Enough to Live On

The government needs to make sure that people who work 40 hours/week can be assured that they will earn enough income to live off of.  For example, we don't want our citizens to have the problems these garment workers in India have:

No living wage. All interviewed workers stated that it is almost impossible to make ends meet with the salary they earn. Many garment workers have taken loans to supplement their income and are now struggling to repay them. (http://somo.nl/news-en/indian-garment-workers-face-harsh-working-conditions/ )

Here's what I think needs to be done to fix the economy:

Full-Time Workers Must Earn Enough to Live On

One reason for the near economic collapse a few years ago was because there was too much debt that couldn't be repaid.  The government can't force everyone to make wise financial decisions, but it can ensure that people can reasonably live and stay out of debt if they put in a reasonable amount of work.  People who work full-time should be able to earn enough to support themselves.  And one step further:  since our nation can't persist if people don't raise children, full-time workers should expect to earn enough to support a small family.  Is that so much to ask?

Minimum wage needs to be increased, and the median income needs to be raised.  People complain that half of US citizens pay no income taxes.  Want to change that?  Raise minimum wage.  The reason that half of US citizens don't pay income taxes is because half of US citizens don't earn enough to live on.

But no, when Congress was proposing an increased minimum wage a few years ago, people spouted the problems this would cause.  Grocery prices would go up.  Small businesses would fail.  I have to say I see their point.  Some businesses can't afford to pay their workers a reasonable amount if they want to stay in business.  In order to have a stable economy, we just have to screw over the working class.

Okay, there's another solution.  It's called, "the government supplements the incomes of people who don't earn enough to live on."  It's also known as "government redistribution of wealth," or "taking money from where it is needed least and putting it where it is needed most."  AKA taxes.

Take your pick.  Raise the minimum wage or increase taxes on the highest earnings and redistribute the wealth.  People in our country have to be able to live.