7 Mindblowing Economic Trends You Need to Know About

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/economy/7-mindblowing-economic-trends-you-need-know-about



1. America lags behind much of the world on minimum wage. On May 18, the Swiss will vote on a proposed minimum wage of — are you listening American CEOs? — nearly $25 per hour. That would be, oh, about three times the current U.S. minimum of $7.25 per hour. The proposal was put forward by SGB, the country’s biggest union, and backed by the Socialist and Green parties. Though many in Switzerland, including the business community, oppose the hike, the Swiss system of direct democracy, which allows its citizens to vote on a variety of economic issues, can produce unpredictable results.

***SNIP

2. American millionaires: tax us! You read that right. A recent CNBC Millionaire Survey shows that most American millionaires consider inequality to be a “major problem” for the U.S. and that two-thirds support higher taxes on the wealthy. Our rich folks still flatter themselves that they have been rewarded with all their money because of hard work and they remain unabashed about the size of their fortunes. But they seem to have absorbed enough of the public’s increasing alarm about inequality to admit that there seems to be some soft of unfairness going on. Many of them think the problem must be education.

***SNIP

3. Retirement nightmare. Americans are freaking out about retirement, according to a new poll. Fifty-nine percent of citizens are afraid they will not have enough money for their senior years, says Gallup's annual Economy and Personal Finance poll, conducted in April among 1,026 adults. The next biggest fear is medical costs.

***SNIP

4. Economic fears kill baby-fever. The financial crisis sent birth rates plummeting around the world as couples either lacked money or worried too much about future shortfalls to feel comfortable having children. Today, global birth rates still haven’t bounced back.

[pampango]

1. The anti-tax millionaires certainly seem to be more effective with their political contributions.

I wonder what the tax leanings of billionaires are.

Thanks for the OP, xchrom.

[marmar]

2. k/r

[seveneyes]

3. $25 / hour part time dishwashing gigs for high school kids

I would have loved such a thing back then.