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In Australia they already get paid $15 per hour (and have health insurance) and yet a big mac costs almost exactly the same as in the US. The same goes for several parts of Canada (like Alberta) and in several US states (like North Dakota though they don't get health insurance there).
The reality is labor costs are only about 3% of the cost of your average fast food meal and just about every other catagory in the price break down is larger.
How high are the taxes in Australia for middle-class people in comparison to the taxes here in the U.S.?
Well I kept my flip phone for 6 years and got laughed at all the time, I only replaced it when it totally died! Great thing in Austin are all the good re-sale shops (local owned). I totally believe in local business and keeping money in the community. These businesses are the ones that are key to providing minimum wagers a step up on the next rung of the economic ladder.
And leaving Austin was part of my plan.
I went from $7K in RE taxes to $2K in RE taxes
It really does cost to live in the "hip" areas.
It's extremely expensive in Austin, I just got some land out in the country in another county to escape the taxes. Going to build a small efficient home and slow down and enjoy living. I don't see how anyone can afford Austin anymore, especially minimum wage earners. Time to eat. Great discussion with you Happy. Have a good evening.
I agree. That is the mindset of people today.
God forbid they go out of their way to do what's right.
I know people that just can't be bothered going to Farmer's Markets because it's out of their way or they'd rather do all their shopping in one place.
They'd rather call the big national chain (that's foreign owned) to fix their water heater than ask around for the local guy that lives in their town and runs his own shop.
They'd rather bank at BofA because there's ATMs all over the place and then complain about fees on their accounts.
The big corps are thriving on the instant gratification crowd that just "can't be bothered" to go out of their way.
That really wasn't my complaint but I agree. The big corps exist because of what you say but they are thriving off government largeness though.
Not sure if this obvious fact has been stated yet...
If the fast food establishments raised the pay to $15 an hour for these jobs, more qualified people would suddenly be interested in these jobs and would be hired in place of the lesser qualified workers currently striking for higher wages.
They would have "struck" themselves out of a job
Doh
Lol
A wage offered determines the ability of the job seekers who will apply.
So what is your solution then? If we have always relied on the middle class to stimulate the economy with new businesses and job growth, and today that money is not in the hands of that section of the economy and only bottled up in corporations, then what do you do?
First, never vote for a presidential candidate that runs on the jealousy of people who don't have a clue. Never vote for a politician that believes that raising taxes is the solution. It's not.
That's silly, people have to buy things in order to live, and thus money will continue to go to corporations but not return to the economy in the same ratio.
The same thing happens when the government siphens money out of the economy through taxation. Obama managed to get higher taxes but did you see anyone who bought into his BS get a windfall?
A bunch of idiots believed Obama and now they suffer the fallout and you still don't get it.
By "going galt" I paid off all debt, moved and took early retirement.
I'm not living in a cave in the mountains somewhere.
Nor am I living off the land.
I just downsized and grabbed an opportunity when it presented itself.
I just removed myself from the system as much as I could. But you can't totally remove yourself.
Hey HappyTexan, I did the same thing. When Obama ran around insisting the higher taxes was the answer I couldn't believe how many people bought into his crap. When Obama was re-elected we said what the hell should we bust our asses for only for the government to take a bigger chuck, instead of working to grow our business, hubby took an early retirement (not government funded), they still did not fill his position and for me instead of laying someone off I work much less.
Tax reform to Obama means ANOTHER tax hike and nothing else. Our tax code is among the top reasons for our mushrooming trade deficit, since we're the only country which taxes income from its citizens from any country on the planet.
I'm sure anybody who voted for him again last year has a serious case of buyer's remorse right now; President One Per Cent is shafting everybody except for his Wall Street comrades.
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