[Leroy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABM0_L_5 ... r_embedded

So, here we have another ignorant politician shown how little she understands about economics or private jobs and how they impact the country.

She wants the minimum wage to be $22/hr or more.

She has no clue how wages and benefits impact the cost of items - that's why government workers are paid so much better than private workers and why government costs tax payers so much more than it should.

[RealJustme]

So, here we have another ignorant politician...

I knew that the second I read Democrat Senator.

[Leroy]

So, here we have another ignorant politician...

I knew that the second I read Democrat Senator.

Yea, most of us do, at least the honest ones here. :-)

[BilboBagend]

The problem is not that it's not a good idea. It's that it's to big a change to fast. Same as reducing the deficit or the debt. Too much to fast is too bad. You seem to have had no problem with the wealthy unilaterally taking a much huger share of the pie over a very short period.

[RealJustme]

It's that it's to big a change to fast. Same as reducing the deficit or the debt. Too much to fast is too bad.

Nope, if you're drowning as our deficit is, getting out of the water quickly is a good idea. Real progressives understand that sometimes change is good and we need change ASAP.

[DarknLadyJedi]

Bilbo, do you honestly think that raising the minimum wage will do anything other than cause inflation and put people out of work? One of the main reasons so much manufacturing has left this country has been the fact that they can get workers for cheaper outside the US. Making it cost more to produce means they have to charge more.

Add in that currently most minimum wage jobs are held by high school and college age individuals and that means that while they are entering the workforce at a higher wage, those already making those wages will expect a pay increase.

[brandon]

How many times have they raised the minimum wage?

Then what happened?

JFC, same old politics for the stupid.

I really cannot understand HTF people can be that fucking stupid.

[brandon]

I'll just increase my prices in response to the increase in the price of parts and labor and overhead. One, if not two of my MW employees will have to go. If I can keep one he will be expected to increase his productivity greatly. But I'll probably just lay them both off and raise my rates accordingly.

Doesn't seem like a way to grow an economy to me.

It will be fun to explain to the same super smarties who support this stupidity why my prices went up and why I have two less employees.

Morons.

[Leroy]

The problem is not that it's not a good idea. It's that it's to big a change to fast. Same as reducing the deficit or the debt. Too much to fast is too bad. You seem to have had no problem with the wealthy unilaterally taking a much huger share of the pie over a very short period.

More of the blame someone else so that you don't have to accept blame yourself type diversion/misdirection.

The fact is that there will ALWAYS BE POOR, there will ALWAYS BE RICH, and that each time you make something cost more, it does cost more. Increasing the base wages and benefits costs for the lowest level jobs only massively increases the cost of anything their work provides, period, economics 101.

[BilboBagend]

"We do not have an immediate debt crisis." Republican leader

[RealJustme]

The fact is that there will ALWAYS BE POOR, there will ALWAYS BE RICH,

Anyone that is "really" poor in the United States is either is in very poor health, has an addiction or in most cases, just plain lazy, the cultures they grew up with has most to do with how well a person does in life. Most people are just working stiffs trying to stay in the middle class while being used by the rich and abused by the lazy poor who are like parasites killing their hosts for their last drop of blood. I have no respect or sympathy for the lazy poor.

[elklindo69]

I'm not sure what the minimum wage is "supposed" to be. It really should be determined at the local not the federal level. Here in the NYC area, $22 minimum wage will earn someone a decent living. But a $22 minimum wage in bum fuck nowhere it would not be appropriate...

[Leroy]

I'm not sure what the minimum wage is "supposed" to be. It really should be determined at the local not the federal level. Here in the NYC area, $22 minimum wage will earn someone a decent living. But a $22 minimum wage in bum fuck nowhere it would not be appropriate...

There should not be ANY minimum wage, let the economics of the situation control that. If people are willing to work for $2/hr in a place that requires $20, then one of two things will happen - the people will fail or the people will not work and the businesses will have to pay more, either way, it's a choice by the people.

[elklindo69]

I'm not sure what the minimum wage is "supposed" to be. It really should be determined at the local not the federal level. Here in the NYC area, $22 minimum wage will earn someone a decent living. But a $22 minimum wage in bum fuck nowhere it would not be appropriate...

There should not be ANY minimum wage, let the economics of the situation control that. If people are willing to work for $2/hr in a place that requires $20, then one of two things will happen - the people will fail or the people will not work and the businesses will have to pay more, either way, it's a choice by the people.

I'm not really getting your argument?

Only 5% of the workers in the US are paid at or below the federal minimum wage. And that's for hourly workers who make up 60% of the workforce. Not including salaried workers who are professionals.

So what's the big deal about this minimum wage deal? OK it's raised 30%. And what does that mean? You'll have to pay more for hamburgers or a hotel room? I did a back of the envelope calculation;

1. a 30% increase in minimum wage equals an $2.18hr increase
2. For 4.5 million workers it is a total hourly hour increase of $9.8 million
3. For a 40 hour week $392 million
4. Annually it's 20 billion.

Comparing 20 billion to the total GDP of 15 trillion, this is 0.13...%
Comparing 20 billion to the total population 314 million, this is $65 per person.

Where I work we have very few minimum wage workers. Even the people who work the warehouse get paid more than minimum wage. I'm wondering who gets the minimum wage at work, the janitors and the cafeteria workers. We must have about 15 or 20 out of more than the 350 who work on site......

[Leroy]

It's good to see that you believe increasing costs for services/manufacturing will have no impact on the products and will not cost the consumers any more of their hard earned money.

It's good to see that you believe people should not value their own worth and demand higher wages, by not accepting jobs at lower wages, provided they don't cost tax payers more, until companies pay what the majority considers a good wage for X job.

It's good to see that you believe the government should increase the value of what is considered the poverty level, causing nothing to really change except the amount considered to be at the poverty level, as all things will, as they always have, level out shortly after the change.

[RealJustme]

It's good to see that you believe increasing costs for services/manufacturing will have no impact on the products and will not cost the consumers any more of their hard earned money.

It's called "socialist logic" and the reason every socialist Country ends up being another Detroit or Philadelphia.

[elklindo69]

It's good to see that you believe increasing costs for services/manufacturing will have no impact on the products and will not cost the consumers any more of their hard earned money.

It's good to see that you believe people should not value their own worth and demand higher wages, by not accepting jobs at lower wages, provided they don't cost tax payers more, until companies pay what the majority considers a good wage for X job.

It's good to see that you believe the government should increase the value of what is considered the poverty level, causing nothing to really change except the amount considered to be at the poverty level, as all things will, as they always have, level out shortly after the change.

Well then explain how Costco has competitive pricing and better selection than Walmart, even though Costco pays their employees some 50%+ more than Walmart while having a unionized workforce? Walmart doesn't even have a single worker in the unions. Walmart has been through a shit storm of major proportion;

Towns have blocked stores from being constructed
Numerous sex discrimination lawsuits
Failure to pay overtime
issues with exploiting illegal immigrants
And there are even full time organisations whose sole job is to publicize every thing that Walmart has screwed up

And it seems that it has all payed off for Costco because even with higher costs their share price has blown out Walmart over the past decade, so the employees, customers, and shareholders are happy....

[Freedman]

[quote]And it seems that it has all payed off for Costco because even with higher costs their share price has blown out Walmart over the past decade, so the employees, customers, and shareholders are happy....[/quote

Walmart should be closed down or taxed out of existence.

[Leroy]

Well then explain how Costco has competitive pricing and better selection than Walmart, even though Costco pays their employees some 50%+ more than Walmart while having a unionized workforce? Walmart doesn't even have a single worker in the unions. Walmart has been through a shit storm of major proportion;

I can't show what you ask because, having a membership to both CostCo and Sam's Club, I find that CostCo is often more expensive on the same products, that they are more expensive on similar products, and their only accepting Cash or Amex hinders many sales opportunities. CostCo stores seem to be nicer, because they are newer than many Sam's Club stores, but they are certainly not cheaper - Also, I've found the lines, regardless of time of day, to be more than triple the wait of any Sam's Club line I've ever been in.

So, it appears that the employee cost for CostCo means, higher prices, fewer employees, and a narrower selection of products by geographical area.