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If wages rose with inflation minimal wage would be around $15 by now. $7.25 was fine in the 90's but it's chump change now.
And chump change is what businesses are making now.
Why do you suppose that this push for insane minimum wage rates is happening now? The economy is barely keeping afloat. I can understand a call for an increase when the economy is booming, but now? Do you guys want the economy to completely fail, or what?
This latest attack on business was born out of the ashes of the Occupy movement. That effort was an utter and complete failure, and the organizers are just trying to figure out some way to keep some semblance of relevance. This, too, will fail. The only reason I bother to comment in these threads is because it's so very frustrating to see people that seem to generally not be complete dumbasses latching on to this "thing," and allowing themselves to be swept away by it.
I swear that these people are just shutting off their brains and letting other people do their thinking for them. That HAS to be the case, because anybody that applies even the tiniest amount of logic to this concept of a jump from ~$7 to $15 per hour would understand very quickly just how bad an idea it is.
^ Minimum wage is not going to increase to $15 because McDonalds workers went on strike Thursday, and even so, the impact of raising minimum wage isn't economic collapse. The economy didn't collapse last time we raised minimum wage, and it didn't collapse the time before that, or the time before that, or the time before that... nor were there mass layoffs.
First of all, I never used the word "collapse," you did.
Second, previous increases didn't DOUBLE THE RATE DURING A TERRIBLE ECONOMY.
First of all, I never used the word "collapse," you did.
Second, previous increases didn't DOUBLE THE RATE DURING A TERRIBLE ECONOMY.
THINK, man, THINK!
No, you guaranteed that unemployment would skyrocket.
You're running with this doom and gloom scenario that data not only doesn't support, but suggests otherwise. A reasonable increase of minimum wage (one that would actually pass into law) would probably add an extra $10 or $15 to one of these worker's paychecks... that won't shake the housing market or produce prices like some of you are suggesting.
And, while we're on what was never said, I never said that past minimum wage increases doubled pay, nor did I say that minimum wage should be doubled this time around. McDonalds employees are reaching for a raise that they'll never get; don't confuse that with a meaningful conversation about an actual minimum wage increase.
Hey, I am a conservative Republican. I voted to pay more. I have been a FF worker, I have managed a FF store, both a corporate owned and a franchise, and I have owned my own FF place. Now, I think the poll is flawed, I voted yes, but I am only willing to go 10%-15% more to cover the extra wages, beyond that, I would vote no. I do not believe in any arbitrary organized pressure, like a union, to increase wages, BUT, where I diverge from most conservatives is in that. If you are for a free market, you have to be totally consistant and be FOR a free market. And that includes arbitrary organized pressure to decrease wages.
I had a restaurant in Newport News VA in the mid 1990's. I opted to distinguish my place by paying 10% over minimum for my staff. In a free market that should be my choice correct? I did word of mouth advertising to that effect and it did increase sales, I was more profitable for it, I had a higher skilled staff. I could even charge twice my added labor cost. What I did not expect was, the Yellow Pages misplacing my ad 4 times when I went to renew and ultimatey suggesting I rethink my pay policies. The local pizza franchise owner pulling up in Caddy and tossing a brick through the window scraming "go back to minimum ahole". Being cut off from various local wholesale meat distributors and them outright stating it was because of my policy. If we truly believe in a totally free market we are absolutely correct to decry unionization tactics, but we have to e consistant and decry to low pay mafia as well. Yes, all the examples I gave above were illegal, but if you cant get any law enforcement to enforce those laws, what's the point.
And chump change is what businesses are making now.
Why do you suppose that this push for insane minimum wage rates is happening now? The economy is barely keeping afloat. I can understand a call for an increase when the economy is booming, but now? Do you guys want the economy to completely fail, or what?
This latest attack on business was born out of the ashes of the Occupy movement. That effort was an utter and complete failure, and the organizers are just trying to figure out some way to keep some semblance of relevance. This, too, will fail. The only reason I bother to comment in these threads is because it's so very frustrating to see people that seem to generally not be complete dumbasses latching on to this "thing," and allowing themselves to be swept away by it.
I swear that these people are just shutting off their brains and letting other people do their thinking for them. That HAS to be the case, because anybody that applies even the tiniest amount of logic to this concept of a jump from ~$7 to $15 per hour would understand very quickly just how bad an idea it is.
I don't understand the logic with these people.
to simplify, there is a public sector and a private sector-- and they are working for the private sector. the private sector FUNDS the public sector to the tune of over 5.4 trillion a year.
Total Government Revenue in the United States- Fiscal Year 2013
Federal Direct Revenue $2.7 trillion
State Direct Revenue $1.6 trillion
Local Direct Reveue $1.1 trillion
Total Revenue $5.4 trillion
if you are going to be hitting anybody up for a better standard of living, better to call on the deep pockets of the public sector, where the cash flow is centralized.
Surely, with that much coming in the government can supplement those lower private sector wages, right????
what we should have is a minimum standard of living for citizens who are working, and supplemented by the government through the usual tax collection process. After all, what else are we collecting taxes for but to (temporarily) help those who are down on their luck, and to protect our country?
but, of course, if we keep letting millions of "workers" into the country that dream would be shattered-- like broken glass.
Hey, I am a conservative Republican. I voted to pay more. I have been a FF worker, I have managed a FF store, both a corporate owned and a franchise, and I have owned my own FF place. Now, I think the poll is flawed, I voted yes, but I am only willing to go 10%-15% more to cover the extra wages, beyond that, I would vote no. I do not believe in any arbitrary organized pressure, like a union, to increase wages, BUT, where I diverge from most conservatives is in that. If you are for a free market, you have to be totally consistant and be FOR a free market. And that includes arbitrary organized pressure to decrease wages.
I had a restaurant in Newport News VA in the mid 1990's. I opted to distinguish my place by paying 10% over minimum for my staff. In a free market that should be my choice correct? I did word of mouth advertising to that effect and it did increase sales, I was more profitable for it, I had a higher skilled staff. I could even charge twice my added labor cost. What I did not expect was, the Yellow Pages misplacing my ad 4 times when I went to renew and ultimatey suggesting I rethink my pay policies. The local pizza franchise owner pulling up in Caddy and tossing a brick through the window scraming "go back to minimum ahole". Being cut off from various local wholesale meat distributors and them outright stating it was because of my policy. If we truly believe in a totally free market we are absolutely correct to decry unionization tactics, but we have to e consistant and decry to low pay mafia as well. Yes, all the examples I gave above were illegal, but if you cant get any law enforcement to enforce those laws, what's the point.
That's a really sad story.
Here you were trying to do a decent thing - that also happened to make good business sense - and "business NAZI's" shut you down. Somehow it doesn't surprise me though. A lot of the anti-union people who scream loudest about how "evil" unions are, are actually pretty unethical themselves - as your experience shows.
Ken
Last edited by LordBalfor; 08-30-2013 at 05:54 PM..
If Mcdonalds agreed it make it 15 dollars per hour, I think they would just close some stores :-) Opps no more 15 dollars per hour half the people lost their jobs :-)
Considering that most McDonalds workers are kids still living with their parents, still insured under their parents' insurance and all that, I think minimum wage is fine.
Kids have the most surplus money for X-Box games, concert tickets and so-on.
Location: where people are either too stupid to leave or too stuck to move
3,982 posts, read 6,669,130 times
Reputation: 3689
Quote:
Originally Posted by Little-Acorn
Which of these two identical, side-by-side McDonalds with equal quality food, service etc. would you make a habit of patronizing?
(a) The one with "normal" McDonalds prices and wages
(b) The one where each food item and drink cost $.50 to $1.00 more than "normal", and paid $15.00/hr?
You didn't think the wages that today's "strikers" are demanding, were going to come for free, did you?
Difference between the two? Second one you have a choice to pay at McDonald's Or go somewhere else. When you don't pay people fair wages you pay for it ANYWAY when you subsidize their income in taxes with welfare, food stamps, and other programs. So you still LOSE
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