Sometimes I am so dense. NPR interview was a DUH moment for me

[Democrat 4 Ever]

Listening in the car yesterday. I do not remember the name of the gentlemen speaking. I do remember he was discussing the new lynching statement by the Senate, He had a close call with being lynched himself back in the 30s one summer between college semesters - so he was an elderly man. Quite well spoken, nobody's fool.

Anyway, he was not complimentary of the Senate and the late day apology for not passing anti-lynching legislation. Took their "conversion" with a grain of salt. He then said something that struck me between the eyes. Said if the Senators were truly interested in making up for past sins they would pass laws that would help blacks today and not waste time with empty proclamations.

Here comes the moment of damn-n-n-n-n-n for me. Said that the government needs to pass a living minimum wage so that the military isn't the only option for so many lower income people. Said by keeping the minimum wage at $5.15 it was a natural funnel for poor people to HAVE to turn to the military to support themselves. Cut welfare, student loans, grants, etc. are no brainers - just holding out a carrot for people who know education is the answer. But keeping the minimum wage artifically low pumps more money into corporate and business owners and forces young people to turn to the military to live. So the rich get richer and the poor fights their wars for them.

Guess we can expect the economy to get a whole lot worse since recruitment is so far down. I hate these people.

Now I know this is nothing new but I never connected the dots with low minimum wages and the military. I knew cutting student loans and grants, outsourcing jobs gives you desperate people wanting to support their families by being forced into the military but keeping everyone deliberately poor as a means of mounting an army was a light bulb moment. Of course, the rethugs aren't going to raise minimum wage.