Another downtown protest. (for sale, home, purchase)

[jm1982]

They don't have to , but if they want the chance of a better life and more control it seems to be the best option.


Also if we live in a society that clearly benefits the business owner , why not choose that ?

Supposedly a Lot of people back in the day were able to just work a job buy a nice house in a decent area have new cars take regular vacations and not have a bunch of debt . Plus this was often done on one income

A lot of things changed and there are books written on it

The world changed . This was before outsourcing , etc too

So your boss couldn't send your job to India like they can now , etc

It is crystal clear that being an employee these days is worse than its been many decades .

Also a business doesn't have to be Walmart , these days one can start a business cheaply .

Because of the Internet , Lower costs of technology , etc . You can run a service business out of your house or apt.

Not sure why you are so anti business

If you can provide a product or service people need or want that adds tremendous value .

You could also have employees and pay them as much as you please too .

Because you would have the control , the only bad part is that you couldn't blame anyone else like you could if you are an employee .

Nothing worth doing is easy

You gotta ask yourself ... Do you want to be like " most people " which is living paycheck to paycheck and getting by And be dependent on one income source aka your job ?

Or do you want to be in control of your destiny and actually live rather than survive .

I think all those Walmart workers should be asking the same questions .

Even if they get that $15 an hour it's better but still , is that all their time is worth to them?

If they were doing something they are passionate about that's one thing , but I bet most just view it as a job . The problem is we can't make more time .

Trading time for money is not usually a great idea.

With a job you are income limited , in business income is unlimited .

Benefits ? You can buy those with money.

[CALGUY]

This is a most interesting thread, and after reading all the post, I have a question for those who are in sympathy with the workers at Walmart.
Most feel the executives should share more of the wealth with employees.
Now, if I worked hard to build my business, and made a great deal of money because of my efforts, why should I have to share that with any one else?
I pay my employees what I feel my business can safely afford, so give me one reason why I should have to raise wages.
Bob.

[Captain Obvious]

I am so happy to hear that the right wingers have no problem paying for medical care for these workers and when necessary food stamps and welfare. I am not sure what these workers or their employers would do without the rest of us subsidizing them.

Oh and they even provide tools like this wonderful budget that assumes that people work two jobs and can get some awesome 20 a month health insurance.

Why McDonald's Employee Budget Has Everyone Up In Arms - Forbes

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by yby1

So you need to invest thousands of dollars to prove that you can learn on the job.
What if you can't afford college but are otherwise capable? Tough luck?

Anyone who wants a college education can get one, at least they can get their AA. Just asked those who have come from the inner city or maybe rural areas and were raised in poverty. My husband is a perfect example. What about people like Dr B Carlson, raised by a single mom in the inner city or Senator Rubio? How about Ronald Reagan or VP Biden? Sure it takes work and dedication, but it can be done. We have a family right here in our neighborhood, who actually moved here from Los Angeles. They are probably in their late 30s, have 2 kids and I am guessing came from families with very little education. He put himself through mechanics school and she is an RN. He works for an auto shop and does repairs on cars on the side. She does have her RN. The kids are polite, love to ride their bikes in our open spaces and are great neighbors. Or the guy across from him, who isn't educated but was able to do better than working at a fast food restaurant. He drives a long distance truck for WalMart. Where there is a will, there is a way.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by TheGreatUnwashed

Sounds like the world is really keeping you down.

I was raised in a solidly middle class family (parents were both police officers) and I went to school, studied hard, and had multiple job offers by the time I graduated. I'm not rich, but am certainly comfortable and don't feel like I received any preferential treatment.

and like a lot of others you worked hard for that education, instead of being content to live on min wagea and spend your life either looking for government handouts or crying to everyone about how poorly you are treated at the store. .

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I agree that the amounts some of these CEOs make is ridiculous, I think the same of the pay for athlete's and celebrities. The problem issue is that these wages aren't controlled by the government, they are private companies.

Why does someone work for a place like Walmart or McDonalds? There's gotta be a reason right?

I think most of us realize these CEOs are way over the top, just like pro athletes. And yes, we have to ask why, if the working conditions are so horrible do people stay at these places? I am guessing, they are too lazy to get training to better themselves or they know they are lucky to even have a job. Why that is, we don't know. Plus, I still maintain a huge number of them do not work full time and are not the sole support of their families.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by TheGreatUnwashed

We all know it isn't fair. It's just trying to make the best of what is available to us. You seem to have a lot of great ideas. How do you propose we fix it all?

and most people realize life isn't always fair. We can all look around, see people who have had it easier than us and be resentful or we can realize part of what we are or have is based on what we put into getting what we have. Many years ago my husband made a very stupid mistake when he left a particular job. Had he handled it differently we would have a very nice retirement, but he didn't. We have never said, the company should have provided or it was their fault. It was ours, end of story, it has made a difference in retiring and enjoying all the things some of our friends can enjoy or watching every penny so we don't end up depending on the government or out kids for help. I don't resent what many of our friends have, nor do we think the company should have provided better for him. People make their own decisions and have to live with what life dishes out.

[jm1982]

Nmnita , that is very true what you are saying.

You hear a lot of people that never even tried to go to college or those that tried and dropped out . These people will often demean those that put in the time and effort of years of work getting a degree .

The problem is people want to work at these entry level retail jobs and want to say ok I have a Job , I should be getting the same pay as the guys at the top .

Also another thing I find interesting is a lot of these people say the rich are evil , why ? Because they have money ? But that's the same exact thing they want too . A lot suffer from too many negative money memes . Their relationship with money is not a good one . Money can control your life , or you can be in control of money and use it for great things , helping others , charity , starting a business that creates good jobs , investing in a neighborhood and helping to turn it around . It is a fact this brings down crime and leads to a higher quality of life .

I think the lesson is not to get too comfortable, be happy and grateful where you are so you aren't miserable but also strive for something better in the future. But if actions are not taken like education or training or starting a business nothing will happen .

There is also the possibility of moving up to manager or some other position at Walmart , the advantage is its a huge corporation .

People should be looking for solutions not excuses

As Jon taffer of bar rescue fame says

" I don't embrace excuses , I embrace solutions"

The owners of these failing bars that he turns around have a million excuses of why they are losing money . Bad economy , the workers are bad , people don't go out as much .

He finds ways to turn around their bars with change in management , products/ menu and better marketing , etc .

We all need to market ourselves . I know that some thing that having the right mindset or positive thinking is bs , but that is absolutely false .

I'd recommend listening to or reading Dr Wayne Dyer And Zig Ziglar
To get into this mindset.

The wrong and negative mindset can destroy us . With the right mindset and taking action , skies the limit . Ask people like Elon Musk , cofounder of PayPal and now CEO of Tesla and Space X . There is a biography of him on Netflix that is very inspiring .

[nmnita]

and here is a personal story: I will admit, the story is about a couple who did come from middle class backgrounds where education was stressed, but the story could fit almost anyone. Our younger daughter decided after 2 plus years in college she wanted to party instead of study, so she dropped out. A few years later she met a young man, that had done the same. They got married, he had worked his way up, from being a wait person to kitchen manager for a large, national restaurant chain. eventually he went to work for another company and moved up to manager of a new store, eventually opening stores in 3 different cities and being manager of the year twice. Then the shoe dropped, he lost his job and the company didn't even give him much severance pay. Did he quit, give up, go on welfare? NOPE. He looked at his options, 1 was to open his own restaurant but the funds were not there. After a few months of interviewing with other major chains he decided to get out to the restaurant business. He thought about what job or jobs he had in college he really enjoyed and remembered working for a pool company one summer, cleaning pools. What did he do? He went to work for a large pool company, learned the trade from start to finish (yes, at min wage) and a year later started his own business. I am not positive, but I think they now have the largest or one of the largest pool maintenance companies in the area. This is proof, hard work, drive and determination can make a person productive. Today, instead of cleaning pools, doing estimates, and the rest, he has others doing this. Instead of 2 day vacations, he takes weeks a year off. Instead of the grind of daily work, he golfs whenever he wants.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally Posted by CALGUY

This is a most interesting thread, and after reading all the post, I have a question for those who are in sympathy with the workers at Walmart.
Most feel the executives should share more of the wealth with employees.
Now, if I worked hard to build my business, and made a great deal of money because of my efforts, why should I have to share that with any one else?
I pay my employees what I feel my business can safely afford, so give me one reason why I should have to raise wages.
Bob.

I think employers should "share more" when I as a taxpayer am expected to subsidize the health care of your workers. To me it is not a matter of an executive making 100x what the lowest worker makes. I would rather pay higher prices as a customer than higher taxes as a taxpayer, wouldn't you?