Sunday, October 6, 2013

Switzerland's Minimum Wage vs. US Government Shutdown

Ah, Switzerland...

After every Gun Massacre here in the United States the Gun Hugging Lunatics reference Switzerland because almost everyone in Switzerland owns a gun. Sloppily implying that High Gun Ownership = Low Gun Violence or a variation of the Armed Society is a Polite Society malarkey.

Nevermind the fact that Switzerland hasn't fought in a war since Napoleon invented 2nd Generation warfare tactics of linear movement and artillery support and invaded in 1798 and the Swiss haven't fought expansive wars since Machevelli was writing his political treatises.

But, I'm not focusing on the atypical gun politics of Switzerland but the other unusual political moves the Swiss people. The Swiss people experience a wonderful direct democracy. Under Swiss law, citizens who garner 100,000 signatures can organize popular initiatives to be placed upon the National ballot. Several votes happen yearly.

A Bern-based organization Generation Basic Income have successfully garnered enough signatures for a referendum which would ensure that every Swiss adult would receive a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs (about $2,800 USC), most likely, to be voted upon next year.

Earlier this year Swiss voters passed the strictest laws for executive compensation. Another referendum to be voted upon on November 24, called the 1:12 initiative, goes even further by limiting executives' maximum monthly pay to 12 times the annual pay of the lowest paid employee.

So, yes it would be wonderful if the United States was more like Switzerland. While, Wall Street's outright thievery was modeled on the legendary secretive Swiss Banking system the people of Switzerland are actively working to ensure their Idyllic land is not turned into a Corporate Slave State like we have in the US by a crushing level of Income Inequality.

In the US Taxpayer money is stolen by politicians and given to the Rich and used to create Sports Stadiums, finance their purchase of private jets and given to multi-National Oil Conglomerates to whom the US Government has sworn fealty.

Because make no mistake Foster Friess, Paul E. Singer, Sheldon Adelson, the Koch Brothers, Stephen A. Schwarzman and all the Neo-Feudalist Vulture Capitalists who own the US Government set it's agenda.

And their crotch-sniffing Republican Party lapdogs and lobotomized Pro-Business Democrats only duty is to make policy which aids and succors their Plutocratic Masters.

1 comment:

  1. While Switzerland has a high ownership of firearms, it is far less than the US: they have about 44/100 and we have 90/100.

    ReplyDelete