Do you want to improve the lives of poor people?

[Jonahdog]

I should have refined my position a bit more. The rich may be that way because of subsidies and cronyism but how many of them want it to continue that way? Taking advantage of the system is not evil which Trump did but he is trying to implement a system where he would not be rich today by the means he achieved it in the past.

Really, that is what Trump is trying to do? Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman.

 

[eider]

You think a national living wage will help the poor? Who will help people when prices are raised to compensate for the cost of labor that exceeds market conditions?

Hi....
Market conditions?

I think we are entering a new era where robotics and IT are completely removing positions from the job-base.
Bank Tellers, Checkout operators, factory production employees to mention just some... are going.
And so my question is more important imo, 'Who will help the poor when there are no jobs but those at the baseline, such as cleaning, fruit-picking etc?'

An uncaring community which supports unreasonably high wealth amongst a few whilst ignoring unreasonably high poverty amongst so many is a sickening community.

We need a return of real Christian values ........

 

[eider]

What are those reasons?

The reasons for poverty in Western Wealthy Lands?

Greed.
Carelessness.
Corruption.
Hypucrisy.
Selfishness.

Hang on....... Exactly the same reasons as existed in early 1st century Galilee, Judea and surrounding provinces caused by super rich all-powrerful folks who did not care one jot about the fates of the working classes. Jesus wanted to short-circuit the whole money-go-round and said so.

We could focus upon that........

 

[exminister]

I should have refined my position a bit more. The rich may be that way because of subsidies and cronyism but how many of them want it to continue that way? Taking advantage of the system is not evil which Trump did but he is trying to implement a system where he would not be rich today by the means he achieved it in the past.

I expect a lot of them are liking the playing field just the way it is, especially those who are taking advantage of it. You state that Trump would not be as rich today if things were so easy to game. If profits are the goal who would say I want less? Business do like predicatability.

What are you referring to that would change it? Trump has done some de-regulation, literally or an EO just saying what he hopes Congress will do. Those things could certainly set us up for another Bush economic crisis. It will allow Banks to start up the bad practice of highly speculative investing. I don't see him blocking any lobbyist from politics which was a campaign promise gone south apparently. Don't hear him looking to remove SuperPac dark money or overturning Citizens United.

Where do you see Trump now or on the horizon establishing anything that will keep the rich and/or corporations out of government manipulation or gaming a system?

 

[Nick M]

You shall not covet.

 

[rexlunae]

…nothing helps the poor and middle class like economic growth, and that is best pursued by policy reforms that ignore inequality.

Economic growth only benefits the poor when the growth is well distributed. Nearly all of the recent economic growth has been concentrated to the rich, therefore not only do the poor not have an interest in it, the tax cuts that have helped rich so much have directly harmed the poor.

To promote growth, the next president should abolish corporate taxes and reform individual taxes… She should promote state and local reform of occupational licensing and land-use regulation. She should reform entitlements, including Obamacare, and reorient immigration policy in favor of admitting more higher-skilled and less lower-skilled immigrants. She should pursue a deregulatory agenda…

Ah, so, the poor should accept a direct harm (the elimination of regulations that protect them from exploitation by penny-pinching corporations, the roll-back of programs designed to help them afford food and health care, environmental protections that protect their health) in the hopes that a little bit of that bounty will be shared with them by their pay-masters.

The rich do not share in this way any more than the bare minimum that they must. It doesn't work, it's never worked, and it won't work.