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[livejournal.com profile] svv нашел грандиозное. Профессор экономики отвечает удивленному студенту на вопрос "Зачем же вы подписали воззвание об увеличении минимальной заработной платы":

"Mike,

I do not believe that the minimum wage is an effective way to fight poverty. My support and endorsement of the letter comes from the symbolic nature of the minimum wage. It was the first piece of protective labor legislation passed at the national level in the United States. Over time its value has eroded relative to average hourly earnings, even though that hasn't been doing so well itself due to the decline of durable manufacturing. In a world in which everything else is indexed- social security, some retiree pensions and we are constantly giving tax breaks to the rich, we need to make a symbolic statement about our concern for the people who are less well off than us. Certainly expanding the earned income tax credit would be a much better way to fight poverty - but budget deficits make it unlikely that this will happen."

Date: 2006-10-26 05:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] birdwatcher.livejournal.com
Мне понравилась идея, что социалистические экономисты на время подписания призывов прячут экономическое мышление в карман, а потом достают обратно.

Date: 2006-10-26 05:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ddaiter.livejournal.com
Угу, мне тоже понравилось. "Я знаю, что это полный идиотизм, но подпишу по идейным соображениям".