Why Liberals Can't Find The Answers

I had a discussion with a very good friend today about how to explain to liberals that their beliefs, while well intentioned, cannot work.  I told him that in order to be enlightened, one has to allow their mind to open up and recognize there is another side to the argument and that side may have a valid point, or even be correct.  I am one of the very rare individuals who went to a big state university and came out more fiscally conservative than when I went in.  Entering college, I was a mainstream Democrat, buying into higher taxes for the rich and plenty of government intervention.  I then took a political science class with a professor who taught all sorts of topics, including markets and governments, from a more conservative view.  You can imagine how the other professors treated him.  Let's just say that his office was not in the "political science" building.  After taking his courses, I became either a fiscally conservative democrat or a moderate republican.  I had an awakening.  I finally allowed myself to see the other side of the argument. Mostly, that there are consequences to our liberal well intentioned actions.  This, is something today's liberals, and maybe yesterday's, do not understand.

I read an email from a friend of a friend that explained how evil Republicans were for not wanting to crack down on credit card companies.  Now, I can see why we sometimes need regulation of credit cards, because while there are two people entering into a contract, one side really has all the leverage.  Consumers need credit for almost everything, unless you want to pay for everything full in cash, even your house or cars.  So, credit card companies don't always have to give the most generous terms.  But, that isn't the issue of my rant.  This person was upset with the Republicans, because the people being hurt by the credit card companies are victims of the Republicans by not allowing a raise in minimum wage.  This liberal's argument was that if these people made more money doing their jobs (i.e. a higher minimum wage), they wouldn't have gotten so deep into credit card debt.

Let's look at this debate from the "other side".  If you are a liberal and your mind is not open, if you aren't willing to acknowledge there may be an other side that has a point or *gulp* is correct, please stop reading NOW.  But, let's look at this individual making the minimum wage that charged up their card.  First, this card does not hand out free money.  Someone leant the money so they could go buy things, whether it was food, clothes or a flat screen tv, it doesn't matter.  What if the credit card company lending you money was your next door neighbor, your best friend or a family member .  Do you think you should be able to just keep taking their money and never pay them back?  Of course not.  Stop looking at these companies as faceless corporate giants.  Many people you know are the shareholders of these companies, the owners, so when you or someone else charges up their credit card and don't pay it back, you are stealing from your next door neighbor, friend or family member who owns shares in it.  

Second, should minimum wage be increased?  Do you think someone sweeping the floors of your local market deserves 10 dollars an hour?  15 dollars an hour for that task?   While they may break a sweat doing it, is it really worth that amount?  If you owned that store, if it was your pride and joy, your sweat equity, would you want to pay some guy 15 bucks an hour to sweep it?   No way!  But, liberals believe everyone should earn a living wage.  I agree!!  Everyone, but students, part timers and retirees who have other sources of income or do not need a full time job, should be making a living wage, but the answer isn't forcing a higher minimum wage on businesses for every minimum wage employee.   If all their employees that should only be making minimum wage, because the jobs and tasks are mindless, that's a lot more money they have to start paying.  The money comes from somewhere.  There isn't a magic money tree outside.  Will it will come from someone else's salary?  Maybe that will mean one less well paid job.  Maybe everyone will have to pay more to purchase the items at that store.  Maybe the store will eventually have to close because the items are too expensive and then everyone is out of the job.  All because minimum wage was increased.  The counter argument is what's another 5 bucks an hour?  It's so little.  Well, I used to work minimum wage jobs in high school and college and it matters.  When wages went up, even a buck, people got less hours.  It matters.  When you multiply that wage increase to all the employees that make a minimum wage in a company, that is a lot less profits, and after all, companies are out there to make money for their shareholders...you and me.

So, can you see there are consequences to these actions?  If you raise minimum wage, others could lose their job.  Critics point to when minimum wages have been increased in the past, there is no massive job loss.  I can promise you some lost their jobs.  I can also tell you that the increase is phased over a period of time, often years, and it's not usually huge.  It's never a living wage.  If liberals get their way and the wage is increased to meet the living wage...layoffs will be huge.  

We also have to look at it from a practical perspective.  Should people be making that much for that task?  Those jobs are not supposed to be careers.  They are supposed to be part-time jobs for students and retirees or people with nothing to do that don't need the money.  If we want to help people make more money, we need to invest in giving them a better education and giving them the skills to work better paying jobs.  Then they will have more to spend in the economy and everyone will be better off. But, why don't liberals focus on that?  Because they think there is a quick fix to it all and there isn't.  

I thank my undergraduate professor every day for opening my eyes.  Showing me the other side to the argument.  Often, the answer rests somewhere in between.  But, if you can't ever see the other side, you will never find the answer to the problem.  I hope all these new and old liberals out there take the time to actually learn about the consequences of their actions and do things that will actually help most Americans, rather than just hurt them in the long run.