxes which wil drive out small farmers and small businesses including Mom and Pop stores in small towns.
Of course people if they are savy enough can protect against that but that requires people to be aware
But all of a sudden WalMart is the bad guy?
 
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Wal-Mart also does not give you the opportunity to own your own store.

I disagree. I once worked for a couple of large fast food chains. Neither paid me more than minimum wage. I saved that money and used those wages to get through UT.

Yes, I also had student loans. However, I obtained a degree that was in demand. I see too many resumes for degrees which were probably more interesting, fun, or easy, but have no applicable value to the job they are applying for now.

In the end, I have been blessed that hard work, risk and good decisions have made me a business owner. It all started at less than $3 per hour. So Wal Mart also provides that opportunity in my mind.
 
Best I can tell, tuition for the degree I earned at UT is currently $40 k for 4 years. This is an investment with incredible returns that only an idiot would not make. Just don't select a major with no applicable value to employers and do not squander the opportunity by not working hard to make good grades.

Base upon minimum wage being $7.25, I guarantee you a self disciplined person could cover enough expenses by working to substantially decrease debt associated with school, then easily pay it off after gaining employment after graduation.

My original point is that it is not any company's responsibility to create a future for an individual. Offering them employment at market rates for the position certainly is no roadblock to future success.
 
I didn't miss any point. So WM doesn't give opportunities to own stores? So what? The stores that otherwise would have been there would have given that opportunity to the descendants of the current owner - I presume that is your point. So, a very small % of any town. And, nothing is preventing anyone from buying WM stock. Or starting their own store. The argument that WM, if they are going to come in and blow the competition away, ought to at least provide franchising opportunities - that doesn't hold water. Life isn't fair.
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