Federal minimum wage in:
2009: $7.25
2010: $7.25
2011: $7.25
2012: $7.25
2013: $7.25
2014: $7.25
2015: $7.25
2016: $7.25
2017: $7.25
2018: $7.25
2019: $7.25
2020: $7.25
2021: $7.25
2022: $7.25
The result: It's now worth 41% less today than it was in *1968*.
You lost me here. I don't want to spend 80% of my time researching and voting on things.
I'm just being realistic. On big issues a referendum makes sense, but those are only a tiny part of what a government does day by day.
If we all had to vote on everything it would be a matter of months before businesses pop up that you can subscribe to that do the researching and voting for you. You pick one you like, and if they screw you over you go ta different company. In other words, we are right back to representative government.
Yes. And I do. And I do the research on the issues as well. I'm just not sure you understand how many decisions have to be made to run a country of 330M people.
We are spared almost all of the awful details. If we all had to vote on those then who is going to grow the food, treat the sick, build the homes, etc.? The economy would collapse.
We are way too big for all of us to vote on everything.
Sloth is not the problem. The problem is limited time.
@SnerkRabbledauber @FlorianSever @azcoigreach I agree with this. Voting is mandatory here in Australia but it hasn't guaranteed us any better representation — our biggest advantage has really been our smaller population, making it harder for populist figures to achieve power.
What's needed in all governments is a powerful incorruptible group to oversee the party in power. That's supposed to be congress / parliament, but as we all know, they're all easily corrupted or compromised. The lack of a properly independent and empowered and motivated corruption body with some big teeth, is the real problem. All politicians need to fear for their careers and lives, if they can't simply do the right thing on principle alone — but it's a damn brave congress / parliament / government that would try to enable such a thing.
Most famously, libertarians. Gary Johnson.
Washington state has no parties.
There can be two “prefers republican” or two “prefers democrat”
Never once has third-party made it to the top two.
at least when it comes to national positions anyway.
I don’t know why people think the third party thing is viable even in a no-party system. Brian Baird tried for years here to make 3rd party happen.
Feels like what you want is people accidentally voting republican.
Look up Joe Kent to know who ran “prefers the republican party” in my district.
So you expect American public to vote on every provision in the budget?
The first step is to switch to some form of Ranked Choice Voting. Until we have that, 3rd parties are a waste of time because it is foolish to vote for one.
Most of the founding fathers agreed with that opinion. "Factions" as they called them were a great evil and threat to democracy.
@rbreich but but but if you increase minimum wage, rampant inflation will take hold. What inflation is already rampant? Oh well too many people are employed so lets fire them to get it under control but don't stop buying more of our crap. What so many people trying to collect unemployment benefits? They are just lazy, force them to back to work.
How was this sort of illogical system ever allowed to become the primary economic system, that only benefits corporations, elites & their stooges?
Robert Reich
AZcoigreach
Florian Sever
Snerk Rabbledauber
Mike Stevens 
dog and the plate
Energetic Nova
Chris Godwin 
Ariaflame
CellyBlue
FrankRock
Debbie Hill
Roel
HTPC NZ
J.A. Pak
MITFlunkie
Merlin