Proposed Law Would Force Marta Privatization!!! (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: real estate, 2013, insurance)

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by cqholt

The same reason factory workers shouldn't, the media tells us that only college-educated people should be middle class.

Because the free market dictates that there are people who would do the same job for $10 an hour.

And you wonder why MARTA has no money to expand their operations...

[jsvh]

I will say that I agree with most of the KPMG report and think parts of MARTA should be privatized. The free market can better operate those things. Yes, it would be great if everyone could be paid more but MARTA funds are not intended to subsidize low income workers. Who is to decide who gets the paid twice as much from the same job? This will only lead to corruption.

I disagree with giving MARTA representation to the governor or anyone else unless the state is going to start to chip in money.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

Because the free market dictates that there are people who would do the same job for $10 an hour.

And you wonder why MARTA has no money to expand their operations...

Does this free market include undocumented workers?

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

Does this free market include undocumented workers?

What sort of rebuttal is this?

Why pay $27 an hour to clean toilets when that sort of unskilled labor can be done by anyone and when many would do it for $10 an hour and be thankful for the job?

No wonder MARTA is broken and no wonder there is no push to fix it when so many people 'think' like you do.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

What sort of rebuttal is this?

Why pay $27 an hour to clean toilets when that sort of unskilled labor can be done by anyone and when many would do it for $10 an hour and be thankful for the job?

No wonder MARTA is broken and no wonder there is no push to fix it when so many people 'think' like you do.

It was a question, but I'm assuming you are answer is that they are not a part of free market.

First, I need source before I believe the $27 remark. I think this was a gross wage including benefits and payroll taxes. Most the low paying nonskilled jobs are being filled by undocumented workers, so my point was, if they count in the free market than by all means let the free market work.

[cqholt]

Why pay $27 an hour to clean toilets when that sort of unskilled labor can be done by anyone and when many would do it for $10 an hour and be thankful for the job?

Except some fat-butt, republican would rather sit and collect unemployment for getting laid off from a factory than clean toilets or work a minimum wage job.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Except some fat-butt, republican would rather sit and collect unemployment for getting laid off from a factory than clean toilets or work a minimum wage job.

Why make this political?

What does that have to do with this issue?

Some people...

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

It was a question, but I'm assuming you are answer is that they are not a part of free market.

First, I need source before I believe the $27 remark. I think this was a gross wage including benefits and payroll taxes. Most the low paying nonskilled jobs are being filled by undocumented workers, so my point was, if they count in the free market than by all means let the free market work.

Do we operate under a completely free market? No, there are some rules and undocumented illegal workers operate outside the established rules of our society.

Read the KPMG report. It has been talked about on here extensively. That is the source of the $27 an hour wage rate.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

Do we operate under a completely free market? No, there are some rules and undocumented illegal workers operate outside the established rules of our society.

Read the KPMG report. It has been talked about on here extensively. That is the source of the $27 an hour wage rate.

Ok, just read the report. The source number is on page 78. It's not a hourly wage cost not wage rate. So now that we have some basis of comparison, let's have an honest discussion. Marta cost is 27.55 and the Vendor cost is 18.86, which according the study could save MARTA 30-50mm over 5 years. Sounds good, right. Now, let's think about the human cost.

The 27.55 that MARTA is paying is going directly to the employee, since there is no incentive to profit off of labor. The Vendor is only going to do this to turn a profit, so they will pay $10.00 and hour and pocket the difference(8.66). This basically is a scam to get a few people rich at the expense of working class folks, the exact problem with America today. Sure it saves MARTA and tax payers money on paper, but we all lose as a society. The former employees now have to operate in a 10 dollar world, which is basically Government assistance.

Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff needs to be outsourced, specifically correct the absenteeism, the accounting functions and call centers.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

Ok, just read the report. The source number is on page 78. It's not a hourly wage cost not wage rate. So now that we have some basis of comparison, let's have an honest discussion. Marta cost is 27.55 and the Vendor cost is 18.86, which according the study could save MARTA 30-50mm over 5 years. Sounds good, right. Now, let's think about the human cost.

The 27.55 that MARTA is paying is going directly to the employee, since there is no incentive to profit off of labor. The Vendor is only going to do this to turn a profit, so they will pay $10.00 and hour and pocket the difference(8.66). This basically is a scam to get a few people rich at the expense of working class folks, the exact problem with America today. Sure it saves MARTA and tax payers money on paper, but we all lose as a society. The former employees now have to operate in a 10 dollar world, which is basically Government assistance.

Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff needs to be outsourced, specifically correct the absenteeism, the accounting functions and call centers.

MARTA is going to save money on the deal. That is the bottom line. No non-government organization would pay $27 an hour for services it can get for half the cost because of "the human cost." If a private service provider profits a little too, so be it. Someone is willing to do the job for less, and it will help bring MARTA's large operating deficits down. If a janitor is operating near the poverty line, so be it. Get a skill set that allows you to be more than just a janitor. Harsh, maybe, but there are winners and losers in life. If all you can do effectively to add value to society is move a broom, than $10 an hour is your value to society.