Rahul Gandhi Quotes
Demonetization crippled SMEs and has destroyed the unorganised sector, forcing workers to leave urban employment and go back to their villages looking for MNREGA work.
Gandhi, Rahul. "India at 70: Reflections on the Path Forward." Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley, 11 Sept. 2017, Berkeley, CA. Speech.
This is the classic conservative argument against raising the minimum wage. Historically, if the minimum wage was raised well after there has been a period of wage inflation, there has been little or no negative effect on the lowest paid workers. However, when the minimum wage has been raised during a period of wage stability, there is an effect of making some workers simply not worth the rate that they must be paid. However, even then, after a year or two, the negative effect begins to dissipate.
At the height of the depression the President actually told the people on nationwide radio that American unemployment was worse than any other country in the world. Few politicians since have ever been so candid with bad news for which the administration could partially be blamed. But Roosevelt needed the confidence and good will of the people over the long haul because there were no quick fixes. Therefore he assiduously personally told the people the truth about the conditions that existed. He did build that trust with candor and deep commitment to try things until something worked. Few Presidents since have been that honest with bad news, and few Presidents since have had the support of the electorate while he was working the problem.
Essentially Mellon told the President to let the entire economy crash. With huge numbers of people out of work, labor would be more humble and not only settle for lower wages, but will work harder, and without "excess" income beyond their basic needs, they would not drink and engage in other immoral activities. President Hoover, a wealthy man himself, did not go along with Mellon's idea of making the situation worse, but his conservative philosophy of government would not allow the Government to "interfere" with the private economy or give any direct assistance to the citizens.
And also those who are employed have their wages driven down.
This incredible quotation was actually typical of many of the extremist right wing views that Angle had. Very few conservatives who may have problems with the unemployment insurance system believe that the benefits are so generous that anyone would possibly be spoiled from the benefit. An unemployed family head, who may have been middle class, if he or she lost a job and while looking for another is supported by unemployment in almost all cases will be below the poverty level. This is hardly a standard of living that would spoil anyone. The voters of Nevada certainly thought so as they defeated Angle at the polls.
The Arab countries (with the exception of Jordan) did not allow the Palestinian refugees to work or to establish their own factories or to accept economic development. Any semblance of independence would, the Arab leaders thought, remove pressure to have the refugees returned to Israel. In contrast, hundreds of thousands of Jews were forcibly expelled from the Arab countries and all those refugees who went to Israel were given citizenship and absorbed into the economy and culture.
When he wrote this article, America was in the middle of the Great Depression. In its first 3 years, President Herbert Hoover, a great believer in private charity, was so rigid in his ideology, that he refused to allow the Federal Government to provide some relief to the vast number of people in need who had overwhelmed the capacity of private charities. At the same time, the more affluent whose generosity funded the charities, had seen their own fortunes slashed by the depression and the themselves were often failing. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected, he was much more flexible and when Flexner was writing this article, the Federal Government was performing many functions that before were only provided by private organizations.
This is the major argument always given against raising the minimum wage. Historically, however, when the minimum wage has been increased there has never been a large increase in the unemployment rate. However, if the increase would be huge it would likely have the effect of pricing some workers out of the market. Like so many other elements of politics, moderation is important.
Rahul Gandhi (pronunciation (help·info) [ˈraːɦʊl ˈɡaːnd̪ʱi]) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, representing the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala in the 17th Lok Sabha. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as the President of the Indian National Congress from 16 December 2017 to 3 July 2019. Gandhi is the chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India. He is also a trustee of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.
