Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree with you about not wasting any more time on it. 5% a year is fair. that is it. and everyone in the world getting it is fair too. Or at least the people making stuff to be made here.
A flat tax wont stay flat for long. FDR had it set up to grow the middle. The top undid it over time. If you want something the top can't undo over time then up the minimum wage 5% a year. And put it in the constitution.
How does that work when other people aren't getting 5% per year?
I meant for profit. Concessions don't count. You know we price gouge to make more money for our cause. I do concessions for science club and charge $1 for a small bag of popcorn I get for free from the local theater (many theaters will give you a big bag of popcorn if you come the night before you need it at closing time). I can't sell hot dogs because we don't have a venders license. Instead we order pizza and sell it by the slice at twice the price. We double our money on everything we sell and we buy retail.
I'll have to look to see what the hot dog venders outside the hardware store charge for a hot dog. They must do well. I see them there every weekend when I go.
I'm not really sure how any of this addresses what I said.
As an aside, we charge $1.00 for a Hot Dog. Today that is not price gouging. It's difficult to find one for less. A little here and there but nowhere close to 4/$1.00. Minimum wage has only slightly more than doubled.
I'm not really sure how any of this addresses what I said.
As an aside, we charge $1.00 for a Hot Dog. Today that is not price gouging. It's difficult to find one for less. A little here and there but nowhere close to 4/$1.00. Minimum wage has only slightly more than doubled.
And you could by penny candy when I was a child. You can't judge buying power by one thing. Minimum wage has not lost 75% of buying power by any means even measuring from the top which was 1968. You're using one extreme example but one example doesn't make a valid argument. So hot dogs cost 4 times as much bought from a vendor and penny candy is 25 cents. These are just areas where vendors found they could make more profit by charging more not indicative of the loss in buying power for minimum wage workers.
Here's a graph of buying power in 2012 dollars. Show me one period of time where minimum wage workers have lost 75% of their buying power. According to this from the peak in the late 1960's to today they've lost about 30% of their buying power not 75% in spite of the price of hot dogs.
While minimum wage does need to be periodically adjusted, I don't think a set percentage per year is in order. At 5%/year a minimum wage worker would overtake a first year teacher in 20 years. What happens when McDonald's pays better than teaching? Or nursing? Or any other educated profession? Because they're getting guaranteed raises while the rest of the world is not?
I'm a teacher and I've seen my real wages decrease in the last 5 years. Three years ago we agreed to double what we pay for medical and this year we took a 10% cut. There have been no raises in 7 years and only one step increase (automatic increases for new teachers based on experience). It's kind of hard to swallow that minimum wage workers are guaranteed raises when the rest of the world is taking cuts. Sorry but this is the way it is. I don't think minimum wage workers should be guaranteed more than teachers or any other profession.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 02-21-2015 at 03:36 PM..
Increases in worker productivity, decreases in costs from absences, decreases in hiring/training costs because of less turnover, etc. could potentially go a long ways towards making wage increases viable. That's not to say that raising the minimum wage to $15/hour would be realistic.
While minimum wage does need to be periodically adjusted, I don't think a set percentage per year is in order. At 5%/year a minimum wage worker would overtake a first year teacher in 20 years. What happens when McDonald's pays better than teaching? Or nursing? Or any other educated profession? Because they're getting guaranteed raises while the rest of the world is not?
When they catch those above them then those people would need to form unions and demand higher wages or enjoy a minimum wage life stile.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
I'm a teacher and I've seen my real wages decrease in the last 5 years. Three years ago we agreed to double what we pay for medical and this year we took a 10% cut.
If the minimum wage was going up every year eventually you would get a raise when it caught up to you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
There have been no raises in 7 years and only one step increase (automatic increases for new teachers based on experience). It's kind of hard to swallow that minimum wage workers are guaranteed raises when the rest of the world is taking cuts.
That is why it would be going up to give you a raise too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
Sorry but this is the way it is. I don't think minimum wage workers should be guaranteed more than teachers or any other profession.
And this is something your not getting. You can't work legally for less than minimum wage. So when it caught up with your wages you'd get a raise to.
But you'd get a raise long before then. With the minimum wage going up every year the top gets taxed with inflation not the bottom.
Of course not. The lazy, less industrious, less intelligent people shouldn't be in the top 1%. Why would they be?
Then why are you saying that they should get off their lazy butts and work their way into it. The shape of the curve is a function of the laws. Change the laws to even the playing field long term.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spot
Perhaps. But they need to work harder and earn it. Nobody's entitled to a free ride in this World.
The people that get their hands on the money first benefit the most from inflation. The people that get their hands on it last pay the inflation tax.
The top has gotten a free ride from inflation. Just an attempt to even the playing field a bit.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I do concessions for science club and charge $1 for a small bag of popcorn I get for free from the local theater (many theaters will give you a big bag of popcorn if you come the night before you need it at closing time). I can't sell hot dogs because we don't have a venders license. Instead we order pizza and sell it by the slice at twice the price. We double our money on everything we sell and we buy retail. 
