[reflecting]

they get $.13 because that is what their over lords negotiated for them....the workers have no say in the matter...slave labor...no rights ... used by people with no conscience

And yes if suddenly there were no wage/labor laws it would not be long before you and I were making much much less....the men who pay the Chinese $.13 would just as easily pay you the same...or do you think they are just some sort of racist....who only pay slave wages to yellow people ...

[spinestein]

In rereading this entire thread, one thing stands out to me. There seems to be the expectation by many, that simply because there exist people who currently work hard every week just to live paycheck to paycheck, and who must live frugally, then it MUST be the responsibility of the government to pass some kind of law to remedy the situation. It doesn't matter what the law is, it doesn't matter if the law hurts ten times as many people as it helps, it doesn't even matter if the law is nonsensical on the face of it. The only thing that matters is that the government passes SOME kind of law.

The federally mandated, arbitrary minimum wage is the best example I can think of of this kind of nonsense law. All it does is artificially increase the supply of money in the economy without increasing the value of goods and services contained therein. It's the same thing as the government printing more money and handing it out to people on street corners, and the inevitable result is the price of goods and services quickly rises to overtake all of this new "wealth". Ultimately nobody benefits, but there are plenty of losers such as retirees, or those nearing retirement, who can only watch as their savings get decimated by excessive inflation, caused by "compassionate" people who just wanted the government to DO SOMETHING!