"They'll just raise prices if thy raise the minimum wage."

[Heywood]

Negative income tax is stupid. Most of the recipients will starve sitting in front of their wide screen tvs while they shoot up drugs. All paid for by the negative income tax.

Only if they remain ignorant and/or stupid. If we have a lot of people who would misuse money if given enough to live on, then we can either find ways to limit their freedom or we can educate them on how to spend and save and live within their means and build a nest egg. The USA has become a society that lives and dies by credit instead of savings, and too many of us spend far too long painfully ignorant of how money can be made to work for us instead of only the other way around.

If I knew at 18 the things I know now, I'd be retiring right about now (at 45). And I don't mean knowing which stocks would increase in price or which super bowl bets to make or anything like that. Just an understanding of how time and compounding can work to build wealth with a bit of patience and some self-discipline. The problems of the poor need to be approached from both ends-- making compensation more reasonable and teaching people how to make money work for them.

Most poor people are fairly responsible with their money. They eat, they feed their kids, they shower and wear clean clothes, they sleep in a warm bed, etc. However there seems to be the mentality that we should manage the lives of all the poor people in order to protect the few self destructive ones(who are going to find ways to be self destructive anyways).

I whole heartedly reject this mentality.