STB chairman says higher pay would help solve railroad crew shortages.

[Warpy]

4. Higher pay in general will solve a lot of problems

It will increase Federal and state tax revenue, lowering deficits.

It will increase OASDI and Medicare funding, shoring those up.

It will allow people living on the edge, working those jobs we recently found out were essential to afford nutritious food, safe housing, and even enough savings that they no longer have to rely on predatory lending companies.

It will allow people to feel they are a part of this country for the first time since the early 70s, being paid a fair wage does that, too.

It will decrease homelessness as people become able to save enough to rent, rather than living in shelters.

Employment will increase, since every penny spent at the bottom has a multiplier effect as demand and labor are added to it as it goes through the economy.

It won't do everything at once, but it's a good start on some of the other reforms we desperately need, like a progressive tax system, breaking up the monopolies (starting with media and banking), and freeing up seed money for entrepreneurs.