Bullshit. My dad was a manager for Captain D's back in the 80's. We were able to buy a house, we had a boat, we had a decent car - we got to go on vacations.

Do dont go telling me that restaurant jobs cant provide living wages for families. Once upon a time, they did.

Some of the rest of your statements are just so full of hyperbole it's pointless to dispute. Its like your angry that some - any - poor person anywhere might actually get to live because somebody was kind enough to provide a charity or program that might allow them to get a modicum of health care if they couldn't afford it.

That right there tells us where your heart - or lack of one, is. Its funny that you are complexity okay with corporate bailouts (cause you dont seems to be bitching about that kind of socialism at all) - hell yea, you will bail out Bank of America, but god forbid your neighbor gets a hand up because the factory closed and went overseas.

We can save CEO's when they misspend (and they can get a raise on top of it) But its somehow shameful to help hungry kids get a school lunch or school supplies so that they can learn.

Bullshit. The money is there to pay a living wage. The programs are there - they are just being used to help the wealthy, because, lets face it: We fucking hate the poor in this country and you are only worth something if you can make a dollar for somebody else.

I run my own business, I pay taxes too - they only difference Is hate when my Taxes go to help the wealthy and not the kid down the road get shoes because his mom is dying of cancer, or alcoholism, or any other of a thousand problems that can crush what was once a functional family.

The money is there. There will be an adjustment period because they have held off raising the wage for so long. But then they will adjust, vacuums will be filled, weak companies will die (like Capitalism intended) and other companies will fill the hole they left and people with living wages will spend their extra money that they now have and stimulate the economy and life will go on. Only it will go on better for people at the bottom - and maybe there will be less social programs because people wont need them as much because TA DAA - they have a living wage.