Progressive Political News

According to the Washington Post and their Personal Finance columnist, Michelle Singletary, only the well-to-do folks amongst us are allowed a vacation and seemingly any fragment of enjoyment. Michelle uses her introductory sentence to show us that she knows how to form an argument and get people on her side: by patronising them. Singletary begins, “Nothing makes me crazier than when people deep in debt try to persuade me that they are being financially responsible because they ‘saved up’ for their vacation”. The pretentious Washington Post columnist has since stated on social media that her intention was to let cash-strapped families know that they don’t “deserve” anything, vacation included. The debate continued on Singletary’s Twitter page, as she posted a follow up tweet stating that it was simply that people don't deserve  anything, as well as attempting to tell them ways in which their money could be put to better use.. but then you read the rest of her dog turd slapp...

An establishment by the name of Ada's Technical Books and Cafe have garnered plaudits for sufficiently paying their workers as wages start at $16.50 an hour plus various benefits, meaning that they aren't reliant on the generosity of their customers - some of which may lack the funds to adequately tip the staff members in the first place. Many groups such as Fight For 15 and Democratic Socialists of America have been instrumental in seeking that workers in America are paid a living wage in order to improve their quality of life. There are many reasons why workers, no matter their place of employment or job title, should be paid a living wage such as allowing them to live a more substantial and humane life, giving them greater economic mobility and financial freedom. There are several rebuttals to this idea, mainly from either conservatives or libertarians. The common arguments are that if you raise wages too high, the businesses will have to inflate their prices in order ...

A nationwide debate is currently taking place in America where one side wants workers to earn $15/hr, which will give them greater economic movement, the people who will see an increase in their wages are much less likely to use government assistance and will allow them to have a more prosperous life. On the other side of the debate, it is argued that this increase will cause an increase in the prices of products, thus creating less profit for the business and the result may be a loss of jobs. Whichever side of the wage debate you find yourself on, the issue is much more nuanced. There are many minor debates that need to take place before we can make an educated decision on this topic, such as: Cost of living in each US State, will a lower minimum wage create more dependence on government programs, what can minimum wage workers currently afford and the effects this has on those earning the current federal $7.25 minimum wage. While the Federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.2...