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I'm thinking that fast food restaurant owners might be concerned that if I slipped the person a couple bucks, they might slip me a large order of fries instead of a medium. Or maybe hand me a soft drink cup "on the house."
I think it has more to do with the FAST FOOD concept. There's not service, substitutions, and the person waiting at the counter just hands it to you. You fill your own soda, and so on. you even clean off your own table really. if it were a catered meal where a server brings you everything it's different.
I'm all for people earning as much pay as they can. But when the government dictates to private businesses what they must pay their workers, it puts the free market system out of balance and takes away more of our individual freedoms.
While we currently live with a minimum wage requirement, the latest push for a $15 minimum wage would be more than a 50% increase for businesses in those states which currently pay the federal minimum wage. People who have never owned a business don't realize what it takes to start a business & keep it going. Many small businesses who are required to pay their employees 50% more than what they pay them now, will have to do something to keep their costs down or go out of business. If they do go out of business, all those working for those small businesses will be making $0.
The business may have to lay off some people in order to pay others the required $15 per hour. Or they may reduce everyone's hours in order to pay each employee $15 per hour. Prices may have to be raised & less customers could be the result. Or they may discontinue medical insurance and workers will have to pay through the exchanges, thereby negating any pay increase they receive. Some will be making too much to continue to qualify for assistance, such as food stamps, WIC, etc. Also, employees income taxes will go up, which will give more money to the government who is the body forcing the increase. A bit of a conflict of interest towards the people. So while it sounds great that $15 an hour would be the least a person could earn, there are consequences that will result in order to strike a balance. And we will have given the government even more control over we the people.
I'm all for people earning as much pay as they can. But when the government dictates to private businesses what they must pay their workers, it puts the free market system out of balance and takes away more of our individual freedoms.
While we currently live with a minimum wage requirement, the latest push for a $15 minimum wage would be more than a 50% increase for businesses in those states which currently pay the federal minimum wage. People who have never owned a business don't realize what it takes to start a business & keep it going. Many small businesses who are required to pay their employees 50% more than what they pay them now, will have to do something to keep their costs down or go out of business. If they do go out of business, all those working for those small businesses will be making $0.
The business may have to lay off some people in order to pay others the required $15 per hour. Or they may reduce everyone's hours in order to pay each employee $15 per hour. Prices may have to be raised & less customers could be the result. Or they may discontinue medical insurance and workers will have to pay through the exchanges, thereby negating any pay increase they receive. Some will be making too much to continue to qualify for assistance, such as food stamps, WIC, etc. Also, employees income taxes will go up, which will give more money to the government who is the body forcing the increase. A bit of a conflict of interest towards the people. So while it sounds great that $15 an hour would be the least a person could earn, there are consequences that will result in order to strike a balance. And we will have given the government even more control over we the people.
So are oil and farm subsides wrong, because they're not free and open business? Shouldn't business that benefits from paying low wages have to pay these employees subsides? Why do my tax dollars go to Walmart employees? Minimum wage should be indexed to inflation. It went from $1.85 to $2.35 when I started working in the mid 70's, and gas was 50 cents a gallon. Gas is 7 times higher, but minimum wage is only 3 x. Your free market ideals are a bs way to justify American working class. What will really happen is a huge surge in consumer spending created by added income. Some prices will rise, but wages always follow and never lead inflation.
I'm all for people earning as much pay as they can. But when the government dictates to private businesses what they must pay their workers, it puts the free market system out of balance and takes away more of our individual freedoms.
While we currently live with a minimum wage requirement, the latest push for a $15 minimum wage would be more than a 50% increase for businesses in those states which currently pay the federal minimum wage. People who have never owned a business don't realize what it takes to start a business & keep it going. Many small businesses who are required to pay their employees 50% more than what they pay them now, will have to do something to keep their costs down or go out of business. If they do go out of business, all those working for those small businesses will be making $0.
The business may have to lay off some people in order to pay others the required $15 per hour. Or they may reduce everyone's hours in order to pay each employee $15 per hour. Prices may have to be raised & less customers could be the result. Or they may discontinue medical insurance and workers will have to pay through the exchanges, thereby negating any pay increase they receive. Some will be making too much to continue to qualify for assistance, such as food stamps, WIC, etc. Also, employees income taxes will go up, which will give more money to the government who is the body forcing the increase. A bit of a conflict of interest towards the people. So while it sounds great that $15 an hour would be the least a person could earn, there are consequences that will result in order to strike a balance. And we will have given the government even more control over we the people.
Actually, the government is "we the people." We get to chose the laws we want to live under, or at least the folks who make and rule on those laws.
If it wasn't for the current minimum wage laws, corporations would be trying to get folks to work for $5 and hour or $3, whatever they could get away with. Every time folks get a little uppity and want a decent wage, they'll maneuver another flim flam, steal our pensions and savings, put a bunch of folks out of work. They'll make out like bandits and we'll all be grateful to have jobs at all.
As to people making too much to qualify for assistance, I say hallelujah! to that. Why should taxpayers be subsidizing Walmart's cost of doing business? That's hardly free enterprise.
As to businesses having to lay off people, when has that never been the case? Businesses do their best to get by with as few people as possible. You think Walmart has more people scheduled to work than there is work to do? Or McDonalds? These are not charitable organizations with the goal of keeping the less fortunate occupied. Walmart hires as few people and schedule them as few hours as possible to keep that cheap Chinese junk moving out the doors.
Suddenly, we're all concerned about the effect on small businesses, those that are left. I think minimum wage laws will help out small businesses. It will help level the playing field. Many small businesses already pay over minimum wage. Certainly business owners who work in their own businesses will be competing against big businesses that are not using subsidized labor. That should be a boon to many small businesses.
With more money in circulation, there will be more demand for goods and services which will increase the opportunities for businesses.
It's all good.
Last edited by GotHereQuickAsICould; 05-25-2014 at 03:46 PM..
So are oil and farm subsides wrong, because they're not free and open business? Shouldn't business that benefits from paying low wages have to pay these employees subsides? Why do my tax dollars go to Walmart employees? Minimum wage should be indexed to inflation. It went from $1.85 to $2.35 when I started working in the mid 70's, and gas was 50 cents a gallon. Gas is 7 times higher, but minimum wage is only 3 x. Your free market ideals are a bs way to justify American working class. What will really happen is a huge surge in consumer spending created by added income. Some prices will rise, but wages always follow and never lead inflation.
Yes, oil and farm subsidies are wrong. Oil companies are making money hand over fist. Whyever should we be subsidizing them with our taxes, we're running short as it is?
By and large, farm subsidies are welfare for agribusiness. The small farmers, the ones take care of the land, struggle to compete against agribusiness subsidized by the government. Enough already.
Odd to me that people standing in solidarity with their working brethren is now considered negatively.
I wouldn't be surprised if some number of those protesting were standing in for friends and relatives who had to work because they had to work.
Most people would prefer millionaires and billionaires screwing them over versus "thousandaires." Unions have their own inherent issues, but big business has convinced us that fighting (and making them uncomfortable) is NOT in our best interests.
My analogy for it: it's like your child convincing you that disciplining them is a bad idea and that letting them do whatever they want is best for everyone. CEO's are like children. They need a strong hand to keep them in line.
Baloney. Subway has tip jars out, as do ice cream stands, and many others. In addition, one can always leave gift cards on the cars in back of such places. That is where workers usually park.
No baloney. Big Macs. McDonald's employees, Taco Bell employees, Burger King employees, and Popeye's employees are not permitted to accept tips. If I recall correctly, neither are Hardee's/Carl's Jr employees or KFC employees. Subway is an oddity among big name fast food, and ice cream places are not fast food per se, though ice cream is food, and dipping it out is pretty fast.
Leaving gift cards on the cars ... novel concept. Unworkable, but novel. And how would you know which employee you were tipping? Might be the one that served you, more likely not.
Also, when I worked fast food, I rode the bus (couldn't afford a car). What would you do then, leave with the driver?
I don't like the idea of subsidizing, generally speaking, either. But do you realize that a big part of the subsidies oil companies receive is to provide heat for low income/poverty level households in the U.S.? The tax incentive (less percentage rate) given to oil companies is also given to Microsoft, Apple & other large corporations to keep business in the U.S. Funny, no one seems to complain about those other corporations.
I agree that what Walmart is doing is wrong. I intentionally do not shop there. If people were as passionate about protesting Walmart's policies as they are about making the minimum wage $15 an hour, maybe we could get Walmart to change.
But Walmart is one corporation & not a small business. Small businesses are the financial engine that enables our economy in a good way. It is local, personal, usually a good employer & conscientious about community. Small businesses & small farms are what we want to see succeed. One of the reasons small businesses struggle and/or fail is because they do have to compete with large corporations, subsidized and not.
Perhaps the minimum wage would have kept up with inflation if the government wasn't always changing what makes up the CPI. It's gotten so ridiculous, it doesn't have any effect anymore.
They aren't my free market ideals. I'm merely trying to explain how this utopian idea that $15 an hour isn't going to be the ultimate solution some think it will be. Minimum wage jobs have always been considered a steppingstone to gaining experience in the work force & a way to subsidize one's costs of living, perhaps while seeking further education or helping your family or as a base to moving up the ladder in seeking promotions, i. e. Manager of a department or store.
Unfortunately, our politicians who make life changing laws, policies & taxing decisions for you & I have not been "of, for nor by the people" for a very long time. We have Obamacare. They have something much better...at our expense, for example.
I still shake my head wondering what exactly a McDonald's worker does that justifies a $15/hour wage. Between fry timers and clam grills, the automation in these places has been simplified almost to the point where chimps could be trained to make the food.
Here's a novel idea... Want to make $15/hour? Try going back to school and learning a skill set that is valuable enough that justifies making that kind of money or more. Don't just drop out, settle for a McJob and demand the world owes you something because you made a lot of ****-poor decisions in life.
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