Re: Wealth Redistribution -- What, if any, is the justification for it?
Reply #64 –
There have been societal changes, I wonder to what extent these can be laid on personal responsibility and to what extent it has become "structural" to our economy.
One thing is the McDonald's worker. This job has traditionally been a stepping-stone. It's your first job, you learn to set an alarm clock, show up on time and do your job dependably. Having established a track record of doing these things, you look for the next better job-- somewhere else, not McD's-- and so begin the climb up the ladder.
Now, we hear that people are becoming career counter help at McDonald's, and they're complaining that a job that was never intended to be your life's work doesn't pay enough to support a family. Of course it doesn't. It was meant to provide enough that you could afford gas for your daddy's car and you could take Cindy Lou to the drive-in on Saturday night-- but not much more than that. Nobody was supposed to stay behind the counter at McD's for long.
So--- why is this happening? Lack of better jobs-- that's one possibility. The economy kinda stinks, and everybody knows it. Near criminal lack of ambition may play a part too. If you haven't enough imagination to see yourself doing anything except flipping burgers and fries at McDonald's, then you keep getting McDonald's pay for that job--- and remember, that job was only meant to be transitional-- from kid to adult, or as your last job boosting your retirement income.
I feel for the people stuck in a job like this because of bad economy and lack of other jobs. I feel considerably less bad for people who have no ambition and are now demanding that McDonald's pay them way more than the job is actually worth. It's a "starter job", not a career destination.