[quote]How are increasing taxes and increasing spending (thus increasing debt and future taxes), [/quote] Thinking that all liberals think that increasing spending and immediately increasing taxes to pay for the purchased item is a completely good thing and on it's own will lead to prosperity is as asinine as thinking that all conservatives believe in trickle down economics. As a base concept liberals are seen as the tax and spend on goods/services because it's a general difference in philosophy from that of conservatives. The taxes are being spent on goods and services that benefit the community or large parts of the community or those currently in need of aid. [quote]wealth redistribution[/quote] Dat trigger word. There was a youtube video posted a while back and while I forget the actual specifics, the top single digit % richest own the majority of all the money. This seems ridiculous to me. They do not need that much to even live a comfortable life of luxury and is a grossly exorbitant reward for the work and effort they put in to earn it. Then on top of that, that much money means that much power and indeed it seems that the wealthy are using their wealth to write rules that benefit them. That's not to say that those in a higher risk position that required an increase in effort on their part (due to education/experience requirements) should be paid similarly to their bottom rung workers. They should be paid more. How much is where the argument should start. You say don't say things like "think of the poor people you depraved monster!" but people are inherently ingrained into this argument. With all that money being funneled to the top, it is getting harder and harder for everyone else to make ends meet or even for those in a lower economic standing to educate and improve their station in life. A college education, at the very least SOME form of post high school education, is required for even the most blue of blue collar jobs. And college education is now starting to become unavailable to the lower end of the economic standing. Everything is costing more, simply applying to the college, classes, books. The price totals are insane. [quote]How would minimum wages and labor unions artificially raising wages not cause some to be unemployed?[/quote] Because as I've had it explained, the logic to the counter argument is incredibly simplified and narrow. Labor costs are only part of a business' expenditures and there's some flexibility that consumers are willing to just absorb. Increases in the minimum wage, when done small and over time, don't cause unemployment. As for labor unions? Right now there are definitely some problems with unions being another institution looking to only increase their power and wealth and are too blind and shortsighted to see the forest through the trees and look at the damage they are going to inflict upon themselves in the long term. I live in Kommiefornia and after the latest round of BART protesting and striking; for all things, increased wages and benefits when they already have some of the best around, was absolutely disgusting. Meanwhile the trains are old, broken, and dirty. End result is that the managers caved like little bitches when they had popular support from EVERYONE against the union demands. Rider fees are going to go up and all this is doing is leading to a vicious cycle where people are more willing to drive to work, which causes revenue to go down, which causes rates to go up, which causes more people to drive to work. Soon BART is broken and the unions are out on their ass. Well, I suppose not the union leaders. But as a concept, Unions have been invaluable in providing basic rights to workers from businesses seeking to exploit their status as low economic earners, and thus invisible to the politicians. End result is that neither side of the debate has the perfect answer to long term prosperity and that it's both sides being tempered by the other, with leanings towards one or the other depending on the current situation, that is going to lead to prosperity.