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The NYT reports that in a unanimous vote, the Seattle City Council went where no big-city lawmakers have gone before, raising the local minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than double the federal minimum, and pushing Seattle to the forefront of urban efforts to address income inequality. "Even before the Great Recession a lot of us have started to have doubt and concern about the basic economic promise that underpins economic life in the United States," says Council Member Sally J. Clark. "Today Seattle answers that challenge." High-tech, fast-growing Seattle, population 634,535, is home to Amazon.com, Zillow, and Starbucks. It also has more than 100,000 workers whose incomes are insufficient to support their families, according to city figures and around 14% of Seattle's population lives below the poverty level. Some business owners have questioned the proposal saying that the city's booming economy is creating an illusion of permanence. "We're living in this bubble of Amazon, but that's not going to go on," says businessman Tom Douglas. "There's going to be some terrific price inflation."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by dublet on Thursday June 05 2014, @12:05PM
I know, right. How dare he not want cancer to bankrupt someone AND kill them? How dare the government care for it's citizens and ensure they don't get financially crippled when, through no fault of their own, they get an illness of some sort? How dare the president of the USA do this thing?
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome. [dublet.org]"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 05 2014, @12:10PM
Except for Obamacare is too expensive. As an American, I can only afford Reagancare.
(Score: 2) by Oligonicella on Thursday June 05 2014, @12:10PM
How dare he force the VA down everyone's throats?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 05 2014, @12:14PM
You jealous bro? Should have volunteered to serve Obama. He takes care of his homies.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 05 2014, @01:38PM
lshmsfoaidmt
(Score: 1, Troll) by khallow on Thursday June 05 2014, @02:05PM
And the only cost for all this wonderful care and concern is the future of the US.
(Score: 3, Informative) by hoochiecoochieman on Thursday June 05 2014, @03:22PM
Wow, I didn't know the US were so weak that their future is compromised by creating something that all other developed countries already have.
I guess you know something we don't. Maybe we're all too stupid and only you right-wing Americans are smart. If we could only be as smart as you guys we could have a Third-World-class healthcare system [wikipedia.org] which is also by far the most expensive in the world [wikipedia.org]! Now, who would want to change such a wonderful thing?
(Score: 2) by khallow on Thursday June 05 2014, @09:14PM
Ok, here's something I know which you apparently don't. Obamacare didn't create something which all other developed countries have. There are huge dynamics more or less unique to the US system for driving up health care costs such as employer-based health insurance, massive health insurance subsidies which insulate a huge class of people from the cost of their health care, and built-in bailouts for insurance companies who gamble too much. Sure, it might be nice to implement one of these other health care systems and save some money, but that didn't happen.
Another thing which I know which you apparently don't is that every developed world country has problems with rapidly growing health care costs and unfavorable demographic trends. The US just happens to be the worst of the lot by a bunch. But everyone else will be facing these same issues in time and no doubt, making similar bad choices.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by jasassin on Thursday June 05 2014, @08:54PM
I know, right. How dare he not want cancer to bankrupt someone AND kill them? How dare the government care for it's citizens and ensure they don't get financially crippled when, through no fault of their own, they get an illness of some sort? How dare the president of the USA do this thing?
OK smartass I'll bite. So you believe fining people who make less than 11.5 thousand a year is the answer to a monetary deficiency? If that's what you truly believe, you are just as fucked as Obama. Dumb fuckhead.
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A