Labor Pains In Colorado

And have you analyzed the worth of grocery baggers based on this criteria to determine that the value of bagging is less than min. wage?

tax refunds aren't government programs to help people. That money belongs to you because you paid too much in taxes. It's the government giving YOU money BACK to you, not giving you money.

I don't think your sounds like a bad plan at all, but the likelihood that it ever gets even remotely implemented is pretty far fetched, while at the same time minimum wage IS being bandied about as something that may well be disposed of.

The fact of the matter is, people aren't paid based on what the company makes due to their contribution. They're paid the least amount that the comapny can get away with.

Who wants unthreshed grain?

Your analysis is far too simplistic. If grocery bagging generated a break or an even better return on investment, hiring baggers might still be a bad bet for a capitalist, because the investor might do better by having more cashiers and operating more registers.

And only one of those possibilities is based on your simplistic method of valuing labor.

It may mean that a larger profit can be made using hand threshing.

True, but if your only observation is that businesses don't use baggers then you haven't show which of those distinct possibilities rules out businesses employing baggers.

How can the income generated by any given employee be calculated?

Which means that the government does not take their money.A tax refund is not income. Anyone can adjust their withholding so that they get a minimal tax refund without affecting their tax liability in any way.

Perhaps their income tax, but there are plenty of taxes that they still pay. If they have a job then they get 10% or so taken off of the top of their pay just by Social Security and Medicare taxes. If they live in a state with sales tax and gas tax then they pay those as well. They may also be paying for vehicle registration. If they are renting part of that rent is used by the owner of the property to pay property tax (if that state has that tax). We can also tack on "sin" taxes on alcohol and tobacco.

What all of this side chatter has to do with my original topic is unclear.

My point is that we voters need to save these union rights, for it keeps Americas middle class from falling as a victim to global competition.

Thus, you would be middle class, Jon.

This group of people are what drives the economy.

You don't care what happens to other human beings?

The middle class includes people who are currently able to live beyond paycheck-to-paycheck, but who, given fairly minor changes in circumstances might well find themselves living on the street. It is certainly the case that people in the middle class have descendants and relatives that are at risk of being out on the street.People on the street give a rat's ass about what happens to people just above them because they aspire to join their ranks at some point and because many of them are from middle class backgrounds. And if by grace, you are living in your mom's basement, surely you care about what happens to mom.I must be missing your real point, because the attitude reflected in your post as I read it seems incredibly short sighted and crass.
I suggest that you actually get out an actually rub some elbows with the homeless in your area and find out how they really feel before spouting off academic nonsense.

there is ample reason for them to care about the middle class.

Jon, I've already done so.

There is a difference between available education and forced education.

Are you suggesting there wasn't free transportation before the freeway?