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minimum wage is becoming a very divisive subject or topic here in the united
states with Republican disagreeing with democrats
and of course we have a number of people in the fast food industry that are
working full-time jobs
but unfortunately they can't make ends meet they have to rely on government
assistance just to feed their families
same thing with the retail industry just to give you a quick stack
fifty percent of people working in the fast food industry
rely on government assistance so obviously they're not being paid a
living wage
and that's a bit of a problem but it turns out that the way we handle that
issue here
is very different from how they're handling it in Great Britain in fact
recently
a conservative Chancellor a name with George Osborne said that he would be
supportive
up increasing the minimum wage take a look an above-inflation rise in the
minimum wage could be on the cards tonight as the Chancellor said that the
country could afford it
George Osborne said he was ready to consider putting up the hourly rate
27 parents saying he wants to restore it real value for people
low pay commission well just as we were all in this together
in the crisis I wanna make sure we're all in this together in the recovery
and because with fixing the economy because we're working through
all planned I believe Britain can afford an above-inflation
increase in the minimum wage so we restore its real value
for people and we make sure we have a recovery for all
and the work always pays wow in a and above
inflation minimum wage hike which is so impressive
and I should note that you know conservatives in britain are different
from conservatives here in the United States
I have a friend name should fall amid Leno who's a journalist there
and she spoke to me a little bit about how the conservatives in britain are
almost like
the moderate democrats here or moderate liberals here in the United States so
there's a little bit of a difference
but I should also note that during the State of the Union address
President Obama did say that he will sign an executive order
increasing the wage up new federal workers
from $7.25 to 1010 and that was largely meant to be symbolic it's not really
going to impact
a huge population of people but we'll see if congress follow suit and actually
passes as some sort of living wage
now max first question goes to you why do you think there's a little bit of a
discrepancy between the United States and Britain
well I think it's exactly what you said I think conservatives in britain
comparing them to conservatives here it's like
almost apples and oranges you know they're socially liberal a
but I say bravo to them you know I mean I think that
minimum wage is like you were talking about McDonalds and and you know how
they pay pay pay their workers so little they actually have posters in like the
employee rooms have had to be less hungry
from working there which is like insane like breaker food into little pieces
you'll go hungry less or something like that which is like truck
yeah I will that I think during Christmas Walmart a very high and dry
yeah a local Walmart I forget what it was that it was an Ohio thank you
they had a sign asking its customers to donate food to its employees
I that's absurd obviously you guys are great pay your employees enough I mean
and
by the way that's costing us US taxpayers money
right because we have to pay into these government programs that you know
subsidize these companies and help to
keep their employees alive I think the first thing to understand is that the UK
is a is very different than the United States actually lived in England for a
little while and
there they don't have that much income inequalities we have first obviously we
think giving them the associate it with maybe the monarch in thing always Blue
Bloods and people but I love money
and there is an elite class but then the middle class tend to be a bit more
divers in a bit bulkier on they also don't have money in politics in the same
way we do no clear leaders you know people contributing
there's obviously always going to be people that have my you're gonna have
power and influence but it's not runway our country is a hundred percent
run on just what corporations can purchase different politicians in order
to purchase price for legislation for
so that's where you're going to see something like a minimum wage be raised
even by the conservative than England because the conservatives aren't being
paid by the larger conversations in order to drive that minimum-wage doubt
on the other thing is minimum wages countries understand what it means
on like you were saying when Barack Obama said I want to raise the minimum
wage he only has the power to raise the federal minimum wage would only affect
as you said federal employees are people working in a federal building from at
that McDonalds in fact the pentagon
people mcdonnell don't benefit from it so there's no but a lip service to make
people
and to make Obama followers feel like you doing something great
for the people that have less money North fortunate when he said he's not
acting
anything that help anyone really in any meaningful way
very honoured do you think there's any hope that congress will work together
that Democrats or Republicans will somehow work together
and do their job in representing the american football
springs eternal on do I think it's gonna happen
I yeah you know what I do actually I think that with the groundswell
that above the population a who
I mean my god especially people of color they're the ones you're really really
carrying the burden members I always look at a statistical that's what was it
up 42 percent above minimum wage earners are people of color but they only make
up 32 percent of the total workforce
that's extraordinary to me I I don't I think it's unconscionable
that we can't on help people that the
workforce in this country get himself it sometime
in some ways getting thought of that debt treadmill and to be able to
rise up into a more a strong middle class and
when I was at home doing research for this particular segment I found this
the seventh but was astounding to me and I think it's so interesting it's it was
prior to the 20th century you probably know this because you have an MBA and I
was so beautifully said
what you the points you made very salient prior to the 20th century
economic
was considered a moral science young isn't that extraordinary a moral science
where did that go backing of blood was based on how exactly how the hell
populations how to track and a shift where the money goes in order to you
distribute it was just such a negative thing people here distribute the wealth
now they think oh my god you know the president's going on or what
robin hood and stealing money from people economics was to track and helped
mister B weather is well for anything I'll fight that initially and we didn't
even
I'll say one thing for be minimum wage in this country that turning on to the
minimum wage did not existed
since the beginning FDR's one who passed the minimum wage and back the minimum
wage
purse was struck down by the Supreme Court if it was unconstitutional and the
only reason the minimum wage even exist is because FDR strong-arm
the Supreme Court into passing the legislation and setting a minimum wage
so I don't know minimum wage in this country is necessary the solution to our
problems and when you ask before
where the Democrats and Republicans going to work together they are working
together
republican the democrats are not the exact same thing in this country
when it comes to washington they're working together entirely to keeping the
politicians in a row
have their pocket and make more and more money and to keep I
the voters fighting each other as if it's the right team in the blue team at
build a in high school or something like The Hunger Games
exactly yeah we were all scrambling to go with Russian everything in wages
what do we do about these right on red team I can win I you know I'm a
I'm a Republican a Democrat one really all people watching are essentially
doing the same thing essentially betting that the right and we're paying for it
by scrambling around like a lunatic
arguing for side rather than going all US everybody in washington is not doing
anything for my benefit or the majority of people there
so what actually look at happy that you can change things rather than just like
arguing over piddling little opinion yes
now income inequality because I know rather of parallel
that income inequality continues to be a really big issue and if you want a
thriving economy it's important to empower the middle class but
unfortunately that's not what we're doing right now
we're taking the power out in the middle class which means that what
I mean who's gonna buy the products that these corporations are putting out there
you have put food on your table for your children you're not gonna go out there
and you're not going to stimulate the economy with your money
you barely have any so I will see how congress works this outward
doesn't work this out we'll keep you guys posted on the minimum wage story
but it is symbolic that Obama didn't do what he did during the same the Union
and maybe it'll influence some people to think clearly