Wow...if I had this much money...

[Raydeus]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

Speaking of money changing the world, have you guys seen the anime "Eden of the East"? It looks interesting.

[Taskmage]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

No, but I'm watching Code Geass and you're banned for not making sure I watched this sooner.

[Malacite]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

The thing is people's mentality has changed in regards of spending and cost/value ratios so they will never ever pay more than the minimum. So rising wages would mean an increase in products' prices one way or the other, which would cut into profits, which would in turn send even more production jobs to cheaper places.

So, unless it was a global wage rise there's no way to realistically do it without having a backlash in the production sector. Heck many of the jobs kept in more expensive places like the US are 100% PR so people doesn't feel guilty buying something produced with the lowest quality by someone with the lowest education and the lowest wage in the world.

I don't buy that at all. Brazil has been raising their minimum wage every single year and will continue to do so until they feel it's enough. The US hasn't done so in over 10 years!

And here's the real kicker; out of all the OECD Countries, the US ranks 26th or around there (near the bottom of the list) for poverty (Canada's not much better in a lot of respects). The richest nation in the world does next to the least to combat poverty, while other countries have drastically reduced theirs.

France in particular has a very low rate (I don't have the exact figures on hand but I've been reading Mel Hurtig's The Truth About Canada and it contains a lot of disturbing facts about both our countries.)


My point is, other countries with far less wealth than the US have done far more for economic equality and other services such as health care, education and childcare to name a few.

I think what's (one of) the biggest barriers is who determines how much anyone should be able to make? The Congress? Yeah, there's a great bunch of people... (and I say that regardless of political affiliation; Congress has been shit ever since Truman left office)

Communism takes it way too far, with everyone having the same income etc regardless of position.Capitalism is for all intents and purposes still the best system we have, but it's far from perfect On the subject of how much the President makes... it was capped at around $200~250k a year until Bush took office in 2000 and increased it to $400,000.

Yeah, the free stuff The President gets is a nice bit of compensation but even then it really does seem like a crime for some people to make so much more money than the nation's leader. Most people can't even begin to imagine the stress of the job, and I shudder to think about what Obama's going to look like by the end of his 1st term (and likely 2nd).

Here's a couple recent examples;

Bill Clinton

George W.

[Raydeus]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

Raising the minimum wage in a country like Brazil (or Mexico) is not the same as rising it in countries like the US or Canada, the income disparity is way too big to compare both situations. I mean I see your point and I agree, but look at the auto industry, what got them into trouble wasn't just the falling economy and lack of demand for their products alone. Their obligations to both retired and working emplyees are one of the main reasons why they simply can't go back to profitability.

How many cuts has the union accepted so far? How many more would they need to agree upon just to keep the companies from failing? Let alone return to profitability.

(Edit > And do you really think people is willing to pay 50% more for products produced localy just to compensate for the increase in wages and benefits? Would they be willing to refuse rebates when buying new products? All that cuts into profits one way or the other and countries like the US are already so addicted to them that refusing to implement them would mean suicide for any company, even if that means lowering profits, benefits and wages.

After all a low profit sale is better than no sale at all)

And I don't think the US is willing to spend the time, money and effort required to bring things into the 21st century.

No, but I'm watching Code Geass and you're banned for not making sure I watched this sooner.

Are you still on R1 or already made it to R2?

[GreatMno]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

Seriously if I had that much money almost all of it would be going towards making the world a better place, not giving me a place to park my jumbo jet. Here's hoping our generation sets it right and isn't just making promises we know we'll never keep.

I'll be honest. I would spend it like a crazy man, then invest what I didn't manage to waste and live off of the interest for th rest of my life. I would buy crap I don't need, eat way too much, give $100 tips, and consider buying an island.

[Durahansolo]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

I shudder to think about what Obama's going to look like by the end of his 1st term (and likely 2nd).

There is a cure for that

Ran a search for "Just for men" on google and this picture popped up.

[Feba]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

pet peeve, but Arab != Islam.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Wow...if I had this much money...

Speaking of money changing the world, have you guys seen the anime "Eden of the East"? It looks interesting.

Just watched the first 3 episodes today. I may stick around for more!