BUDGET AND THE ECONOMY
If you are a Tea Party member, you most likely remember the quote “it’s the economy, stupid!” Well, it still is. We believe in free market capitalism! Instead of addressing the need for appropriate checks and balances to ensure a balance between employer and employees, the current discussion in the media and among progressives is to demonize Capitalism and glorify Socialism.
The conservative platform is less regulation, free markets, and fair compensation in a mutually beneficial arrangement between employee and employer. The progressive platform is about “workers’ rights”, raising the minimum wage, government-mandated benefits, and the evils of corporations who must be controlled by government regulations. It is in this arena that the true Marxist underpinnings of the progressive movement are exposed.
Organized groups such as the “Fight for 15” and “Occupy Wall Street” are rallying folks around the need for unionization because the “income gap” between the top one percent and the average or lower class worker is expanding. 2009 data shows that taking ALL the income from every millionaire in America would run the government for about 2.5 months. Yet, politicians hit the “rich” with not paying their “fair share” and propose ways to address the imbalance, while not calling it by its name: income redistribution. The underlying issue is power. Keep people at odds with each other, eliminate Right to Work laws, and ideologically control the unions. Transform major parts of the economy into government-controlled businesses. Then elect socialist-type leaders until there are no more rich folks and the masses can be controlled.
Here are a few examples of what can happen (or be attempted) if socialists and progressives take control of Virginia:
HB1806 (Del. Lee J. Carter), repealing Right to Work
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=HB1806
HB1764, allows government employees to strike
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=HB1764
HB2631 (Del. Mark H. Levine), establishes a procedure for a local alternative minimum wage
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=HB2631
SB1636 (Sen. Jennifer B. Boysko) creates the Virginia Equal Pay Act and creates “protected classes” that curtail the rights of private employers
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=SB1636
Bills to raise the minimum wage:
HB1850 – https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=HB1850
HB2157 – https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=HB2157
SB1017 – https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=SB1017
SB1200 – https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=191&typ=bil&val=SB1200
Talking Points:
- Every time you talk about “investing”, it means more money goes from my pocket toward what YOU want to spend it on. Is a redistribution of wealth by government edict the goal?
- Raising the minimum wage leads to loss of 1 in 7 minimum wage jobs and higher prices because other costs remain constant. If every job pays at least $15, won’t overall cost increases re-set the baseline, erasing the supposed gains by increasing the income?
- With international mobility of means of production, why would companies choose to keep their operations in the US if the laws you want are implemented? Would it drive jobs to other countries with lower rates and fewer regulations?
- In free markets, entrepreneurs and businesses have the ability to innovate, and some will fail. Should the government prevent failure in the marketplace through such laws as pension guarantees?
- Would a good Socialist ever play the lottery?
- Would a living wage trap workers in low skilled jobs and deaden the drive to better oneself?
Share Your Stories:
Did you become wealthy despite being born disadvantaged? Did the government help or hinder your growth?
Were you laid off because the minimum wage increased and your business had to cut staff to stay solvent? Have you had to take extreme actions to avoid confiscatory taxes? Did you work in a union shop and have to pay dues that supported corrupt candidates?
Were you and idealistic Progressive/Socialist who changed your mind?
Supporters/Opponents:
Lee J. Carter, a declared Democrat Socialist, is a lead figure in worker’s rights. Marcus B. Simon, Jennifer Carroll Foy, Kenneth R. Plum, Deborah H. Rodman, Kaye Kory, Charniele L. Herring, Mark H. Levine in the House, David W. Marsden, Rosalyn R. Dance, Jennifer B. Boysko in the Senate, among others who signed on as patrons to raise the minimum wage. Minimum wage bills included the following: HB39, HB715, HB518, SB58, SB240, SB251. HB1089, Virginia Equal Pay Act, (Jennifer Boysko) creates protected classes who cannot be discriminated against in pay issues.
Ben Cline introduced HB1196 to direct state agencies to procure nonprofessional services from the private sector whenever practical. Robert Bloxom introduced HB1341 to create an emergency loan fund to assist small businesses impacted by disaster. HJ40 by David Yancey encouraged businesses to hire workers under age 18 to get work experience despite regulatory hurdles.
Resources:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/budget-fy2020.pdf
https://dpb.virginia.gov/budget/budget.cfm
https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.va.htm
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/markets-and-finance-agriculture-facts-and-figures.shtml
https://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-and-hour-laws/state-wage-and-hour-laws/virginia/
https://statelaws.findlaw.com/virginia-law/virginia-right-to-work-laws.html
https://www.vpap.org/money/donors-sector/
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/44995
https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc1/RedistributionofIncome.html
https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/income-inequality.html
https://www.youtube.com/user/PragerUniversity/search?query=economy
