This bothers me (Houston, Victoria: minimum wage, taxes, restaurant)

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by rb4browns

Government is there to keep us safe from invading armies and those who want to do physical harm or steal things. It's (should) not (be) there to wipe our butts or noses.

[ShelbyGirl1]

Originally Posted by rb4browns

For those who truly are unable to care for themselves or function in society, please see my post about society being built around the family first (not government or corporations first). It is the responsibility first and foremost of the families of these people to care for them, then the extended families, and then volunteer organizations such as churches, synagogues, etc. to care for them. It is certainly not the obligation of a corporation and it should not be the responsibility of government. Government is there to keep us safe from invading armies and those who want to do physical harm or steal things. It's (should) not (be) there to wipe our butts or noses.

Couldn't rep you enough on this post! Well said

[rigas]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Rigas, how is that an excuse? 9 percent of the population has an IQ of 80 below. They cannot get a college education. They aren't smart enough.

i think pointing out that 9% of the population is literally mentally retard is kind of pointless.

and how about the remaining 91%? of those how many have a college education that they DO NOT USE? how many never got one and complain about how "if i/you had only gone to college".

your education is only a partial in the real world. because you have an education doesnt guarantee you success and as i showed in my previous post the lack of one does not guarantee you will not be successful.

ultimately there are successful people and there are not, in the end your education is only PART of that and not a substantial part. you either have the drive and ability (drive being the largest % IMO) or you dont. there are very few people who have actually made something of themselves with just an education. sure there are some fields you can not make your way without one but there are plenty of places to go career wise that you do not need the education but simply the drive/determination/ability.

now dont get me wrong, i am not saying not to get an education, what i am saying is dont bet the lock stock and barrel on that education, you have to have the drive before you start or you are just wasting the money and the professors time as well as yours.

i have a friend who went to school and got a degree in elementary education, she taught kinder for 5 yrs. she dropped teaching and went into sales (concrete) and has done very well for herself. she wasted all of her money on her college for something she has no need for now.
oh and dont get me started on teachers salary and how they should be MUCH higher, thats a whole other thread for sure.

[Sampaguita]

Originally Posted by MommiePreMed

I would not consider Victoria's Secret high end. More midpriced retail. It is comparable to the Gap and other mass marketed mall retail stores.

I thought the exact same thing when I read the first post yesterday. If they were selling La Perla, Carine Gilson, etc. then maybe I'd wonder at them paying minimum wage.

[crbcrbrgv]

You all make very interesting points and I agree with many of them. Rigas, you make great counterpoints without being either condescending and/or insulting. That's pretty rare when it comes to politics these days. If you are a Republican, the GOP needs more people like you.

As for calling Victoria's Secret high end, that was a guy error. My wife already chastised me for that one. "High end? Maybe in their minds," she told me.

[portyhead24]

Originally Posted by rigas

i have one word also, CAPITALISM!

isnt it beautiful??????!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????

we need to amend that to be UNREGULATED Capitalism. That's the issue no matter what type of government or economy. They're all great on paper til you throw in the human factor. Therefore we need checks and balances, and unfortunately our government has done little to keep our corporations in check for past years. Now we're paying the price. It could have been much worse though. We'll just have to see where things go from here.

[portyhead24]

Originally Posted by rb4browns

People are conditioned to "expect" more handed to them instead of understanding the concepts of delayed gratification and working to "earn" a higher wage, etc.

I understand what you are saying and I agree to an extent, but at the same time there are billions of people on this earth and only so many jobs to go around let alone great paying jobs. So let's just look at our country for the sake of ease. I am by no means an expert on business or the economy but it has become pretty apparent to me the disparity in pay between the higher-ups on down to the menial workers. Gosh I wish I had a link, I was listening to something the other day about how the difference of % in pay wages between the upper and lower class has become a lot bigger than what it used to be. I understand working hard for my money, I do it 6 days a week. But to not see the greed that has gotten outta control is being a bit naive in my opinion.

[rigas]

once again i dont see it as greed. it is only greed to those who dont have. this is the country of opportunity, and the land of dreams, if you have one go for it. if you do go for it and win then why should you worry about those who didnt go for their dreams? if you go for it and fail well at least you tried. there are failed dreams going down by the second and only a few dreams that survive to be profitable. just because those people earned their dream and make some ridiculous money doesnt mean they are greedy, it means they are successful. look at bill gates, the man is back and forth the richest man in the world and would be like #15 richest country if he where one. is he greedy? NOPE as a mater of fact he is one of the most generous givers in the world. look at oprah, she gives 10% of her earnings every year to charity straight out, and makes countless other charitable donations and contributions. is she greedy? just because you dont hear about the things these uber-rich people do with their money doesnt make them greedy. sure there are some (madoff?) but the number of actual greedy rich people are so small you would be amazed. i am a life member of a couple hunting/conservations groups and you would be amazed at how many rich give to things like this. i watched a man (mid 70's i guess) write a check for about $250,000 at the safari club international banquet a couple yrs ago. all that money went directly to preserving land and habitat for native game in the usa. was he greedy?

all i am saying is dont confuse success and a large paycheck with greed because it makes you sound bitter and jealous.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by portyhead24

Gosh I wish I had a link, I was listening to something the other day about how the difference of % in pay wages between the upper and lower class has become a lot bigger than what it used to be.

This sounds like CNN style drivel, and isn't news. This gap you speak of will always be the case, and same goes for the gap in accrual of wealth.

(see laws of middle school level mathematics)

Anyway, the poor seem to be doing pretty well compared to ''what it used to be.'' Back in the day they generally didn't have AC's, flat screen color TV's, rent-a-rims, nor all the food that causes morbid obesity.

[portyhead24]

Not sure if that last post was directed (referencing rigas) at me per se but I agree with you wholeheartedly, and thank God we have people in this world like Oprah and Bill and Melinda Gates. That being said there are people on the flip side too e.g. Bernie Madoff, Kenneth Lay (I'm sure we remember that pretty well) and so on and so forth. This greed runs the gamut though from monetary greed to social and political greed. These people have helped create an environment of inequities and disillusionment. They are not the only ones but I have a hard time dismissing big business as just people succeeding and trying to make a profit. If that were the case this world would be a whole lot different and better in my eyes.