Scott Walker offers a fresh new approach

[C0ckney]

A note, those upper middle class are in jobs where they would probably be more productive if they worked less hours (no question that their productivity per hour would be much higher). The huge number of hours work is not really ideal but is rather a form of barrier to artificially decrease the number of positions and thus increase income.

this is very true. britain is said to have the longest working hours in europe, yet it is far from the most productive country. it's more of a cultural thing i think, a reverence for work, the famous protestant work ethic. and of course a far more sinister thing, that of having to show loyalty to one's employer, to cement one's place in the hierarchy through 'hard work' and 'commitment' to the detriment of other aspects of one's life. i think america suffers from a more advanced form of this disease.

[kentonio]

i have provided statistical evidence which backs up my views; you have provided anecdotes, together with a load of invective against the unemployed, and then got in huff because i wouldn't take your 'arguments' seriously. it's hard to have a debate when one participant, instead of providing evidence, insists that his anecdotes and unfounded assertions be treated with equal weight. but anyway, perhaps it's best we leave it there for now.

Actually I was denegrating a proportion of unemployed people who deserve to be criticized while making it perfectly clear that many others do not. As you seem to be incapable of actually countering any of the points I made regarding the weaknesses in the checks and balances in the system and instead just fall back on a tedious ideological vision of how all poor people are just victims of an oppressive system, we certainly should leave it here.

Just for clarification, I do believe the system is unfair to a huge number of people who are poor chiefly due to inequalities in education and opportunity, and kept poor by an oppressive banking and financial system. Despite that, if you completely remove any semblance of responsibility from everyone at the bottom of society then any grand vision you might have for a fairer, more equal society is destined for abysmal failure.

[regexcellent]

Does US law require anyone being paid by the hour to receive overtime pay if their hours are longer than 40 per week? Because that certainly isn't the case in the UK for agency workers.

I think so, but it might be a state-by-state thing. That's why some companies don't allow overtime. Usually it's 1.5x pay per hour after 40 but sometimes it's 2x.

A note, those upper middle class are in jobs where they would probably be more productive if they worked less hours (no question that their productivity per hour would be much higher). The huge number of hours work is not really ideal but is rather a form of barrier to artificially decrease the number of positions and thus increase income.

I think you're mixing up cause and effect here. Neurosurgeons for example work absurd hours and get paid ludicrous amounts of money for it but that's because their numbers are artificially restricted by the licensing board, not directly by working long hours.

[kentonio]

Yes. I believe there are exceptions, for example the healthcare industry I think, but virtually all wage employees are required to be paid 1.5x their regular wage for any work over 40 hours a week.

Wait until zero hour contracts hit the US, you're going to love those.

[pchang]

We call those open ended consulting contracts

[Hauldren Collider]

Right to work is ****ing awesome

News flash: the American public will never punish him for going after unions because nobody likes unions anymore except members of unions.

And they wouldn't vote for him anyway. Nothing to lose.

[kentonio]

News flash: the American public will never punish him for going after unions because nobody likes unions anymore except members of unions.

In a Pew Research Center survey conducted in June 2013, about half (51%) of Americans said they had favorable opinions of labor unions, versus 42% who said they had unfavorable opinions about them. That was the highest favorability rating since 2007, though still below the 63% who said they were favorably disposed toward unions in 2001. In a separate 2012 survey, 64% of Americans agreed that unions were necessary to protect working people (though 57% also agreed that unions had “too much power”).

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank...ublic-support/

[Hauldren Collider]

They may say that in surveys, but they don't care enough to vote about it.

[kentonio]

They may say that in surveys, but they don't care enough to vote about it.

You base this one what exactly?

[Hauldren Collider]

Scott walker's repeated victories?

[kentonio]

Scott walker's repeated victories?

You're fooling yourself. Scott Walker is never going to be American president.

[DinoDoc]

You're fooling yourself. Scott Walker is never going to be American president.

Isn't your current avatar proof enough that you shouldn't be making predictions on American politics?

[Elok]

Who is his current avatar, anyway? I have no idea who he is, but his facial expression really makes me want to punch him in the gonads.

[Hauldren Collider]

Ted Cruz

The avatar bet was for the most punchable picture of ted cruz....guess it worked

[Hauldren Collider]

BTW **** ted cruz. My opinion is that he's the reason we have our current ****heel governor, Terry McAuliffe. Him and his ****ing shutdown. Idiot.