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Not sure which city you live in. I know that many of the large chains in Los Angeles are union and it sounds like they make decent wages considerably higher than minimum wage.
Trader Joes is non union, but they seem to be ranked pretty high as a company to work for and I know they pay considerably more than minimum wage too.
One issue especially in cities like L.A,NYC and SF is that there already is strong rent control (regulation of rent) but the prices are still high. These cities also limit supply of new units. Supply and Demand says that if there are more units built prices will be less.
I think regulating wages or rents for private businesses or private landlords is a bad idea, and I don't think the government should have their hands in that.
If people are willingly lining up to work for $10 an hour, why should businesses be forced to pay $15?
Businesses have also said that they are going to need to hire less workers and also give them more responsibilities (more work!) if they have to pay $15 hr. Otherwise it just won't be worth being in business for them.
This isn't really good for employees. Plus of course when wages are $15hr , price of everything will go up too.
Live in austin right now. They are so over price here.. wayyyy over price. They are building apt like crazy and getting fill up soon as they open the doors. Supply is meeting the demand, but pushing folks out at the same time. Fellow co-worker was pushed out after her lease ended. She had to pay 50 bucks more a month or move out. She choose to move out and next person inline got the apt. Soon as anybody lease ends, they jack up the rent hoping to force people out. Texas has a huge Apartment and renters association here. They pretty much team up and run the system to get max out of their properties. This causes alot of people to be homeless not because they arent working, just cant afford any housing. Jobs are here, pay is decent but not enough to rent a hotel room. Has to be some regulation for any property owner that is renting out to keep from price gouging the poor sorta speak.
I am an organic farmer. I sell at Farmer's Markets. We have gone through the math many times, it costs me $3/dzn to produce eggs. While I can buy eggs in the grocery store for $1.75/dzn. None of my crops get farm subsidies. None of my feed has lower prices artificially lowered by farm subsidies. I pay more for feed as compared to conventional farmers, because the Farm Bill subsidizes their feed. Taxes are being spent to lower the customer price for GMO 'food's. While healthy foods do not get that support, and are a bit higher priced. Every vendor at a FM is expected to offer eggs alongside the rest of their produce. So all of us do it. It is a loss-leader.
My Dw is the produce manager in a grocery store. On average local organic food is priced 15% higher than conventional / GMO foods.
Profit Margins are very thin.
Right now the USDA is generating more rules. They are currently in the open for public comment stage. The draft of these rules, so far, will cause all livestock and poultry farmers to rebuild a lot of fencing and enclosures. Which will drive up local organic food prices.
i know what your feeling. WE attend to buy local organics and people are sticker shock but they know they are getting local and fresh products.
Sadly many of us never learned how to let our " money work for us". This is not taught in our education system and you are either taught how to do it by your parents or you figure it out on your own or you NEVER learn it. One of the best books I have ever read on this topic is "THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON". I think it has been out of print for a while but most decent libraries will have it. IMHO it should be required reading for all school children from Grade 5 on.
True. There is a saying that 'trading time for money is a trap' . This is not 'common knowledge' though.
Most people have been brainwashed to think that working MORE hours is the way to success or wealth.
If you look at the true wealthy people , they are people that are working because they enjoy it, not because they have to do it.
The wealthy don't work for money, the have their money work for them.
Also a lot of people in the U.S have the attitude that being wealthy is negative and it means one is greedy.
With that type of mindset it's going to be impossible to become wealthy because you view it as such a negative thing.
Money is a tool and it can be used for positive or negative.
Just like a knife. A knife is a tool that can be used to kill someone, or it can be used to create a delicious meal.
Way too many negative associations with money and it starts when people are young too.
It seems often those with the most negative associations about money or claim they don't want to be rich or wealthy are the ones that allow money to control their lives versus having control of their money and using it for a positive force.
True. There is a saying that 'trading time for money is a trap' . This is not 'common knowledge' though.
Most people have been brainwashed to think that working MORE hours is the way to success or wealth.
If you look at the true wealthy people , they are people that are working because they enjoy it, not because they have to do it.
The wealthy don't work for money, the have their money work for them.
Also a lot of people in the U.S have the attitude that being wealthy is negative and it means one is greedy.
With that type of mindset it's going to be impossible to become wealthy because you view it as such a negative thing.
Money is a tool and it can be used for positive or negative.
Just like a knife. A knife is a tool that can be used to kill someone, or it can be used to create a delicious meal.
Way too many negative associations with money and it starts when people are young too.
It seems often those with the most negative associations about money or claim they don't want to be rich or wealthy are the ones that allow money to control their lives versus having control of their money and using it for a positive force.
Kinda hard when you have dont have it growing up. Those that are wealthy today, because they had family that was consider wealthy back then. I am for one busting my butt off daily to get ahead only to be knocked down later one when some greedy person wants more out of me. If the wealthy are not working for the money than they need to reinvest in there employees more. Give them a chance to rise up out of the ashes. Not all was born with a silver spoon nor had the resources and elbows to rub growing up.
Live in austin right now. They are so over price here.. wayyyy over price. They are building apt like crazy and getting fill up soon as they open the doors. Supply is meeting the demand, but pushing folks out at the same time. Fellow co-worker was pushed out after her lease ended. She had to pay 50 bucks more a month or move out. She choose to move out and next person inline got the apt. Soon as anybody lease ends, they jack up the rent hoping to force people out. Texas has a huge Apartment and renters association here. They pretty much team up and run the system to get max out of their properties. This causes alot of people to be homeless not because they arent working, just cant afford any housing. Jobs are here, pay is decent but not enough to rent a hotel room. Has to be some regulation for any property owner that is renting out to keep from price gouging the poor sorta speak.
Yeah I know that Austin has gone up a lot in terms of housing because it's a desirable place to live.
I've never been myself but i've pretty much only heard good things about Austin.
This is one of the benefits of owning something, as long as you have a fixed rate your payments won't go up.
Sometimes the trade off to own is to move further away though.
With free market capitalism , if demand/prices go up, the landlord will pretty much always raise the price.
Just the way it works. All landlords are in business to make money.
Other options perhaps look into moving to a less expensive part of the country, even other parts of the country are cheaper than Austin now.
Look into getting trained for higher paying in demand jobs. Community colleges might have affordable programs and options where you can take classes at night or weekends or online.
You can also pretty much always borrow money for education and even if it costs a lot if it means a much higher paying job it can pay off.
I know in Los Angeles too the politicians are always promising they will build 'affordable housing' , but it's always better and faster to take action ourselves versus waiting for the government to help.
Kinda hard when you have dont have it growing up. Those that are wealthy today, because they had family that was consider wealthy back then. I am for one busting my butt off daily to get ahead only to be knocked down later one when some greedy person wants more out of me. If the wealthy are not working for the money than they need to reinvest in there employees more. Give them a chance to rise up out of the ashes. Not all was born with a silver spoon nor had the resources and elbows to rub growing up.
There are plenty in U.S history and today that started out poor or not wealthy and did become wealthy.
There is an interesting show on CNBC called "Blue Collar Millionaire" and it's about people that didn't start out with much and started 'blue collar' types of businesses and are now millionaires.
I've seen a few episodes and it didn't seem like any of them were greedy. Many started with just themselves or a couple employes and now some have hundreds.
One guy started a roofing business, one was a driver and then started a transportation company that grew big.
They weren't born rich.
It's interesting because it's kind of like a tv show version of the book the Millionaire Next Door.
If you haven't read that book it''s a good one to read. Gives you a good idea of millionaires in the U.S and most of them made their money in similar 'unglamorous' types of businesses. http://www.thomasjstanley.com/public...ire-next-door/
With the rental / housing market there's not much anyone can do. Most landlords charge market rent. You can't really do otherwise - trying to be "nice" and charge sub-market rents usually means you'll get bad tenants.
The real estate market is a perfect example of supply/demand. There's only so much land and people want to live in certain areas where land is a lot more limited.
Rising rents in my area has caused some homelessness - when they rise so rapidly it hurts the people who were already borderline. There is a limit to government can do. When government incentivizes "affordable housing" it usually doesn't stay affordable for long. What government COULD do - is have units built further out and build train / bus systems to them. But that is incredibly expensive and no one wants to pay taxes for that.
Salt Lake City actually did a pretty novel thing and just bought some units and allowed homeless people to live in them, no questions asked. It works a lot better than tying strings to it like no drugs, alcohol, etc... the only rule was you can't do anything that harms your neighbors.
With the rental / housing market there's not much anyone can do. Most landlords charge market rent. You can't really do otherwise - trying to be "nice" and charge sub-market rents usually means you'll get bad tenants.
The real estate market is a perfect example of supply/demand. There's only so much land and people want to live in certain areas where land is a lot more limited.
Rising rents in my area has caused some homelessness - when they rise so rapidly it hurts the people who were already borderline. There is a limit to government can do. When government incentivizes "affordable housing" it usually doesn't stay affordable for long. What government COULD do - is have units built further out and build train / bus systems to them. But that is incredibly expensive and no one wants to pay taxes for that.
Salt Lake City actually did a pretty novel thing and just bought some units and allowed homeless people to live in them, no questions asked. It works a lot better than tying strings to it like no drugs, alcohol, etc... the only rule was you can't do anything that harms your neighbors.
Yea i been to SLC and they do alot of great things to help the homeless and maintain some rent stabilization. If it wasnt so damn cold there all the time, i woudlnt mind living there. Bones cant take it..
Which is the case because the extra paper dollars paid to you are chasing the same (or only a slightly larger amount) of "real wealth" -- economic goods and services produced by your (and everyone's else's) efforts. Those "extra" dollars weren't taken from a vault at some CEO's country club; they represented only the paper on which they were printed.
Consider, if you will, three examples of "real wealth": (1) a bottle of fine wine from a unique vineyard that can't be expanded, (2) an "emerging" technical gadget such as a TV set, personal computer, or smart phone, (3) a basic necessarily-repeatable services such as a haircut. Obviously. if more "fiat" (paper) money competes for those goods over time. the (relative) price of the rare wine will increase, that of the gadgetry will decrease, and that of the haircut -- the use of someone's else's time and attention will remain constant -- or "trickle down" very, very slowly.
The "real" wealth of any industrialized nation lies in the physical capital of its institutions -- public as well as private. With the passing of each generation, the stocks and bonds of its enterprises gravitate from the personal holdings of the founders to institutions and philanthropies such as universities, hospitals, foundations -- even cemeteries -- and especially, to pension funds. If Bernie Sanders and his groupies start pointing in the same direction and grunting in the same key, a lot of that wealth will simply disappear before they even get their greedy, grabby hands on it.
This is the means my which an enlightened, responsible form of the "societal compact" has evolved in all the world's capitalistic democracies; and it makes a lot more sense than giving a few more paper buck to Billy-Bob and Bobbie-Bob at Burger World, so they can blow it on a weekend in Vegas.
BTW, your landlord also pays for insurance, property taxes, and upkeep of the property -- and I can guarantee you that those expenses have continued to rise.
You are simply too much of an apologist for the 1%. I'll bet some employers were quite happy to have you at minimum wage, and so willing to comply, as you were just filling time before retirement. Others, a bit younger, did not have the same experience.
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