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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   20558 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of July 27, 2026

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I find it telling that the all the leisure-class liberals who claim to support labor and be all about "paying people a living wage" immediately

Those things are bad and distortionary, any hypocrisy aside doesn't change it. This is a tautological statement: "Higher prices means higher prices". If you want labor to be paid more, then it means people who pay for the labor can afford it less easily.

It is unsolvable, just like the housing market or any other. It is literally impossible for the seller of labor/homes/etc to make more money and have the buyer pay less. You must make a tradeoff when meddling.

In the long run the government is typically subsidizing these industries via providing a settlement pathway to foreign workers at the bottom end. A green card or a Western passport is worth considerably more than any tenure of unpleasant work and that cost will eventually be repatriated from taxpayers

If you want labor to be paid more, then it means people who pay for the labor can afford it less easily.

Yes, and?

Are you arguing that supporting labor is bad, or are you arguing that "paying people a living wage" is bad?

Are you arguing that supporting labor is bad, or are you arguing that "paying people a living wage" is bad

The second one, a "living wage" is a meaningless phrase. Especially in the US, where the only thing that can't be easily accessed even the poorest 10% of Americans, housing, is not because of a lack of pay but because of deliberate political decisions to restrict new supply.

because of deliberate political decisions to restrict new supply.

And to inflate demand. 10-30 million illegal immigrants live somewhere, and sending them home would free up a ton of housing.

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