[A. Pole]

If a Mexican illegal is making $1 an hour at a maquilladora on the border, that's the MARKET RATE of the job. I think we would eliminate unemployment overnight if we got rid of the minimum wage. Poverty is unfair but its NOT a human injustice that should be addressed by the government. In all societies, there will always be a bell curve of non-motivated under-acheivers at one end and a natural aristocracy of technical and financial elite at the other. We can't be a nation entirely of yeoman as some anti-federalists envisioned.

Beautiful summary of free market fundamentalism. Most people might opt for socialism if this is the the only other option available. Hopefuly it is not true.

[RockyMtnMan]

Wow, that's a "let them eat cake" summary if ever I heard one. I believe you can lose your head with talk like that.

I agree with letting the market set prices but not in an artificial fashion. As long as the fed refuses to enforce the law and allows illegal entry into our country market prices will be artifically set.

So eliminate the minimum wage and deport ALL illegals and refuse entry for new illegals and I'm all game. The wage pressure created would cause wages to increase not decrease. As long as there are people used to living in squalor in their home countries, as they move here, wages will continue to be below the amount neccessary to live according to American standards here at home.

We don't need price controls on wages we need supply controls on cheap laborers (illegals). Businesses are being oversupplied cheap labor at the expense of individual taxpayers thereby driving down wages. The minimum wage is a price control that needs to be in place until we get rid of our oversupply problem.

[RussianConservative]

Better question, where that person who write this place self? I bet at aristocracy level. What all free marketers not understand, without middle class, they themselves will die..and not in economic term but in butchered massacres...if lucky or turn into slave in some collective shahta...earth tunnel... They fools if they think that majority peoples, especially when educated, willing to live in poverty while they use nations for play grounds...they, free traders, are communist fifth column. This is all part of Communist Dialectic...with cycles of socialism and capitalism leading to their warped utopia...and idiot free trader help all way. One only look at Africa and S.America for "stability". Only stable of Latin America (except in Chile of genius Pinoche who create strong middle class) is revolution.

Free traders either active fifth columnist of communist/socialist revolution (Kennedies, Soros, Khodorkovsky, Berezovsky) or useful idiots (most free trader on FR). These last are worst. They walk through reality with shudders on to avoid sight of reality.

Is the world end...no. Is capitalism in danger...very much. Are they, free traders, the enemy...you bet. Only country that has fast INDUSTRIAL growth is Russia. Why? Because of ruble collapse, country become relient on self and no one else. Trade for industrial country only good if excess capacity and only "fair" if done with other nation of similar demographic and development. With poor country trade is in two way and always someone suffer: either industrial nation flood and indebt poor nation or poor nation use population demographic of poverty to flood industrial nation and then it peoples suffer.

Point of rant? If politicians did job of defending interests of peoples elected by, then all this not issue. But politicians of West in particular and world in general for most part either idiotic intelligencia and idolists or sleezy criminals who care only for selves.

[1stFreedom]

>>Poverty is unfair but its NOT a human injustice

How is it not? Considering that we have enough wealth to share, how can it not be.

Let's flip the question. How can poverty be a human justice? How can we have so much and justly not share?

There is a place for the Govt to help the poor, but IMO, the govt only steps in because we don't -- or not to the degree required.

[riri]

Beautiful summary of free market fundamentalism

Oh my, well what do you say to that? Apparently, he believes he is one of financial elite. Hope he is ready for the pitchforks and firebombs that will be approaching his gated compound...