Articles recommended before meeting:
- What Does Current Inflation Tell Us About The Future?
- I’m A Twenty Year Truck Driver, I Will Tell You Why America’s “Shipping Crisis” Will Not End
- The Confusion Over Inflation
- Do you think the global supply-chain logjam is the major cause of current inflation? What are other possible causes of the inflation?
- In your opinion, do you believe the inflation is temporary? Is Taiwan headed for hyperinflation? When do you expect the inflation to move down?
- If, over time, wages and salaries on average rise at least as fast as inflation, why do people worry about how inflation affects incomes?
- How do you hedge against inflation? What do you do with cash during hyperinflation?
- How does inflation redistribute purchase power? Do you benefit from or get hurt by inflation? Who in an economy is the big winner from inflation?
Session II: The Minimum Wage
Articles recommended before meeting:
- What You Need To Know About The Minimum Wage Debate
- The 7 Most Dangerous Myths About A $15 Minimum Wage
- Should we raise the minimum wage? Why or why not? In your opinion,
1a. does raising the minimum wage benefit the overall purchasing power?
1b. does raising the minimum wage kill jobs and increase prices of goods and services? - Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.” Do you agree with this statement? In your opinion, who should be responsible for “the wages of decent living”?
- The minimum wage in Taiwan is TWD25,250 a month and TWD168 an hour as of January 1, 2022. Is it reasonable? What do you think is the reasonable minimum wage?
- According to Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the stagnant minimum wage growth “directly responsible for growing inequality between the bottom and the middle class”. Do you agree? How can we minimize the rising income inequality?
- According to The DGBAS (行政院主計總處), about 1,558,500 of labor (included native and foreign workers) benefit directed from the rise of minimum wage, around 13% of overall workforce in Taiwan. What do you know about people making minimum wage? What industries have the highest percentage workers earning wages at or below the minimum wage? Why?
Agenda:
3:45 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 4:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
4:50 ~ 5:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:10 ~ 5:15pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:15 ~ 5:55pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:00 ~ 6:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements
Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $85)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘
Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.